Pentagon Brief

NRL Opens Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research

2012-03-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) celebrated the opening of its Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (LASR), during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Washington March 16.

The LASR facility will integrate science and technology components into research prototype systems and will become the nerve center for basic research that supports autonomous systems research for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, chief of naval research, introduced guest speaker, Dr. John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The LASR capitalizes on the broad multidisciplinary character of NRL, bringing together scientists and engineers from diverse backgrounds to tackle common challenges in autonomy research at the intersection of their respective fields. Research in unmanned and autonomous systems research is not new - NRL has been conducting innovative work in these fields since 1923. The objective of the LASR is to enable continued Navy and Department of Defense scientific leadership in autonomy and to identify opportunities for advances in future defense technology.

NRL broke ground on the LASR facility April 8, 2010. This one-of-a-kind laboratory provides specialized facilities to support highly innovative research in intelligent autonomy, sensor systems, power and energy systems, human-system interaction, networking and communications, and platforms. LASR will support a broad range of research related to autonomous systems, from basic, to applied, and for integration across different disciplines. Some of its unique features include:

* Prototyping High Bay, which can be used for small autonomous air and ground vehicles, and the people who work with them. This space contains the world's largest real-time motion capture volume, allowing scientists to get extremely accurate ground truth of the motion of vehicles and people, as well as allowing closed loop control of systems.

* Littoral High Bay, which features a 45-foot by 25-foot by 5.5-foot deep pool with a wave generator capable of producing directional waves, and a slope that allows littoral environments to be recreated.

* Desert High Bay, which contains a 40-foot by 14-foot area of sand 2.5-feet deep, and contains 18-foot-high rock walls that allow testing of robots and sensors in a desert-like environment.

* Tropical High Bay, which is a 60-foot by 40-foot greenhouse that contains a re-creation of a southeast Asian rain forest.

* Outdoor test range, which is a 1/3rd acre highland forest with a waterfall, stream and pond, and terrain of differing difficulty including large boulder structures and earthen berms.

* Electrical and machine shops, which allow prototypes to be constructed. The facility includes several types of 3D prototyping machines allowing parts to be directly created from CAD drawings. LASR also has a dedicated sensor lab that includes large environmental and altitude chambers and an anechoic chamber, as well as a power and energy lab.

Alan Schultz, director of NRL's Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence, has been selected as the first director of NRL's LASR.

Darrell King, who has previously worked as the facilities manager at NRL's Institute for Nanoscience, is the facilities manager at the LASR.

Indonesia says 'no problem' with US Marines plan

2012-03-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

Indonesia said Thursday it had no problem with US plans to station Marines in northern Australia as Canberra flagged the possibility of four-nation military drills with China.

The plan to bring some 2,500 Marines to remote Darwin by 2016-17 initially raised some "questions" when it was unveiled by US President Barack Obama in Australia last November, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.

But "those questions have been provided answers" and it was now recognised as a valuable opportunity to boost humanitarian and disaster response, Natelegawa said following bilateral defence and diplomacy talks in Canberra.

NRL Designs Robot for Shipboard Firefighting

2012-03-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

In both war and peacetime scenarios, fire in the shipboard environment is serious and frequently results in excessive damage and high repair costs because the fire is not detected or controlled adequately.

To help further improve future shipboard firefighting capability, scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory have formed an interdisciplinary team to develop a humanoid robot that could fight fires on the next generation of combatants.

A humanoid-type robot was chosen because it was deemed best suited to operate within the confines of an environment that was deigned for human mobility and offered opportunity for other potential warfighting applications within the Navy and Marine Corps.

The firefighting robot, called the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), is being designed to move autonomously throughout the ship, interact with people, and fight fires,

New Army focus on Pacific doesn't mean abandoning Middle East

2012-03-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

While the Army has a new emphasis on the Asia and Pacific region, it doesn't mean the service will be unable to meet obligations in the Middle East -- if need be, said the Army's chief of staff.

Earlier this year, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said the Army will put an increased emphasis on the Asia and Pacific region and a renewed emphasis on its partnerships there with allies, including a "trilateral" partnership between the United States, Korea and Japan.

But that renewed emphasis doesn't mean the Army will abandon its roles elsewhere, he said.

"I don't see us necessarily rebalancing from the Middle East to Asia/Pacific," Odierno told lawmakers, March 8, during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Based on the priorities we've established, Asia/Pacific is first, closely followed behind by the Middle East. But I don't think that is causing us to have less attention and capability available to use in the Middle East."

The general said in other parts of the world the Army may be diminishing its "potential to influence" -- but that's not true in the Middle East.

"I have confidence that we will be able to do what we need to do if necessary, in the Middle East, even though we have now provided some focus in the Pacific region," he said.

IRAQ

The Army recently pulled out of Iraq -- today, there are about 150 Soldiers in country there, who now work in support of the Department of State. But al-Qaeda continues to be active there, though Odierno said he has confidence the Iraqi security forces, originally trained by Americans, can defend themselves.

"There are reports that there has been some increase, especially in Anbar providence, of al-Queda, and also in Baghdad," Odierno said. "I am still confident that Iraqi security forces can handle the violence. The issue becomes that we need the people of Iraq to continue to reject al-Queda and not allow them to get back in and form groups."

The general also said that unrest, in places like Syria, could be exploited by al-Qaeda.

But in the Middle East, the Army still has Soldiers who can react in Iraq, if called on to do so, Odierno told lawmakers.

"We have a brigade combat team that came out of Iraq and is now inside of Kuwait, we have some aviation elements that are also inside of Kuwait," he said. "We have people in Kuwait that also support Afghanistan. The current number is somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000. It will come down over time, probably to something less than 10,000 in Kuwait."

Those Soldiers, he said allow the Army to "react with ground forces if necessary, if it was in our best national interest."

DRAWDOWN

As part of budget cuts, the withdrawal from Iraq and the coming drawdown from Afghanistan -- the Army will cut about 80,000 Soldiers from the active force end strength. The service will go from about 570,000 to 490,000. The drawdown will last about six years, Odierno said, and will begin this year.

"We have developed this ramp, which we believe can be accomplished mostly through attrition," Odierno said. "And with the rate that we're reducing the ramp, we believe that we can continue to meet our commitments in Afghanistan and our other deployable commitments with rotational forces."

Secretary of the Army John McHugh told lawmakers that nearly half of the Army budget goes to personnel. He told lawmakers that making cuts to the Army budget means balancing personnel needs against other needs, "the modernization, the equipping, the family programs, the things that, if you don't support them, you're on a quick path to a hollow Army."

McHugh said the Army will try to make the cuts as "humanly as possible."

"We're working as hard as we can to try to manage both our discharges and our accessions in a way so that we don't have to have forced outs," McHugh said. "They're not something anyone likes to go through, but the reality is, at the end of the day, we're probably going to have to ask some Soldiers who have served honorably and who meet at least minimum criteria, to perhaps think about a next challenge in their lives."

Aircraft Carrier Transits on Alternative Fuel Blend

2012-03-09T18:11:00.001-08:00

USS Ford (FFG 54) successfully transited from the ship's homeport in Everett, Wash., to San Diego, March 2, using 25,000 gallons of a 50/50 algae-derived, hydro-processed algal oil and petroleum F-76 blend in the ships LM 2500 gas turbines.

USS Ford's transit on the algal blend marks the first demonstration of the alternative fuel blend in an operational fleet ship.

"We've done basically every range of research vessel we could test: the experimental riverine command boat; the Naval Academy's yard patrol; a landing craft utility, a landing craft air cushion amphibious, and self defense test ship," said Richard Leung, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Navy Fuels engineering manager. "Each test has brought us a little closer to the upcoming Green Strike Group demonstration set for later this year."

Meeting the secretary of the Navy's call for a drop-in fuel replacement, no changes were required to the infrastructure of the ship or fueling pier for the test. The blended fuel was stationed on a barge in Puget Sound off Bremerton, Wash., and immediately available to the Ford for testing.

"We didn't embark any personnel or instrumentation for the transit because we wanted to minimize impact to the ship's normal operations and because we weren't conducting the same quantitative tests and analysis we've done previously," said Leung. "Instead, we provided the ship's engineers a list of fuel and engine performance system questions and parameters, so they could provide feedback on how the ship performed using the blend as compared to its typical fuel."

The ship burned all 25,000 gallons during the transit, and according to Leung, feedback from the ship's engineers was favorable.

"The crew reported no change in their typical procedures when receiving, handling, or processing the biofuel, and said operational performance of the fuel system and gas turbine engines on the blend was almost identical to operations on traditional F-76," said Leung.

"Having feedback from the Ford's engineers is extremely useful as we move forward with validating the algal oil blend, and as we prepare for the upcoming Green Strike Group demonstration later this year," said Greg Toms, NAVSEA technical warrant holder for Fuels and Lubricants. "We'll again be limited on the data we can collect during that event and will ask similar questions to continue measuring operational user feedback."

NAVSEA's alternative fuels efforts help the Navy increase energy security, safeguard the environment, and support the secretary of the Navy's goals to demonstrate a green strike group by 2012, deploy the "Great Green Fleet" in 2016, and obtain 50 percent of the Fleet's liquid fuel from alternative sources by 2020.

6-Pound Charger Flexes Muscle in Halls of Power

2012-03-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

Battery charger takes center stage during Senate budget hearing.

It’s not often that objects as small as battery chargers and solar blankets become the center of attention at a U.S. Senate budget hearing where multibillion-dollar programs are discussed, but for a few minutes of the March 8 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Army officials touted the need for such items to take a load off of the backs of soldiers.

John McHugh, secretary of the Army, estimated that one platoon on a 72-hour mission requires 400 pounds of batteries. He compared the Modular Universal Battery Charger to a predecessor system, which would require four chargers to do the work of one Modular Universal Battery Charger. Those four chargers weigh a combined 85 pounds and must be plugged into a wall for power. “This little 6-pound recharger is able to work off of just about any available source of energy,” McHugh said. Possible energy sources include a solar blanket, tactical vehicles or residual power from used batteries. The chargers, he said, “take enormous weight off the backs of our soldiers, provide them greater operational flexibility and allow us to reduce convoys bringing in fuel, where every fourth convoy results in a casualty. These are important things for soldier safety as well.”

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), who chairs the committee, called the device a “four-point success story,” because it improves troop safety and mobility, reduces costs and improves security for energy sources.

China cyber warfare skills a risk to US military: report

2012-03-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

China's cyber warfare capabilities have reached a point where they would pose a danger to the US military in the event of a conflict, according to a report prepared for the US Congress released on Thursday.

The report by defense contractor Northrop Grumman for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has placed great emphasis on what is known as "information confrontation."

"(PLA) leaders have embraced the idea that successful warfighting is based on the ability to exert control over an adversary's information and information systems," the report said.

Cyber Threat from China, Russia and Iran on US Military and Civilian Networks Drive Cyber Warfare Spending

2012-03-08T18:00:00.001-08:00

The global spending on cyber warfare systems is expected to remain robust over the forecast period due primarily to the increased importance of such systems in modern warfare. The formation of the US Cyber Command or USCybercom, the highest defense spender globally, highlights the importance of cyber warfare in today's world.

The rise in new technologies such as social networks, mobile devices and cloud computing, combined with the economic downturn is driving the pace of innovation in the field of cyber warfare. Consumer driven IT has resulted in organizations losing control over their ability to manage their data by defining a perimeter. Weak economic conditions have meant that companies are striving to find ways and means to remain competitive.

This is where innovation is seen to be sustaining the cyber warfare industry with sub-sectors such as identity and access management, data security and network security expected to record significant growth over the forecast period.

North America is expected to account for the largest share of the total global cyber warfare market, representing a 46% share over the forecast period. Regional demand is primarily driven by the growing threat from Chinese, Russian and Iranian cyber attacks on US military and civilian networks

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Cyber Defense

The US military is preparing for 21st Century electronic warfare and cyber terrorism. A joint US Cyber Command and four service cyber commands have been set up.

Their mission is to defend American military networks and civilian American infrastructure from cyber terrorism and from foreign government hackers.

The officers leading these cyber commands explain how they are organized, how they operate, and how they will protect the United States from foreign military hackers, intelligence agencies, and cyber terrorists.

Lockheed Martin Completes Delivery of All Components of First THAAD Battery to US Army

2012-03-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Lockheed Martin has completed delivery of all hardware and components associated with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system's first U.S. Army Battery.

In December, THAAD delivered its 24th interceptor, completing the first THAAD Battery (A-4 ADA). Two THAAD batteries have been activated at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The first THAAD Battery (A-4 ADA Battery) was activated in May 2008. The second THAAD Battery (A-2 ADA Battery) was activated in October 2009. The Army anticipates activating a third Battery in late 2012.

"The Lockheed Martin THAAD team is proud to deliver this important capability to the warfighter," said Mat Joyce, vice president and program manager for the THAAD weapon system at Lockheed Martin.

Raytheon Awarded US Army Contract to Counter Rockets

2012-03-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Army awarded Raytheon a $79.2 million contract to develop a system that will detect and destroy incoming rockets. The solution is called the Accelerated Improved Intercept Initiative (AI3). Development will culminate in a demonstration in 18 months, followed by low rate initial production.

"Rocket attacks have cost many U.S. and allied warfighters their lives, which is why Raytheon is committed to getting this system developed and fielded as soon as possible," said Dr. Thomas R. Bussing, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems product line.

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe

NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.

Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.

This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Post Mission Ready

2012-03-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

For the past 18 months, U.S. Army Africa Soldiers have worked toward developing flexible mobile communications command center that can function as the unit's headquarters anywhere in the world to respond to deployment requests from U.S. Africa Command.

Known as U.S. Army Africa's Forward Command Post, or FCP, it's similar to many Army tactical operations centers in appearance. However, its unique characteristics allow the FCP to provide vast variety of sophisticated radio, internet and video teleconference capabilities.

U.S. Army Africa, or USARAF, Contingency Command Post director Lt. Col. Tim Williams describes FCP features.

"Depending on the configuration of the command post, it can support anywhere from five to 200 users. We have radio communications, internet access to include classified networks and video teleconferencing ability. USARAF Commander Maj. Gen. [David A.] Hogg can be on the continent of Africa and talk face-to-face with anyone in the national command structure. The FCP provides the USARAF commander a communications capability that historically required us to rely on other organizations," Williams said.

During a recent tour of the FCP, Hogg commented on its distinctive capabilities.

"It's a uniquely configured Army system, plus it's self-sustainable. We don't need additional vehicles or equipment to load it, and we can drive on and off aircraft -- it's completely mobile," Hogg said.

"This system has enough capability to use Army and other systems to work in a joint, coalition and international environment. FCP fits our needs perfectly by providing us with better ability to support our component command, U.S. Africa Command," Hogg said.

According to Williams, the FCP allows USARAF to support a variety of missions.

"The primary mission sets are non-combatant evacuation operations, foreign humanitarian, disaster relief and peace missions as required. Additionally, we can support training exercises anywhere on the African continent," Williams said.

Up to 30 USARAF Contingency Command Soldiers staff the FCP.

Sgt. Major Aaron Miller, noncommissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post, reinforced the scope of operations that USARAF can tackle with the FCP.

"The FCP allows USARAF to have the capability to be the nucleus of a joint task force organization.," Miller said. "We have integrated the Army's battle command systems with our information systems and a robust communications package as well. We can communicate worldwide," he said.

SOCOM Commander Discusses Progress in Afghanistan

2012-03-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Afghan forces now are leading all of the night raids U.S. special operations forces conduct with them in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command told senators today.

