We speculated last August that NAS Oceana, Va., would not close when Congressional defense powerhouse Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) took up the cause during BRAC 2005 deliberations. And, in fact, the BRAC commission did issue somewhat of a reprieve, giving Virginia time to work out encroachment issues. However, according to the DOD inspector general the state and the communities around Oceana have reneged on their side of the deal. The BRAC law required the IG to certify by June 1 whether “specified actions” were taken to mitigate the “incompatible use property” within one of the jet base’s crash zones. The IG’s May 24 report says the “actions taken, however, did not satisfy the criterion.” So, is the ball back in Florida’s court?.
A Golden Dome task force established under U.S. Northern Command earlier this year has a broad remit, which includes fielding the capability to defend the U.S. against missile and drone attacks, its leaders said this week. Some of the primary focuses right now are ensuring Golden Dome can defend itself…