National Defense articles from March 2004

National Defense archives from March 2004

Editor's corner.
March 1, 2004... In the U.S. Army, "transformation" may be an overused buzzword, but it's also a fair description for what is happening at the service's training centers. Notably the Army has reorganized its training centers to address gaps in areas such...

Balancing defense needs against fiscal realities.(president's perspective)
March 1, 2004... The 2005 defense budget request that the administration sent to Capitol Hill last month is an impressive attempt to balance the demands of a nation at war against the sobering fiscal picture now confronting us. The request of $401.7...

'05 defense bill will see 'smooth sailing'.(Washington Pulse)
March 1, 2004... Congressional staffers predict the fiscal year 2005 funding for the Defense Department will move quickly through the appropriations process, despite widening concerns about the administration's reluctance to disclose projected cost estimates on...

$5b to be awarded for Iraq reconstruction.(Washington Pulse)
March 1, 2004... The Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Department of Defense are expected to award $5 billion in reconstruction contracts this month to help rebuild the country's infrastructure. High up on the list of needs are power...

Combatting soldiers' stress in Iraq.(Washington Pulse)
March 1, 2004... William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, reported that, as of December, at least 10,128 service men and women had been airlifted out of Iraq for stress and other related medical conditions. Winkenwerder...

Increased bioterrorism funding in fiscal 2005.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)
March 1, 2004... The Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services will share $275 million to expand the BioWatch program, improve a nationwide bio threat reporting system and upgrade food and animal inspections. If Congress approves the...

Better planning needed for 'dirty bomb' attack.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)
March 1, 2004... Experts who argue that the United States potentially is susceptible to radiological attacks--better known as "dirty bombs"--claim that this threat is often misconstrued. "The reality is that the threat of a dirty bomb attack by terrorists...

National Guard troops retraining as MPs.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)
March 1, 2004... To help relieve the burden placed on Army military police--both active duty and reserve--by ongoing conflicts, the National Guard is converting 18 of its field artillery, transportation and combat support units to provisional MP organizations....

Study calls for tripling guard civil support teams.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)
March 1, 2004... Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, is calling on the Bush administration to significantly grow the number of National Guard Civil Support teams from its current 32. "Given the nature of the threat to the...

Directory lists who's who in Homeland Security.(Security beat: homeland defense briefs)
March 1, 2004... Grey House Publishing has just released the first edition of a 700-page Homeland Security Directory. The hook includes 1,175 profiles of federal and state agencies, 1,166 private companies, 280 homeland security industry resources and more than...

Shelters protect from mother nature and mankind.(tech talk)
March 1, 2004... Disaster Survival Systems, of Miami, is marketing a family of factory-built bunkers known as Disaster Survival Shelters (DSS). The bunkers come in three variants, above ground (the Guardian), underground (the Foxhole) and underwater (the...

Lunchbox style computer is versatile.(tech talk)
March 1, 2004... Computer users who need a system that can operate in rugged field conditions may want to take a look at a new line of "lunchbox" style models offered by Acme Portable Machines, Inc., of Azusa, Calif. The GMII-102 is a workstation that has...

Inflatable cases guard against bomb blasts.(tech talk)
March 1, 2004... A blast mitigation tool, called the Blastec Bomb Bin, can be deployed rapidly to protect potential targets from terrorist attacks, according to its developer, CINTEC America, of Washington, D.C. The Blastec Bomb Bin is available to first...

Bodyscan X-ray system finds dangerous materials.(tech talk)
March 1, 2004... The Terrorist Trap Digital Bodyscan is a digital X-ray scanning system intended for non-contact, visual inspection of a person to detect smuggled or dangerous materials. A New York-based subsidiary of Security Intelligence Technologies Inc.,...

Military gets roadside assistance.(tech talk)
March 1, 2004... To prevent truck bomb attacks, the U.S. Army and Navy have started to use pop-up bollard security road barriers, wedge barrier systems and cable-crash beams supplied by CompuDyne Corporation's Norshield Security Products division, in...

Tiny device detects radiation 24/7.(tech talk)
March 1, 2004... A matchbook-size device--called NukAlert, developed by KI4U Inc., of Gonzales, Texas--monitors the amount of radiation in the environment and warns when it reaches dangerous levels, according to the firm's founder, Shane Connor. The...

