Diesel Subs? Although the Navy could save money by making part its submarine fleet diesel-powered, Rear Adm. Frederick “Fritz” Roegge, submarine force commander for U.S. Pacific Fleet, expects the submarine fleet to remain entirely nuclear, at least for now. “As I look today at the sorts of tasks” that Adm. Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, “has in mind for the submarine force, I don’t see an effective role for a diesel submarine in executing that vision,” Roegge says at a recent naval conference in San Diego. “Should the taskings change, should the missions change, should the world change, then I think that’s always a healthy discussion to have internal to the Navy as well as external with the public. But for the time being, the thing that matters most in the current tasks that we have and the potential ones is the ability to take advantage of speed, of endurance, as well as stealth and firepower, and lot of that comes kind of uniquely from nuclear power.”
Navy Transparency. The Navy is having an internal discussion about how transparent it should be about its activities, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson. The service aims to balance the American public’s right to know with the need to protect sensitive information. “We don’t want to give any kind of a giveaway in terms of how we’re going to defeat our competition,” Richardson says at a recent naval conference in San Diego. “Sometimes, we’re maybe a little bit too prone to run to the microphone, talk about capabilities, maybe talk about operations, those sorts of things. I’m not interested in providing any kind of advantage through the media or any other source but…there’s a tremendous amount that we do need to communicate in terms of the purpose of what we do, our role in protecting the nation, connecting with our people. And so a thoughtful approach is the best way to go.”
IDEX 2017. Over five days, the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2017) and Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX 2017), held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, records an all-time high in participation from exhibitors, companies and national and international delegations. The biennial events draw over 1,235 exhibitors from all over the world and the UAE Armed Forces sign 90 deals worth $5.2 billion, making it the largest edition and most successful since the event’s debut in 1993, according to how runners. Over the five-day event, the two exhibitions report over 105,400 visitors, exhibitors from 57 countries and a total of 1,000 local and international media representatives. The total area dedicated to the two exhibitions this year is 53,532 square meters, up by 5 percent compared to 2015’s show. It’s worth mentioning that IDEX and NAVDEX are held every two years, the next edition will run Feb. 18-23, 2019.
…Helo Sensors. Lockheed Martin at IDEX announces a $150 million follow-on contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) to provide the Marine Corps with the 13th and 14th lots of Target Sight System (TSS) sensors for the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter. Under the award Lockheed is granted options for lots 15 and 16, which brings the total follow-on contract value to $284.6 million. Work will be completed in Orlando and Ocala, Fla. “The advanced capabilities and proven reliability of TSS provide the U.S. Marine Corps with a technological combat edge,” says Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/SOF CLSS at Lockheed. “Its long-range precision strike capability significantly enhances the helicopter’s lethality and aircrew survivability.” Since 2008, Lockheed has built more than 100 TSS units for the Marine Corps. Production and sustainment efforts for TSS are ongoing through 2026.
…Radio Contract. Harris secures a major contract to provide the UAE with a digital battle command system. The two-year, $189 million contract was received during the first quarter of fiscal 2017 and announced at IDEX. The Harris system will provide the UAE with initial operational capabilities as the country implements enhanced battlefield management solutions. The contract is issued under the Emirates Command & Control System (ECCS) Land Tactical System (ELTS) program, a major C4ISR program that will integrate, coordinate and maximize the combined efficiency of UAE Armed Forces assets. “This Land Tactical System project represents a major milestone in the advancement of battlefield management and staff function capabilities for the UAE Armed Forces,” says Ed Zoiss, president, Harris Electronic Systems. The company says its Battlefield Management Systems enable military users to effectively track hostile and blue forces, develop and execute tactical operations and integrate personnel, intelligence, local weather, planning, and other data into battlefield operations.
Gun Truck. Humvee manufacturer AM General debuts its M1152A1 truck equipped with the Mandus Hawkeye 105mm mobile weapon system, mating two existing systems into a new mobile firepower solution for light infantry units. The Mandus cannon design includes a soft-recoil system that prevents the Humvee from rolling over during firing. Able to traverse 180 degrees, the truck can stop, deploy its four hydraulic stabilizers and begin firing in under two minutes. Before enemy counter-battery radar can locate the Humvee and return fire, it can pack up and move locations and begin firing again. AM General is marketing the vehicle to customers that require a mobile firepower solution under the adage that mobility is survivability in itself, according to a company spokesman.
Boeing Contract. Boeing wins a two-year $18.7 million contract from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to provide C-17 Globemaster III logistics support and training simulator maintenance. Boeing will support the UAE’s motion-based training devices used to train aircrews and support personnel for the country’s fleet of C-17s. The company originally designed and produced the simulators and previously supported the airlifter training for the UAE. This is the first standalone prime contract for Boeing to perform this work. “With this new UAE contract, Boeing will continue training the Emirati C-17 students through each phase of their careers,” Larry Sisco, C-17 training program manager, says in a statement.
