TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
August 17, 2026
A Golden Corona Eclipse
This total solar eclipse appeared not only poetically beautiful but scientifically interesting. Usually the solar corona appears white, and to some observers the corona of last week's total solar eclipse did appear this pearly color. But this time, totality observers in Spain saw a corona that appeared unusually golden. For one reason, from Spain, the totality occurred when the setting Sun was near the horizon. That low, sunlight travels through a large amount of air which scatters out blue light. An unusual amount of smoke in the air from nearby forest fires acted as a second filter, further scattering the remaining blue tones and deepening the already gold-dominated light. The HDR-processed, multiple-exposure featured image was captured from Benavente, Spain last week. One thing that did not appear golden was a hydrogen-glowing prominence that hovered over the Sun's left edge – its original bright pink color survived.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xFlJmUm1s
The Sun Leaks Storms While Players Rotate into Earth View | Space Weather Spotlight | Tamitha Skov and frens
16 August 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7od5srHvDsw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XyMG-oCwio Mr Weatherman: Tropical Wave arrives in the Caribbean…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=webiVDEQ6Rw (EarthMaster: Major Aftershock sequencing going on across Flores Indonesia Region. Mega EQ coming?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF1_c3p4lY4 (On the Pulse with Silki: LARGEST Explosive Caldera hit by STRONG EARTHQUAKE in Indonesia ! Chain Reaction INCOMING ??)
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solar
https://starlust.org/high-geomagnetic-activity-could-trigger-aurora-in-northern-latitudes-on-august-17/
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wildfires
https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/wildfire-smoke-blankets-volcanoes-across-the-pacific-northwest-space-photo-of-the-day-for-aug-17-2026
https://www.fastcompany.com/91589686/this-stunning-nasa-map-tracks-our-summer-of-wildfire-smoke
https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/us-news/gavin-newsom-wildfire-plan-faces-revolt-over-warning-it-will-skyrocket-insurance-rates-across-california/
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2026/08/wildfire-victims-recovery-reforms-california/
https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/terrifying-devil-robot-tackling-california-093000866.html
https://www.wtoc.com/2026/08/16/wassaw-national-wildlife-refuge-wildfire-remains-active/
https://dailydispatch.com/fire-news/minnesota/wildfires-burn-over-65000-acres-in-the-superior-national-forest-and-bwca/
https://kfor.com/news/wildfires-ravage-3300-acres-in-burnt-canyon/
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2026/08/334976/high-fens-wildfire-becomes-belgiums-largest-on-record/
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/rainfall-offers-new-hope-fight-against-belgiums-biggest-wildfire-2026-08-17/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-arrested-in-greece-for-negligent-arson-after-bbq-sparks-wildfire/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/wildfires-continue-burn-across-wales-100951891.html
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/17/europe-wildfires-german-border-town-partially-evacuated-but-france-blaze-stabilised
https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/arctic-boreal-forest-wildfires/
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storms and floods
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/severe-storms-return-to-batter-midwest-plains-with-damaging-winds-flood-threats
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/heavy-rain-thunderstorms-severe-weather-alerts-east-coast
https://www.chron.com/weather/article/severe-storms-hail-texas-22391236.php
https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Gusty-Storms-Target-North-Central-U.S.%2C-North-Carolina
https://www.capitalweather.com/dc-area-faces-risk-of-severe-storms-this-evening/
https://wsbt.com/news/local/thousands-still-without-power-after-storms-as-nipsco-restores-195000
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/08/17/indiana-flooding-water-rescues/91335178007/
https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/severe-weather-alerts-hit-argentina-during-san-martin-holiday
https://manilastandard.net/news/weather/314780327/severe-floods-engulf-metro-manila.html
https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/historic-downpour-batters-southern-korea-leaving-1-dead-4-injured/12828498
https://mymodernmet.com/super-typhoon-anil-menon/
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Hurricane Lala
https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/hurricane-lala-updates/
https://www.honolulu.gov/mayor/city-urges-residents-to-stay-safe-as-tropical-storm-lala-brings-damaging-winds-heavy-rain/
https://www.westernjournal.com/death-thousands-without-electricity-hurricane-lala-misses-hawaiis-big-island-hairs-breadth/
https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/lalas-recent-close-encounter-with-hawaii-continues-to-cause-trouble-monday/1923213
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tornadoes
https://www.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon/article/waterspout-tornado-confirmed-in-northern-saskatchewan/
https://dayton247now.com/news/local/nws-confirms-two-tornadoes-from-saturdays-storms
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earthquakes
https://vovworld.vn/news/98-major-earthquakes-recorded-worldwide-in-one-week-2458666.vov5
https://www.azfamily.com/2026/08/16/early-morning-earthquake-rattles-douglas-area-usgs-says/
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/americas/2026-08-17/southcom-humanitarian-response-colombia-earthquake-22579851.html
https://dohanews.co/indonesia-marks-81st-independence-day-in-doha-amid-solidarity-with-earthquake-victims/
https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/pope-leo-xiv-expresses-closeness-to-victims-of-earthquake-in-indonesia
https://news.sky.com/story/nearly-1-600-aftershocks-hit-indonesia-after-earthquake-kills-at-least-68-people-13573963
https://openthemagazine.com/world/fresh-59-earthquake-hits-flores-as-indonesias-deadly-tremor-toll-rises-to-54
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volcanoes
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-08-17/Autumn-transforms-Wusu-s-mud-volcanoes-into-geological-spectacle-1PGEu17bTVu/p.html
https://www.cp24.com/news/world/2026/08/17/us-tourist-dies-after-being-struck-by-lightning-while-hiking-sicilys-mount-etna/
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dailys
https://schumannresonance.today/
https://www.weather.gov/
https://www.doi.gov/wildlandfireservice/current-wildfire-information
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/326691/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Monday-17-Aug-2026.html
https://www.spaceweather.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=17&month=08&year=2026
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the timeline needs some more fixing
Avi Loeb’s Stellar 3I/ATLAS Promises Fall Short: Taxpayers Demand Real Answers, Not Endless Panels
August 16, 2026
Harvard’s Avi Loeb generated massive hype around interstellar object 3I/ATLAS with bold theories, but failed to deliver extraordinary proof following its December 2025 Earth flyby.
