More than 400 members of the US, British, and Canadian militaries are testing new combat identification technologies and procedures for coalition units at the US Joint Forces Command-sponsored Bold Quest Plus demonstration that runs through July 25 at Eglin AFB, Fla. The parties seek to field CID systems that maximize the ability to place a weapon on the proper target through the chaos and fog of war, while minimizing the chances of accidentally firing on friendly forces. One of the systems being evaluated allows forward air controllers to transmit data on the locations of friendly forces and enemy positions quickly to the cockpits of coalition aircraft. Representatives from Australia, Denmark, France, and Germany are on hand as observers. (AFPS report by Gerry J. Gilmore)
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III chaired a China-focused military briefing Oct. 27, part of a biweekly series of briefings with senior military commanders about China’s growing threat in the wake of an orbital hypersonic weapon test that elicited public worries from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. “What we…