Navy Adm. William McRaven said operations in Afghanistan remain his near-term focus and highest priority. McRaven testified alongside Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command commander, before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The special operations leader and Navy SEAL said his forces bring two key capabilities to the transition effort in Afghanistan: the lethal and precise direct approach epitomized in night raids, and the indirect effort to build Afghan security and governance through village stability operations with Afghan forces.

Night raids target high-value insurgents, often after coalition and Afghan troops have tracked them for days or weeks, McRaven said.

Those individuals “generally bed down” and are much more targetable at night, McRaven said, calling the night operations an essential tactic.

The admiral acknowledged the raids’ unpopularity among the Afghan people, but said ensuring Afghan troops are “the first forces through the door” as they lead the raids has helped allay people’s anxiety.

Such raids often are safer than daytime operations, he said, because fewer people are out in the villages.

Meanwhile, McRaven said, special operations forces also work to strengthen programs such as the Afghan local police, which includes about 11,000 Afghans and is set to grow to 30,000 over the next few years. The village-based forces are starting to link together in mutual defense for the first time, he said.

“One village is actually coming to the aid of another village when they're being attacked or harassed,” he said.

A single road connecting villages makes that cooperation possible, the admiral noted.

“That's why it's very important to continue with [infrastructure projects] so they can get from Point A to Point B, see what the other village is doing, create trade with that village … [and] be the safety and security for that village, and vice versa,” McRaven added.

The admiral noted that no International Security Assistance Force special operations troops have been targeted in any of the “green-on-blue” incidents involving Afghan army and police members killing coalition troops.

“We have built these partnerships over many years,” McRaven said. “They're very strong partnerships. We have great respect for our Afghan partners, and we think this strategy of partnering with the Afghans is absolutely essential to victory in Afghanistan.”

When your ship comes in

2012-03-07T09:07:00.001-08:00

Every day, thousands of cargo containers from around the world pass through our nation's sea ports carrying items we need, and possibly some that are not so welcome: drugs, explosives, chemical, biological, or radiological weapons - even human cargo.

The possible concealment of such items in containers led lawmakers to call for the screening of all ocean cargo containers-thousands per port per day. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is charged with the critical task of securing the country from terrorists and their weapons while facilitating legitimate trade and travel, including the monitoring of what's in thousands of sea cargo containers as they pass through CBP screening. These containers must be inspected quickly and accurately, and without the business at each port grinding to a halt when they do so.

When your ship comes in

2012-03-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

China must increase ability to win 'local wars': Wen

2012-03-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

China must enhance the ability of its military to win "local wars", Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday, as Beijing grows increasingly assertive about its territorial claims in Asia.

Beijing lays claim to large swathes of the South China Sea which are also claimed by its smaller neighbours, and must also secure supply routes and new sources of raw materials to fuel its booming economy.

Wen's made his comments at the opening of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament, a day after the government announced military spending would top $100 billion in 2012 -- an 11.2 percent increase on last year.

"We will enhance the armed forces' capacity to accomplish a wide range of military tasks, the most important of which is to win local wars under information age conditions," Wen said in his "state of the nation" speech.

China's territorial disputes with countries including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam have grown rockier in recent years and its neighbours have accused it of behaving aggressively.

The Asian giant already has the world's largest armed forces and its defence budget has seen double-digit increases every year for much of the last decade, which is forging ahead with plans to expand its own military power in Asia.

Japan 'concerned' over China military budget boost

2012-03-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

Japan on Monday voiced disquiet over China's double-digit boost to its military budget, as newspapers expressed scepticism over whether Beijing was telling the truth.

Tokyo's top government spokesman urged China's leaders to greater transparency on military issues and pledged Japan would be closely watching what happened across the water.

"We are concerned about the double-digit increase in this year's Chinese defence budget and will pay attention to future developments," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference in Tokyo.

"Some details of China's defence budget are still opaque," Fujimura said. "Our country will continue asking China to boost transparency through an exchange of dialogue in the field of security."

Fujimura was speaking as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged his military to boost its capacity to win "local wars" amid a ramping up of tensions with neighbours -- including Japan -- over a series of territorial disputes.

Raytheon And DARPA to Help Friendly Forces Communicate While Conducting Electronic Warfare

2012-03-03T10:01:00.002-08:00

Raytheon has been awarded a $3.8 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to allow armed forces to conduct jamming operations with minimal communication and control interference to friendly forces.

The High-Power Efficient Rf Digital-to-Analog Converter (HiPERDAC) program seeks to enable tactical platforms, such as maritime craft, ground vehicles, tactical aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as individual soldiers, to conduct battlefield jamming operations while minimizing frequency interference with friendly forces.

By generating signals that are both linear (that is, the ability of a signal to remain within a certain frequency) and efficient, HiPERDAC allows jamming across the frequency spectrum while providing precise gaps for communication frequencies used by friendly forces.

Raytheon Demonstrates Enhanced Capabilities for TOW

2012-03-03T10:01:00.001-08:00

Raytheon has tested a new propulsion system for the Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wireless (TOW) missile. Developed by ATK, the enhanced system doubles TOW's range and reduces the missile's flight time by one-third.

During the test, the developmental propulsion system flew the missile more than seven kilometers (4.35 miles), reaching four kilometers (2.5 miles) in significantly less time.

Raytheon and ATK's Missile Products Group worked closely to develop a propulsion system that improves the performance of the TOW missile.

The launch, boost, sustain (LBS) propulsion system also incorporates a rocket motor designed with Insensitive Munitions (IM) features to provide added safety: IM compliant systems are less likely to react explosively when subjected to bullet and fragment impacts, external fire or other hazardous events.

Efficient Unmanned Aircraft Jetting Toward Commercialization

2012-03-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Propulsion by a novel jet engine is the crux of the innovation behind a University of Colorado Boulder-developed aircraft that's accelerating toward commercialization.

Jet engine technology can be small, fuel-efficient and cost-effective, at least with Assistant Professor Ryan Starkey's design. The CU-Boulder aerospace engineer, with a team of students, has developed a first-of-its-kind supersonic unmanned aircraft vehicle, or UAV. The UAV, which is currently in a prototype state, is expected to fly farther and faster - using less fuel - than anything remotely similar to date.

The fuel efficiency of the engine that powers the 50-kilogram UAV is already double that of similar-scale engines, and Starkey says he hopes to double that efficiency again through further engineering.

Starkey says his UAV could be used for everything from penetrating and analyzing storms to military reconnaissance missions - both expeditions that can require the long-distance, high-speed travel his UAV will deliver - without placing human pilots in danger.

Navy Seabees Celebrate on 70-Year Legacy

2012-03-03T08:51:00.001-08:00

Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking

Too often, ship operators fail to take proper anti-piracy security measures, effectively turning their merchant vessels into “Golden Geese” ripe for the taking, writes the author. He goes on to discuss proven methods of hardening commercial ships and training their crews to prevent pirates – whether from Somalia or elsewhere – from boarding vessels and taking crews hostage.
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The U.S. Navy Seabees, the Navy's deployable Engineer Force, will celebrate its 70th anniversary March 5.

With the motto, "We Build, We Fight," Seabees provide a wide range of responsive military construction in support of operating forces, including roads, bridges, bunkers, airfields and logistics bases.

"As we enter our 70th Year, the Seabees' vital work continues around the world in support of the Global Maritime Strategy. Today we have nearly 2,400 Seabees deployed to more than 30 major detail sites in support of five combatant commanders. Seabees remain in high demand as we continue to write new chapters in our 'Can Do' legacy," said Rear Adm. Mark Handley, commander 1st Naval Construction Division.

Today, the Navy Seabees play a critical role in the world in both humanitarian and military missions. Whether building facilities for our troops in Afghanistan, helping residents recover from natural disasters, or building clinics and schools or drilling water wells in underdeveloped areas, Seabees are key players in the Navy's global force for good.

Currently, a Naval Construction Regiment and two Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs) are deployed to Afghanistan to build and expand camps and outposts for troops. Other recent projects there have included water wells, helicopter landing zones, roads, and a low-water crossing to help local Afghans.

In addition to the two battalions in Afghanistan, two more battalions are providing engineering and construction support while promoting regional stability through humanitarian projects in Africa, Europe, South America and the Pacific.

"This anniversary is one of change and getting back to what made Seabees great from the beginning, our ability to construct high quality products in an extremely dynamic environment," said Builder 2nd Class (BU2) Grabiel J. Marrero, currently deployed to Africa with NMCB 3.

While their organization and mission has changed over the years, today's Seabees embody the same "can-do" spirit as their World War II predecessors.

It is a story that began 70 years ago after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. There was a need for massive military construction, and Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, chief of the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, established the first construction battalions. Seabees got their name from the abbreviation "CB" for construction battalion.

These early Seabees were recruited from the civilian construction trades and were placed under the leadership of Civil Engineer Corps officers. Because experience and skill was more important than physical standards, the average age of Seabees at that time was 37. More than 325,000 men served with the Seabees in World War II, fighting and building on six continents and more than 300 islands. During the war, the Seabees built 111 major airstrips, 700 square blocks of warehouses, hospitals for 70,000 patients, storage tanks for 100 million gallons of gasoline and housing for 1.5 million men. In nearly every major invasion in the Pacific, including Normandy and Iwo Jima, Marines were followed by Seabees to support the invasion and provide long-term facilities for the troops.

Due to their effectiveness in World War II, the Seabees became a permanent part of the Navy. They continued to serve in Korea, where they participated in both the Inchon and Wonsan landings and built advance bases in the Pacific.

In 1965, the Seabees made their first deployment to Vietnam and built an expeditionary airfield at Chu Lai. As the demand for Seabees grew, they constructed roads, bridges, airfields and hospitals, and helped in many civic action projects.

In the 1970s, they resumed peacetime deployments including construction at the strategic Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.

More than 5,000 active duty and Reserve Seabees served in the Middle East during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. They built 10 camps for more than 42,000 personnel, three galleys, 10 aircraft parking aprons, three ammunition supply points, a 500-bed hospital, two runways, two hangars, a prisoner of war camp to hold 40,000, and a 200-mile, four-lane road.

Twenty-six Seabee units deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Seabees constructed aircraft parking areas, roads, munitions storage areas, a 1,200-person camp, and erected bridges over the Diyala River and Saddam Canal. Seabees returned to Iraq in March 2004 to provide force protection, troop housing, border outposts, expeditionary camps, community outreach centers, medical clinics, community cleanup and camp improvements.

Beginning with their deployment to Camp Rhino, Afghanistan to repair the runway at Kandahar shortly after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Seabees have had a presence in Afghanistan for 10 years. When President Barack Obama announced the deployment of 30,000 more U.S. troops to the region in December 2009, the Seabees were called upon to provide an additional two battalions to the two that were already deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Seabees were sent forward to build combat outposts, forward operating bases, and provide force protection improvements such as guard towers and bunkers in support of the Army and Marine Corps.

In addition to their wartime mission, Seabees are also known for their worldwide humanitarian efforts. Seabees have aided the victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters around the world. In the 1990s, Seabees deployed to Somalia and Haiti to support humanitarian efforts there and constructed tent camps for more than 40,000 Haitian and Cuban migrants in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Seabees deployed to Indonesia, Thailand and Sri-Lanka to provide humanitarian support in the wake of a massive tsunami in 2004. They deployed to Pakistan to help clear roads and remove debris to help relief workers get to isolated areas following a major earthquake in 2005.

In addition to disasters overseas, the Seabees are also first responders when tragedy strikes in the U.S. Nearly 800 active duty and Reserve Seabees deployed to southern Florida to assist in disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Andrew in September 1992. They repaired 46 public schools, removing 12,000 cubic yards of debris.

More than 3,300 Navy Seabees participated in Hurricane Katrina recovery operations on the Gulf Coast in 2005. Seabees cleared 750 miles of roads, removed more than 20,000 tons of debris and supported search and rescue operations. Seabees repaired 85 schools affecting 47,208 students and repaired and constructed more than 30 temporary public buildings.

During times or war, peace, disaster and human suffering, the Navy Seabees have been the construction force of choice whenever the nation has needed them. For 70 years they have answered the call with one simple reply - "Can Do!"
*****************

U.S. Army Unveils Newest U.A.V.

2012-03-02T10:15:00.001-08:00

The United States Army has a new tool in their arsenal. A UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) named the A-160 Hummingbird....The Hummingbird is designed to fly 2,500 nautical miles with endurance in excess of 24 hours and a payload of more than 300 pounds. The autonomously-flown A160 is 35 feet long with a 36-foot rotor diameter. It will fly at an estimated top speed of 140 knots at ceilings up to 30,000 feet, which is about 10,000 feet higher than conventional helicopters can fly today. Future missions for the A160 include reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, communications relay and precision re-supply. The UAV uses the ARGUS-IS system which recently passed tests after being used on the UH-60 Blackhawk.

The ARGUS-IS (Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System) sensor is the most potent in the Army’s arsenal.

DOD wants in on protecting civilian infrastructure

2012-03-01T08:25:00.001-08:00

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter told the security industry at the RSA Conference that protecting cyberspace is a cooperative effort between the government and the private sector, and that the Defense Department is preparing to play an active role in both military and civilian systems.

The top threat to the DOD is assaults on its military networks. “That’s our problem,” he said. “We know how to deal with that.” But a second serious threat is to the critical civilian infrastructure on which the DOD depends. “We want to play a role in defending that as well,” Carter said.

Carter did not spell out the details of the military’s role in defending civilian systems, but he urged the industry to support pending cybersecurity legislation that would encourage and enable greater information sharing between government and the private sector.

*********************

Cyber Defense

Top US general for Africa says 3 main terror groups there seeking to coordinate efforts

2012-03-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

Terrorist groups in Somalia, North Africa and Nigeria are eyeing ways to coordinate their training, funding and terror activities, triggering increased U.S. national security worries, the top American commander for Africa told Congress on Wednesday.

Army Gen. Carter Ham said terror leaders from al-Shabab, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram in Nigeria want to more closely synchronize their efforts. If they are able to better share their training and funding, “that presents a real challenge for us,” he told the House Armed Services Committee.

The three groups represent the greatest threats to security in the region, and all three have strong ties to al-Qaida. And Ham laid out ongoing efforts by the U.S. to provide training, equipment and support to a number of nations across northern and east Africa where militants have launched a range of dramatic attacks over the past year or more.

Increased U.S.-backed operations around Mogadishu, largely by Ugandan and Burundian troops as part of an African Union force, have weakened al-Shabab. And Ham said the recent announcement of al-Qaida’s formal alliance with al-Shabab suggests the Somalia-based insurgency has been weakened and is looking for greater international support.
******************

Merchant Vessel Defense Against Pirates

Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking

German, U.S. Officials Discuss New Military Hospital to Replace Landstuhl LRMC

2012-02-29T18:36:00.002-08:00

U.S. senior military leaders hosted German federal, state and local government representatives here Feb. 27 to talk about the proposed new Kaiserslautern Military Community Medical Center.

The purpose of the meeting, according to officials, was to familiarize the German leaders with the current status of the project, the proposed way ahead and talk about some of the challenges.

"This is a great opportunity for us to have solid dialogue and discussion about a project that is absolutely critical to U.S. forces here in Europe," said Maj. Gen. James Boozer, the U.S. Army Europe deputy commanding general. "The overarching requirement for us is to build a facility that provides quality healthcare for U.S. forces that are assigned here in Europe as well as support forces assigned to Africa and Central commands. This has to be accomplished in accordance with German law and with minimal impact to the environment."

Boozer also talked about the significance the new hospital will have.

"This project is of strategic importance not just to the European theater, but our nation as a whole," the general said. "With about 50,000 U.S. personnel living and working here, the KMC is currently the largest community of U.S. service members, civilians and their families outside of the continental United States. This area is important to us. It is now and it will be in the future."

