National Defense articles from November 2007

National Defense archives from November 2007

Plenty of resources, but even greater demand.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
November 1, 2007... The politics of military spending have reached fever pitch as Congress attempts to pass the Defense Department's fiscal year 2008 budget and weighs massive war spending requests. The debate over the budget, much like last year's...

How astronomical war budgets threaten U.S. National Security.(DEFENSE WATCH)
November 1, 2007... The war in Iraq ignited a defense spending boom that continues unabated. A slew of staggering estimates released in recent weeks reveal it could cost more than a trillion dollars to keep troops in Iraq until 2017. It is safe to assume that...

Ship woes: Navy should have known better.(Washington PULSE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... For the past several months, the Navy has been scrambling to keep afloat its littoral combat ship program, which has come under political fire for its soaring costs. Originally estimated to run $220 million per ship, the latest calculations...

Marines and Navy at odds over ship priorities.(Washington PULSE)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marine Corps officials for some time have grumbled about the Navy not buying enough amphibious transport ships. These vessels are essential for Marine deployments, officials contend. Marines argue that they need...

Turf battles over drones far from over.(Washington PULSE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The Army-Air Force flap over who should be in charge of unmanned aircraft appeared to have been settled by a Sept. memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But the issue is far from resolved, and the...

Unmanned aircraft: 'a ridiculous situation'.(Washington PULSE)
November 1, 2007... The Pentagon's decision to deny the Air Force the role of "executive agent" of unmanned aircraft programs was particularly upsetting to Gen. Ronald Keys, former chief of Air Combat Command. A directive from Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon...

Department of Energy.(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... "We are ahead of the Department of Energy on a lot of stuff." Kevin W. Billings, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for environment, safety and occupational health, discussing the service's plans to increase its use of renewable...

Training the drivers.
November 1, 2007... "We have no way of training the drivers. This is a huge problem for our forces in theater." James Lasswell, technical director at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, explaining the difficulties in training troops who will be...

I don't know that robotics.
November 1, 2007... "I have to find and identify the extremists, and segregate them. I don't know that robotics would help me with that." Marine Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Stone, commander of U.S. detention facilities in Iraq, responding to questions on whether...

Defense Department task forces to beef up disaster response.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Defense Department is creating special units to assist state and local governments in the event of a major catastrophe, said Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and America's security...

Coast Guard program successfully collecting biometric data at sea.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Brief)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BALTIMORE -- The Coast Guard is claiming success in a pilot program that allows it to collect fingerprints from would-be illegal migrants interdicted at sea, check them against on-shore databases and then prosecute...

Immigration's computer system emerging from 'stone age'.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
November 1, 2007... Non-Mexican illegal immigrants nabbed at the border spend about 30 days in detention, but Department of Homeland Security officials hope to whittle that time in half with more efficient computer programs. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DHS'...

Medical device being marketed for homeland security applications.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
November 1, 2007... A medical instrument commonly used to peer inside the human body is finding new applications in the homeland security and law enforcement worlds. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Customs and Border Protection recently purchased 78 endoscopes...

Physical, privacy limits of domestic spy satellites questioned.
November 1, 2007... THE NEWLY CREATED NATIONAL Applications Office has a rather mundane, almost Orwellian name, especially since the "application" being referred to is the employment of U.S. military and spy agency satellites in the domestic arena. The...

Remotely sensing soldiers' distress.(INSIDE Science AND Technology)
November 1, 2007... * In the medical realm, offering treatment to a patient who has suffered serious trauma within the first 60 minutes of injury greatly boosts the chance of survival. This "golden hour" also exists on the battlefield, where advancements in...

No accidents: Pentagon publishes new safety guidelines for unmanned vehicles.(UPFRONT)
November 1, 2007... The Defense Department for the first time has published comprehensive safety guidelines for the design and operation of joint-service unmanned vehicles. The document, titled, "Unmanned Systems Safety Guide for DOD Acquisition," lists...

Units that work with civilians often disregarded, soldiers claim.(ANALYSIS)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Experienced military troops who are trained to communicate with foreign audiences are crucial to winning hearts and minds in counterinsurgency operations. But these units--known as civil affairs and psychological...

Homeland security policies overlook essential issues, says shipping executive.(UPFRONT)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Security industry soothsayers for years have been sounding alarms about the prospect of a nuclear or biological weapon reaching U.S. shores in a shipping container. "A terrorist attack involving shipping could...

License to boat? Government lacks clear plans to ID small vessels used as terrorist weapons.(PORT SECURITY)(identify)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Small boats have been used by terrorists to carry out attacks around the world and they are likely to be employed as weapons in U.S. waterways, the government has recently warned. Officials believe small...

Defense system detects swarming boats in coastal waters.
November 1, 2007... SINCE THE TERRORIST ATTACK on the USS Cole in 2000 using an explosives laden boat, the Navy continues to search for technologies that will protect its warships from waterborne threats while in ports and other coastal areas. One of the more...

Sounding alarms: shipbuilders forecast exodus of submarine designers.(SHIPBUILDING)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Builders of Navy submarines for years have tried to convince admirals and members of Congress that trouble lies ahead. They contend that unless the Navy increases submarine production and begins to design the...

