Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) signed an executive order changing the name of the Massachusetts Military Reservation to Joint Base Cape Cod. “Renaming the base more accurately reflects the important ongoing work and opens up more opportunities for joint services and cost savings,” said Patrick. JBCC is the largest of the state’s six military installations in geographical size, according to an Aug. 19 Massachusetts National Guard release. Covering approximately 22,000 acres on upper Cape Cod, the joint base encompasses Otis Air National Guard Base; the 6th Space Warning Squadron at Cape Cod Air Force Station; Army National Guard’s Camp Edwards training area; and Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, states the release. In addition, there are some 30 other federal, state, and county tenants. The name change “also better positions the overall installation and the important missions conducted there against potential downsizing initiatives such as BRAC . . . force realignments and mission changes,” states a release from Patrick’s office. The governor signed Executive Order No. 547 on July 19.
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.