National Defense articles from April 2007

National Defense archives from April 2007

Special operations command: strategies, opportunities in long war on terrorism.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
April 1, 2007... IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED THAT THE war on terrorism which started with the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut is going to be a protracted conflict. Much uncertainty remains as to how we will win this war. Our armed forces around the...

How to fix military logistics.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I read with interest your February editorial (Digital Age Logistics Systems Still No Panacea for Troops, page 16) about the inefficiencies of logistic systems for the U.S. military. While I certainly can't argue that there are still a number of...

More on defense logistics.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I have worked the Army logistics problems at all levels for the past 35 years. I have worked with their logistics information systems and databases during this time. After reading your article (Digital Age Logistics Systems Still No...

Soldier networks.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I liked your recent article in the February issue (Soldiers on the Move Have Yet to Profit From Information Age, page 44). I would like to clarify a few points that I think are important. You point out the networking challenges below...

Information warfare.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... A recent National Defense article (Information Overload?, May 2006, page 9) cites the problem of the disorganized flow of information. A USA Today article of Sept. 17 2003 (Database Will Unite Agencies' Terrorist Lists) states that such a super...

Military readiness: candid assessments long overdue.(DEFENSE WATCH)
April 1, 2007... ALARM BELLS HAVE GOTTEN progressively louder and more jarring in recent weeks on the issue of military readiness. The warnings voiced by military officials, lawmakers and a chorus of beltway pundits are hardly surprising: The nation's army is...

Foreign software not inherently evil.(Washington PULSE)
April 1, 2007... Critics of globalization who often decry the outsourcing of high-tech manufacturing lately have been sounding distress signals about the potential harm to national security that could be caused by software designed and made outside the United...

Army responds to tech-savvy enemies.(Washington PULSE)
April 1, 2007... As if soldiers weren't busy enough these days, the Army now is requiring them to become electronic-warfare specialists. The new mandate stems from the realization that insurgents in Iraq have become quite deft at exploiting the electronic...

New technology in place, but training falls short.(Washington PULSE)
April 1, 2007... For years the Defense Department has been replacing outdated financial and business systems with modern software of the sort used in commercial industry. The Pentagon has invested billions of dollars in these new technologies--known as...

National laboratories out of the loop?(Washington PULSE)
April 1, 2007... The Energy Department's laboratories are among the nation's most treasured sources of technical innovation. They design everything from nuclear warheads to radiation detectors. The labs also would like to put their talents to work in the U.S....

From a distance: defense, law-enforcement agencies seek advanced surveillance tools.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
April 1, 2007... Suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices and the threats of chemical or biological weapons are creating increased demand for cutting edge technologies that can detect or survey potential hazards from stand-off distances. Every year,...

Chem-bio readiness doubtful at home and away, says GAO.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
April 1, 2007... IT UNDOUBTEDLY WAS coincidence that a Government Accountability Office report that chided the military for being unprepared to respond to chemical attacks surfaced the same day when a chlorine tanker crashed into an Iraqi cafe. Six persons...

FAA takes slow flight path to domestic UAV approval.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
April 1, 2007... WITH MORE THAN 50 U.S. companies involved in the unmanned aerial vehicle market, the pressure for the Federal Aviation Administration to approve their use in domestic air space is growing. Progress, although slow, is being made, said the...

Homeland security sours on RFID technology.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
April 1, 2007... DHS scrapped the notion of requiring states to use radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to ensure the cards are machine readable in all jurisdictions when it released its long-awaited rules on the controversial REAL ID act. DHS...

Keeping pace with retiring; engineers.(INSIDE Science AND Technology)
April 1, 2007... Imagine our world without the Internet, Teflon, global positioning satellites, superglue and radar. Those technologies--and many others that we encounter daily in our lives--originally were innovations developed by Defense Department...

Fixing the network: research chief takes steps to link incompatible weapons.
April 1, 2007... The Pentagon has lots of weapons systems that should be able to "talk" to each other but can't. Despite years and billions of dollars spent to develop networking technologies, some major weapon systems today still lack basic connectivity to...

