National Defense articles from June 2008

National Defense archives from June 2008

Non-government aid crucial to disaster relief operations.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
June 1, 2008... * We have seen in recent weeks some extraordinary efforts by international aid organizations and governments around the world to assist the victims of the devastating cyclone in Myanmar as well as the powerful earthquake in China. The U.S....

Despite SecDef pleas, Pentagon is losing the innovation war.(DEFENSE WATCH)(Defense Secretary Robert Gates)
June 1, 2008... * Defense Secretary Robert Gates briefly grabbed the headlines last month when he challenged the Pentagon to "find more innovative and bold ways to help those whose lives are on the line." He might just as well have asked for the moon. ...

Unexpected reception: navy aviation industry competes for attention.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Times are tough for carrier aviation. The Navy is struggling with an aging fleet and rising costs--in addition to the possibility that the fleet may temporarily drop from 11 to 10 aircraft carriers in a couple of...

Air force asking contractors for 'data rights'.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
June 1, 2008... * When the Air Force buys a new weapon system, typically it allows the manufacturer to retain ownership of the blueprints, designs and technical data. Companies prefer it that way because it guarantees them lucrative aftermarket work such as...

Industry unscathed by Iraq drawdown, says report.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
June 1, 2008... * Investors have speculated for some time about a downturn in the defense industry following a U.S. pullback from Iraq. Not to worry, say analysts from the Spade Defense Index. Regardless of who wins the November elections, "Trends over the...

Troops don't always benefit from 'virtual reality' training.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
June 1, 2008... * Virtual reality is not always the best choice for military training, according to a recent government study. "VR simulators are usually located in comfortable environments, with air conditioning to cool computer equipment, so the operators...

Direct-to-target: DHS wants to vet small aircraft before they enter U.S. airspace.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)(Department of Homeland Security)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * About 400 general aviation flights--ranging in size from small Cessnas to 747s--enter U.S. airspace each day. Despite long-time fears that these non-commercial flights may come beating a weapon of mass destruction,...

Jihadists not lacking for plot ideas, terrorist watchdog says.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
June 1, 2008... * Senior al-Qaida leaders through a password protected Internet message board periodically ask their loyal readers to send in their best ideas for attacking their enemies. One such request for proposals posted last year received thousands...

Technical glitches keep coast guard satellite grounded.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
June 1, 2008... * An experimental Coast Guard surveillance payload that was scheduled for launch aboard a commercial satellite at the End of 2007 has been delayed twice because of several technical problems, the Coast Guard said. The demonstration...

Edicts from on high irk local, state homeland security leaders.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... * When it comes to sharing information and promulgating rules and regulations that can protect the homeland, communication from the federal government to state and local agencies is still a one-way street, said a consortium of 21 national...

Cutting through the radar clutter.(INSIDE SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY)
June 1, 2008... * The same technology that allows fighter pilots to detect enemy planes in the skies may one day help ground troops peer around buildings in cities to track down insurgents. At least, that is what scientists are hoping as they progress on...

Chokepoints: more eyes in the sky may not generate better intelligence.(IN FOCUS: DEFENSE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Under orders from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the military services are moving to accelerate the production and deployment of surveillance aircraft. This mad rush to deploy more spy planes over Iraq and...

Aviation wish-lists send mixed signals.(ANALYSIS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At least on paper, the Air Force and Navy have staked the future of their tactical aviation on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. But the services' ongoing pleas for more money to fill what they describe as...

Failing grades: waning education standards threaten U.S. competitiveness.(Industry Study)
June 1, 2008... High-quality education is absolutely critical to national security, and the United States must soon address a number of challenges in its educational system if it wants to maintain a competitive edge in the global economy and in key...

Binding ties: Air Force wants Latin America to be less dependent on U.S. military.(Southern Command)
June 1, 2008... SANTIAGO, Chile -- The Air Force is requesting more than $300 million to help modernize the aircraft fleets of four Latin American nations that assist the United States in the war on drugs and in humanitarian missions. The project also is...

U.S. must rethink military power, says Southern command chief.(Southern Command)
June 1, 2008... * The security challenges of Latin America--drug trafficking, narco-terrorism and crime--are best tackled with diplomatic engagement and partnerships, not with massive military force, says the top U.S. military officer overseeing Latin America....

Rescue bots: first responders slow to take up robot technology.(Robot Technology)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PITTSBURGH -- Bomb squads in the United States are taking notice of what's happening in the streets of Iraq. Robots are keeping explosive ordnance disposal personnel out of harm's way. Robot manufacturers are...

Students hope robot snakes slither out of lab.(Robot Technology)
June 1, 2008... * Students at Carnegie Mellon University laboratory are working on a family of robots that mimic the movement of snakes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Students and teachers at the biorobotics laboratory at CMU Robotics Institute see several...

Panic attack: public still in the dark when it comes to dirty bomb threat.(Chem-Bio Defense)(radiological dispersal device)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When convicted terrorist Jose Padilla showed up at the Chicago airport in May 2002 allegedly with plans to carry out a dirty bomb attack, few people had ever heard of such a weapon. The federal government since...

In the hot zone: nation has few WMD response teams in place.(Chem-Bio Defense)
June 1, 2008... GALLAGHER, W. Va. -- The training scenario the Marines encountered on a crisp spring morning was this: Terrorists traveling in a van through a highway tunnel sprayed nerve gas into the air. Motorists behind them, suffering from the effects,...

