German legislators on Friday approved a measure to join coalition efforts against ISIS in Syria in a purely non-combat role, reported BBC News. A total of six German air force Tornado ECR reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft will deploy from Jagel AB, Germany, to Incirlik AB, Turkey, supported by an A310 tanker, according to a Luftwaffe release. The Luftwaffe will augment coalition intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance efforts for at least the next year, but will not conduct airstrikes. Britain’s Royal Air Force also expanded operations from Iraq into Syria, hitting their first targets there on Dec. 3. Germany plans to deploy a frigate to assist French carrier Charles de Gaulle, and some 1,200 advisors to arm and train anti-ISIS Kurdish militias as well. Germany joined the coalition at the behest of the French government, following the attacks in Paris last month.
Companies planning to compete for Golden Dome contracts say they’re already investing in capabilities that could have a range of defense and commercial applications—regardless of whether they’re selected for the Pentagon’s sweeping program to create an advanced homeland missile defense shield.
