A Little Self-Restraint. If Congress is able to pass a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown on Tuesday, the Defense Department will start the new fiscal year spending at a lower-than-needed rate in case sequestration cuts hit again in January. Last year, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale said repeatedly that the department would not “sequester ourselves” and
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therefore continued spending as if Congress would undo the sequester before the cuts went into effect. This year, Hale says, “we will start operating at a somewhat lower level certainly than the president’s request.” He says the CR itself would cut the DoD budget by about $30 billion compared to what the department requested, and sequestration would cut another $20 billion. So rather than run into the major shortfalls in operations and maintenance funding the services faced this fiscal year, Hale says “we will start at a level below the president’s budget in order to conserve resources until we get a better sense of where we’re actually headed.” As for the details of the CR–the bill the Senate passed would fund the government until Nov. 15–Hale says it had fewer provisions in it than the Pentagon requested to ease some of the burdens of operating under the previous year’s spending levels, which also means no new programs may begin. “We can probably hold our breath for a while,” he says, but he urged Congress to quickly pass a spending bill.
Going Wireless. BAE Systems is almost done delivering its Helmet-Mounted Display to the Army and is beginning to look at a second-generation product to pitch to the service next year. The company delivered almost 15,000 displays, which plug into the sights on heavy weapons and then clip onto soldiers’ helmets, allowing them to view thermal imaging or other displays without being hit by recoiling weapons, says Dave Smialek, BAE’s manager of business development for soldier and vehicle solutions. Once the company delivers the remaining 2,000 or so units, it will begin to focus on a second-generation product, which will feature a wireless connection between the helmet-mounted display and the weapons sights, as well as trying to reduce size, weight and power. Smialek says he expects the Army will put out a request for information in mid-2014, and BAE hopes to have its upgraded offering ready by then.
SIPRNET Laptop. General Dynamics C4 Systems showed off its new Tacline Multibook at the Modern Day Marine expo this year, hoping to generate more early sales for the first laptop that will allow access to Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET). The laptop can run SIPRNET, Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET), and the open Internet, saving the expense and the hassle of dealing with three different computers, GD C4S president Chris Marzilli says. More importantly, though, is that the National Security Agency has certified the device as safe to use outside of a secure facility, meaning a government employee could work from home, from a hotel while traveling or at a coffee shop, he said. Marzilli adds the employee could even leave the laptop behind, and the device is encrypted in such a way that it becomes useless to the finder. The Air Force and the Department of Homeland Security are wrapping up additional testing with the laptop now, and the Defense Information Assurance Security Accreditation Working Group will then review the test results. But Marzilli says the product is available for sale now, and he believes once the remaining approvals happen, “we will sell these and beat any expectations we had.”
DHS Contractor Warning. Nick Nayak, the chief procurement officer at the Department of Homeland Security, last Friday sent a letter to the contractor community warning them that if there is a shutdown in federal government operations on beginning with the new fiscal year tomorrow, some programs may stop and new projects canceled. If there is a lapse in appropriations, “certain planned procurements may be canceled and certain existing contracts may be stopped, reduced in scope, terminated or partially terminated,” Nayak says in his Industry Partner Letter. He says that if the department determines such actions are necessary, only affected contracts and programs will be notified. If House Republicans and Senate Democrats can’t reach an agreement on a continuing resolution to fund the government, a shutdown of non-essential operations would begin Tuesday.
Officially Separated. Leidos Holdings, Inc., and SAIC, Inc., today begin operating as separate publicly traded companies following a year long spin-off of the two companies from their former parent, Science Applications International Corp. The $6 billion company Leidos, which will trade as LDOS, will operate in two segments, Health and Engineering, and National Security. The $4 billion “new” SAIC will also have two reporting segments, Technical Services and Engineering, and Enterprise Information Technology. SAIC will be the stock ticker symbol of the new SAIC.The separation legally occurs at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 27.
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month. The Department of Homeland Security sponsors its annual National Cyber Security Awareness month beginning Oct. 1. The department breaks out its awareness effort week by week, beginning with the focus on shared responsibilities, followed by the need for online safety and security with mobile devices, cyber workforce education and training, efforts at the national and local levels to prevent cyber crimes, and finishing with the spotlight on the intersection between cyber and physical security when protecting critical infrastructure.
Mall Attack in U.S.? RAND Corp. analyst Brian Michael Jenkins says an armed terrorist attack like that carried out in a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, last week is conceivable in the United States but that organizing such a plot here would be harder. Jenkins in July testified before Congress on whether armed terrorists could carry out attacks in the U.S. similar to those in Mumbai, India, in 2008 that resulted in 162 people slain. Jenkins says in addition to accumulating the firepower for the attacks, recruiting and training a suicide force is also necessary and that bringing such a team into the U.S. would be very difficult and unlikely to escape the notice of the intelligence community.
LCS-4 Delivered. The Navy accepted delivery of the fourth Littoral Combat (LCS) Ship during a ceremony at builder Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala., on Friday. The future USS Coronado (LCS-4) is the second ship of the Independence variant that features a trimaran hull. “We are excited to receive USS Coronado into the LCS class and ultimately to San Diego alongside the other LCS class ships in service,” says Capt. Randy Garner, the commodore of LCS Squadron One. The Coronado is scheduled for commissioning in April, and completed acceptance trials in August. The acceptance trials showed the ship had less the half the number of flaws compared to the preceding vessel. Once commissioned, the Coronado will join the USS Freedom (LCS-1), USS Independence (LCS-2) and USSForth Worth (LCS-3) in San Diego.
