U.S., Russia Close In on Arms Nuclear Arms Treaty - WSJ.com: "U.S. and Russian arms-control negotiators have reached an 'agreement in principle' on the first nuclear-arms-reduction treaty in nearly two decades, administration and arms-control officials said Tuesday.
The deal, which was widely expected, would bring down deployed nuclear warheads and sharply limit the number of missiles and bombers that can deliver them.
Rose Gottemoeller, the Obama administration's lead negotiator, flew to Geneva Monday to help draft the final text and begin what could still be an arduous process of translating the agreement into treaty language, an administration official said.
'There may be finessing and fine-tuning, but the issues, from our perspective, are all addressed,' the official added."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Lockheed Martin to roll out more accurate laser-guided bomb
Lockheed Martin to roll out more accurate laser-guided bomb: "US defence giant Lockheed Martin said Tuesday it will roll out by the middle of the year an improved laser-guided bomb that can strike targets with more accuracy and less collateral damage.
Joe Garland, vice president for international business development at Lockheed Martin, said final tests on the weapon called the Paveway II Plus laser guided bomb should be completed by the end of March."
Joe Garland, vice president for international business development at Lockheed Martin, said final tests on the weapon called the Paveway II Plus laser guided bomb should be completed by the end of March."
Gates announces joint strike fighter program shakeup
Gates announces joint strike fighter program shakeup: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced a restructuring in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter office Feb. 1, to provide increased oversight of a program he conceded has fallen behind in meeting key benchmarks.
Secretary Gates also announced that he has withheld $614 million in performance fees from the lead contractor, Lockheed-Martin, 'since the taxpayers should not have to bear the entire burden of getting the JSF program on track.'
'We have restructured the F-35 program and believe it is on track to become the backbone of U.S. air superiority for the next generation,' Secretary Gates said during a Pentagon news conference. 'Nonetheless, the progress and performance of F-35, over the last two years, has not been what it should, as a number of key goals and benchmarks were not met.'
To fix the situation, the secretary announced a change in leadership at the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, which had been headed by Marine Maj. Gen. David R. Heinz. A three-star officer yet to be named will replace him, Secretary Gates said, the higher rank reflecting the importance of the program to the future of military aviation.
Secretary Gates, who visited Lockheed Martin's F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 31, 2009, said he has become concerned about the program's progress as Ashton Carter, undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, became more involved in the program."
Secretary Gates also announced that he has withheld $614 million in performance fees from the lead contractor, Lockheed-Martin, 'since the taxpayers should not have to bear the entire burden of getting the JSF program on track.'
'We have restructured the F-35 program and believe it is on track to become the backbone of U.S. air superiority for the next generation,' Secretary Gates said during a Pentagon news conference. 'Nonetheless, the progress and performance of F-35, over the last two years, has not been what it should, as a number of key goals and benchmarks were not met.'
To fix the situation, the secretary announced a change in leadership at the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, which had been headed by Marine Maj. Gen. David R. Heinz. A three-star officer yet to be named will replace him, Secretary Gates said, the higher rank reflecting the importance of the program to the future of military aviation.
Secretary Gates, who visited Lockheed Martin's F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 31, 2009, said he has become concerned about the program's progress as Ashton Carter, undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, became more involved in the program."
Missile Defense Review links strategy to threats
Missile Defense Review links strategy to threats: "The Ballistic Missile Defense Review released Feb. 1 here, aligns U.S. missile defense posture with near-term regional missile threats, and sustains the ability to defend the homeland against limited long-range missile attack, said Michele Flournoy, the undersecretary of Defense for policy.
Ms. Flournoy described six major priorities that will shape U.S. missile defense at a Pentagon news conference.
The first goes to the heart of defense and that is to defend the United States from a limited ballistic missile attack. The second is to defend against growing regional threats.
A third priority is 'to test new systems under realistic conditions before they're deployed to ensure their effectiveness,' Ms. Flournoy said.
The fourth priority is to develop new fiscally sustainable capabilities, while the fifth is to develop flexible capabilities that can adapt as threats evolve. Finally, the United States wants to lead expanded international cooperation on missile defense, she said."
Ms. Flournoy described six major priorities that will shape U.S. missile defense at a Pentagon news conference.