Marine, Navy Response Force does more with less.(Chem-Bio Defense)
June 1, 2008... GALLAGHER, W. Va. -- The Chemical Biological Incident Response Force has received several important technology upgrades during the past year that will make their mission of saving lives in the event of a terrorist attack easier, said a senior...

Space on demand: Air Force weighs options to meet skyrocketing bandwidth demand.(Space Technology)(Cover story)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The ever-increasing bandwidth demands on military networks have created new pressures on the Air Force and the space industry to address these needs. Officials worry that current...

Simulations help predict Sat-Com disruptions.(Space Technology)(Satellite Communication)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... * COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Satellite signals beamed down to military warplanes, unmanned aircraft, ground stations or vehicles are affected by a range of disruptive phenomena--enemy jammers, atmospheric white noise or weather. These...

Ground connections: mobile broadband for roaming troops: pipe dream or reality?(Space Technology)
June 1, 2008... In the world of high-tech military communications, troops fighting on the front lines are known as the "disadvantaged users." The tech-deprived troops typically are driving around in humvees and patrolling on foot. They have little to no...

Market slowdown: low-cost space launch vehicles await liftoff.(Space Technology)
June 1, 2008... COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A new generation of small rockets may fulfill the Air Force's goat of creating a market for low-cost launch. But after many fits and starts, the service and the launch industry realize that several roadblocks still...

Pentagon, intelligence community may adopt unified space strategy.(Space Technology)
June 1, 2008... * COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The United States spends billions of dollars to maintain its superiority in space. But lack of coordination between the Defense Department and the intelligence community is impeding efforts to efficiently manage...

Fiber power: Need a buzz? Be your own power grid.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Troops in combat constantly clamor for lightweight electrical power solutions. A partial answer may be in the offing from scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology. They are working on fiber-based...

Multi-purpose composite material developed.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * A Noblesville, Ind., company has developed a tough, resilient composite material that is expected to find uses in safety equipment, sporting goods and gear for the military, including high impact, light-weight...

Navy relies on solar power at Korean base.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * The Navy may be blue but it is going green in a big way. Sailors at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command's Far East public works department have completed five solar projects at Fleet Activities in Chinhae,...

Rugged converters aimed at diverse customers.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
June 1, 2008... * Compact, 8,000 watt, direct current/direct current and alternating current/direct current power converter modules by Schaefer Inc. of Ashland, Mass., are being tailored for military and industry uses. The extremely high power density...

Tracking devices offer path to safety for lost firefighters.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
June 1, 2008... * Each year about 100 U.S. firefighters die in the line of duty. A German firm, Draeger Safety KG & Co., and Exit Technologies of Boulder, Colo., have joined forces to enhance the odds of survival for these first responders. Draeger...

Mapping technology helps cope with emergencies.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * An easy-to-use mapping tool, originally developed for the U.S. military, is now being used by first responders to pinpoint resources such as hospitals, transportation, water and food in regional emergencies. ...

Game lets GI's make friends, not war.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
June 1, 2008... * Soldiers not only must know how to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, they also are expected to acquire the know-how that will enable them to get along with the home folk in those two troubled lands. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A computer...

Self-disclosure rules create ambiguities.(Ethics Corner)
June 1, 2008... Proposed Federal Acquisition Regulation changes mandating contractor self-disclosure have resulted in serious controversy between contractors and Congress. The Department of Justice requested the rule, claiming it was necessary because...

NDIA ethics committee.
June 1, 2008... Joe Reeder, Chairman Attorney, Greenberg Traurig LLP Thomas Culligan Tofie M. Owen, Jr. Senior Vice President for Corporate Development, SAIC John D. Illgen Vice President, Norhtrop Grumman Simulation...

T&E division honors Deitz.(NDIA NEWS: ASSOCIATION BRIEFS)(National Defense Industrial Association's Testing and Evaluation Division awards Paul H. Deitz)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... * The National Defense Industrial Association's Testing and Evaluation Division awarded the 2008 Walter W. Hollis Award for lifetime achievement in defense test and evaluation to Paul H. Deitz. Deitz has distinguished himself through his...

McCullough earns Procurement award.(NDIA NEWS: ASSOCIATION BRIEFS)
June 1, 2008... * James J. McCullough, a partner in the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP has been awarded the National Defense Industrial Association's Procurement Division's prestigious Howard H. Cork Memorial Award for 2007. ...

Coast guard leader receives NDIA's highest award.(NDIA NEWS: ASSOCIATION BRIEFS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the United States Coast Guard, is congratulated by NDIA President and CEO Lawrence P. Farrell Jr., USAF Lt. Gen. (Ret.) At a dinner held in Vienna, Va., April 16, Allen received the...

Upcoming exhibits, shows and events.(NDIA CALENDAR)(Calendar)
June 1, 2008... JUNE 10-11 Armaments Technology Fire Power Forum Parsippany, NJ Precision fires as an enabler for force deominance 12 Picatinny Chapter 33rd Annual Firepower Benefit Parsippany, NJ ...

Virtual fence.(NEXT MONTH: PREVIEW OF OUR NEXT ISSUE)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Project 28, the latest attempt to secure the southern border using sensors and other technology, did not perform as expected, and will not be used a model for future efforts to create a so-called "virtual fence."...

Disaster response.(NEXT MONTH: PREVIEW OF OUR NEXT ISSUE)(National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center in College Station, Texas, teaches disaster response skills to firefighters, the National Guard and military units. The 52-acre Disaster City features collapsed buildings, derailed...