The Air Force would grant the state of Florida access to space launch complex 36 at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., for an initial term of five years for commercial space launches under a proposed real-estate license, Air Force Space Command said in a release Aug. 7. Gen. Robert Kehler, AFSPC commander, said he supports the proposal, noting that it “encourages, facilitates, and harnesses entrepreneurial space achievement.” The plan, which the service and Space Florida, the state’s public-private aerospace development organization, announced on Aug. 7, is still subject to completion of the environmental impact analysis. SLC-36 is capable of accommodating light- to medium-lift vehicles. The Air Force used the complex for launching Atlas rockets from 1961 to 2004; thereafter, it deactivated it. Space Florida, as the broker of the facility, would develop, manage, and pay for its operations and maintenance.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.