Only Minutes to Get GPS Coordinates:

Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog, director of the air planning element for operations in Iraq, says that the time it takes coalition forces to “generate GPS-level accurate coordinates” is classified but “it’s measured in minutes.” Hoog briefed reporters in...

Continuous “Air Umbrella”:

According to Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog, the two F-16 Vipers engaged for the strike on Abu Musab al Zarqawi’s safe house (see above) had been flying a routine search operation for improvised explosive devices, which typically includes two or more...

Pyongyang Is Close to ICBM Launch:

North Korea has been steadily working toward its first test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and, according to several news reports, the Bush Administration believes such a test now is possible at any time. (The International Herald Tribune reported...

Financing the Long War:

The Senate has voted unanimously to force the Administration to include the cost of waging operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in its normal Pentagon budget request. For the past five years, the Administration has requested such funding through a series...

The Demise of Cheyenne Mountain?:

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, a new US military study would recommend reducing operations at the Cheyenne Mountain complex in Colorado Springs, Colo. Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of NORAD and US Northern Command, directed the study, which the Gazette...

Governors Decry Lack of Consultation:

More governors are pressing the attack on what they perceive as the Pentagon’s total lack of regard for state concerns. Colorado officials already have asked the Air Force to spell out how it will support the state during wildfire season since state National Guardsmen are overseas. And, just last week, Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who was in Washington to testify before the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, questioned the urgency of many Pentagon moves relative to the Guard. She complained in a written statement about the lack of consultation when the Air Force decided to eliminate Delaware’s only Air National Guard flying unit as part of BRAC 2005, saying USAF tried “to sneak changes by while no one was looking.” North Caroline Gov. Michael Easley told commissioners that proposed realignment of “versatile” Army Guard combat units with combat support units “would result in a significant loss of emergency response and recovery capabilities … [and] impair the ability of governors to move quickly in the case of disaster events.”

Chinese Observe Valiant Shield:

US Pacific Command has invited representatives from China, among six other nations, to observe Valiant Shield 2006, which it bills as “one of the largest joint-military exercises in the Pacific in more than a decade.” Command officials say some 33...

Abundant Airpower for Shield:

USAF’s Andersen AFB, Guam, will generate 80 aircraft, including B-2 and B-52 bombers; F-15C, F-15E, and F-16CJ fighters; E-3 AWACS command and control aircraft; and KC-10 and KC-135 tankers, to conduct sorties for a variety of simulated events as part...

Veterans Benefits Bill Signed:

President Bush signed the Veterans Housing Opportunity and Benefits Act of 2006 into law June 15. The bill, introduced by Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), authorizes Veterans Affairs to make grants available to help with housing adaptations for severely disabled servicemembers....

Pentagon’s 9/11 Site Dedicated:

Senior DOD leaders and members of Congress, President Bush’s cabinet, and families of Pentagon employees gathered on June 15 for a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the start of construction for the Pentagon Memorial to commemorate the crash of American Airlines Flight...

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism

June 14, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 14 5 19 CAS/Armed Recon 54 33 87 Airlift 140 140 Air refueling 41 41 Total 68 38 181 287 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance