The first new housing units at Holloman AFB, N.M., were officially opened Jan. 8 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at which the project developers handed over the keys to the first new home to an Air Force family. Developer Actus Lend Lease began construction of the Soaring Heights Communities housing project in July 2007. Altogether it will construct 388 new three- and four-bedroom homes and renovate 420 existing homes at Holloman. The new units are larger than many of Holloman’s existing homes and have features such as roomy master bedrooms, spacious kitchens, energy-efficient appliances, and covered porches. The community has also been designed with pedestrian-friendly streets, community centers, sports fields, playgrounds, and other amenities. (Holloman release)
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…