By No Budget Cuts Here. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), chairman of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee, sent a bipartisan letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Oct. 10 in opposition to the idea of eliminating the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) as a cost-savings measure.
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Hagel announced earlier this year that the Office of the Secretary of Defense and other higher headquarters offices would reduce costs by 20 percent. A congressional staffer says that several people in different offices have discussed eliminating ONA to reduce OSD costs, so Forbes–along with House Armed Services readiness subcommittee chairman Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and committee members Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii)–wrote a letter stating that, “Given the critical contributions to U.S. national security made by the Office during its forty-year history and its role as a central repository for long-range strategic thinking, we believe it would be a serious error to further consider its abolition."
… HASC Wants House-Wide Defense Briefing. Forbes also sent a letter to House leadership on Oct. 8 requesting a high-level classified briefing on military readiness for all congressmen before implementing a fiscal year 2014 budget that includes sequestration cuts. Forbes and 14 others wrote that, in a hearing last month, “the uniformed leadership of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps warned that should we continue these devastating cuts for another year, the services will simply be unable to execute the missions our national defense strategy requires.” The letter notes that House Armed Services Committee members are well aware of sequestration’s “frightening” impact to military readiness, but that all congressmen should hear from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as Congress considers how to agree on a FY ’14 budget and a bill to raise the debt limit.
CNAS Hires Director For New Technology-Focused Program. The Center for a New American Security announced that Ben FitzGerald, former managing director of Noetic Corporation, will lead its new Technology and National Security Program, which expands CNAS’s work in the cyber security realm and also explores manufacturing and technology and their impact on those who develop national security strategies. The program’s stated mission is to “explore the nexus of strategy, technology and business to develop practical ideas that enable national security professionals in government and industry to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks associated with rapid technological change,” according to a CNAS announcement. The new program released its first report, “Game Changers: Disruptive Technology and U.S. Defense Strategy,” on Sept. 27.
Immigration Bill Odds. Despite most attention being paid to the federal government shutdown, analyst Loren Smith of the investment research firm Capital Alpha Partners pegs the odds of Congress passing a significant immigration bill at 25 percent within the next year, with the greatest chances being by the end of the first quarter of 2014. After that, it gets more difficult as Republican supporters come under pressure from their opponents in their respective primary elections ahead of mid-term elections next November, he writes in a note to clients.
…Split Odds. Smith sees two main scenarios for immigration bills, one with a 10 percent chance and the other 15 percent. The first, and least likely, is one where essentially the Senate’s version of a comprehensive reform bill is passed. However, Smith says for this to pass, House Democrats would need enough Republicans to back a “discharge petition,” which even GOP-backers of an immigration bill would be unlikely support as it would be seen as a “major betrayal” of the party. He gives a “comprehensive-lite” version of the bill a 15 percent chance. Such a bill would not permit the same broad path to legalization for immigrants but would contain enforcement provisions and reform for high-skilled immigrants, Smith says.
DHS Shows its Cyber Support. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has become a sponsor of the Air Force Association’s cyber security youth competition called CyberPatriot. In becoming a sponsor, Robin Williams, who leads DHS’ efforts on cyber education and awareness, says “We understand that one of the key security challenges facing leaders now and into the future will be training a robust workforce with the technical skills to protect the nation’s infrastructure.” Registration for the sixth CyberPatriot competition closed last Friday and includes more than 1,200 teams. DHS joins a host of companies, universities and federal agencies supporting the competition, which promotes cyber education.
North Korean Bio-weapon Threat. Evidence exists that North Korea has biological weapons but there isn’t any certainty about which bio-agents it has weaponized and how they would be used, RAND analyst Bruce Bennett tells a House panel. He says that North Korea’s special forces are a potential delivery mechanism for any bio-weapons, with targets being South Korea, Japan and even the United States. Bennett tells the Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats that an attack against the U.S. could be done covertly, including infecting noncombatants leaving Korea for the U.S. Other delivery vehicles for bio-agents include missiles and aircraft, he says.
