National Defense articles from May 2003

National Defense archives from May 2003

Editor's corner.(Editorial)
May 1, 2003... One small piece of the enormous logistics apparatus that has supported U.S. Central Command during the war in Iraq is a relatively unknown air base in Constanta, Romania, on the coast of the Black Sea. U.S. Air Force and Army personnel were...

War outcome will shape future investments. (President's Perspective).
May 1, 2003... As we watch events unfold in Iraq, it would be fair to predict that the outcome and lessons of this conflict will influence the Defense Department's investments for at least the next 15 years. The post-war hot-wash will not only affect...

Military may need more troops, says Senator. (Washington Pulse).(Senator Carl Levin of the Senate Armed Services Committee)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The size of the armed forces may need to expand in order to meet the nation's commitments in Iraq, Afghanistan and other fronts in the war on terrorism, said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., ranking minority member on the Senate Armed Services...

Don't mess with the joint chiefs. (Washington Pulse).(Pentagon proposes reducing power of choint chiefs of staff)
May 1, 2003... A Pentagon proposal to reduce the power and independence of the joint II chiefs of staff "will be a major issue... for us, if it surfaces," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., ranking minority member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The...

Zakheim: Budget supports transformation. (Washington Pulse).(undersecretary of defense Dov Zakheim comments on proposed defense budget)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The $400 billion defense budget that the president proposed for 2004 "closes and prevents gaps between resources and requirements," particularly in the area of transformational concepts, said Dov Zakheim, undersecretary of defense and...

Got an idea for special ops? Here's how to submit it. (Washington Pulse).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The U.S. Special Operations Command wants to receive proposals I with new ideas, suggestions and innovative concepts for weapons, supplies, facilities and equipment, according to Frank Wattenbarger, the command's director of advanced...

Jumper: Air Force to reduce personnel. (Washington Pulse).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The U.S. Air Force is bracing for personnel cuts this year. The plan is to I "take all of the slots off the books that the money already went away for," said Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper. Jumper explained that the funding for those...

Weldon organizes homeland security caucus. (Security Beat).(Representative Curt Weldon)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... he House of Representatives is planning to create a homeland security caucus in an effort to shape homeland security legislation, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Penn, announced in a recent speech. The caucus will be an outlet for the members of the...

Los Alamos Lab opens Homeland Security Center. (Security Beat).(Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Los Alamos National Laboratory has opened a Center for Homeland Security, which will serve as a contact hub for government organizations needing assistance with their projects on homeland security. The center will concentrate on...

Secrecy in anti-terror war stifles science. (Security Beat).(opinion of director of American Association for the Advancement of Science)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The federal government's efforts to protect the United States against terrorist attacks are having "profound effects" on the climate for scientific research in this country, warned Albert Teich, director of science and policy programs for the...

Medical research focuses on bioterrorism. (Security Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Research and development in bio-terrorism this year is top of the list, diverting funding from other core medical research, said Albert Teich, director of science and policy programs for the American Association for the Advancement of Science....

Terrorism prevention center will help first responders. (Security Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... First responders and emergency planners now can tap into a national, internet-based network to share information about counter-terrorism and consequence management. The Oklahoma City-based National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of...

Visa backlogs grow for foreign scientists, students. (Security Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Two new antiterrorism laws are creating unreasonable backlogs and I delays for foreign scientists and students seeking to enter the United States, said Albert Teich, director of science and policy programs for the American Association for the...

Intelligence gathering techniques have changed. (Security Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... "We do nor have good intelligence primarily, because for a very long time it was illegal to have good intelligence," Michael Ledeen, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, told a conference on...

Government must set priorities. (Security Beat).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The most pressing needs for homeland defense are new measures to protect mass transit and maritime security, actions to prevent radiological and biological terrorism, and stronger protection against possible attacks on chemical plants, said...

Bike designed for paratroopers. (Tech Talk).(Hummer mountain bike)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Hummer mountain bike could make it possible for paratroopers to drop the bicycle as they jump out of airplanes, unfold it and have it up and running in less than a minute. The Hummer bike is made of lightweight, aircraft-grade aluminum....

Hand lotion for first responders. (Tech Talk).(Hand Sense)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A protective cream that blocks biological agents from entering the body through the skin, called Hand Sense, is being marketed for firefighters and emergency response personnel. Hand Sense forms a protective non-porous shield and can be worn...

Catamarans: rigid, but flexible. (Tech Talk).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The growing popularity of catamarans in he the U.S. military is good news for Nautica, of Pembroke Pines, Fla. The company is marketing a catamaran series of rigid inflatable boats for military and law-enforcement agencies. A catamaran is a...

Detector combines multiple jobs. (Tech Talk).(NBCerberus, produced by Smiths Detection)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A nuclear biological and chemical detection system is available in one single package. The system, called NBCerberus, and produced by Smiths Detection, was designed to be installed in a truck, van, trailer or environmental...

Galvanized steel pads keep hazmat away. (Tech Talk).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Tanker trucks could be decontaminated more easily on mobile, heavy, galvanized-steel drive-on pads, rather than conventional concrete platforms, said a spokesman from FPI, a California firm that makes customized sumps. The drive-on pads...

Armored turrets sold for humvees. (Tech Talk).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... An armored turret recently introduced for the home land-security market could help improve ballistic protection for Humvee gunners. The "Save A Gunner" (S.A.G.) Turret Armor System, made by US Global Aerospace Inc., in Carson City, Nev.,...

Pentagon reviewing proposal to create 'Logistics Command'.
May 1, 2003... Seeking to fix longstanding snags in military logistics operations, the Pentagon is considering a possible merger of the U.S. Transportation Command and the Defense Logistics Agency. Shortcomings in what the Defense Department calls the...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... MAY 12-15 2003 Small Arms Symposium & Exhibition Event #3610 Kansas City POC: Phyllis Edmonson @ (703) 247-2588 This symposium is a premier event, where the small arms communities come together for technical paper...