Frequent references to working "under my leadership" at the UAP Council have drawn criticism as self-serving rhetoric amid growing public impatience.
Frustrated taxpayers are demanding tangible, government-level disclosure rather than another endlessly funded advisory panel.
By Samuel López | USA Herald
WASHINGTON — When the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS made its swing through our solar system, the public was promised extraordinary answers.
At the center of that media storm was Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, whose frequent commentaries, dense mathematical models, and provocative theories—including speculation that the object might seed Jupiter—kept millions mesmerized.
Yet, months after the object’s closest approach to Earth in December 2025, the mountain of speculative hype has yielded little more than a molehill of verifiable facts.
For all the complex formulas and promises that post-flyby analysis would validate his bold claims, the scientific reality remains unchanged.
To date, no evidence has surfaced to disprove NASA’s baseline assessment: 3I/ATLAS is a fascinating, distant rock originating from far beyond our home planet, not an alien probe or artificial technological artifact.
Beyond the scientific debate, criticism is mounting over the tone and structure of the public-facing effort.
Loeb’s penchant for repeatedly invoking the phrase "under my leadership" when referencing his role at the UAP Council has struck many observers as pompous self-aggrandizement.
Rather than fostering transparent, collaborative research, critics argue the effort increasingly resembles a vanity project designed to maintain media relevance and secure long-term funding.
The broader issue goes well beyond academic ego. The American public is suffering from acute panel fatigue.
Citizens want real, unredacted disclosure regarding unexplained aerial phenomena, not another quasi-governmental council or university-backed committee promising to study the problem "until the cows come home."
As federal deficits rise and public trust in institutions wanes, patience for taxpayer-funded pet projects is rapidly evaporating.
Without concrete evidence or breakthrough disclosures, the endless cycle of speculative press tours risks turning a serious national security and scientific inquiry into a costly media circus.
Until researchers deliver verifiable facts over sensational claims, the public's demand for true transparency will remain unanswered.
https://usaherald.com/avi-loebs-stellar-3i-atlas-promises-fall-short-taxpayers-demand-real-answers-not-endless-panels/
extra space objects
https://starlust.org/a-fireball-exploded-with-a-force-of-10-tons-of-tnt-over-washington-on-august-14/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBi28_ft_GM (Ray's Astro: Washington Fireball Was Part of Something Bigger | 32 Fireballs Recorded)
NASA’s Starling Mission Opens New Frontiers in Space Navigation
August 17, 2026 11:21AM
NASA’s Starling mission has marked another milestone in spacecraft autonomy by using a new system that determines a satellite’s position in orbit by referencing other objects in space, instead of relying on a navigational network.
The FALCON (Fast Autonomous Lost-in-space Catalog-based Optical Navigation) technology demonstration is a step toward spacecraft being able to operate more independently.
As NASA prepares for more missions beyond Earth’s orbit, technologies like FALCON can support lunar satellite swarms, distributed science missions, and human exploration.
Traditional satellite navigation depends on GPS signals, but those can be unreliable or unavailable in lunar or deep space environments. The FALCON payload is a joint flight experiment by NASA and EraDrive, a startup spun out from Stanford University.
It combines EraDrive’s Era-Core flight software and embedded algorithms with Starling’s cameras and an onboard catalog of known satellites to support GPS-independent navigation and space situational awareness.
“FALCON is yet another success for the Starling demonstration mission.
The results from FALCON can have far-reaching implications for on-orbit space-traffic monitoring, collision avoidance, and alternative navigation,” said Roger Hunter, program manager for NASA’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “The number of ‘firsts’ from Starling just keeps growing.”
The FALCON demonstration tested two complementary capabilities that made creative use of Starling’s onboard star-tracker cameras, standard instruments that identify bright objects in space to inform a spacecraft’s orientation and position.
In position, navigation, and timing experiments, it matched objects that the spacecraft’s cameras observed – including other spacecraft and orbital debris – to a catalog of known space objects maintained and made publicly available by the U.S. Department of War.
FALCON then used the observed and verified objects as reference points to determine Starling’s orbit.
In separate experiments, FALCON successfully refined the orbit estimates of the space objects observed by Starling’s cameras. The mission team loaded the full catalog of approximately 20,000 space objects and their predicted orbits onto the spacecraft.
FALCON then correlated that data with the observations of other space objects made by the spacecraft’s cameras to estimate Starling’s location – and the locations of other space objects – with even greater precision than the current catalog data.
During a three-day period, FALCON improved the known orbits of more than 200 objects without intervention from operators on the ground.
The self-orbit determination capability made possible through FALCON is a first for spacecraft using optical cameras to navigate by their relative position to other objects in space.
Separately, the catalog-update experiments produced better object position predictions onboard Starling than those provided by ground stations.
Coordinated networks of multiple GPS-free satellites will be critical to support surface operations for future human exploration of the Moon or Mars.
For science missions, knowing the precise location of each spacecraft is necessary for aligning measurements taken from multiple points in space.
And for space traffic management, autonomous navigation and catalog updates can reduce reliance on ground networks and enhance collision avoidance.
The FALCON experiment highlights NASA’s role in fostering commercial innovation.
