National Defense articles from June 2004

National Defense archives from June 2004

Battlefield logistics: color it 'purple'.(President's Perspective)(Editorial)
June 1, 2004... As pressure intensifies at the Defense Department to improve logistics support to U.S. troops in the field, decision makers within the military services, Joint staff and combatant commands are stepping up efforts to fix immediate problems and...

Fuel problems in the desert not new.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... Your article in the April 2004 issue "Truck Crews Get Crash Course in Survival" provided some very informative details on problems occurring with trucks operating in Iraq and how soldiers are adapting to these situations. However, the reported...

Challenges in maintaining vehicles.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... I enjoyed the April 2004 article titled "Changes on the Way for Army Logistics Ops." I also would like to make a comment and clarification. The article said, "Maintaining equipment such as the Rough Terrain Container Handler is difficult in the...

Ground troops like loitering aircraft.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... In reference to your April 2004 article "Fast Jets Not Ideal Choice for Close Air Support" I can say "well done." In the case of the A10 specifically, this outstanding aircraft was largely imposed on the Air Force who regrettably (until more...

Who will be the next SecDef?(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Should Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld survive the Iraqi prisoner-abuse scandal and remain at the Pentagon through the November election, speculation is rampant inside the Beltway on who might replace him next year. If George W. Bush is...

'Space vision' needs air force boost.(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Bush administration's "Vision for Space Exploration" is unlikely ever to become more than a slogan unless there is more active participation by the U.S. Air Force and other agencies in setting long-term goals for the nations space programs,...

Defense reform: next study under way at CSIS ...(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Center for Strategic and International Studies already is working on Part 2 of its overarching report on how to reform the Defense Department. The first piece of the study, titled 'Beyond Goldwater-Nichols: Defense Reform for a New...

... Procurement regs also to be tackled.(Washington Pulse)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Another topic the CSIS study will probe is the defense procurement system. The current acquisition regulations were rooted in the mid-80s business environment, when there were dozens of large prime contractors and high-production rates for...

Police agencies convert grants to robots.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Law enforcement agencies, using grant money from the federal government, increasingly are investing in robots to prepare for domestic threats. "Right now the biggest law enforcement concern is getting existing technology into their hands,"...

California lobbies for training site.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)
June 1, 2004... The absence of integrated training among civilian leadership, first responders and police forces is a dangerous gap in the way the country is preparing for disasters, said California law enforcement officials. A delegation recently was in...

DHS forms science and tech focused think tank.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Department of Homeland Security has formed its first research and development center that is dedicated to investigate policy where scientific, technical, and analytical expertise is required. Congress mandated the creation of the...

Pros, cons of foreign domestic intelligence.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Domestic security services in foreign democratic societies that lack law enforcement powers are better able to concentrate on assessing threats and ease interagency collaboration, according to a recently released report from Rand Corp. The...

Coast Guard boosts security at foreign ports.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Coast Guard announced a new program to help bolster security arrangements between the United States and its maritime trading partners, including annual visits by a team of U.S. officials and the permanent stationing of liaison officers to...

Missile defenses for airliners still years away.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)
June 1, 2004... Manufacturers of antimissile protection systems repeatedly have stressed that these technologies could be installed on civilian airliners relatively painlessly and within a short period. But these assurances belie the reality that it may...

More than technology is needed to win wars.(Defense Watch)
June 1, 2004... As events unfold in Iraq, much second-guessing goes on in Washington, not just about the overall U.S. strategy or lack thereof, but also on whether the hundreds of billions of dollars allocated every year to weapon systems are being spent on...

Navy aircraft carrier designed for trouble-free maintenance.(Up Front)
June 1, 2004... Despite growing interest in possibly expanding the number of vertical-takeoff warplanes in the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter program, the additional maintenance work associated with these aircraft makes it unlikely that they will fly from the deck...

Shipbuilders should worry about second-hand ship supply, study says.(Up Front)
June 1, 2004... Countries seeking inexpensive warships are finding that second-hand ships for a viable alternative to pricey new vessels. As more nations continue to downsize their navies, experts predict that surplus ships will inundate the world market,...

