By openly developing a new long-range missile, North Korea is threatening to alter the military balance of power in a region of the world that is crucial to US security.

US officials were hopeful that Pyongyang would postpone a prospective test firing of the new weapon, an advanced version of the Taepo Dong rocket it launched last year. North Korea, for its part, remained ambiguous about its plans but said it was willing to discuss the issue with the "hostile nations" of Japan, South Korea, and the United States.

"We are always ready for negotiation if the hostile nations honestly ask for it," said a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman Aug. 18.

The updated Taepo Dong 2 has greater accuracy and range than the model that unexpectedly soared over Japanese heads in August 1998. Theoretically, it could reach Alaska or Hawaii.

In some ways the missile has already changed East Asia's strategic situation, whether it is ever tested or not. Japan, startled at the sudden threat, has explored ways to toughen a military stance long based on pacifism and US protection.

Japanese officials have agreed to take part in a theater missile defense system with the US and are pushing ahead with plans for their own satellite surveillance system. The Japanese self-defense forces may get air refueling and attack capabilities that would allow retaliatory strikes against the North Korean heartland.

South Korea, for its part, has indicated to Washington that it wants to improve its own ballistic missile capability. Under a 20-year-old agreement, Seoul needs to seek Washington's permission to build missiles with a range surpassing 112 miles.

US officials don't want to see a missile development arms race erupt on the Korean peninsula and have emphasized that it is in North Korea's best interests to lay down its boosters and cooperate with the rest of the world.

"Pyongyang can take advantage of the opportunities for new economic and political openings, or it can reject those opportunities by launching a missile and taking other actions that signal a preference for confrontation over cooperation and isolation over integration with the world," said Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen during a late July visit to South Korea.

F-22 Starts High-Alpha Tests

The F-22 Raptor has recently moved into a new testing phase by successfully completing a sortie in which the aircraft flew beyond 26 degrees angle of attack. The sortie marked the beginning of a rigorous new series of high-angle-of-attack flight profiles, said Air Force officials.

"The flight-test team has worked extremely hard to position the Raptor for this important next phase of testing," said Brig. Gen. Michael C. Mushala, F-22 program director.

Such tests-also called high-alpha tests-are meant to verify the F-22's predicted agility. The aircraft is the first fighter designed to maneuver at high angles of attack, said officials.

The F-15 can only fly at about 30 degrees angle of attack. The F-22, meanwhile, will be tested at more than 60 degrees angle of attack.

High-alpha testing entails controlled flight at very slow speeds. To ensure an extra measure of safety, maintenance crews from the F-22's Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, Calif., have installed a stabilization recovery chute on the aircraft that will undertake the flights, Raptor 02.

USAF Wants B-2 Shelters for Overseas

The Air Force is moving to acquire a support structure for operating the B-2 bomber from overseas bases.

According to a recent notice to contractors, the Air Armament Center's Air Base Systems Program Office wants to buy a shelter system to accommodate maintenance on the B-2 aircraft when forward deployed.

The 20,000-square-foot shelter should have heating, air conditioning, and an electrical power unit that can be loaded onto a C-130 for relocation within a theater, said an Air Force spokesman. The service wants to buy six of the 100 foot-by-200 foot, PVC fabric­coated shelters, which it will pre-position at key spots around the globe.

The shelters are not meant to allow permanent overseas deployment of the stealth aircraft. They will simply facilitate forward-basing rotations at locations other than the B-2 home, Whiteman AFB, Mo.

For Boeing JSF, Power Is On

Boeing has taken a major jump toward flight testing its Joint Strike Fighter X-32A concept demonstrator by connecting electrical power to the aircraft, firm officials announced July 30. The X-32A is currently in final assembly and systems installation at Boeing's Palmdale, Calif., facility.

Cockpit interior lighting, multifunction displays, heaters, and several display panels were the first systems powered by an external source. Each was fully operational.

"Running power into the aircraft is important because we can now verify all of the systems being installed," said John Priday, X-32 assembly manager. "We're powering up systems as they come online and testing their functionality."

Boeing is competing against Lockheed Martin to build the JSF under a four-year concept demonstration phase contract.

Airborne Laser Taking Shape

On Aug. 10, a Boeing­led industry team began major assembly operations on the first Airborne Laser flying platform, a 747-400 freighter, at Boeing's Everett, Wash., assembly plant.