Missile at Sea. The Navy and Raytheon have demonstrated the Griffin missile in a maritime environment during recent tests off the coast of California, the contractor says. The MK-60 Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System was able to hit fast moving remote-controlled small boats after firing from various platforms during the testing at Point Mugu. In one case, the Griffin was fired off a Cyclone-class patrol boat. Raytheon says the testing allows for the deployment of the missile on coastal patrol boats later this year. The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship program also plans to deploy Griffins as a stop gap measure on the ships until it develops a new missile for the LCS anti-surface warfare mission module.
SpaceX Vandenberg. SpaceX schedules its first ever launch from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., for Sept. 29, with the launch window opening at 9 a.m. PDT, according to the Air Force. The launch is part of SpaceX’s effort to become certified for the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, which is designed to improve United States access to space by making space launch vehicles more affordable and reliable. Under the authority of the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (AFSMC), the 30th Space Wing’s 1st Air and Space Test Squadron is evaluating SpaceX’s flight and ground systems, processes and procedures for this inaugural space launch campaign for the upgraded Falcon 9 rocket.
Miniaturized Airborne GPS. The Air Force awards Raytheon a $38.6 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for continued production and sustainment of the Miniaturized Airborne Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver (MAGR) 2000-S24, according to a Sept. 20 Air Force statement. The contract runs through September 2017. The MAGR 2000-S24, the latest in the family of MAGR 2000 series products, greatly improves navigation accuracy and integrity compared with legacy systems while improving resistance to interference and jamming through incorporation of Selective Availability and Anti-Spoofing Module technology, according to Raytheon.
SpectrumS4 Award. The Air Force awards SpectrumS4 LLC a $675 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for advisory and assistance services (A&AS) capabilities, which include, but are not limited to, the full spectrum of program management, financial management, contract management and non-functionally aligned services for any stage of the systems lifecycle, according to a Sept. 26 Air Force statement. This contract may include system lifecycle stages like capability-based analysis and concept development through production, deployment, sustainment and disposal activities. SpectrumS4 of Burlington, Mass., provides engineering support solutions.
James Hold. Another senator places a hold on Debra James’ confirmation to be the next Air Force secretary. The office of Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) confirms a hold being placed just two days after Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) member Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) placed her own hold over potential A-10 cuts. Ayotte says she’s concerned over the Air Force’s rumored plan to divest A-10s from its force structure before a capable replacement, notably the F-35, arrives. An aide from Heinrich’s office says the senator’s hold has nothing to do with the A-10 and he expects a resolution soon. The news was first reported by Defense News.
AOC Workshop. The Air Force and Northrop Grumman complete the third in a series of warfighter analysis workshops for the Air Operations Center (AOC) Weapon System modernization program, according to a company statement. The workshops are part of the AOC’s rapid development and prototyping process that incorporates early user feedback to help reduce development costs and ensure operational success. Northrop Grumman’s prototype AOC system completed a system security accreditation risk reduction event in June that demonstrated improved cyber protection and an automated cybersecurity tool set. The company is in the process of installing the fourth prototype at the AOC weapon system integration and test lab, readying the system for additional capability demonstrations and feedback.
RFI For CRAM Support. By Nov. 8, the Army wants hear from industry about their support capabilities for engineering, technical, and logistical support in the area of Army Air and Missile Defense Planning and Control Systems (AMDPCS) hardware and software. Support is required for the AMDPCS Family of Systems, which includes the following shelter systems: Air Defense Airspace Management (ADAM) Cell; AMDPCS-A, which is deployed with Army Air and Missile Defense Commands (AAMDCs) and Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigades; AMDPCS-B, which is deployed with AAMDCs, ADA Brigades, ADA Battalions and other air defense units; Air Battle Management Operations Center; Battery Command Post, and Sensor Command and Control node. The work has to start within 30 days of any contract award and could be within or outside the continental United States.
Final Operational Sortie. After 47 years of RAF service, the VC10 finishes its final operational milestone, and retires from service. The VC10 conducted its final air-to-air refueling operational sortie Sept. 20. Group Capt. Steve Lushington, Station Commander at RAF Brize Norton, home to 101 Squadron and the last two VC10s, says: “You only have to look through the chapters of aviation history to find the VC10 has played a part somewhere along the line, be that the return of people held hostage around the world or flying the Royal Family, the Queen, heads of state and prime ministers to all sorts of wonderful locations as part of state visits.” The VC10s, ZA147 and ZA150, flew together in a sortie that involved refueling Typhoon, Tornado GR4 and Hercules aircraft, along with refueling one VC10 from the other.
Highest CMMI. Northrop Grumman receives the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) for Development Level 5, the highest rating possible, for two Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) joint modernization programs. It is the prime contractor for DISA’s Global Command & Control System-Joint (GCCS-J) and Global Combat Support System-Joint (GCSS-J) programs. The Software Engineering Institute’s CMMI® for Development model is used to appraise and recognize best practices in software engineering and systems engineering. “This achievement demonstrates Northrop Grumman’s ongoing commitment to employ processes to achieve repeatable results on our programs and deliver lower risk and higher performance to our customers,” says Mike Twyman, sector vice president and general manager of the Defense Systems division for Northrop Grumman Information Systems.