Pentagon begins broad review of acquisition workforce skills.
April 1, 2007... The Pentagon has launched an extensive evaluation of military acquisition and contracting personnel in order to gauge their skills and competence. A precipitous upsurge in defense spending during the past five years, accompanied by a...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
April 1, 2007... In the March 2007 Defense Watch column ("A Navy With Fewer Carriers No Longer Unthinkable") it was reported that Navy aircraft carriers cost nearly $10 billion apiece to build. According to the Naval Sea Systems Command, the lead ship of...

Space wars: Congress ponders action after Chinese anti-sat test.
April 1, 2007... For the space community, it was "the shot heard around the world." On Jan. 11, the Chinese military launched a medium range missile at one of its defunct weather satellites to demonstrate the ability to destroy an enemy spacecraft. ...

Armor rush: surge in vehicle orders calls for unconventional buying methods.(TACTICAL VEHICLES)
April 1, 2007... Amid escalating pressure to deliver better protection for troops in Iraq, the Army and the Marine Corps have committed to buying nearly 6,800 mine-resistant armored vehicles by March 2008. But to meet the aggressive schedule, the services...

Slow down: next-generation humvee faces delays, budget crunch.(TACTICAL VEHICLES)
April 1, 2007... The Army and Marine Corps are expected to delay an industry competition to design and build a new family of light trucks to replace aging humvees. Under a project called "joint light tactical vehicle," both services announced tentative...

Portable power? Soldier devices create voracious demand for better batteries.(TACTICAL POWER)
April 1, 2007... The old battlefield expression, "praise the Lord and pass the ammunition," may soon be "praise the Lord and pass the AA batteries." That is, if dismounted soldiers wired up with the latest electronic gear don't see improvements in power...

Defense seeking $131m for energy-saving projects.(TACTICAL POWER)
April 1, 2007... THE PENTAGON HAS ASKED Congress for $131 million to develop energy-saving technologies during the next five years. The proposed budget would fund a mix of fuel cells, generators and engine technologies. The projects were selected based on input...

Battlefield energy: alternative power sources sought for remote bases.(TACTICAL POWER)
April 1, 2007... Mobile generators that produce renewable energy are about to be fielded by the Army's Rapid Equipping Force in Iraq and Afghanistan. Available from commercial suppliers, these technologies not only offer low-cost power, but may also cut...

'Diving into the dirt': riverines rehearse for first mission in Iraq.(NAVY)(Cover story)
April 1, 2007... FORT PICKETT, Va. -- On a chilly winter's day, four boats round the bend of a winding reservoir and zip quietly through the water in single file. As they reach their destination--a suspected weapons cache ashore--the small riverine craft slow...

New course to train sailors in ground combat skills.
April 1, 2007... LITTLE CREEK, Va. -- The Navy is planning to introduce a new training course designed to teach sailors how to fight on the ground. The expeditionary combat skills course will be an eight-week course required of all 40,000 sailors who are...

Riverines eyeing future missions around the globe.(NAVY)(Riverine Group One)
April 1, 2007... FORT PICKETT, Va. -- Even as they prepare for their first deployment, officers in the Navy's Riverine Group One are contemplating potential missions beyond the imminent one in Iraq. "We're already looking down the road at deployment to...

Controlling the waterways: brown-water navy begins hunt for new riverine combat craft.(NAVY)
April 1, 2007... To patrol Iraq's Euphrates River--which is peppered with 79 islands that offer hideouts for insurgents and weapons caches--the Navy is relying on a squadron of small boats that used to belong to the Marines. The small craft turned out to...

Over troubled waters: Navy steaming ahead with shipbuilding plans, but costs becoming problematic.(NAVY)
April 1, 2007... When the Navy unveiled its 30-year shipbuilding blueprint last year, defense watchdogs said the plan carried tremendous risks because it was based upon optimistic assumptions about the affordability of ships and expectations of an increasing...

Navy's revised strategy to emphasize 'global partnerships'.(NAVY)
April 1, 2007... In its soon-to-be-unveiled strategy for future maritime operations, the Navy will emphasize the importance of international partnerships and global naval presence. In June, the Navy is expected to publish an updated strategy document that...

Underwater: mines, improvided explosives. a threat to global commerce?(COMMENTARY)
April 1, 2007... The United States confronts the formidable task of protecting some 95,000 miles of coastlines and thousands of miles of inland waterways, including 361 ports. The nation's maritime economic zone comprises more than 3.4 million square miles of...