The new medical facility, which will be located on the Weilerbach portion of Rhine Ordnance Barracks, is scheduled to replace the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Ramstein Air Base Clinic upon completion, due to the aging infrastructure of the two facilities.

LRMC currently sees approximately 480,000 outpatients and about 8,000 inpatients annually, while the Ramstein Clinic cares for approximately 115,000 outpatients annually.

"Over the past several years we looked at several options as to where to build this new hospital." Boozer said. "We considered inputs from a variety of organizations and our German partners."

Weilerbach was chosen, among other reasons, because the land is already under U.S. control as part of Rhine Ordnance Barracks, reducing the overall project cost, and because of its proximity to Ramstein Air Base, reducing transportation times for critically wounded service members. It currently takes approximately 30 minutes to transport patients from the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility at Ramstein AB to LRMC; the new facility will reduce this transit time.

After a briefing from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the attendees were treated to a working lunch, followed with discussions on a variety of topics ranging from the construction timeline to environmental concerns.

"This project is a symbol of the great partnership which exists between the State of Rheinland Pfalz and the U.S. forces living in our community," said German Undersecretary Dr. Salvatore Barbaro, of the Ministry for Finance Rheinland-Pfalz. "We are dealing with a very significant project that, as far regional policies are concerned, will play a key role in the economic future in this region."

Barbaro's federal counterpart echoed these sentiments, adding that communication between all stakeholders is essential to ensure the success of a project of this size.

"The relationship with Germany and the United States and the U.S. service members stationed here in Germany has traditionally been very good," said Undersecretary Rainer Bomba, of the German Federal Ministry for Traffic and Construction. "With a project of this magnitude, it is imperative that our lines of communication are open and we use forums like this one to discuss whatever challenges come up in an effort to find solutions and move forward."

Bomba added that he looks forward to working closely with the U.S. representatives and pledged his, and the German government's, full support.

Construction of the new medical facility is scheduled to begin this year starting with the site preparation and running utilities such as water, gas and electricity to the site. The estimated time of completion is in 2019.

http://www.army-technology.com/features/featureto-protect-and-cerv-the-us-armys-new-hybrid-vehicle/

2012-02-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

With the cost of diesel and fuel consumption both spiraling, the world's armed forces have been quick to support any emerging technologies capable of lessening their reliance on fossil fuels.

In an attempt to display the significant strides taken by the US Armed Forces to become more environmentally friendly and efficient, the US Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) displayed its Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle, the highly regarded, highly efficient hybrid vehicle co-developed with Quantum Technologies.

Demonstrated at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, the CERV has been labeled as one of the "greenest technologies" currently in development.

Germany preps Israeli super-sub for tests

2012-02-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard is expected to hand over one of the world's most advanced submarines to Israel's navy this year for sea trials.

The ultra-quiet, hard-to-detect Dolphin class sub is the fourth boat in a planned six-pack of submarines that are reportedly capable of firing nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, giving Israel unparalleled strategic reach in the Middle East even though until now it had never been a potent sea power.

The heavily modified Israeli Dolphins are considered the most modern non-nuclear submarines in the world.

Colombia buys German submarines in anti-drug war

2012-02-28T20:14:00.001-08:00

Colombia is ratcheting up its war on sea-faring drug traffickers and has invested in German submarines and marine craft in a boost to its navy.

Sea-borne narcotics cargo bound for North America is a growing problem in Central and South America as organized and well-resourced drug gangs deploy submersible craft and other sea-borne vessels to transport contraband.

Mexico's crackdown on drug cartels led to organized drug gangs spilling over in the Caribbean, Central and South America, a threat Colombia wants to confront head-on.

New Colombian defense purchases include vessels for a gradual modernization of the navy, increasingly in the frontline of attack on drug cartels.

Two existing U209/1200 Class submarines, ARC Pijao and ARC Tayrona, are being modernized at the state-owned ship at Cartagena. These will be joined by another two German U206A submarines that generated interest in Thailand and other countries that originally planned to buy them.

The U206s are critical to Colombia's fight against the drug gangs' semi-submersible vessels.

Navy Begins Testing Railgun Prototype

2012-02-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

Engineers have fired the Navy's first industry-built electromagnetic railgun (EM Railgun) prototype launcher at a test facility, commencing an evaluation that is an important intermediate step toward a future tactical weapon for ships, officials announced Feb. 28.

The firing at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) kicks off a two- month-long test series by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to evaluate the first of two industry-built launchers. The tests will bring the Navy closer to a new naval gun system capable of extended ranges against surface, air and ground targets.

"We are starting our full-energy tests to evaluate the barrel life and structural integrity of the prototype system," said Roger Ellis, program manager of the EM Railgun, part of ONR's Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department. "It's the next step toward a future tactical system."

The EM Railgun launcher is a long-range weapon that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants. Magnetic fields created by high electrical currents accelerate a sliding metal conductor, or armature, between two rails to launch projectiles at 4,500 mph to 5,600 mph.

The 32-megajoule prototype demonstrator, built by BAE Systems, arrived at NSWCDD on Jan. 30. One megajoule of energy is equivalent to a 1-ton car being thrust at 100 mph. The prototype-which now looks more like a naval weapon compared to previous lab-style launchers-is the first of two industry-built launchers to be delivered to the Navy. General Atomics is building the second launcher, scheduled for delivery in April. ONR previously relied upon laboratory-built systems to advance the technology.

After installing the BAE Systems launcher and outfitting it with a comprehensive suite of sensors, high-speed cameras and measuring devices, engineers fired successful low-energy test shots to prepare it for the evaluation. The team will conduct tests at 20 megajoules and 32 megajoules, shooting test projectiles similar to what was previously fired through NSWCDD's laboratory launcher.

"The test series will characterize the gun's performance by shooting several rounds through the barrel at various energy levels to fully exercise the capabilities of the prototype," said Ellis.

When fully developed, the EM Railgun will give Sailors a dramatically increased multimission capability. Its increased velocity and extended range over traditional shipboard weapons will allow them to conduct precise, long-range naval surface fire support for land strikes; ship self-defense against cruise and ballistic missiles; and surface warfare to deter enemy vessels. The Navy's near-term goal is a 20- to 32-megajoule weapon that shoots a distance of 50 to 100 nautical miles.

To achieve this, the Navy is moving ahead with the EM Railgun program's next phase: to develop thermal management systems for both the launcher and pulsed power to facilitate increased firing rates of up to 10 rounds per minute. Toward this end, BAE and General Atomics have been contracted to begin concept design of a next-generation thermally managed launcher.

"The next phase of the development effort is to demonstrate the ability to operate at a firing rate of significant military utility," Ellis said.

Additionally, ONR awarded contracts through Naval Sea Systems Command to General Atomics, BAE Systems and Raytheon Co. to develop a pulsed power system capable of meeting the firing rate goal.

Various new and existing ship platforms are currently being analyzed for future integration.

Lockheed Martin's Fighting Falcon Evolves With New F-16V

2012-02-26T20:20:00.001-08:00

Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new version of the F-16 at the Singapore Airshow. The F-16V will feature enhancements including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an upgraded mission computer and architecture, and improvements to the cockpit - all capabilities identified by the U.S. Air Force and several international customers for future improvements.

With nearly 4,500 F-16s delivered, this is a natural step in the evolution of the world's most successful 4th generation fighter.

The Fighting Falcon program has continually evolved as it began with the F-16 A/B as the lightweight fighter then transitioned to F-16 C/D and Block 60 versions as customers' requirements changed.

AESA radars offer significant operational capability improvements. Lockheed Martin has developed an innovative solution to affordably retrofit this key technology into existing F-16s.

Boeing and USAF Mark Delivery of First Re-winged A-10 Thunderbolt II

2012-02-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force on Feb. 15 celebrated the rollout of the first re-winged A-10 Thunderbolt II in a ceremony at Hill Air Force Base. Boeing is under contract with the Air Force to deliver 233 wing sets through 2018.

"This enhanced wing assembly will give the A-10 new strength and a new foundation for its continued service into 2040," said Mark Bass, Maintenance, Modifications and Upgrades vice president and general manager for Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

Failing to address anti-jam capability of future radio would be a big mistake

2012-02-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

Sometime over the next several weeks, the Army will release the final request for proposals in an effort to replace its ill-fated Ground Mobile Radio. The radio was canceled last year due to price and performance problems, leaving a gaping hole in the service’s plans for future battlefield communications. What the Army wanted was a vehicle radio that could connect with legacy systems already in the field while delivering new signals capable of supporting high-speed transmission of video, voice and data communications. What it got was a system too expensive and power-hungry to deploy in large numbers.

So now it’s back to the drawing boards with a new request for proposals that seeks similar high data-rate transmission capabilities in a more affordable package. Somewhere along the way, though, the Army dropped a vital requirement -- and that could doom the whole effort. Specifically, it eliminated the anti-jamming capability for the most capable signal the new radio must support, which is known as the “wideband networking waveform.”

ONR's ManTech Program Shrinks Costs While Building Future Force

2012-02-23T18:03:00.001-08:00

Following a final review Feb. 22, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is transitioning its work on the second generation of the Navy's Electronic Warfare System (EWS), which will save $1 million per ship.

The project was executed by ONR's Navy Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) program and is just one example of how ManTech is saving the government millions of dollars each year.

"For warfighters, ManTech offers savings by reducing the costs of products that they buy," said John Carney, Navy ManTech program director. "Our investments often can transition a technology that improves capability that wouldn't otherwise be affordable."

ManTech, part of ONR's Office of Transition, improves manufacturing efficiency by working with defense contractors, Navy acquisition program offices and academia to enhance technological processes and equipment. The objective is not to build a new submarine, ship or airplane, but to make a product already in existence better, faster and at a lower cost.

"Ultimately, ManTech accelerates technology benefits to Sailors and Marines," Carney said.

ManTech and its innovative, cost-cutting processes are featured in a recently released video that highlights three major ManTech successes: Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP), Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the Virginia-class submarine:

- ONR released the EWS-SEWIP Block 2 project results to Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems. For SEWIP Block 2, the second version of the system, ManTech helped accelerate upgrades to the SLQ-32(V) System. The program also reduced the cost of buying and delivering these upgrades by approximately $1 million per ship.

- With JSF, ONR helped improve the manufacturing process for the aircraft's composite wings and other critical components. ManTech helped realize a 50 percent improvement in overall cycle time and an overall cost savings over the life of the project of $100 million after only a $3 million investment.

- For the Virginia-class submarine, ManTech has yielded $21.3 million per hull in cost savings to date through 23 process improvement projects. One of these was investing in a smart approach to welding pipes that boosts quality and production speed, resulting in more than 8,500 man-hours and $500,000 savings per VCS hull. Additional projects are in the works for future implementation, and ManTech is currently projecting a conservative $37.3 million per hull total in acquisition cost savings.

For more information about these and other ManTech projects, contact the ONR ManTech Office at 703-696-0352.

US Navy Research Office in Europe Marks Anniversary

2012-02-23T18:00:00.001-08:00

Hailed as a vital bridge between cutting-edge scientific research and international diplomacy, the Prague branch of Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global marks its two-year anniversary Feb. 26.

"Bringing different [international] entities together toward a strategic goal is one of the major benefits of having ONR presence in Central and Eastern Europe," said Cmdr. Mark Williams, ONR Global regional director, NATO and Europe.

ONR Global's mission is to meet current and future needs of the Navy and Marine Corps. Five regional engagement offices around the world seek out promising science and technology (S&T) advances, and promote S&T collaboration at an open source and unclassified level between ONR and international scientists.

The other sites are in London, Tokyo, Singapore and Santiago, with its international liaison office located in Arlington, Va.

"We wanted to increase our engagement with industry and academia in the region," said Michael Morgan, director of ONR Global's engagement office in Prague. "We chose Prague because of our rich history of research with the Czechs, and its central location."

With just 24 months in existence, the office has already accomplished pioneering work in technologies from cyber defense to new models of air traffic control.

In one recent effort, dubbed AgentC, the Prague office of ONR Global supported work at Czech Technical University on software that models sea piracy and provides alternative routing for commercial vessels in waters off the Horn of Africa.

"That [AgentC] has gotten a lot of attention from a number of people," said Dr. Paul Losiewicz, ONR Global associate director in Prague. "The Danish border police were interested because the same sort of tracking capabilities would be used, whether it's illegal fishing, illegal dumping, smuggling, you name it; the algorithms would be the same."

Williams singled out Prague office programs such as innovative cyber defense initiatives, and a string of collaborative scientific events that have brought together leading European scientists, U.S. and Czech government officials and representatives from private industry.

An upcoming engagement series on innovation, set to kick off in March in the Czech Republic, is exactly the kind of project ONR's strong global presence can create, he noted.

"We are bringing academia, government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together at the same table to look at innovation. These entities don't regularly sit at the same table," Williams said.

According to Morgan, a key accomplishment so far for the Prague office includes a successful ONR/European Union (EU) workshop, the culmination of a year of planning and organizing. "It opens the door for us to leverage EU research and development funding, which is forecast to be more than $100 billion over the next seven years," he said.

"Our biggest challenge is managing the overwhelming positive response from central and Eastern Europe," Morgan added. "We are astounded by the response we received from the region."

ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.

US Army's Focus on Asia

2012-02-23T09:29:00.001-08:00

The Army will remain strong in the Pacific to reflect the increased emphasis on the region, the Army chief of staff said Tuesday.

The Army already has a strong presence in the region, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno told a Defense Writers Group roundtable.

"If you added up the number of people, the Army has more people over there than the Navy and the Air Force," he said.

These numbers will not drop despite overall reductions in the Army's size, the general told the group.

"We will sustain what we have and then review how we do our business," he said. "This issue over the past eight years has been that many of the forces in the region were used in Iraq and Afghanistan."

This means troops nominally assigned to the region actually fought in U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM. The 25th Infantry Division, for example, recently returned to Hawaii after completing its mission in the CENTCOM region, Odierno explained.

This model will change, he added. Going forward, if the Army must use Pacific forces outside the region, commanders will replace that capability.

"There will always be a baseline of capability in the Pacific," he said.

But the numbers tell only one part of the story. The service will review prepositioned stocks around the world to ensure these are positioned properly in case of a contingency. In the Pacific the most important aspect is to accomplish multilateral training, noting that he is working with regional Army chiefs to find ways to increase this training, Odierno said.

These army-to-army contacts are important, he said. Seven out of the 10 largest armies are in the Pacific, he noted, and 22 of the 27 nations in the region have an army officer as chief of defense. "Us engaging with them to build relationships will help us in the long run in the Pacific," the general told the defense writers.

Odierno also talked about the "advise and assist" brigades that will deploy to Afghanistan shortly, and said they will become more important for Afghan units in the future. The Army is putting together two of these brigades now, the general said, and they will deploy with the numbers of officers and noncommissioned officers needed to advise and assist Afghan national security forces.

Most Soldiers in the brigades will be combat veterans and will understand what these Afghan forces need, Odierno said. With the end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq, he added, more forces are available for the advise-and-assist mission in Afghanistan. He told the writers he expects the number of advise-and-assist units to grow as the deadline for turning over security responsibility to the Afghan forces approaches at the end of 2014.

Special operations and conventional forces will work even more closely together to accomplish this training mission, Odierno said, and the Army forces will work with Marine advise-and-assist teams as well. He added that he sees no duplication of effort with special ops, the Marines and the Army pitching in to train Afghan soldiers and police.

"There's room for all of us to do this in order to sustain it for a longer period of time," he said.

