The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
MRAP Move. The Pentagon has shifted $1.5 billion in its coffers to purchase 638 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) and related expenses for the blast-deflecting trucks. In a Jan. 20 internal reprogramming action, Comptroller Robert Hale taps $1.58 billion from the MRAP Vehicle Fund. Those monies are shifted to Marine Corps operation and maintenance for purchasing the 638 MRAPs along with vehicle equipment and upgrades including underbody protection kits for all-terrain MRAPs and independent suspension systems for MRAPs in Afghanistan. The funds also are pegged for sustaining MRAPs in Iraq and Afghanistan, transporting the vehicles to theater, buying 243 remote weapons stations for MRAPs in Afghanistan, and conducting testing on new vehicles.
Budget Bother. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he has a “crisis on my doorstep” because Congress has not passed a defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2011, which started Oct. 1, 2010. The Pentagon is being temporarily funded at FY ’10 levels until March 4. Gates says if Congress passes another continuing resolution that funds the federal government at last year’s levels until Sept. 30, the Pentagon will receive $23 billion less than it wanted. “It’s the worst of all possible kinds of reductions, in significant measure because it comes halfway through the fiscal year,” he tells reporters Jan. 26. “But beyond that, we can’t make up all of that through changes in contracts and programs and so on. And, in fact, most likely it would come out of operations and maintenance…through stretching out programs, which is what makes them very expensive, (and) cuts in training and readiness.”
…War Dollars. Gates says the war-funding request for FY ’12 will drop from roughly $160 billion in FY ’11 down to $120 billion. “Overall spending on defense in actual dollars will come down this year and will continue to come down, principally as a result of the lowering costs of war,” he says.
McCain’s Mark. SASC Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) wants changes to how the panel crafts Pentagon policy legislation. In a Jan. 24 letter to SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D- Mich.), McCain says he wants no earmarks in the FY ’12 defense authorization bill, which the panel will begin weighing next month. “Keeping earmarks out of the [defense authorization bill] while allowing debate and votes on other amendments to the president’s budget request will show that the committee is serious about getting rid of waste in the defense budget at a time when the rest of the government and every taxpayer is being asked to do the same,” he says. He requests that bill markup votes be held in open sessions, and that during the process of writing the legislation Republicans give input earlier on and the draft bill is shared sooner in the process than in the past. McCain also wants all changes from the president’s budget request to be voted on during the markup sessions.
Tanker Tussle. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) are touting a new bill of theirs that would require the Pentagon weigh any unfair advantages competitors for the Air Force tanker contract received through illegal government subsidies. The World Trade Organization (WTO) found last year that both Boeing and Airbus receive some illegal subsidies from their respective governments. European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., Airbus’ parent company, bid against Chicago-based Boeing for the tanker contract. Fellow Boeing backer Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) co-sponsored Cantwell and Moran’s legislation. The WTO is expected as soon as today to issue a final ruling on the European Union’s complaint challenging U.S. subsidies to Boeing. An interim report took issue with some of the aid. The WTO also concluded last year that some EU support of Airbus was improper.
India Interest. The United States is open to the addition of India to the international coalition participating in the Joint Strike Fighter program, according to DoD acquisition executive Ashton Carter. “There is nothing on our side, no principle which bars that on our side, Indian participation in the Joint Strike Fighter,” Carter says as he prepares for an upcoming trip to the country. India is considering adding the Navy’s F/A-18 and F-16, along with other international aircraft, to its tactical fighter fleet in the coming months.
Engaged. Naval forces stationed in the Middle East are continuing to ramp up cooperation with foreign navies in the region, says one senior military leader. U.S. Naval Forces Central Command chief Vice Adm. Mark Fox says his forces will increase military exercises with the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council. “Exercises like [these] have to be planned and thought through and that is a great way to create amazing levels of interaction,” Fox says. “If there is anything I have learned…you can surge forces, you can surge equipment but you cannot surge trust.”
Import, Export. Pentagon procurement chief Ashton Carter says the Defense Department is pursing efforts to reform the rules and regulations governing international sales of U.S. military hardware, with the full backing of Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Noting that Gates “has made it pretty clear” that the foreign military sales process must be changed “to make it more conducive to partnership building…so we are doing a lot to create a streamlined process for export controls.”
New Dawn. U.S. forces plan to deliver a number of patrol boats to the Iraqi navy as they prepare to take over the bulk of maritime security operations from their Western counterparts by the end of this year. Iraqi naval forces already conduct a majority of missions in the northern quadrant of the country, says 5th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Mark Fox. The pending deliveries of U.S.-made swift boats to the Iraqis will only accelerate that progress. “They are building their capacity and…I have been very pleased with the level of professionalism and operational capability” resident in those indigenous forces, according to Fox. “They still have growth…but we will be passing on that responsibility to them sooner rather than later.”
Secure Border Tech Day. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will host an industry day on Feb. 17 in Phoenix, Ariz., to review its near-term acquisitions that will support the Department of Homeland Security’s new strategy for security technology along the nation’s southwest border. The Office of Technology Innovation and Acquisition will divide the vendor presentations into three technology solution areas: Agent-Centric Solutions; Mobile Sensor Solutions; and Fixed Sensor Solutions. The strategy was outlined earlier this month in an assessment of the technology component of the Secure Border Initiative that concluded that a flexible approach to the use of technology is needed to better secure the nation’s borders. The acquisitions include new Integrated Fixed Towers, Remote Video Surveillance Systems, mobile tower platforms with sensors, and thermal imaging devices and other systems.
