National Defense articles from November 2003

National Defense archives from November 2003

Editor's corner.
November 1, 2003... One peculiar development seen in the Iraq war was the presence, throughout the theater, of U.S. military teams led by 35 officers from the Joint Forces Command. Their sole job was to observe the war as it unfolded and assess the performance of...

Modernization spending should not slow down.(president's perspective)
November 1, 2003... The Defense Appropriations bill signed by President Bush last month--which provides $368.2 billion for fiscal year 2004--continues the upward trend in military spending that began more than two years ago, after the Sept. 11 attacks, as the...

Operation Iraqi Freedom and the future of the helicopter.(readers forum)
November 1, 2003... There is a push in the Defense Department and the broader national security community to identify the lessons of Operation Iraqi Freedom rapidly in order to influence near-term programmatic, budgetary and even political decisions. Joint Forces...

Let us hear from you.(readers forum)
November 1, 2003... National Defense welcomes letters--pro or con. Keep them short and to the point. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. All letters considered for Readers Forum must be signed. Letters may be either mailed to: Editor, National Defense,...

Pros, cons of Hybrid-Electric vehicles--another view.(readers forum)
November 1, 2003... The Hybrid-Electric vehicles (p.18, "Army and Marines Weigh Pros, Cons of Hybrid-Electric Vehicles" by Geoff Fein, September 2003) are old concepts and years behind. Besides being susceptible to an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), all electric...

Air Force war lessons will not be 'shelved'.(Washington Pulse)
November 1, 2003... The Air Force intends to take immediate action to determine whether the lessons learned from the conflict in Iraq should lead to near-term changes in the service's budget, said Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force vice chief of staff. This...

Pump up anti-sub warfare, Admiral says.(Washington Pulse)
November 1, 2003... The Navy needs to rejuvenate its anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Adm. Walter F. Doran, told a recent gathering of defense writers, in Washington, D.C. Doran said ASW was at the top of the list of...

Military Imagery Agency to be renamed.(Washington Pulse)
November 1, 2003... With the signing of the fiscal year 2004 defense authorization bill, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency will change its name to National Geo-spatial Agency (NGA). The name change is reflective of the agency's new role in providing more...

Center will consolidate terrorist watch lists.(Security Beat)
November 1, 2003... The U.S. government is setting up a Terrorist Screening Center to consolidate terrorist watch lists and provide information to federal, state and local investigators and agents. The center, which begins operations on December 1, will be...

Army contracts out force protection at U.S. bases.(Security Beat)
November 1, 2003... To meet growing force-protection needs, the U.S. Army is beginning to turn over security functions at bases around the country to private contractors. The move is intended to relieve the burden on Army, National Guard and reserve security...

DHS office to focus on science and technology.(Security Beat)
November 1, 2003... Since its inception in March, the Department of Homeland Security has provided nearly $4 billion in funding and has run about 400 emergency action plan evaluation exercises for states and communities, according to Charles McQueary, the...

DHS to partner with industry to protect cyberspace.(Security Beat)
November 1, 2003... A National Cyber Security Summit is being planned for this fall to bring together industry and government representatives to work on efforts to prevent disabling attacks on the Internet such as the Blaster and SoBig worms that attacked...

Rescue Sled comes back with new design.(tech talk)
November 1, 2003... The Rescue Sled--originally introduced in 1980--has been redesigned. The new version is an inflatable rescue litter that can be used on a wide range of surfaces, including dirt, snow, ice and water. The Rescue Sled is inflated rapidly...

Field boots get a second chance.(tech talk)
November 1, 2003... Military personnel, law enforcement officers, first responders, postal workers and forest rangers are the target customers for a line of high-performance boots made by the German firm HAIX. The boots are now being marketed in this country...

Drone team completes long-endurance flight test.(tech talk)
November 1, 2003... Scan Eagle--a long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) made by Boeing and The Insitu Group--recently completed a 15.2-hour flight at a facility in Boardman, Ore. ScanEagle "A," the first vehicle in the ScanEagle family, completed the...

SOCOM--the sequel stresses teamwork.(tech talk)
November 1, 2003... Fighting enemies in urban and rural settings throughout the world is the assignment in "SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs." The sequel to the PlayStation 2 video game "SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs," comes with new features such as gameplay, chat...

