Friday, April 29, 2011

Strategic shift in Afghanistan seen under new U.S. envoy | Reuters

Strategic shift in Afghanistan seen under new U.S. envoy | Reuters: "The nomination of diplomatic heavyweight Ryan Crocker as the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan represents a shift by Washington away from a military surge to a new political emphasis as foreign troops prepare to leave, diplomats and analysts said on Thursday.

Diplomats in Kabul have long complained of a political 'vacuum', while Washington concentrated on a military surge initiated by President Barack Obama in late 2009.

That military surge included sending an additional 30,000 U.S. troops, who Washington says have helped U.S. and other NATO forces make significant gains and arrest a growing insurgency since the last of the extra forces arrived in mid-2010.

General David Petraeus, commander of the 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, will also return to Washington as part of a major security overhaul.

Petraeus is the architect of the counterinsurgency strategy military commanders and political leaders say is starting to have a significant impact on a once-faltering campaign.

But diplomatic progress has lagged behind perceived military successes, with current Ambassador Karl Eikenberry having a difficult relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai."
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NATO 3.0





At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.

U.S. military dismayed by delays in 3 key development projects in Afghanistan - The Washington Post

U.S. military dismayed by delays in 3 key development projects in Afghanistan - The Washington Post:
"U.S. aid officials have been forced to delay three large development programs intended to support the American military strategy in southern Afghanistan at a critical, make-or-break moment in the war.

The initiatives, which are supposed to support local governments, agricultural development and job-training efforts, have been held up by bureaucratic missteps and funding cuts by Congress, according to senior U.S. officials. As a result, the programs will not begin until much of the summer fighting season has concluded.

Military commanders have voiced dismay that the initiatives, to be run by the U.S. Agency for International Development, have been pushed back. “Our flank is exposed” without these programs, said one senior U.S. officer in Afghanistan.

After repeated complaints from the military, USAID is scrambling to implement interim measures. Senior agency officials insist the delays will not affect the delivery of agricultural aid or assistance for local governance.


"

For Petraeus, first impressions at CIA will be critical - The Washington Post

For Petraeus, first impressions at CIA will be critical - The Washington Post: "First impressions will be important when Gen. David H. Petraeus moves into the CIA’s Langley headquarters as the fourth CIA director in the past seven years.

The agency staff is always nervous with change, particularly when the new director comes with a high-profile military background, a history of regularly changing jobs and a hint that this may just be a temporary stopover on the way to something else.

Senior CIA officials, who lived through the unsuccessful, brief tenures of John M. Deutch in the mid-1990s and Porter J. Goss a decade later, talk about both of them arriving with their own entourages and agendas to shake things up.

Leon Panetta, the current director, heeded advice he had gotten and arrived with only one person, Jeremy Bash, a lawyer who had worked as a staff member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Recalling that, one former senior CIA official said Wednesday, “Petraeus should get out of the car with only one military aide.”

Robert L. Grenier, a retired longtime CIA officer, recalled that Deutch came in 1995 from the Pentagon, where he had been deputy defense secretary, but with the expectation that after a year he would return as defense secretary. “Petraeus,” Grenier said, “would be making a big mistake if he did what John Deutch did, being obvious [by bringing in] uniformed persons everywhere on the seventh floor.”

"

NATO 3.0





At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.

Panetta Faces Big Budget Challenges at Pentagon - WSJ.com

Panetta Faces Big Budget Challenges at Pentagon - WSJ.com: "President Barack Obama's choice of Leon Panetta on Thursday to head the Pentagon may signal new resolve to arrest defense spending. The task will be far from easy.
Retiring Defense Secretary Robert Gates already has killed the most inefficient programs, and the ships and planes acquired during the Reagan buildup are coming to the end of their lives. To maintain a large global military force, the U.S. faces a big bill—and Mr. Panetta some tough choices.

The White House announced earlier this month it is seeking an additional $400 billion in Pentagon cuts by 2023. The White House proposal blindsided the Pentagon, which was given less than 24 hours advance notice of the plan.

Mr. Gates had outlined in recent months a series of efficiency measures aimed at forcing the department to live within its means and stave off just such cuts. With the White House announcement, the second part of that mission appears to have failed.

Some analysts believe that given the size of projected federal deficits in coming years, even deeper defense spending cuts may be necessary. That would require Mr. Panetta to take a much deeper look at military strategy, potentially abandoning some missions.

"

NATO 3.0





At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.

Army operational energy aiming high

Army operational energy aiming high: "Across the Army, teams of quiet professionals are lightening the load of Soldiers on the ground and introducing new energy efficiencies.

They are working to reduce the logistic burden of deployed Soldiers, shorten convoys and make contingency bases overseas and installations at home more energy and water self-reliant.

The Army is developing, piloting, testing and implementing new and emerging solutions that are reducing the Army's demands for electric power, fuel and water.

In some missions, Soldiers must carry over five pounds of batteries for each day of mission. The associated weight and transportation requirements for operational energy significantly reduce Soldier and unit mobility and endurance.

The Army's operational energy logistical tail is a handicap. In fiscal year 2010 the Army's fuel costs topped $2.7 billion, 70 percent of which was for theater operations. In Afghanistan, the military is enduring one casualty for every 24 ground resupply convoys. Between 70 to 80 percent of the resupply weight for those logistical convoys is composed of fuel and water.
At home, Soldiers live and train on installations dependent on vulnerable commercial power grids. Complex water and waste water distribution systems, price volatility and community compliance requirements present further challenges for Army commanders.

"Clearly, future operations will depend on our ability to reduce dependency, increase efficiency and use more renewable or alternative sources of energy. We've made great strides in this area and we intend to do more," Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh said during his posture hearing to Congress earlier this month.

Through a suite of energy initiatives, the Army is leveraging technology and enhancing operational performance across the range of military operations, addressing Soldier, platform and sustainment capability needs.

The end-state goal is greater operational effectiveness, measured in terms of endurance, agility, flexibility, resilience and force protection. We enable that through energy management, diversification, increased efficiency and demand reduction, leading to an affordable, sustainable force. The outcome is fewer Soldier casualties and energy dollars to reinvest in Soldier and Family Quality of Life.

The cornerstone of the Army's effort is its Net Zero Strategy. At home, this strategy is designed to guide installations to produce as much energy on site as they use, over the course of a year. This strategy is also being applied to water and waste on installations.

Net Zero's holistic approach is designed to appropriately steward available resources, manage costs and sustain Soldiers, families and civilians, thus ensuring tomorrow's Army has the same access to energy, water, land and natural resources as today's Army.

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack said, "Everything that we learn and implement in our permanent installations in regard to Net Zero operations can be leveraged into contingency base operations."

"We can take the lessons learned and transfer them to our warriors who are fighting in Afghanistan. Deploying new solutions to increase our energy efficiency, manage our demands and diversify our energy supplies are critical to the mission," Hammack said.

For deployed Soldiers, energy is essential. Energy and power enable our Soldiers to conduct continuous ground operations in remote areas over extended distances.

The battery power needed to support communications and small electrical devices is heavy. Studies show that it is hard for Soldiers to perform carrying more than 70 pounds, but today some Soldiers carry as much as 170 pounds. This situation also contributes to increases in stress injuries and longer-term medical problems.

The Army has already begun fielding energy-related Soldier systems to reduce weight and increase capabilities, such as the Rucksack Enhanced Portable Power System. REPPS is a state-of-the-art lightweight, portable power system capable of recharging batteries or acting as a continuous power source.

One hundred systems have been delivered to units supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, including the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Vermont , 1-172 Cavalry "Gypsies," 173rd Airborne Brigade "Sky Soldiers," 1-4 Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and the 2/2 Stryker Cavalry Regiment "Dragoons." Another 700 system will be available for issue this summer, officials said.

