The Defense Department has named the 75th Civil Engineer Group Environmental Division at Hill AFB, Utah, as the best Environmental Quality Team in DOD. The division comprises 21 natural, cultural, and environmental compliance specialists, including biologists, engineers, an archaeologist, and other managers. Division chief Bob James credited the unit’s success to the “environmental consciousness and ethic of many, many individuals.” The Hill team covers not only the base area but also the Utah Test and Training Range and Little Mountain Test Annex. Among several achievements, the division established a new recycling program for scrap metals that generated $43,000 for the base and reduced hazardous waste costs by more than $440,000 per year. (Hill report by Barbara Fisher)
In the Space Force’s push to increase its consumption of commercial satellite capabilities, satellite communications stands out as the template. The question now is how broadly the Space Force will look to leverage additional SATCOM providers.