Global Stare: The Air Force is working to connect data collected by the wide-area surveillance sensor Gorgon Stare into its Distributed Common Ground System and then bring all Afghanistan-based personnel working with the sensor back to the United States, said Lt. Gen. Larry James, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance during AFA’s Air & Space Conference, Sept. 17. Eventually the 13th Intelligence Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif., will be assigned the primary task of conducting that mission, he added. James said part of the goal is to reduce the number of “boots on the ground” in theater.
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…