“The greatest disaster recovery effort in American history” is under way right now, according to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He and USAF Gen. Richard Myers, JCS Chairman, Tuesday afternoon told reporters at the Pentagon that more than 41,000 of the 58,000 troops on the ground in the region are Army and Air National Guard forces from around the country. The forces include more than 350 helicopters and 75 fixed wing aircraft—flying some 1,800 missions. Military troops have rescued more than 13,000 people and flown in thousands of tons of relief supplies.
Reports of production troubles on the SpaceX rocket that could contend for military cargo deliveries happened to coincide with a different company’s concept receiving an early nod—one that might not require a rocket at all.