Author: Michael

The National Reconnaissance Office is transitioning its new proliferated constellation of surveillance and intelligence-gathering satellites from initial demonstration phases to using them in real operational settings, NRO Director Chris Scolese said Thursday.
Since May, NRO has completed three of six launches planned for 2024 that have put operational satellites on orbit for the proliferated constellation, which is expected to enhance the office’s ability to capture and deliver space-based data for military users.

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Along Hurricane Helene’s path of devastation, National Guard officials said they are hearing that some of their own soldiers have lost their homes but are still reporting to call-ups to support local response efforts.
“There’s at least two in the state that I know have lost everything,” said Army Col. Paul Hollenack, a commander in the North Carolina National Guard. “We’re providing services and taking care of them.

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This Summer at the NATO to the Future micro-summit in Washington, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Director Stefanie Tompkins was asked onstage by longtime journalist Steve Clemons to share her favorite “cool new technology thing” the Pentagon’s research arm is developing under her leadership.
She responded: “I mean, the stuff that just catches everyone’s imagination is we want to make stuff that we’ll need where we are going to need it — so making food out of plastic, or food out of thin air.

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An American bomb dropped on Japan during World War II recently exploded after lying dormant for roughly 80 years.
The 500-pound bomb detonated on Wednesday at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan. Video of the explosion shows the blast spewing a geyser of asphalt, leaving a crater in a taxiway about 23 feet wide and three feet deep.
No injuries were reported due to the blast, but a Japanese passenger aircraft had been taxiing in the area about two minutes before the explosion, local broadcaster MRT reported.

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In 2018, Kerry Brown wrote “Will Xi Jinping Tighten His Grip on Power in 2019?” where he argued that the atmosphere in China has become increasingly dominated by President Xi, indicative of his ever-increasing political influence. In the wake of a pandemic that shook China, as well as the rest of the world, we invited Kerry back to reflect on his article. Read more below. In your 2018 article, “Will Xi Jinping Tighten His Grip on Power in 2019?” you said you were skeptical about how to interpret the level of power General Secretary Xi holds in China.

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