National Defense articles from September 2005

National Defense archives from September 2005

Industry must sharpen its manufacturing edge.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
September 1, 2005... Defense Department leaders and members of Congress recently have voiced concerns about the mounting cost of weapons systems. Major procurement programs, including fighter aircraft, ships and ground vehicles, have been under intense scrutiny,...

On the U.S. ammo crisis.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... The rapid depletion of the military's stocks of small-caliber ammunition is not a potential ammunition crisis, as Joe Pappalardo's article suggests ('Pentagon Takes Steps to Avert Ammunition Crisis,' July 2005), but rather a crisis in the...

More on ammunition production.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... In reference to the July 2005 story, "Pentagon Taking Steps to Avert Ammunition Crisis," I don't understand why the Picatinny Arsenal folks look to foreign countries to get us out of this mess. They do not have the quality and controls built...

Looming base closures.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... A May 2005 National Defense Magazine article talks about the eight Army depots and arsenals that are busy working 24/7 to keep up with equipment repair work even as a round of base closures looms. Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey goes on that...

How to measure weapon accuracy.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... The July 2005 story entitled "Urban Fighting Highlights Need for Smaller Weapons" should have explained that weapon accuracy includes two components: target location error (TLE) and weapon delivery error (WDE). But TLE does not refer to "how...

Army to commit $7 billion for Guard gear.(Washington PULSE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Army National Guard's equipment wish list, also known as "unfunded requirements, has grown over the years to nearly $14 billion. But help may be on the way. A considerable commitment of forces to the Iraq war--with eight brigades now...

Army designs brand-new armor kit for Humvee.(Washington PULSE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... By next summer, the Army expects to begin shipping a newly redesigned armor kit for Humvee trucks in Iraq. That applique armor will offer the same level of protection currently available only in factory-armored Humvees. The armor will be made...

Marines lament shift to Special Ops Command.(Washington PULSE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Up to 2,500 Marines will be leaving the regular Corps to join a new branch of the U.S. Special Operations Command. The move comes at a time when SOCOM--which includes commandos from the Army, Navy and Air Force--is running short of personnel....

More foreign-policy crises loom for U.S.(Washington PULSE)
September 1, 2005... If the U.S. government needs a truly compelling reason to aggressively tackle the AIDS crisis in Africa, now it has one: Al Qaeda leaders are considering recruiting suicide bombers among the terminally ill, who would have nothing to lose, said...

Secretary's remark riles public transit.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
September 1, 2005... In the aftermath of the bombings in the London underground, the typical response from a federal department head is normally predictable--something similar to "We are doing all we can to prevent such tragedies from occurring on our shores." ...

New organizations sprout from DHS overhaul.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
September 1, 2005... In Greek mythology, a Phoenician named Cadmus killed a dragon and planted its teeth in the soil like seeds. From those teeth sprang an army of people who populated Thebes, the city he founded. In similar fashion, Department of Homeland...

Coast Guard pleads for Deepwater funds.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
September 1, 2005... Senior Coast Guard officials are lobbying Congress for patience and generosity concerning the Deepwater program, and stress that the ambitious modernization effort is key in executing anti-narcotics missions. "The Coast Guard must obtain...

National Security Service created within FBI.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
September 1, 2005... President George W. Bush authorized the creation of a National Security Service, a move designed to consolidate homeland security investigations. The service will operate within the FBI and combine Justice Department counterterrorism,...

Hospitals and laboratories get $1.36 from feds.(SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs)
September 1, 2005... Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt recently announced a second influx of $1.3 billion to help state and local hospitals respond to mass casualty terrorism and other medical crises. "Our ability to respond effectively to public...

Defense Dept. rhetoric reflects war frustrations.(DEFENSE WATCH)
September 1, 2005... The Pentagon has launched yet another "information warfare" offensive that aims to reshape how Americans and the world perceive the ongoing war in Iraq. The results have been confusing, at best. A major target of this latest...

Army developing advanced ammo for Abrams tank.(UPFRONT)
September 1, 2005... To be more useful in urban battlefields, the Army's main battle tank needs to be armed with advanced multipurpose rounds that can be adapted for use against different types of targets, officials said. "Overall, that is where we need to be...