Cyber Detection. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this year will finish the deployment of the Einstein 2 threat detection system throughout the federal civilian government, providing the ability to monitor for cyber intrusions on federal computers in real time, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says in her State of Homeland Security address. This year, development will continue of Einstein 3, which will provide intrusion prevention capabilities against cyber attacks, leading to deployment, she says.
…Cyber Help. Last week DHS’ new Cyber Security Division within the Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate released a Broad Agency Announcement for FY ’11 seeking proposals in 14 areas to improve security in both federal networks and the larger Internet. S&T plans to spend up to $40 million on this effort over several years. Proposals are being sought for new technologies, prototype technologies and mature technologies. The technical areas are: Software Assurance; Enterprise Level Security Metrics; Usable Security; Insider Threat; Secure, Resilient Systems and Networks; Modeling of Internet Attacks; Network Mapping and Measurement; Incident Response Communities; Cyber Economics; Digital Provenance; Hardware-Enabled Trust; Moving Target Defense; and Nature Inspired Cyber Health.
Talk To Me. Cobham says it will provide its military Vehicle Intercom System and Eagle Close Combat Radio to an undisclosed Middle East customer through two contracts totaling $21 million. Integrating the Eagle Close Combat Radio with the Vehicle Intercoms allows dismounted soldiers to communicate with vehicle crews and remotely access the Combat Net Radio system. The Eagle Radio is designed as a short range squad radio and as a wireless link to a Vehicle Intercom System. Cobham’s Intercom System is the compact version of the well established ROVIS range, designed for use on vehicles where space is at a premium. Cobham has supplied more than 55,000 compact systems around the world and more than 125,000 intercoms of all types.
Continuing On. The Army finalizes and awards the WIN-T Increment 2 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract, allowing continued production of a tactical communications network, which will bring mobile ad-hoc communications to the Army, extending that capability to the company-level Warfighter for the first time. “This significant step brings WIN-T Increment 2 from the conceptual stage to the tactical training and operational employment environment,” said Brig. Gen. N. Lee Price, program executive officer for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical. “For the first time, we can evaluate this equipment in dynamic, operational conditions.” The WIN-T Increment 2 contract with General Dynamics has a ceiling of $2.8 billion to support approximately 20 maneuver units and includes two years of LRIP and an option for one year of full-rate production.
Supporting MEDEVAC. FLIR Systems Inc. says it has been awarded a delivery order totaling $15.8 million for its Star SAFIREr II stabilized multi-sensor systems to support the Army MEDEVAC program. The units delivered under this order will be employed on the Army MEDEVAC UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work under this contract will be performed out of FLIR’s facilities in Wilsonville, Ore., with deliveries expected to be completed within the next 12 months. Earl Lewis, president and CEO, FLIR Systems Inc., says, “FLIR invests heavily in research and development to ensure our sensor systems are the most technologically advanced and dependable solutions for protecting troops in the harshest environments.”
Keeping Up. Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) and Co-chairman, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) say they’ve changed the official name of their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Caucus to the Unmanned Systems Caucus, to keep up with the expansion of unmanned systems and missions. “Our caucus is dedicated to educate and informing members of congress, the private sector, and the public about the importance and value of unmanned systems to the country,” says McKeon. “The science and technology behind these systems are literally saving lives in civil and military communities. Since inception, the caucus has progressed to larger-scale support to now include ground and maritime systems. The caucus wanted to reflect that new expanded focus with the updated name.” Co-chairman Cuellar says, “Unmanned Systems are essential to further maintain security on our borders and to combat illegal activity at our ports of entry.”
See-Through Suppression. BAE Systems will provide Canadian soldiers with thermal weapon sights that improve their situational awareness and survivability. Rheinmetall Canada Inc., a provider of the Rheinmetall Defence Group’s range of products in Canada, will integrate BAE’s uncooled thermal weapon sights with the 40mm grenade launcher’s fire control system as part of the Canadian Army’s Close Area Suppression Weapon System (CASW). BAE’s thermal sights will enhance weapon functionality and mission effectiveness by allowing for targeting independent of darkness and common battlefield obscurants.BAE provides thermal weapon sights to eight countries. The U.S. Army recently awarded BAE a $123 million contract for continued production of thermal weapon sights. That order–the most recent under a five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract–increases BAE’s total thermal weapon sight contract value to more than $1 billion since 2004.
Strengthen The Cloud. Northrop Grumman unveils a new method for strengthening data security in the cloud at the recent 6th Annual SANS Institute Cyber Defense Initiative conference. Northrop Grumman introduced its Cyber Architecture Reference Series(tm), an approach to building in strong security measures in the highly vulnerable world of public/private clouds–or hybrid clouds–storage vehicles that offer enormous capacity but possess significant security risks. Robert Brammer, vice president, advanced technology and chief technology officer, Northrop Grumman Information Systems, says, “This move to a hybrid cloud delivers immediate resources but, by adding a public server, increases security risks. Our architecture reference model is one of the first to use a multi-layered defense-in-depth approach, proven with a government customer, to secure the hybrid cloud. Our goal is to provide expanded capacity, using a public server, with the same level of security as a traditional private network.”