Defense News reporter Aaron Mehta traveled to Beaufort, South Carolina, joining Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work and UK Minister of State for Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence Philip Dunne at the Marine Corps Air Station there. Here are some observations from the field via Twitter. Follow him @AaronMehta.
About Aaron Mehta
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
The British government used what's known an urgent operational requirement process in Iraq and Afghanistan to rapidly get capabilities into the front line.
Experts say balloons loitering at high altitudes can offer some advantages over satellites and drones — and could at least augment ISR capabilities.
Biden said he wanted the balloon downed on Wednesday, but was advised the best time for the operation would be when it was over water.
The Pulse program took five months to pull together. Such a pace, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said, was an “extraordinary feat."
China claims balloon is weather research “airship” that blew off course.
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