The Army is on track to field a new family of tactical generators, the Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources family, or AMMPS, starting in 2012. The generators, ranging in size from 5 kW to 60 kW, use an average of 20 percent less fuel than the current sets in the field. Depending on the annual hours of operation, these sets can pay for themselves with fuel savings in one to two years.

In February, Hammack visited selected bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar to see firsthand the environmental and operational energy issues and challenges associated with contingency base operations.

"At our existing forward operating bases, we continue to look for new and efficient ways to expand the use of solar power, turning waste to energy, reuse of grey water such as reusing shower water for toilets, using waste heat for steam to electricity generation, solar hot water, micro power grids and other technologies to reduce the demand for resources," she said.

She said she found people taking initiative and making a difference.

"One example is a contractor filtering used generator oil and used canola oil from dining facilities to blend with JP8 fuel to run their generators. This reduced the amount of fuel transported and saved 65,000 gallons of JP8 last year. I also saw solar panels being used to provide power to perimeter force protection sensors, alert devices (big voice) and for perimeter lighting at Bagram (Airfield), Afghanistan."

Hammack also noted, "In Afghanistan foam tents are evident. Foam is great insulation but difficult to move or dispose of." She said, in the near term we have approximately 300 insulated tent liners in production for deployment to Afghanistan in support of a specific request from the United States Army Central Command and United States Forces Afghanistan.

Several tent-shading products have demonstrated they can reduce energy requirements and are now deploying a few of these systems for further evaluation.

"We continue to look for and acquire better tent and insulating technology," she said.

The Army is deploying the Tactical Fuels Manager Defense, an automated fuel inventory management system that is configured to enhance fuel accountability procedures in a tactical environment. Additionally, TFMD provides enterprise-level asset visibility of fuel operations and reports in theater to senior Army leadership.

The tailored reports will be useful in defining trends in consumption and detection of waste, fraud, and abuse. Automated inventory management, enterprise asset visibility, theft deterrence, and business process improvements will lead to more effective fuel management practices.

The "Iron Rangers" of the 1/16 Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Division will receive a variety of expeditionary, Soldier portable power systems during their deployment to Afghanistan this year. Beyond reduced volume and weight, these rucksack-portable systems provide individual to platoon-size energy and battery-charging capabilities using solar, methanol, or locally purchased propane. In addition, a pocket-sized power converter device allows Soldiers to use nearly any source of available power.

Smart and Green Energy for Base Camps, or SAGE, is an Army initiative to demonstrate a smart electrical micro-grid design for medium-sized Forward Operating Base camps and will be scalable to accommodate from 150 to 2,400 personnel.

The smart micro-grid represents an integrated, open-source approach for improving the generation, storage, distribution and management of electrical power at deployed locations, which typically rely on generator sets for electricity. It will enable generator support to a larger grid instead of single end users.

This holistic approach is expected to reduce fuel consumption by about 30-60 percent relative to current usage baselines and includes sensors and control systems, energy storage, energy-efficient structures and renewable sources.

The Army is also partnered with the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Operational Energy Plans and Programs to deploy a 1-megawatt micro-grid from the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., to Afghanistan. It is scheduled to be installed and operational before June 30.

This micro-grid was a centerpiece in the just-completed three-year Net Zero Plus Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration that validated demand-reduction and supply-side technologies. The micro-grid supported seven National Training Center training rotations and functioned without fault for more than 2,000 hours in an environment similar to Afghanistan: dusty, windstorms, and temperatures ranging from 35-degrees to 117-degrees Fahrenheit.

The deployment to Afghanistan is designed to demonstrate to warfighters that micro-grid technology is available and ready, and will be a catalyst for detailed discussions on requirements and specifications.

"We are working on coordinating deployment of efficient generators and power distribution. Continuing development of hardware, software and controls to perform micro-grid implementation is underway for buildings at the Field Artillery Training Center at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This technology also has potential use in a deployed operational environment," Hammack said.

Holistic policies are accelerating energy, environmental and efficiency solutions and technology for Forward Operating Contingency Bases. Charged with developing and implementing those policies, Hammack said, "Improving efficiency at base camps represents one of the best opportunities to decrease Army operational energy usage."

The Army realizes that energy use in peacetime and on installations differs from the energy use during contingency operations. Nonetheless, Hammack says, solutions at home will help Soldiers in combat.

"We are moving forward by developing new doctrine and focusing investment on technologies applicable in the context of contingency operations. These efforts can increase Soldier effectiveness, extend the endurance and resilience of the force, reduce the need for fuel convoys, and reduce operational costs."

The Army recently announced selection of installations that have committed to achieving Net Zero in Energy, Water or Waste. Five installations were identified in each of these areas and will communicate their journey to Net Zero on a regular basis.

This work is providing the critical data necessary to support initiatives which will address the operational energy challenges and maintain an efficient, flexible energy posture that will enable highly effective, widely dispersed, and increasingly mobile forces in combat.

Hammack said that through innovation, adaptation, exploration and evaluation.

"We are creating a culture that recognizes the value of sustainability, measured not just in terms of financial benefits, but benefits to maintaining mission capability, quality of life, relationships with local communities and the preservation of options for the Army's future," she said. "It is operationally necessary and financially prudent."


"

With new team, Obama looks for Afghan exit

With new team, Obama looks for Afghan exit: "By naming a new team Thursday to oversee the Afghanistan conflict, President Barack Obama could find it easier to extricate US troops from a grinding war where success has proved elusive.
Obama and his advisers famously clashed with the top brass and outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates over Afghan war strategy in 2009, with military commanders reluctant to back a troop withdrawal starting this July.
Now Gates is stepping down at the Pentagon, General David Petraeus is moving to the CIA from his job as commander in Kabul, and the military's top officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, will finish his term in September.
In a tense internal debate that played out in the media, all three men resisted the idea backed by White House civilian advisers for setting a timeline for a troop pullout this year -- until Obama overruled them.
'In the longer term, beyond this year, inevitably if you remove three of the four most prominent advocates from one position, in internal debate, you're going to strengthen the other position,' Stephen Biddle, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP.
The effect of a new team will not be felt for months, as Gates and top officers will remain in place to shape the decision on how many troops will be withdrawn in July, according to Biddle."

LockMart Battle Command System Replaces US Army Legacy System

LockMart Battle Command System Replaces US Army Legacy System: "A Lockheed Martin developed web-based capability for U.S. Army readiness reporting, force registration, mobilization, and force projection planning has completely replaced the legacy system that previously provided this information. Lockheed Martin's Defense Readiness Reporting System-Army (DRRS-A) has replaced the Army Status of Resources and Training System (ASORTS) component within the Global Command and Control System-Army. ASORTS had been in use since 1996.
'DRRS-A provides readiness reporting under high operational tempo conditions that are inherent with overseas contingency operations,' Said Jim Quinn, vice president of C4ISR Systems with Lockheed Martin's IS and GS-Defense.
'By retiring legacy systems and supplying web enabled applications and services, we're giving our major Combatant Commands new tools to support their current and future fight'
Created to track unit status information, DRRS-A improves the Army's ability to execute its part of the joint and combatant commanders' plans. Through DRRS-A, planners at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Headquarters Army Staff, Combatant Commands, and Army unit levels bridge the knowledge gap between readiness status, war plans and courses of actions.
This network based, streamlined system supports several Army applications in a single location, enabling Army users to perform their assigned missions in near real time."

Shielding body protects brain from shell shocking blast injuries

Shielding body protects brain from shell shocking blast injuries: "Stronger and tougher body armor to shield the chest, abdomen and back may be just what soldiers fighting in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars need to better protect their brains from mild injuries tied to so-called 'shell shock,' results of a Johns Hopkins study in mice suggest.
Such mild trauma, resulting from the initial shock of exploding mines, grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) now accounts for more than 80 percent of all brain injuries among U.S. troops. Some 160,000 American veteran men and women are estimated to have sustained this kind of trauma."

