The Defense Department wants to understand the “purpose and intent and capability” of objects in space, not just how many objects there are, said USAF Lt. Gen. Kevin Chilton, space and global strike component commander for US Strategic Command. Chilton told lawmakers that military space had a “good capability of being able to count the dots up there” but lacked capability to “divine intent.” To be able to determine purpose, said Chilton, DOD must increase its surveillance capability.
The Pentagon is significantly bolstering airpower near Venezuela, dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America, it said in an Oct. 24 statement. The announcement came just hours after U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and other U.S. assets flew near the Venezuelan coast on Oct. 23.
