National Defense articles from January 2005

National Defense archives from January 2005

Army's swift response to soldier needs.(President's Perspective)(Rapid Equipping Force)(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... Among the hard-learned lessons of the wars that U.S. forces have been fighting for the past three years is the importance of having a military procurement system that is responsive to the needs of troops on the front lines. The widely reported...

A failure waiting to happen.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... The story "Future Combat Systems Technologies Not Keeping Pace With Expectations," (October 2004, p. 45-46) paints an exceptionally clear picture of the FCS program. As Sandra Erwin explains the phases, 2008 might see the NLOS-cannon, some...

Defense reform misses target.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... In the September 2004 issue of National Defense, an article by Sandra Erwin addressed how "Technical Skills Shortage Hurts Pentagon's Bottom Line." This "shortage" of technical skills and management capability within the Defense Department is...

Army acquisition agencies: back to the future.(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Army's procurement bureaucracy is undergoing yet another major reshuffle that is aimed at improving the flow of equipment to the front lines and expediting weapon maintenance. Claude Bolton, the Army's top acquisition executive, and...

Marines eye expansion of light armor units.(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Marine Corps war planners at the Pentagon are studying options to create more armored units in Iraq. Specifically, the Marines are looking for additional light armored battalions, says Col. Len Blasiol, director of materiel capabilities at the...

Leatherneck coins available in May.(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The U.S. Marine Corps, meanwhile, will become the nation's first military service to have its own legal tender. The U.S. Mint will unveil a Marine silver dollar coin on May 1, in commemoration of the Corps' 230th anniversary. The Mint will...

Congress chided for neglecting ordnance cleanup.(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Congress is neglecting its responsibilities to oversee the removal of dangerous unexploded ordnance from military bases around the United States, charges Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. He estimated that the cleanup effort would cost up to $35...

Smart video surveillance gets smarter.(Homeland Defense Briefs)
January 1, 2005... The U.S. government is showing a great deal of interest in the applications of state-of-the-art video surveillance tools and put some applications to the test in November. An evaluation was conducted for several weeks that probed their use in...

Coast Guard unveils new security boat.(Homeland Defense Briefs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Coast Guard recently debuted its new RB-S small response boat, a souped-up craft designed for more aggressive homeland security missions. The 25-foot boat can be operated with as few as two crewmembers and can reach speeds of more than...

Marines to hand off decontamination duties to guard.(Homeland Defense Briefs)
January 1, 2005... Members of the Marine Corps' chemical-biological response unit will be laying down their protective suits and picking up weapons in the near future. The future will witness the National Guard taking over the responsibility, said Col....

Survey: bio defenses need improvement.(Homeland Defense Briefs)
January 1, 2005... A recent survey of public and private leadership views of the state of America's defenses against biological attack showed deep-seated doubts, inadequacies and shortfalls. The center for biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical...

Reshuffling under way at Homeland Security.(Homeland Defense Briefs)
January 1, 2005... The office of air and marine operations (AMO) has been transferred from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a move that demonstrates DHS' intent to integrate air and marine law enforcement personnel,...

Air Force stepping out of comfort zone.(Defense Watch)
January 1, 2005... Throughout the blue-suit community, there is an undeniable and growing recognition that the Air Force is changing, not just by design, but also in an effort to adjust to these tumultuous times. The shift so far is subtle but possibly...

Army badly equipped to fight in low-intensity wars.(Up Front)
January 1, 2005... The Army's most ambitious procurement program, the Future Combat Systems, may be directed at the wrong threat--and the service needs to adjust its investments accordingly, asserted a senior official. Much of the FCS program--a network of...

Northern Command not directing enough attention to maritime defense.(Up Front)
January 1, 2005... The Defense Department is lagging behind with its plans and allocation of resources to defend the U.S. waterways, according to a top Pentagon official. "I do not believe that we have yet developed a mature concept of operations for the...

Stryker units get instant feedback from troops at war.(Up Front)
January 1, 2005... As the Army prepares to receive its 1,000th Stryker light armored vehicle this month, commanders are quickly absorbing lessons from combat operations in Iraq and are developing new tactics to help counter violent insurgencies in Iraq's major...

Air Force's latest video game targets potential recruits.(Up Front)
January 1, 2005... The U.S. Air Force has launched a new video game that seeks to both entice new recruits and also highlight the service's non-traditional missions, such as humanitarian relief and unmanned aircraft operations. "USAF: Air Dominance," which...

Contractors struggling to comply with Pentagon smart-tag mandate.(Up Front)
January 1, 2005... As the deadline nears for contractors to install smart tags on shipments of critical military supplies, an industry survey reveals that many companies have yet to come to grips with the new regulations. The smart-tag technology, known as...

Pentagon attempts to gauge true 'readiness' needs.(Up Front)
January 1, 2005... Under mounting pressure to lower the cost of maintaining weapon systems, the Defense Department has launched an extensive study that seeks to set realistic requirements for weapon readiness and reliability. Although details on the study...

Erratum.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2005... A November 2004 story, "Race Is on to Replace Air Force Search and Rescue Helicopter," said incorrectly that Sikorsky Aircraft plans to build the Air Force H-92 entirely in the United States. A Sikorsky Spokesman says that the company has not...

'Theater-opening' brigades: Army ponders formation of expert logistics units.
January 1, 2005... As the U.S. Army reorganizes from a division- to a brigade-based combat force, it also intends to change the way it delivers supplies and logistics support to the front lines. In particular, the Army plans to create specialized brigades...

Army 'truck rodeo' could expedite vehicle upgrades.
January 1, 2005... The U.S. Army will be hosting a truck-technology exhibition this month intended to help service officials expedite purchasing decisions. Unlike traditional trade expos, this one--unofficially dubbed "truck rodeo"--is only open to...

