The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center has launched an 18-month realignment that will shift personnel from its Det. 3 at Kirtland AFB, N.M., to detachments in California, Colorado, or Florida so that the center is better situated to support cyber operations. “The organizational change will more effectively integrate command and control and cyber concerns with operational test and evaluation of command and control assets, space orbital vehicles, and space ground stations systems,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Sargeant, AFOTEC commander. About 56 airmen and civilian employees from Det. 3 will relocate to Edwards AFB, Calif., Eglin AFB, Fla., and Peterson AFB, Colo. And, approximately 14 members of Det. 3 will be absorbed into AFOTEC’s headquarters at Kirtland. (Kirtland report by Katherine Gandara)
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.