Members of the 91st Space Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., reached a 99.82 percent alert rate—the highest ever for a Minuteman ICBM force, say Air Force Space Command officials. The ICBM alert rate is a function of the percentage of missiles on alert and ready to launch. For the Minot airmen, the 2005 alert rate marked the fourth straight year that the North Dakota has been the command’s top unit.
China thinks it will be able to invade Taiwan by 2027 and has developed a technology edge in many key areas—but it is artificial intelligence that may be the decisive factor should conflict erupt, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said.