Taking A Look. The National Research Council is looking over their recent report on Missile Defense where Raytheon points to a math error overstating by a factor of 15 the long-term costs of the Army’s Patriot Weapon System. The Sept. 11 NRC report set off a flurry of shock at high operation and sustainment costs, which led the Army to take a look at the report and find the sticker shock came by pinning the O&S cost to one battalion rather than the entire service inventory of 15 battalions. The council will determine if it needs to rework the report if the error would change its findings and recommendations as it reviews “Making Sense of Ballistic Missile Defense: An Assessment of Concepts and Systems for U.S. Boost-Phase Missile Defense in Comparison to Other Alternatives.”
New Boss. Col. Michaelene Kloster assumes command Dec. 1 of the 98th Training Division from Brig. Gen. Dwayne Edwards, during a change of command ceremony at Fr. Benning, Ga. Kloster began her military career in June 1984, commissioned as a second lieutenant from the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Delaware, and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. She is also a graduate of the Combined Arms and Services Staff School; the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U. S. Army War College. She holds a Master of Science in Management and a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration.
Bradley Reset. BAE Systems receives a $97 million contract to reset up to 146 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Under the reset work, Bradley vehicles will be partially torn down, rebuilt and tested to restore and extend the life of the vehicles. Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Vehicle Systems at BAE, says: “This important work reinforces the Bradley as a vital asset to the U.S. Army and helps maintain the skilled workforce imperative to the defense industrial base.” Final delivery is expected in July 2014. The initial teardown of vehicles will be performed at the Red River Army Depot. This is considered a level-II vehicle reset where key components are removed for reset, then returned to BAE and the Red River Army Depot to be rebuilt and tested for performance.
…Separately. BAE receives a sole-source $37.6 million contract from Letterkenny Army Depot to provide the spare parts and kits needed to convert 250 RG33 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles into Medium Mine Protected Vehicles (MMPV), a 6×6 state-of-the-art wheeled military vehicle. The company will provide a rear ramp, used to deploy remotely operated unmanned ground vehicles in route and area clearance missions, and a new vehicle heating and air conditioning system. The spare parts and kits will be assembled by the existing workforce at the BAE Systems facility in Anniston, Alabama.