This shows the Army is flexible, Odierno said, as Army brigades can "own ground," conduct counterinsurgency operations, send a brigade to conduct high-end operations in Korea, all while being able to conduct the training and advising mission.

"That shows the flexibility of our organization and the kind of organization we will need in the future," he added. "We are going to have a lot of diverse operations to do."

Forbes Slams 'Green' Navy

2012-02-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

House Armed Services Seapower subcommittee member Randy Forbes took Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to task, slamming the service's continued investment in alternative fuels, one of Mabus' top priorities for the service.

"I understand that alternative fuels may help our guys in the field, but wouldn't you agree that the thing they'd be more concerned about is having more ships, more planes, more prepositioned stocks," Forbes said during the Friday hearing. "Shouldn't we refocus our priorities and make those things our priorities instead of advancing a biofuels market?" Before Mabus could respond, the Virginia Republican took a clear shot at the secretary: "You're not the secretary of the energy. You're the secretary of the Navy."

Forbes' tirade was not completely unexpected given the fiscal pressures the Navy and the rest of the department are under, according to one congressional source. But Forbes did push the boundaries of opposition to the Navy program, and its leader. "I have never seen Mabus confronted like that before" on the service's alternative energy initiatives, the Hill source said. Members of the Navy's acquisition cadre "cannot not feel frustrated" when they look at the millions poured into biofuels and consider other areas those dollars could have gone toward. "You [could] buy a couple of ships" with those dollars, according to the source.

However, the timing of Forbes' denunciation of the Navy's green plans has more to do with politics than with procurement.

Political disagreements over how the Navy fuels its planes and ships "has a long pedigree" on the House panel, top defense consultant and member of AOL Defense's Board of Contributors Loren Thompson said. "The exchange between Rep. Forbes and Secretary Mabus isn't really about energy. It's about dueling political philosophies," Thompson said.

German defense minister visits Holloman AFB

2012-02-21T17:34:00.000-08:00

Dr. Thomas de Maiziére, Germany's Federal Minister of Defense, visited Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico on Feb. 15 during his trip to the U.S.

De Maiziére came to the U.S. to visit the German Air Force Flying Training Center here and tour other German units stationed here in the U.S.

"It's a pleasure and honor to be here," de Maiziére said while greeting and shaking the hands of leaders from the 49th Wing, training center and Alamogordo community.

The German defense minister wanted to see some of the different aspects of the German forces in America, said U.S. Air Force Col. David Krumm, the 49th WG commander.

"Holloman is a large part of that with our German Air Force contingent," Krumm said. "He wanted to get out to see the troops, the mission, how they're living, what's going on here and what needs they have."

Krumm also said de Maiziére's visit was important for the wing.

"It's always great to see our allies, to be able to talk and interface with them, and get to know each other's issues," he said. "Because we work together, we train together, and we fight together, having a solid relationship at every level is very important."

Bob Cain, of the Air Combat Command International Affairs, said the current relationship between the German Air Force and Holloman AFB is the best he's ever seen.

"The Germans started flying training here at Holloman in 1992, so we're celebrating basically 20 years of German (armed forces) program involvement this year," Cain said. "It's not only been a great relationship, but also highly successful for them. It's been nearly 10 years since we've had any German aircraft incidents on base. A lot of that goes into not only the ops and the maintenance infrastructure, but also the ability to train realistically in a very safe and controlled environment."

Also accompanying de Maiziére was a group of 18 German and international media members who got a first-hand look at static aircraft and a chance to interview subject matter experts of the airframes.

"I think that's an aspect that we don't always do and that's important for them to see the relationship between their armed forces and the Americans here," Krumm said. "The community has embraced the Germans as neighbors. I think this recognition highlights the good working relationship with have with our German allies."
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GERMAN NAVY “SEALS”

German naval commandos are called Kampfschwimmer or "combat swimmers". These German navy counterparts to the US Navy SEALs are Germany's oldest Special Operations Forces. The Kampfschwimmer roots go back to World War II.

Today's Kampfschwimmer formations are heavily involved in international operations against terrorism, including missions in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This e-book is written by a German Navy lieutenant who serves as a Kampfschwimmer team leader -- the equivalent of a US Navy SEAL platoon leader.

"German Navy SEALs" is a profile of the Kampfschwimmer units. The e-book covers the history of the Kampfschwimmer beginning with the World War II era; describes their organization, command structure, capabilities and training; discusses their cooperation with US Navy SEALS and other Special Operations Forces; and their role in German and NATO operational planning.

Other German Special Operations Forces are also briefly discussed.

Secretive Navy SEALs take starring role in new film

2012-02-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

The secretive Navy SEALs are coming out of the shadows for a new Hollywood film, with elite commandos cast in starring roles in a radical departure for America's special forces.

In "Act of Valor," the select troops who call themselves "the quiet professionals" take a turn as leading men on the big screen, reciting lines from a script as they race to prevent terrorists from carrying out an attack on the United States.

Filming began in 2007, before the Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams were catapulted to fame for their daring raid last May that killed Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden.

US defense officials did not find out about the movie until after the fact, causing consternation at the Pentagon, which has an office that vets scripts and negotiates cooperation deals with Hollywood producers.

Although troops have appeared in movies before, such as "Black Hawk Down," this film ventures into uncharted territory, possibly jeopardizing the anonymity that the special forces have sought to safeguard.

"It's one thing to be filmed parachuting out of a plane, but it's another thing to be parachuting and land on the red carpet," a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

Premiering on February 24, the action-packed movie tells the fictional story of SEALs rescuing a kidnapped CIA agent from a Central American drug cartel, only to uncover a terror plot against the United States by a Chechen jihadist.

Women in Combat: We Have the Technology

2012-02-17T09:39:00.001-08:00

US military is one of the most high-tech fighting forces that the world has ever seen. The tools and weapons that men use in combat can be used just as easily by women.

The reason American soldiers are so effective, outside of their training, is the high-tech arsenal at their fingertips – an arsenal that would be just as effective in the hands of female troops.

With billions in R&D spending each year, and a host of contractors developing new weapons systems and other high-tech advances, the US Military is evolving rapidly. Alongside drones, land-based robots are being deployed for all sorts of tasks.

The battlefield itself is morphing into something very different from what it once was. We’re no longer fighting trench warfare. Modern wars are often fought in urban settings, and modern troops deploy all sorts of high-tech weaponry.

Special Ops commander vows better life for 66,000 troops

2012-02-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

The commander of America's most elite fighting forces — responding to a groundswell of complaints raised by Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and Marine and Air Force commandos — is promising to improve the quality of their personal lives, suffering in the wake of continuous fighting over 10 years.

"This pace has robbed you and your families of any sense of predictability and 'white space' (free time together)," Adm. William McRaven, the head of U.S.Special Operations Command, wrote to his 66,000 troops last month after an internal "sensing" study of the force last year uncovered quality-of-life concerns.

"I want you to know that I hear you! I am aware of the strain placed on you and I am personally committed to alleviating the pressure you and your families are dealing with in these difficult times," McRaven wrote in an e-mail obtained by USA TODAY.
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GERMAN NAVY “SEALS”

German naval commandos are called Kampfschwimmer or "combat swimmers". These German navy counterparts to the US Navy SEALs are Germany's oldest Special Operations Forces. The Kampfschwimmer roots go back to World War II.

Today's Kampfschwimmer formations are heavily involved in international operations against terrorism, including missions in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This e-book is written by a German Navy lieutenant who serves as a Kampfschwimmer team leader -- the equivalent of a US Navy SEAL platoon leader.

"German Navy SEALs" is a profile of the Kampfschwimmer units. The e-book covers the history of the Kampfschwimmer beginning with the World War II era; describes their organization, command structure, capabilities and training; discusses their cooperation with US Navy SEALS and other Special Operations Forces; and their role in German and NATO operational planning.

Fewer bases, same number of troops in South Korea, US ambassador says

2012-02-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

The new U.S. ambassador to South Korea said this week that the only impending change to the U.S. military presence on the peninsula will be the relocation of servicemembers to a smaller number of bases — not a decrease in troop levels.

During a forum Tuesday, Ambassador Sung Kim addressed longstanding concerns that the U.S. might station fewer troops in South Korea as part of the military’s overall cost-cutting efforts. Many South Koreans believe such a move would make their country more vulnerable to a North Korean attack, particularly following the death of dictator Kim Jong Il in December and uncertainty about his enigmatic son and successor, Kim Jong Un.

Sung Kim said the relocation of most troops in Seoul or north of the capital city to hubs in Pyeongtaek and Daegu — scheduled to take place “sometime around the year 2016” — would reduce the number of U.S. installations from 107 to 48. But the force level of about 28,500 U.S. troops in the country would remain stable.

His remarks come about one week before U.S. and North Korean envoys are scheduled to meet in Beijing to discuss the North’s denuclearization program.

US, Afghans near deal on post-2014 mission: Panetta

2012-02-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

US and Afghan officials are weeks away from clinching a security pact allowing an American military mission to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday.

The two sides still had to resolve disagreements over controversial night raids by US troops, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other officials say have claimed too many civilian lives, and the transfer of US-run prisons in the country, the Pentagon chief said.

"As you know, there are two areas that we still have difficulties with, one of which involves the transfer of detention facilities, the other involves night-time raids," Panetta told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"And we continue to try to see if we can work out some kind of compromise on those issues," he said.

But he said most of the elements of a security pact were in place.

Raytheon Restarts Production of Maverick for USAF and US Navy

2012-02-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

After more than two decades, Raytheon has formally restarted production of the laser-guided Maverick missile, with the first weapon expected to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force in late 2012.

Production began following a rigorous U.S. Air Force and Navy Developmental Testing/Operational Testing program that culminated in a production contract in late 2011.

"The combat-proven laser Maverick has demonstrated its effectiveness against frigate size ships, small moving boats, tanks, fortified personnel and fast moving maneuvering vehicles in excess of 70 miles per hour," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems product line.

Bunker-Buster Bomb Improvements Sought by Pentagon Win Approval

2012-02-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

The Pentagon won congressional approval to shift $81.6 million in funds improve the military’s largest conventional weapon, the 30,000-pound Boeing Co. Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known as the bunker-buster bomb.

The Senate defense appropriations subcommittee on Feb. 7 became the fourth and final defense panel to approve the shift from programs deemed less important, Pentagon spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Robbins said today in an e-mail. ‘It was an urgent request,” Robbins said without elaboration.

The move to improve the bomb shortly after the Air Force took delivery may have been triggered by Iran’s announcement Jan. 9 that it would begin uranium enrichment at the Fordow facility near Qom that’s tunneled into mountains, said Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East military analyst for the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.

“This is a very hard target, and the international community believes that if Iran were to attempt a nuclear breakout, it would be conducted at this site,” Katzman said of the enrichment activity, which could be used to produce enough material for a nuclear device. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian uses.

The Pentagon request to upgrade the bomb was submitted 11 days after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the enrichment activity. The location at Qom is 90 meters (295 feet) under rock, said David Albright, founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington.

PACOM nominee backs US troop consolidation in South Korea

2012-02-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

The Obama administration’s nominee to lead U.S. Pacific Command has expressed his support for the planned consolidation of American troops in South Korea to bases south of Seoul by 2016, despite continuing opposition from senators considering his confirmation.

Adm. Samuel Locklear, as part of a 48-page response to policy questions posed to him by the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote, “The movement of units and facilities to areas south of the Han River (which runs through Seoul) improves force protection and survivability, placing the majority of personnel and equipment outside of the tactical effective range of North Korean artillery.

“In addition, the move to central location outside of Seoul provides efficiencies, reduces costs, contributes to the political sustainability of our forward presence and improves military readiness on the Korean peninsula,” he wrote.

Admiral Seeks Freer Hand in Deployment of Elite Forces

2012-02-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

The officer, Adm. William H. McRaven, who leads the Special Operations Command, is pushing for a larger role for his elite units who have traditionally operated in the dark corners of American foreign policy. The plan would give him more autonomy to position his forces and their war-fighting equipment where intelligence and global events indicate they are most needed.

It would also allow the Special Operations forces to expand their presence in regions where they have not operated in large numbers for the past decade, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

While President Obama and his Pentagon’s leadership have increasingly made Special Operations forces their military tool of choice, similar plans in the past have foundered because of opposition from regional commanders and the State Department. The military’s regional combatant commanders have feared a decrease of their authority, and some ambassadors in crisis zones have voiced concerns that commandos may carry out missions that are perceived to tread on a host country’s sovereignty, like the rift in ties with Pakistan after the Bin Laden raid.

Navy's Computerized TRACS Planning Tool Helps Disaster Relief Missions

2012-02-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

A Web-based tool suite that helps first responders rapidly coordinate resources during disasters, co-sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is being introduced at a University of Connecticut panel Feb. 8-11 as part of a monthlong rollout.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are first responders to international crises, which often include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DRACS technology into wider use at the United States Pacific Command.

COE-DMHA is led by its director, retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John Goodman, and retired Navy Rear Adm. Thomas Cullison, formerly Navy deputy surgeon general and vice chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. The center aids military and non-military international disaster management and humanitarian assistance, and it partners with various national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations to provide education, training, coordination and research.

TRACS is able to digest a vast amount of information-social media, images, analytics, etc.-being broadcast from the crisis and display it in various formats to provide users with a dashboard-like "at a glance" view of all the functional status of numerous assets, such as public health and water systems. A chart displays the items in green (good), yellow (fair) and red (needs help).

Future iterations will show what needs to be fixed and in what order to turn a "red" item to "green." Also planned is inclusion of a suite of social media analysis tools in development by ONR, which will reduce the initial footprint of first responders by allowing them to arrive with only the items that are actually needed for a particular event and location.

One ONR objective is for TRACS to become a key HA/DR widget, or application, that is accessible on Navy command and control networks. It will run on ONR's Command and Control Rapid Prototyping Capability (C2RPC), which pulls together large amounts of data from disparate sources, sifts it for relevancy and validates it, helping decision makers get information quickly and coordinate with partners.

"A lot of times when we use naval forces to perform humanitarian assistance to areas that have just experienced some type of disaster, we spend a lot of time and resources just communicating what is needed and when it's needed," said Gary Toth, who spearheaded C2RPC as ONR's program manager for Command and Control. "C2RPC offers visibility into where we have available resources-whether it's blood supplies, fresh water, diapers or food-and it minimizes the amount of time spent in information gathering and coordination. As a result, you spend that time actually making decisions and executing a variety of mission outcomes."

C2RPC operates on a cloud computing framework, named "OZONE," so various applications can interact. OZONE is a standards-based widget technology that enables information sharing from unclassified to classified platforms-essentially, feeding information from the ground up. C2RPC can flow information from new knowledge sources, models and visualization technologies and to improve information sharing with potential partners, such as the United States Agency for International Development, host nations, non-governmental organizations, allied nations and local authorities. The idea is to create standards-based widgets with rules to foster global coordination and collaboration while retaining information that is sensitive or classified.

Navy to Build Two New Oceanographic Research Vessels

2012-02-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

The Navy has awarded $70 million to a West Coast-based shipyard to begin building the second of two modern oceanographic research vessels, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced Feb. 9.

Dakota Creek Industries Inc. of Anacortes, Wash., will begin detail design and construction on the Ocean-class Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessel 28. Naval Sea Systems Command previously awarded a contract for AGOR 27, the first of the two new research ships. The recent award brings the Navy's combined shipbuilding investments in the program to $145 million.

"The ships are indispensable research tools," said Dr. Frank Herr, director of ONR's Ocean Battlespace Sensing Department. "They are the primary means by which we go to sea and engage the oceanographic research community to learn about the ocean and to develop oceanographic and atmospheric prediction systems to help the fleet understand the ocean, and plan for its operations around the world."