Assembling the freighter main-deck floor grids was the first order of business. Major assembly of the wings, and then the body sections, was to come next.

The aircraft, with ID #00-0001, will be the first airplane of any kind purchased and accepted by the Air Force in the next century. It is currently scheduled to roll out at Everett in December 1999. It will then fly to Wichita, Kan., for an 18-month modification program.

The ABL's preliminary design and risk reduction phase is supposed to culminate with a planned attempt to destroy a Scud­type missile in 2003.

"I'm impressed with Team ABL's progress; the design is rock solid and the technology proven," said Lawrence J. Delaney, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition.

USAF Ends Stop-Loss Order

Air Force Stop-Loss measures, implemented to stem the flow of crucial personnel out of the service during Operation Allied Force, were set to end Aug. 27, with the redeployment of the last affected active duty member, an intelligence officer.

The program began June 15. It suspended normal separations and retirements for airmen in career fields deemed important for preserving mission capability. Some 6,000 personnel were ultimately affected by the order.

"The Stop-Loss decision is the hardest I've had to make, and it certainly was one I made with General Ryan very, very carefully," said Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters. "One of the things we wanted to do was make sure people didn't think we were trying to use it simply to deal with a personnel shortage."

The move did have a small, positive effect on retention, however. Most of those affected by Stop-Loss were given the option of withdrawing separation or retirement papers. Officials say 47 retirement and five separation packages were withdrawn by officers under this program. Comparable figures for the enlisted ranks were unavailable.

DoD Modifies "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

On Aug. 13, Department of Defense officials announced that they were clarifying their "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexuals in the military.

The move came in the wake of the July beating death of an Army private who was allegedly targeted because he was gay.

DoD officials say they want all harassment-of anyone, not just homosexuals-to stop. Under the new guidelines, recruits will receive training explaining that harassment of any service member is unacceptable.

"The bottom line is to treat all others with respect and dignity," said DoD spokesperson Army Lt. Col. Catherine Abbott.

The new policy also recommends that installation staff judge advocates consult with senior legal officers prior to the initiation of an investigation into alleged homosexual conduct. If commanders want to begin an investigation into whether a service member made a statement about his or her homosexuality just to get out of military service, they must get approval from higher headquarters.

The Department of Defense discharged 1,145 service members in 1998 under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Most were discharged because the individuals themselves came forward to declare their orientation.

USAF Mounts Turkey Relief Effort

The Air Force moved quickly to transport relief personnel to western Turkey in the wake of the killer earthquake that struck Aug. 19.

A team from Incirlik AB in the southeastern part of the country left Aug. 20 to survey the wreckage and recommend military aid that might be needed. Airmen trained in water assessment, structures assessment and construction, and radio communications were on the team. A USAF flight surgeon from RAF Lakenheath, UK, deployed as part of a joint medical assessment team to provide immediate care to casualties and scope out further needs.

A C-5 from the 436th Airlift Wing, based at Dover AFB, Del., ferried a 70-person team sponsored by the US Agency for International Development to the hard-hit region. The USAID team included five search and rescue dogs, 56,000 pounds of equipment, and three vehicles.

Turkish officials requested USAF firefighting airplanes to help contain oil refinery blazes that threatened to burn out of control in the days immediately following the temblor. The move was canceled, however, after Turkish firefighters brought the situation under control themselves.

THAAD Moves Forward

After an 0-for-6 slump, the Theater High Altitude Area Defense missile system is now 2-for-2. On Aug. 2, a THAAD interceptor streaked above the Earth's atmosphere and destroyed a Hera target missile.

THAAD had previously notched a successful interception June 10. Prior to that, it had failed six consecutive tests-each time for different technical reasons.

In some ways, the latest test was the most difficult one THAAD has yet attempted. It was exoatmospheric, while the previous hit had taken place within the atmosphere. The Hera target was mimicking an incoming Scud missile with a separating warhead. THAAD thus had to distinguish the warhead from the booster, to find the correct target-and do so against the cold background of space.

Initial indications were that not only did THAAD hit its target, it did so with a tip-to-tip intercept, said program officials. Yet closing velocities were so high, it was as if THAAD had traveled from New York to Washington in less than two minutes.

"Today was probably one of the watershed events in the technological history of our country," Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald T. Kadish, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, told reporters.

