The “Enemy” Comes to Virtual Training: 
In a first of its kind event, the Air Force linked “enemy” MiG-29s into its network of simulators “flying” in Virtual Flag 2006. The New Mexico Air National Guard supplied the “enemy” pilots. The Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M., linked simulators around the country into a cyber battlespace for aircrews, and space and ground operators. Officials say about 75 percent of the Virtual Flag participants worked from their home stations. (Read our article “Distributed Mission Operations” here.)
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…
