Air Force Space Command declared the first Space Based Infrared Systems geosynchronous satellite fully operational on May 17, AFSPC spokeswoman 1st Lt. Connie Dillon told the Daily Report on June 12. The early warning satellite, known as GEO-1, launched from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., on May 7, 2011. It was followed by the launch of GEO-2 in March of this year. The SBIRS constellation is designed to provide early warning of missile launches and other types of infrared surveillance information to the US military and intelligence community. They will complement, and eventually replace, legacy Defense Support Program satellites.
In the final few hours before the Senate adjourned for its Memorial Day recess on May 26, lawmakers approved a raft of some 3,400 pending military nominations, including a number of high-profile Air Force and Space Force generals to assignments that will significantly reshape some of the upper echelons of…