Keeping up the fleet: improving maintenance of military gear requires access to information.
January 1, 2005... With a growing backlog of equipment repair and maintenance work, the U.S. military services and contractors are finding that, in order to expedite the job, they need computer systems that can share information across the supply chain. ...

Sensors aboard helicopters can help predict parts failures.
January 1, 2005... Seeking to cut maintenance costs and improve the readiness of its helicopter fleets, the U.S. Army is considering expanding the use of so-called "health monitoring" systems, which will allow maintainers to predict when parts will need...

Roche: good upkeep may be enough to keep Air Force flying.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Air Force will continue to struggle to keep the fleet in war-ready shape, despite advances in logistics and maintenance, said James Roche, outgoing Air Force secretary. "We can get better at maintenance, but don't think the aging...

Homeland defence research agency directs attention to cyber security.(Digital Defenses)
January 1, 2005... Fearing the specter of crippling attacks on government and private sector computer systems, federal officials are stepping up efforts to foil cyber terrorism. A recent solicitation from the Department of Homeland Security's advanced...

Cyber security gets short shrift, say federal info tech managers.
January 1, 2005... A recent survey of federal information technology managers suggests that many government agencies are poorly prepared to cope with cyber attacks. The survey paints a grim picture. It cites misdirected priorities in cyber-security programs...

Sea base hurdles: deployment of sea bases faces technical, budgetary challenges.
January 1, 2005... The notion that ground forces can be launched, supported and sustained solely from ships at sea initially was conceived by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, but now is attracting attention from the other services. The idea, however, is still new...

Navy salvage and diving teams essential to 'sea base' concept.
January 1, 2005... U.S. Navy and Marine Corps plans to deploy floating bases are predicated on the notion that ships and aircraft will be able quickly to ferry or fly troops and their supplies to the fight. But the services will remain highly dependent on...

Ships' cost could sink plans for floating military bases.
January 1, 2005... The success of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps forward-looking concept of deploying bases at sea relies heavily on the development of a new class of cargo ships. But as the Navy juggles ship acquisition programs in a tight budget environment,...

The next round: Marine reservists ready, but equipment beaten up.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... Marine reservists now preparing for combat in Iraq are "well-trained and well-equipped," but their older ground vehicles and aircraft have been taking a beating, according to Lt. Gen. Dennis McCarthy, head of the Marine Corps Reserve. The...

Headed for Iraq, Marines check out new combat gear.
January 1, 2005... In preparation for extended deployments in Iraq, U.S. Marines are looking to stock up on new equipment to replace or supplement existing gear. Weapons for urban combat are at the top of the list. One example is a 63-ton behemoth-known as...

Diesel motorcycle developed for Marines.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered 522 diesel-powered motorcycles for use on rugged terrain. The propulsion technology was developed at Cranfield University, Shrivenham, United Kingdom and Haves Diversified Technologies, of California. The...

Production planned for rugged robot truck.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... John Deere's M-Gator, a light utility truck that has gained popularity among U.S. military troops in recent conflicts, now also comes in a robotic version. The Robotic Gator or R-Gator relies on the technology used in the PackBot robot...

Drilling machine explores ocean.(Tech Talk)(Schilling Robotics LLC)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A remotely operated underwater drilling system that can operate at depths of up to 4,000 meters is being developed by Schilling Robotics LLC, Davis, Calif., for the Marum Center for Marine Environmental Sciences of the University of Bremen, in...

Unmanned 'Little Bird' could see combat.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Army is eyeing a modified MD 530F Little Bird helicopter that can be flown by remote control. The unmanned aerial vehicle would be used to re-supply combat troops and as a weapons platform. The manufacturer, the Boeing Company, in Mesa,...

Now hear this: new ear plugs on the way.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Military maintenance crews may soon be the beneficiaries of a small digital device that will protect them from permanent hearing loss caused by the roar of jet fighter turbines. Designed by Adaptive Technologies Inc. for the F-35 Joint...

Joint Strike Fighter pilots get new helmet.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... An alternate helmet-mounted display for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that provides electro optics, protection and life support is being designed by BAE Systems, Rochester, United Kingdom, for Lockheed Martin. Officials said the system is...

Coast Guardsman named Outstanding Reservist.(NDIA News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Lt. David Menchaca--a drilling member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in San Diego, Calif.--was chosen for the National Defense Industrial Association's Outstanding Reservist Award for 2004. Menchaca was nominated because of his track...

Northrop engineer gets Survivability Award.(NDIA News)(Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems)(National Defense Industrial Association )
January 1, 2005... Thomas L. Dobrenz, an engineer at Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, received NDIA's Combat Survivability Award at a recent symposium in Monterey, Calif. Dobrenz was chosen for his contributions to stealth or low-observable technology....

NDIA events calendar.(National Defense Industrial Association )(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... JANUARY 26 Precision Strike Winter Roundtable (PSA) Arlington, Va. POC: Dawn Campbell @ (703) 247-2590 FEBRUARY 2-4 Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict (SOLIC) Washington, D.C. POC: Ann Saliski @...

Affiliate events.(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... MAY 10-11 Net-Centric Operations 2005 Broadening the Base of Net-Centric Operations Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Washington, D.C. SEPTEMBER 13-15 Enterprise Integration Expo 2005 ...

Chapter events.(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... FEBRUARY 25 Greater Los Angeles Chapter West Coast Dinner Los Angeles, Calif. MARCH 15-17 Michigan Chapter TACOM/Industry Logistics Symposium Dearborn, Mich. APRIL 6-8 Greater Hampton Roads ...