Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said that preserving the nation’s long range strike capability is a critical challenge, placing it among four top imperatives the Pentagon must address. Lynn said Jan. 21 at a Washington defense conference that the US must have the ability to confront distant and deep threats, but he acknowledged that the LRS mission is “fraught with challenges” that cannot be met by a single solution. He explained, “We will be maturing a portfolio of capabilities” that range from manned and unmanned systems to penetrating and standoff capabilities—as well as ballistic and cruise missile weapons. Lynn has no doubt that the new technologies will preserve the nation’s ability to swiftly confront security threats. (Also see An Answer on the Next Bomber below)
The U.S. military is doubling down on non-space-based alternatives to GPS, the ubiquitous position, navigation, and timing service provided by the U.S. Space Force, with new funding for the development and testing of operational prototypes of quantum-based devices that don’t depend on easily jammable signals from satellites.