The radar directing the THAAD interceptor is so powerful, said Kadish, "you can see a basketball over Washington National Airport from Huntsville, Ala."

Lockheed Martin was breathing easier after the success. If THAAD had missed, the company would have had to pay DoD a $20 million penalty, on top of a $15 million charge already levied for a missed test March 29.

In the wake of the Aug. 2 experiment, the Pentagon dropped its previous demand that the THAAD system complete three successful tests in a row before proceeding to the Engineering and Manufacturing Development stage of the acquisition cycle.

THAAD could now enter EMD as early as next year, officials said Aug. 20, though the program must face an independent cost analysis before it can proceed.

"This will ... accelerate the ultimate fielding of THAAD," said Pentagon acquisition chief Jacques S. Gansler in a letter to Congress announcing the change. A series of up to 40 flight tests would likely be part of any THAAD EMD effort. Rockets and other system components could be manufactured as tests progress.

"Last year ... we had stated that we had confidence in the basic design of the missile but that the failures were attributed to poor missile quality," Army Maj. Gen. Peter Franklin, BMDO deputy director, told reporters. "The contractor put considerable talent and effort into testing of these missiles, and their efforts have been proven successful by these recent tests."

DoD Restructures Anthrax Vaccine Contract

On Aug. 5, the Department of Defense announced that it is restructuring its contract with BioPort Corp., the sole US manufacturer of the anthrax vaccine. Under the restructuring, the Pentagon has agreed to double the price it pays for the vaccine and advance funds to the cash-strapped Michigan firm, in an effort to keep it from going out of business.

BioPort had requested some sort of financial relief in June after it determined that it did not have enough money to keep operating after Aug. 1 and that it would not be able to borrow funds in private capital markets. A Pentagon review board looked at BioPort's books and decided they were right.

"That board concurred and believed that BioPort was in fact in financial distress," said an Army official who spoke to reporters about the move on condition his name not be used. "It also made a decision at that time [that] what we needed to do was go back and renegotiate the contract."

The recent business history of the anthrax vaccine facility is a convoluted one. It was a state-owned institution called Michigan Biologic Products Institute. Its price for a dose of anthrax vaccine was $4.36.

In September 1998, Michigan sold MBPI to BioPort Corp. for $25 million. BioPort officials negotiated a contract with the Pentagon to provide enough vaccine to protect the total force against anthrax-all at the previous price of $4.36 a shot.

Six months into that contract BioPort discovered that its costs were much higher than it thought, said Pentagon officials. They found that Michigan state employees had provided such services as grounds and janitorial maintenance. Those costs had been on the state's payroll, not that of MBPI.

The restructuring will ensure that the facility does not cease production at a time when the Pentagon is in the midst of vaccinating the entire force, said officials. Under the move, the price-per-shot has been increased to $10.64. The Defense Department has advanced BioPort $18.7 million against the costs of future production. To protect its investment, the US government will have liens on all of BioPort's assets, as well as on-site auditors, said the Pentagon. "The Defense Contract Audit Agency will do a follow-up audit in six to nine months to ensure that BioPort is working as we expected," said the official.

Cleaning--Not Whale--Harmed C-17

A design flaw and metal fatigue caused by grit blast cleaning were the causes of a C-17 landing gear failure at an Iceland airport Sept. 10, 1998, according to a recently released Air Force accident board report.

The Charleston, S.C.­based Globemaster was touching down at Vestmannaeyjar Airport, Iceland, as part of a mission that transported the killer whale Keiko from Oregon to a new Iceland home. No humans or marine mammals were injured in the incident, but damage to the right main landing gear was extensive.

The Air Force and contractor Boeing have known for years that the part which broke, the trunnion collar spud, was inadequately designed. The spud is a bolt-like component that helps hold together the trunnion, a circular steel part that allows the main landing gear post to rotate when wheels are being raised or lowered.

A short-term fix has already been applied to affected C-17s. But Air Force officials did not know that grit blast cleaning could leave microscopic flaws in the steel and weaken the fix, concluded the accident report.

New Law Mandates Funeral Support

Under just-passed Congressional legislation, the Department of Defense must provide military funeral honors-including two uniformed service members-for all eligible retirees or veterans, beginning Jan. 1, 2000.

Both members of the honor guard must come from either the active or reserve component of a uniformed service. At least one must represent the service branch of the deceased.