Israelis Go to Fort Worth. The Israeli defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, visited Lockheed Martin’s assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thursday, his first since the country signed on to buying the stealth jet three years ago, Lockheed Martin says. Israel plans to purchase 19 F-35As, the conventional take-off and landing variant of the fifth generation aircraft being procured by the U.S. Air Force. Israel is one of more than a dozen countries involved in the F-35 program, which has been besieged by cost overruns and delays, although the Pentagon maintains the program has begun to stabilize. The first two Israeli jets are to be delivered in 2016 for training at Luke AFB, Ariz. Seven are slated for delivery in 2017 and the remaining 10 in 2018.
Christening shutdown. The Navy has announced plans to delay the christening of the first ship in a new class of land attack destroyers due to the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. The future USSZumwalt (DDG-1000) was to be christened at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine on Oct. 19, but the ceremony has been postponed indefinitely. "It is incredibly unfortunate that we are being forced to cancel the christening ceremony for this great warship," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says in a statement. “But the ongoing government shutdown prevents us from being able to honor Admiral Zumwalt’s memory with a ceremony befitting his and his family’s legacy of service to our nation and our Navy." The Navy is building three of the ships in a class named for the late Navy Adm. Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt Jr., who was the 19th chief of naval operations. He died in 2000.
Flooding Ford. Aircraft carrier Huntington Ingalls Industries has begun flooding the drydock holding the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN78), the first in a new class of aircraft carriers of the same name. The effort began at its Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Newport News, Va., on Friday. Construction on the vessel began in 2009 and it is scheduled for delivery in 2016. The daughter of the former president, Susan Ford Bales, was to have attended the event.
Standing up Navy Yard. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has established a task force designed to assist in the recovery of Washington Navy Yard, home to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) headquarters, following the deadly Sept. 16 shooting rampage. The Washington Navy Yard Recovery Task Force is to develop a comprehensive plan to restore the facility, including building 197, the site of the shooting. It is also to facilitate physical and mental health care needs of those affected, and recover personal property that had to be left at the scene. Twelve people were killed before authorities were able to fatally shoot the gunman later identified as Aaron Alexis, who is believed to have suffered from severe mental disorders.
Contractors Undercut Gov’t IT Consolidation. The contracting community is preventing the government from adequately consolidating its numerous and costly IT enterprise systems, according to Karen Evans, formerly responsible for the federal IT budget at the White House. Agencies would benefit from building their networks as one platform from one provider, she says, but “do you know how many companies would raise their hands in protest?” Unless contracting incentives change, agencies will continue to work with multiple companies in a federated IT architecture, she says at an Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) event last week.
More Starstreaks. The U.K. MoD says it will buy 200 Starstreak high velocity missiles from Thales, as part of a multi-million dollar deal. The contract will increase MoD’s missile stockpile, and will allow regular and reserve forces to have the ground based air defense capability. The missiles were used to protect London during the 2012 Olympic Games. The missiles can travel over a kilometer in less than a second, and counter threats such as fighter aircraft, helicopters and unmanned air systems.
Heading North. Boeing delivers its fifth CH-47F Chinook helicopter to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) one month ahead of schedule. The delivery comes three months after the arrival of the first helicopter in June. “The Canadian Chinook is one of the most advanced military cargo helicopters ever delivered to the global market, and Boeing has executed the program on or ahead of schedule for every major milestone since contract award," says Steve Parker, Boeing director of International Chinook Programs and Canada CH-147F program manager. "These early deliveries are another example of the H-47 team’s dedication to providing this important capability to the RCAF." Two more Canadian Chinooks will be delivered this year and another eight by June 2014 for a total of 15 rotorcraft. Boeing also provides in-service support to the CH-147F fleet for the next 20 years under a Performance-Based Logistics contract, with Canadian industry playing a key role.
New At AUSA. Everything is a go for the AUSA annual conference Oct. 21-23 in Washington, D.C. This year, for the first time there will be a small business forum, with sessions on how to do business with the Army and its large prime contractors. It will be hosted by the Army Office of Small Business Programs. There will also be a Small Business pavilion, with more than 35 small businesses, their products and services. There will be almost 600 exhibitors from around the world in five halls for the big event this year. For more: www.ausaannualmeeting.org