The Navy, through ONR, has been a leader in building and providing large research ships for the nation's academic research fleet since World War II. The latest ships will replace two vessels previously Navy-built and owned.

Designed as single-hull ships, AGOR 27 and AGOR 28 are approximately 238-feet long and incorporate the latest technologies, including high-efficiency diesel engines, emissions controls for stack gasses, new information technology tools both for monitoring shipboard systems and for communicating with the world, and hull coatings to reduce maintenance requirements. Each vessel will operate with a crew of 20 with accommodations for 24 scientists.

The construction phase will last 30 to 36 months per ship with delivery expected in late 2014 and early 2015. Once delivered to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and to Scripps Institution of Oceanography, respectively, the ships will allow scientists to continue with ongoing research efforts in the Atlantic, western Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.

The U.S. academic research fleet is organized by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), a partnership among research institutions consisting of 16 vessel operators. Federal agencies provide research grants for ocean sciences which in turn support ship operations via day rates charged to research users. The six Navy-owned vessels are among the largest in this fleet enabling global ranging research programs.

ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.

U.S. 4th Fleet Supports Multinational Operations to Combat Organized Crime in Latin America

2012-02-09T20:19:00.000-08:00

Out of Naval Station Mayport in Florida, the U.S. 4th Fleet is supporting Joint Interagency Task Force-South's (JIATF-S) Operation Martillo with deployed maritime and aviation assets in U.S. Southern Command's (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR), following an JIATF-S announcement Feb. 8.

Operation Martillo, a U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere partner nation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus. Martillo is the Spanish word for hammer.

Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates USS Ingraham (FFG 61), USS Elrod (FFG 55), USS McClusky (FFG 41) and USS Nicholas (FFG 47) are already operating in support of Operation Martillo, conducting Combating Transnational Organized Crime operations(C-TOC), while Patrol Squadron (VP) 1 is providing aerial patrol support while forward deployed to El Salvador.

The 4th Fleet assets are working closely with JIATF-S, USSOUTHCOM, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and various Federal law enforcement agencies and partner nations to deny transnational criminal organizations the ability to exploit shipping routes through South and Central America for the movement of narcotics, precursor chemicals, bulk cash and weapons.

"JIATF-South is the lead Federal agency for all of our activities in combating transnational organized crime," said Rear Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. "The Department of Defense, and specifically U.S. Southern Command and 4th Fleet plays an important supporting role in Operation Martillo. Our ships and aircraft have unique capabilities to detect and monitor criminal activities in the maritime domain especially tracking the movement, by sea and air, of illicit materials intended for the United States."

Operation Martillo is a critical component of the U.S. government's coordinated interagency regional security strategy in support of the White House Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime and the U.S. Central America Regional Security Initiative.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F) supports U.S. Southern Command joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.

Russia to build six submarines annually from 2013

2012-02-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

Russia will produce six submarines and one aircraft carrier annually starting 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Thursday. "By 2013, production capacity [at Russian shipyards] will allow us to build six submarines and an aircraft carrier every year," Rogozin told reporters, adding that the number includes both nuclear and diesel-powered submarines.

As a result, the production output will surpass that of the Soviet era when Russia built an average of five submarines annually, he said.

CSBA: Pentagon must plan for more cuts

2012-02-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

As the Pentagon prepares to unveil its fiscal year 2013 budget request next week, the sequestration beast is back in the news again.

Pentagon officials would be wise to make fallback plans that would prepare for hundreds of billions in additional funding cuts in the next decade should Congress fail to enact legislation in the next 11 months to nullify the massive cuts, dubbed “sequestration,” that are set to go into effect in January 2013, a pair of prominent analysts warned Wednesday.

“The failure to plan for the possibility of further reductions [in defense spending], I think, really is a major shortfall in the new defense strategy that they laid out,” said Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assesments (CSBA) discussing the Pentagon’s soon to be released 2013 budget request this morning in Washington. “Because if you look at history, you don’t see plateaus in defense spending, it doesn’t just decline a little bit and then flatten out for the rest of the decade …if this decline is anything like what we’ve seen in the past three defense cycles [post Korean, Vietnam and Cold Wars], there are further cuts to come and the current strategy needs to be flexible and adaptable enough to adjust to that. The Pentagon can and they should begin preparing for the possibility of more reductions, especially sequestration, and I think if they fail to do that they run the risk of being unprepared for what is a perfectly foreseeable contingency.”

Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/02/08/csba-pentagon-must-plan-for-more-cuts/#ixzz1lu9h1WA1
DoDBuzz.com

Robo-mule hauls military gear & follows like a dog

2012-02-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

U.S. troops who carry as much as 100 pounds of gear could soon get a robotic mule capable of shouldering their burdens in the toughest terrain. Such a robot recently showed how it can follow a person and navigate around trees and rocks while climbing a hill in its first outdoor test — but it might someday follow spoken commands like a huge, obedient dog.

The four-legged, headless "LS3" robot evolved as the quieter, faster and tougher version of Boston Dynamics' "BigDog" robotfunded by the U.S. military's DARPA research arm. Upcoming trials will test the robot's ability to carry 400 pounds on a tough 20-mile trek without any refueling for 24 hours.

"If successful, this could provide real value to a squad while addressing the military’s concern for unburdening troops," said Army Lt. Col. Joe Hitt, program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). "LS3 seeks to have the responsiveness of a trained animal and the carrying capacity of a mule."

Added "hearing" technology could even allow human squad members to issue spoken commands such as "stop," "sit" or "come here."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/08/robo-mule-hauls-military-gear-follows-like-dog/#ixzz1lu8vjWxh

US voters back Obama as commander-in-chief

2012-02-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

US President Barack Obama has overwhelming support from American voters for his use of drone strikes against terror suspects and his planned troop drawdown in Afghanistan, a poll found Wednesday.

Obama, who signed off on the US special forces raid which killed Osama bin Laden last year, also enjoys a wide edge over his likely Republican election foe Mitt Romney on national security and foreign policy, the poll showed.

The survey contained the latest evidence that Obama's conduct as US commander-in-chief has wiped out the traditional edge Republicans have had over Democrats in national security policy.

The findings will likely complicate the efforts of Republican candidates to portray Obama, who last year kept his promise to get US troops home from Iraq, as feckless on national security.

The poll showed that Obama led Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, by 56 percent to 36 percent when respondents were asked who they trusted to combat terrorism.

Respondents also trusted him more on international affairs by a 56 to 37 percent margin.

Wolfenbarger to be First Female 4-Star in USAF

2012-02-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger for promotion Feb. 6, which, pending Senate approval, would make her the first female four-star general in Air Force history.

Wolfenbarger currently serves as the military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition here and she is one of four female lieutenant generals in the Air Force.

"I am humbled and honored to have been nominated by the President to the rank of general and to serve as commander of Air Force Materiel Command. I look forward to participating in the Senate confirmation process when the time comes. At present, I remain focused on the important Air Force acquisition work I've been charged with," Wolfenbarger said.

A Beavercreek, Ohio, native, Wolfenbarger was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1980 after graduating in the first class with female cadets at the Air Force Academy.

She also holds a graduate degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

The general has held several positions in the F-22 System Program Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; served as the F-22 lead program element monitor at the Pentagon, and was the B-2 system program director for the Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB.

She commanded ASC's C-17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing and was the service's director of the Air Force Acquisition Center of Excellence at the Pentagon, then served as director of the headquarters AFMC Intelligence and Requirements Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB.

Prior to her current assignment, Wolfenbarger was the vice commander of AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB.

She has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the National Defense Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.

Wolfenbarger received her third star in December 2009 and became the Air Force's highest-ranking woman in January 2010.

CIA digs in as Americans withdraw from Iraq, Afghanistan

2012-02-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in December has moved the CIA’s emphasis there toward more traditional espionage — monitoring developments in the increasingly antagonistic government, seeking to suppress al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the country and countering the influence of Iran.

In Afghanistan, the CIA is expected to have a more aggressively operational role. U.S. officials said the agency’s paramilitary capabilities are seen as tools for keeping the Taliban off balance, protecting the government in Kabul and preserving access to Afghan airstrips that enable armed CIA drones to hunt al-Qaeda remnants in Pakistan.

As President Obama seeks to end a decade of large-scale conflict, the emerging assignments for the CIA suggest it will play a significant part in the administration’s search for ways to exert U.S. power in more streamlined and surgical ways.

As a result, the CIA station in Kabul — which at one point had responsibility for as many as 1,000 agency employees in Afghanistan — is expected to expand its collaboration with Special Operations forces when the drawdown of conventional troops begins.

U.S. Sending Commander to Repair Ties With Pakistan

2012-02-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Gen. James N. Mattis, the head of the military’s Central Command, will meet Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Pakistani Army chief of staff, to discuss the investigations of an exchange of fire at the Afghan border that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, as well as new border coordination procedures to prevent a recurrence of the episode.

General Mattis’s visit, the first by a high-ranking American official since the cross-border confrontation in November, was to have begun Thursday, but has been postponed by at least a week pending what is expected to be a spirited debate in the Pakistani Parliament over a new security policy toward the United States.

Pakistani and American officials are quietly optimistic that both events will trigger a chain of public engagement and private negotiations that will reboot the two nations’ frayed strategic relationship, although along more narrowly defined lines than before.

Pakistani officials say they will probably reopen NATO supply lines running through their territory, which have been closed for more than two months. The State Department is supporting a proposal circulating in the administration for the United States to issue a formal apology for the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers in the Nov. 26 airstrike by American gunships.

U.S. 'committed' to Bulgaria's security

2012-02-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

The United States remains committed to the security of its "important NATO partner" Bulgaria, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says.

Clinton made the comments Sunday during an official visit to the Eastern European nation, in which she reiterated U.S. support for its security at a news conference in Sofia with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

"Let me say how committed the United States is to Bulgaria's security," Clinton said. "We are NATO allies. We take very seriously our Article 5 obligation for collective defense. Bulgaria has been an important, productive partner of NATO."

Thanking Bulgaria for its contribution of troops with the NATO-led forces battling Taliban extremists in Afghanistan, Clinton said the security cooperation between Washington and Sofia will only deepen over time.

Iran shipping line masks 'arms vessels'

2012-02-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

Merchant Vessel Defense Against Pirates

Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking

Too often, ship operators fail to take proper anti-piracy security measures, effectively turning their merchant vessels into “Golden Geese” ripe for the taking, writes the autholinksMode=ON

Army Chief of Staff Odierno defends Panetta's Afghanistan comments

2012-02-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.

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Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno defended Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's attention-grabbing Afghanistan comments, saying that it has been the U.S. strategy "all along" to transition power to that country's forces.

Panetta stirred up controversy last week when he become the first high-ranking administration official to publicly say that the United States would seek to end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2013, coming out ahead of both the White House and NATO.

When asked if he knew whether Panetta planned to make his remarks, Odierno said "we have lots of conversations with Secretary Panetta. He is very hands on. He is very collaborative with the joint chiefs."

"I would just tell you that this has been our strategy all along, is that over time we are going to transition more responsibility to the Afghans and I think that's still what our plan is," said Odierno on "Fox and Friends" Monday in an interview pre-taped before the Super Bowl.

He told Fox News that the military will conduct assessments with commanders in Afghanistan during the troop drawdown.

"I think Secretary Panetta was just walking through the continued turnover responsibility to the Afghans over time," he added.

Odierno also weighed in on the potential $600 billion in sequestration cuts to the Defense Department set to go into effect in 2013, calling it a "significant threat" to the security of the United States.

Obama imposes new sanctions on Iran

2012-02-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

US President Barack Obama has imposed new sanctions on Iran's central bank as he seeks to tighten a choke hold on the Islamic republic's ailing economy and compel it to reverse course on its nuclear program.

Obama's move, made public Monday, came as US officials warned foreign, non-American banks doing business with Tehran that they too could soon face sanctions, and amid speculation about a possible Israeli strike on Iran.

The US president tried to still some of the nervousness at the weekend, saying that he did not think Israel had taken a decision to launch a high-risk military assault on underground nuclear plants it sees as an existential threat.

IAI and Boeing drive to active Arrow-3

2012-02-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

Israel Aerospace Industries and the Boeing Co. are driving to complete development of Israel's Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile interceptor amid the Persian Gulf confrontation between Iran and the West.

If that standoff, over Iran's contentious nuclear program, does erupt into open war in the Middle East that could result in Iranian Shehab-3 missiles streaking toward the Jewish state.

The Arrow-3 will be Israel's first line of defense against ballistic missiles when it becomes operational. It's slightly smaller than the Arrow-2, currently in service with the Israeli air force, but much more powerful and accurate and is intended to specifically to counter an Iranian nuclear threat.

Israel is small, the size of New Jersey, and thus could be effectively knocked out by one well-placed nuclear strike in its central sector around Tel Aviv, the country's commercial and industrial core.

"Israel's too small to absorb a nuclear strike," a senior defense official observed. "The Arrow-3 will minimize the chance of enemy missiles penetrating our defense shields."

The U.S. Aviation Week magazine said the Arrow-3 "will be a critical strategic asset against Iranian ballistic missiles."

Navy to Begin Tests on Electromagnetic Railgun Prototype Launcher

2012-02-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

The Office of Naval Research's (ONR) Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility in Dahlgren, Va., officials said Feb. 6.

"This is the next step toward a future tactical system that will be placed on board a ship some day," said Roger Ellis, program manager of EM Railgun.

The EM Railgun launcher is a long-range weapon that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants. Magnetic fields created by high electrical currents accelerate a sliding metal conductor, or armature, between two rails to launch projectiles at 4,500 miles per hour to 5,600 miles per hour.

With its increased velocity and extended range, the EM Railgun will give Sailors a multi-mission capability, allowing them to conduct precise naval surface fire support, or land strikes; cruise missile and ballistic missile defense; and surface warfare to deter enemy vessels. Navy planners are targeting a 50- to 100-nautical mile initial capability with expansion up to 220 nautical miles.

The EM Railgun program, part of ONR's Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department, previously relied upon government laboratory-based launchers for testing and advancing railgun technology. The first industry-built launcher, a 32-megajoule prototype demonstrator made by BAE Systems, arrived at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Jan. 30. One megajoule of energy is equivalent to a 1-ton car traveling at 100 miles per hour.

"This industry prototype represents a step beyond our previous successful demonstrations of the laboratory launcher," Ellis said.

The prototype demonstrator incorporates advanced composites and improved barrel life performance resulting from development efforts on the laboratory systems located at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and NSWC-Dahlgren. The EM Railgun laboratory demonstrator based at NSWC-Dahlgren fired a world record setting 33-megajoule shot in December 2010.

The industry demonstrator will begin test firing this month as the EM Railgun program prepares for delivery of a second prototype launcher built by General Atomics.

In the meantime, the Navy is pushing ahead with the next phase of the EM Railgun program to develop automatic projectile loading systems and thermal management systems to facilitate increased firing rates of the weapon.

"The next phase of the development effort is to demonstrate the ability to operate at a firing rate of significant military utility," Ellis said.

ONR recently awarded $10 million contracts through Naval Sea Systems Command to Raytheon Corp., BAE Systems and General Atomics to develop a pulsed power system for launching projectiles in rapid succession. These new contracts kick off a five-year effort to achieve a firing rate of six to 10 rounds per minute.

BAE Systems and General Atomics also are commencing concept development work on the next-generation prototype EM Railgun capable of the desired firing rate.

ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.
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Navy's Cyber Commander Participates in NPS Information Dominance Symposium

2012-02-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

The commander of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and the U.S. 10th Fleet visited the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) to present at the university's Information Dominance Senior Leader Symposium (IDSLS) Jan. 29-31.

