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NORAD

RED SEA (May 11, 2012) Capt. Grady Banister, commanding officer of the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), prepares to release a weather balloon used for retrieving upper air soundings off the fantail of the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Natasha R. Chalk/Released)

DOD takes steps to ensure its weather balloons aren’t misidentified

The launches are continuing in the wake of several recent shoot downs of unidentified “objects” flying over North America, by U.S. fighter jets launching AIM-9X air-to-air missiles.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Melissa Dalton, testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense hearing “to determine what decisions went into how we dealt with the Chinese spy balloon,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 9, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

US, Canada developing secretive ‘Crossbow’ sensor network as concerns mount over Chinese balloon fleet

A Pentagon official referenced the Crossbow system during a congressional hearing Thursday about the recent Chinese balloon incident.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 performers aerial maneuvers July 14, 2019, at the “Mission Over Malmstrom” open house event on Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jacob M. Thompson)

Military brass have recommended against shooting down an alleged Chinese spy balloon flying over the US — for now

“The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground,”…
U.S. Northern Command Commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck speaks during a press briefing about the completed global information dominance experiment (GIDE) 3, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., July 28, 2021. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase)

Combatant commander tasked with homeland defense warns of shortage of AI capabilities

U.S. Northern Command and NORAD don’t have sufficient AI and machine learning capabilities, the dual-hatted chief of both organizations warned.
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Department of Defense Chief Data Officer David Spirk speaks virtually to children at Mitchell Elementary in Tampa, Florida, to highlight topics such as the importance of data management; artificial intelligence; and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. (DoD photo / U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders)

DOD platform made for financial data finds battlefield use

The Advana platform was used in recent JADC2 experiments to give commanders real-time readiness and other types of data.
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