Researchers create terahertz invisibility cloak

Researchers create terahertz invisibility cloak: "Researchers at Northwestern University have created a new kind of cloaking material that can render objects invisible in the terahertz range.Though this design can't translate into an invisibility cloak for the visible spectrum, it could have implications in diagnostics, security, and communication.

The cloak, designed by Cheng Sun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, uses microfabricated gradient-index materials to manipulate the reflection and refraction of light. Sun's results will be presented May 4 at CLEO: 2011, the annual Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics.

Humans generally recognize objects through two features: their shape and color. To render an object invisible, one must be able to manipulate light so that it will neither scatter at an object's surface nor be absorbed or reflected by it (the process which gives objects color).

In order to manipulate light in the terahertz frequency, which lies between infrared and microwaves, Sun and his group developed metamaterials: materials that are designed at the atomic level.

Sun's tiny, prism-shaped cloaking structure, less than 10 millimeters long, was created using a technique called electronic transfer microstereolithography, where researchers use a data projector to project an image on a liquid polymer, then use light to transform the liquid layer into a thin solid layer.

Each of the prism's 220 layers has tiny holes that are much smaller than terahertz wavelengths, which means they can vary the refraction index of the light and render invisible anything located beneath a bump on the prism's bottom surface; the light then appears to be reflected by a flat surface.

"

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Afghan pullout to be slow process, warns US general

Afghan pullout to be slow process, warns US general: "A top US officer returning from commanding US Marines in Afghanistan's restive southwest emphasized Wednesday that the pullout of foreign troops from the country would be a slow, drawn-out process.

The withdrawal will be 'a slow transition, not a lot of bells and whistles, not a lot of parades, because we don't want to attract attention,' stressed Major General Richard Mills in remarks to reporters in Washington.

'It's not one morning people are going to wake up and all coalition forces will be gone -- it'll be a slowly thinning out process, so that hopefully one day people will wake up and look around and say 'hey didn't there used to be US Marines around here?''

Mills, who oversaw operations in the Afghan Helmand and Nimruz Provinces from April 2010 until earlier this month, said that in some areas foreign powers already have 'been able to thin out our forces significantly and turn over local responsibility both to the Afghan police and to the Afghan army.'"

US Army's new Lakota packed with high-tech gear

US Army's new Lakota packed with high-tech gear: "The Army National Guard is preparing to receive the first light utility helicopter equipped with a new, state-of-the-art mission equipment package.

The new MEP aboard the UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopter includes an electro-optical/infrared sensor, enhanced cockpit screens, high power illuminator system, analog-digital data downlink capability and GPS-enhanced moving map displays.

A UH-72A 'security and support' MEP was on display at the Army Aviation Association of America's Annual Exposition, April 17-20, in Nashville, Tenn. The package will complete certification testing in May, and be followed by training before being delivered to the National Guard.

The S and S-equipped LUH aircraft will be ready to conduct humanitarian and disaster relief efforts as well as other key missions such as border patrol and counter-drug enforcement."

Apache to Field Ground Fire-Detection System

Apache to Field Ground Fire-Detection System: "Apache attack helicopters will soon field a new, high-tech Ground Fire Acquisition System, which uses cameras and infrared sensors to instantly identify the source location of ground fire, service officials said.

"GFAS (Ground Fire Acquisition System) detects ground fire. It allows us to take information about incoming fire, get our sensors on it and identify and prosecute ground targets," said Maj. Justin Highley, Assistant product manager for the Longbow Apache.

The infrared sensors built into the GFAS system detect muzzle flashes from the ground, allowing Apache pilots to get their sensors on potential targets and immediately know the location, and distance of ground fire, Highley explained.

Next spring, 1-101 Aviation out of Fort Campbell will become the first unit equipped with GFAS, he said.

"

At the C.I.A., Petraeus Will Face a Different Culture - NYTimes.com

At the C.I.A., Petraeus Will Face a Different Culture - NYTimes.com: "Gen. David H. Petraeus will be taking on familiar challenges when he arrives at the Central Intelligence Agency this summer: the terrorist threat from Yemen and Pakistan; the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan; the Arab uprisings and their uncertain outcomes.

Those are among the C.I.A.’s major preoccupations, and they are what General Petraeus has lived and breathed in his last three jobs, first as commander in Iraq, then overseeing all of the Middle East and South Asia as head of Central Command, and finally as commander in Afghanistan. He knows military, intelligence and political leaders across the swath of the world that most worries the Obama administration. He has long been a voracious consumer of C.I.A. intelligence.

But in the four decades since he entered West Point, General Petraeus, 58, has thrived in the singular world of the American military. At the civilian intelligence agency, the four-star general will find a far less deferential culture, a traditional resentment of the Pentagon and a history of making trouble for directors who do not pay sufficient respect to local folkways.

“One thing he’ll find is C.I.A. doesn’t do the hierarchy thing very well at all,” said Michael V. Hayden, C.I.A. director from 2006 to 2009. “That’ll be a bit of an adjustment.”

"

Obama’s Pentagon and C.I.A. Picks Show Shift in How U.S. Fights - NYTimes.com

Obama’s Pentagon and C.I.A. Picks Show Shift in How U.S. Fights - NYTimes.com: "President Obama’s decision to send an intelligence chief to the Pentagon and a four-star general to the Central Intelligence Agency is the latest evidence of a significant shift over the past decade in how the United States fights its battles — the blurring of lines between soldiers and spies in secret American missions abroad.

On Thursday, Mr. Obama is expected to announce that Leon E. Panetta, the C.I.A. director, will become secretary of defense, replacing Robert M. Gates, and that Gen. David H. Petraeus will return from Afghanistan to take Mr. Panetta’s job at the C.I.A., a move that is likely to continue this trend.

As C.I.A. director, Mr. Panetta hastened the transformation of the spy agency into a paramilitary organization, overseeing a sharp escalation of the C.I.A.’s bombing campaign in Pakistan using armed drone aircraft, and an increase in the number of secret bases and covert operatives in remote parts of Afghanistan.

General Petraeus, meanwhile, has aggressively pushed the military deeper into the C.I.A.’s turf, using Special Operations troops and private security contractors to conduct secret intelligence missions. As commander of the United States Central Command in September 2009, he also signed a classified order authorizing American Special Operations troops to collect intelligence in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran and other places outside of traditional war zones.

The result is that American military and intelligence operatives are at times virtually indistinguishable from each other as they carry out classified operations in the Middle East and Central Asia.
"

Monday, April 25, 2011

Iraq PM pledges not to ask for US troop extension

Iraq PM pledges not to ask for US troop extension: "Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has pledged that Baghdad would not ask US troops to stay in the country beyond a year-end pullout, his office said on Saturday.

Maliki said that the decision had been taken despite Iraq's desire for stronger military ties with Washington, and alluded to political difficulties he would have in getting approval for any extended American presence.

'We are not going to ask for an extension for US forces, in spite of our keenness to continue cooperation with the United States in all areas, including military,' he told a South Korean news organisation, according to a transcript of an April 20 interview released by his office.

In a nod to domestic political opposition to any US presence beyond the end of 2011, he noted: 'As you know, the process... does not only require the approval of the government, but also a vote in parliament.'"

Mullen: Iraq must decide soon on US troops

Mullen: Iraq must decide soon on US troops: "Iraq has just 'weeks' to decide if it needs US troops to stay beyond a year-end deadline, the top American military officer warned on Friday, cautioning that time was running out.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen said no request had been made by the Iraqi government for any American troop presence here beyond 2011, and his remarks reiterated those of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on a visit two weeks ago.

