NORAD and Russian air force officials wrapped up Exercise Vigilant Eagle 12 at Peterson AFB, Colo. This year’s iteration of Vigilant Eagle was a computer-based command post exercise designed to practice the procedures for passing information and intercept control of a hijacked aircraft that traverses NORAD and Russian airspace. Unlike VE 11, this year’s exercise had no live-fly element. Brig. Gen. Richard Scobee, NORADSs deputy director of operations, said the command-post simulation allowed the participants to run a more complex scenario that they will exercise next year during the live-fly portion of VE 13. This year’s exercise introduced complexity by removing airborne warning and control aircraft from the scenario, forcing the simulated fighters to speak directly to each other. “We removed the command and control aircraft because we may not always have those available,” explained Scobee, in NORAD’s release. VE 12 ran from Aug. 27 to Aug. 29.
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January.