The Air Force’s counter-biological warfare concept of operations has achieved initial operational capability across the service after six years of analysis and testing. USAF said in a May 13 release the CONOPS outlines how the service will prepare for dealing with attacks of biological agents as well as naturally occurring disease outbreaks and then respond during and after the events to limit casualties and sustain mission capability at its installations. “Although these new procedures significantly improve our ability to operate in a biological warfare environment, there is still a significant amount of work to be done to fully prepare the Air Force to meet the threat,” said Col. Steve Lucky, chief of the strategic plans & policy division on the Air Staff. The service expects to achieve full operational capability by April 2009.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