"It (talks) needs to start soon, very soon, should there be any chance of avoiding irrevocable logistics and operational decisions we must make in the coming weeks," Mullen said at a news conference at the US military's Victory Base Camp on Baghdad's outskirts.

He added he was "certain my government will welcome that dialogue" were it to take place.

"

Friday, April 22, 2011

Air Force on track with KC-46A program

Air Force on track with KC-46A program: "Air Force and Boeing Company officials met for the KC-46A program post-award conference recently to discuss program specifics, including a technical overview of the program.

The discussions, which took place in Harbour Pointe, Wash., featured details of the in-line production process, draft integrated master schedule, and logistics support and training. Air Force officials toured the production line in Everett, Wash., where Boeing will manufacture the KC-46A.

During a recent interview with the Defense Writers Group, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley discussed the KC-46A acquisition process and said the service's senior leaders applied lessons learned from the previous tanker-acquisition process.

"We closely evaluated why we did not succeed the previous time," Secretary Donley said. "We took a long time to do that (with) several months of intense internal analysis and debate on what the strengths and weaknesses of our previous proposal had been."

After careful evaluation of the prior selection effort, Secretary Donley said, Air Force leaders pared down to essential requirements, built a solid team with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and other participating services, and maintained discipline throughout the process.

"We staked out what we thought was the best deal for the warfighter and the best deal for the taxpayer in terms of how to structure that in the (request for proposal), and we stood by it," Secretary Donley said.

The KC-46A is the first phase of a three-phase tanker aircraft recapitalization effort, and the program will deliver 18 tankers by late fiscal year 2017.

Air Force officials noted the aircraft's improved capability will include boom and hose/drogue refueling on the same mission, worldwide navigation and communication, cargo and passenger configurations on the entire main deck, improved force protection and survivability, and multi-point air refueling capability.

With a maximum fuel capacity of more than 212,000 pounds, and the ability to transfer more than 207,000 pounds of fuel, the KC-46A features a refueling receptacle that allows the aircraft to receive fuel from other boom-equipped tankers at a rate of 1,200 gallons per minute. This capability will allow the KC-46A to dramatically extend its reach and flexibility for missions.

The KC-46A, a commercial variant of the Boeing 767 airliner, is to be bought on a fixed-price basis, according to Air Force senior leaders. Additionally, any significant changes to the contract will need to be approved at a high level within the Air Force, further limiting potential cost increases.

Air Force pilots, officials said, will benefit from state-of-the-art systems that meet future mission requirements, to include a glass cockpit with 15-inch diagonal, multi-functional electronic displays containing an array of flight information and weather data.

The KC-46A is intended to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, which has been the primary refueling aircraft for more than 50 years.

Service officials said the new aircraft is designed to be combat-ready from day one and offers more refueling capacity, enhanced capabilities, improved efficiency, and increased capabilities for cargo and aeromedical evacuation.

It will provide aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied nation aircraft."

Thursday, April 21, 2011

CNO Visits Russia



CNO Visits Russia: "Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead visited Russia to meet with members of the Russian Navy and further improve international maritime relationships, April 13-18.

As the first CNO to visit Russia since 1996, Roughead met with his counterpart, Adm. Vladimir Vysotskiy, commander-in-chief of the Russian Federation Navy, was the keynote speaker at Kuznetsov Naval Academy and toured Russian Federation Navy ships.

'We are two navies that support the global interests of our nations, we're two navies that operate on the very highest levels of technology, we're two navies that understand the importance of the sea and how important the seas are to our prosperity and to our peace,' said Roughead.

CNO said continued cooperation with the Russian navy is an essential piece of the maritime strategy and serves as an opportunity for new sailors, from both navies, to grow up together in their naval careers.

'I have watched the Russian Federation Navy for many years,' Roughead said. 'I have always been impressed by the professionalism of their Sailors and the great spirit that the Russian navy has in serving its country.'

In St. Petersburg, Roughead spoke to naval officers attending the Kuznetsov Naval Academy about the value of military education and its influence on operational readiness. He also expressed the important role the graduates will have as they move on in their naval careers.

'I look forward to more cooperation between our navies where leaders like you can leverage the benefits of our interconnectedness and advance the interests we hold in common,' said Roughead.

CNO also visited Severomorsk where he toured the Russian Federation Navy nuclear-powered cruiser Pyotr Velikiy and the Sierra-class submarine Project 945A K-534."

U.S. and French Submarine Commanders Discuss Cooperation



U.S. and French Submarine Commanders Discuss Cooperation: "Commander Submarines, Allied Naval Forces South, met with the commander of the French navy's submarine forces April 21, on board Naval Support Activity, Naples.

The meeting between Rear Adm. James G. Foggo III and French navy Vice Adm. Georges-Henri Mouton was part of a two-day visit to strengthen the military ties between the two navies. The two discussed their respective submarine forces and operations in Europe.

'I came to Naples to meet with Rear. Adm. Foggo and discuss the relationship our navies have in regards to our submarine forces, especially our [fast attack submarines],' said Mouton. 'I wanted to discuss ideas on how we can work together better and talk about the future.'

Even though this was the first time Mouton and Foggo had met in person, they have been working together for a while and were able to speak openly about many issues facing submarine operations in Europe.

'It is important to build strong relationships so you are able to sit down and discuss issues frankly and determine a way ahead,' said Foggo. 'That is what we did, determined a way ahead and improved on what is already an extremely fruitful and productive relationship between our submarine forces.'

Foggo continued, speaking about recent cooperation between the two nations' navies with regards to the situation in Libya.

'Our navies operated together during Odyssey Dawn and now during Unified Protector and we can't thank the French navy enough for everything they do,' said Foggo."

Senior Naval Officers Seek Improvement in Anti-Submarine Warfare Through Summit



Senior Naval Officers Seek Improvement in Anti-Submarine Warfare Through Summit:

"Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa hosted the first Theater Anti-Submarine Warfare Summit on Naval Support Activity, Naples, April 19.

During the summit, senior naval officers focused their efforts on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) in the European Command area of operation.

ASW uses naval assets such as ships, aircraft and submarines to understand the underwater battle space.

"Globally proliferating undersea warfare technologies, particularly submarines, are a national security concern," said Vice Adm. John M. Richardson, commander, Submarine Forces. "Our undersea superiority and free access to the global commons is at risk if we don't maintain our edge with the best people, training, and equipment to address this growing threat."

The summit lasted for one day and discussed key issues to help ensure that all theater ASW actions are consistent with the commander's guidance.

Adm. James G. Stavridis, commander, U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, also attended the summit where he discussed topics such as current and future operations, partner capabilities and building stronger alliances.

NATO is also a large contributor to ASW utilizing low frequency active systems, maritime patrol reconnaissance aircraft and air independent propulsion submarines.

Stavridis spoke about "building stronger alliances" and how that was shown in action by exercises like Noble Manta, Proud Manta and Bold Monarch. Those exercises demonstrate NATO's determination to maintain proficiency and improve interoperability in coordinated ASW and coastal surveillance operations.

Stavridis also spoke about the great contributions the submarine force made during Operation Odyssey Dawn.

"I would like to give a classic 'bravo zulu' to the excellent submarine force during Odyssey Dawn," said Stavridis. "You all did terrific work out there, well done."

Although it was only a one-day summit, the attendees felt the gathering was beneficial.

"There is nothing better then meeting with our leaders face to face and receiving guidance and direction from them personally as we all continue to focus on this very important branch of naval warfare." said Capt. Mark Davis, Commander Task Force 69.

"

US Army to issue Droid dev kit in July • The Register

US Army to issue Droid dev kit in July • The Register: "The US Army has announced that it will soon throw open an Android dev kit allowing apps to be written for use by soldiers on a variety of combat handsets and devices.
The military Droid framework is known as Mobile/Handheld Computing Environment (CE).

