Courtney Albon
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. During that time, she reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges, including the F-35 jet, hypersonic capabilities and the creation of the Space Force.
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Trump picks intel community official as next Air Force secretary
If confirmed, Troy Meink would inherit key decisions about the Air Force's fighter force and how to right-size the Space Force as it takes on new missions.
US Army awards $72 million for new phase in next-gen ground system effort
The Army awarded Palantir Technologies and Raytheon Technologies $36 million each to turn their TITAN designs into prototypes, and the service plans to choose a single provider at the end of the 14-month phase.
Pentagon should consider ‘National Hypersonic Initiative’ to speed development, lawmakers say
The House Armed Services Committee wants DoD to explore options for creating a National Hypersonic Initiative that would guide collaboration among the services and agencies involved in development and testing activities and help accelerate production and fielding of hypersonic systems.
House lawmakers eye 70% funding boost for Pentagon’s commercial innovation hub
The recommended budget growth follows calls from committee members for greater DoD investment in commercial technology.
Senators seek boosts for JADC2, cyber mission, hypersonics in defense bill
The Senate Armed Services Committee on June 16 published its summary of the annual defense bill, tackling everything from future network development to supply chain challenges, electronic warfare integration to hypersonic weapons development.
Space Development Agency plans for ‘enduring’ satellite experimentation testbed
The initial solicitation will be for 10 satellites, the agency expects the program to provide an “enduring” test and experimentation capability.
Space Force envisions digital future for testing and training
The Space Force is on a path toward creating a National Space Test and Training Complex, but the endeavor also presents some challenges — most of which lie in creating virtual training and testing environments that realistically depict the space domain.
Lawmakers propose ‘Technology Competitiveness Council’ to champion US innovation
The council, chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris, would craft a National Technology Strategy that assesses U.S. competitiveness and recommends policy and funding measures to support innovation within the national security sector.
Pentagon chooses design for ‘Project Pele’ portable nuclear reactor prototype
The Pentagon awarded BWXT Advanced Technologies a contract worth up to $300 million to build a full-scale mobile reactor and deliver it in time for a 2024 demonstration.
Space Force urged to use single company for managing national security launch integration
As the service projects an increase in national security launch missions in the coming years, a House panel wants the Space Force to consider using a common launch integrator to reduce costs and drive out risk.
