Sailors who fought off the coast of Vietnam would get easier eligibility for Agent Orange benefits under a measure that passed the House last week.

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act passed the chamber on a unanimous vote and heads to the Senate.

It would give sailors the same presumptive benefit for sailors exposed to the defoliant that’s now given to ground troops. The now-banned chemical cocktail was used to kill Vietnam’s lush jungle foliage, allowing troops on the ground and airmen above a better view of the enemy.

The chemical has been tied to ailments including cancer.

Colorado Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton was one of the bill’s backers.

“Since 2011, I have heard too many stories of Vietnam veterans from Colorado’s Third District who still do not immediately qualify for the VA’s Agent Orange treatment benefits, all because they did not serve on the ground in Vietnam,” Tipton said in an email. “It is completely unacceptable that these brave veterans are denied the care they have earned and so desperately need because of arbitrary specifications.”

‘Gremlins’ are coming

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency says it is getting closer to swarming drones called “Gremlins” that can be launched and recovered by C-130s in flight.

The Gremlins, autonomous aircraft with undisclosed combat capabilities, would be used in environments too dangerous for fighters or bombers. They can fly into enemy territory, do their Gremlin-like work, and be ready for reuse in less than a day, DARPA said.

“DARPA is progressing toward its plan to demonstrate airborne launch and recovery of multiple unmanned aerial systems (UASs), targeted for late 2019,” the agency said on its website.

“Now in its third and final phase, the goal for the Gremlins program is to develop a full-scale technology demonstration featuring the air recovery of multiple low-cost, reusable (drones).”

To clarify for fans of the 1984 movie “Gremlins”: DARPA Gremlins are more like the green, mean ones that were fed after midnight as opposed to the sweet, fuzzy variant.

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Big upgrade for Space Command radars

The Pentagon has kicked off a $866 million upgrade for sky-scanning radars that the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base uses to spot incoming nuclear missiles.

The upgrades will atone for maintenance that was delayed during the Great Recession and Defense cuts that followed and will also better-equip the radars to spot objects in space.

“The interconnected systems are located at Thule Air Base, Greenland; Clear Air Force Station, Alaska; Royal Air Force Fylingdales, United Kingdom; Beale Air Force Base, California; Cape Cod Air Force Station, Massachusetts and Cavalier Air Force Station, North Dakota,” Space Command said on its website.

The radar network dates back to the Cold War and has gained importance with increased threats from North Korea, Russia and China.

“The Air Force designed these sites and installed them during the Cold War primarily to detect and track intercontinental ballistic missiles and sea-launched ballistic missiles while also conducting general space surveillance and satellite tracking,” Space Command said.Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240 Twitter: @xroederx