"Using the Mobile /Handheld CE Product Developers Kit, we're going to allow the third-party developers to actually develop capabilities that aren't stovepiped," says Lt-Col Mark Daniels. Daniels is in charge of the Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P) handheld device, which is essentially a military Droid phone: it is expected to be issued to US Army and Marine ground units from 2013.

The colonel says that the mobile/handheld CE dev kit will be released in July. Before that point the Army will develop certain core apps that will come with every handset, to include mapping, so-called Blue Force Tracking (displaying where friendly units are in order to avoid "friendly fire" incidents), TIGR map-marking and messaging. According to Daniels there will also be an address book and OpenOffice for document viewing.

"It's like when you get an iPhone and you have the Apple-made apps: the contacts, the email," says J Tyler Barton, Army app engineer. "Then other applications are free to use those apps, or to go above and beyond that."

*******************

Cyber Defense




The US military is preparing for 21st Century electronic warfare and cyber terrorism. A joint US Cyber Command and four service cyber commands have been set up.

Their mission is to defend American military networks and civilian American infrastructure from cyber terrorism and from foreign government hackers.

The officers leading these cyber commands explain how they are organized, how they operate, and how they will protect the United States from foreign military hackers, intelligence agencies, and cyber terrorists.

13,450 words

U.S. still has options for drones if denied use of Pakistani bases - Washington Times#pagebreak#pagebreak#pagebreak#pagebreak#pagebreak

U.S. still has options for drones if denied use of Pakistani bases - Washington Times#pagebreak#pagebreak#pagebreak#pagebreak#pagebreak: "U.S. military forces will still be able to target al Qaeda terrorists in mountainous Southwest Asia with remotely piloted drones based in Afghanistan should Pakistan’s government deny the use of its territory to launch attacks.

Col. Dean Bushey, deputy director of the Army’s Joint Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence, told an international-relations conference Wednesday that U.S. Reaper and Predator aircraft could still reach the “mountainous regions” of Pakistan without being based in that country.

“Our assets from Afghanistan have a long enough flight time to do it,” he told the conference, sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

In a subsequent interview with The Washington Times, he elaborated that “mountainous regions” referred to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, effectively a no man’s land and the place terrorism scholars think Osama bin Laden is likeliest to be.

Pakistan’s leadership last week demanded that the CIA provide more information on covert operations in their country and demanded that all military contractors leave, according to Pakistani and U.S. news reports.

"

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

MBDA Demos VL Mica Proficiency Against Stand-Off Weapons

MBDA Demos VL Mica Proficiency Against Stand-Off Weapons:

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





"On the 13th April 2011, at the French DGA-Essais Missiles test centre in Biscarosse, South West France, a VL MICA missile launched from a ground based vertical launcher and controlled by a Tactical Operations Centre (TOC) developed by MBDA, intercepted a manoeuvring target flying at medium altitude and at a range greater than 15 km."

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

U.S. Presence in Afghanistan After Pullout Unnerves Region - NYTimes.com

U.S. Presence in Afghanistan After Pullout Unnerves Region - NYTimes.com: "First, American officials were talking about July 2011 as the date to begin the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Then, the Americans and their NATO allies began to talk about transition, gradually handing over control of the war to the Afghans until finally pulling out in 2014. Now, however, the talk is all about what happens after 2014.

Afghanistan and the United States are in the midst of negotiating what they are calling a Strategic Partnership Declaration for beyond 2014.

Critics, including many of Afghanistan’s neighbors, call it the Permanent Bases Agreement — or, in a more cynical vein, Great Game 3.0, drawing a comparison with the ill-fated British and Russian rivalry in the region during the 19th and 20th centuries.
"

Monday, April 18, 2011

Obama's $400B Cut Plays It Safe - Defense News

Obama's $400B Cut Plays It Safe - Defense News: "When U.S. President Barack Obama ordered a $400 billion cut to defense spending, he picked a number that was defensible and yet relatively easy to reach.

Meeting that goal will require just a small real drop in planned spending over a decade, according to the White House, or simply keeping growth flat, one analyst found.

It won't require a strategic overhaul, although the president also ordered a review of military missions and capabilities in his April 13 speech.

But the $400 billion may ultimately be just a down payment in the effort to reduce the national debt. Deficit-reduction panels have previously recommended cuts of up to $1 trillion. If those kinds of cuts are imposed, the Pentagon will be forced to make tougher choices.

"

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Raytheon DeepSiren Closes Submarine Comms Gap At Arctic Exercise

Raytheon DeepSiren Closes Submarine Comms Gap At Arctic Exercise:



"During a U.S. Navy exercise, Raytheon's DeepSiren underwater acoustic communication system bridged a capability gap for submarines operating beneath the Arctic ice by providing on-demand tactical mission and emergency response information.

The system was successfully operated during the Navy's ICEX 2011 exercise conducted by the Arctic Submarine Laboratory far north of the Arctic Circle.

'Raytheon DeepSiren enables operational commanders anywhere in the world to quickly send tactical messages to a submarine operating at speed and depth - even under Arctic ice,' said Steve Moynahan, senior engineer, Raytheon Network Centric Systems (NCS), who deployed with DeepSiren to support the exercise. 'This addresses one of the most significant shortfalls in submarine communications to provide mission-critical information while the vessel is submerged.'"

Obama urged to limit Russia missile shield sway

Obama urged to limit Russia missile shield sway: "President Barack Obama must beat back any Russian demands for 'red-button' sway over a missile shield in Europe and deny Moscow access to sensitive data tied to the program, US senators urged Thursday.

The 39 lawmakers, all Republican foes of the White House, said in a letter to Obama that they were 'concerned' Russia would exploit his desire for bilateral cooperation on the issue to 'undermine' US national security.

The group, led by Republican Senator Mark Kirk, warned against giving Moscow any right to veto use of the shield or providing Russia with 'access to America's most sensitive missile defense data and technology.'"
***************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

US army may not help in future Iraq crises: official

US army may not help in future Iraq crises: official: "Iraqi leaders should not expect US forces to return to help in a crisis once they leave at the end of the year, a senior American military official said on Wednesday.
The remarks came just days after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates ended a visit to Iraq during which he urged the country's leaders to assess if they wanted any US troops to remain beyond 2011.
All American forces must leave Iraq by the end of the year under a bilateral security pact.
'If we left -- and this is the health warning we would give to anybody -- be careful about assuming that we will come running back to put out the fire if we don't have an agreement,' the official said on condition of anonymity."
*************

NATO 3.0





At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.

Gates warns of fallout from big US defense cuts

Gates warns of fallout from big US defense cuts:

NATO 3.0





At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.


"Pentagon chief Robert Gates on Wednesday warned that major cuts to US defense spending planned by President Barack Obama would require scaling back military forces, missions and capabilities.

The Pentagon's stern response came after Obama unveiled a deficit-reduction plan that includes a proposed cut of $400 billion in security spending by 2023.

Although the defense secretary believed the Pentagon could not be 'exempt' from efforts to reduce the rising deficit, deep cuts in military spending in coming years would require difficult choices and could not be merely a 'budget math exercise,' Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said."

US disables 'Coreflood' botnet, seizes servers

US disables 'Coreflood' botnet, seizes servers: "US authorities on Wednesday announced the disabling of a vast network of virus-infected computers used by cyber criminals to steal millions of dollars.

The "Coreflood" botnet is believed to have operated for nearly a decade and to have infected more than two million computers around the world, the Justice Department and FBI said in a joint statement.

They said charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and illegal interception of electronic communications had been filed against 13 suspects identified in court papers only as John Doe 1, John Doe 2, etc.

The complaint said they were all "foreign nationals" but provided no further information about their identities or nationalities.

Five "command and control" computer servers and 29 Internet domain names were seized as part of the operation, described as the "most complete and comprehensive enforcement action ever taken by US authorities to disable an international botnet."

