Boeing Completes Silo Tests: Boeing has successfully tested the modified underground silo and launch system components for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptor, clearing the way for the system’s upcoming flight test this summer. Company officials say the tests validated several modifications, including operation of the lateral support group and the opening of the silo closure mechanism. A series of six live fire tests that trigger the launch sequence of the support group arms and the opening of the silo “clamshell doors” was first conducted on the test silo in Huntsville, Ala., and verified at the Ronald Reagan Missile Defense Site at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
The Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy late Jan. 23, emphasizing a new commitment to the Western Hemisphere. But while that focus garnered most of the headlines, the strategy’s subtle shifts on China raise questions about how the Trump administration aims to leverage U.S. military power in the Indo-Pacific.
