As part of US Air Forces in Europe participation in the creation of the new US Africa Command, USAFE boss Gen. Tom Hobbins told a Capitol Hill audience July 24 that the command had recently hosted African air chiefs at Ramstein AB, Germany to discuss what kind of personnel and assets would be best for the continent. The answer they gave was to equip the command with forces to provide air security. Flying and moving around North Africa is relatively easy, but once below the Sahara moving personnel and cargo becomes more logistically difficult and less secure. Hobbins noted that AFRICOM assets would include operational support aircraft, to continue aiding efforts such as the African Union’s mission in Darfur.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