What began as a University SmallSat Technology Partnerships project evolved into a startup, EraDrive, is now commercializing its Era-Core software and related hardware for broader applications.
Starling provided a platform for real-world testing, showing that flight software can transform satellites into autonomous navigators.
Later this year, Starling, which launched in 2023, will extend the FALCON experiment using Era-Core, enabling its four-spacecraft swarm to share tracking data and refine their positions collectively.
NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley leads the Starling mission. NASA’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program, based at Ames and within the Research and Technology Mission Directorate, funds and manages the Starling mission.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/smallsatellites/2026/08/17/nasas-starling-mission-opens-new-frontiers-in-space-navigation/
moar
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/08/17/nasa-esa-astronauts-ready-for-tuesdays-antenna-swap-spacewalk/
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/blog/from-ers-1-nisar-35-years-sar-asf
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/nasa-challenge-tests-wheel-designs-for-moon-base-mobility/
https://www.nasa.gov/2026-i-corps-webinar/
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-solves-merger-mystery-from-milky-ways-early-years/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02931-5
moar
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/chasing-fire-clouds-in-utah/
https://interestingengineering.com/space/nasa-funds-ion-powered-flying-drones-to-explore-saturns-largest-moon
https://x.com/NASA/status/2089386212691763632
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2089363388732207572
Hubble Solves Merger Mystery From Milky Way’s Early Years
Aug 17, 2026
Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, grew to its current size in part by consuming smaller galaxies.
Now, new data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope shows definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young Milky Way galaxy in the earliest phases of its evolution.
This finding extends our knowledge of our galaxy’s history 1.8 billion years farther back in time than before.
The results published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.
The Milky Way today is a massive spiral galaxy home to hundreds of billions of stars.
However, our galaxy wasn’t always so large; it has grown by forming new stars from its gas clouds as well as collecting stars, gas, and dark matter from other galaxies through mergers.
The most recent massive merger in our galaxy’s history took place with the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, beginning over 6 billion years ago and still ongoing today.
Looking back into the even more distant past, researchers learned that the Milky Way galaxy consumed another dwarf galaxy called Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus 10 billion years ago.
This ancient merger greatly affected the structure of our galaxy’s disk of stars. Other, smaller mergers occurred between these two.
But our galaxy’s history doesn’t stop there. Both observations and simulations have suggested that another large merger preceded these two, though the specifics of the event have been heavily debated.
Now, Hubble has uncovered definitive evidence of an earlier merger that occurred about 11.8 billion years ago, or just 2 billion years after the big bang.
“Our home is the Milky Way galaxy, but we do not know how our house was built,” said Davide Massari, lead author, Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory of Bologna in Italy.
“In this paper we discover where the first significant batch of bricks came from: a dwarf galaxy that we call LKH.”
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Cosmic archaeological sites
Immense astronomical surveys and precision data from spacecraft like ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Gaia mission have been instrumental in piecing together the history of our galaxy.
The farther back into our galaxy’s history that scientists attempt to look, the more difficult it becomes to tell what happened. When our galaxy was young, it was smaller and much closer in size to the galaxies it clashed with.
It was also more chaotic, and it’s possible that the signs of mergers have been erased over billions of years.
It’s into this murky past that Hubble peered. Researchers used Hubble to study some of the Milky Way galaxy’s globular clusters: immense, roughly spherical collections of tens of thousands to a few million stars.
Globular clusters contain some of the oldest stars in our galaxy, and they can act as cosmic archaeological sites that preserve stars from other galaxies the Milky Way galaxy has collected.
“Thanks to the high resolution and depth of Hubble imaging, we could measure the age and the metal content of these clusters with unprecedented precision,” said Chiara Zerbinati, study co-author, University of Bologna in Italy.
“Coupled with measurements from Gaia, this made it possible to distinguish a population of globular clusters that are different from the others. These are the clusters that were born in LKH, and they tell us when that galaxy was devoured by ours, and how massive it was.”
The team analyzed Hubble observations of 39 globular clusters in the inner 20,000 light-years of our galaxy, where evidence of the most ancient mergers should be preserved.
They expected this sample to contain globular clusters that formed within the young Milky Way galaxy as well as those collected from the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus dwarf galaxy about 10 billion years ago.
Using Hubble’s sensitive observations to determine each cluster’s precise age and associated metallicity — the abundance of elements heavier than helium — they determined there was a third population of globular clusters in the inner regions of our galaxy.
The team found that these clusters are older than the group collected in the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger, but younger than those born in the Milky Way, regardless of their metal content.
These clusters, therefore, came from a separate and even earlier merger — in which the Milky Way galaxy absorbed a dwarf galaxy containing roughly 500 million times the mass of the Sun in stars, a significant fraction of our galaxy’s mass at the time.
They named this dwarf galaxy Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles, or LKH, in honor of three earlier research papers that championed the idea of a merger early in our galaxy’s history.
Such a large merger so early in the Milky Way galaxy’s formation has profound implications for the evolution of our galaxy.
“Some past studies have argued that the earliest phases of our galaxy’s evolution were defined by stars born only in our galaxy,” says Massari. “Here, we have shown that stars born in external galaxies also need to be considered.”
The team plans to continue their work to unravel the history of the Milky Way galaxy by studying its globular clusters, aiming to characterize all the massive mergers that our galaxy has experienced across cosmic history.
“Hubble is observing globular clusters that have never been studied before, and this will help us characterize the merger events that are far back in time in the Milky Way galaxy’s history,” said Fernando Aguado-Agelet, co-author, University of Vigo and the University of La Laguna in Spain.
