National Defense articles from June 2003

National Defense archives from June 2003

Editor's corner.(Editorial)
June 1, 2003... As most National Defense readers already know, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been pushing the military services to think and operate more "jointly." The war in Iraq has been cited by military officials and outside experts as a success story in...

U.S. must resolve industrial base issues.(president's perspective)(Editorial)
June 1, 2003... The question of whether the United States may be overly dependent on foreign suppliers for critical military equipment has been debated for decades. The Army, particularly, has been concerned about the reliance on non-U.S. suppliers for...

Pentagon grapples with post-war industrial issues.(Washington Pulse)
June 1, 2003... Pentagon officials in charge of industrial policy still are analyzing the Iraq war's repercussion on trans-Atlantic defense programs. "My office is watching that very carefully," said Suzanne Patrick, deputy undersecretary of defense for...

U.S.-Europe rift unlikely to affect industrial ties.(Washington Pulse)
June 1, 2003... The falling out between the United States, France and Germany over the war in Iraq has prompted fears that defense industrial relationships will suffer. EADS North America--a holding company of the European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co....

Personnel shortages delay USS Reagan commissioning.(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A critical personnel shortage at the Newport News shipyard is keeping the nation's newest aircraft carrier shore-bound until July 12, according to Tom Schievelbein, president of Northrop Grumman Newport News, which is building the ship. The USS...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2003... In the article, "Army to Field Four Classes of UAVs," (April 2003, page 33), it should have been made clear that the Army has not yet made a decision on whether the Extended Range/Multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle program will be a fixed...

Which security missions are military, civilian?(Security Beat)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... An "overarching issue" in homeland security is which missions should be assigned to military reservists and which should be handled by civilian first responders, said Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs. Such...

Transferring army technology to states not easy.(Security Beat)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The U.S. Army has invested billions of dollars in training systems that would have a variety of applications in homeland security. But transferring this technology from the military to National Guard and law-enforcement agencies is easier said...

National guard needs cash for WMD support teams.(Security Beat)(Weapons of Mass Destruction )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The National Guard is making its case to Congress this month to receive sufficient funds to stand up Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams in all states, according to Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs....

Coast Guard goes to dogs for bomb, drug searches.(Security Beat)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... As part of its role in homeland security, the U.S. Coast Guard is deploying dogs trained to detect explosives and narcotics. The dogs will work with the Coast Guard's quick-reaction forces--known as Maritime Safety and Security Teams and...

Pentagon official challenges information industry.(Security Beat)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... One of the biggest deficiencies in the intelligence community is "knowing what we do not know," said Richard Haver, the special assistant to the secretary of defense for intelligence. "Our community... has lost sight of what we do not...

Cold plasma could destroy bio-hazards.(Security Beat)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Defense Department is looking to develop technology based on cold plasma to decontaminate equipment exposed to chemical and biological hazards. Once developed, this technology will also prove useful for homeland security, according to...

'Sick' buildings find their cure.(Security Beat)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory has licensed a system that can destroy airborne biological agents as they move through a building's heating and air conditioning ducts. The system sterilizes "sick," buildings, airplanes...

Air Force gets force protection on the half shell.(Security Beat)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... To protect Langley Air Force Base, a team of government agencies and private environmental groups has built a manmade oyster reef under the waters of the Back River. Langley, in Hampton Roads, Va., is home to the Air Force's Air Combat Command....

Video surveillance on a backpack.(tech talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Seeking to gain a share of the booming market for security cameras, a Tennessee-based firm introduced a 360-degree video camera, with no moving parts, that can be mounted on a backpack. The iPIX 360 Video Surveillance System--with a...

Silver Fox joins the hunt.(tech talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A tiny unmanned aerial vehicle called Silver Fox is among the latest offerings from the Office of Naval Research. With a 6-foot fusclage, 8-foot detachable wings and tail fins, it fits into a super-sized golf bag. Weighing 20 pounds, it can...

