More than 1,200 military and civilian experts from 41 countries will begin Combined Endeavor 2006 on May 12 in Germany and Bosnia, marking the largest security cooperation and communications military exercise in the world. “The exercise is creating the future of military communications worldwide and is a clear demonstration of true phase-zero warfighting,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Verbeck, director of US European Command’s international interoperability, concepts, and experimentation directorate.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.