The Air Force and its industry partners on May 4 successfully launched the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., said officials with the 45th Space Wing. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carried the sophisticated, Lockheed Martin-built communications satellite into space. “We applaud the teamwork between our wing and all our mission partners involved in making this mission a success,” said Brig. Gen. Anthony Cotton, 45th SW commander, who served as the launch decision authority. AEHF-2 joins AEHF-1 on orbit. These satellites are designed to provide secure communications to US military forces around the globe. (Cape Canaveral report by Chris Calkins)
The defense intelligence community has tried three times in the past decade to build a “common intelligence picture”—a single data stream providing the information that commanders need to make decisions about the battlefield. The first two attempts failed. But officials say things are different today.