The Missile Defense Agency has declared full operational capability for its Combined Test Force, now located at Huntsville, Ala. The agency has been moving personnel from scattered test elements to Huntsville because it “recognized a need for an integrated approach to testing and analysis of the entire [ballistic missile defense system] not just separate elements,” states an MDA news release. The CTF consolidation and move predates the relocation of the rest of MDA, principally from the Washington, D.C. area, to Huntsville, per BRAC 2005.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