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https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/scientists-find-3-supermassive-black-holes-on-the-verge-of-collision-inside-a-distant-galaxy
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2026/08/aa57419-25/aa57419-25.html
extra general space
https://cimsec.org/space-cowboys-and-cyber-pirates-part-i/
https://uwm.edu/news/uwm-astronomer-helps-decipher-a-rosetta-stone-in-space/
https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/a-river-of-cosmic-gas-1-trillion-miles-long-sent-planets-in-the-orion-constellation-into-tilted-orbits
Scientists find 3 supermassive black holes on the verge of collision inside a distant galaxy
August 17, 2026
A trio of heavyweight black holes are entangled in a dance of death that will quite possibly see them gradually all merge to form an even greater behemoth.
Scientists have discovered the black holes in a galaxy that is so far away its light has taken 12.5 billion years to reach us, meaning we see it as it was less than 1.3 billion years after the Big Bang.
And it's offering strong supporting evidence that one of the ways black holes grew so massive so quickly in the early universe was through mergers.
"This is the first evidence of three active black holes in a single galaxy in the distant universe," Hannah Übler, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany who led the study, said in a statement.
"It suggests that processes in the early universe were efficient at bringing massive black holes together, setting the stage for the massive black-hole mergers we expect to detect with future gravitational-wave observatories."
The galaxy that plays host to the black holes is catalogued as J0148-4214 and is so far away (their redshift is 5.0167) that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which made the discovery, could not see the black holes directly.
Instead, the Integrated Field Spectroscopy unit on the JWST's Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) measured the motion of hydrogen gas swirling around at high velocity in the accretion disks encircling each black hole.
"The JWST data allowed us not only to identify the three black holes, but also to estimate their masses, accretion rates and the stellar mass of the galaxy," Giovanni Mazzolari of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics said in the statement.
"We find a total stellar mass of about 1.3 billion suns, and the black holes represent a significant fraction of that."
Two of the black holes reside at the center of J0148-4214, separated by 620 light-years. One of these black holes has a huge mass of 80 million times the mass of our sun, while its companion is a relative pipsqueak at 600,000 solar masses.
Yet despite its diminutive stature, the smaller black hole is growing at a tremendous rate by accreting gas faster than the Eddington limit.
This is the theoretical maximum rate at which material can fall towards a black hole; if the rate is any higher then the accretion disk around the black hole becomes so dense and hot that radiation from the disk blows material back out again, stifling the black hole's feeding frenzy.
This means the smaller black hole will only be able to keep growing at this rate for a short time before negative feedback calls a halt.
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The third black hole is 5,500 light-years out from the center of J0148-4214 and has a mass two million times greater than the mass of our sun.
This is about half the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, called Sagittarius A*.
It's thought that this third black hole, and quite possibly the second one too, found their way into J0148-4214 via mergers between galaxies.
"These results are extremely exciting," said Roberto Maiolini of the University of Cambridge, who was a participant in the findings.
"They suggest that black-hole merging may be an additional, fast route for their rapid growth in the early universe."
Mergers between black holes produce bursts of gravitational waves. Current gravitational-wave detectors — including The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the United States, Virgo in Italy and KAGRA in Japan — are able to detect the high frequency, short wavelength gravitational waves from the mergers of stellar-mass black holes, the kind formed in certain supernova explosions. To detect the much longer wavelength, shorter frequency gravitational waves produced by the merger of supermassive black holes such as those in J0148-4214 requires a space-based detector with a baseline many millions of miles long.
To that end, the European Space Agency plans to launch LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. If all goes to plan, by the mid-2030s.
LISA will feature three spacecraft in triangular formation, each side of the triangle being 1.55 million miles (2.5 million kilometers) long.
The three spacecraft will beam lasers at each other, looking for deviations in the travel time of those laser beams as evidence for the passing of a long-wavelength gravitational wave.
With regards to J0148-4214, however, there is a caveat: The third black hole might not be on a collision course with the other two. Instead, it could be heading out of the galaxy.
It's the classic three-body problem: How do three objects orbiting one another interact?
The two smaller black holes may have entered J0148-4214 as a binary pair.
Then, as they were drawn closer to the 80-million-solar-mass black hole, the more massive black hole could have snatched the 600,000-solar-mass black hole while exchanging angular momentum with the two-million-solar-mass black hole to fling it away at high velocity.
We see a similar effect in our galaxy with hypervelocity stars that are racing out of the Milky Way. These speedy stars used to be part of a binary pair of stars that got too close to Sagittarius A*, which is the black hole at the center of our galaxy.
One half of the binary was captured by the black hole and the other was flung away.
Currently, there is no way to measure the direction of motion of the third black hole in J0148-4214 and confirm whether it will merge with the other two black holes or escape.
If it did escape, it could still be wandering alone and dark in intergalactic space even now, 12.5 billion years later.
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Military Chaplains Association Features ‘Creator of the Universe’ (Official Space Force Hymn) in National News Digest
Aug. 17, 2026
The MCA News Digest featured the hymn following its June 18 performance at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, by its composer, former Air Force Chaplain Captain James F. Linzey.
In introducing the story to its readership, retired Army Major General Razz Waff, former Deputy G-1 (Personnel) of the Department of the Army and Executive Director of the Military Chaplains Association, wrote that the article “showcases the inaugural performance of the Space Force Hymn” and added, “If you are a fan of sacred choral music this is an article you will want to read.”
The MCA subsequently reproduced the story under the headline, “McConnell Air Force Base Hosts Performance of ‘Creator of the Universe,’ the Official United States Space Force Hymn.”
The MCA’s treatment adds to the growing recognition and acceptance of “Creator of the Universe” as the official Space Force Hymn within America’s military and professional chaplaincy communities.
