National Defense articles from December 2006

National Defense archives from December 2006

DARPA sets tone for technological superiority.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
December 1, 2006... DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY Gordon England at a recent conference in the nation's capital noted that the greatest long-term threat to America is not weapons of mass destruction, but rather the prospect of losing our strength in science and...

U.S. troops vulnerable to enemy drones.(WASHINGTON PULSE)
December 1, 2006... U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East need improved defenses against unmanned drones, says the Army's top general in charge of air-defense systems. While fighting Israeli forces this summer, Lebanon's Hezbollah guerillas demonstrated their...

Message to industry: keep customers happy.(WASHINGTON PULSE)
December 1, 2006... Senior executives from the nation's largest defense contractors are urging the industry to give military customers better value for taxpayer dollars. Industry must watch out for a "backlash" from the government that results from "too much cash...

Military networks are Pentagon's 'Achilles' heel'.(WASHINGTON PULSE)
December 1, 2006... The Defense Department spends $2 billion a year on computer-network security, but nevertheless remains hugely vulnerable to cyber-attacks, says Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England. The susceptibility of the Defense Department s networks to...

'Future combat systems' under cloud of uncertainty.(WASHINGTON PULSE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Despite high-level endorsements from the Army's top leadership, "future combat systems" may never become the $180 billion procurement program that was originally envisioned. As recent comments by Army and industry officials suggest, FCS more...

Nuclear meltdown: Homeland Security tussles with GAO over radiation portals.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
December 1, 2006... A Department of Homeland Security official said he was confident that the next generation of portals designed to find nuclear materials in shipping containers will work despite a withering Government Accountability Office report questioning...

UAVs have tactical role in border security, DHS official says.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
December 1, 2006... Unmanned aerial vehicles will be used sparingly and in "tactical situations" to patrol U.S. borders as the new SBInet system of systems is rolled out, according to the program's manager. The Department of Homeland Security's Kirk Evans...

Coast Guard has no problem attracting recruits.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... WHILE SERVICES SUCH AS the Army and Marines have had difficulties attracting recruits as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on, that's not the case at the Coast Guard. The service met 101 percent of its recruiting goals for active duty...

Research tout new airport screening concepts.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
December 1, 2006... RESEARCHERS WORKING on grants from the National Science Foundation are exploring revolutionary ways to screen passengers at airports. "What we are typically doing is screening for capabilities," said Richard Donovan, a professor of...

RAND cites threats for ferries, cruise ships.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
December 1, 2006... While the recently signed Port Security Improvement Act of 2006 has numerous provisions for inspecting inbound shipping containers, a Rand Corp. report suggests that ferries and cruise ships are easier and more likely terrorist targets. ...

Latest Pentagon 'roadmap' reveals serious frustration.
December 1, 2006... WHEN PENTAGON OFFICIALS ARE confronted with questions for which they lack clear answers, they turn to one of the bureaucracy's preferred stratagems: the roadmap. At the Defense Department, there are roadmaps for just about...

Turf battles: Strategic Command's expanded portfolio prompts skepticism.
December 1, 2006... OMAHA, Neb. -- Missile defense, space systems, psychological operations, nuclear strike, weapons of mass destruction, the global information grid, intelligence gathering and network warfare. It all now comes under the U.S. Strategic Command...

Strategic command pushing divisive 'conventional trident' plan.
December 1, 2006... OMAHA, Neb. -- The concept sounds simple: arm land-or sea-based missiles such as the Minuteman or the Trident D-5 with conventional rather than nuclear warheads to give the U.S. military the ability to strike almost anywhere in the world within...

Navy's ground combat units poised for rapid growth.
December 1, 2006... NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE LITTLE CREEK, Va. -- The Navy is sailing ahead with plans to get its new Expeditionary Combat Command up and running as quickly as possible, despite congressional concerns that it may be acting too quickly. Within the...

Undersea range planned for anti-submarine warfare.(Navy proposal for undersea warfare training for sailors)
December 1, 2006... The Navy has proposed constructing an undersea warfare training range off the East Coast to prepare sailors for antisubmarine missions in shallow waters. "It's very important, because if we do have some sort of crisis--it doesn't matter...

