The Civil Air Patrol has flown 50 sorties—roughly half the Air Force total—for Hurricane Rita, providing photo reconnaissance of potential damage, oil spills, traffic congestion, flood assessment, and live multispectral imagery for state and federal agencies.
Senior U.S. military officials involved in restructuring the troubled LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program now project confidence that it will achieve operational capability in the early 2030s.