At McConnell AFB, Linzey presented the hymn to chapel personnel and was invited by Chaplain (Major) Tony Davy, who was serving as Acting Wing Chaplain, to perform it in the chapel sanctuary.
The gathering included Air Force chaplains, religious affairs personnel and a chaplain candidate.
“Creator of the Universe” was written by Linzey in 2020 following the establishment of the United States Space Force.
The hymn invokes God’s guidance and protection over Guardians serving in the space domain while drawing upon the historic tradition of sacred hymns associated with America’s Armed Forces.
Its expanding recognition has included endorsements from former Space Force Chief of Chaplains and former Air Force Chief of Chaplains Chaplain (Major General) Steven A. Schaick and former Air Force Deputy Chief of Chaplains Brigadier General Ronald M. Harvell, USAF (Ret.).
“The Military Chaplains Association has been the voice of American chaplaincy for more than a century,” Linzey said. “For the Space Force Hymn and its McConnell performance to be brought before that professional community is deeply meaningful.
My hope is that the Space Force Hymn (Creator of the Universe) will continue finding a place wherever Guardians, their families and those who support them gather in worship and remembrance.”
The MCA has served the nation’s chaplaincy community since 1925 and is chartered by Congress.
https://standardnewswire.com/military-chaplains-association-features-creator-of-the-universe-official-space-force-hymn-in-national-news-digest/
https://spaceforcehymn.com/
extra Space Force
https://x.com/USSpaceForce/status/2089043318999031847
Watch Sophie Adenot’s spacewalk live
17/08/2026
Join the livestream coverage on ESA WebTV and ESA’s YouTube channel at 12:00 BST/13:00 CEST.
Together with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Sophie will exit the International Space Station from the Quest airlock at approximately 13:35 BST/14:35 CEST to repair a crucial piece of equipment on the Station.
The 97th US spacewalk will see Anil and Sophie working about six-and-a-half hours outside the orbital complex, replacing a Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT).
The antenna is a critical communication system NASA uses to transmit data and enable high-speed communication between mission control in Houston and the Space Station.
Sophie has spent more than 150 hours underwater at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (Cologne, Germany) and NASA’s Johnson Space Center (Houston, United States), training and qualifying for extravehicular activities (EVAs).
During the last few weeks in orbit, she has worked intensively on preparing spacesuits and tools, and revising procedures.
On the day itself, Sophie and Anil will be helped into their suits by NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway. As Extravehicular Crew Member 1 (EV1), Anil will be wearing red stripes on his spacesuit, while Sophie (EV2) will wear a spacesuit without stripes.
From inside the Station, commander Jessica Meir and flight engineer Jack Hathaway will operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm to assist the spacewalkers.
Facts and figures
5th French astronaut to perform a spacewalk
12th spacewalk by a French astronaut
31st spacewalk by a European astronaut
5th spacewalk during the εpsilon mission
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Watch_Sophie_Adenot_s_spacewalk_live
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2089276711527465283
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2089381827731464701
https://www.youtube.com/live/EVQECSJRdMU
extra ESA
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Satellite_navigation/How_digital_twins_can_strengthen_the_resilience_of_position_navigation_and_timing_capabilities
Russian strike cripples Ukraine’s largest steel plant
17 Aug, 2026 00:03 | Updated 17 Aug, 2026 01:05
ArcelorMittal Krivoy Rog produced rolled steel used in Ukrainian weapons and military equipment, Moscow has said
Ukraine’s largest steel plant has partially suspended production after a Russian missile strike damaged key facilities.
Located in Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk Region, ArcelorMittal Krivoy Rog is an integrated steelworks that produces rolled products, including steel used in Ukrainian weapons and military equipment, according to the Russian military.
In a Telegram post on Sunday, the company said the overnight attack had damaged “the main energy and blast-furnace production facilities” and partially halted operations.
It added that specialists were assessing the extent of the destruction and the prospects and timeframe for recovery.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed striking workshops at the metallurgical complex, saying the site was targeted in a combined attack involving ground- and air-launched precision weapons and long-range drones.
The overnight operation also targeted an oil refinery in Kremenchug, Poltava Region. In Kiev, Russian forces struck Fire Point, which produces components, warheads, and solid-fuel boosters for Flamingo cruise missiles.
Another target was Kiev-111, a facility operated by Ukrdefense Company that manufactures components for attack drones, Khrushch interceptor UAVs, and Harpia anti-aircraft drones.
Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian defense-related facilities and logistics following a 40-day “operation of influence” announced by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in late June.
Kiev portrayed the campaign of long-range drone attacks as an effort to force Moscow into negotiations on its terms.
Over the following weeks, Ukraine targeted Russian oil refineries, logistics warehouses operated by retailer Wildberries – often described as “Russia’s Amazon” – and sites far from the front line.
Moscow described the attacks on energy infrastructure, residential buildings, and logistics hubs as terrorism, saying they killed dozens of civilians.
As the deadline expired in early August without the campaign achieving its objectives, the head of Zelensky’s office, Kirill Budanov, dismissed the significance of the timeframe, claiming that “what matters is the result.”
The ensuing Russian strikes on Ukraine’s defense industry have depleted Kiev's stock of Patriot interceptor missiles, leaving air-defense crews “helpless” against the barrages, according to the Financial Times. Moscow maintains it never targets civilians.
https://www.rt.com/russia/644312-russian-strike-cripples-ukraines-plant/
extra RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/644317-belgorod-strike-six-killed/
https://www.rt.com/russia/644314-ukrainian-drone-strike-kills-couple/
https://www.rt.com/russia/644340-russia-uk-drone-warning/
https://www.rt.com/russia/644308-ukrainian-conscription-officers-orthodox-bishop/
Russia expanding secret bases that can launch drones deep inside Nato territory: report
Mon, 17 August 2026 at 8:47 am GMT-7
Russia has built secret bases from which it will be able to launch long-range suicide drones deep into Nato territory, according to a report.
