National Defense articles from July 2007

National Defense archives from July 2007

National security and energy inextricably linked.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
July 1, 2007... IT OFTEN IS SAID THAT WHILE everybody talks about the weather, no one does anything about it. The same observation could be made about energy, a topic that during the past 30 years has been the subject of considerable conversation but not...

Defense RFID policy.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Your May 2007 article (Tracking Military Supplies No Longer Requires RFID, page 22) contains incorrect information. This erroneous information is damaging and counterproductive to the Defense Department's efforts to communicate the...

Hybrid engines: Are they safe?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... It is great that the Pentagon is taking a serious look at the need for better fuel economy (National Defense, April 2007, page 30). However, I wonder if anyone has considered the increased hazard that electric hybrid vehicles have if the...

Ready for biowarfare?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... In regard to the article titled "Virulent Outlook" in the May 2007 edition of National Defense, a number of points need to be clarified. The article states that the government is "shortsighted" for stockpiling a pandemic vaccine because, "If...

"Son of crusader".(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... In reference to your June 2007, page 16, article, "Future combat vehicles will fall short of preferred weight," the distortions and half truths by proponents of the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) have now entered the realm of lies and damn...

Wrangling over future combat systems raises larger questions.(DEFENSE WATCH)
July 1, 2007... A contentious bout of budget drills on Capitol Hill this year featured the Army's top brass mounting a passionate defense of its prized Future Combat Systems. For the fourth year in a row, Congress has targeted the FCS budget, which many...

Armored vehicles: why so slow?(Washington PULSE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., has for several months been asking Pentagon officials to explain why they can't deploy mine-resistant vehicles to Iraq fast enough. "How is it possible that with more than 130,000 Americans in danger, with roadside...

Lack of security clearance hinders armor suppliers.(Washington PULSE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A full-court press by the Pentagon to accelerate the production of MRAP has raised fundamental questions about the Defense Department's ability to acquire critical hardware on short notice. One major bottleneck in the MRAP program--as well as...

Military acquisitions divorced from real needs.(Washington PULSE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... When it comes to its acquisition programs, the Air Force could benefit from some serious soul-searching, said two retired four-star generals. Former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,...

'Joint' acquisitions not always the best choice.(Washington PULSE)
July 1, 2007... Pentagon acquisition officials for years have been looking for ways to develop joint weapon systems that can be used by all services. The focus currently is "too much on everything being joint, said Eileen Giglio, assistant deputy...

Going to cocoon them.
July 1, 2007... "We are probably going to cocoon them and have them available the next time we start running up against that kind of threat." Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, speculating on what the service might do with its fleet of MRAP (mine...

Not have any big guns on it.(Quotation)
July 1, 2007... "The gunship of the future, in my estimation, will not have any big guns on it." Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley, commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command, speaking about the future replacement of the AC-130 gunship. He would like to...

Scary thought.
July 1, 2007... "It's a very scary thought for most people in this country." Stephen Alterman, president of the Cargo Airlines Association, commenting on the possibility that cargo airlines may one day fly unpiloted aircraft. Although it would be...

Personal touch: Homeland Security 'human factors' puts imprint on emerging technologies.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
July 1, 2007... Jay Cohen, Department of Homeland Security undersecretary, rarely passes up an opportunity to mention that he created the human factors division at his revamped science and technology directorate. Cohen has repeatedly said that he is as...

Law enforcement personnel can spot terrorist suspects before attacks.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
July 1, 2007... Law enforcement and intelligence personnel need to be aware of specific activities terrorists engage in during the build up of an attack, said Rohan Kumar Gunaratna, head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Violence...

'Intelligent video' is useful, but can't do everything.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... VIDEO CAMERAS ARE A FAMILIAR piece of security operations worldwide, but the information captured in these images is limited to what the human eye can see. What if video cameras could detect things humans can't see? That is the question...