Researchers tout new counter-IED technology.(improvised explosive devices control by sensors)
December 1, 2006... On a Baghdad street corner, an Iraqi citizen spots insurgents planting an improvised explosive device. He quickly gets on his cell phone and uses an icon menu and the global positioning system chip inside to tell a command center what is going...

Errata.(Correction notice)
December 1, 2006... In the November 2006 story, page 44, "Fear of Terror Weapons Drives Tech Funding," the name of Daniel Prieto, senior fellow and director of the homeland security center at the Reform Institute, was misspelled. In the November 2006 story,...

Search and rescue: service teams seek more cooperation to save lives.
December 1, 2006... With U.S. forces heavily engaged in combat, peacekeeping and disaster-relief missions around the world, military search-and-rescue units are trying to figure out how to work more closely together while saving lives. Although the Air Force...

Boeing to build new search-and-rescue helicopter.(SEARCH AND RESCUE)
December 1, 2006... The Air Force has awarded Boeing Helicopter, of Ridley Park, Pa., a contract worth a possible $15 billion to build 141 next-generation combat search-and-rescue helicopters. The new helicopters would be HH-47s--updated versions of the CH-47...

Air warriors: (revamped flag exercises reflect new missions).(WARGAMING)(Cover story)
December 1, 2006... NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Gotham City lies in the Nevada desert about 50 miles north of Las Vegas' shimmering casinos. But it's not on any maps. Dozens of times every year, F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Warthogs place...

Simulation technology: Air Force sets sights on 'airman of the future' video games.(WARGAMING)
December 1, 2006... The runaway success of military video games--particularly "America's Army"--is motivating the Air Force to attempt even more sophisticated simulations. Gaming technologies, officials say, would allow the Air Force to broaden the training...

Gaming trends: industry has yet to crack government market code.(WARGAMING)
December 1, 2006... The collective perception of the video game industry is that defense and homeland security remain largely untapped markets. Insiders believe it is only a matter of time before government decision-makers fully appreciate the potential of...

Piloting drones: Air Force expands training program for Predator operators.(Predator schoolhouse to train pilots for unmanned aircrafts)
December 1, 2006... A steady surge in the demand for unmanned aircraft operators in the Air Force has resulted in a tenfold increase in the number of students attending the Predator schoolhouse at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Just about a year ago, the school...

Buying simulations: Congress says service contracts no longer allowed.(SIMULATION & MODELING)
December 1, 2006... A new law that effectively bans the Defense Department from outsourcing the operation of flight simulators is casting serious doubts on military plans to expand the use of these devices. Following a congressional investigation of the Air...

Simulation-based acquisition: too many studies.(Department of Defense)
December 1, 2006... Modeling and simulation have long been touted by the Defense Department as offering savings in time and money in developing military systems. But efforts to move toward "simulation based acquisition" in the military remain only a bumper...

Virtual weapons lab sought by Air Force.(SIMULATION & MODELING)
December 1, 2006... One of the explanations often heard for the ballooning cost of weapon systems is that the military services habitually make changes to the design late in a weapon's development cycle. This expensive habit often occurs even after contractors...

"Batting cage for the mind": Army training evolving to develop better combat leaders.(SIMULATION & MODELING)
December 1, 2006... Traditional, hard combat skills are not proving decisive in Iraq. So Army and industry innovators are responding by focusing on cognitive training scenarios to resolve the complex array of challenges facing troops there. In recent years,...

National Guard: state units test portable combat training program.(SIMULATION & MODELING)
December 1, 2006... The National Guard--under pressure to keep supplying thousands of troops for Iraq and Afghanistan--is pioneering what it says is a more efficient, less expensive way to train those soldiers for combat. The goal is to provide a possible...

Air Guard: guardsmen shift roles to align more with Air Force.(Air National Guard to reorganize in order to be effective in national security role)
December 1, 2006... The Air National Guard is reorganizing--shedding some traditional missions and taking on new ones--in order to play a larger national-security role as its active-duty partner, the Air Force, shrinks in size. The changes are controversial,...

Hear this: compact special operator headset now available.(Silynx Communications Inc.'s tactical headgear)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Silynx Communications Inc. of Rockville, Md., a company that specializes in producing gear for special operations forces, has unveiled a smart tactical headset and ear protector for elite troops. Called, QuietOps, the software defined...

