National Defense articles from April 2008

National Defense archives from April 2008

Impending collision between military needs and resources.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
April 1, 2008... * The latest release of the federal budget request to Congress and the submission of the military services' "unfunded requirements" lists are clear indicators of the serious fiscal problems the nation must confront. They also hint at an ominous...

Acquisition woes.(READERS' FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... * In the article, "Preventive Care Prescribed for Pentagon Big-Ticket Programs," (February 2008, page 8), Ms. Erwin makes an interesting observation concerning cost overruns of numerous Pentagon programs, but I suggest that the budget process...

Airport security.(READERS' FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... * The "Tunnel of Truth" in your March 2008 story (page 16) strikes me like an invention of Maxwell Smart of the '60s spy spoof. Remember the "Cone of Silence"? The "security" issues Transportation Security Laboratory Director Susan...

Changes to military strategy, in time for the next war.(DEFENSE WATCH)
April 1, 2008... * It is a Pentagon cliche that the military is always preparing for the last war. Iraq is far from over, but the Defense Department--and notably the Army--already are rewriting military doctrine so that forces are adequately trained and...

Net defense: big-bucks cyber security program proposed.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * The Bush Administration has launched a secretive "cyber initiative" to better protect government networks. The White House requested $30 billion for the nine-year project, says Tiffany Jones, director of government...

A softer side to China's military edge.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * At the Pentagon, there is rising anxiety about China's military buildup. China's floating military hospitals, however, can be a source of admiration. The Chinese military's new state-of-the-art hospital ship is...

Lawmaker condemns GDP-based defense.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * The Pentagon's top brass has been trying for some time to persuade Congress that the defense budget should be 4 percent of the nation's gross national product, versus about 3.2 percent currently (not including war...

Navy may declassify its confidential wish-list.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)(United States Navy)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... * The Navy's super-secret "strategic plan" can be described as the service's itemized wish-list that rarely anyone from the private sector gets to see. That may change in the future, suggested Vice Adm. Terrance T. Etnyre, who recently retired...

Overpriced, high-maintenance hardware hurts the Army.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
April 1, 2008... * The Army needs equipment that is "cheaper to buy, cheaper to operate and cheaper to maintain," says Nelson M. Ford, assistant secretary of the Army for financial management. "And that does not mean junk," he told contractors at the...

The new Pentagon? DHS aspires to be more like defense.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * When Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff casts his eyes across the Potomac at the Pentagon, apparently he likes what he sees. Embedded inside the 2009 budget request are several proposals...

Border Patrol may get bigger personnel boost.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
April 1, 2008... * One of the Department of Homeland Security's goals is to double the size of the Border Patrol during the remainder of the Bush presidency. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said the agency is on track to meet that objective by the end of...

Public safety spectrum auction a bust for FCC.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
April 1, 2008... * The demise of analog television broadcasts was supposed to be a boon for public safety agencies that clamored for years for new space on the radio spectrum to call their own. In 2009, all television broadcasts will convert to digital...

Congressman worried about power handoff at DHS.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, wants to make sure the transition from one administration to another next year goes smoothly for the Department of Homeland...

Honeywell gains rare license to fly aerial drones.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)(Honeywell International)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... * The Federal Aviation Administration granted an experimental airworthiness certificate to Honeywell International to fly its ducted fan unmanned aerial vehicle in national airspace. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The FAA has been notoriously...

A makeover for top-heavy Navy ships?(INSIDE SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2008... * If one looks at photos of modern day warships and compares them to conceptual drawings of future Navy vessels, the most striking difference is the lack of antennas on the advanced gray hulls. It's not that future ships won't need...

Plugged in: Army struggling with rising demand for communications.(IN FOCUS: DEFENSE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(United States Army)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Soldiers want to be plugged in, 24/7. They want video-teleconferencing, as well as streaming, high-def full-motion video. Conveniences of the information age that troops in combat used to regard as luxuries are...

As the cost of sailors rises, Navy finds ways to get them off ships.(IN FOCUS: DEFENSE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS)
April 1, 2008... Navy ships in the future may go to sea with fewer, but perhaps happier sailors. Or so goes the thinking behind the Navy's new warship designs, which will make it possible for vessels to deploy with less than half the number of sailors that...

Looking East: promising future for China's aerospace industry.(Analysis)
April 1, 2008... China's plans to create a new civil aviation company in the first quarter of 2008 could signify much more than prospective competition in the regional jetliner class. The shift is emblematic of an evolving mindset in China's defense...

Slow delivery: special operations command: it takes too long to get equipment.(Special Operations)(United States Special Operations Command )
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "The bottom line for us is: we need planes," said Lt. Gen. Donald Wurster, who heads the Air Force Special Operations Command. In addition to airplanes, the U.S. Special Operations Command will be needing a vast...