Composite materials touted for securing shipping containers.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
July 1, 2007... The Department of Homeland Security has struggled to find solutions to securing shipping containers. The fear is that terrorists, smugglers or stowaways could break into them during their journey to U.S. shores. A worst-case scenario is the...

Homeland Security receives $1b for public safety communications.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY received $1 billion in additional grant funds for fiscal year 2007 to develop a public safety program, said Stacey Street, branch chief of DHS' capabilities division under the national preparedness...

Investments should target urban warfare.(INSIDE: Science and Technology)
July 1, 2007... Despite all the leaps and bounds the nation has made in defense technologies to claim military dominance, there is still one domain that has proven elusive: the urban battlefield. After four years of fighting a counterinsurgency in the...

War of words: when it comes to the battle of ideas, the U.S. has no general.(ANALYSIS)
July 1, 2007... "Our adversaries are way ahead of us in the use of the Internet and the use of the media," said Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, undersecretary of defense of intelligence. It was a stunning statement. The United States invented the...

Army predicts long life for humvees.(UPFRONT)
July 1, 2007... When armored humvees failed to shield troops in Iraq, the military services quickly began acquiring hundreds of MRAPs, or mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles. But despite assertions that the MRAP will eventually replace all humvees in...

Procurement woes: Army learns tough lessons from armed helicopter letdown.(ARMY AVIATION)
July 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- The Army set out three years ago to acquire a new reconnaissance helicopter in record time. Its goal was to equip a unit with the aircraft within four years by using "commercial-off-the-shelf" proven technologies. That goal will...

'Eyes on target': combat drills stress air-ground coordination.(TRAINING)
July 1, 2007... AVON PARK AIR FORCE RANGE, Fla. -- Ground troops fighting in Iraq have learned that when they need to destroy targets or restrain unruly crowds, they can call for "close air support." But the elaborate coordination required to synchronize...

Power struggle: generators, batteries create 'logistics nightmare' for troops.(BATTLEFIELD ENERGY)
July 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- WHEN GUNNERY SGT. GILBERTO YANEZ was put in charge of generator maintenance at Camp Fallujah in Iraq, he never anticipated the problems he would have purchasing generators from local vendors. Merchants would often disguise...

Electronic jihad: experts downplay imminent threat of cyberterrorism.(HOMELAND SECURITY)
July 1, 2007... IN EARLY 2000, ALONG THE SUNSHINE COAST OF QUEENSLAND, Australia, 49-year-old Vitek Boden broke into a local waste management computer system and altered the pump station operations, unleashing more than 264,000 gallons of raw sewage into...

Unfriendly skies: air traffic technology drive stalled by colliding agendas.(HOMELAND SECURITY)
July 1, 2007... BURGEONING GROWTH IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION AND THE increasing pressure on air traffic control is spurring debate on whether U.S. air travel can remain safe and secure. At the heart of the controversy is an estimated $20 billion plan to...

Spaceventures: can the Air Force build a satellite in six days?
July 1, 2007... KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M.--Building a small satellite in the future could be as simple as ordering a personal computer today. At least, that's what Air Force Research Laboratory's scientists are trying to achieve. They are experimenting...

High frequency: Navy upbeat about communications spacecraft, despite radio troubles.(SPACE TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2007... The Navy is building a dazzling satellite constellation that promises frontline troops and sailors at sea access to a multimedia wonderland. But while the satellites are on a fast track toward a 2009 launch, the tactical radios that ground...

Space on demand: Pentagon pushes for smaller satellites, faster launches.(SPACE TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2007... As the Roadrunner satellite breaks the horizon, an Army officer sends a command through the network asking the spacecraft to point its camera to an area over a mountain ridge to the east. He wants to know who or what is facing his troops before...

Huge relief: commo babel put to rest by new mobile center.(TECH TALK)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The Maryland Transit Administration has a powerful tool to quell emergencies. The agency recently acquired a 40-foot vehicle that offers disaster response communications among a multitude of first responders. Designed by ARINC of Annapolis,...