Soldier performance tested under pressure.(tech talk)
November 1, 2003... To be able to measure and record soldiers' performance in stressful situations, the Army is testing the so-called Multimodal Interface Research Platform, or MIRP. Developed by TIAX, of Cambridge, Mass., the MIRP is mounted on a vest. The...

Camouflage garments lose weight.(tech talk)
November 1, 2003... Saab Barracuda, located in Lillington, N.C., and a subsidiary of the Swedish company Saab Barracuda AB, has developed a lightweight camouflage material aimed at military applications. The material is used to make ponchos and other types of...

Soldiers test new systems to identify friendly forces.
November 1, 2003... No silver bullets yet exist to eliminate friendly fire. But experts believe that a combination of new technology and modifications to training and procedures could lead to significant improvements in combat ID. Ground commanders,...

Land Warrior follows simpler path.
November 1, 2003... The Army is drastically simplifying the make-up of its high-tech soldier ensemble, the Land Warrior, in an effort to make the system less prone to failures and easier to use. After the last version of Land Warrior failed reliability tests...

Transformation: are the goals off target? Military not adequately equipped for nation building, says former CENTCOM chief.(analysis)
November 1, 2003... When the Pentagon talks about the "transformation" of the military services, the implication is that transforming means becoming faster, lighter, more precise and efficient. But given what is going on in the world today, transformation should...

National Defense University expands joint curriculum.
November 1, 2003... A growing demand for military officers who are proficient in inter-service issues and joint battle planning has prompted the launch of new educational programs at the National Defense University. Among them is a "Joint Military Education...

Joint education to become mandatory for Navy officers.
November 1, 2003... The Navy increasingly will encourage junior officers to pursue joint military education programs. Eventually, however, the plan is to make joint military education a prerequisite for every officer. "We are increasing joint education...

Successful war games combine both civilian and military traits.
November 1, 2003... Commercial war-game designers can provide realistic and user-friendly simulations far more cheaply than the military's own multi-million-dollar systems, some experts argue. Yet, developers and operators of big-ticket simulation systems counter...

Video game helps teach armor officer skills.
November 1, 2003... For the past three years, Maj. Michael Muller has used TacOpsCAV, a militarized version of the commercial TacOps game, to teach everything from standard operating procedures and battle drills to intelligence information tracking...

Naval aviators grapple with post-Iraq change.(analysis)
November 1, 2003... The naval aviators and air-wing commanders of Operation Iraqi Freedom said the outcome of the war helped validate their tactics, training and equipment. But despite the tactical success achieved by the seven carrier battle groups that supported...

Helicopter pilots will achieve majority status in the Navy.
November 1, 2003... The ranks of helicopter pilots in the U.S. Navy gradually will rise, as the service begins to execute an ambitious plan to double the number of helicopters deploying with aircraft carriers. In the Navy today, out of approximately 13,000...

Border guards trained to halt deadly shipments: both high-tech devices and sharp instincts are needed to combat smugglers.
November 1, 2003... At a facility near the remote Hanford nuclear waste site in eastern Washington, U.S. border guards are acquiring the skills to thwart smugglers. Armed with a wealth of information, the latest technologies, and their own intuition, agents...

U.S. targets shipments of nuclear reactor components.
November 1, 2003... Six weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. Customs officials recovered about 137 pieces of nuclear-reactor equipment from a warehouse in Cyprus. The parts appeared to have been destined for the Middle East. Details remain sketchy, because the...

Pentagon microelectronics maker: no order too small.
November 1, 2003... Need a carburetor for an old Chevy? Try a junkyard. Need a few integrated circuits for a brand-new F-22 fighter jet? That is a problem. No one produces them anymore. Commercial manufacturers won't touch such a small order--500 parts over...

Navy command engages in info warfare campaign.
November 1, 2003... Monitoring the Navy's daily electronic communications, Petty Officer James Smith, a cryptologic technician on the Naval Computer Incident Response Team, spotted the intrusion. Not much to look at just lines on a graph--it appeared to be a probe...

Taking fire, Navy Marine Corps Intranet progresses.
November 1, 2003... Despite delays and resistance, the controversial $8.8 billion Navy Marine Corps Intranet--which is intended to connect the two service's shore bases and link up with deployed ships at sea--is growing quickly, according to Navy Capt. Chris...

