Air Force Space Command declares the Operationally Responsive Satellite-1 satellite has reached final operational capability. Reaching orbit in June 2011, ORS-1 has provided additional situational awareness for troops in Afghanistan, employing a modified electro-optical/infrared imagery sensor similar to that on the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.
Defense experts say the drone threat represents only part of a larger, looming problem: U.S. air bases in the Pacific are increasingly vulnerable to air attacks.