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.
An independent policy research institute's upcoming report on military transformation recommends a $100 billion increase in military research and development funding over the next 13 years, to be offset in part by the cancellation of such high-profile programs as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV).
The technology is already in place for missile defense, and future success will simply be a matter of proper integration and testing, according to Lt. General Ronald T. Kadish, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO). Testifying before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Research and Development June 14, Kadish said that despite some highly publicized failures, the ability does exist to, as some have phrased it, "hit a bullet with a bullet."
A group of industry and government researchers are working to improve communications to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The current ISS communications systems are not substantially different from those that have been flying on the space shuttle for 20 years, according to David Beering, principal partner at Infinite Global Infrastructure, LLC (IGI), who is part of the modernization effort. Speaking at a satellite Internet conference in Arlington, Va. June 13, Beering said he and his partners hope to improve three things.