Facilitated by the university's Center for Executive Education, the IDSLS is designed to create a senior level forum to engage in and enhance core competencies in senior leaders within the Information Dominance (ID) community.

Vice Adm. Michael Rogers attended a series of lectures and presentations related to the diverse fields within ID and cyber defense during his visit. He also met with members of the NPS' recently established Cyber Academic Group to discuss future programs related to cyber education.

"As the 10th Fleet Commander, clearly cyber is one of our primary missions - and an important element of our success in the cyber arena is going to be the knowledge and the abilities of the workforce," said Rogers. "The Naval Postgraduate School has an important part to play in helping educate the cyber workforce of the Navy of the future."

An essential part of this equation would be the education and training NPS is providing the Navy's workforce. Rogers emphasized the role of graduate education, and forums like the IDSLS, in developing the Navy's cyber community, particularly in the officer arena, and wanted an introduction to the university's programs first-hand.

"Since NPS has this critical role to play in helping educate the cyber workforce ... I wanted to come out here and see it for myself," said Rogers.

A part of the cyber education provided by NPS, the IDSLS provides senior leadership with the strategic capabilities to succeed in the ID Community. Attendees to these symposia are leaders in the diverse ID community - O5 and above, senior enlisted E8 and above, or senior civilian equivalents - and while most attendees are usually in the Navy, it's not uncommon to see the other services reflected in cohorts.

"The Information Dominance Senior Leaders Symposium is designed to develop an executive level perspective that results in a warfare capability integrated in all phases of the joint and naval fight," said retired Rear Adm. Andy Singer, NPS Intelligence Chair Professor and Director of the Information Dominance Center of Excellence.

"During eight very full days, leaders learn about themselves, Information Dominance as a key element with naval and joint warfighting, in concert with applied leadership, management and strategy tools and models," he added. "Helping to build a naval warrior ethos with emphasis on Information Dominance, the symposium sends senior leaders back into the fleet better prepared and ready to meet and anticipate the complex opportunities and challenges of today."

For the Navy, Rogers noted, the idea of operationalizing information is a concept that has been evolving over the last decade. Senior leaders of the Navy, both current and in the past, have emphasized that cyber would be a key operational element of the future strategy of the Navy.

As head of the Navy's operational cyber command, he said he recognizes the emergence of the cyber arena within the operational environment and is fortunate that senior leadership of the Navy does as well. Rogers added that he has an optimistic outlook on the days ahead for the Navy's cyber workforce.

"I think it's got a bright future but it's something new so it involves change," said Rogers. "And change is always a challenge, but it's a challenge I look forward to."

HC-130P King - First Afghanistan Medevac Flight

2012-02-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

The first all-Air Force Critical Care Air Transport and Aero-medical Evacuation Team to fly with the only fixed wing aircraft dedicated to the medical evacuation mission in Afghanistan completed its first successful mission Jan. 13 and continues saving lives.

The CCAT/AE team flies with the 76th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, who provide medical or casualty evacuation for U.S. and coalition forces, Afghan National Security Forces and local nationals in all of the Regional Commands in Afghanistan. They can reach almost any airfield in Afghanistan in an hour and a half from their home base in Helmand Province.

The HC-130P King aircraft assigned to the 76th EQRS are equipped with an air-to-land command and control system, which allows the crew to communicate in real-time with their operations center. This gives them the option to re-task a mission while still in the air, reducing response time. This speed of response combined with the higher level of in-flight care provided by the CCAT team brings a much-needed MEDEVAC capability to the fight.

"When we first started flying these types of missions, we flew with an Air Force pararescue team, who are trained paramedics and very good at trauma care," said Lt. Col. Peter Dominicis, 76th ERQS commander. "As we flew more, we started seeing patients that were more critical and needed more attention."

To further meet the needs of their patients, flight doctors and Army en-route critical care nurses were added to each mission. Although this was an improvement, some of the patients still required care that exceeded the scope of the team. The need was addressed and two months later, the first specialized CCAT team, comprised of a critical care physician, nurse and respiratory technician, and AE team, comprised of a nurse and two medical technicians, arrived to the 76th ERQS.

The CCAT teams are validated through a 14-day course meant to familiarize them with the three components of the team and how to work together in the back of the aircraft. The AE team is comprised of medical professionals that fly as aircrew. The AE Airmen are familiar with aircraft emergency procedures, where the CCAT team is not.
Staff Sgt. Erin Hyder, CCAT respiratory therapist, says the CCAT team's skill set is for the more critical patients.

"We're there to help with patients that can't maintain their own airway, or have multiple injuries and require different types of treatment at the same time," she said.

Hyder said that although the bulk of the missions flown with the EQRS are to transfer stable patients from field-type medical facilities to major hospitals, the CCAT team is there for the missions that require extra care.

"We are here for that 10 percent of the missions where the patients may still be in the operating room when we get the alert," she said. "Here, the patients that are critical are pretty bad. It's important that we're here to get them from point A to point B to save their lives."

One of those missions came on Jan. 18, when the squadron responded to a mass casualty event in Kajaki, Afghanistan. Dominicis said that although the CCAT team wasn't on alert that day, they sprang into action.

"We had one patient, a U.S. Marine, with burns to over 80 percent of his body. The plane was running, the CCAT team hopped on and waited for the patient to arrive by helicopter," he said. "They took the Marine to Kandahar with the CCAT and AE team providing care en-route. I don't think he would've survived if it hadn't been for the teams."

The ERQS is still evolving to better meet the needs of its patients. Dominicis said the goal is for the squadron to receive a Tactical Critical Care Evacuation Team with even more specialized training in critical care later this year. But in the interim, the CCAT/AE team is in the fight. After 20 missions and 11 saves of life, limb and eyesight, Hyder says she's glad she can contribute to the successful missions of the EQRS.

"It's very gratifying to know that we are able to help the guys on the ground that are out here fighting for us," she said. "It's a great feeling to be able to return the favor."

Gen-Y Communications for the US Military

2012-02-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

Everywhere you look, people are tapping, talking and swiping away at smartphones and tablets. Rapidly-emerging technologies give users information immediately, and these super machines fit easily in the palm of your hand.

The Air Force is planning to implement these high-tech handhelds into daily operations and, in preparation, the Air Force C2 Integration Center kicked off the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment here Jan. 13.

Dubbed Unified Communications I, the goal is to determine commercial cellular carriers' ability to provide sufficient service to support the Air Force's mission sets.

According to Ken Gunter, the JEFX event manager, the four-week experiment will test the networks and hardware of Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint to see if the carriers will accommodate communications needs.

Teams of emergency response, civil engineer and maintenance Airmen will use Apple iOS and Google Android-based smartphones, tablets and mobile hotspot devices in a variety of scenarios to test their functionality and effectiveness.

"Our goal is to do things smaller and faster," Gunter explained. "We need to move away from our current infrastructure, like (land mobile radios) and first- and second-generation wireless, and transition from five networks down to two -- wireless cellular and assured (local area network). Legacy systems have to go away, as they're too expensive to maintain and not flexible.

"Five years ago, we couldn't do what we're able to do now," he continued. "Now, I can put a device in an Airman's hand with all the capabilities of a phone and computer. The Air Force told us to find the future architecture of communications, and these devices are being tested to get us there."

In 2012, the Air Force plans to introduce "tens of thousands" of smart devices, according to officials. The JEFX will validate the mobile strategy being developed at the Air Force level and across the entire Department of Defense.

Gunter said the Air Force is choosing cellular over Wi-Fi connections because cellular is more secure, provides greater range, and costs less to operate and maintain.

"One or two cell towers can cover an entire base, as opposed to establishing potentially thousands of access points for Wi-Fi connections," he said. "Also, all four carriers will offer 4G coverage in our area here within the next year. With the current available 4G network, we have 10 times the bandwidth we had even four months ago."

The experiment will look at carriers' augmented technologies, such as the infrastructure needed on base to ensure maximum, uninterrupted coverage and improve signal penetration in buildings.

"We need networks and devices that will allow us to do our mission, like launching our planes and securing the base in the event that commercial communications goes out in a hurricane or other catastrophic event, when that communication is most critical," Gunter said. "For example, say there's a crash at an air show with 10,000-plus civilians on base, all using their cell phones. How do we prioritize network coverage to ensure first responders can do their job? That's what we're here to figure out."

The AFC2IC chose JB Langley as the test site for the experiment as a cost-saving measure. The organization's labs are located in surrounding Hampton, Va., and Air Combat Command mission partners are headquartered at JB Langley, eliminating temporary duty assignment costs.

The JEFX UC1 experiment will be followed by second field exercise, UC2, slated tentatively for July. During that exercise, the group plans to include units and personnel from Fort Eustis, and will focus on the features of applications of various devices.

"We want to pull in as many functional areas as we can here, including our Fort Eustis mission partners," Gunter said. "These technologies promote interoperability and allow us to avoid stovepipe systems. That cuts down response times and makes communicating more seamless, which further enables joint operations.

"Whenever there's a need to set up and assess new technologies, that's what we do," Gunter said. "Warfighters come to us with problems, and we help find solutions. We're excited about giving this amazing new technology to our Airmen to see how we can take the next step in streamlining how we accomplish our mission."

U.S. Army in Europe eyes greater partner training

2012-02-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

The U.S. military, which is cutting its presence in Europe, plans to expand its training of European partners to cope with new threats posed by interlinked criminal and militant networks smuggling weapons and drugs, said the U.S. commander in Europe.

The United States is withdrawing two Army combat brigades from Germany, reducing the size of its force by around 7,000 soldiers. The cuts, announced by the Pentagon last month, are part of a new U.S. strategy aiming to create a leaner military costing it $487 billion less over the next decade.

"Even with the loss of two brigades I will have close to 35,000 soldiers here. That is a big force size and bigger than most European armies," Lieutenant General Mark Hertling told Reuters in an interview.

"It is the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one, because the threats these forces were positioned for in the past are not the types of threats we have today," he said on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reassured European allies Saturday that Washington remains committed to their security despite the austerity drive.

New bioelectric bandage interests Army

2012-02-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command has initiated steps to evaluate a new bioelectric bandage

Small silver and zinc dots embedded into cloth create micro-currents in the presence of moisture. This may create an anti-microbial environment and provide pain reduction.

The use of silver on burns has a long history of preventing infections. The combination of silver, zinc, and moisture is purported to create pain-reducing antimicrobial micro-currents. According to literature from the manufacturer, the results of this bandage dressing include faster healing, greater pain control, reduced incidence of infection, and decreased scarring.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the device for antimicrobial wound care, which is the primary reason for the Army's genuine interest in the product. The bandage is currently being used on hard-to-heal wounds, with multiple research studies underway. Anecdotal results are promising, especially with regard to pain control. In some cases, wound pain is reported to be reduced dramatically.

The nature of the cloth conforms well to multiple surfaces of the body. Bacterial, viral, and fungal infections are anticipated to be impacted by the antimicrobial properties of the bandage dressing, which has tremendous potential for Soldier use.

Studies are underway with Ranger units. Recently, at a Ranger road march, a considerable number of Soldiers obtained blisters and were treated with the bandage. The results were notable, as many Soldiers reported dramatic pain relief and the ability to quickly return to the march.

The novel technology of this bandage is that it purportedly creates a healing bioelectrical pathway over the entire wound surface, enhancing the body's natural healing environment. As a broad-spectrum antimicrobial flexible dressing with electrically active currents providing pain control, the device could have huge potential for the Army if testing scientific testing bears out anecdotal claims.

The public may hear more about this bandage as indications for use are expanded. Currently, indications for use are directed toward all full- and partial-thickness skin wounds, from simple abrasions and skin tears to traumatic wounds and surgical sites.

Given this, the battlefield may serve as the best proving ground in which to test this emerging medical device.

Why Taliban are so strong in Afghanistan

2012-02-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

NATO 3.0

At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.

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Nato has invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the past 10 years trying to raise a modern army for Afghanistan and to rebuild the country's infrastructure.

But if a leaked classified report prepared by the alliance is to believed, all this will go to waste soon after foreign combat forces withdraw in 2014.

The latest in a series of leaks suggests that Nato is much more worried about the course of the war than it lets on in public.

Nato has tried to play down the importance of the report by calling it a "compilation of opinions expressed by Taliban detainees", but it highlights many failures in the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

"Americans are like Kuchi nomads," a tribal elder from the south-east once told me. "They come with their tents for some time and before you know them, they leave."

The harsh reality is that an increasing number of Afghans are turning to the Taliban, having grown mistrustful of Nato and Afghan forces.

In remote parts of the country where the government rules only on paper, the Taliban are often preferred.

People have little choice but to support the Taliban in many areas, given the power of the militants.

But widespread corruption in the government and a culture of impunity - where senior bureaucrats or those with connections to them easily escape punishment even for serious crimes like murder - are seen as reasons for people moving closer to the Taliban.

In winding down war, a fundamentally different challenge in Afghanistan than in Iraq

2012-02-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

In Afghanistan, heavy fighting is likely to persist well into 2014, particularly in the provinces along Pakistan’s border, senior military officials said. In contrast with Iraq, the Afghan government and security forces will require billions of dollars annually in U.S. support for the foreseeable future. It seems unlikely that the insurgents’ haven in Pakistan will shrink.

“In Afghanistan, you will be fighting a much tougher war over the next few years compared with Iraq post-2008,” said retired Lt. Gen. David Barno, who previously served as the top U.S. commander in Kabul.

Obama administration officials made the comparison to Iraq on Thursday as they scrambled to clarify Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta’s remarks that the United States hoped to end its combat mission in Afghanistan by the middle of next year, more than a year earlier than scheduled, and shift to advising Afghan forces.
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GERMAN NAVY “SEALS”

German naval commandos are called Kampfschwimmer or "combat swimmers". These German navy counterparts to the US Navy SEALs are Germany's oldest Special Operations Forces. The Kampfschwimmer roots go back to World War II.

Today's Kampfschwimmer formations are heavily involved in international operations against terrorism, including missions in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This e-book is written by a German Navy lieutenant who serves as a Kampfschwimmer team leader -- the equivalent of a US Navy SEAL platoon leader.

"German Navy SEALs" is a profile of the Kampfschwimmer units. The e-book covers the history of the Kampfschwimmer beginning with the World War II era; describes their organization, command structure, capabilities and training; discusses their cooperation with US Navy SEALS and other Special Operations Forces; and their role in German and NATO operational planning.

U.S. Will Keep Fighting as Afghans Take the Lead, Panetta Says

2012-02-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

“As I stated to our allies today, we hope that the A.N.S.F. forces will be ready to take the combat lead in all of Afghanistan sometime in 2013,” Mr. Panetta said, referring to the Afghan National Security Forces, the 300,000-strong army and police force built, trained and financed by NATO.

Mr. Panetta, who was visiting NATO military headquarters here, was reacting to concerns among the allies about his statement to reporters while traveling to a meeting with them here that “hopefully by the mid to latter part of 2013 we’ll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role” in Afghanistan. It was the first time that the United States had put a date on stepping back from a central role in the conflict, at least before the end of 2014, when most of the troops are scheduled to be home.

Mr. Panetta’s comments, which reflected the Obama administration’s eagerness to get out of the unpopular war, were immediately dissected by European nations that are under pressure from their parliaments to bring their troops home from the decade-long conflict. European officials said it would be hard to persuade their own countries to stay put if the United States were perceived as rushing to the exits.
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GERMAN NAVY “SEALS”

German naval commandos are called Kampfschwimmer or "combat swimmers". These German navy counterparts to the US Navy SEALs are Germany's oldest Special Operations Forces. The Kampfschwimmer roots go back to World War II.

