In a major policy speech, President George H.W. Bush declares a new defense strategy, emphasizing regional conflict rather than the fading Soviet threat. He says it will be possible to reduce the armed forces by about 25 percent, a level that will become known as the “Base Force.” The speech receives minimal notice, overshadowed by events in Kuwait and the impending War in the Gulf.
The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in a 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.
