Army and Air Force feud over UAV control
Bad blood brews over repeated Air Force proposals to manage the military’s medium and high altitude drones; Air Force is not being “collegial,” says one general
Not that anyone should be surprised, there is bad blood brewing between the Air Force and Army over which service will control the U.S. military’s UAV programs, Aerospace and Defense Daily reports. Under a plan recently proposed by Air Force General Michael Moseley — only the latest in a series that try to claim UAV control — the Army would give up authority over craft flying above 3,500 feet. This the Army will not abide. According to Army General Stephen Mundt, the Air Force is not being “collegial” on the issue. “This is not about platforms,” said Mundt. “This is about airspace. It’s about understanding airspace.” More to the point, however, is that the Army worries that it will be shut out of development projects and be forced to buy neccesary UAVs from the Air Force. “They will fly it and I will compete for it,” Mundt said, pointing out that high altitude UAVs are already coordinated with the Combined Forces Air Component Commander. “That’s ownership.”
