Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, frequent critic of the Air Force’s desire to gain more than 183 F-22 Raptors, on Dec. 2 announced his plan to leave his post at the Pentagon rather than remain on with Defense Secretary Robert Gates under the new Administration. England said he had expected to serve only two to four years, but he wound up still on the job “after almost eight years.” He plans to stay past the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Obama to aid in the transition but gave no firm date.
Advancements in commercial space technology could make President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense network far more likely to succeed than the failed “Star Wars” strategic umbrella initiative of the 1980s, U.S. Space Command’s top general said May 22....