Homeland Security steps up emphasis on preparedness.(UPFRONT)
September 1, 2005... The Department of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross have declared September to be National Preparedness Month. During the month, the department and the Red Cross plan to work with local, state and federal organizations, as well as...

Army, Marines buying leads of radios.(UPFRONT)
September 1, 2005... In response to booming Army and Marine Corps tactical radio orders, manufacturers rapidly are expanding their production capacity to meet this extraordinary demand, industry officials said. The most dramatic example of the recent surge in...

Submariners learn anti-terrorism tactics.(UPFRONT)
September 1, 2005... Navy submarine crews are using video games to practice anti-terrorism tactics designed to secure their boats while in port. The technology, called the Force Protection Anti-Terrorism Simulation Trainer, includes scenarios for defending the...

Defense globalization: foreign investors in U.S. corporations navigate sea of regulations.(VIEWPOINT)
September 1, 2005... Investment in the U.S. defense industry is attractive to European and Asian companies simply because the federal government is the largest customer in the world by an order of magnitude. The United States spends far more on national defense...

Naval aviation: Navy, Marine helicopter fleets will see steady arrivals of new aircraft.
September 1, 2005... The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps plan to equip their aircraft fleers with 1,429 new rotorcraft during the next 20 years. "We've got a lot of stuff moving very, very rapidly," says Tom Laux, Navy program executive officer for air,...

Safety upgrades could delay new presidential helicopter.(NAVAL AVIATION)
September 1, 2005... The helicopter chosen to carry the nation's chief executive meets civil aviation safety requirements, but it will require modifications to satisfy more stringent military specifications, asserted officials at the Navy program office managing...

Navy want precision weapons that don't endanger civilians.(NAVAL AVIATION)
September 1, 2005... Navy fighter-bombers in the future will be equipped with smaller, multifunctional munitions that will give pilots a broader array of options for attacking ground targets than the 1,000- or 2,000-pound bombs they now use. The war in Iraq,...

Wanted: a new small hauler: battle heats up to replace Army's hard-working Sherpa.(NATIONAL GUARD)
September 1, 2005... THE UNGAINLY C-23 SHERPA TRANSPORT DOES not look like a major player in combat operations in Iraq, but--plane for plane--it has hauled more cargo and troops than any aircraft in the war zone. "The C-23 has evolved as a small hauler for the...

Reaction force grounded? BRAC said to threaten protection for U.S. capital.(NATIONAL GUARD)(Base Realignment and Closures)
September 1, 2005... West Virginia National Guard and political leaders are fighting a Defense Department plan to transfer the state's eight C-130 transport aircraft to Pope Air Force Basc, N.C. The shift would "make it almost impossible for us to accomplish...

Mountain tunnel prepares responders to save lives.(United states Center for National Response)
September 1, 2005... The scene: A woman and a man lie on the floor of a poorly lit subway station, victims of a terrorist bomb. Think London or Madrid. Slowly, from a hole in the ceiling above, two rescuers are lowered by rope to render first aid and to lift them...

Uncertain future: Air Guard girds for sweeping changes and new missions.(NATIONAL GUARD)
September 1, 2005... Air Force downsizing plans and Pentagon base-closure recommendations that would eliminate several Air National Guard facilities have raised concerns about the future of the service. Guard officials, particularly, fear that they will not be...

Move to merge Air Force, Guard units derailed by base closures.(NATIONAL GUARD)
September 1, 2005... The politics of base closures threaten to unravel an elaborate plan to integrate Air Force and Air National Guard units. Military officials have hailed the effort as a logical step toward creating a "total force" that benefits from the...

Air Guard takes steps to retain seasoned combat controllers.(NATIONAL GUARD)
September 1, 2005... In response to shortages of Air Force special operators, the Air National Guard is setting up a squadron designed to help retain highly specialized troops when they leave active duty. The Oregon Air National Guard's 125th Special Tactics...

Guard balancing emerging roles in homeland defense.(NATIONAL GUARD)
September 1, 2005... The National Guard continues to expand its missions in support of homeland defense, even as it contends with frequent overseas deployments, equipment shortages and low recruiting levels. In response to the war on terror, the Guard has been...