The new law, which was part of Fiscal Year 2000 defense authorization legislation, also directs DoD to provide, at a minimum, a ceremonial flag-folding, presentation of the flag to next of kin, and the playing of taps at military funerals.

If a bugler is unavailable, a recording of taps will meet requirements, according to the law.

Veterans' organizations said they would keep a close eye on the new funeral mandates.

"We view the new legislation as a positive step," said Mike Wiswell, Ohio American Legion internal affairs director. "Like many mandates from Congress, we will watch the implementation process and how it works."

Currently, about 89,000 Air Force veterans die every year. That works out to about 240 USAF veterans a day eligible for service military funeral honors.

Last year, Air Force base honor guards were present at more than 6,000 funerals. But veterans' deaths are projected to increase 25 percent annually. By 2002 honor guard requests will reach 48,000, according to Air Force projections.

DoD Names Pharmacy Test Sites

On Aug. 5, the Department of Defense announced that Okeechobee County, Fla., and Fleming County, Ky., are the sites that have been selected for a Tricare pharmacy benefit pilot study.

The study was mandated by the Fiscal 1999 National Defense Authorization Act. It is intended to make retail and mail-order pharmacy benefits available to DoD beneficiaries in the demonstration areas who are Medicare­eligible, age 65 and older, and who have Medicare Part B.

"This new pharmacy demonstration program helps solve the problem of high out-of-pocket health care costs for our age-65-and-older beneficiaries who do not have access to a [Military Treatment Facility] and who do not have a prescription benefit through other health insurance," said Dr. Sue Bailey, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

Okeechobee and Fleming were randomly chosen from counties that lacked an established MTF. In addition, under the legislation establishing the program, one test had to have a major Health Maintenance Organization presence, while the other required a low prevalence of HMO membership.

Test participants will be charged an enrollment fee and co-payments for drugs purchased. Enrollment is expected to begin next spring. Those interested in participating may call their Tricare Service Center to see if their ZIP code falls within the area of the pilot program.

Tape Caused Titan IV Failure

A bit of thermal wrap and some tape caused the April 9 failure of a Titan IVB rocket, according to an Air Force Space Command accident investigation report released Aug. 17.

Following a successful takeoff, the rocket's Inertial Upper Stage 1 separated incompletely from IUS Stage 2, because an interstage electrical connector plug failed to release, said the report. The plug had been wrapped in thermal material and tape, per detailed instructions included in the rocket's design documents. However, the documents, which dated from 1978, omitted "unique requirements for the separation function," according to Space Command, and the tape prevented proper plug disconnection. The sticky plug resulted in a cascading series of events that left a $250 million Defense Support Program satellite in a useless orbit.

TRW, Spectrum Astro Win SBIRS Low Contracts

On Aug. 16, the Air Force announced that TRW and Spectrum Astro won $275 million contracts for the program definition and risk reduction phase of the Space Based Infrared System Low program.

During their 38-month efforts the contractors will define affordable requirements, produce preliminary system designs, and carry out ground demonstrations of critical systems, said the Air Force officials.

The SBIRS program is meant to provide precision tracking for national and theater missile defense, following possible incoming ballistic weapons throughout their trajectory. It is split into high orbit and low orbit satellite elements.

A-OK for Y2K?

DoD is just about ready to face the Y2K computer problem, said Secretary of Defense Cohen on July 22.

Military officials have made an enormous effort-their largest series of tests ever-to make sure that critical computer systems don't malfunction when Jan. 1, 2000, rolls around. More than 92 percent of DoD's 2,107 mission critical systems have now been certified as Y2K compliant. Ninety-four percent of its 4,749 nonmission-critical systems have been similarly checked. Over 99 percent of the Department of Defense's 637 installations have been swept and checked for the coming of the new data year.

Among the few systems that have not yet been tested are the U-2 and RC-135 spy airplanes, which were deployed overseas in support of Operation Allied Force. They will be scrubbed upon their return from Europe, said officials.

As a final measure, the Air Force is preparing to carry out what officials call "Guam Watch," by tracking the progress of computer results as the Jan. 1, 2000, date line sweeps across the world.

AMC Reconstitutes

With the victory of Operation Allied Force behind it, Air Mobility Command is moving toward a new phase of activity-reconstitution.

AMC aircraft and crews took part in more than 1,800 airlift and 900 air refueling missions during the Allied air war over Yugoslavia. Now command planners are moving to relax their forces and repair the fraying of capabilities that such demands inevitably cause.