The Kremlin has built and expanded at least 10 new bases with at least 59 new launch rails, according to an investigation by The Telegraph using satellite imagery and leaked documents.
The bases are designed to fire large numbers of jet-powered drones that can overload Ukrainian air defences as Moscow bombards military and civilian targets across the country.
But situated along its borders with Ukraine and Belarus, the hi-tech drones will also be able to reach Kyiv's allies in Nato, the report said.
Around 20 of the new launch rails, the guide tracks that are used to fire drones, have been extended in design to allow Russian forces to fire long-range attack drones, according to images analysed by drone intelligence firm DroneSec.
Europe and Nato have been raising the alarm over growing Russian provocations over the last year, amid concern Moscow could launch an attack to probe the alliance's borders.
A Nato spokesperson told The Independent that it "closely monitors Russian military activity, including its long-range strike and drone capabilities" and that it has the "plans, tools, authorities and forces necessary to deter aggression and defend against any threat".
US intelligence assessments suggested Vladimir Putin could order a limited attack on an allied country within the coming years, with possibilities ranging from a cyberattack to a small-scale incursion to test how far Moscow can go without triggering a response, officials told multiple US outlets.
Drone and plane incursions into Nato territory have become the norm, forcing the alliance to regularly scramble jets to deal with potential threats.
On Sunday, Nato jets shot down a drone in Romania's airspace that it said "appears to be Russian". Two days earlier, four NATO fighter jets were scrambled to shoot down a drone in Latvian airspace.
Latvian authorities said that a "foreign unmanned aerial vehicle" had "flown into Latvia as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare".
The latest revelations in The Telegraph will only add to concerns the Kremlin is planning to test Nato defences.
Moscow is storing increasing numbers of hi-tech drones at the bases, with one having enough space for 1,000 drones, imagery reportedly showed. More launch rails are also being constructed.
DroneSec CEO Mike Monnik told the outlet that Russian forces "significantly expanded" their drone network to drive up the threat against Nato.
The Nato spokesperson said the alliance is investing nearly $40 billion into counter-drone capabilities over the next five years, with allies set to train "five times as many drone operators in their Armed Forces by the end of 2027".
They aded: "We will continue to strengthen our resilience and enhance the tools at our disposal, ensuring that the Alliance remains ready to deter and defend every Ally."
Nato first shot down a Russian drone over a member state last September, when Poland said its territory had been breached 19 times in a single night, and leading prime minister Donald Tusk to invoke Article 4, which triggering discussions on how Nato will respond as an international body.
Several of Russia's new drone hubs were formerly military bases and civilian airports, an indication of the ever-increasing importance of drone warfare both for Russia's four-and-a-half-year invasion and Ukraine's robust defence.
Kyiv's reportedly increasing use of foreign-made drones to strike increasingly deep inside Russian territory could serve for Moscow as a pretext for provocation in Nato.
The Times reported on Sunday that Ukrainian forces have used British drones made by two companies to attack deep inside Russia's mainland for the first time, striking targets such as oil refineries over the past six months.
Putin has previously made clear that Russia would treat this as the direct participation of Nato in the war in Ukraine.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/russia-expanding-secret-bases-launch-151802612.html
other Russia and Ukraine
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukraine-strikes-russian-drone-storage-and-1786971340.html
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/08/17/ukraine-hit-ground-control-station-for-rare-drone-that-fires-russias-banderol-missile-hitting-650-km-h-with-114-kg-warhead/
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukraine-s-drone-strikes-nearly-cripple-russia-1786982845.html
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-cancels-military-music-festival-amid-drone-attacks/
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4154966-russian-drone-hits-car-delivering-bread-to-village-near-zaporizhzhia.html
https://dataportuaria.com/en/internacional/ports/novorossiysk-port-resumes-oil-operations-following-drone-att
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-17/live-updates-905724
other Israel
https://vinnews.com/2026/08/17/netanyahu-board-of-peace-agree-no-idf-redeployment-from-gaza-until-hamas-fully-disarmed-and-strip-demilitarized/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/kushner-netanyahu-meet-for-hours-in-jerusalem-amid-push-for-us-backed-gaza-plan/
https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-preparing-to-seize-hezbollah-stronghold-report/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-905767
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-soldiers-stationed-at-entrances-to-qusra-homes-residents-still-cant-leave/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/katz-says-idf-has-2-weeks-to-draw-up-plan-to-hand-west-bank-civilian-enforcement-to-police/
Live Updates: Israel, Board of Peace agree to form Gaza working groups after Netanyahu-Kushner meeting
August 17, 2026
Iran targets Kurdistan prime minister with drones • Houthis launch attack at Bab al-Mandeb • Iraqi PM pledges to monopolize arms
August 17, 6:56 PM
Israel, US agree Hamas weapons will go to US-led ISF for destruction, not to Palestinian government
Under the emerging Gaza framework, officials say Hamas weapons would be destroyed by the US-led ISF, while reconstruction and changes to Israel's military posture would depend on full disarmament.
Israel and the United States have reached an understanding that, during the initial stage of Hamas's disarmament, weapons handed over by the terrorist organization will be transferred to the ISF, headed by US Maj.-Gen. Jasper Jeffers, for destruction rather than to the proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), according to a source who spoke with The Jerusalem Post.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials from the Board of Peace, which was also attended by senior Israeli security officials, the source said.
The meeting included Shin Bet Director David Zini and Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder, along with Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs, Caroline Glick, foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk, and National Security Council Director Shmuel Ben-Ezra.