Today's Kampfschwimmer formations are heavily involved in international operations against terrorism, including missions in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This e-book is written by a German Navy lieutenant who serves as a Kampfschwimmer team leader -- the equivalent of a US Navy SEAL platoon leader.

"German Navy SEALs" is a profile of the Kampfschwimmer units. The e-book covers the history of the Kampfschwimmer beginning with the World War II era; describes their organization, command structure, capabilities and training; discusses their cooperation with US Navy SEALS and other Special Operations Forces; and their role in German and NATO operational planning.

Army Develops Better Combat First Aid Kit

2012-02-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Maybe it looks like a camouflage money belt on steroids, but it could save Soldiers' lives.

The new Individual First Aid Kit, or IFAK, being developed at the Natick Soldier Systems Center eventually will be carried by every Soldier in a combat environment.

"We designed it literally about three or four months ago," said Rich Landry, individual equipment designer with the Load Carriage Prototype Lab, Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment, at NSSC. "The medical community said, 'Awesome idea. Let's move out with it.' Overwhelmingly, they thought this was a huge improvement over the current IFAK."

As Landry pointed out, the current IFAK, developed rapidly in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom to fulfill a critical need, has proved rather unwieldy.

"This thing is just kind of a brick on your side that gets in the way of everything," said Landry of the current bulky IFAK, which was built into an existing Squad Automatic Weapon ammo pouch. "It was very, very quick, because they needed them right away."

More thought has gone into the new IFAK, a streamlined, two-piece system that features a pouch with an insert that slides out to allow easy access to medical equipment from either side.

"It supports all the critical items to the individual Soldier's medical needs," Landry said. "The beauty of this system, compared to the old one, is that it allows the Soldier to place it on (his or her) body in a spot where it can be easily accessible, which is the critical piece, but also not get in the way of other important tactical pieces of equipment."

Landry said 30 new IFAKs recently underwent evaluation at Fort Polk, La., where a platoon of Soldiers carried them through a training rotation. The early feedback has been positive, he added.

"We're very sure this is the direction the Individual First Aid Kit is going to go, hopefully, for all services, but you never know," Landry said. "That would be icing on the cake."

The new IFAK carries even more medical gear than the first version, including two Combat Application Tourniquets. Still, its lower profile allows a Soldier to wear it comfortably in the small of his or her back under the Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, or MOLLE, Large or Medium backpack.

"And that's critical for us, because the big picture in load carriage is the backpack piece," Landry said. "That's where a large percentage of the load and bulk comes from. And it's critical that we still have to be able to carry that.

"All you do is reach back and pull (the IFAK) out, and it doesn't matter what side you pull it out from," Landry said. "So if this hand is injured, you can reach behind with this (hand) and pull it out, or your buddy can get to it."

Such innovation is Landry's calling card at Natick. A former Pathfinder with the 82nd Airborne Division, he began tinkering with outdoor equipment at a young age.

"My sister taught me how to sew," Landry recalled. "Every backpack I got, every piece of equipment I got, was modified in some way, shape or form. That's just how my brain works. Nothing can be left alone. Nothing's perfect in my mind, as far as outdoor equipment, and that's a curse."

It's also been a blessing for Soldiers, who have worn equipment all around the world that Landry developed in his lab.

"The ability to know what they need, as opposed to what they want, is a little bit different," Landry said. "That's just what I do. It's what I love. I'm in a perfect place to do that."

Obama, foes in military spending cut fight

2012-02-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

The White House and its Republican foes clashed Thursday over a law requiring steep cuts to military spending after a congressional "SuperCommittee" failed to agree on long-range deficit reduction.

Republicans have stepped up election-year pressure on President Barack Obama to help them roll back the measure, warning that the planned automatic cuts of about $500 billion over 10 years will hurt national security.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner said if the cuts go forward, it "would clearly hollow our military" and added: "Where's the White House? Where's the leadership that should be there to ensure that the sequester does not go into effect?"

And Republican senators unveiled legislation that would put off about $110 billion in automatic cuts scheduled to take effect in 2013, paid for with a federal employee pay freeze and shrinking the federal workforce.

"That should be the legislation that says, 'America, we didn't mean what we said?'" White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters, referring to the August 2011 law that set out the trade-off.

Carney noted that the cuts, known in Washington as a "sequester," were designed as unacceptable in order to force the two parties to make the painful compromises for the "SuperCommittee" to reach a deal.

Panetta says Israel could strike Iran in spring: report

2012-02-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a "strong possibility" that Israel will strike Iran's nuclear installations this spring, the Washington Post said Thursday in an editorial.

When asked about the opinion piece by reporters travelling with him to a NATO meeting in Brussels, Panetta brushed it aside.

"I'm not going to comment on that. David Ignatius can write what he will but with regards with what I think and what I view, I consider that to be an area that belongs to me and nobody else," he said.

"Israel indicated they're considering this (a strike), we've indicated our concerns," he added.

The Post columnist said Panetta "believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June before Iran enters what Israelis described as a 'zone of immunity' to commence building a nuclear bomb."
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe

NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.

Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.

This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

NATO to base missile shield command in Germany

2012-02-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

NATO will locate the command centre for its US-led missile shield at the alliance air base in Ramstein, Germany, a diplomat told AFP on Thursday.

"The command for the NATO missile shield will be based at the NATO base in Ramstein," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity as alliance defence ministers began two days of talks in Brussels.

The centre will be operational following a Chicago summit in May, the source added.

NATO already announced last year that Spain would host US ships with interceptor missiles while an early warning radar system will be based in Turkey.

Land-based interceptors will be located in Romania by 2015 and in Poland by 2018, when the system is expected to be fully operational.
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe

NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.

Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.

This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Raytheon's RAM Strikes Twice During Back-to-Back Tests

2012-01-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

Raytheon's Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2 successfully completed two guided test vehicle flights within one week, demonstrating the system's upgraded kinematic performance, guidance system and airframe capabilities.

Raytheon is building 35 RAM Block 2 missiles during the design and development test period and expects low-rate production to begin in 2012.

"To have a double success during two separate tests within days of each other is a significant accomplishment and proves our design upgrades," said Rick Nelson, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Naval Weapon Systems product line.

"The aggressive path we charted for RAM Block 2 will provide our customers with the most sophisticated ship self-defense missile available."

The RAM Block 2 upgrade includes a four-axis independent control actuator system and an increase in rocket motor capability. These and other upgrades increase the missile's effective range and deliver a significant improvement in maneuverability.

The improved missile also incorporates an upgraded passive radio frequency seeker, a digital autopilot and engineering changes in selected infrared seeker components.

Israels seeks to fill its quiver of Arrows

2012-01-31T17:59:00.000-08:00

Israel has test-fired its new Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile system, the country's main defense against Iran's Shehab-3 missiles, as it drives to boost its arsenal of about 120 of the weapons amid rising tension in the Persian Gulf.

The Defense Ministry is meanwhile grappling with the problem of how to fund the development of Arrow-3 and the system's new Magnificent Pine radar. Ministry sources say $3.9 billion is needed to produce more batteries of the long-range, high-altitude Arrow built by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries.

But large sums are also needed to develop and produce other anti-missile systems that will eventually form a multilayer defense shield. These are designed to counter everything from intermediate-range ballistic missiles to short-range unguided rockets like those used by Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Israelis are looking to the United States to pitch in and provide the money, on top of the $3 billion a year the Jewish state receives in U.S. military aid. Despite a sharp U.S. economic downturn, Congress has approved increasing missile defense funds for Israel to $235.7 million for 2012, up from $217.7 million in 2011.

This will cover Arrow-2, the variant in service with the Israeli air force, development of Arrow-3 and final development for David's Sling.

Whether that will mean further U.S. funding to help Israel over its defense budget problems isn't clear.

But U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., a member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee that approved the funds, noted, "It's a mark of the importance of these jointly developed missile defense programs Â… that they were robustly funded by our subcommittee."

The Arrow program is one of the centerpieces of the U.S.-Israeli strategic alliance and one of the most advanced systems if its kind.

RAIDRS space control facility under construction at Pete

2012-01-31T17:58:00.000-08:00

The next step in establishing full Rapid Attack, Identification, Detection and Reporting System capabilities is underway at Peterson Air Force Base. The 16th Space Control Squadron and 380th Space Control Squadron, a Reserve Associate Unit, formally broke ground near the east gate Jan. 17 for the new RAIDRS space control facility.

"This has been an incredible feat, especially when you consider the very challenging fiscal and manpower age in which we live," said Col. Chris Crawford, 21st Space Wing commander.

The $14.3 million facility will be 47,427 square feet once completed and house personnel from the 16th and 380th SPCS.

"With the birth of the new building we finally have the opportunity for the entire set of units to live together, to work together in one building," Crawford said.

Algeria 'foils al-Qaida attack on ships'

2012-01-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

U.S. officials say Algerian intelligence foiled an al-Qaida plot to mount suicide attacks against U.S. and European ships in the Mediterranean at a time when the jihadists are driving to expand operations in North Africa.

The Algerian intelligence service, Direction de la Securite Interieure -- DSI -- caught the plot in its early stages and arrested three suspected members of al-Qaida's North African affiliate, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

The Algerian daily newspaper Echorouk broke the story a week ago. U.S. officials said they knew of the plot but the Algerians made the arrests.

Echorouk reported that the men had purchased a boat that they reportedly planned to pack with explosives and ram into a ship in the western Mediterranean. The plot, as outlined by the newspaper, bore a striking resemblance to tactics used by al-Qaida's Yemeni branch when it badly damaged the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole in Aden harbor Oct. 12, 2000, by ramming it with a small boat packed with explosives.

Report: Real arms race is in cyberspace

2012-01-31T17:46:00.000-08:00

Conventional and nuclear weapons pose continuing threats but the real arms race now on is in cyberspace, a new cyber defense report said.

The report by Brussels think tank Security and Defense Agenda received input from Intel Corp. subsidiary McAfee technology security company and leading global security experts.

The findings indicated that smaller states Finland, Israel and Sweden surged ahead of larger countries in readiness for cybersecurity and fighting cyber warfare.

Israel's role in cyber warfare in the Middle East has been known, particularly in ongoing confrontation with Iran, but the emergence of Finland and Sweden as cyberspace-savvy operators in the technology industry wasn't widely expected.

The report coincided with other security intelligence posts on the Web that hostile cyber activity emanating from the Middle East, Asia, Russia and former Soviet republics was viewed in the West as a growing problem.

"Cyber-security: The Vexed Question of Global Rules" offered what it termed "a global snapshot" of current thinking about the cyber threats and the measures that should be taken to defend against them, and assesses the way ahead.

Iran, perceiving threat from West, willing to attack on U.S. soil, U.S. intelligence report finds

2012-01-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Iran is prepared to launch terrorist attacks inside the United States in response to perceived threats from America and its allies, the U.S. spy chief said Tuesday.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in prepared testimony that an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington that was uncovered last year reflects an aggressive new willingness within the upper ranks of the Islamist republic to authorize attacks against the United States.

That plot “shows that some Iranian officials — probably including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — have changed their calculus and are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States in response to real or perceived U.S. actions that threaten the regime,” Clapper said in the testimony, which was submitted to the Senate Intelligence Committee in advance of a threat assessment hearing Tuesday. “We are also concerned about Iranian plotting against U.S. or allied interests overseas.”

The assessment signals a potentially dire new direction in the adversarial relationship between the United States and Iran, at a time when there are indications that a covert campaign is already underway to thwart Iran’s alleged ambition to develop a nuclear weapons.

Army Finds Silver Lining In Tough Budget Blueprint

2012-01-31T08:33:00.000-08:00

"As important as the 490[,000] number was the fact that we were able to do this over a six-year period," said Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army Chief of Staff, at a Pentagon press conference. "[Army] Secretary McHugh and I are committed to ensuring we walk down this hill at the ready rather than running our nation's Army off a cliff.

" Specifically, while the troop cuts will start in 2012, they don't have to be complete until 2017. Slow and steady, in this case, makes for better personnel management. The steep cuts of the 1990s required buy-outs and other expensive expedients, which often backfired by paying talented troops to leave. This time, said Odierno, "We hope to do it mostly by attrition." So as servicemembers finish out their current enlistment contracts, the Army simply needs to try a little less hard to sign them back up again. That should allow the service to be more selective about who gets offered reenlistment bonuses. (The reductions won't be spread out perfectly evenly, however: The Army took in larger numbers of troops in the years it was growing, and their contracts will likewise expire in large "cohorts" concentrated in a few years).

The second silver lining is that the cuts, all things considered, aren't that dramatic. "We had some problems in the [1990s] when we came down a significant number, almost over 300,000 in the Army," said Odierno. Specifically, from 1987 to 1999, the active-duty Army dropped from 780,000 personnel to 480,000 – a 38 percent reduction. The current plan drops the Army from 570,000 to 490,000 – 14 percent.

Third, certain key cadres will be cut even less.

Afghan Village Fight Illustrates More Lethal COIN Strategy

2012-01-31T08:27:00.000-08:00

In the middle of the night on July 23, U.S. Special Forces infiltrated a bowl-shaped valley in Paktika Province in remote eastern Afghanistan. Their target: a major Taliban encampment just outside this, which hadn't had a government presence in decades. Taliban fighters had been using Marzak as a rest stop on the long road between Pakistan and Afghanistan's major cities.

What followed was "one of the biggest fights of the year" in Afghanistan, according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Curtis Taylor, commander of forces in western Paktika. When the sun rose on July 24, around 100 insurgents lay dead. One American had died.

July's Operation Marauder Rapids was a classic counter-terrorism operation, featuring fine-grain intelligence, swiftly-moving Special Forces ... and plenty of dead bad guys.

But what happened next read like a page from the Army's counter-insurgency manual. Starting in November, regular Army troops and their allies in the Afghan army and police flew into Marzak, built a new patrol base, forged ties with local elders and began recruiting and training local police.

This interplay between counter-terrorism (CT) and classic counter-insurgency (COIN) operations lies at the heart of a new, more forceful U.S. approach to defeating insurgencies that's taking hold in eastern Afghanistan in the waning years of the decade-old war.

The deaths of so many insurgents and their leaders outside Marzak had created a temporary vacuum -- one the Taliban realistically would not be able to fill until spring, when the mountain passes open and fresh fighters can move in from Pakistan. "We need to do something permanent about this place before the Taliban comes back," Taylor recalls thinking.

Today, the U.S. and Afghan military footprint in Marzak is steadily growing.

China And NATO Talk Regularly: "Getting To Know You'

2012-01-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

The People's Republic of China and NATO hold little known high-level consultations, usually twice a year.

"We have had regular exchanges with the Chinese. They are not frequent," James Appathurai, NATO's deputy assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy said yesterday. He mentioned the Chinese meetings in passing during a briefing about NATO relations with its many partner nations.

The NATO official described the talks as semi-annual exchanges "at a high level."

One of Washington's top experts on the Chinese military was surprised by word of the regular consultations.

"VERY interesting deal. It allows back-channel communications (not necessarily a bad thing). It seems to occur with little public notice (not necessarily a bad thing)," Dean Cheng of the conservative Heritage Foundation wrote in an email. "On the other hand, five years of this going on, and no real records about it means that we don't know what HAS been discussed here."

Cheng said the NATO-China talks, which Appathurai said included discussions between the NATO Secretary General and Chinese ambassadors to Belgium, raise "an interesting question of whether the Chinese increasingly assume that any conflict with the US WILL involve Western Europe, and on the US side at that. Which makes Chinese space targeting, in particular, an interesting question."

