Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota is marshalling forces for “a new era of opportunity” for the Red River Valley Research Corridor by hosting an “action summit” on March 22 at the University of North Dakota. The Air National Guard unit at Fargo and Grand Forks Air Force Base will be jointly operating Predator UAVs. Dorgan also hopes to get USAF to make the university a Center of Excellence for UAV education. He says he wants the summit to identify steps to take “to accelerate” the Predator deployment and identify potential economic opportunities for the surrounding communities.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…