On Tuesday, over seven hundred troops, technical experts, and other personnel came together at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to begin the field test of the Army's new IBCS command and control network for integrated air and missile defense. With a target date of 2022 to enter service, IBCS must prove itself against cruise and ballistic missiles, manned aircraft, drones, jets and helicopters.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Space Force put forward a proposal to establish a basic hierarchy for running their new headquarters, the Office of the Chief of Space Operations (OSCO). OSCO will be led by a four-star general and a four-star vice chief followed by four deputies, two of which are three-star generals and two of which of are civilians.
On Friday, Secretary of State Pompeo stated that the U.S. is working with partners in the Arab Gulf in order to respond to the growing Iranian missile threat. Iran’s missile program presents a strong threat to neighboring nations and lends to instability in the region, especially as the five-year arms embargo on the nation is set to expire soon.
Also on Friday, U.S. Chief Information Officer Michael Kratsios was named as acting Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering following the departure of Dr. Mike Griffin. Kratsios had been CIO since August 2019, where he worked on projects involving artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomous vehicles, and commercial drones.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted ballistic missiles fired from Yemen overnight between Sunday and Monday. In total, four missiles and seven drones were launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi militants, with the group claiming it hit an oil facility in the Saudi city of Jizan.
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