Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
With the possibility of a long-range missile test by North Korea looming, the director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said June 23 that he is "confident" of the current missile defense system's ability to defend the U.S. "Based on the testing that we have done to date, I'm confident that we could hit a long-range missile that would be fired at the United States," U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering said. "Obviously, in my mind, it's much higher confidence than has been described by some of our critics in the press."
As part of their new interagency agreement, the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) will be performing a "systematic" review of their respective space launch and operations work forces and may seek reductions in some areas. "If we find ways in the area of operations or launch where we might find the possibility of efficiencies, I would hope in the end that we might achieve some manpower savings," said Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, vice commander of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC).
The U.S. Air Force is paying close attention to the proliferation of small satellite technology that it fears could one day be applied to attacking U.S. military spacecraft in orbit, according to the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM). The service is concerned about "this proliferation of ... small satellites and microsatellites and where that may take us," Lt. Gen. Robert Kehler told members of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee at a hearing in Washington earlier this week.
