Det. 5 of Air Force Space Command’s 22nd Space Operations Squadron celebrated its 40 years of service last week, noting that it came out of the black with the end of the Cold War. The unit, located on the island of Guam, is one of eight worldwide Air Force Satellite Control Network stations that command, track, and receive data from satellites. In its 40 years, unit officials say Det. 5 has maintained a 99.96 percent operations performance score, a 99.66 percent accuracy rate, and just 1.16 errors for every 10,000 satellite supports. The Guam unit is a mix of blue-suit airmen and civilians and contractors.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.