U.S. military training fails to grasp foreign cultures, says Rep. Skelton.(Up Front)
June 1, 2004... A thorough lack of understanding of the Iraqi culture, to a large extent, has contributed to U.S. setbacks in the occupation of Iraq, said Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo. To better prepare for future operations in foreign lands, the Defense...

Missile defense agency prepares for key flight tests in 2005.(Up Front)
June 1, 2004... Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, the head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, is planning an aggressive push to get programs tested by 2005. The agency has been under increasing pressure from Congress to prove the worth and efficacy...

Advisory board says military must define role in homeland defense.(Up Front)
June 1, 2004... The Pentagon needs to improve and integrate its maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets with those of the Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation, CIA and FBI, according to a recent Defense Science Board study....

Defense environmental programs reaching out to communities.(Up Front)
June 1, 2004... Suburban sprawl around military training areas shows no signs of slowing and this growth is fueling tensions between base commanders and communities around the United States. The Defense Department, meanwhile, has been criticized for its...

Singapore pursues advanced technology.
June 1, 2004... To overcome limitations on the size of its armed forces, the Asian city-state of Singapore is exploiting cutting-edge technology by combining home-grown research and international collaboration. While its high-stakes fighter replacement...

Singapore air force trains without ranges.
June 1, 2004... Singapore's air force increasingly is relying on "range-less" instrumentation technology for pilot training. Lacking large training ranges on the tiny island of Singapore, the air force became one of the first users of range-less...

Redefining combat: current operations shape army war game.
June 1, 2004... Among the hard lessons the U.S. Army is learning in Iraq is that the line between "major combat" and "stability operations" is blurred, at best, and that the enemy gets to decide when the war is finally over. The turn of events in Iraq...

Pilots spurring training, tactics revolution.
June 1, 2004... Army aviators--rehashing lessons garnered in Vietnam and seizing on recent experience gained in Iraq and Afghanistan--are forcing a revolution in combat helicopter training. Armed with hard won know-how, veteran pilots are returning to...

Army debating options for Bradley vehicle upgrades.
June 1, 2004... In the face of mounting requests for heavy armor to support troops in Iraq, the Army is expected momentarily to make a decision on whether to fund an upgrade program for the Bradley armored infantry fighting vehicle. Although the Army...

Army will broaden access to satellite communications.
June 1, 2004... Before the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division heads back to Iraq, its units are expected to receive upgraded satellite communications and new vehicles outfitted with the command-and-control computers and radios. The $50 million effort is...

Chem-bio sensors for strykers not yet perfected.
June 1, 2004... The Army may scale back plans to equip its new Stryker combat vehicles with advanced sensors that detect chemical agents while the vehicle is moving at high speeds. Even though Stryker production is proceeding as scheduled, the chemical...

Space programs reflect war-fighting priorities.(Commentary)
June 1, 2004... Space systems increasingly have become integrated into national intelligence and war-fighting operations. The space technology that enabled the success the military services achieved during combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq will...

Expanding communications: 'transformational' satellite price tag could reach $18B.
June 1, 2004... faced with a bandwidth crunch prompted in part by multiplying flocks of unmanned aerial vehicles that are transmitting multi-megabyte pictures, Defense Department planners are counting on a new generation of communications satellites to expand...

Contractor selection near for navy satellites.
June 1, 2004... The Navy is nearly ready to select a contractor for the mobile user objective system (MUOS), a constellation of ultra high frequency communications satellites designed to replace the current UFO (UHF Follow On) system. The multibillion...

Pentagon will spend $15B to lower bandwidth cost.
June 1, 2004... The Defense Department is seeking to lower the cost of band width, at a time when the military services are under great pressure to improve their networking capabilities on the battlefield. Although the cost of bandwidth in the civilian...

Demand for military satellites shows no sign of slowing down.
June 1, 2004... the use of space systems in military operations has surged during the past decade and this growth shows no signs of slowing down, according to an industry study. Approximately 113 dedicated military satellites will be produced in the next...

