Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, of Falmouth, Maine, was killed May 5 during a fight against al-Shabaab in Somalia, the first US troop to die in that country since 1993. US forces were conducting an advise and assist mission with members of the Somali National Army when they came under fire near Barii, about 40 miles west of Mogadishu. Milliken was assigned to an East Coast-based special warfare unit, according to a DOD release. “Al-Shabaab presents a threat to Americans and American interests,” US Africa Command said in a statement. “Al Shabaab’s affiliate, al-Qaeda has murdered Americans; radicalizes and recruits terrorists and fighters in the United States.” The US military has increased operations in Somalia recently, with a new White House authorization to increase precision fires in support of allied troops.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