More than 165,000 sailors sign up for online learning.
November 1, 2003... At most recent count, more than 165,000 sailors have registered in Navy Knowledge Online--an educational Web site that is available through the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, according to Myles Weber, NKO program manager for Appian Corporation....

Services cope with demand for joint training.
November 1, 2003... Military officials recognize that the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps will need to adjust their training exercises and equipment to make them less service-centric and more joint-service oriented. But it is not yet clear how the...

At Unit of Action Lab, soldiers determine design of FCS.
November 1, 2003... Armed with three-dimensional goggles, or perhaps a computer mouse, soldiers at the Fort Knox Unit of Action Maneuver Battle Lab will be helping to determine the design of the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems. FCS digital designs will...

Special-ops sniper training stresses control, discipline.
November 1, 2003... Military snipers traditionally have struggled to defend their image in the public eye. "Some people think that we are the sneaky guys who just go out and indiscriminately kill," said Master Sgt. Mark Carey, an instructor at the Special Warfare...

Army charges on with Joint Simulation System.
November 1, 2003... The U.S. Army is proceeding with the development of the ground-warfare portion of the Joint Simulation System program, which now is shelved while the Pentagon is searching for alternatives. WARSIM, the Army simulation program, was supposed...

Future Force simulation office up and running.
November 1, 2003... The U.S. Army's training and simulation arm has stood up a program office assigned almost exclusively to support the Future Combat Systems. In addition to developing embedded training devices for the FCS, this office will focus on the...

Naval simulators designed for training while at sea.
November 1, 2003... The Navy's training systems division expects future growth in the demand for virtual-reality trainers, particularly deployable and embedded devices. "There is more and more interest and acceptance in using simulation to train people. It is...

F/A-22 pilots begin training at Tyndall AFB: planned upgrades: air-to-ground capabilities, connectivity with other trainers.
November 1, 2003... Air Force F/A-22 student pilots are scheduled to begin training in six new simulators recently delivered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Two are full-mission trainers and four are weapons and tactics trainers. All F/A-22 pilots will train...

Army grappling with homeland security training requirements.
November 1, 2003... The Army's training systems program office is developing a long-term plan to transition technology to the National Guard and homeland security organizations. Army officials said they are eager to share their training and simulator technologies...

Common driver trainer could save millions.
November 1, 2003... The Army is considering whether it should consolidate multiple driver training devices into a single system. The benefit would be cost savings of up to $22 million, officials said. A common driver training system is an idea being kicked...

Homeland security drills adopt military-style simulations.
November 1, 2003... Commanders and supervisors of Baltimore's emergency response agencies, participating in a homeland security exercise, tested a new computer-based simulation system designed to make training more realistic. The exercise, conducted by the...

'Virtual patients' could help expedite vaccine development.
November 1, 2003... Computer models that simulate the human physiology could help create new vaccines to defeat potentially deadly biological agents, according to a small company that is trying to market the technology to the U.S. government. In the...

Army orders medical simulators.
November 1, 2003... The U.S. Army ordered 44 medical simulators from San Jose, Calif., touchtechnology maker Immersion Corp. The devices, costing an average of $15,000, help train medics to draw blood and insert intravenous lines. The contract was awarded in...

Marines sharpen their skills in hand-to-hand combat.
November 1, 2003... Moving in formation at a double-time pace, the Marines of the Basic School's Echo Company--sweating in the early morning sun--formed a circle on helicopter Landing Zone 6, a training field at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. They stacked their...

Bayonet doubles as a fighting knife.
November 1, 2003... After years of debate, the Marines are getting their own bayonet, one that can be detached from a rifle barrel and used in hand-to-hand combat. The Marines have ordered 99,987 of the new bayonets--known as the OKC3S--from the Ontario Knife...

Distributed Mission Ops shape USAF training projects.
November 1, 2003... The Air Force's umbrella program for simulation-based training--called Distributed Mission Operations--emphasizes operational concepts and mission rehearsal. It will gradually incorporate simulation systems that previously were known as...

KC-135 simulator is now "in motion".
November 1, 2003... Upgrades on the KC-135 tanker simulator soon will allow the pilots to simulate dangerous conditions prohibited during live training because of the hazardous nature of refueling maneuvers, said Air Force officials. Without adequate training...

