Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a candidate for President, isn’t concerned about China’s Jan. 11 anti-satellite weapons test, in which it destroyed an old satellite with a missile. Associated Press news service reports that Biden said, “We have ways to deal with that ability.” On the other hand, Robert Joseph, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, calls the event a “wake-up call,” reports the New York Times. The Administration still awaits a formal diplomatic response from China about the test.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.