The Air Force and Army are partnering to develop renewable energy projects and achieve energy assurance, according to a release. The services formalized the effort April 6 with a memorandum of agreement. Under the agreement, the Air Force’s Office of Energy Assurance and the Army’s Office of Energy Initiatives will share support staff, business processes, and best practices. “This Army-Air Force partnership will accelerate our goal of providing mission assurance through en?ergy assurance,” said Miranda Ballentine, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment, and energy, according to the release. In February, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told lawmakers the service would focus more on energy assurance. (See also: Building the FOB of the Future.)
The Air Force is upgrading some 70 MQ-9 Reapers to a new configuration that will keep the type capable and relevant to the near-peer fight for another 15 years. It awarded General Atomics a $272.3 million contract to enhance the Reaper's weapons, electric power, connectivity, and resistance to jamming, among…