Officials with the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, Mass., last fall delivered the 20,000th combat survivor evader locator radio system in use by operators across the Department of Defense and are now on track to deliver an additional 20,000 units. First fielded in 2003, these handheld units, built by Boeing, are designed to facilitate the quick precision location and recovery of downed airmen or isolated ground personnel via four principal features: an over-the-horizon satellite radio, a line-of-sight radio, GPS system, and search and rescue personnel locator beacon. “It’s basically DOD’s global 911,” said Maj. Charles Leonard of Hanscom’s CSEL joint program office. He continued, “We’ve taken the process of locating and positively identifying individuals from hours down to minutes” with CSEL. Already the radios have been in use in Afghanistan and Iraq for several years and are credited with saving many lives. (Hanscom report by Chuck Paone)
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.