The 6 big military space stories of 2020 December 30, 2020 A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The mission s primary payload is the X-37B spaceplane. (John Raoux/AP) WASHINGTON The first full year for the U.S. Space force marked an eventful stretch for the military in space. From the growth of the nascent military branch to the award of massive new launch contracts, 2020 was a busy year in the space domain. Just this December, the Trump administration formalized its thinking about space in a new National Space Policy and gave Space Force members a surprise birthday gift: an official name. With new developments, launches and announcements spilling out throughout this year, even the most ardent observers could be forgiven for missing a story or two.
New in 2021: Older planes bound for the Boneyard December 30, 2020 A B-1 bomber is prepared for a training mission on the flightline during an operational readiness exercise at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., in March 2012. (Airman 1st Class Zachary Hada/Air Force) The Air Force in 2021 will start working on retiring multiple aircraft but not as many as it had hoped. Service leaders originally asked Congress for permission to mothball more than 100 aircraft, freeing up funds that could instead be used to modernize areas including space technologies and Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control. But Congress pulled back on the Air Force’s plans in the 2021 defense authorization bill passed in December. (The House has voted to overide President Trump’s veto of the bill, and the Senate is now poised to do the same.)
Air Force, Army to conduct major system experiments in 2021 aimed at sharing data instantaneously: report foxbusiness.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from foxbusiness.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New in 2021: Advanced Battle Management System testing begins December 27, 2020 Tech. Sgt. John Rodiguez provides security with a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype at a simulated austere base during the Advanced Battle Management System exercise on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Sept. 1, 2020. (Tech. Sgt. Cory D. Payne/Air Force) As early as March, the Air Force and Army could begin major experiments on their systems to allow aircraft, sensors and other weapons systems across services to share data instantaneously. As part of a Sept. 29 agreement signed by both services’ chiefs of staff, the Army and Air Force hope to ensure that their new communications equipment, networks and artificial intelligence systems are compatible with one another and send information seamlessly under the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort.
We Don t Have a Choice: Military Exercises in 2021 Will Focus on This Big Problem
Lt. Col. James Forrest operates a virtual-reality headset in support of the Advanced Battle Management System, or ABMS, Onramp, Sept. 2, 2020, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (Daniel Hernandez/U.S. Air Force)
23 Dec 2020
War-gaming how and where data moves may not sound as exciting as planning a top-secret infiltration mission. But leaders must understand how quickly troops and their equipment can communicate when up against an enemy.
For the next year, the services will be running data-heavy exercises to determine how much and how fast data can be pushed through to warfighters.