There are still two more reports due that could influence the plan by Air Force Materiel Command to relocate elements of the 46th Test Wing at Eglin AFB, Fla., to Edwards AFB, Calif. However, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports that it has obtained the entire Rand report, which, according to the portion that surfaced earlier this year, shows the plan would produce substantially less savings than AFMC anticipates. The newspaper says the “pre-publication copy” of the Rand report indicates that to achieve about half the savings AFMC expects, the command must move both the 46th TW and all Eglin flight-testing to California. Lawmakers ensured last year that USAF could spend no 2007 dollars to transfer any Eglin test assets.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
