North Korea’s recently launched satellite is tumbling in low-Earth orbit and “I do not think it is functional,” Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Lt. Gen. John Raymond said Thursday. The satellite is “clearly in a non-stable orbit,” Raymond told defense reporters in Washington, D.C., but he didn’t want to speculate how long the orbit might last. Of more concern is the fact that North Korea—and potentially Iran, which also has an ambitious and aggressive rocket development program—can achieve a “dual purpose” with their satellite launch efforts. “The ability to put a satellite in orbit,” Raymond said, also confers the ability to lob a “harmful missile” at some distance. Raymond’s previous job was as chief of Space Command’s 14th Air Force, and he made a pitch for full funding of USAF’s space situational awareness and other space efforts, like the Space Fence. “The only way to deter” a war in space, Raymond said, is “to prepare” for one.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
