National Defense articles from January 2002

National Defense archives from January 2002

Editor's corner.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Defense Department's office of industrial security has been quite busy in recent months. Industrial policy played a heavy role in two key decisions that the Pentagon made late last year--the selection of the Joint Strike Fighter contractor...

Industry Reaffirms Business Ethics Principles. (President's Perspective).(avoidance of irregularities in letting of defense contracts)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... As events evolve in the U.S. war against terrorism, it seems clear that the federal government's spending priorities are changing. For the Defense Department, the days of declining budgets may be over, at least for a while. The conflict...

More Education Needed on Terrorism. (Readers Forum).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In a February 2001 National Defense Magazine article (U.S. Homeland Defense Policy Mired in Competing Interests), John Stanton briefly noted the lack of public education in matters of biological terrorism. In fact, the problem spans the gamut...

Errata.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2002... In the article, "Forecast is Rosy for Visual Simulation Industry", (November 2001, p.28), National Defense had Mountain View, Calif., as the location for the Marketing Consulting firm. The correct location is San Jose, Calif Also from the...

No More 'Acquisition Reform Studies'. (Washington Pulse).(defense procurement and contract letting)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Defense Department already has conducted 128 studies on acquisition reform. Enough is enough, said Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge. "The problem is the implementation,"...

Air Force Saved $20 Billion Through Acquisition Reform. (Washington Pulse).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Acquisition reform often makes Pentagon officials cringe, but it has been good for the Air Force. The service saved $20 billion in recent years, thanks to procurement reform initiatives, said Darleen A. Druyun, principal deputy assistant...

Pentagon Reconstruction On Schedule. (Washington Pulse).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Pentagon's renovation office says its ambitious reconstruction schedule is on track. The goal is to replace the sections of the Defense Department building that were damaged in the September 11 terrorist attack. "We've already completed the...

Admiral Stresses Need for Missile Defense. (Washington Pulse).(Kathleen K. Paige)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The United States must do more to address the threat of ballistic missiles, said Navy Rear Adm. Kathleen K. Paige, who is director of theater air and missile defense and systems engineering at Naval Sea Systems Command. "The ballistic missile...

Cold War Not Yet Over, Says Senator. (Washington Pulse).(James M. Inhofe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... While Russia has serious economic problems, at the same time it has been able to develop weapons technology that the United States does not have, said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a member of the Armed Services Committee. "They have the Su-27...

Russians 'Vindicated' On Chechnya Policy. (Washington Pulse).(international view on Russian military policies in Chechnya after terrorist attacks against United States)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism, said that, in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the United States, Russia has found vindication for its policy towards the Chechen Islamic fundamentalists....

Doug Feith: "We Are Collateral Damage". (Washington Pulse).(Defense Department undersecretary comments on terrorist attacks against Middle Eastern countries)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... One of the lessons the United States should have learned from the Cold War is that morality is crucially linked to morale, said Douglas J. Feith, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. "It is one of the strategic vulnerabilities of our...

Power Equals Control of Ocean "Choke Points". (Washington Pulse).(retired Major General Barry McCaffrey)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... For the United States, protecting its national security means having control of the ocean's choke points and their ports, said retired Maj. Gen. Barry McCaffrey, former commander in chief of the U.S. Southern Command. During a conference...

Al Qaeda Fighters: 'Ravenous Alligators'. (Washington Pulse).(Defense Department Secretary Donald Rumsfeld)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Asked by a reporter whether U.S. military strikes in Afghanistan only encouraged more retaliatory fighting from Taliban and Al Qaeda warriors, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld seemed puzzled by the question. The Taliban fighters don't...

New Tool in Detecting Hazardous Materials. (Tech Talk).(Industrial Scientific Corp.'s VX500 PID)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Industrial Scientific Corporation, in Oakdale, Pa., has designed a photo ionization detector for portable monitoring of potentially hazardous organic compounds, such as petroleum or solvent vapors. The VX500 PID can be used in confined...