Law Cyber Hire. Retired Navy Com. Michael Adams, former top legal advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joins McGuireWoods legal firm as a partner in Charlotte, N.C. Adams will join the firm’s data privacy and security team where he will advise clients on cyber security issues in various industries. Previously Adams advised the chairman and the Joint Chiefs on legal matters affecting military operations, cyber security, privacy, information governance, and technology issues. McGuireWoods highlights Adams develops a legal and policy framework to combat emerging cyber threats and serves as a key military advisor during major cyber events like the 2014 Sony Pictures hack by North Korea. Earlier in his career Adams was deputy general counsel for U.S. Pacific Command.
New Utilidata CEO. Utilidata Inc. names Ed Hammersla as the new CEO, replacing Scott DePasquale. DePasquale remains the company’s chairman of the board. DePasquale served as chairman and CEO of Utilidata since 2012 and now moves to take on a new national security project in the Washington, D.C. area. Hammersla previously served as the president of Forcepoint Federal LLC and chief strategy officer of Forcepoint, a unit of Raytheon focused on marketing cyber security products to government and commercial organizations. Earlier Hammersla led Raytheon Cyber Products before working at Forcepoint.
Reusables at Wallops. A NASA Wallops Flight Facility environmental impact statement (EIS) is being drafted that includes rocket landings in its scope, according to Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority (VCSFA) spokeswoman Kim Lochrie. Federal agencies are required to prepare EISs for major federal actions that significantly affect the quality of the human environment. They are also one of the earliest steps toward a spaceport accommodating a new capability. Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have successfully landed used first stages. As the technology develops, more spaceports will want to be able to accommodate reusable rockets and their landing capabilities. Blue Origin has been landing its rockets at its own private spaceport while SpaceX has been landing rockets at landing pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. NASA Wallops Flight Facility is located at Wallops Island on the eastern shore of Virginia.
AR1 Tests. Aerojet Rocketdyne recently performed a series of successful test firings of the AR1 staged combustion system, according to a company statement. During this testing, Aerojet Rocketdyne combined the engine’s preburner with the main injector in order to validate injector design parameters and performance. Company CEO Eileen Drake says that she believes the latest testing validates Aerojet Rocketdyne’s flight design and provides high confidence as it moves further into AR1 engine testing. AR1 is a 500,000-pounds of force thrust-class liquid oxygen/kerosene booster engine that the company is pitching to replace the RD-180 Russian-developed rocket engine on U.S. launch vehicles.
Acquisition Reform. Former Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall published a book on acquisition reform, “Getting Defense Acquisition Right,” shortly before leaving office in January. But his tome was hardly the first on the topic. Gordon England says that when he was deputy secretary of defense during the Bush administration, he discovered that 128 studies on acquisition reform had been conducted over the past quarter century or so. “So this is an ongoing process…about how do we have a better relationship between industry and government,” England says at a recent naval conference in San Diego.
Regulatory Reform. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order directing the heads of government agencies to designate within 60 days Regulatory Reform Officers for their respective agencies to ensure that regulatory reform initiatives are carried out. In January Trump issued a directive to agencies that they must eliminate two existing regulations for every new one that is promulgated. The new order also requires each agency to establish a Regulatory Reform Task force to evaluate existing regulations for potential repeal, replacement or modification. The task forces are to target regulations that eliminate jobs or inhibit their creation, are outdated, unnecessary or ineffective, impose costs that exceed benefits, and interfere with regulatory reform efforts.
McCaul Task Force. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Friday launched the Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry into the United States that will examine “pathways” that extremists might attempt to enter the U.S., and to identify gaps in the government’s information sharing and vetting procedures. The task force will consist of five Republicans and three Democrats on the committee and begin work in March with a report due later this year.
TransDigm Deal. Aerospace and defense component designer and manufacturer TransDigm Group has acquired SCHROTH Safety Products and certain aviation and defense assets of Takata Corp. for $90 million in cash. TransDigm says the acquired businesses will be known as SCHROTH going forward. SCHROTH makes proprietary, highly engineered advanced safety systems for aviation, racing and military ground vehicles. Aerospace and defense accounts for about 80 percent of SCHROTH’s sales, which are expected to be $43 million for the year-period that ends on March 31.
CBP Air and Marine Boost. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly’s Feb. 20 memos that guides the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive orders on border security and immigration enforcement calls for the hiring of 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and 5,000 more Border Patrol officers. One of the memos also directs Customs and Border Protection to begin hiring 500 more Air and Marine agents and officers. CBP Office of Air and Marine operates small boats and a fleet of aircraft to perform migrant and drug interdiction missions.