******************

Cyber Defense




The US military is preparing for 21st Century electronic warfare and cyber terrorism. A joint US Cyber Command and four service cyber commands have been set up.

Their mission is to defend American military networks and civilian American infrastructure from cyber terrorism and from foreign government hackers.

The officers leading these cyber commands explain how they are organized, how they operate, and how they will protect the United States from foreign military hackers, intelligence agencies, and cyber terrorists.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

NATO rejects French, British criticism

NATO rejects French, British criticism:
"A top NATO general has rejected criticism by France and Britain that the alliance needs to step up the fighting against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces.

'We execute this operation in a very high tempo,' NATO Brigadier General Mark van Uhm said Tuesday at a NATO news conference in Brussels.

NATO aircraft during the past days destroyed tanks, bunkers and communication lines used by the Gadhafi regime throughout the country, with particular attention to forces located near the contested cities Ajdabiya, Brega and Misrata, van Uhm said."
***********

MLD Test Moves Navy A Step Closer To Lasers For Ship Self-Defense

MLD Test Moves Navy A Step Closer To Lasers For Ship Self-Defense: "Marking a milestone for the Navy, the Office of Naval Research and its industry partner have successfully tested a solid-state, high-energy laser (HEL) from a surface ship, which disabled a small target vessel.

The Navy and Northrop Grumman completed at-sea testing of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD), which validated the potential to provide advanced self-defense for surface ships and personnel by keeping small boat threats at a safe distance.

'The success of this high-energy laser test is a credit to the collaboration, cooperation and teaming of naval labs at Dahlgren, China Lake, Port Hueneme and Point Mugu, Calif.,' said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Nevin Carr. 'ONR coordinated each of their unique capabilities into one cohesive effort.'"

Chinese navy less assertive in 2011: US admiral

Chinese navy less assertive in 2011: US admiral: "A top US officer said Tuesday that China's navy has adopted a less aggressive stance in the Pacific in recent months after protests from Washington and other nations in the region.

Admiral Robert Willard, head of US Pacific Command, told senators the trend since January represented a 'positive' step after mounting tension over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

'There has been a retrenchment a bit by the Chinese navy, such that while we continue to experience their shadowing of some our ships that are operating in some of these waters, we have not seen the same level of assertiveness in 2011 that we witnessed in 2010,' Willard told the Senate Armed Services Committee."

Tracking Ballistic Missiles From 'Birth-to-Death'

Tracking Ballistic Missiles From 'Birth-to-Death': "Two recent Ballistic Missile Defense System-wide (BMDS) tests involving the Northrop Grumman-built Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration satellites showed that the satellite system can successfully perform the ultimate mission for space-based missile defense sensors - full-course, or 'birth-to-death' tracking of a ballistic missile.

'This is the first time a space-based sensor has tracked a ballistic missile through all phases of its flight, from launch, through midcourse and re-entry,' said Doug Young, vice president, missile defense and warning for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector in Redondo Beach, Calif.

'This birth-to-death tracking ability optimizes interceptor selection and enables the interceptor to compensate for maneuvering midcourse objects.'"

**********

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Northrop Grumman Fire Scout Hits New Single-Day Endurance Flight Record

Northrop Grumman Fire Scout Hits New Single-Day Endurance Flight Record: "The Northrop Grumman-built MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle marked a new single-day flight record of 18 hours.

U.S. Navy operators achieved the record using a single aircraft in a series of endurance flights Feb. 25 from the USS Halyburton (FFG 40). Fire Scout is providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data to support anti-piracy missions while deployed on the ship for the Navy's 5th Fleet.
"

Monday, April 11, 2011

Pentagon rethinking U.S. exit from Iraq

Pentagon rethinking U.S. exit from Iraq: "Eight months shy of its deadline for pulling the last American soldier from Iraq and closing the door on an eight-year war, the Pentagon is having second thoughts.

Reluctant to say it publicly, officials fear a final pullout in December could create a security vacuum, offering an opportunity for power grabs by antagonists in an unresolved and simmering Arab-Kurd dispute, a weakened but still active al-Qaida or even an adventurous neighbor such as Iran.

The U.S. wants to keep perhaps several thousand troops in Iraq, not to engage in combat but to guard against an unraveling of a still-fragile peace. This was made clear during Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit Thursday and Friday in which he and the top U.S. commander in Iraq talked up the prospect of an extended U.S. stay."

Sunday, April 10, 2011

US trains activists worldwide in phone, Internet protection

US trains activists worldwide in phone, Internet protection: "The United States is training thousands of cell phone and Internet pro-democracy campaigners worldwide to evade security forces in what it calls a 'cat-and-mouse game' with authoritarian governments.
The US government is sponsoring efforts to help activists in Arab and other countries gain access to technology that circumvents government firewalls, secures telephone text and voice messages, and prevents attacks on websites.
'This is sort of a cat-and-mouse game and governments are constantly developing new techniques to go after critics, to go after dissenters,' said Michael Posner, the assistant US secretary of state for human rights and labor."
**********************

Cyber Defense




The US military is preparing for 21st Century electronic warfare and cyber terrorism. A joint US Cyber Command and four service cyber commands have been set up.

Their mission is to defend American military networks and civilian American infrastructure from cyber terrorism and from foreign government hackers.

The officers leading these cyber commands explain how they are organized, how they operate, and how they will protect the United States from foreign military hackers, intelligence agencies, and cyber terrorists.

Sadr warns of resistance if US forces stay in Iraq

Sadr warns of resistance if US forces stay in Iraq: "Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr warned on Saturday his supporters will resume armed opposition if US forces stay in Iraq beyond their scheduled departure late this year.
'If the Americans don't leave Iraq on time, we will increase the resistance and restart the activities of the Mahdi Army,' Sadr said in a fiery statement read by a spokesman to tens of thousands of followers in Mustansariyah Square of northeast Baghdad.
He was referring to his militia which mounted repeated uprisings against US-led forces in Iraq before he stood it down in August 2008."
*************

Merchant Vessel Defense Against Pirates





Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking



Too often, ship operators fail to take proper anti-piracy security measures, effectively turning their merchant vessels into “Golden Geese” ripe for the taking, writes the author. He goes on to discuss proven methods of hardening commercial ships and training their crews to prevent pirates – whether from Somalia or elsewhere – from boarding vessels and taking crews hostage.

Raytheon Awarded $42 Million For Next-Generation Standard Missile-3 Interceptor

Raytheon Awarded $42 Million For Next-Generation Standard Missile-3 Interceptor: "Raytheon has been awarded $42 million for the initial concept development and program planning for the Standard Missile-3 Block IIB, which is the Missile Defense Agency's next-generation Aegis missile.

"Raytheon is the lowest-risk, lowest-cost, most-technically capable provider of missile defense solutions," said Frank Wyatt, vice president of Raytheon's Air and Missile Defense Systems product line. "SM-3 has successfully defeated 18 incoming ballistic missile threats in realistic test scenarios; it's in a class by itself. Spiral development of the Standard Missile program is the right choice for developing and delivering this capability for the country."

Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 family is a core element of the administration's Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense."
***********************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Lockheed Martin Awarded $43.3 Million Contract For Concept Definition Of Standard Missile-3 Block IIB

Lockheed Martin has announced that the U.S. Missile Defense Agency has awarded it a $43.3 million contract for concept definition and program planning for the Standard Missile-3 Block IIB (SM-3 IIB).

The new missile, formerly known as the Next Generation Aegis Missile, will provide early intercept capability against intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile threats. It will be a key element of the fourth phase of the Phased Adaptive Approach, which will provide enhanced capabilities against threats on a global basis.

