Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr., director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, is being shown the door courtesy of Donald Rumsfeld for a past transgression, reports the Baltimore Sun. Clapper is set to step down in June, after nearly five years in the post. According to the Sun, Clapper wanted to stay longer, but Rumsfeld declined to renew his contract over disagreements emanating from the formation of the new National Intelligence office. In responding to lawmaker questions in 2004, Clapper had said his agency could work equally well whether under the Pentagon or not.
There is a new entrant in the highly competitive field of collaborative combat aircraft—semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside manned combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman unveiled its new Project Talon aircraft to a small group of reporters at the facilities of its subsidiary Scaled Composites.
