It appears the joke’s on us

There is an old, established maxim, when it comes to press releases from the military and their suppliers: If they can tell you something, it is already long in service and they are at least two generations in front of what they are showing you.

I was really amused watching the evening and morning news showing the take-off of the Air Force super-secret space plane. Now, first of all, those of you reading this column will remember that this paper’s article on the X-37b, including photo, appeared five, yes, five years ago. What, you thought this paper wasn’t ahead of the nation’s news services? Bravo us!

More importantly, five years later they show you a rocket taking off with the spaceplane atop, ready for a secret mission. Five years … you can easily assume (correctly) it and its sisters have been flying regularly. But more to the point, it is being shown to you now because the next development or three are already flying, and actually the X-37b is obsolete. If they can show it to you it can hardly be called secret, can it? Like the super-secret Air Force Gemini project to destroy Russian satellites in the 1960s (captured in that new exciting thriller “Blue Gemini” by Mike Jenne — the new Tom Clancy), the X-37b was all about knocking down your enemies’ space hardware.

Similarly, the Air Force is now telling Congress that they do not want a B-52, B-1 and B-2 replacement bomber based on plans shown to Congress three years ago. Why? They won’t say, except to say those planes are no longer being built. But they want to keep the budget because, as one Pentagon fellow explained, they want to keep the real bomber plans under wraps. Although U.S. Air Force assistant chief of staff for strategic deterrence Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak thinks the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) — a month or two from secret contract award according to AvWeek — is essential, but not for public discussion right now. Harencak said, “Wait and see. There’s incredible engineering going on.” However, even pro-defense industry pundits are asking when will more information be released, and why long after the contract and billions are awarded? Harencak suggested the Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition, William LaPlante, would answer that question, which he did three days later in two words: “Maybe never.” Exactly.

Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, now lives in New Mexico.