The Air National Guard on Nov. 1 will transfer command of 1st Air Force, based at Tyndall AFB, Fla., from Maj. Gen. Scott Mayes to Maj. Gen. Henry Morrow. Mayes, who plans to retire on Nov. 1, has commanded the unit charged with air defense of the continental US since October 2004. Morrow last served as National Guard assistant to Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of NORAD and US Northern Command.
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…
