Kendall Seeks Congressional Action Against Prime Mergers: In what appears to be the first shot in a potentially groundbreaking change to defense mergers and acquisitions, Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top acquisition official, said the Department of Defense plans to ask Congress to create rules that could hinder mergers between prime contractors.
The drive behind the move, Kendall told reporters, is concern that such mergers limit the number of defense firms and give too much power to individual companies — power that will end up hurting both the department and the American taxpayer.
“If the trend to smaller and smaller numbers of weapon system prime contractors continues, one can foresee a future in which the department has at most two or three very large suppliers for all the major weapon systems that we acquire,” Kendall said. “The department would not consider this to be a positive development and the American public should not either.”
“With size comes power, and the department's experience with large defense contractors is that they are not hesitant to use this power for corporate advantage.”
Friday, October 2, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Raytheon fires new naval variant of combat-proven Excalibur
Raytheon fires new naval variant of combat-proven Excalibur: Raytheon successfully fired its new Excalibur N5 during a recent field test at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the company announced Wednesday.
The new projectile is a 5-inch/127 mm naval variant of the Excalibur used by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and several other armed forces around the world. It boasts triple the maximum effective range capability of conventional naval gun munitions, while delivering the same accuracy as the Excalibur Ib.
Duane Gooden, vice president of Raytheon's Land Warfare Systems product line, says the new projectile will be very helpful for the Navy.
"Excalibur N5's range, precision and lethality will revolutionize naval gunfire and increase the offensive firepower of our Navy's destroyers and cruisers," Gooden said in a statement. "This demonstration showcases the N5's maturity as a proven low-risk solution, and is ready for the Navy now."
The Excalibur N5 can be used for naval missions including surface fire support, anti-surface warfare, and countering fast attack craft.
The new projectile is a 5-inch/127 mm naval variant of the Excalibur used by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and several other armed forces around the world. It boasts triple the maximum effective range capability of conventional naval gun munitions, while delivering the same accuracy as the Excalibur Ib.
Duane Gooden, vice president of Raytheon's Land Warfare Systems product line, says the new projectile will be very helpful for the Navy.
"Excalibur N5's range, precision and lethality will revolutionize naval gunfire and increase the offensive firepower of our Navy's destroyers and cruisers," Gooden said in a statement. "This demonstration showcases the N5's maturity as a proven low-risk solution, and is ready for the Navy now."
The Excalibur N5 can be used for naval missions including surface fire support, anti-surface warfare, and countering fast attack craft.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Air Force Delays New Bomber Contract by 'Couple of Months' | DoD Buzz
Air Force Delays New Bomber Contract by 'Couple of Months' | DoD Buzz: The U.S. Air Force is delaying the award of a contract to develop a next-generation bomber by a “couple of months,” a general said.
The latest schedule slip was acknowledged on Tuesday by Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy for the office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.
“This is a case, sir, where we need to go slow to go fast,” he said. “We’ve got a fair, deliberate, disciplined and impartial process anytime that we do a competition. And we’ve been transparent and working with industry trying to get this thoroughly done and documented so we can make that decision. It’s coming soon. That’s about as good as I can give you.”
The latest schedule slip was acknowledged on Tuesday by Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy for the office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.
“This is a case, sir, where we need to go slow to go fast,” he said. “We’ve got a fair, deliberate, disciplined and impartial process anytime that we do a competition. And we’ve been transparent and working with industry trying to get this thoroughly done and documented so we can make that decision. It’s coming soon. That’s about as good as I can give you.”
Lockheed Martin moves forward with Space Fence program
Lockheed Martin moves forward with Space Fence program: U.S. government officials approved Lockheed Martin's design for their Space Fence system, which includes a large-scale digital radar and a turn-key facility, the company announced today.
The Space Fence is a next-generation space surveillance system being built by the U.S. Air Force. Its purpose is to monitor both artificial satellites and space debris that orbit Earth. The plans were based on an earlier system called the Air Force Space Surveillance System, but those plans were abandoned in 2013. Space Flight Now reported Lockheed Martin won a $915 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to build the "fence" in July 2014.
The project aims to allow the U.S. military to monitor tens times more "space junk" than it can currently with aging technology, meaning it will be able to catalog orbital objects more than 1.5 million times a day, and be able to predict space-based collisions.
Assessment of the Space Fence was conducted by the U.S. Air Force through the program's Critical Design Review. This three day process followed the delivery of 21,000 pages of design documents, and an eight-day Design Walkthrough. Steve Bruce, vice president for Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Training business, is optimistic about the program's success.
The Space Fence is a next-generation space surveillance system being built by the U.S. Air Force. Its purpose is to monitor both artificial satellites and space debris that orbit Earth. The plans were based on an earlier system called the Air Force Space Surveillance System, but those plans were abandoned in 2013. Space Flight Now reported Lockheed Martin won a $915 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to build the "fence" in July 2014.
The project aims to allow the U.S. military to monitor tens times more "space junk" than it can currently with aging technology, meaning it will be able to catalog orbital objects more than 1.5 million times a day, and be able to predict space-based collisions.