Camera developed for military, first responders.(TECH TALK)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A wearable, relatively low-cost, hands-free camera-called the Vio Tac S.C.O.U.T Cam-permits military and law enforcement users to achieve broadcast quality images during the heat of tactical or training missions. The cameras, which are...

Simulator plays through plane's on-board systems.(TECH TALK)
September 1, 2005... Imagine combat pilots experiencing most of the rigors of aerial warfare as they remain safely parked in their warplanes on the ground. This is being achieved by an embedded training simulation system that was unveiled by Aermacchi and Selex...

Air Force claims fastest computer in defense.(TECH TALK)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Scientists at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, say they have one of the fastest supercomputers on the planet. The new Eagle computer is ranked 17th in speed worldwide and easily breezes by other computational devices in the Defense...

Handheld bio detector nears fruition.(TECH TALK)
September 1, 2005... A joint effort by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Energy Department's Northwest National Laboratory has produced a fast-acting, handheld biosensor that can test people and equipment. The green box sensor is being developed for Air...

Meteorological systems bolsters artillery fire.(TECH TALK)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Army is purchasing from Smiths Detection, of Edgewood, Md., a next-generation, upper atmospheric measuring system-dubbed the Meteorological Measuring Set-Profiler-that delivers data three times faster than existing systems and expands the...

Advanced armor weapon receives killer eyes.(Trijicon Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Sweden's Bofors Dynamics has chosen Trijicon to produce magnified combat optics for its new lightweight antitank weapon that is being acquired by British and Swedish ground forces. The sight and related energy source for the handheld,...

Virtual perimeter system protects Marines in Iraq.(TECH TALK)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Marines in forward bases in Iraq are using an intelligent video array that detects, identifies and alerts them to hostile intruders. Naval Sea Systems Command officials who acquired the sys tem say a critical advantage is that it can be set up...

Penalties get tougher for FCPA violations.(ETHICS CORNER)
September 1, 2005... In an increasingly global business climate, most government contractors cross paths with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. FCPA's anti-bribery provisions criminalize any payment or offer of anything of value to a foreign official, political...

Doyle recognized for service to SLAAD.(Strike, Land Attack and Air Defense Division)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... John Reilly, chairman of the National Defense industrial Association Association's Strike, Land Attack and Air Defense Division (above, left), presents the NDIA gold medal to retired Navy Vice Adm. James H. Doyle Jr. for his 22 years of service...

Joanna Lau wins NDIA's 2005 Small Business Award.(NDIA NEWS)
September 1, 2005... The National Defense Industrial Association's Small Business Division has given its 2005 Dr. Kathleen P. Sridhar Small Business Executive of the Year Award to Joanna Lau, president and CEO of Lau Technologies, of Concord Mass. NDIA...

WID membership triples as chapters keep growing.(NDIA NEWS)
September 1, 2005... In its 20th year of existence, Women In Defense continues to grow in both number of chapters and membership. "WID's membership has tripled in the last five years," said Jane Patrick Casey, WID staff director and NDIA director of membership. The...

NDIA events calendar.(National Defense Industrial Association)(Calendar)
September 1, 2005... SEPTEMBER 12-15 Joint Undersea Warfare Technology Fall Conference (Secret, U.S. Only) Groton, Conn. POC: Kimberly Williams @ (703) 2472578 19-23 Defense Systems Acquisition Management Course New Orleans, La. ...

Affiliate events.(NDIA EVENTS CALENDAR)(Calendar)
September 1, 2005... SEPTEMBER 13-15 International Conference on Enterprise Transformation (ICET) Going Live with SOA Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Washington, D.C. SEPTEMBER 19 Enterprise Resilience Management[TM] for the...

Chapter events.(NDIA EVENTS CALENDAR)(Calendar)
September 1, 2005... SEPTEMBER 8 Aberdeen Proving Ground San Diego-Navy 2005 Gold Coast Conference San Diego, Calif. OCTOBER 3-5 Gulf Coast Chapter 31st Air Armament Symposium ...