James Clapper is the new director of national intelligence. As we first reported on Friday, the Senate approved his nomination on Aug. 5. His vote came after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) lifted his hold on the vote once McCain received a classified intelligence report that he wanted from Clapper. In his new post, Clapper will oversee the nation’s 16 major intel organizations. He had been serving since April 2007 as under secretary of defense for intelligence. He succeeds Dennis Blair, who stepped down as DNI in May.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…