Assessment of the Space Fence was conducted by the U.S. Air Force through the program's Critical Design Review. This three day process followed the delivery of 21,000 pages of design documents, and an eight-day Design Walkthrough. Steve Bruce, vice president for Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Training business, is optimistic about the program's success.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Russians In Syria Building A2/AD ‘Bubble’ Over Region: Breedlove « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary
Russians In Syria Building A2/AD ‘Bubble’ Over Region: Breedlove « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary: In keeping with its increasingly aggressive behavior over the past two years, Russia is deploying lethal and long-ranged anti-aircraft defenses to keep Western forces out of three key regions: the Baltics, the Black Sea, and, now, the Levant. From where NATO’s top commander Gen. Philip Breedlove sits, the Russian forces flowing into Syria don’t look like counter-terrorists out to stop the Islamic State, which Vladimir Putin has said is his highest priority. They look like the first pieces of a layered “anti-access/area denial” system that could complicate US and allied operations in Syria and well beyond.
“Anti-access/area denial, or A2/AD, is a growing problem,” Gen. Breedlove told the German Marshall Fund this afternoon, speaking just hours before Putin’s teeth-clenched meeting with President Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The northernmost danger zone or “bubble” is the oldest, based out of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad between Poland and Lithuania. “Kaliningrad is a large platform for A2/AD capability,” Breedlove said. His subordinates Gen. Frank Gorenc and Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges have warned taht Kaliningrad-based missiles reach well into Polish airspace and could shut down NATO reinforcements to the Baltics in a crisis.
“Anti-access/area denial, or A2/AD, is a growing problem,” Gen. Breedlove told the German Marshall Fund this afternoon, speaking just hours before Putin’s teeth-clenched meeting with President Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The northernmost danger zone or “bubble” is the oldest, based out of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad between Poland and Lithuania. “Kaliningrad is a large platform for A2/AD capability,” Breedlove said. His subordinates Gen. Frank Gorenc and Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges have warned taht Kaliningrad-based missiles reach well into Polish airspace and could shut down NATO reinforcements to the Baltics in a crisis.
Freezing U.S. out of the Arctic | Washington Examiner
Freezing U.S. out of the Arctic | Washington Examiner: U.S. national security leadership has put Arctic issues on the back burner for decades, focusing on global hot spots in the Middle East, Asia and Russia.
But the ice pack on the roof of the world is melting, and a surge of economic and foreign military activity is forcing Washington to take a hard look at how to fund polar priorities under an already strained federal budget.
While Russia is building air bases and search-and-rescue facilities in the Arctic and Chinese ships entered U.S. waters off the coast of Alaska, the U.S. lags at least 10 years behind where it needs to be in the Arctic, said Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard.
"Russia is building up capability that may be intended to deny U.S. access into that domain and to extend their base of operations as an offensive force targeting the U.S. using the Arctic as a base to carry out
But the ice pack on the roof of the world is melting, and a surge of economic and foreign military activity is forcing Washington to take a hard look at how to fund polar priorities under an already strained federal budget.
While Russia is building air bases and search-and-rescue facilities in the Arctic and Chinese ships entered U.S. waters off the coast of Alaska, the U.S. lags at least 10 years behind where it needs to be in the Arctic, said Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard.
"Russia is building up capability that may be intended to deny U.S. access into that domain and to extend their base of operations as an offensive force targeting the U.S. using the Arctic as a base to carry out
Marine Corps could expand training mission in Ukraine
Marine Corps could expand training mission in Ukraine: Marine leaders are considering expanding the Corps' mission in Ukraine by training local troops who could be tasked with taking on Russian-backed separatists.
Marines could deploy to the Eastern European country to train the Ukrainian naval infantry, said Capt. Richard Ulsh, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa.
The move would follow a July 25 announcement by the State Department that the U.S. military would expand its mission in the country to include training conventional forces. U.S. troops were previously only authorized to train Ukrainian national guardsmen.
It also follows an 11-day exercise the Marine Corps concluded in Ukraine in late July. About 56 Marines from Minnesota-based 4th Law Enforcement Battalion participated in Exercise Saber Guardian, a multinational exercise.
About 1,800 military personnel from the U.S. and several European partners participated in Saber Guardian. The exercise was held at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center outside Yavoriv in western Ukraine, near Poland — far from Crimea.
Marines could deploy to the Eastern European country to train the Ukrainian naval infantry, said Capt. Richard Ulsh, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa.
The move would follow a July 25 announcement by the State Department that the U.S. military would expand its mission in the country to include training conventional forces. U.S. troops were previously only authorized to train Ukrainian national guardsmen.
It also follows an 11-day exercise the Marine Corps concluded in Ukraine in late July. About 56 Marines from Minnesota-based 4th Law Enforcement Battalion participated in Exercise Saber Guardian, a multinational exercise.
About 1,800 military personnel from the U.S. and several European partners participated in Saber Guardian. The exercise was held at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center outside Yavoriv in western Ukraine, near Poland — far from Crimea.
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