The first commander in chief of US Space Command, retired Air Force Gen. Robert T. Herres, 75, died July 24 at his home in San Antonio after two-year fight against brain cancer, according to a July 26 Associated Press report (via Houston Chronicle). Herres retired from the Air Force in 1990, last serving as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He entered USAF in 1954 after graduating from the US Naval Academy and flew fighter-interceptors after completing pilot training. Among his numerous assignments, Herres led Air Force Communications Command and 8th Air Force and served as commander of Air Force Space Command and NORAD.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