Local investment in Osprey pays off by creating jobs.(case study)
March 1, 2004... A unique arrangement between the city of Amarillo, Texas, and the manufacturers of the V-22 Osprey offers a case study in how local economies can gain defense industry jobs and possibly help military programs cut costs. Under the...

Non-lethal weapons find their niche in urban combat.
March 1, 2004... Weapons that once were meant only for police use increasingly are finding their way into military units in Iraq and elsewhere. These so-called "non-lethal" weapons have seen their share of controversy, but, nevertheless, experts predict...

Real-world missions shape army training.
March 1, 2004... The U.S. Army has reorganized its training centers to fill gaps in areas such as stability and support operations, according to senior officials. The revamped training programs draw from lessons learned from counterinsurgency operations in...

Navy downsizing force to pay for new ships; 'Sea Warrior' program will determine which jobs will stay, which will go.
March 1, 2004... To meet growing demands for U.S. maritime presence around the world and adequately support the war-fighting regional commanders, the Navy says it needs more ships, but fewer sailors. The desired expansion of the fleet--from 292 to about 375...

'Virtual maintenance' promises big savings.(commentary)
March 1, 2004... The U.S. Navy can reduce future fleet operations and support costs increasingly by automating maintenance and repair tasks. Under a concept called "net-centric maintenance," both land-and sea-based systems would help remotely diagnose and...

Army crime fighters shift focus to wars.
March 1, 2004... The U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Command--which usually concentrates on bringing that service's own lawbreakers to justice--now is employing its detective skills against enemy combatants in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, according to...

Army rushes to deploy defensive gear on aircraft.
March 1, 2004... The Army is rushing to field anti-missile systems for rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, seeking to make up for cutbacks that practically zeroed out funding for aircraft survivability equipment during the past five years. Funding for...

Army aviation must change to stay relevant, says panel.
March 1, 2004... Army aviators will adopt many of the tactics, techniques and aircraft maintenance practices that traditionally have been unique to special operations forces, said senior officials. This will help prepare Army aviation units for the...

Army's old Huey choppers getting a new lease on life.
March 1, 2004... The U.S. Army had planned to get rid of all its UH-1 Huey helicopters, which began flying in the late 1950s--almost half a century ago--by September of this year. Now, however, the service is awaiting the results of a major review of the...

Army awaiting go-ahead for new helicopter engines.
March 1, 2004... The Army's Improved Turbine Engine Program--formerly known as the Common Engine--is in limbo, awaiting funding decisions. The program was designed to provide a more powerful engine for the Black Hawk and Apache helicopters. Program...

Air Force forging alliances in Pacific region.
March 1, 2004... In the aftermath of back-to-back wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pacific Air Forces--the air component of U.S. military units covering the Pacific and Indian Oceans--is restoring aircraft and crews, and reexamining its basic deployment...

Lack of common technology still a problem in air combat.
March 1, 2004... Although NATO leaders have expressed interest in acquiring interoperable technologies for tactical aircraft, the alliance is far from having a common information backbone, according to Gen. Robert Foglesong, the commander of U.S. Air Forces...

Poor intelligence hampers precision weapon performance.
March 1, 2004... Despite the widely publicized success in precision strike operations during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the U.S. military lacks the intelligence and sensor capability to assess its targets and battle damage, according to a top Defense...

Navy prepares to put Aegis ships 'on alert'.
March 1, 2004... The Navy is speeding up preparations to deploy a sea-based missile defense system by early 2005. But it has yet to deal with unsolved issues, such as the specific missions the service will be assigned in the overall U.S. missile-defense...

Partners sought for Littoral Combat Ship.
March 1, 2004... The U. S. Navy is looking to tap the experience of foreign navies and shipyards in the design and development of its Littoral Combat Ship. The Navy envisions the LCS operating in coastal waters, clearing mines, chasing diesel submarines and...

Small companies need ethics programs too.(legal viewpoint)
March 1, 2004... Wrongdoing may come to any organization, large or small. It may be surprising to many that the overwhelming majority of companies suspended or debarred from government contracting are smaller firms. With the intense attention being given to...

Central Intelligence Agency.(Government)
March 1, 2004... Navy Rear Adm. Albert M. Calland III has been nominated for promotion to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as associate director of central intelligence for military support at the Central Intelligence Agency in McLean, Va. Calland...

