Congress May Cut Funding For Surveillance Blimps Over DC
The Department of the Army is seeking $54 million to fund the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS. The request is part of the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Budget that Congress is currently considering. The system consists of long-range surveillance technologies and targeting capabilities including HELLFIRE missiles. JLENS was originally deployed in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army wants to test the system in Washington, DC, but the program has come under scrutiny by Congress because of cost overruns. EPIC recently filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit against the Army, seeking more information about the JLENS program. For more information, see EPIC: EPIC v. Army - Surveillance Blimps.