National Defense articles from February 2006

National Defense archives from February 2006

Armor innovation needs to stay on fast track.
February 1, 2006... As violence against U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan continues at a steady pace, many wonder what can be done to neutralize the roadside bombs that have become the single most lethal weapon there. In battlefields such as Iraq, with no...

Tsunami alert.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... In reference to your November 2005 story, "Satellite Radio Could Globalize Tsunami Warning," Raytheon may have an idea, but it's by no means new or unique. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has been operating the EMWIN...

Flaw in the Osprey.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... Your December story "Ospreys Cargo Capacity Driving Weapon Designs" missed the single greatest flaw of the program. The original Osprey was a technology demonstrator of the tilt-rotor aircraft concept. Once satisfied with the technical...

Who designed the devices?(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I'm the program manager for Combat Training Solutions Inc. We are the designers and engineers of the improvised explosive device (IED) simulators provided to the U.S. Army via Unitech. Your December 2005 story, "Mock 'IEDs' Help Soldiers...

Procurement reform: 128 commissions ... and counting.(Washington PULSE)
February 1, 2006... The head of a federal advisory panel in charge of recommending changes to the Pentagon's procurement policies acknowledges that the cards are stacked against any kind of immediate, substantial changes, if history is any guide. This latest...

Common business system deemed unrealistic.(military services business mangement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Despite much talk about the need for the military services to buy common information systems to run their business and financial operations, Pentagon officials concede that a single-system scenario is highly doubtful. "We get into that...

Air force tankers: the debate continues.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... In comments to reporters late last year, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, head of the U.S. Transportation Command, said that whatever tankers the Air Force buys to replace the aging KC- 135s should be "multi-mission," serving both as tankers and as...

Army chat-rooms gain semi-official status.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The use of Internet chat-rooms by junior Army leaders to collect and impart battlefield wisdom has become so widespread that it now enjoys mainstream status. So much so that the Army has institutionalized the practice under the name "Battle...

Border protection: smart fence, not stupid fence, says Chertoff.(Michael Chertoff)
February 1, 2006... High-tech cameras, sensors and possibly satellites will be used to tighten the southern border with Mexico, not a concrete and steel wall, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said at a news conference. An...

DHS scraps flight list plan.(Department of Homeland Security)
February 1, 2006... The Department of Homeland Security has t scrapped plans to require airlines with flights originating overseas to provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection with a list of passengers and crew members one hour before takeoff. Currently,...

Coast guard to deploy UAV.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
February 1, 2006... Bell Helicopter will begin building the Coast Guard's fleet of Eagle Eye vertical unmanned aerial vehicles this month, with the first to be delivered by early 2007, said Lt. Cmdr. Todd Schmidt, Coast Guard UAV platform manager, at an Institute...

N.J. beefs up chemical plant security.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
February 1, 2006... New Jersey became the first state to adopt mandatory chemical-plant security requirements last year, ending a four-and-half year debate in the statehouse that began after the 9/11 attacks. Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey, a Democrat, announced...

FEMA struggled to track commodities.(Federal Emergency Management Agency)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The delivery of commodities, such as medical supplies, ice, food and temporary shelters, is both important to victims of natural disasters and a high-profile task for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Failures to distribute these items...

Bioterror preparedness said lacking.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
February 1, 2006... Efforts by federal and state governments to prepare for public health catastrophes, such as biological attacks and pandemics, have fallen short, according to a report issued by the Trust For America's Health, a nonpartisan advocacy group. ...

Pentagon takes another stab at business reform.
February 1, 2006... The Defense Department's convoluted web of accounting systems over the years has become the proverbial Hydra whose ugly heads continue to multiply every time someone cuts one off. Many have attempted to untangle the clutter and kill the beast,...

Military base cleanup: contractors beware.(VIEW POINT)
February 1, 2006... The Defense Department has estimated it will spend $7.3 billion for environmental activities at bases that are scheduled to be closed. But these costs are likely to continue to increase. The 2005 Base Closing and Realignment Commission...

Pentagon acquisition reforms likely to encounter opposition.
February 1, 2006... Radical changes to the Pentagon's acquisition system may be in place by the end of this year, according to a panel that is charged with a sweeping evaluation of military procurement. But analysts say the panel's propositions may encounter some...

Lasers seen as solution to checkpoint safety.(UPFRONT)
February 1, 2006... Not a week goes by when David Law, science and technology chief for the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, doesn't receive a call from Pentagon brass asking for devices to warn civilians to stop at vehicle checkpoints. "The general...

