The Air Force and Air Force Association presented the 2009 Gen. Thomas D. White Space Trophy to Maj. Gen. Stephen Sargeant, commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M., for making the most outstanding contribution to the nation’s aerospace progress over the preceding year. Among his accomplishments, Sargeant created a new space OT&E model that provides decision-makers timely and accurate data on new space systems and has been included in the DOD instruction that covers operation of the defense acquisition system. The National Geographic Society established the award in 1961 and presented it through 1996, when sponsorship transferred to AFA’s Gen. B.A. Schriever-Los Angeles Chapter. (Kirtland release)
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.