R&D outlook: Defense Department should refocus technology spending, experts warn.(ANALYSIS)
November 1, 2007... THE PENTAGON'S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BUDGET HAS NEVER been bigger. Despite such largesse, investments in technology tend to miss the mark and do little to enhance the United States' competitive standing as a high-tech powerhouse, said...

'DARPA hard: research agency wants help solving the seemingly impossible.(ANALYSIS)(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
November 1, 2007... ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has a reputation for taking on challenges that sometimes seem to defy the laws of physics--or at least common sense. The term "DARPA hard" refers to the problems its...

Proof of identity: U.S. government driving the advance of biometric technologies.(RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT)(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BALTIMORE -- TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES ARE developing devices that can scan 10 fingerprints at a time, instantly recognize facial features, irises, veins, voices, the way a person walks or even the shape of ears. It...

Sea services: facing uncertainty, Navy contemplates 'alternative futures'.(FUTURE NAVY)
November 1, 2007... IN A WORLD WHERE OIL IS KING, weapons of mass destruction lurk in container ships and "peer competitors" could emerge to challenge the naval dominance of the United States, there should be no shortage of responsibilities for the nation's sea...

Fast steel on target? Electric guns on Navy ships: not yet on the horizon.(FUTURE NAVY)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SOME CALL IT ZEUS' LIGHTNING bolt--a weapon that relies upon electricity and magnetic force to launch projectiles at hypersonic speeds to hit targets hundreds of miles away in a matter of minutes. Scientists have...

Underwater killers: Navy's mine-hunting technologies wait for the Littoral Combat Ship.(FUTURE NAVY)
November 1, 2007... THE NAVY HAS A NEW SUITE of anti-mine technologies designed to roll on and off a ship as needed. It just doesn't have the ship yet. In September, the service unveiled a transportable "mine warfare mission package" that will one day replace...

Powering the fleet: all-electric ship could begin to take shape by 2012.(FUTURE NAVY)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AS PART OF AN AMBITIOUS technology plan for the Navy fleet of the future, the Office of Naval Research is exploring ways to power all-electric ships. The Navy wants to develop these ships to make more efficient...

Energy efficient: Pentagon pursuing more advanced solar cells.(TECH TALK)
November 1, 2007... The Defense Department is seeking to develop a considerably higher efficiency solar cell at no more than $1,000 per square meter--the current cost for commercially available power sources. To achieve that end, the Defense Advanced Research...

High definition imaging in the dark is a snap.(TECH TALK)
November 1, 2007... A recently perfected night vision module that is designed for a family of Sony definition high cameras is offering precise recognition and identification of intruders and objects in low light conditions. The AstroScope adapters, which are...

New nickel hydride charger.(TECH TALK)
November 1, 2007... Nexergy of Columbus, Ohio, is producing a new NC series of chargers that are tailored for nickel metal hydride batteries. The NC charger shares a common platform with the company's lithium-based battery chemistries, says a spokesman. It comes...

Sunlight is no obstacle for this notebook.(TECH TALK)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A SEMI-RUGGED, NEXT GENERATION NOTEBOOK computer for workers on the go and soldiers in tactical situations is now on the shelf. The GoBook VR-2 comes equipped with a 13.3 inch display that provides users with a touch...

Moving targets no problem with advanced sight.(TECH TALK)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SIGHT MARK OF MANSFIELD, TEXAS, has developed a holographic reflex laser--called the Dual Shot--that promises kills on quick moving objects down range. The combination sight boasts low power consumption and is...

Sensors would warn of aircraft fatigue.(TECH TALK)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Networks of embedded sensors aboard commercial aircraft are expected to soon provide warnings of structural flaws and other problems. These nascent systems, which are being evaluated by Sandia National Laboratories...

Simulation software helps paint humvees.(TECH TALK)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Aerobotix Inc. of Huntsville, Ala., has selected Dassault Systemes DELMIA UltraPaint to provide robotic paint path programming for Army humvee vehicle coatings. The physics-based, scalable robotic simulation for...

Portable barricades sent to Iraq.(TECH TALK)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SECURITY FORCES IN IRAQ are receiving three MP5000 portable vehicle barricades. The systems, which are made by Delta Scientific of Palmdale, Calif., can stop a 7.5 ton vehicle traveling at 30 miles per hour in its...

Transforming Air Force intelligence.(GOVERNMENT POLICY)
November 1, 2007... Often I've been asked if Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) can afford to transform in the middle of a war. My answer is simply that we can't afford not to. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley began...

Science--Technology Engineering--Mathematics.(STEM News)
November 1, 2007... Are you concerned about the declining rate of STEM graduates in the U.S.? Are you concerned enough to do something about it? Have you heard about the Defense Department's Starbase program? Starbase is funded and supported by the office of...

Ethical lapses provide valuable training tool.(ETHICS CORNER)
November 1, 2007... A recently proposed amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) would call upon all government contractors to have a written code of ethics and business conduct. Defense contractors know this requirement, because the Defense...

NDIA events calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2007... NOVEMBER 2007 12-15 7th Annual CMMI Technology Conference and User Group Denver, CO POC: Casi Antolock @ (703) 247-2570 27-28 Stability, Security, Transition & Reconstruction Operations Conference Falls Church,...