National Defense articles from December 2008

National Defense archives from December 2008

Alternative energy needed for more than just cost savings.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
December 1, 2008... As the price of oil has plummeted lately, we have seen a number of companies pull the plug on alternative-energy projects such as coal-to-liquids. It has happened as predicted--investors are fleeing because alternative and renewable energy is...

Defense and millennials.(READER'S FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... * Your October 2008 article, "Defense Dept. Gripped By Fear of the Millennials" hit it right on the head. I would submit, however, that Web 2.0 technology and the culture it has spawned are here to stay, and as leaders and managers, rather than...

Soldiers or Samaritans?(READER'S FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... * While I enjoyed your September 2008 Defense Watch (Soldiers as Samaritans: What's the Right Balance?), I think that rather than being a dichotomy, philanthropy and national security are points on a continuum, and must be recognized as such...

Amphibious ships.(READER'S FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... * In reference to your September 2008 article, "Marines Question the Utility of their New Amphibious Warship," I think that it is absolutely crazy for the Navy/Marine Corps team to develop an amphibious ship with no surface capabilities. As a...

Clouds of uncertainty in the forecast, but no major storm.(DEFENSE WATCH)
December 1, 2008... * Hand-wringing has officially become a competitive sport in the defense industry. A combination of fear-of-the-unknown and expectations that the boom of the past six years may soon end is causing considerable angst among defense...

Iraq exodus: at least three years.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... * As the Obama transition team hashes out plans size the U.S. military presence in Iraq, logistics experts are warning that it will take a minimum of three years to safely extract all troops. DC Velocity, a logistics magazine, calculated that...

Pentagon war cost estimates unreliable.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
December 1, 2008... * Congress has for years been fighting the Pentagon over war costs. A major point of contention has been the Defense Department's insistence that war expenses for Iraq and Afghanistan operations be approved outside the regular budget process....

Naive take on 'peer competitors' risks U.S. security.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
December 1, 2008... * Advocates of increased military spending on conventional big-ticket weapons have for years posited that the hardware will be needed to fight future "peer competitors" such as China and Russia. But industry observers are now cautioning that...

Government blamed for contractor mismanagement.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
December 1, 2008... * A new report by retired military officers and foreign policy experts calls for a "cultural shift" in the way the Defense Department incorporates contractors into war operations. "We concluded that there has been a government-wide abdication...

"The Army appears to be mesmerized by the false promises of future technological advances that are coming at the expense of its critical near-term capitalization or 'reset' needs.".(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
December 1, 2008... "The Army appears to be mesmerized by the false promises of future technological advances that are coming at the expense of its critical near-term capitalization or 'reset' needs." Thomas Christie, former head of the Pentagon's weapons...

"Economic competitivenes is going to be the battleground.".(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
December 1, 2008... "Economic competitivenes is going to be the battleground." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Retire Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, speaking at an industry conference about the future of the United States ads a superpower.

"Very few people on Wall Street can pass the F/M test--tell the difference between an F-16 and an M-16.".(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
December 1, 2008... "Very few people on Wall Street can pass the F/M test--tell the difference between an F-16 and an M-16." W. Alexander Vacca, member of a defense industry study group that researched how investors make financial decisions about the defense...

You can't fool me: face-reading technology tough to dupe.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * British researchers are developing a device that can detect lies in a subject's facial expressions. When people are hiding the truth, their eye movement patterns can suddenly change in response to questions...

Controversial fingerprint collection plan halted, for now.(SECURITY BEAT)
December 1, 2008... * Congress has suspended funding for a plan to collect biometric information from foreign visitors who are exiting the United States. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In an effort to ensure that foreign nationals do not overstay their visas, the...

Portable camera to help first responders.(SECURITY BEAT)
December 1, 2008... * Researchers have built a portable camera that can be attached to a helicopter and produce detailed images of an area hit by a hurricane or other natural disasters faster and at lower cost than is currently possible. Many...

New specialized military unit to respond to WMD attacks.(SECURITY BEAT)
December 1, 2008... * A new military organization is being stood Lip to respond to chemical, biological or nuclear attacks on the United States. The unit is expected to assist civil authorities in responding to a weapon of mass destruction attack U.S. soil....

Aboard space station, science takes off.(INSIDE SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2008... * With the successful launch and installation of Japan's first manned space facility last summer, scientists are discovering increased opportunities to conduct experiments aboard the international space station. Research efforts already are...

Boost needed: competitiveness, innovation lacking in the space industry.(Industry Study)
December 1, 2008... The nation's space policy generally seeks to maintain U.S. leadership in technology, ensure self-defense and the exploitation of space for national security and economic prosperity. But there is still no cohesive or specific plan to invigorate...

Market swings: global economy plays major role in U.S. energy strategy.(COMMENTARY)(Industry overview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The United States consumes 25 percent of the world's petroleum but has only 3 percent of its reserves. Many advocates of "energy independence" cite that fact as a reason for abandoning foreign oil and relying on...

Power shift: marine companies win praise, but also more responsibility.(Marine Corps)
December 1, 2008... The Marine Corps is shifting more authority to its company commanders to reflect the influential role that young officers have played in recent wars. Commandant Gen. James Conway recently signed off on new guidelines for "enhanced company...

Protection vs. comfort: suits that defend from deadly agents may undergo redesign.(Chem-Bio Protection)
December 1, 2008... BALTIMORE -- Despite a dizzying array of threats, the Defense Department's office in charge of outfitting troops with chemical-biological gear believes that it can get away with less protection. "The bottom line is the traditional...

