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)
The U.S. military needs to wake up and smell the multi-polarity, according to the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash) told the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute on April 22 the era of a single superpower is over, ended by asymmetric strategic capabilities like drone swarms…