Special ops technologists have unique wish list.(Special Operations)(Richard Chandler)
April 1, 2008... * The U.S. Special Operations Command's advanced technology directorate has a long list of items it wants to put in the hands of elite commando teams during clandestine missions. Richard Chandler, who heads the directorate, said the three...

Are we there yet? Army pushes forward with troubled scout helicopter.(Army Aviation)(ARH-70A armed reconnaissance helicopter)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Despite a string of delays and billions of dollars in cost increases, the Army has regained confidence in its ARH-70A armed reconnaissance helicopter. Price and scheduling problems nearly forced Army leadership...

Energy crunch: Army powers up for ambitious fuel saving program.(Tactical Power)
April 1, 2008... As roadside attacks on fuel convoys continue to plague the U.S. military, the Army is pursuing a new "intelligent" power program that could cut petroleum use in half at bases in Iraq, Army officials say. The energy management system,...

Safe harbor? DHS will miss deadline to set up port security hubs.(Port Security)(Department of Homeland Security)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Every morning, representatives of the Coast Guard, Department of Justice and Customs and Border Protection gather in a meeting room in a secure port facility here to plan the day's operations....

Rolling ahead: move over MRAP: new light tactical vehicles are coming.(Tactical Vehicles)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MONTEREY, Calif. -- There are narrow alleyways and small streets in Fallujah, Iraq, through which most military trucks cannot travel. Even the formidable mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle--rushed to the...

Industry-military collaborations necessary to reset fatigued force.(Tactical Vehicles)
April 1, 2008... * MONTEREY, Calif. -- It's the million-dollar question. When the combat-fatigued trucks in Iraq and Afghanistan finally return to depots in the United States to be revamped, what will the Army and Marine Corps do with them? The answer is...

Driving forces: combat vehicle sector could be headed for turbulent times.(Industry Study)
April 1, 2008... The $38 billion U.S. military market for land combat systems--which includes tactical trucks and tracked combat vehicles--continues to enjoy the boom that started five years ago. The industry has thrived despite erratic government funding...

Quiet but deadly: diesel-electric submarines, the U.S. Navy's latest annoyance.(Anti-Sub Technology)(Cover story)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The Navy in recent months has had to contend with several provoking episodes at sea--Iranian small boats speeding at its cruisers, destroyers and frigates; Russian bombers flying over its carriers; and Chinese subs...

Sniper alert: sensors tag shooters in less than a second.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] A wearable, 6.4 ounce sensor has proven its worth in quickly detecting the location of snipers. The devices--developed by QinetiQ North America of McLean, Va., have been used in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. ...

Pack for grunts reinvented.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
April 1, 2008... * A tactical sling bag that allows soldiers to keep their packs on in vehicles and permits ready access to their equipment is being perfected by the U.S. Army Soldier System Center in Natick, Mass. Richard Landry, an equipment designer,...

Cable service boat makes deep water debut.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * A 29-foot, open water cable service boat has been built by Aluminum Chambered Boats Inc. of Bellingham, Wash., for CGG Veritas, and international geophysical company. The craft is designed to support its...

Bio-defense: stemming false alarms.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
April 1, 2008... * Commercial biological agent detectors tend to give too many false alarms. And that can be a major headache. Unnecessary evacuations at airports, sports arenas, train stations and other large areas where people congregate cost time, money...

Amphibious vehicle is a car for all seasons.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
April 1, 2008... * A Covington, Tenn., company following four years of research and development is now marketing Hydratrek--a heavy duty emergency response vehicle that can endure hazardous conditions. The 2,500-pound multiwheel amphibious vehicle can swim...

Muddy boots, wet boots, icy boots--no problem.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
April 1, 2008... * The Special Operations Command is due to receive 10,000 pairs of rugged boots that were conceived for use in unusually harsh locales. The Tora Bora Alpine Boot, which was developed by Bates Footwear of Rockford, Mich., a division of...

Want to 'fight' terrorists, before the real thing?(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Smart Entities, a simulation system for counterterrorism training, has been unveiled by Elbit Systems Ltd. of Haifa, Israel. The training program with artificial intelligence is based on decades of operational...

Sustaining workforce is NDIA's top issues.(GOVERNMENT POLICY)(National Defense Industrial Association)
April 1, 2008... * The National Defense Industrial Association identified the sustaining of the U.S. national security workforce advantage as its number one priority in 2008. The association's board of directors approved the "Top Issues for 2008" at its...

New rules for federal contracts.(Ethics Corner)
April 1, 2008... The Defense Department expects contractors to adhere to the highest degree of integrity and honesty. Effective Dec. 24, 2007, the government-wide federal acquisition regulation (FAR) mandates a written code of ethics for almost all government...

NDIA calendar: upcoming exhibits, shows and events.(National Defense Industrial Association)(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... APRIL 7-9 Defense Industrial Base Critical Infrastructure Protection Conference & Technology Exhibition Miami FL www.ndia.org/meetings/8030 14-18 DoD Enterprise Architecture 2008 Orlando. FL ...