The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense

EFV Entreaties. Ohio lawmakers are pushing back against Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ proposal to halt development of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), made by their homestate employer General Dynamics. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) and Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D) Jim Jordan (R) ask President Barack Obama in a Jan. 6 letter to prevent the cancellation of the EFV before current testing of redesigned prototypes is complete. “Terminating the EFV program before the testing is complete will shortchange the taxpayer and jeopardize the Marines’ ability to carry out amphibious missions,” they argue. They suggest paring back the planned buy of the vehicles to 200 copies, a move they say would save the Marine Corps $5 billion. In Ohio, they say, if the EFV is canceled “facilities will be severely downgraded, hurting the local economies and eliminating hundreds of high-paying, high-skilled manufacturing jobs.”

…Levin’s Take. SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), whose state is home to General Dynamics Land Systems, issued a carefully worded statement regarding the Marine Corps’ plan to scrap the EFV and instead develop a more-affordable amphibious vehicle. “The commandant of the Marine Corps told me today that he strongly recommended to Secretary Gates that the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program be terminated because it is unaffordable and is not designed to meet current threats,” Levin says Jan. 6. “He has assured me that the Marine Corps will pursue a more affordable and effective American-made alternative….The Marine Corps needs a next-generation amphibious vehicle. The nation needs us to build and buy that vehicle at a reasonable cost.”

Bond’s Law. Missouri Republican Kit Bond, who retired from the Senate last week after serving four terms as senator, is now a partner at Thompson Coburn, a law firm with offices in Missouri, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. He will work in Missouri and Washington, D.C., on international trade, biotechnology, agriculture, cyberlaw, transportation, and Missouri economic development matters, the company says. “As a policymaker I worked to foster business growth and economic development and I will continue that work as a lawyer at Thompson Coburn,” Bond says in a statement. He tells reporters he will not lobby Congress, which he is banned from doing for two years anyway. He practiced law in Washington, D.C., in the 1960s before starting a political career in Missouri.

No Consolidation. The House last week approved new rules created by its Republican leadership for the 112th Congress that failed to consolidate the number of committees that have oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, guaranteeing that Homeland Security officials will continue to answer to dozens of congressional committees and subcommittees for the next two years. The 9/11 Commission in 2004 recommended that the House and Senate each have a single authorizing committee for DHS. Currently in the House, the Homeland Security Committee serves as the primary authorizers for DHS but other committees and subcommittees also oversee various components and aspects of the department. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, had hoped to get his leadership to support consolidation efforts but to no avail. “I will continue my efforts to ensure proper oversight of homeland security issues and to prevent splintered jurisdiction from impeding our efforts to secure our homeland,” King says.

New Space Chief. Gen. William Shelton last week became Air Force Space Command’s new leader during a ceremony at Peterson AFB, Colo. A 1976 Air Force Academy graduate, Shelton previously worked at the Pentagon as assistant vice chief of staff and director of the Air Staff. During his career, he’s done developmental testing, space operations and staff work. The general has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and numbered Air Force levels, and served on the staffs at major command headquarters, Air Force headquarters and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Shelton succeeds Gen. C. Robert Kehler, who is to become commander of United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. Created in 1982, Air Force Space Command provides military space capabilities develops Air Force cyberspace capabilities.

MR-TCDL Demo. Northrop Grumman has successfully completed the second flight test phase of the Multi-Role Tactical Common Data Link (MR-TCDL) system, which provides real-time networking connectivity to the military by enabling extremely fast exchange of data via ground, airborne and satellite networks. The series of 14 flight tests verified the system’s capabilities, the company says. For the flight tests, Northrop Grumman integrated MR-TCDL onto a Gulfstream II aircraft and a NASA ER-2 aircraft and digitally connected them to each other and to a series of ground entry points. The tests demonstrated the system’s ability to reliably transmit data at rates greater than 200 megabits per second between multiple aircraft and ground networks as well as between aircraft at distances in excess of 270 nautical miles. This capability enables high-definition video teleconferencing and high-speed connection and extension of terrestrial wired and wireless networks access for senior leaders. Northrop Grumman is performing the tests under its MR-TCDL Developmental Test and Operational Test program contract for the Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center. The company plans to fly the system in operationally relevant scenarios during the next test phase. The Defense Micro-Electronics Activity awarded the 30-month, $59 million MR-TCDL DT/OT contract to Northrop Grumman in January 2009.

Not Me. U.K. Trade Minister Lord Green refuses to promote the approximately $54 billion British defense industry. Lord Green is an ordained Anglican priest and former HSBC chairman. His concerns are understood to center on his role representing the U.K. Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation (DSO), the government agency that helps defense and security companies to gain overseas orders, The Telegraph reports. In two books he’s written, Lord Green advocates a return to “ethical capitalism.”

Get More Effective. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey says the service has to continue to modernize. “We have the best learning around you can imagine, we’re learning all kinds of things,” he told an Institute for Land Warfare breakfast in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6. “We have to learn how to continue to move forward with affordable modernization strategies,” Casey says the same day the Defense Secretary would announce efficiencies and program cuts. “The Army has to continue to build efficiencies,” he says. “We continue to find redundancies” and there are still ways to become more effective and efficient.”

…On Track. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he wants to draw down Army troops starting in 2015, though there will still be more soldiers then than when he took office. Earlier that same day, Jan. 6, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey says the service needs to keep its end strength where it is “until we’ve had a change to reset and reconstitute the force,” he tells an Institute for Land Warfare breakfast. “As budgets come down, the size of the force is going to have to come down as it’s where lots of cost is,” he says. “We need to hold what we have for a few years, so we can rest the force.”

Authorized. The long-delayed fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill, which sets policy for the Pentagon, is now law. President Barack Obama notes concerns he has with language in the legislation regarding the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, but still signs the overall bill into law Jan. 7. “Despite my strong objection to these (Guantanamo) provisions, which my Administration has consistently opposed, I have signed this Act because of the importance of authorizing appropriations for, among other things, our military activities in 2011,” Obama says in a statement. Congress has not passed a corresponding FY ’11 defense appropriations bill, and the Pentagon is being funded through a continuing resolution that keeps funding at FY ’10 levels until March 4.

Kamikaze Subs. The threat of Iran using miniature subs against U.S. forces in the region is causing a sir within Navy intelligence circles. Navy intel chief Vice Adm. David Dorsett says the attack against the South Korean warship Chenoan by a similar vessel, widely believed to be launched by North Korea, has only stoked such fears. His comments came during a Jan. 5 Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington.

Counter Laser. Officials at the Office of Naval Research are in the beginning stages of developing technologies to counter directed energy weapons. The effort will focus on outfitting legacy Navy systems with various capabilities designed to counter a directed energy strike, according to ONR’s weapons chief Michael Deitchman. While still early in the process, that work could spawn further requirements and platform redesigns.

Cargo Networking. Scientists at the Office of Naval Research are assembling a new open architecture system for command and control operations on board the Marine Corps’ new unmanned aerial cargo system. The C2 architecture, once developed, will help streamline communications between frontline troops and resupply forces commanding the cargo UAS. Marine Corps officials plan to select the final airframe for the new cargo hauler by the end of this year.