Military to increase dependence on commercial communications.
June 1, 2004... The satellite communications industry is bullish about future growth in military business. The industry's support of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq has helped solidify the relationship between the government and commercial suppliers,...

Pentagon prepares plan for defending U.S. homeland.(Blueprint For Homeland Security)(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... The Defense Department is working on a comprehensive homeland defense strategy that will detail the Pentagon's emerging role in protecting the United States from terrorist attack. The study, which is scheduled to be completed late this...

U.S. Northern Command actively enlisting partners.
June 1, 2004... The U.S. Northern Command--established in 2002 to prevent a repeat of 9/11--is seeking assistance from a wide range of organizations to help it protect the United States, its territories and interests, said Army Col. Stover James, the...

DHS technology budget to exceed $1B in 2005.
June 1, 2004... An array of emerging technologies is the key to defending the United States from its enemies, according to Charles E. McQueary, undersecretary of homeland security for science and technology. Developing those technologies is the mission of...

Coast guard to manage DHS procurement system.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The U.S. Coast Guard is preparing to award five-year contracts worth as much as $5 billion to provide the Department of Homeland Security, its parent agency, with a new contracting vehicle for the procurement of a full range of information...

Information fusion becomes a reality.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Tactical commanders currently are the recipients of an avalanche of battlefield information-intelligence tidbits that probably confuse as often as they enlighten. The military has long sought digital systems that would fuse multiple sources of...

Virtual cop stays on the beat 24/7.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A Carmel, Ind., company is producing a quick deployment, wireless surveillance package that is designed for police departments and security firms. The compact, battery-operated Quick Talk vS relies on an integrated radio transmitter with a...

Marines develop new breaching system.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A lightweight anti-personnel obstacle breaching system is able to clear a 2-foot wide path through 150 feet of treacherous minefield in 2 minutes flat. This recent advance, which was developed by the Marine Corps Systems Command program...

Small, lethal aerial scouts emerging.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Small, stealthy vertical take-off and landing vehicles are being developed to operate in a range of environments, with capabilities to land or launch on water. Able to perform surveillance missions, the miniature craft also could be armed. ...

Army, marines piercing the gloom.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Selected U.S. Army and Marine Corps units are acquiring an advanced, global positioning satellite-enabled video surveillance system that can seamlessly detect and track intruders, vehicles or vessels at distances in excess of 700 meters. ...

How U.K.'s new export control act will hit U.S. firms.(Government Policy Notes)
June 1, 2004... Significant modifications to the United Kingdom's export controls went into effect in June, almost a decade after a major public inquiry into the alleged sale of defense and dual-use technology by British firms to Iraq prior to the 1991 Gulf...

Military services name Leo Codd award winners.(NDIA News)
June 1, 2004... The U.S military services have announced the winners of the 2003 Col. Leo A. Codd Memorial Award. The award--named for a retired Army colonel and staff member of the American Ordnance Association, a predecessor of NDIA--is given annually to the...

WID selects new Board of Directors for 2004-2005.(NDIA News)
June 1, 2004... Women In Defense recently installed its the 2004-2005 National Board of Directors. The directors include: President: Carolyn Becraft, president of Becraft Associates, previously served as assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and...

NDIA events calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... JUNE 14-16 International Armaments Technology Symposium & Exhibition Parsippany, N.J. POC: Phyllis Edmonson @ (703) 247-2588 Exhibits: Karen Kane @ (703) 247-2573 14-18 Defense Systems Acquisition Management...

Precision targeting and close air support.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Joint Unmanned Air Combat System, a joint Air Force-Navy-DARPA project, seeks to develop a family of unmanned aircraft for bombing and ISR missions. The program manager from DARPA tells National Defense that JUCAS will have a common...

Standoff weapons.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Air Force plans to field a "small diameter bomb" in 2008, a weapon that will be launched from fighters and bombers. Its small size will make it a more flexible weapon for urban combat, close air support and other precision-targeting...