Flying partners: Army, Air Force to operate armed drones in tandem.(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the Army prepares to deploy a new weapons-capable unmanned aircraft to the Middle East, it is solidifying plans with the Air Force to better coordinate the operation of combat drones. The responsibility of...

Air Force, Air Guard could double drone fleet.(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * The Air Force is seeking to nearly double its fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles by 2011. Its goal is to operate 212 unmanned drones by 2011, up from the current 137. The Air Force currently has 110...

Combat stress: to heal psychological trauma, troops relive war in virtual reality.(Modeling and Simulation)(Virtual Iraq)(Cover story)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] MARINA DEL REY, Calif. -- Sitting in a chair with goggles strapped on, the subject peered out into a virtual battle zone. He was driving down a dusty Iraqi highway. It was dusk. There was one humvee ahead and a...

Avoiding ambushes: Marine Corps accelerates deployment of convoy simulators.(Modeling and Simulation)
December 1, 2008... The Marine Corps is expanding the use of simulators to prepare infantryman to survive roadside ambushes. "The explosion in ground simulations is a paradigm shift for the Marine Corps," said Terry Bennington, deputy director of the Marine...

Show me: success of simulation-based training is tough to measure.(ANALYSIS)
December 1, 2008... Conventional wisdom says that military forces increasingly will train on simulators because live exercises are too costly and time consuming. But beyond that, there is little consensus on other factors that may explain how such technologies are...

Weapon-mounted sensors track troops as they train.(Modeling and Simulation)
December 1, 2008... * To prepare troops for combat, the Army and Marine Corps have been building large urban training facilities that resemble villages in Iraq and Afghanistan. As soldiers and Marines run through the course, instructors keep tabs on the action by...

For homeland defense, simulations are low-tech.(Modeling and Simulation)
December 1, 2008... * First-person videogames and immersive simulations are commonplace in military training. But for the members of U.S. Northern Command's emergency response team, the training is relatively low-tech. A newly formed organization known as...

Market for trainer aircraft to decline, study says.(Modeling and Simulation)
December 1, 2008... * The market for military trainer aircraft will shrink over the next decade, analysts predict. Trainers are used to prepare flight crews for combat operations. They typically are turboprops that can replicate the characteristics of jet...

The diplomat soldier: games could teach troops foreign cultures.(Modeling and Simulation)
December 1, 2008... The military has incorporated into its doctrine the idea of trying to prevent wars before they occur. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has pressed that issue of late, saying that it is better to help stabilize volatile states than to become...

Virtual training: computer game simulates robot operations.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * America's Army, a first-person shooter game that was developed as a recruiting tool, has been adapted by the Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center at the Army's Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., to train...

Fuel cell technology scores big leap forward.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * A revolutionary super lattice material that was developed by researchers in Madrid, Spain, may lead to the production of super efficient solid oxide fuel cells, according to scientists at Oak Ridge National...

Air force probes enhanced antennas.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Air Force-funded research on holographic impedance surfaces is expected to yield advanced antennas that will give aircraft improved aerodynamics. The cutting edge study is being performed by HRL Laboratories in...

High speed nanoscale pix achieved at Livermore.(TECH TALK)
December 1, 2008... For the first time, high resolution photographs of the transformation of nanoscale structures have been taken by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif. Being able to discern the brief behavior of a chemical...

Military, fed agencies eye multi-function headset.(TECH TALK)
December 1, 2008... Military, homeland security and law enforcement personnel are testing an improved tactical communications headset and push-to-talk system that permits operators simultaneous use of three radios or two radios and a laptop or intercom. ...

When to invite, or not invite, federal employees.(Ethics Corner)
December 1, 2008... General ethical tenets that bar accepting or giving gifts or gratuities to or from federal employees, for the most part, are understood. However, there are certain subtle gray areas that remain open to interpretation by federal employees and...

Women in defense announces new board member, chapter.(NDIA NEWS)
December 1, 2008... * Women In Defense members elected Brenda McKinney of Kelly FedSecure, Greenbelt, Md., as its new HORIZONS Scholarship Director. She will serve from 2008 to 2010. Board members continuing for another year in their two-year terms are:...

WID's horizons scholarships awarded.(NDIA NEWS)
December 1, 2008... * Women In Defense announced its 2008 HORIZONS scholarships for three candidates for Master's degrees and two for under-graduate degrees, reported Ella Schiralli, WID HORIZONS scholarship chair. The purpose of the scholarship is to...

AFEI recognizes excellence in enterprise integration.(NDIA NEWS)(Association for Enterprise Integration)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... * The Association for Enterprise Integration, AFEI, honored the winners of its 6th annual Excellence in Enterprise Integration Awards at the DoD Open Technologies Conference, Oct. 29 in Washington, D.C. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The top...

NDIA calendar: upcoming exhibits, shows and events.(Calendar)
December 1, 2008... JANUARY 15 NDIA Small Business Breakfast Arlington, VA www.ndia.org/meetings/914B 22-23 Information Systems Summit Miami, FL Improving Defense Information System (IS) Acquisitions: Testing IS Capability in...

Biometrics.(NEXT MONTH: PREVIEW OF OUR NEXT ISSUE)
December 1, 2008... * The Defense Department has rushed several new biometrics collection devices into the field, and they are being used effectively, according to official reports. But the larger questions of how best to use the information, known as identity...