"We can't come home and sit down because there are still other customers out there," said Col. Edward McPhillips, Tanker Airlift Control Center vice commander. "We have to pace ourselves so we can recover the training that we lost, give people some time off, and still keep the rest of the airlift running globally."

Reconstitution is a three-part process, according to McPhillips. It involves resting the troops, retraining units, and maintaining aircraft.

Though it may seem counterintuitive that crews need training after months of hard operational activity, there are a number of training requirements involving simulators, air refueling, and airdrops that many missed.

"Now it's going to take us three or four months to get all those crews back up to speed," said McPhillips.

Day-to-day operational commitments will be reduced by 10 percent for three months to facilitate this process, said AMC officials. After that, the commitment rate will be ratcheted up by 5 percent, putting the command at a 95 percent operational rate for all forces.

"We'll operate at that rate for one more month to make sure reconstitution is complete," said Col. Robert Owen, chief of policy and doctrine for the plans and programs directorate.

Better Times on Way, Says Engine Boss

The 1990s have been a difficult period for the aircraft logistics and maintenance community, but better times are on the way, said the commander of the San Antonio Air Logistics Center at a recent meeting of senior commanders at Luke AFB, Ariz.

Recent years have been marked by significant budget cuts, base closures, and a high operations tempo with aging aircraft. This has led to parts shortages, increased aircraft cannibalizations, and long working hours for maintainers, said Maj. Gen. Paul L. Bielowicz.

"This is not business as usual," he said. "We are faced with a situation now where the combination of ops tempo and funding shortfalls have created a bow wave of requirements for aircraft engines."

The good news is that money is on the way, said Bielowicz, who directs the acquisition and sustainment of all Air Force engines. The Air Force leadership is working aggressively to get the funds needed, particularly for F-16 power plants.

"The Secretary and the Chief know this is not just a parts issue-it is a quality-of-life issue," said Bielowicz.

The maintainers of Luke AFB were a receptive audience for the engine chief's words. More than 200 F-16s call Luke home, and six Fighting Falcon crashes since last October have put their maintainers under a microscope. Four of the Luke crashes stemmed from material failures on different parts of the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney engine, according to accident reports.

In total, 16 Air Force F-16s have crashed this fiscal year.

"We know where we need to go-replacement parts," said Brig. Gen. John L. Barry, 56th Fighter Wing commander. "Until then, we must continue to manage risk by a more intrusive and frequent regimen of inspections."

Two of the accidents at Luke were caused by the separation of the engine augmenter from the aircraft. In late March, the 56th Wing commander ordered Luke jets grounded until every PW-220 engine augmenter could be removed, cleaned, and inspected for cracks-a 15-hour process.

Base maintainers checked 218 augmenters, in the end. Twenty-four had cracks that required repair or replacement. "That is an incredible feat," said Bielowicz.

Hart Probe Investigator Exonerated

A veteran Department of Defense investigator won't be suspended for asking about ex-Sen. Gary Hart's sex life during a routine security clearance check. David Kerno of the Defense Security Service was notified Aug. 20 that proposed disciplinary action had been withdrawn, said his lawyer, Daniel Minahan.

Last September, Kerno was assigned to check out Hart for a security clearance. The former Colorado lawmaker needed to read secret documents for his role in the National Security Study Group, which is reviewing US defense needs.

As part of his investigation, Kerno asked Hart's partners at a Denver law firm about the former senator's private life. Within hours, Hart spoke to Cohen's chief of staff and complained. Kerno lost his badge, was assigned to a desk job, and faced a 30-day suspension without pay.

House Republicans charged that Kerno was being railroaded for asking appropriate questions and that Hart was receiving favorable treatment simply because of his long-standing ties to the defense chief, himself a former senator from Maine.

DoD spokesmen gave no explanation for the abrupt dropping of charges. "The bottom line is nothing will happen to Dave Kerno," said department spokesman Glenn Flood.