The first goes to the heart of defense and that is to defend the United States from a limited ballistic missile attack. The second is to defend against growing regional threats.
A third priority is 'to test new systems under realistic conditions before they're deployed to ensure their effectiveness,' Ms. Flournoy said.
The fourth priority is to develop new fiscally sustainable capabilities, while the fifth is to develop flexible capabilities that can adapt as threats evolve. Finally, the United States wants to lead expanded international cooperation on missile defense, she said."
New threats compel DOD to rethink cyber strategy -- Defense Systems
New threats compel DOD to rethink cyber strategy -- Defense Systems: "The Defense Department’s widely heralded decision to create a new Cyber Command by October 2009 is still languishing in limbo. Confirmation hearings have yet to be scheduled for the prospective commander, National Security Agency director Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander. And efforts to kick-start the organization have been delayed by congressional concerns over the organization.
Meanwhile, adversaries working in the cyber domain aren’t sitting still. In December, hackers reportedly stole a classified PowerPoint slide deck that details South Korean and U.S. strategy for fighting a war with North Korea. And in Iraq, it was revealed that insurgents had intercepted Predator feeds using software they downloaded from the Internet.
Regardless of how quickly the Cyber Command moves forward, DOD is starting to shift its philosophic focus on network operations from information assurance to mission assurance — recognizing that as the Global Information Grid (GIG) comes under perpetual attack, efforts to deliver information services essential to operators will also need to shift from a focus on total network security to one of risk management."
Meanwhile, adversaries working in the cyber domain aren’t sitting still. In December, hackers reportedly stole a classified PowerPoint slide deck that details South Korean and U.S. strategy for fighting a war with North Korea. And in Iraq, it was revealed that insurgents had intercepted Predator feeds using software they downloaded from the Internet.
Regardless of how quickly the Cyber Command moves forward, DOD is starting to shift its philosophic focus on network operations from information assurance to mission assurance — recognizing that as the Global Information Grid (GIG) comes under perpetual attack, efforts to deliver information services essential to operators will also need to shift from a focus on total network security to one of risk management."
The fundamentals of Army combat team modernization -- Defense Systems
The fundamentals of Army combat team modernization -- Defense Systems: "The task of modernizing the Army -– no small feat, to be sure –- has been in the works for close to a decade, beginning at least with the $160 billion Future Combat Systems program that was ordered shut down by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in April 2009.
Now, the Army is updating its troops and plans with the Brigade Combat Team (BCT) Modernization plan built on network-centric operations that employ mobility and information-sharing in a new era of warfare.
“BCT Modernization is forcing the Army to take a hard look at how we’re structured,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Bowman, director of architecture, operations, networks and space in the Army’s Office of the Chief Information Officer. “We’re working off requirements that are eight years old. Who would have dreamed eight years ago that there would be an iPhone?”"
Now, the Army is updating its troops and plans with the Brigade Combat Team (BCT) Modernization plan built on network-centric operations that employ mobility and information-sharing in a new era of warfare.
“BCT Modernization is forcing the Army to take a hard look at how we’re structured,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Bowman, director of architecture, operations, networks and space in the Army’s Office of the Chief Information Officer. “We’re working off requirements that are eight years old. Who would have dreamed eight years ago that there would be an iPhone?”"
PlayStations power Air Force 'supercomputer' -- Defense Systems
PlayStations power Air Force 'supercomputer' -- Defense Systems: "The Air Force Research Laboratory has built a supercomputer driven by several hundred Sony PlayStation 3 consoles, reports Warren Peace in Stars and Stripes.
AFRL has assembled 336 PlayStation 3s in a cluster and, together with off-the-shelf graphic processing units, created a supercomputer nearly 100,000 times faster than high-end computer processors currently on the market.
It's not the first time the gaming console has been harnessed for more serious uses. The University of Massachusets Dartmouth, for example, in 2007 built a powerful computer out of eight PlayStations to study black holes."
AFRL has assembled 336 PlayStation 3s in a cluster and, together with off-the-shelf graphic processing units, created a supercomputer nearly 100,000 times faster than high-end computer processors currently on the market.
It's not the first time the gaming console has been harnessed for more serious uses. The University of Massachusets Dartmouth, for example, in 2007 built a powerful computer out of eight PlayStations to study black holes."
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