On the fly: unmanned aerial vehicle refueling accomplished.(TECH TALK)
April 1, 2007... The Air Research Laboratory and Boeing's Phantom Works have demonstrated that unmanned aerial vehicles can be refueled in the air. A KC-135R tanker from the New York Air National Guard and a specially equipped Learjet were used in the tests....

Digital info device wins commercial jet application.(TECH TALK)
April 1, 2007... CANADA'S CMC ELECTRONICS' PilotView flight bag is being acquired by aerospace giant Embraer of Brazil for use on its E-Jets family and Lineage 1000 aircraft. The compact system increases situational awareness by providing instant access to...

Gadget designed to dampen boater distress.(Re: The Outdoors' Blackfin Skeg guards boats against impacts)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Recreational boaters may now be able to dodge damage that is caused by underwater hazards, such as rocks or submerged wood. A new product--called the Blackfin Skeg that was launched by Re: The Outdoors of Birmingham, Ala.--can be installed on...

Hear this message 10 miles away.(Technomad Military PA Systems' speakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... With a range of up to one mile and a 180 to 360 degree arc of coverage, these compact, high powered speakers are offering unprecedented clarity for U.S., U.K. and Canadian military forces. Made by Technomad Military PA Systems of Boston, the...

Flash fire suits for soldiers perfected.(TECH TALK)
April 1, 2007... DUPONT HAS ADAPTED its Nomex Limitedwear protective clothing for the Defense Department. The garment is designed to protect soldiers--mechanics and infantrymen--from flash fires. The product, which comes in desert tan, camouflage and other...

German troops getting mobile radio systems.(TECH TALK)
April 1, 2007... The German ground forces are scheduled to receive 30 mobile, digital out of area radio systems, training equipment and accessories by the end of this year. The multi-million dollar procurement is being supplied by The European Aeronautic and...

Restrictions on flight simulators questioned.(GOVERNMENT POLICY NOTES)
April 1, 2007... Last month, NDIA President and CEO Lawrence P. Farrell sent a letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Defense Authorization and Appropriations committees expressing concern that a legislative restriction on providing...

National Small Business Conference takes shape.(GOVERNMENT POLICY NOTES)
April 1, 2007... Next month, NDIA's Small Business Division will call to order the fourth National Small Business Conference--"Critical Infrastructure Protection Opportunities." This year's event will be held in Houston, Texas, May 15-17, and is a valuable...

Small Diameter Bomb Team wins Perry Award.(Precision Strike Association )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A highlight of the recent Precision Strike Association winter roundtable held on Feb. 1st was the presentation of the William Perry Award to the military and civilian members of the Small Diameter Bomb Team. Presenting the award was Gordon...

Survivability awards announced.(NDIA NEWS)
April 1, 2007... The NDIA Combat Survivability Awards, presented annually at the Combat Survivability Division's Aircraft Survivability Symposium, are intended to recognize individuals or teams demonstrating superior performance across the entire spectrum of...

Five defense programs recognized for performance.(NDIA NEWS)
April 1, 2007... At NDIA's recent Systems Engineering Conference in San Diego, Calif., five Defense Department programs were recognized for the quality of their overall performance and demonstrated use of systems engineering. The organizations received the...

NDIA events calendar.(National Defense Industrial Association)(Calendar)
April 1, 2007... APRIL 2007 10-12 Defense Industrial Base Critical Infrastructure Protection Conference and Exhibition Miami, FL POC: Christy Goehner @ (703) 247-2586 17-19 Annual Science & Engineering Technology Conference / DoD...

Affiliate events.(National Defense Industrial Association)(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2007... APRIL 24-27 Defense Enterprise Architecture Summit Hilton San Diego Mission Valley, San Diego, CA Contact Nicole Peterson at: (703) 247-9474 or email npeterson@afei.org APRIL 24-26 ITEC 2007 Cologne, Germany ...

Chapter events.(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2007... APRIL 23 NDIA USO Benefit Golf & Tennis Outing Andrews Air Force Base Suitland, Md. MAY 1 Tennessee Valley Chapter Annual Awards Dinner Huntsville Marriott ...