Protective glasses don't compromise hearing.(TECH TALK)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The problem with most protective shooting glasses is that they break the seal around the ears that is required for hearing protection. An Oklahoma City company--FullProclaims to have solved that problem. Its glasses connect directly to the...

Protective computer cases for frequent fliers.(TECH TALK)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A RUGGED NOTEBOOK COMPUTER case that was originally developed for the military is now available for travelers who are reluctant to check their computers in hit-or-miss airline baggage operations. Manufactured by Security Engineered...

Camera finds and spotlights transfixed intruders.(TECH TALK)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... ALAS VEGAS COMPANY has paired a lowlight camera and spotlight that can detect and track intruders up to one and half miles away. The system was designed by ICx Digital Infrared imaging to work with other components for even greater surveillance...

Humvee gunners garner more potent shield.(TECH TALK)
July 1, 2007... An improved humvee gun turret that went conception to production in six months is offering combat soldiers greater protection from improvised explosive devices and small arms fire, while offering enhanced situational awareness. The shield...

Troops converse with Iraqis via compact translator.(TECH TALK)
July 1, 2007... Troops in Iraq now have access to a voice-to-voice translator that was developed by IWT Inc. and Laguna Industries Inc., two California technology companies. Users, who include Army, Special Forces, Marine, Coast Guard and Navy personnel,...

Improved protective eyewear available for troops.(TECH TALK)
July 1, 2007... Upgraded ballistic protection goggles are being produced by Panoptx Eyewear of San Francisco. The thicker version of tactical eyewear is now 2.45 mm, which compares to 2.33 mm of the original version. The company says that the lightweight...

Another aircraft joins military drone market.(TECH TALK)
July 1, 2007... XCELAERO CORP. OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF., has unveiled a subscale, subsonic drone that is designed to carry common target and training payloads. The NXT 400, which remains in development, is operated by a three person crew and flies in excess...

Mergers, acquisitions call for added scrutiny.(ETHICS CORNER)
July 1, 2007... Merger and acquisition activity in the defense sector is robust. Any merger or acquisition requires serious due diligence, to give buyers, sellers, and merger partners a clear picture of their prospective partners, examine specific issues and...

Undersea Warfare Division honors awardees.(ETHICS CORNER)
July 1, 2007... The National Defense Industrial Association Undersea Warfare Division presented its annual spring awards to Capt. Frank Unetic, Lt. Michael Reed, Dr. Harry Cox and L. John Fleischmann at the spring conference held at the Admiral Kidd Conference...

Bruce Eickhoff, president of the NDIA Washington.(NDIA NEWS)(National Defense Industrial Association)(Brief article)(Photograph)
July 1, 2007... [ILLUSRATION OMITTED] Caption: Bruce Eickhoff, president of the NDIA Washington chapter, presents a $32,000 donation on behalf of the association to Elaine Rogers, president, USO of Metropolitan Washington. The contribution came from...

NDIA events calendar.(National Defense Industrial Association)(Calendar)
July 1, 2007... JULY 2007 16-20 Defense Systems Acquisition Management Course (DSAM) Seattle, WA POC: Michad Danth @ (703) 247-2593 25-26 MDA SBIR Industry Day Arlington, VA POC: Dani Rovenger @ (703)-247-2540 30-AUG....

Affiliate events.(Calendar)
July 1, 2007... JULY 18, 2007 DOD Remote Wireless Access Washington, DC NOVEMBER 1-2, 2007 Cyber Deterrence McLean, Virginia MARCH 4-5, 2008 Fulfilling the Warfighters' Vision 2008 Tampa Bay, FL Contact Nicole Peterson...

Chapter events.(Calendar)
July 1, 2007... JULY 20 Michigan Chapter Annual Dinner Meeting Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 31-1 Aug Greater Hampton Roads Chapter JFCOM Industry Symposium ...