Radar Sweep
Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19
Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
IRGC Reveals Secret Space Program in Satellite Launch
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched its first satellite into space on April 22, dramatically revealing what experts described as a secret military space program that could advance its ballistic missile development amid wider tensions between the Islamic Republic and the U.S.
Trump Says He's Instructed Navy to 'Destroy' Any Iranian Gunboats Harassing U.S. Ships
President Trump said April 22 that he's instructed the U.S. Navy to "shoot down and destroy" any Iranian gunboats harassing American ships, in the wake of a tense encounter in the Persian Gulf.
Battle for NRO Takes Shape as Space, Air Forces Grapple with Acquisition
As the Defense Department struggles to decide how broad the new Space Force’s buying powers should be, the future of the builder and operator of America’s spy satellites, the National Reconnaissance Office, is now uncertain. Insiders say the wisdom of maintaining the long-standing and often hard-fought split between “black” and “white” space is once again being questioned.
'Disruptive' Missile Defense Technologies Sought
The Missile Defense Agency is asking industry for ideas on potential "disruptive technologies," seeking white papers by the end of June on new ways to improve defending against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats.
Lockheed Looks to Sell Additional F-16s to Customers in Africa, Asia, and South America
Lockheed Martin anticipates another wave of international F-16 sales, with countries from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia among those interested in purchasing the jet, the company’s chief financial officer said April 21.
Millennium Space Delivers Smallsat for Upcoming U.S. Space Force Rideshare Mission
Millennium Space Systems, based in El Segundo, Calif., has completed the development and integration of a cubesat scheduled to be launched to geosynchronous orbit later this year on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rideshare mission for the U.S. Space Force, the company announced April 21. Called Tetra-1, the microsatellite was the first project awarded in 2018 by the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Enterprise Consortium.
Support for Full Withdrawal from Afghanistan Grows: Poll
Nearly three-quarters of veterans surveyed and almost 70 percent of troops’ family members support a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, according to a new poll from a conservative activist group released April 22.
Pentagon Plans to Dispatch Blue Angels and Thunderbirds in Coronavirus Tribute
The Pentagon is planning a multicity tour of the U.S. military’s top flight demonstration teams to “champion national unity” amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to defense officials and a memo obtained by The Washington Post. The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, the demonstration squadrons for the Navy and Air Force, will fly over some cities together and others separately, according to the memo. The flyovers will take place in the next several weeks “to thank first responders, essential personnel, and military service members as we collectively battle the spread of COVID-19.”