August 17, 6:56 PM
Jerusalem Municipality disputes UNRWA claim of Shuafat facility takeover
'The municipality intends to open educational institutions at the site for the benefit of residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.'
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency accused Israel of taking over the agency’s buildings in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem in a statement published on Thursday.
UNRWA’s West Bank director Roland Friedrich said that “personnel associated with the Jerusalem Municipality have in recent days entered UNRWA facilities without authorization, including the school compound, health center, and community services office.”
It was alleged that the personnel forcibly entered the premises by breaking locks, and that contractors working on behalf of the municipality had begun carrying out work at the sites, in what the agency alleged was a violation of international law.
August 17, 6:56 PM
Iran threatens to go 'fully offensive' if diplomacy with US fails as 60-day MoU period ends
Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to agree on a permanent end to its war with the United States, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.
Progress towards peace talks and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt, with no sign that the warring parties are moving towards ending the conflict that the US and Israel launched on February 28.
"Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions," the Iranian official said, adding that Tehran would conduct a "timely and precise" military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.
August 17, 6:56 PM
Iranian drones target Iraq's Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's office
Two drones launched from Iran targeted offices linked to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and a senior security official, with no casualties reported.
Two drones targeted the office of Kurdistan Region (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, according to reports from Rudaw in the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq.
Barzani is one of the leading officials in the autonomous region, along with Nechirvan Barzani, who is the president of the KRG. The attack came as reports also said Nechirvan had been tapped by the US as a possible back channel contact to Iran in May.
The attack also comes as Baghdad is supposed to rein in Iranian-backed militias who have been attacking the Kurdistan Region.
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August 17, 4:21 PM
Cargo vessel seized by eight armed men off Somalia, UKMTO says
A cargo vessel reported being boarded by eight armed unauthorized persons, who have taken control of the vessel off the coast of Somalia on Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
August 17, 3:47 PM
Iran threatens to escalate Hormuz tensions if US diplomacy fails
Iran will escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region if diplomacy with the US fails, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, pointing to an Iranian policy shift relying on offense rather than defense.
August 17, 3:24 PM
Houthis claim attack on Saudi military ship, four escort vessels in Red Sea
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group targeted a Saudi military ship and four escorts with missiles in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had attacked what they described as a Saudi military ship and four escort vessels in the Red Sea with missiles, according to a statement by the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree on Telegram.
“The attack was carried out using several ballistic missiles, and the strikes were accurate and direct," the statement read.
"The operation resulted in the Saudi warship catching fire completely; several of the boats escorting it sank, while the others caught fire. The armed forces continue to establish the equation of blockade for blockade and to attack all Saudi military concentrations.”
There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities on the attack.
August 17, 2:55 PM
Trump confirms IRGC backchannel, threatens to 'bomb the s***' out of Oman if it 'gets in the way'
Trump added that he is in "no hurry" to make a deal, even as the 60-day period in the MoU expired.
US President Donald Trump confirmed to FOX News on Monday that there is a backchannel with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials, as the 60-day period in the MoU expired.
On Sunday, Axios reported that Kurdistan Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani had been tapped as the secret backchannel, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the talks.
Notably, Barzani lived in Iran during the Iraq-Iran War in the 1980s, studied at the University of Tehran, speaks fluent Farsi, and has personal relationships with several members of the IRGC.
August 17, 2:15 PM
Katz: IDF will present plan to transfer West Bank civilian enforcement to police within two weeks
The IDF will present a plan to transfer West Bank civilian enforcement to the Israel Police within the next two weeks, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday afternoon.
"We will not allow violence or unauthorized parties to take the law into their own hands," Katz said.
August 17, 1:20 PM
US-Iran remain deadlocked as 60-day MoU window expires with no breakthroughs
An Iranian official has claimed that no talks of an extension took place, that the United States violated the interim agreement just 48 hours after it was reached, and that it later withdrew from it.
The 60-day window established in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the United States and Iran in June expired on Monday. During that period, the two sides were supposed to try to reach a broader and final agreement.
The deadline passed without a breakthrough, and Washington and Tehran remain divided over the main issues, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program.
According to a senior Iranian official who spoke with reporters, there are no talks about extending the 60-day period.
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Drone attacks target Kurdistan prime minister's office in Erbil
August 17, 2026
Iran fired two drones on Monday into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, targeting the office of Prime Minster Masrour Barzani and the residence of a senior local security official, the region’s Counter-Terrorism Service said.
Mr Barzani condemned the “reckless and unacceptable attacks in the strongest terms” in a statement on X. He warned the attack marked “a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region”.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has ordered an investigation to “uncover the sources and origins of the attacks,” a statement said. Mr Al Zaidi directed that the outcomes of the investigations be “be announced to the public as soon as possible, along with all details surrounding the attacks and parties behind it,” it added.
The two Hadid-110 explosives-laden drones were launched from the border area with Iran shortly after midnight, the statement read.
The second bomb hit the residence of the director of the Parastin intelligence agency in Pirmam district of Erbil, it added. There were no reports of casualties or major damage.
They are the latest in a series of cross-border attacks that have intensified since the Iran war broke out in late February. Iran and its proxies inside Iraq have regularly targeted US troops and the consulate in Erbil, as well as infrastructure in the region.
“These attacks and assaults are unacceptable in any form,” the service said, condemning the incident “in the strongest terms” and adding that those responsible bear “full responsibility for their consequences.”
Tom Barrack, the US special envoy in Iraq and Syria, strongly condemned the attack on “our friend and valued Kurdish partner”.
“Such aggression against our trusted Kurdish allies is unacceptable and a direct threat to regional stability,” Mr Barrack said. “We will not condone or tolerate these hostilities.”