U.S. base on Romanian coast bridges Europe, Middle East.
May 1, 2003... CONSTANTA, Romania--Heavy cargo planes have been rumbling day and night over this port city for a couple months, heralding the American presence. The U.S. planes, landing and raking off from a former MIG fighter base of the Romanian Air Force,...

Demand for special ops forces outpaces supply: commanders worry back-to-back wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are stretching the force.
May 1, 2003... Senior officials at the U.S. Special Operations Command are grappling with a looming force structure crisis. At their current level, special operations forces can meet today's demands, but it will be difficult for SOCOM to sustain the pace,...

Special operators seeking a technological advantage.(U.S. Special Operations Command)
May 1, 2003... The U.S. Special Operations Command is looking for "leap-ahead" technologies that can give its troops a decided advantage over their adversaries in wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced...

Future howitzer is not 'son of Crusader': Army's non-line of sight 'demonstrator' to be fired this fall at Yuma Proving Ground.
May 1, 2003... The U.S. Army's future cannon artillery vehicles likely will employ many of the same technologies originally designed for the Crusader--a high-tech howitzer that was terminated last year, because it was deemed too heavy and unwieldy to be...

Navy to upgrade Aegis ships with open software standards.
May 1, 2003... The Navy gradually wants to do away with decades-old proprietary combat-system software and replace it with a modern "open architecture." A changeover from "milspec" Navy-unique systems to a commercial computing environment would be costly, but...

Army not producing enough ammunition: aging stockpile and shortage of suppliers pose long-term risks, experts contend.
May 1, 2003... At a time when precision strike warfare dominates U.S. military tactics and strategy, the Army is facing a sobering reality: its ammunition stockpile is becoming outdated and is woefully short of the modern "smart" munitions needed for current...

Air Force wants missiles redirected in flight: weapons with two-way communications links could help avoid fratricide.
May 1, 2003... Precision-guided munitions, in their current form, generally are accurate but still not adaptable enough to the complexities of urban combat, where targets constantly are on the move, say military experts. Incidents of fratricide and...

Army-Navy 'common missile' to replace Hellfire, Maverick.
May 1, 2003... The Army and the Navy have agreed to collaborate on a new air-to-ground missile that will replace the battle-tested Hellfire and Maverick weapons. A solicitation for contractor proposals is expected this month for the so-called "common...

Lack of autonomy hampering progress of battlefield robots.
May 1, 2003... They scour caves in Afghanistan, drawing gasps of admiration from military and civilians alike. They scout enemy streets, keeping foot soldiers out of harm's way as much as possible. Years from now, the Pentagon hopes, they could pack a lethal...

Pentagon unhappy about drone aircraft reliability: rising mishap rates of unmanned vehicles attributed to rushed deployments.
May 1, 2003... Crashes and component failures are driving up the cost of unmanned air vehicles and limiting their availability for military operations, said a Pentagon report. Of particular concern are those UAVs that have become useful tools of war--such as...

Non-U.S. firms provide niche imagery products: Imagesat, Spot benefit from growing demand for satellite data, intelligence. (Space Industry Update).
May 1, 2003... International satellite-imagery providers Imagesat and Spot have emerged as the top non-American commercial suppliers of remote-sensing data to the U.S. military. Imagesat Corporation is based in Limassol, Cyprus, with its technical...

Super Hornet gains combat experience: performance in Iraq is praised, yet purchases of new aircraft are being cut back.
May 1, 2003... Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighters from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed in the Persian Gulf, swooped into southern Iraq and dropped 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions on hostile surface-to-air missile systems...

Navy starts work on next class of carriers: CVN 21 said to offer biggest changes in decades, seeking a 'leap ahead' in technology.
May 1, 2003... The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with plans for its much-debated, next-generation aircraft carrier, now called CVN 21. The service has requested $1.5 billion in its fiscal year 2004 budget for research, development and engineering and advanced...

Aberdeen Test Center courts partners from private sector.
May 1, 2003... The Aberdeen Test Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is seeking to form a profitable partnership with private industry and academic institutions by establishing a "limited liability company," or LLC. This type of business arrangement...

Government. (Brass Cracks).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Army Maj. Gen. Walter L. Sharp has been nominated for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general and assignment as director for strategic plans and policy, J-5 on the Joint Staff. Navy Rear Adm. James D. McArthur Jr. is being assigned as...

Industry. (Brass Cracks).
May 1, 2003... Thomas E. Romesser, vice president of technology development for Northrop Grumman Corporation's space technology sector, has been elected as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, in Redondo Beach, Calif Romesser was chosen for...

In memoriam.(William B. Ruger, Uziel Gal and John N. Meloy)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
May 1, 2003... The small arms world mourns the passing of two of the most renowned designers of the 20th century and one of its most loyal friends: William B. Ruger, Uziel Gal and John N. Meloy. Ruger was the pragmatic "everyman's" firearms designer. He...

Industry suggests improvements for exports. (Government Policy Notes).
May 1, 2003... The Bush administration is conducting a comprehensive review of defense trade export policy. The White House initiated the review--commonly known as NSPD-19--in an effort to identify changes needed to protect the country's national-security and...

How new U.K. export controls will hit U.S. (Government Policy Notes).
May 1, 2003... The United Kingdom's Export Control Act--passed by Parliament in 2002 and scheduled to take effect before the end of this year--represents the greatest single change to the government's control system since the current regulations were...

Affiliate events.(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... 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 JUNE 10-12 PEO STRI APBI Orlando, Fla....