The use of Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan by American forces now has an official blessing. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice secured a formal agreement from Kyrgyz officials for open-ended use of the facility, capping the verbal arrangement Defense Secretary Rumsfeld brought home this summer. (DR, 09/07/05) Since the Rumsfeld visit Kyrgyzstan, the country has had a leadership change. In return for the use of Manas, the new Kyrgyz government has requested more money. According to the Washington Post, the US now pays around $50 million per year.
Advancements in commercial space technology could make President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense network far more likely to succeed than the failed “Star Wars” strategic umbrella initiative of the 1980s, U.S. Space Command’s top general said May 22....