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.
Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge has not been given the authority necessary to effectively manage more than 40 government agencies that currently play a role in homeland defense and counterterrorism, lawmakers and witnesses at a Senate hearing agreed Oct. 12. Members of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and lawmakers and witnesses who testified before them, debated the merits of legislation that would either establish a new government department for homeland security or give Ridge's office more power.
Witnesses before a House Science Committee hearing on X-vehicles and military spaceplanes reiterated the need for reusable platforms, while citing poor management and inadequate political support as the reason more progress hasn't been made to date. The Air Force withdrew its support for the X-33 and X-37 demonstrator programs earlier this year (DAILY, Sept. 7). The X-33 was intended to demonstrate single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) launch capability, and the X-37 was to pave the way for a reusable spaceplane.
A serious lack of resources - both financial and human - is hampering research that could defend against attacks on the nation's computer-dependent infrastructure, according to a panel of computer experts testifying before the House Science Committee Oct. 10. The Internet already plays a crucial role in linking critical infrastructure networks, thus making them highly attractive targets for attack, according to the panel.
