The Air Force Association has named Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel as recipient of the 2007 Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy. Hamel is commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles AFB, Calif. An Air Force release cited Hamel’s stewardship of the service’s space launch enterprise, which has seen 49 successful launches in a row, and his role in the development of the global positioning satellite system, and other accomplishments in the space arena.
Defense experts say the drone threat represents only part of a larger, looming problem: U.S. air bases in the Pacific are increasingly vulnerable to air attacks.