Lockheed Martin Awarded $43.3 Million Contract For Concept Definition Of Standard Missile-3 Block IIB
: "The missile will be integrated into the Aegis Weapon System, with the Aegis BMD 5.1 Fire Control and the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, as part of the land-based Aegis Ashore capability."
******************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Navy Offers Free ASW Game - And Wants Your Help

DARPA Anti-Submarine Warfare Game Goes Live: "Can you best an enemy submarine commander so he can't escape into the ocean depths? If you think you can, you are invited to put yourself into the virtual driver's seat of one of several Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) configurations and show the world how you can use its capabilities to follow an enemy submarine.

DARPA's ACTUV program is developing a fundamentally new tool for the Navy's ASW toolkit and seeks your help to explore how best to use this tool to track quiet submarines.

To gather information from a broad spectrum of users, ACTUV has been integrated into the Dangerous WatersTM game. DARPA is offering this new ACTUV Tactics Simulator for free public download."

Friday, April 8, 2011

Testing Moves Navy Closer to Lasers for Ship Self-Defense

Testing Moves Navy Closer to Lasers for Ship Self-Defense: "The Office of Naval Research and its industry partner marked a milestone for the Navy by successfully testing a solid-state, high-energy laser (HEL) from a surface ship, which disabled a small target vessel, April 6.

"The success of this high-energy laser test is a credit to the collaboration, cooperation and teaming of naval labs at Dahlgren, China Lake, Port Hueneme and Point Mugu, Calif.," said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Nevin Carr. "ONR coordinated each of their unique capabilities into one cohesive effort."

The latest test occurred near San Nicholas Island, off the coast of Central California in the Pacific Ocean test range. The laser was mounted onto the deck of the Navy's self-defense test ship, former USS Paul Foster (DD 964).

Carr also recognized the Office of the Secretary of Defense's High Energy Joint Technology Office, and the Army's Joint High Powered Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program for their work. MLD leverages the Army's JHPSSL effort.

"This is the first time a HEL, at these power levels, has been put on a Navy ship, powered from that ship and used to defeat a target at-range in a maritime environment," said Peter Morrison, ONR MLD program officer.

In just slightly more than two-and-a-half years, the MLD has gone from contract award to demonstrating a Navy ship defensive capability, he said.

"We are learning a ton from this program—how to integrate and work with directed energy weapons," Morrison said. "All test results are extremely valuable regardless of the outcome."

Additionally, the Navy accomplished several other benchmarks, including integrating MLD with a ship's radar and navigation system, and firing an electric laser weapon from a moving platform at-sea in a humid environment. Other tests of solid state lasers for the Navy have been conducted from land-based positions.

Having access to a HEL weapon will one day provide warfighter with options when encountering a small-boat threat, Morrison said.

While the MLD test proves the ability to use a scalable laser to thwart small vessels at range, the technology will not replace traditional weapon systems, Carr added.

"From a science and technology point of view, the marriage of directed energy and kinetic energy weapon systems opens up a new level of deterrence into scalable options for the commander," said Carr. "This test provides an important data point as we move toward putting directed energy on warships. There is still much work to do to make sure it's done safely and efficiently."

*********************


U-Boats "Made in Germany" discusses cutting-edge research which is placing German submarine technology at the forefront on underwater weapons design.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Pentagon makes plans in case of shutdown

Pentagon makes plans in case of shutdown: "Defense officials believe that a government shutdown can be avoided, but they are making prudent plans in the event one does occur, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said April 5 here.

Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is formulating guidance for the military services and defense agencies in the event that Congress does not approve a fiscal 2011 budget by the deadline April 8.

"While the administration believes that a government shutdown will be averted, the department, including the service leadership, is engaged in prudent planning so that we will be ready if one were to occur," Morrell said. "While a shutdown would be extremely disruptive to the department and those who work here, I want to underscore that we would still have the authority and the ability to continue key national security activities, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, operations in Libya, and humanitarian assistance in Japan, to name a few."

The Obama administration is working with congressional leaders to avert a shutdown, he added.

"I think negotiations are clearly at a very sensitive point, so I don't think it is wise for me to delve too much into this," Morrell said. "But it is certainly our hope here that we can avoid a shutdown come midnight on (April 8)."

Lynn is in the process of putting out guidance to major DOD components about how they should go about planning for a possible shutdown, he said. This would include guidance on what would constitute an exempt or essential operation or mission, and who would be needed to man those missions.

Morrell said there has been no determination yet on how a potential shutdown would affect military pay.

"We have not been able yet to arrive at a conclusive determination about how everyone's pay would be impacted by this," he said. "We are still working through that. So I don't have a definitive answer for you to relay to our forces in Iraq or Afghanistan. Unfortunately, that's still an issue that's being worked."

Monday, April 4, 2011

For DoD Budgets, Do or Die Time - Defense News

For DoD Budgets, Do or Die Time - Defense News: "For good or ill, the Pentagon is about to receive some desperately needed budget clarity.

By the end of April 8, DoD officials will know whether the military will get a 2011 base budget just north of $530 billion, whether there will be seventh short-term continuing resolution - or whether the U.S. government will largely shut down.

They are also likely to have received the first major congressional response to the 2012 budget request, expected to come early in the week from the House budget chairman, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

With the soaring national debt driving discussion on Capitol Hill, further cuts to defense spending appear likely, but no one knows just what to expect.
2011 Twists April 8 marks the expiration date for the sixth short-term funding bill, or continuing resolution (CR), passed since fiscal 2011 began last October. If another spending bill isn't passed before then, the U.S. government - and the military -will be forced to halt all activities deemed non-essential."
***************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

MDA Awards Raytheon Contract For New SM-3 Block IB

MDA Awards Raytheon Contract For New SM-3 Block IB: "The Missile Defense Agency awarded Raytheon a $312 million manufacturing contract for the Standard Missile-3 Block IB program. The contract provides the funding necessary to complete the development phase of the SM-3 Block IB program and deliver the rounds to the MDA.

'We expect to deliver the first flight test rounds to the MDA this summer,' said Frank Wyatt, vice president of Raytheon's Air and Missile Defense Systems product line.

'The SM-3 Block IB will provide an increased engagement capability against a wider variety of ballistic missile threats, giving the warfighter increased flexibility to protect U.S. and allied forces.'

Raytheon's next-generation SM-3 Block IB maintains the reliability of the Block IA variant while incorporating an advanced two-color infrared seeker, an advanced signal processor, and a new throttleable divert and attitude control system. SM-3 Block IB will be deployed in both sea-based and land-based modes as part of phase two of the current administration's Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense."
******************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Picatinny Fields First Precision-Guided Mortars To Troops In Afghanistan

Picatinny Fields First Precision-Guided Mortars To Troops In Afghanistan: This month, U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan received 120mm GPS-guided mortar precision capability. The Program Executive Office for Ammunition fielded Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative cartridges, or APMI, to one Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or IBCT, earlier this month, and is scheduled to field cartridges to the seven other IBCTs in Afghanistan within six months.

"APMI is a 120mm GPS-guided mortar cartridge that provides the infantry commander precision-strike capability, which he has never had before," said Peter Burke, PEO Ammunition's deputy product manager, Guided Precision Munitions and Mortar Systems.

"The APMI cartridge has a requirement of 10 meters CEP, or Circular Error Probable, but Burke said the program is exceeding this requirement. Ten meters CEP means that if you drew a circle around a target at 10 meters radius, the rounds have to fall inside the circle 50 percent of the time.

Current CEP for 120 mm mortars at their maximum range is 136 meters. Mortars with the most advanced features, such as precision position and pointing systems, can achieve a 76 meter CEP, which still makes APMI seven times more accurate than any formerly fielded mortar."

Friday, April 1, 2011

NATO Dignitaries Visit USS Monterey, Learn About PAA, BMD Capabilities

NATO Dignitaries Visit USS Monterey, Learn About PAA, BMD Capabilities: "USS Monterey (CG 61) hosted 300 multinational dignitaries from NATO as a part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense while in Antwerp, Belgium, for a port visit, March 29-31.