Digital imagery recreates any location on Earth: simulator technology aids news coverage of war in Iraq, depicts events within hours.
November 1, 2003... Three-dimensional imagery increasingly is becoming all important training tool for the military services, fueling the demand for advanced graphics generators that can precisely replicate the geography of any region of the world. An example...

National Guard units train without leaving home.
November 1, 2003... With National Guard units stretched across California, bringing them together for training is a costly endeavor. "Troops often have to be bused from Sacramento or San Diego to Camp San Luis Obispo, along the state's central coast. An...

Air Force tilt rotor pilots to begin training in '05.
November 1, 2003... The Air Force Special Operations Command plans to begin CV-22 crew training in 2005. The 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., already has one motion-based, full flight simulator and one fixed-base, flight training...

Wireless technology sought or urban, subterranean ops.
November 1, 2003... On-the-move satellite ground terminals and self-healing sensor networks are among the dual-use technologies the U.S. military services view as key to improving their tactical communications and data gathering capabilities. Under the...

Marines to evaluate new mobile command center.
November 1, 2003... The Marine Corps has a new mobile command and control operations center designed to allow commanders to digitally collect, process and disseminate tactical data. General Dynamics Decision Systems says it will deliver 355 unit operation...

Marine logistics command strives for efficiency.
November 1, 2003... A continuous stream of equipment and supplies leaves the port of mount Island Command, in Jacksonville, Fla., to support Marine Corps operations around the world. In addition, equipment arrives from overseas conflicts to be repaired,...

Pentagon seeks to address supplier shortage.
November 1, 2003... The lack of spare parts for aging equipment and the absence of suppliers for many specialized military items increasingly are issues of concern at the Defense Department. The official name used to describe these problems is Diminishing...

Naval Warfare Center pursuing new partnerships: (Crane division touts rapid-deployment success in supporting forces in Iraq).
November 1, 2003... The Naval Surface Warfare Center, in Crane, Ind., has established a technical assistance program to provide expertise to companies needing help with product development and production. The Crane division of the NSWC is the Navy's third...

Allied Command, Transformation.(Government)
November 1, 2003... Navy Rear Adm. (lower half, selectee) Gerard M. Manet Jr., is being assigned as assistant chief of staff for plans and policy for the Allied Command, Transformation, in Norfolk, Va. Mauer is now assistant deputy director for information...

Joint Special Operations Command.(Government)
November 1, 2003... Navy Rear Adm. (lower half, selectee) William H. McRaven is the new deputy commanding general for operations at the Joint Special Operations Command, which is part of the U.S. Special Operations Command. It is based at Fort Bragg, N.C. McRaven...

Joint Center for Lessons Learned, U.S. Joint Forces Command.(Government)
November 1, 2003... Brig. Gem Robert W. Cone, director of the Joint Advanced Warfighting Program and Joint Lessons Learned Team at the Institute for Defense Analysis in Suffolk, Va., is being assigned as director of the Joint Center for Lessons Learned, U.S. Joint...

UNITECH.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... UNITECH, in Centerville, Va. has named retired Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul J. Plata to the position of senior vice president for homeland security. In his new role, Pluta will manage the port-security, emergency-response and day-to-day...

DigitalNet Government Solutions.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... DigitalNet Government Solutions, in Hemdon, Va., has selected Norman E. Lorentz, former chief technology officer for the Office of Management and Budget, as its senior vice president. Lorentz will be responsible for the growth and operations of...

Northrop Grumman Corporation.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Northrop Grumman Corporation's Information. Technology sector, also in Herndon, has named David W. Zolet to the newly created position of vice president for homeland security.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert C. Hinson has joined Northrop Grumman's mission systems sector, in Omaha, Neb., as vice president and deputy general manager for the company's command, control and intelligence division.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert C. Hinson has joined Northrop Grumman's mission systems sector, in Omaha, Neb., as vice president and deputy general manager for the company's command, control and intelligence division. In this new position,...

Northrop Grumman has assigned airborne surveillance systems executive William R. Adams to lead the company's Aerial Common Sensor program team in Baltimore in the competition for the next phase of development of the U.S. Army's next-generation airborne multi-intelligence collection system.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Northrop Grumman has assigned airborne surveillance systems executive William R. Adams to lead the company's Aerial Common Sensor program team in Baltimore in the competition for the next phase of development of the U.S. Army's next-generation...