News Notes

• On Aug. 4, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization named UK Defense Secretary George Robertson as the new NATO secretary general and chairman of the North Atlantic Council. He succeeds Javier Solana.
• US and German officials signed a preliminary agreement July 27 detailing plans for the withdrawal of US forces from Rhein­Main AB, Germany. The proposed agreement must now undergo a review process by both the American and German governments before a final withdrawal pact can be reached.
• Northrop Grumman delivered the fifth Joint STARS aircraft to the Air Force on Aug. 13, more than two months ahead of schedule. Company officials said they will use the extra time to complete some important upgrades requested by the customer, including onboard system enhancements.
• Film director Steven Spielberg received the Pentagon's highest civilian award from Secretary of Defense Cohen in a Washington ceremony Aug. 11. Spielberg won the DoD Distinguished Civilian Public Service Award for his 1998 film "Saving Private Ryan," which Cohen said sparked national awareness of the World War II generation's sacrifices and helped reconnect the US public with its men and women in uniform.
• On Aug. 12, Air Force officials announced that they have selected 16,053 of 44,109 eligible senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant for the 1999 E-5 cycle. That represents a 36.39 percent selection rate-the highest such figure since the inception of the Weighted Airman Promotion System nearly 30 years ago.
• SrA. Glenn O. Wright is receiving Air Force­wide recognition for the value of his suggestions about improving the service. Wright, of the 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla., has been named the Air Force Chief of Staff's 1998 Submitter of the Year. Over the past two years, he has forwarded more than 50 suggestions to the Air Force Innovative Development Through Employee Awareness program, covering everything from technical order changes to changing repair codes on certain pieces of equipment.
• A US Transportation Command Air Force major received the Cheney Award for heroism at a Pentagon ceremony July 28. Maj. Jeffrey Stephenson, a mobility operations officer in USTRANSCOM's Mobility Control Center, saved a pilot from a burning T-34B that crashed at Maxwell AFB, Ala., on May 14, 1998.
• A partially latched canopy caused the March 17 Class A mishap of a U-2S reconnaissance jet based at Osan AB, South Korea, according to a just-released accident investigation board report. The accident occurred when the canopy blew open, damaging the aircraft structure and engine. The pilot landed the aircraft and no injuries were associated with the incident.
• Loss of situational awareness by the aircrew was the primary cause of a June 2 crash of an MH-53J near Camp MacKall Military Reservation, Fayetteville, N.C., according to an accident board report released Aug. 2. The aircraft was on a normal landing approach when it was enveloped in a downwash-generated dust cloud, and the disoriented crew allowed the helicopter to hit the ground with a high rate of right drift. One crew member, SSgt. Kurt Upton, was killed in the accident. [See "Aerospace World: Helo, Fighter Crashes Claim Lives," August, p. 19.]
• Wet weather played a major role in the F-16 mishap that occurred on landing at Kimhae IAP, South Korea, on March 18, according to an accident investigation report. The lack of braking action on the wet pavement, combined with hydroplaning from standing water and pilot errors, caused the crash. The pilot escaped without injury.
• Two F-16Cs from the 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea, collided while returning from a training mission Aug. 11. One aircraft landed uneventfully, while the pilot of the second F-16 ejected safely. The second airplane crashed at the southern end of the Kunsan runway.
• A technical sergeant from the 630th Air Mobility Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan, was sentenced to 18 months of confinement, reduced to the rank of E-1, and given a bad-conduct discharge for filing nearly $9,000 in false travel claims. TSgt. Harry Slye pleaded guilty to larceny and fraud on July 28. He was ordered to pay back the money and forfeit an additional $3,000 in pay.
• An F-15 from the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard crashed Aug. 19 after touching another F-15 during a routine training mission in south central Missouri. The pilot ejected safely.
• Air Force Maj. Kimberly Markland, who works in a clinical laboratory at Lackland AFB, Texas, and was the top female finisher of the 1998 Marine Corps Marathon, won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2nd Military World Games in Zagreb, Croatia, in early August.
• Air Force swimmers did well at the Military World Games, also. 1st Lt. Shannon Goff took the gold, and 2nd Lt. Connie Cann finished second, in the 200-meter Swim With Obstacles event. Goff also took second in the women's 100-meter Saving-a-Dummy-With-Fins lifesaving event.

Obituary

Retired Air Force Gen. James E. "Jim" Hill, a pioneer figure who pushed the service to look toward space for its future, died of cancer May 20 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was 78.

Hill had served as commander of 8th Air Force, Barksdale AFB, La., and commander in chief of NORAD in Colorado. He was a driving force behind the subsequent organization of Air Force Space Command. He retired in 1980.