Air Force team tests field equipment for deployment.
February 1, 2006... An Air Force security unit has created a small division to test and evaluate new equipment for its airmen headed for Iraq. The 820th Security Forces Group, headquartered at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., has established a combat-development...

Distance learning: 'Marinenet' reaches out to deployed troops.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... QUANTICO, VA.--The Marine Corps is taking advantage of distance learning technologies to provide training and educational opportunities to troops here and in the Middle East. The strain of current operations often curtails the Marines'...

Cyber war: network vulnerabilities worry pentagon.(CYBER SECURITY)
February 1, 2006... U.S. military leaders will say the nation's ground forces are the best in the world. The Air Force will tout its air superiority, and the Navy, its ability to rule the seas. But ask Pentagon officials about the Defense Department's global...

Aerial maneuvers: upgrades will keep F-15's, F-16's in combat for two more decades.(FIGHTER UPGRADES)
February 1, 2006... Boeing's F-15 Eagle and Lockheed Martin's F-16 Fighting Falcon are dueling, if not in the sky, then in the marketplace. Both companies are actively selling their jet fighters at home and abroad. To keep the legacy fleets flying for another...

'America's Army': game branches out into real combat training.(WARGAMING)
February 1, 2006... When the Army launched its PC-based video game, America's Army, three and a half years ago, the service's intention was to connect with young people, encourage teamwork and promote its core values. But now the action game is morphing beyond its...

Truman turns into virtual playground for navy crews.(WARGAMING)
February 1, 2006... The Navy is investigating whether a video game that replicates operations aboard an aircraft carrier can help train ship and aviation crews. Modeled upon flight deck operations on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, "24Blue," was...

Road warrior: rivals gear up to build new tactical trucks.(tactical vehicles)
February 1, 2006... Richard Cooley, president of the Armored Auto Group, has big ambitions for his three-year-old company: to grab a piece of the market for the next generation of U.S. military light tactical vehicles. While his startup is a newcomer to the...

Truck crews test anti-sniper acoustic sensors.(TACTICAL VEHICLES)
February 1, 2006... TO HELP DEFEND U.S. soldiers in Iraq from sniper attacks, the Army will be testing a prototype acoustic sensor that will be installed in a weapon-mounted Humvee truck. Acoustic sensors detect, locate, and classify gunfire by sound. A...

Marines bring Iraq lessons into street-fighting drills.(mojave VIPER)
February 1, 2006... TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIF. -- The Marines are building an urban-combat center here which may be the largest such facility in the world. Ultimately, it will consist of several complexes of" buildings designed to resemble Iraqi towns and villages....

Trial balloon: air guard tests airborne communications.(TECH TALK)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Members of the 111th Space Operations Squadron of the Arizona National Guard successfully tested a balloon-based system that offered voice repeater communications for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Called Combat SkySat and developed by...

Interoperability in a small package.(TECH TALK)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A PALM-SIZED ULTRA-HIGH VERY -- high frequency radio for military, security, and first-responder users has just been developed by Tadiran Communications, of Petach Tikva, Israel. The military-grade systems provide reliable communications for...

Underwater robots survey pipelines.(TECH TALK)
February 1, 2006... Five remotely operated underwater robots, or ROVs, have been obtained by a British firm that specializes in undersea surveys and inspections of pipeline and cable and other below surface work. The Sub-Atlantic systems-one of which is...

Non-lethal kits go to combat troopers.(TECH TALK)
February 1, 2006... Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have just received non-lethal crowd-control sets that were assembled by the project manager for close combat systems at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. The 68 sets are designed for use by a 30-member platoon. Among...

Light, deployable shelters are on the way.(TECH TALK)
February 1, 2006... A FAIRFIELD, VA., COMPANY is providing the Defense Logistics Agency with an array of tactical shelters and trailers that will be used by the military services and other federal agencies. Under a $120 million contract, Base-X will not only...

Defense industry political activities: do's and don'ts.(ETHICS CORNER)
February 1, 2006... No one in the defense industry needs ethics training to know that providing a congressman one million dollars, a Rolls Royce, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees and vacation expenses in exchange for appropriations act language favoring...

NDIA events calendar.(National Defender Investigator Association)(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... FEBRUARY 15 Missile Defense Monthly Luncheon Arlington, Va. POC: Phyllis Edmonson@(703) 247-2577 21 Technical Support Working Group Washington, D.C. POC: Meaghan Dowd@(703) 247-2568 27-MAR 3 Defense Systems...