Military Masks Could ‘Give Injured Soldiers Their Faces Back’

2012-01-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

An estimated 85 percent of recent wartime injuries caused damage to the extremities or face. Already, the Pentagon’s made swift progress in using regenerative medicine to more effectively heal those wounds. They’re building fresh muscle tissue out of pig cells, repairing damaged flesh with spray-on skin and even fusing broken bones with an injectable compound.

Biomask could be the next of those breakthroughs, if it pans out. It’s the result of a collaboration between engineers at UT Arlington, regenerative medicine specialists at Northwestern University, and experts from the Brooke Army Medical Center and the Army Institute of Surgical Research.

Right now, the mask is in early stages of development. But Eileen Moss, a research scientist at UT Arlington and the project’s leader, tells Danger Room that the team’s already got a good sense of how it’ll look and work. Most importantly, she says, the mask would “give soldiers back the face they had before the injury.”

The mask will be comprised of two major layers. The top, a hard shell, will protect a patient’s face and also store electrical components. Underneath, a flexible polymer mask will fit around the contours of a patient’s face. It’ll be embedded with three more layers: An array of sensors to track the rate of healing, actuators to push up against the wound and hold the mask in place, and a network of micro-tubing and valves to pump therapeutics — whether antibiotics and pain killers or stem cells and growth factor — onto specific regions of the wound.

Futuristic Navy railgun with 220-mile range closer to reality

2012-01-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

Imagine a Naval gun so powerful it can shoot a 5-inch projectile up to 220 miles, yet requires no explosives to fire.

That's the Navy's futuristic electromagnetic railgun, a project that could be deployed on the service's ships by 2025, and which is now a little bit closer to reality with the signing of a deal with Raytheon for the development of what's known as the pulse-forming network.

Rather than using explosives to fire projectiles as do conventional naval weapons, the railgun depends on an electromagnetic system that uses the ship's onboard electrical power grid to fire the gun. The pulse-forming network is a system that stores up electrical power and then converts it to a pulse that is directed into the gun's barrel, explained John Cochran, the railgun program manager in Raytheon's Advanced Technology Group.

Essentially, Cochran continued, the process is akin to that of a car's starter, and how turning the ignition sends a jolt of electricity into the solonoid, which then creates a magnetic field in the solonoid/starter system. With the railgun, he said, current is sent into the barrel, forming a magnetic field, and that, in combination with the current, exerts force on a projectile, firing it out of the barrel. At Mach 0.75.

While Raytheon has scored the $10 million project to develop the pulse-forming network, it isn't the only contractor working on such a system. According to Roger Ellis, the program manager for the Railgun program at the Office of Naval Research, the Navy has awarded similar contracts to BAE Systems and General Atomics in a risk-reduction strategy that counts on having multiple contractors attacking a problem in order to arrive at the best possible technology.

Afghan War Allies Risk Fracture Over Troop Withdrawal Timing

2012-01-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy, who is stepping down from the No. 3 Pentagon post this week, urged that allies fighting in Afghanistan coordinate their withdrawal of troops and commit the money needed to fill the gaps they leave behind.

Flournoy stressed the need for an orderly transition days before French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week accelerated the pace of his country’s withdrawal.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Chicago summit in May should lead to a detailed plan for troop levels leading to the anticipated handover of security control to the Afghans by the end of 2014, Flournoy told reporters at the Pentagon on Jan. 23 as she prepared to leave office this week.

“Some countries may be wanting to put their own plans on the table at that point,” Flournoy said. “What we’re emphasizing is the importance of us all coordinating.”

Sarkozy preempted such planning with his Jan. 27 announcement after a Paris meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying France will withdraw its combat troops by the end of 2013, a year ahead of schedule. The French president shortened the timetable after Afghan soldiers killed five French troops in two incidents in the past month.

Navy reassigns head of troubled Littoral Combat Ship program

2012-01-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

The program manager of the Navy’s beleaguered Littoral Combat Ship program has become the first high-ranking Navy officer to be fired in 2012, officials from the Naval Sea Systems Command said Friday.

Capt. Jeffrey Riedel has been “temporarily reassigned” by LCS program executive officer Rear Adm. James Murdoch pending a command investigation into allegations of “inappropriate personal behavior,” according to a Navy news release. No further details were available.

Riedel could not be reached for comment, but an automatic reply to his Navy email account said he had been reassigned to Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, Va.

Riedel’s dismissal comes on the heels of a near record year in firings in the Navy in 2011. There were 23 commanding officers relieved of their commands, just a few shy of the recent high water mark of 26 in 2003. A majority of those relieved were fired for personal misconduct including sexual misconduct and alcohol-related issues.

Edward Foster will serve as the acting LCS program manager until the investigation is completed, the release said.

Rotational forces: New way of doing business in Europe

2012-01-30T09:02:00.001-08:00

The ranges in Bulgaria are now empty, but when U.S. forces rotate through later this year to work with allies, those vacant training grounds will be transformed.

“When we show up this summer, we’ll have the targets for them,” said Will Alston, chief of the Regional Training Support Division-Expeditionary team in Grafenwöhr, Germany. “We’ve got it down to a science now.”

The expertise of these six-to-eight man teams will be crucial as the Army begins a system of rotating soldiers in from the United States, to replace the two Europe-based brigades that are being drawn down as part of the Pentagon’s budget cuts.

For the military, reorganizing the force structure in Europe will mean a new way of doing business for some U.S.-based troops while maintaining Europe-based support units that make rotational training possible. It also will pose challenges for commanders, who will have to do more with less and find new ways to use rotational forces to accomplish the mission. Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers can likely expect fewer two- and three-year assignments in Germany.

Rotational forces: New way of doing business in Europe

2012-01-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

Navy faces crushing demand for information warfare systems

2012-01-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Navy has a compelling need for shipboard assurance systems to maintain a secure environment, the service's top command-and-control acquisition official told an overflow audience here at the annual Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association-West conference. AFCEA is an industry group.

Last year, the Navy installed host-based security systems on 348 ships to monitor, detect and deter network cyberattacks. Rear Adm. Jerry Burroughs, program executive officer for command, control, computers, communications and intelligence at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command headquartered here, said SPAWAR remains "crushed" by demands from the fleet to maintain a secure environment for Navy computers, which he considers his top priority.

Burroughs said the cyberattackers the Navy has to deal with use inexpensive tools readily available on the Internet, and the service must adopt similar practices. "We need simple commercial off-the-shelf solutions -- the cheaper the better," Burroughs said, as well as the ability to rapidly field those tools.

Army must cut energy costs to balance budget

2012-01-30T08:56:00.001-08:00

The Army must reduce energy costs at its installations and on the battlefield to meet the challenges of a Defense Department budget that will shrink $487 billion during the next decade, Gen. Raymond Odierno, the service's chief of staff, told a Pentagon press briefing Friday.

Odierno did not provide details, but in August 2011 the Army launched a program to seek $7.1 billion in private investments for renewable energy plants on its installations, with the goal of those plants producing more energy than they consume. The surplus, generated by solar, wind or geothermal plants, would be sold on the open market.

The Army also must cut its use of fuel on the battlefield, and BAE Systems has proposed a Toyota Prius approach toward developing the new $7.6 billion ground combat vehicle, which would feature a hybrid electric drive and a battery pack to supplement its diesel engine.

Protest against greater US role in Philippines

2012-01-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

Merchant Vessel Defense Against Pirates

Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking

Protest against greater US role in Philippines

Philippine activists picketed the US embassy on Saturday and burned a cardboard American flag and mock stealth bomber, vowing to launch a campaign opposing a plan to allow more US troops in the country.

About 50 members of the leftist New Nationalist Alliance (Bayan) also held a huge effigy of Uncle Sam with another of Philippine President Benigno Aquino labelled as his "dog", as riot police prevented them approaching the mission.

"If we allow more US troops to enter our country, the entire archipelago will be transformed into one military outpost for US hegemonic interests," Bayan said in a statement distributed at the rally.

Philippine officials have welcomed plans for a greater presence from the military of its former colonial ruler, seeing it as a counterbalance to recent Chinese aggressiveness in the South China Sea.

US 'bunker-buster' not powerful enough against Iran

2012-01-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

The US military has concluded that its largest conventional bomb is not capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities suspected to be used for building nuclear weapons, The Wall Street Journal reported late Friday.

But citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the military was stepping up efforts to make it more powerful.

The 13.6-ton "bunker-buster" bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, was specifically designed to take out the hardened fortifications built by Iran and North Korea, the report said.

But initial tests indicated that the bomb, as currently configured, would not be capable of destroying some of Iran's facilities, either because of their depth or because Tehran has added new fortifications to protect them, the paper noted.

In a report issued in November, the International Atomic Energy Agency said intelligence from more than 10 countries and its own sources "indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device."
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Merchant Vessel Defense Against Pirates

Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking

US military reaches further into Asia

2012-01-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

Merchant Vessel Defense Against Pirates

Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking

US says French pullout from Afghanistan coordinated

2012-01-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

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The United States said Friday that France's announced plans to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan a year early was a "consulted and managed effort" with its allies.

Amid an uproar over the killing last week of unarmed troops, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai that France would complete its pullout from the NATO-led mission at the end of 2013.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stressed the importance of a coordinated withdrawal even though US and other NATO countries intend to withdraw their combat forces by 2014.

"We obviously want to continue to work together to ensure that this is implemented in the way that is consistent with the efforts of all of NATO to give increasing authority to the Afghans and that it is smooth," Nuland said.

Special operations expanding as wars recede

2012-01-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

War is going back under wraps - that's the next-generation plan put forth by the special operations commander who led the Osama bin Laden raid and embraced at the highest levels of the Pentagon and the White House.

Big armies and the land invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan will be replaced by fast and light special operations raids that leave little trace, or better yet, raids by friendly local forces the U.S. has trained, helping fight mutual enemies side by side.

U.S. officials say that's the plan offered by special operations chief Adm. Bill McRaven, who started working last fall to sell defense leaders on a plan to beef up his existing Theater Special Operations commands to reposition staff and equipment for the post-Iraq and Afghanistan wars era.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta shared few details in the new Pentagon budget he outlined Thursday, but officials explained the nascent plan in greater detail to The Associated Press.

As the overall military force shrinks and special operations troops return from their 10-raid-a-night tempo in Iraq and Afghanistan, they'll be redeployed to special operations units in areas somewhat neglected during the decade-long focus on al-Qaida because there were simply too few of them to go around, according to a senior defense official and other current and former U.S. officials briefed on the program.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the details of the proposal and timing of implementation are still being worked out.

While the idea is to work and train with foreign armies, the invigorated network would reinforce and reinvigorate special operations units in regions like the Pacific Rim.

US ground forces would be cut by 100,000

2012-01-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

Pentagon leaders outlined a plan Thursday for absorbing $487 billion in defense cuts over the coming decade by shrinking U.S. ground forces, slowing the purchase of a next-generation stealth fighter and retiring older planes and ships.

In a bid to pre-empt election-year Republican criticism, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the plan shifts the Pentagon's focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to future challenges in Asia, the Mideast and in cyberspace. More special operations forces like the Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden will be available around the world, he said.

"We believe this is a balanced and complete package," Panetta told a news conference, with Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at his side.

Some lawmakers were quick to dispute him.

"Taking us back to a pre-9/11 military force structure places our country in grave danger," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will hold hearings on the Pentagon budget plan.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Panetta plan "ignores the lessons of history." He said it provides for a military that is "too small to respond effectively to events that may unfold over the next few years."

DOD identifies brigades slated to leave Germany

2012-01-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

Two Army heavy brigades based in Germany will return to the United States as part of the new defense posture in Europe, the Department of Defense confirmed Thursday.

The move will send the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, based out of Grafenwöhr and Schweinfurt, and the Baumholder-based 170th Infantry Brigade, back to the States.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany, and the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, will remain as the only Army brigades permanently based in Europe.

The announcement came during a preview of new Defense Department budget projections before the president releases the full federal budget request for fiscal 2013 on Feb. 13.
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GERMAN NAVY “SEALS”

German naval commandos are called Kampfschwimmer or "combat swimmers". These German navy counterparts to the US Navy SEALs are Germany's oldest Special Operations Forces. The Kampfschwimmer roots go back to World War II.

Today's Kampfschwimmer formations are heavily involved in international operations against terrorism, including missions in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This e-book is written by a German Navy lieutenant who serves as a Kampfschwimmer team leader -- the equivalent of a US Navy SEAL platoon leader.

"German Navy SEALs" is a profile of the Kampfschwimmer units. The e-book covers the history of the Kampfschwimmer beginning with the World War II era; describes their organization, command structure, capabilities and training; discusses their cooperation with US Navy SEALS and other Special Operations Forces; and their role in German and NATO operational planning.

Northrop Grumman, U.S. Navy Test Autonomous Aerial Refueling for Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration

2012-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy have successfully completed a series of flight tests to demonstrate technology that could help extend the operating range and flight duration of future carrier-based unmanned systems.

The flight tests, completed Jan. 21 in St. Augustine, proved the functionality of the hardware and software that will enable the X-47B unmanned aircraft to demonstrate autonomous aerial refueling (AAR) in 2014.

The AAR activity is part of the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. Northrop Grumman is the Navy's UCAS-D prime contractor.

"These tests are a critical step toward proving that the X-47B can perform autonomous aerial refueling using either the Navy's probe-and-drogue refueling technique or the U.S. Air Force's boom/receptacle approach," said Carl Johnson, vice president and UCAS-D program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

"Future unmanned systems will need to use both refueling techniques if they plan to conduct longer range surveillance or strike missions from the carrier."

More Limits on U.S. Space Systems Unacceptable

2012-01-26T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Obama Administration launched a push for an international Code of Conduct pertaining to activities of space-faring nations, but its activities have been cloaked in secrecy. This lack of transparency caused 37 Republican Senators to request more information about the Administration's negotiations on this issue in February 2011.

According to Ellen Tauscher, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, "We will never do a legally binding agreement because I can't do one. I can't get anything ratified." It appears that the Administration is trying to circumvent the Senate's constitutional role in consenting to the ratification of international agreements that should be concluded as treaties.

Negative Implications for the U.S. Military
Arms control treaties, such as the Washington and London naval limitation treaties, are designed to limit the quantity and quality of arms in the possession of the participating states during times of peace. They cease to pertain during times of war.

Laws of war treaties, such as the Geneva or Hague Conventions, on the other hand, are designed to dictate how the armed forces of participating states operate in times of war. If these restrictions are not honored, service members may be subject to courts martial as war criminals by their military justice systems.

The Code of Conduct for space will be as much about restricting how space forces are used by the U.S. military as about limiting their types and numbers. For example, participating states will have to operate their space forces in ways that prevent the generation of space debris.

US plans to cut troops, invest in future

2012-01-26T20:47:00.000-08:00

The Pentagon on Thursday proposed taking some 100,000 troops off active duty as the debt-ridden United States winds down a decade of war, but vowed new investments to exert power in Asia and the Middle East.

With pressure mounting to balance the US books, President Barack Obama's administration sought a nine percent cut in the 2013 budget compared with last year's request by retiring older ships and planes and pulling back two brigades from Europe.

But the administration called for investment on new projects including a futuristic floating base for special operations and drones, and assigning elite Brigade Combat Teams with language training to each region of the world.

"We are at a strategic turning point after a decade of war and substantial growth in defense budgets," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said as he unveiled a preview of the Pentagon's 2013 budget requests.

Panetta vowed to maintain US power in the Middle East and Asia -- where China's growing military has concerned the United States and its allies -- including by modernizing submarines and funding a next-generation bomber.

Panetta called for funding to station littoral combat ships in Singapore and patrol craft in Bahrain -- part of the US strategy of forward-deploying its military to strategically placed US allies.