Miniaturizing chemical agent detectors.(tech talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Office of Naval Research is developing a wallet-size chemical agent detector that can sense nerve agents, such as VX, Soman and Sarin, as well as blister agents, such as mustard gas. Sensor Research and Development Corporation, of...

Marines get guardian angel.(tech talk)
June 1, 2003... U.S. Marines in Iraq used a medical device called the Thermal Angel to treat casualties in their portable operating rooms. The Thermal Angel--developed by Estill Medical Technologies, Inc. of Dallas--is a blood and intravenous-fluid...

'Stilettos' can be useful in combat.(tech talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Combat units that deploy mobile communications systems and sensors on top of Humvee trucks are the target customers for the "Stiletto" telescoping screw-drive mast. Made of carbon fiber composite, the 1.5 square feet Stiletto can be mounted...

Miniature infrared camera enters commercial market.(tech talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Advances in miniaturized electronics are helping improve the performance of uncooled infrared cameras--used for monitoring overheating in equipment and manufacturing processes, security and surveillance night-vision equipment. A new...

Bridging the communication gap.(tech talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Radio operators in remote areas, out of the range of most communications systems, could gain access to the network with a so-called gateway extension. One such product entering the market is the PortaLink system, by JPS Communications, in...

War-gaming a future that's much like today: Army, Joint Forces Command test radical concepts that promote 'jointness'.
June 1, 2003... Army war planners project that, by 2015, the world will be deja vu all over again--trouble persists in the Middle East and throughout Asia, while terrorists threaten at home. U.S. military forces deployed around the globe continue to battle...

Navy's littoral combat ship tests contractors' creativity.
June 1, 2003... The high-stakes competition to win the Navy's littoral combat ship contract could be summed up in two words: "tough requirements." Each of the proposed hull designs vying for an LCS contract award scheduled for this fall has its own unique...

Advanced gun system for DD-X to expand commander's options.(viewpoint)
June 1, 2003... The U.S. Navy's future destroyer, the DD-X, will change radically the concepts associated with naval surface fire support. The DD-X will accomplish fire-support missions with the Advanced Gun System, which will launch precision-guided...

Globalstar sharpens government marketing strategy.(information technology)
June 1, 2003... NASA awarded a contract to satellite-communications provider Globalstar to develop an Internet protocol that would make a network easy to transport and would allow users to stay connected from multiple platforms on land, at sea of in the air....

Air Force takes steps toward 'smart' tanker: new technology could lead to changes in tactics and operational concepts.
June 1, 2003... The Air Force expects to have a fleet of "smart" tankers ready to fly by year's end. It could take much longer, however, to figure out how to best take advantage of the new technology and how to integrate it into operational scenarios. In...

Close air support tactics sharpened in Iraq: despite recent success, improvements still needed in equipment and training.
June 1, 2003... Close air support missions in the war over Iraq saw unprecedented levels of coordination between ground forces and aviators, officials said. But improvements are needed in training and in communications technology, in order to lower the risk of...

Marines allocate nearly $7b for helicopter upgrades.
June 1, 2003... One of the three Abrams tanks the Marine Corps lost in Iraq was destroyed by friendly tire, specifically by a Hellfire anti-tank missile launched from a Cobra attack helicopter. Avoiding such incidents of "blue on blue" tire is one reason...

Decontamination technology still outdated: the Defense Department proposes $52 million for research and development efforts.
June 1, 2003... The Pentagon plans to accelerate, during the next five years, research and development efforts in chemical and biological decontamination technology. Current and future programs aim to reduce the logistical burden of transporting...

Multi-agency team seeks new tools for war on terror.
June 1, 2003... A small, secretive organization--made up of representatives from the Departments of Defense, State and Justice, as well as other federal agencies--is "going public" to find new technology to use in the fight against terrorism. The unit,...

U.S. Coast Guard ratchets up Port Security: patrols and ship boardings increase, stretching limited resources 'almost to breaking point'.
June 1, 2003... Responding to the threat of terrorism, the U.S. Coast Guard has made its largest commitment to port security since World War II, according to Rear Adm. Jeffrey J. Hathaway, the service's assistant commandant for operations policy. "The...

