Boeing officials say the company has completed “end-to-end testing” for the Wideband Global SATCOM payload command and control system, which means the WGS is set for launch this summer. A Boeing release stated that the C2 system enabled communication from WGS ground station equipment at Paso Robles, Calif., and a WGS satellite located at Boeing’s El Segundo plant, routing the commands sent by teams at Schriever AFB, Colo., and Kirtland AFB, N.M.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.