Protective hoods aid fire victims.(TECH TALK)
December 1, 2006... AN INCREASING NUMBER of municipal fire departments around the country are acquiring smoke escape hoods that are made by Draeger Safety Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa. The devices, which feature a large eyepiece and filter for breathing, are designed...

Mega shredder comes ready to use.(Security Engineered Machinery Company Inc.'s Model 3 Deployment Kit)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Model 3 Deployment Kit from Security Engineered Machinery of Westboro, Mass., is a forklift transportable disintegrator that be used right out of the box. The device, a company spokesman relates, can handle up to 500 pounds of waste an...

Helmet lights illuminate first responders.(SureFire's modular integrated communications helmet)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... SureFire of Fountain Valley, Calif., has put together a multiple light system for the TC 2000 modular integrated communications helmet. The system includes a primary light and three white light emitting diodes. A secondary light with two night...

Moving map display unveiled.(Barco N.V. partners with EuroAvionics)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... TWO TECHNOLOGY companies are offering a moving, digital map for helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Barco and EuroAvionics have put together a combination of software and hardware that can be adapted to a broad range of mission requirements....

Composite tanks boosts spacecraft payload.(TECH TALK)
December 1, 2006... JUST PRODUCED AND TESTED light weight liquid oxygen composite tanks for the Sprite Small Launch Vehicle are yielding an increase in mass to orbit by more than 30 percent. The fuel tanks, which are fabricated by Microcosm Inc. of El Segundo,...

Improved battery charger offered.(Nexergy's LX series )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... New LX series chargers by Nexergy of Columbus, Ohio, that are especially configured for Lithium-ion and Lithium-polymer batteries have built in features that precisely match voltage to power packs. Additionally, precharge qualification...

Homeland security selects nuke detectors.(TECH TALK)
December 1, 2006... Next generation spectroscopic portal monitors fashioned by Thermo Electron Corp. of Waltham, Mass., will be installed in ports and border entry points to detect and halt the introduction into the United States of nuclear weapons and...

Veteran owned small businesses deserve equal benefits.(GOVERNMENT POLICY NOTES)
December 1, 2006... Current law regarding service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses ultimately does not create the same benefits for them as those extended to other marginalized entrepreneurs. Since its inception in 1969, the mission of the Small...

Tightening export controls require industry awareness.(ETHICS CORNER)
December 1, 2006... U.S. export-control enforcement activities by the Departments of Commerce and State remain on the rise. By September 2006, Commerce enforcement cases already had surpassed the total number of cases in 2005. While the State Department does...

Michigan singled out as 2006 Model Chapter.(National Defense Industrial Association awarded)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... NDIA's Michigan Chapter has been selected for the association's 2006 Model Chapter Award. It was the third consecutive time that the organization had been so honored. NDIA President Lawrence Farrell Jr. presented the award during the...

Albert A DeProspero, 1930-2006.(former chairman of National Defense Industrial Association's Special Operations/Low Intensive Conflict Division dies)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Albert A. DeProspero, a longtime member and former chairman of NDIA's Special Operations/Low Intensive Conflict Division, died in September. He served in the Merchant Marine, and the Marine Corps before becoming a commissioned officer in the...

AFEI issues awards for best technology, leadership.(NDIA NEWS)
December 1, 2006... The Association for Enterprise Integration (AFEI) honored industry and government winners of its 4th annual Excellence in Enterprise Integration Awards at a recent information-sharing conference in Washington, D.C. The top industry award...

NDIA events calendar.
December 1, 2006... JANUARY 9-12 Worldwide Personnel Recovery Conference Washington, D.C. POC: Laura Alexander (703) 247-2568 Exhibits: Veronica Allen@ (703) 247-2582 8-12 Chemical Biological Information Systems Conference and...

Affiliate events.
December 1, 2006... NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 1 2010 Research Directions for Information Sharing Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Washington, D.C. FEBRUARY 21-22 Warfighters Vision 2007: Winning the Global Fight Hilton...

Chapter events.
December 1, 2006... NOVEMBER 2 Washington, DC Chapter ROTC Awards "Luncheon Army Navy Country Club, Arlington, Va. 7 Mile High Chapter Luncheon Embassy Suites, Denver, Colo. 14 Tennessee Valley-AFCEA Industry...