Companies vie for airport security contracts: market for explosive-detector systems largely dominated by two firms.
June 1, 2003... The business of installing explosive-detection systems at airports in the United States has been captured, for the most part, by two companies that traditionally have focused on military and defense programs. L-3 Communications and...

Fast neutron technology used for explosive detection.
June 1, 2003... Explosive detection technology has leaped from traditional X-ray and infrared methods to the projection of subatomic particles into passenger luggage. This new technology enables the chemical identification of individual items in a bag...

Military units experiment with ultralight vehicles.
June 1, 2003... To provide increased mobility and agility during combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other remote and rugged locations, some U.S. military units ate trying out a variety of vehicles that are much smaller and lighter than traditional...

Western firms gradually break into Romania's defense market.
June 1, 2003... Less than a year after Romania became a NATO invitee, its defense market has become ripe ground for Western and Israeli companies, vying for contracts primarily in the areas of command-and-control, surveillance and communications. One of...

Romania's mountain troops thrive in rough environment.
June 1, 2003... They call themselves the masters of improvisation. They comb the mountainsides on horseback, conducting humanitarian assistance missions, as well as search and rescue at extreme heights. The Romanian 21st Mountain Battalion, "Vanatorii de...

STRATCOM chief hails aerospace 'visionaries'.(ndia news)
June 1, 2003... Navy Adm. James Ellis Jr., commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, paid tribute to the aerospace "visionaries of every era, who prove assumptions wrong, conventional wisdom neither conventional nor wise, and promptly set out to do the...

Gibson Discusses NORAD, NORTHCOM at Rocky Mountain Luncheon.(ndia news)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association welcomed over 100 attendees to hear a luncheon presentation from Brig. Gen. Mark Gibson, vice director of operations for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. ...

2003 JFCOM-GHRC Symposium a Total 'Sell-Out'.(ndia news)
June 1, 2003... More than 400 industry, academic, government and military leaders attended the 2003 "Joint Transformation Industry Symposium," sponsored in March by the Greater Hampton Roads Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association and the U.S....

Women in Defense membership growing quickly.(ndia news)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The fastest growing affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association is Women In Defense, A National Security Organization. The association experienced 74 percent growth during the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Most of the...

WID's 2003-2004 officers are installed at annual dinner.(ndia news)
June 1, 2003... At WID's annual dinner meeting in April, NDIA President Lawrence P. Farrell Jr., Lt. Gen., USAF (Ret.), installed the newly elected Board of Directors members for the 2003-2004 term. They include: President Jan Menker, of Concurrent...

Affiliate events.(ndia event)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... AFEI www.afei.org SEPTEMBER 23-25 Enterprise Integration EXPO Unleashing the Power of the Integrated Enterprise Sheraton Premiere Hotel Vienna, Va. Contact Nicole Peterson at: (703) 247-9474 nTsa www.trainingsystems.org JUNE...

2003 Transportation Security Administration: Innovative Technologies in Maritime Security Conference & Exhibition.(ndia event)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... August 4-7, 2003 Charleston Convention Center North Charleston, SC Event #3290 The Transportation Security Administration, in cooperation with the National Defense Industrial Association, is proud to announce its first "Innovative...

Events and descriptions.(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... JUNE 16-19 19th NDIA Security Division Symposium & Exhibition Event #3490 Reston. Va. POC: Meagan Gibbons @ (703) 247-9467 Exhibits: Tim Becker @ (703) 247-2573 This symposium will address topics that are central to homeland security...

For future planning.(ndia events)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... 2003 Transportation Security Administration Conference & Exhibition: Innovative Technology in Maritime Security Event #3290 North Charleston, S C. August 4-7 8th Annual Joint Services Pollution...

Chapter events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... JUNE 11 San Diego Monthly Luncheon San Diego 23 Rocky Mountain Luncheon Colorado Springs, Colo. 26 Picatinny Firepower Scholarship Benefit Banquet & Golf Tournament Parsippony,...