Need Cyber Workers. The Coast Guard is wanting when it comes to its cyber security workforce, Vice Adm. Charles Michel, the service’s deputy Commandant for Operations, says at the Surface Navy Association symposium. “Every single thing we do out there is connected by cyber these days,” he says. “I mean the ships are just wired to the hilt.” Michel says the Coast Guard currently has a “partial cyber work force,” which hasn’t been created through a systematic process. He adds that the service needs a system to get an appropriate cyber workforce to take care of its cutters and other networked assets.
…Specialization. The Coast Guard’s has a “mixed record” in how it treats its specialize personnel, which are increasingly in demand given how technical its assets are coming through recapitalization and for cyber security needs, Michel says. “Guess what?” Michel asks. “The Coast Guard is becoming more specialized and more technical.”
TSA Contract. General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have been selected by the Transportation Security Administration to compete for work under a potential five-year, $600 million contract to provide specialize security training for agency personnel. The training services include security screening, firearms training, inspector, perimeter security, fraudulent document identification, and more.
Double the Oversight. HASC members Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) were selected to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, giving them significant insight and oversight of the national security and intelligence communities. Both cited the recent terrorist attacks in Paris as proof of the importance of the committee’s mission. “The heinous attacks in Paris underscore the fact that a handful of home-grown terrorists can wreak havoc on a nation,” Speier says in a statement. “Cyber threats run the spectrum, from consumer information stolen to intellectual property and proprietary emails hacked from corporations. We must take this 21st century threat more seriously to protect our nation’s most sensitive information, in the public and private sectors alike.”
Boeing CSEL Contract. The Air Force awards Boeing new orders worth about $10 million for an additional 336 Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) radios, according to a company statement. The new orders also upgrade the system’s global base station network. The Defense Department uses the global CSEL communication system to aid the rescue of downed pilots and other warfighters in danger. The new radios will be the latest configuration, including non-Global Positioning System (GPS) beacon and secure texting capabilities. Base station upgrades will modernize hardware and software to improve communication speeds and provide greater network and information protection.
Boeing ICBM…Boeing has requested a debriefing regarding the Air Force’s decision to award a five-year, $964 million ICBM ground subsystems support contract to Northrop Grumman. Boeing spokesman Queena Jones says the company will further evaluate its options following the briefing. Before the contract award, Boeing performed maintenance and sustainment in support of the entire Minuteman III ICBM system while Northrop Grumman was the prime integrator for Minuteman III. Northrop Grumman spokeswoman Pamela Wade says Jan. 16 the company bid for this contract with Westech International and General Dynamics as primary subcontractors.
…Boeing Award. The Air Force on Jan. 8 awards Boeing a $51 million cost-plus award-fee contract for ICBM guidance subsystem support, according to DoD. Boeing will provide sustaining engineering support and program management support services for the ICBM guidance subsystem with a primary focus on ensuring any modifications or changes to the guidance system will maintain or possibly improve system-level performance. The contract runs through 2023. Wade says Northrop Grumman bid for this contract as subcontractor to General Dynamics.
Bitterman ULA. Former United Launch Alliance (ULA) vice president of government affairs and communications Mark Bitterman leaves the company to pursue independent business and consulting opportunities, company spokeswoman Jessica Rye says. According to his LinkedIn profile, Bitterman spent 3.5 years at ULA after spending nearly 19 years at Orbital Sciences as senior vice president of government relations. Rye did not respond when asked if ULA would immediately fill Bitterman’s position.
CBP ScanEagle. Insitu the week of Jan. 12 performs a demonstration of its ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) along the Arizona-Mexico border for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), according to Don Williamson, the company’s ScanEagle product line director. CBP did not return a request for comment. Williamson says the 50-pound ScanEagle has performed about 810,000 operational hours for the Defense Department and specializes in electro optical (EO) and infrared (IR) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
Raytheon APG-79(V)X Radar. Raytheon says a successful flight test of its APG-79(V)X active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar demonstrates functions needed to extend the relevance of F/A-18C/D Super Hornet fighter jets. These include extended detection ranges, simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, production of high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mapping and reliability. Raytheon says the APG-79 system, a Navy program of record, flies globally on Super Hornets and EA-18G growlers.
Ship Maintenance Duration. Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, the commander of naval surface forces, says this week that the Navy needs to focus on getting better at projecting the duration of ship maintenance availabilities, anticipating problems sooner and getting to work on them more quickly during the docking period. He says one way of doing that is to put more transparency into the process, and creating a better foundation for communication between the private yards doing the work and the Navy. “I want to help them help me,” he tells a group of reporters on the sidelines of the Surface Navy Association symposium held just outside Washington. The Navy has a pretty good idea what the condition of ships will be like once brought in from extended deployments, but getting to the issues sooner in the process is critical, as well as know how long the work will take. “It’s making sure that we have the duration analysis correct,” he says.
Navy Multi-Role SM-6. The Navy authorizes ships in the Aegis Combat Weapon System baselines 5.3 and 3.A.0 series to carry Raytheon’s Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), according to a company statement. This expands the missile’s use from five to more than 35 ships. SM-6 is a surface-to-air supersonic missile capable of successfully engaging manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. It also defends against land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles in flight.
SpaceX Landing. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) will take another shot at landing the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on its drone launchpad in two to three weeks, company founder and CEO Elon Musk says on Twitter. SpaceX on Jan. 10 attempted to land its first stage, but failed when the rocket “landed hard” at a 45 degree angle and exploded upon impact. View the attempted landing here. The next SpaceX launch is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) mission known as Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
DSCOVR Launch. The Air Force pushes back its launch of the DSCOVR mission to no earlier than Jan. 31, according to NOAA. The administration says it continues to monitor any risk to the schedule in close coordination with its partners. DSCOVR will maintain the nation’s real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities, which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA’s space weather alerts and forecasts.
MUOS-3 Launch. The Air Force and launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) prepare for the Jan. 20 launch of the Navy’s third Mobile User Objective System (MUOS-3) satellite. Launch is set for 7:43 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., with the Jan. 16 forecast showing a 60 percent of favorable weather conditions for launch, according to ULA. MUOS, developed by Lockheed Martin, is a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications (SATCOM) system designed to significantly improve ground communications for U.S. forces on the move.
Elbit Israel Electro-Optics Contract. The Israel Ministry of Defense awarded Elbit Systems contracts worth about $54 million for the supply and maintenance of advanced electro-optics (EO) systems, according to the company. The contracts will be provided by the company’s Electro-optics Elop Ltd over a six-year period.