Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of US Northern Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that NORTCOM has learned some lessons from Hurricane Katrina. For one thing, Keating told the panel this week, it needs to spruce up its command of rescue operations. He said NORTHCOM’s Air Force component is currently working with the US Coast Guard and the National Guard Bureau to develop a joint search-and-rescue center for large-scale operations after disaster strikes. Airmen carried out thousands of rescues during the September disaster.
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.