While aboard Monterey, dignitaries were given the opportunity to learn about the ship's Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capabilities.

"The United States takes this seriously," said Rear Adm. Archer M. Macy, director of Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Organization. "This ship demonstrates our commitment to what we are doing, and [Monterey] is doing a great job. This is vital to the United States and its allies to prevent others from trying to coerce them by threatening them with ballistic missiles."

According to a release from the White House, the U.S. Navy is working with allies on integrating a European Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense architecture with NATO members' missile defense capabilities, as well as with the emerging NATO command and control network.

"Eighteen months ago, President Obama adopted a new approach to missile defense, when he decided that we need a missile defense that is smarter and swifter than the one the previous administration had in place," said Ivo H. Daalder, U.S. Ambassador to NATO. "This ship is a part of the first phase of that commitment to deploy missile defense capability in Europe to help defend our forces in Europe, and our European allies against the threat that already exists today."

This phased approach is developing the capability to augment the current protection of the United States and Europe against short and medium-range ballistic missile threats.

"We are the first ship to become a part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach of the missile defense mission," said Capt. James W. Kilby, USS Monterey commanding officer. "We went to Belgium to coincide with a NATO convention and they came to visit the ship to view our missile defense capabilities."

According to the Missile Defense Agency, the first phase consists of Aegis ships deployed in the Mediterranean Sea and a forward-based transportable radar surveillance system in southern Europe. This will help provide protection across much of southern Europe against medium-range ballistic missiles.

Modern U.S. Navy guided-missile cruisers perform primarily in a battle force role. The ships are capable of multi-mission support in carrier battle groups, amphibious forces, as flagships of surface action groups or operating independently. Cruisers are equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles that give them additional long range strike warfare capability. Some, like Monterey, have been outfitted with a ballistic missile defense capability.

Monterey, a Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser homeported out of Norfolk, Va., is on a scheduled six-month deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.
*******************"

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

LockMart Awarded THAAD Production Contract

LockMart Awarded THAAD Production Contract: "Lockheed Martin has received a production contract totaling $789.8 million to produce the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System for the Missile Defense Agency.
The contract includes $694.9 million and for the production of 48 THAAD interceptors, six THAAD launchers, four fire control units and additional support equipment. An option for additional launchers in the amount of $94.8 million was also award for a total value of $789.8 million. These components will be employed by THAAD Batteries 3 and 4 for the U.S. Army. Delivery to Batteries 3 and 4 will be completed in 2013."
********************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

LockMart Rolls Out First Special Operations MC-130J Combat Shadow II

LockMart Rolls Out First Special Operations MC-130J Combat Shadow II: "Lockheed Martin rolled out the first aircraft in a new fleet of MC-130J Combat Shadow IIs for the U.S. Air Force's Special Operations Command (AFSOC) during a ceremony.
Lt. Gen. Donald C. Wurster, commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, was the keynote speaker at the event.
'The MC-130J is one of the most versatile tactical airlifters in the world. Its multi-mission capabilities will increase the combat performance of special operations forces worldwide,' Wurster said.
'The MC-130J's advanced sensors, expanded avionics and universal aerial refueling capability will enable the highly skilled Airmen of AFSOC to operate under difficult conditions with unmatched speed and capability.'
Lockheed Martin is contracted to build 15 MC 130Js to begin replacing the current aging fleet. The U.S. Air Force is authorized to acquire up to 20 MC-130Js against an approved requirement for 37."
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Cyber Defense




The US military is preparing for 21st Century electronic warfare and cyber terrorism. A joint US Cyber Command and four service cyber commands have been set up.

Their mission is to defend American military networks and civilian American infrastructure from cyber terrorism and from foreign government hackers.

The officers leading these cyber commands explain how they are organized, how they operate, and how they will protect the United States from foreign military hackers, intelligence agencies, and cyber terrorists.

Symposium Raises Awareness Of Cyberthreats To Utilities

Symposium Raises Awareness Of Cyberthreats To Utilities: "Raytheon, the Texas A and M Energy Engineering Institute and the Energy Institute of the University of Texas at Austin sponsored a Cyber Security for Utilities Symposium March 29 in Austin.

The symposium raised awareness of recent cyberthreats and vulnerabilities targeted specifically at utility infrastructure. With utilities becoming more connected to the Internet, the gravity of a utility grid being compromised is a serious concern. Such infrastructure security breaches could have disastrous results."
******************

Cyber Defense




The US military is preparing for 21st Century electronic warfare and cyber terrorism. A joint US Cyber Command and four service cyber commands have been set up.

Their mission is to defend American military networks and civilian American infrastructure from cyber terrorism and from foreign government hackers.

The officers leading these cyber commands explain how they are organized, how they operate, and how they will protect the United States from foreign military hackers, intelligence agencies, and cyber terrorists.

Euro Hawk undergoes testing at Edwards AFB

Euro Hawk undergoes testing at Edwards AFB: Engineers with the 772nd Test Squadron facilitated electromagnetic interference testing on a Euro Hawk unmanned aircraft at the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base, California March 10 and 11.

They teamed with representatives of Northrop Grumman Corporation and the German government to complete the testing.

The Euro Hawk is similar to the Air Force's operational RQ-4 Global Hawk, and although EMI testing already has been conducted on the Global Hawk, the Euro Hawk has never been flown in the unique radio frequency environment of Europe.

"There are radars and radio stations. Our civilization is filled with electromagnetic sources," said Daniel Suh, NGC Euro Hawk System engineering manager. "In highly populated areas there are more emitters so there's risk associated in flying an unmanned aircraft in those environments.

"The BAF provided some unique testing to reduce that risk," he said.

Because of the BAF's design, it allows testers to evaluate the aircraft's radio emissions and absorptions in an environment that is sanitized of outside radio frequencies. This prevents those sources from interfering and compromising the tests.

Suh said interference could have an effect on the avionics of any aircraft with electronic equipment. Communications and navigation systems are a few examples of electronic equipment that could potentially face detrimental EMI effects, including failure.

The BAF is capable of simulating different electromagnetic interference and Maj. Corey Beaverson, the 772nd TS operations director, said the test team subjected the Euro Hawk to EMI environments they believe the aircraft will encounter in Europe.

"We know there are certain environments that the Euro Hawk is going to be subjected to across the ocean and while operating in its intended role," Beaverson said. "Are those environments going to be safe from an electromagnetic interference and compatibility perspective? Partnering with the Global Vigilance Combined Test Force, Northrop Grumman and our German allies, we've developed a series of tests to see how the aircraft reacts to some known electromagnetic fields."

"What the BAF is doing is providing a clean (radio frequency) environment and we are subjecting the Euro Hawk to electric fields at a variety of frequencies that are representative of what we understand the electromagnetic environment to be in Europe," he said.

"We adjusted different frequency ranges," Suh said. "There are specific frequencies that we look at using the antennas within the BAF, as well as adjusting energy levels."

The Euro Hawk is an unmanned aircraft that has been authorized by U.S. officials for direct commercial sales to representatives of allied countries.

Suh said German Ministry of Defence officials specifically wanted the Euro Hawk tested at the BAF because of the facility's unique capabilities.

This is one part of the Euro Hawk's comprehensive testing at Edwards AFB that has been a collaborative effort between the U.S. military, private industry and a foreign ally.

"I think it's a great team," Suh said. "We rolled into the BAF at the end of January. Previously, we coordinated with the Combined Test Force as well as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, (Ohio), in going through our detailed test plan ... making sure our test objectives were achievable before coming to the BAF. It's been a great experience."

The Euro Hawk has been undergoing flight testing at Edwards AFB since last year and is expected to complete its visit to the high desert during the summer.
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.