Solectria Corporation.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Retired Army Gen. John G. Coburn has joined the board of directors of the Solectria Corporation, in Woburn, Mass. Coburn is chairman and CEO of Vision Technologies Systems Inc.

Booz Allen Hamilton.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Garnett R. Stowe Jr. (Industry) former chief of staff at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), has become a principal in Booz Allen Hamilton, of McLean, Va. Stowe will provide consulting services to the National Imagery and Mapping Agency.

BAE Systems North America.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... BAE System North America has named Robert T. Murphy as president of the company's technology solutions sector. He succeeds Bruce Hamilton, who has retired, following a 37-year career with BAE Systems and its legacy companies.

Analex Corporation.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Steve Winebrenner, formerly director of Intell Business Development at CSC Federal, recently has joined Analex Corporation, in Alexandria, Va., as vice president for business development. He will be responsible for all business development...

Hypers Inc.
November 1, 2003... Hypres Inc., a super-conducting, microelectronics company in Elmsford, N.Y., has selected Felix J. Boccadoro as vice president of business development and legislative affairs. Boccadoro's primary responsibilities will be strategic planning,...

Arcon Security Corporation.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Arik Arad, a security and antiterrorism specialist, has been named chairman and CEO of Arotech Corporation's new subsidiary, Arcon Security Corporation, located in New York. Arad was also named chairman of IES Interactive Training, Inc.,...

NASA Systems.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Twenty-one year Boeing veteran John Elbon has been named Boeing's vice president and program manager for the International Space Station, NASA Systems, at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Elbon will lead Boeing's efforts as prime integrating...

Science and Technology Advisory Board.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Art Money, a member of the Board of Directors for Terremark Worldwide Inc., in Miami, has been selected the first chairman of the FBI's Science and Technology Advisory Board. From 1999 to 2001, Money served as assistant secretary of defense for...

Rolls-Royce North America.(Industry)
November 1, 2003... Maria Y. Weber has been named communications manager at Rolls-Royce North America, in Indianapolis, Ind. In this role, Weber will provide full-service external and internal communications support for the company's North American defense and...

Homeland Security Division.(ndia news)
November 1, 2003... A new Homeland Security Division--established earlier this year in response to the continuing threat of terrorist attacks within the United States--is making ambitious plans to help the defense community stay informed about trends and issues...

San Diego Chapter names fleet support award winners.(ndia news)
November 1, 2003... The association's San Diego Chapter is honoring four area government employees for their support of naval operations, announced Chapter President Kathy Sridhar. Receiving the chapter's 2003 Fleet Support Awards are: * Donna Williamson, of...

NDIA, Association of Former Intelligence Officers sign agreement to increase cooperation.(ndia news)
November 1, 2003... The National Defense Industrial Association and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers have signed a memorandum of agreement to increase cooperation between the two organizations. AFIO--based in McLean, Va.--is a non-profit,...

Picatinny Chapter focuses on workforce.(women in defense: a national security organization)
November 1, 2003... The Picatinny Chapter of Women In Defense is striving to increase opportunities for the workforce at Picatinny Arsenal, in Morris County, N.J. Picatinny is home of the U.S. Army Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC)....

Affiliate events.(india events calendar)
November 1, 2003... April 7-8 Net-Centric Operations Meeting Hilton McLean Tysons Corner McLean, Va. May 19-21 ICSTM '04 Conference University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa. Contact Nicole Peterson at: (703) 247-9474 or e-mail npeterson@afei.org ...

Events and descriptions.(india events calendar)
November 1, 2003... November 3-6 Aircraft Survivability 2003 Event #4940 Monterey, Calif. POC: Ann Saliski@(703) 247-2577 The theme of this year's symposium is "Reclaiming the Low Altitude Battlespace." Combat flight operations at low altitude pose...

For future planning.(ndia events calendar)
November 1, 2003... Tactical Wheeled Vehicles Conference Event #4530 Monterey, Calif. February 1-3 Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) Symposium & Exhibition Event #4880 Washington, D.C February 4-6 Munitions Executive Summit Event #4340...

Chapter events.(ndia events calendar)
November 1, 2003... November 12 Picatinny TC Annual Awards Reception Picotinny Arsenal, N. J. 13 Picatinny Firepower Awards Luncheon Picatinny, N. J. For more information on chapter events, contact Molly Flanagan at (703) 247-2563...