He expressed support to Mr Zaidi’s “leadership in restoring Iraq’s full sovereignty and ensuring all weapons and security forces remain under the authority of the Iraqi state”.
Since the outbreak of the war, Iraq has been dragged deeper into a conflict it has been trying for years to avoid. Of all countries in the region, Iraq is now the only one being hit from several directions – by Iran, by the US, by Saudi Arabia and by pro-Tehran militias operating from inside its own borders.
The escalation started after Iran and Israel began trading missile and drone strikes. Tehran accused the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and other parts of Iraq of hosting Israeli intelligence, logistics networks for US and Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups.
It has responded with ballistic missiles and drones fired from Iranian territory. Targets have included not only US assets but also Kurdish opposition groups, energy infrastructure and local security headquarters. Officials have condemned the strikes as violations of sovereignty but the attacks have continued in waves.
Officials in Iraqi Kurdistan have expressed concerns as the US-led military coalition is preparing to withdraw its forces from the Kurdistan region and transfer bases to Iraqi forces before a deadline of September 30.
The presence of American troops has been essential to the interception the drones and missiles.
The deadline was agreed on by Baghdad and Washington in 2024, as part of a broader agreement to transform the mission of the US-led coalition in Iraq from combat and advisory roles to bilateral security co-operation.
Kurdistan hosts several key coalition sites that have been used for training, logistics and air operations against ISIS remnants.
https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/17/drone-attacks-target-kurdistan-region-prime-ministers-office-in-erbil/
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-military-bases-ill-equipped-stop-drone-swarms-top-commander-reveals-rubio-uap-warning
US military bases are ‘ill-equipped’ to stop drone swarms, top commander reveals after Rubio's UAP warning
August 17, 2026 1:04pm EDT
Lt Gen Joseph Jarrard said bases lack the sensors to detect approaching drones and the weapons to stop them
A top commander responsible for defending the U.S. homeland warned Thursday that American military bases are "ill-equipped" to repel a swarm of small attack drones.
The vulnerability persists even as the Pentagon seeks billions for new counter-drone weapons, and Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Jarrard said the shortfall begins well before troops try to shoot down a drone.
Some bases do not have the sensors to spot and track an incoming swarm or the weapons to take it out, said the deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command and vice commander of the American contingent at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
"We don’t have the sensors, and depending on where that swarm is going to attack, it depends on whether we have any sensors at all, and also whether we’ve got any effectors to go after that problem," Jarrard said at the annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
Jarrard said NORTHCOM is folding counter-drone tactics into Operation Noble Eagle, the long-running U.S.-Canada homeland air-defense mission.
For now, he said, NORAD is relying on radars already in its inventory while working to connect with local law enforcement and other agencies that operate detection systems beyond military installations.
"Detection is obviously the biggest issue, and so how we are able to detect is one of our biggest concerns right now," Jarrard said.
"That’s where we’ve got to get to with respect to the interoperability between not just military systems, but also those that are protecting our cities, critical infrastructure, etc., that are off our installations."
Jarrard’s assessment offers a blunt measure of the gap between the Pentagon’s rapid counter-drone push and the protection available at installations today.
Cheap, one-way attack drones have changed the battlefield calculus in Ukraine and the Middle East, where adversaries can threaten equipment, infrastructure and personnel without expending the missiles or aircraft traditionally associated with a strike on a military target.
"We are ill-equipped right now to handle something like that, and obviously we’ve seen it used," Jarrard told the audience. "We’re seeing it used on a daily basis around the world, and we’ve got to figure out how to mitigate that threat."
His warning echoed concerns raised in May by NORTHCOM commander Gen. Gregory Guillot, who said troops deployed along the southern border lacked adequate counter-drone tools.
The Pentagon has since sought a record $21 billion for drones, counter-drone weapons, munitions and other related capabilities as it tries to close the gap.
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The warning also comes as President Donald Trump moves ahead with the Golden Dome plan, his broad homeland missile-defense initiative intended to protect the United States and critical infrastructure from ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles, as well as other advanced aerial threats.
The issue has resurfaced as it relates to the administration’s broader discussion of unidentified objects around U.S. military sites.
Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government should take seriously reports of objects flying over military installations — more recently called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) rather than unidentified foreign objects (UFOs).
"I don't know who it is. I don't know what it is, but there are things flying over our military installations, and they're not ours, and we should look into this, be serious about it," Rubio said while discussing UAPs in an interview with Katie Miller, wife of top White House aide Stephen Miller.
Rubio was not specifically referring to drone swarms, and Jarrard did not suggest that every unidentified object reported near a military site is a drone.
Still, the two officials’ comments point to the same practical concern for U.S. forces: an aircraft does not need to be mysterious to present a danger.
Jarrard, in his remarks, was describing a more immediate and localized vulnerability: the ability to detect and defeat low-cost drones flying toward a base before they can strike.
The military is pursuing several answers, from radio-frequency systems that can jam drone communications or interfere with satellite navigation to high-powered microwave weapons designed to disrupt the electronics of multiple nearby drones at once.
It is also moving closer to fielding high-energy lasers.
Fox News Digital reported this month that the Army is nearing a contract award for the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, which could become the service’s first permanent operational capability for a family of high-energy laser systems.
Army acquisition chief Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano said in July that the technology had shown "a lot of recent promise and capability" during testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
A laser could allow troops to engage drones that have entered a defended area without relying solely on expensive missile interceptors, but it is not a complete solution: lasers are line-of-sight weapons, which limits their reach, and they must be integrated with the sensors, command-and-control networks and other systems Jarrard said are lacking at some locations.
In an era when small drones can be cheap, expendable and deployed in numbers, the military must be able to identify the threat quickly and prevent it from reaching the installation it is meant to protect.
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