Sea Warrior.(Government)
March 1, 2004... Navy Rear Adm. Donna L. Crisp is being assigned as assistant to the chief of naval personnel for Sea Warrior, in Norfolk, Va. Crisp was deputy chief of staff for shore base management at N46, U.S. Pacific Fleet, in Pearl Harbor.

FORCEnet.(Government)
March 1, 2004... Navy Rear Adm. Rosanne M. Levitre is becoming director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for FORCEnet, N6/N7 at the office of the chief of naval operations, in Arlington, Va. Levitre was director of intelligence, J2, at U.S....

Navy.(Government)
March 1, 2004... Navy Rear Adm. Martin J. Brown will be the new deputy for acquisition and business management for the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, in Arlington, Va. Brown was head of the Naval Supply Systems...

Veterans Corporation.(Government)
March 1, 2004... Edward G. "Ted" Lewis, of Superior, Colo., has been named chairman of the board of the Veterans Corporation for 2004. The corporation, based in Alexandria, Va., is chartered by Congress. Members of the board are appointed by the president of...

The Veterans Corporation.(Government)
March 1, 2004... Martin A. Berkowitz, of Bethesda, Md., currently chief operating officer of The Veterans Corporation, was appointed interim chief executive officer.

3D Perception.(Industry)
March 1, 2004... 3D Perception, of Asker, Norway, has recently appointed Oystein Nordtorp as marketing and sales manager. Nordtorp will focus on increased worldwide market shares for 3D Perception. Nordtorp most recently worked for Tomra and Ericsson.

Northrop Grumman Corporation.(Industry)
March 1, 2004... Northrop Grumman Corporation, headquartered in Los Angeles, has added two members to its board of directors. Kevin Sharer, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Amgen Inc., and J. Michael Cook, retired chairman and chief...

SI International Inc.(Industry)
March 1, 2004... SI International Inc., of Reston, Va., has appointed Paul Brubaker as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. In this position, Brubaker will focus on federal IT modernization, space systems modernization, homeland security and...

Battelle.(Industry)
March 1, 2004... James T. Jackson, who recently retired as commanding general for the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, has joined Battelle to help lead Homeland Security programs. Jackson, 54, served in a wide variety of positions in the Army,...

Thales North America Inc.(Industry)
March 1, 2004... Col. Michael Alvis, USA (ret.), has been appointed director of ground-based programs for Thales North America Inc., in Alexandria, Va. Alvis retired from the Army in 2000 after serving 27 years in a variety of positions, including secretary of...

Lockheed Martin.(Industry)
March 1, 2004... Lockheed Martin's board of directors has named Maryanne R. Lavan to the position of corporate vice president. Lavan recently was promoted to the position of vice president of ethics and business conduct.

At year's end, thanks to WID's supporters.(Women in defense: a national security organization)
March 1, 2004... As the Women In Defense National Board ends its operational year on March 31, both the board and WID'S member chapters have met or exceeded their goals for the period. At this time, WID would like to recognize those companies who have...

Annual Firepower Award honors defense contributors.(Women in defense: a national security organization)
March 1, 2004... An estimated 550 people attended the 3rd Annual Firepower Awards Program held recently in Parsippany, N.J., by the Picatinny Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association. The awards are presented to those individuals who have made...

Affiliate events.(NDIA events calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... AFEI www.afei.org MARCH 9-12 Sustaining Adaptive Enterprises Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club St. Petersburg, Fla. APRIL 7-8 Net-Centric Operations Meeting Hilton McLean Tysons Corner McLean, Va. ...

Events and descriptions.(NDIA events calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... MARCH 10-11 National Intelligence Symposium McLean, Va. POC: Nicole Peterson @ (703) 247-9474 The National Military Intelligence Association (NMIA) announces the Agenda for the National intelligence Symposium 2004 to be held at the...

Chapter events.(ndia events calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... MARCH 16-18 Greater Hampton Roads Chapter JFCOM/Industry Symposium Portsmouth, Va. 16-18 Michigan Chapter TACOM/Industry Logistics Symposium Dearborn, Mich. 22 Rocky Mountain Chapter Luncheon Colorado Springs, Colo. 29-31...

For future planning.(NDIA events calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... 2004 Coast Guard Innovation EXPO Event #4230 Savannah, Ga. May 3-6 50th Annual Small Arms Symposium & Exhibition Event #4610 Las Vegas, Nev. May 10-13 Global Demilitarization Symposium & Exhibition Event #4580 Dallas, Texas May 17-20...