US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who took command of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan in June, last week turned over the strategic assessment requested by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates and JCS Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen reminded Pentagon reporters Sept. 3 that the report is not a resources request. Gates said that he expected to send his views and that of senior military leaders to the White House early this week, adding, “I expect that any request for additional resources would follow after this process and be similarly discussed by the President’s national security team.” Mullen said that McChrystal has offered “in frank and candid terms how he believes his forces can best accomplish the mission the President has assigned to him.” (Press briefing transcript)
The Space Force’s recent contract to Muon Space to repurpose their commercial weather satellites for military use will inform a broader “data-as-a-service” strategy for its space-based environmental monitoring mission.
