Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
Weather forecasters at Cape Canaveral continue to predict a 60 percent chance that thunderstorms will preclude launching space shuttle Discovery on July 1, the first day of its 19-day launch window. The Cape remains under a Phase 1 lightning advisory, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Kaleb Nordgren of the 45th Weather Squadron said during a press conference June 29. The sea breeze is "pinned" in the area and is acting as a trigger for lightning, he said. The forecast predicts winds of 12 to 18 knots on launch day.
An analyst with the Council on Foreign Relations told House lawmakers June 29 that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is not organized to achieve long-term success in the war on terrorism due to its overemphasis on "SWAT-style raids" at the expense of less glamorous, but no less important, unconventional warfare.
The overall concept of operations for America's next-generation air transportation system (NGATS) should be in place by the end of this summer, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said on Capitol Hill June 28. "Once we have that big picture in place, I think we'll go out and build the architecture to support the next-gen system very quickly," she said.
