A proposal for a new African Command is in the final stages and will be sent to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld by the end of October, an unnamed military official told Voice of America News. Time Magazine online reported in August that the Pentagon was working this initiative, which would put Africa under one command instead of the three that currently share the region. According to VOA, Rumsfeld requested a “milestone” proposal developed in collaboration by Central Command, European Command, and Pacific Command—all of which share some portion of Africa under the current Unified Command Plan.
Denys Overholser, the Lockheed Martin engineer whose insights on the mathematics of radar cross section led directly to the first operational stealth attack airplane and permanently reshaped combat aircraft design and tactics, died April 28 at the age of 86.