Web-Based Aircraft Maintenance Manuals. (Tech Talk).(IHS Enterprise Solutions' Web portal for delivery of military aircraft work orders)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... IHS Enterprise Solutions, of Denver, Cob., has installed a Web portal for the U.S. Air Force to use in worldwide delivery of tech orders and other mission-critical, hyperlinked data, announced IHS President Dennis Zehnle. Tech orders are...

U.S. Tests Super-Sniffing Dogs. (Tech Talk).(detection of of chemicals and biological agents)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Department of Defense has tested the ability of highly-trained dogs to detect chemical and biological agents, and the results were positive, according to Larry Crandall, a spokesman for Ronco Consulting Corporation, of Washington, D.C. ...

Modular Rucksack Helps Soldiers Tailor Load. (Tech Talk).(Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... U.S. Army units have begun receiving the new MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) system, developed by the Soldier Systems Center, in Natick, Mass. Eventually, Marine units will get the system, too, said John Kirk, project...

Adapting Chem-Bio Protection For U.S. Domestic Security. (Tech Talk).(Mine Safety Appliances Co. introduces Millennium Chemical-Biological Mask for civilian use)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... A chemical-biological mask used extensively by the U.S. military now is available to domestic emergency personnel who might have to respond to acts of terrorism. The Millennium Chemical-Biological Mask--produced by the Pittsburgh-based...

Marines Expanding Homeland Defense, Anti-Terrorism Roles.
January 1, 2002... The Marine Corps' new anti-terrorism brigade was built around skills that have been taught to Marine security forces for many years. What is different about this brigade, officials said, is that it facilitates cross training between various...

War Will Change Industrial Priorities, Says Policy Chief.(War on Terrorism; Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Industrial Policy Suzanne Patrick)(Interview)
January 1, 2002... Defense spending in the United States is likely to grow in the long term, officials said, regardless of the length or the outcome of the war in Afghanistan. The expected boost in Pentagon budgets is good news for the defense industry even...

Shallow-Water Mines Remain 'Achilles' Heel' of U.S. Navy.
January 1, 2002... After nearly a decade of research and at least $70 million spent on engineering and testing, the Navy and Marine Corps are nowhere close to having suitable equipment to detect and breach minefields in shallow waters, dose to the beach. ...

Navy to 'Mainstream' Mine Warfare Within Five Years.
January 1, 2002... The U.S. Navy is moving forward with plans to deploy modern anti-mine systems aboard ships and helicopters. During the past decade, the Navy has invested nearly $2 billion in research and development for mine countermeasures. But even...

Bio-Defense Program Poses 'Sticky' Issues: Military technology not necessarily adequate for homeland defense. (Analysis).
January 1, 2002... The Pentagon's chemical-biological defense program is well equipped to handle threats to military units in the battlefield, but is not prepared to tackle emerging homeland security missions, experts said. A case in point is the protection...

Experts Urge Bush to Expand Anti-Terror Campaign: U.S. faces daunting threat from Saddam Hussein, says Pentagon advisor.
January 1, 2002... Despite broad-based efforts by the United States to undermine terrorist organizations worldwide, the best that this nation can hope for is a slowdown in their activities, but not their complete elimination, experts said. The Bush...

Air Force Steps Up Effort To Care for Its Aging Aircraft.
January 1, 2002... Some of the B-52 long-range bombers that so relentlessly pounded Taliban and al Qaeda fortifications in Afghanistan are more than 40 years old, and the U.S. Air Force plans to keep flying them for another four decades. If they do, officials...

Marines Clamor for Long-Range Artillery at Sea: DD-21 demise triggers new round of complaints about lack of fire support.
January 1, 2002... Plenty of blame is going around these days about why the Marine Corps will have to wait many years before the Navy can supply long-range artillery fire from surface ships. Tomahawk cruise missiles are fine, Marines assert, but they do not...

French Firm Seeks to Fill Gap in U.S. Fire Support.
January 1, 2002... The absence of self-propelled artillery platforms in the U.S. Army's newly-formed brigades has prompted a French manufacturer to offer a 155 mm truck-mounted artillery gun as a possible alternative. The system also is being marketed to the U.S....

Who Will Build U.S Army's New Medium-Weight Truck?(constructio)(construction of medium tactical vehicles)
January 1, 2002... The race is on for a multibillion-dollar contract to produce the next generation of trucks and trailers for the U.S. Army's family of medium tactical vehicles. FMTVs are the Army's sturdy 2.5-ton and 5-ton trucks. The 2.5-ton...

Expanding Military Missions Fuel Market for Custom Trucks.
January 1, 2002... The Pentagon's evolving responsibilities for homeland defense could accelerate demand for customized vehicles, such as pick-up trucks and SUVs, equipped with advanced sensors, ballistic protection and a wide array of weapons. As the...

Information Warfare Pioneers Take Top Pentagon Positions.(David Alberts, John J. Garstka and Arthur Cebrowski pioneered network-centric warfare)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Military planners and policy-makers, for many years, have advocated the need to increase the interoperability of computer networks for battlefield use. Although some progress has been achieved, the reality today is that network-centric warfare...

A Guide to Russia's Naval Weapon Systems. (Book Shelf).(Russia's Arms and Technologies)
January 1, 2002... The third volume of "Russia's Arms and Technologies--the XXI Century Encyclopedia"--has just become available, close onto Volume II ("Rocket and Artillery Armament of the Ground Forces"). It is truly a product of outstanding art and...

Brass Tracks.(military personnel and defense industry executive appointments)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Government Army Col. James Kennon, who has been selected for promotion to brigadier general, has been named deputy of acquisition and readiness for the Soldier and Biological Chemical Command. Previously, he was chief of staff of the...

NDIA Lists Top Issues for the Coming Year. (Government Policy Notes).(National Defense Industrial Association)
January 1, 2002... At its semiannual meeting in November, NDIA's Board of Directors approved the association's "Top Issues for 2002." The issues-summarized below-were compiled by NDIA's Government Policy Advisory Committee, whose membership includes all chapter...

Farrell Welcomes New Corporate Member. (NDIA News).(Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation becomes member of National Defense Industrial Association)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Lt. Gen. Lawrence P. Farrell, USAF (Ret.), president of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), visited ESCO, the Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation, in Aston, Penn. He was there to welcome the company as a new member of NDIA....

Michigan Chapter Donates $10K for Post 9/11 Disaster Relief. (NDIA News).(National Defense Industrial Association)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Greg Bock, president of the National Defense Industrial Association's Michigan Chapter, presented three checks to the former commander of the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Maj. Gen. (P) John S. Caldwell, Jr. NDIA, which...

San Diego Chapter Holds Forum on Small Business Problems. (NDIA News).(National Defense Industrial Association)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... NDIA's San Diego Chapter holds a quarterly small business forum. At the most recent event, a panel discussion consisted of agency representatives from DCMA, DCAA and DFAS. The panelists highlighted their respective organizations' roles in the...

Lt. Gen. Roger DeKok, vice commander of the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) spoke to the 120 attendees at the NDIA Rocky Mountain Chapter lunch, about the important role space is playing in the war against terrorism. (NDIA News).(National Defense Industrial Association)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Lt. Gen. Roger DeKok, vice commander of the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) spoke to the 120 attendees at the NDIA Rocky Mountain Chapter lunch, about the important role space is playing in the war against terrorism. Dekok spoke of the recent...

Annual New Member Reception and Job Fair. (Women in Defense).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Women In Defense holds its annual New Member Reception and Job Fair at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, Jan. 9. Viewed by WID members as "the ultimate professional networking event," it allows attendees to meet with...

ndia event calendar.(National Defense Industrial Association)
January 1, 2002... ndia event calendar event description JANUARY 27-29 This annual seminar Tactical Wheeled historically has brought the Vehicles Conference ...