National Defense

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Acquisition work force reform will require steady commitment.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a program to improve the capacity and capability of the Pentagon's acquisition work force by converting 10,000 contractor positions to gov . . .

Benefits of competition.(READER'S FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
* In the article "Why Compete?"(June 2009, p. 16) about the Air Force refueling tanker program, the following statement is made: "The benefits of competition are well established: innovation, effici . . .

True cause of cost overruns.(READER'S FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
* Cost overruns and delays are usually brought about because the government contracts for something it does not fully understand, cannot clearly and precisely articulate its desired capabilities and . . .

Air power: where's the love?(DEFENSE WATCH)
At recent inside-the-beltway gatherings of Air Force officials and contractors, the exasperation has been palpable. Why is air power being blamed for the lack of progress in Afghanistan? How dare th . . .

Soft power: military rivals State Dept. in diplomatic skills.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
In just a few years, U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan have evolved from "Powerpoint warriors" to competent counterinsurgency operators, says Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia Institute . . .

Adm. roughead: shipbuilding not a broken industry.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
* Enough with the bashing of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, complained Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. "People have been saying American shipbuilding is broken. I take exception to t . . .

Pentagon brass: stay away from management bestsellers.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
* A troublesome consequence of the influence of trendy management books is that many Defense Department officials profess that the Pentagon needs to adopt these presumed "best practices" and incorpo . . .

Can congress keep up the pressure on acquisition reform?(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
* A recent groundswell of legislative and regulatory actions to reform Defense Department weapon acquisition practices may not lead to meaningful change if the efforts are not kept up for years to c . . .

Shortage of talent could cripple cybersecurity plans.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)
* Everyone agrees that the United States needs better cybersecurity. But government agencies worry that they don't have enough knowledge or talent to take on the challenge. A major obstacle is the . . .

A new day: DHS technology chief nominee can't escape past controversies.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
President Obama's nominee to take over the Department of Homeland Security's struggling science and technology directorate found at her Senate confirmation hearing that it's impossible to escape one . . .

Turf wars predicted for new cybersecurity czar.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
* When it comes to the Obama administration's promise to get a handle on cybersecurity, be prepared for some turf wars, a panel of experts warned recently at the National Press Club in Washington, D . . .

Disorganization within border patrol cited for faulty budget.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
* Customs and Berder Protection has been using unreliable numbers to estimate the cost of recruiting, training and equipping thousands of newly deployed Border Patrol agents, the Government Accounta . . .

House attempts to extend chemical security act.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
* The House of Representatives is working on extending a law set to expire in October that aims to harden chemical facilities against terrorist attacks. Officials with the Department of Homeland S . . .

Corrections.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)(Correction notice)
In the July 2009 Security Beat story, "Failures Reported in Key Component of U.S.-Mexico Electronic Fence," the name of the Secure Border Initiative Executive Director, Mark Borkowski, was spelled i . . .

Taking a shot at nuclear terrorism.(INSIDE SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY)
* If a one-kiloton nuclear device exploded in New York City, it would kill or sicken millions of people because there are no effective and non-toxic treatments for victims of acute radiation syndrom . . .

How companies can capitalize On U.S. 'smart power' approach.(VIEWPOINT)
*The Obama administration's strategy for combating terrorism is to integrate soft and hard power into "smart power." It is the collective use of military, diplomatic, economic and development effort . . .

Cap-and-trade: the triumph of politics over economics, science.(Energy)
The cap-and-trade bill that Congress is debating has been designed not so much to address the challenge of climate change or even put a good economic model in place to solve emissions reductions, bu . . .

Uphill battle: army's next combat vehicle: new beginning or FCS sequel?(Ground Vehicles)
The Army is racing toward a September deadline to present a convincing case to the secretary of defense that it should receive funds to begin designing a new combat vehicle next year. The goal is . . .

Future of war: how the game is changing of war.
The U.S. military today has no grand strategy. But that's no reason to panic. The world is too volatile to distill into Pentagon-friendly Venn diagrams and clever acronyms. "It's hard to concentrate . . .

Fighting the speed of light: laser weapons: laboratory toys or imminent battlefield systems?(Technology)
The promise of lasers has loomed just out of reach for decades as the next big technological breakthrough for warfare. While there have been recent successes in the laboratory and in tests of protot . . .

Guided mortars: the next IED?(Technology)
* Can improvised explosive devices become smart weapons? "I call guided mortars the next IED," says Tom Ehrhard, a Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments senior analyst. Just as insurgen . . .

The things they carry: weapons experts working to lighten troops' small arms load.(Technology)
Efforts to lighten soldiers' loads have focused on reducing the weight of body armor and shrinking the size of batteries and other equipment that they carry into combat. But for machine gunners, the . . .

Emphasis on small units sparks program to improve team performance.(Technology)
* The revamped strategy for fighting in Afghanistan revolves around the success of small ground units that will disperse throughout the country. To raise the bar on the performance of those troops, . . .

Shot down: no further funding for DHS shoulder-fired missile program.(Technology)
The Obama administration in its 2010 budget has not requested further funding to test a controversial program to protect commercial aircraft from shoulderfired missiles. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] T . . .

Pain relief: prognosis is not good for military's medical records system.(Technology)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Military officials know that a program is in trouble when a congressional subcommittee proclaims it to be "intolerable." The program is the Defense Department's electronic . . .

Updated global information grid would bring web 2.0 to the Defense Department.(Technology)
Frustrated that the different communications networks deployed by its four branches aren't always able to speak to one another, the Defense Department is moving forward with a major overhaul of its . . .

Powering up: Recovery Act to inject more funds into military fuel cell research.(Tactical Power)
NEW ORLEANS -- Atop craggy hills in Afghanistan, soldiers manning remote observation posts are currently using fuel cells to power their lights, radios and other electronic devices. "This is the i . . .

Energy department sees promise in plug-in hybrid vehicle technology.(Tactical Power)
NEW ORLEANS m The Obama administration has a goal of putting one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. If that sounds like a lot, it both is and isn't, said Patrick Davis . . .

Military invest in allgae-based bio-fuel.(Tactical Power)
NEW ORLEANS--Billions of years ago, algae and zooplankton covered the waters in great plumes. When these tiny life forms died, they sank to the ocean floor and eventually were covered by mud. Pressu . . .

Ensuring no one pays the 'ultimate price' for fuel becomes new goal.(Tactical Power)
* Tactical generators. The two words may induce yawns for some, but improving their efficiency has become serious business in the U.S military during the past six years. Small, medium and large . . .

Ship vacuum: What's good for an ice rink is good for a ship's deck.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)(Mobile Cleanin
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Zamboni for ship decks? Odd as it sounds, it's quickly becoming reality. Already successfully tested by the Navy, the Mobile Cleaning Reclaim and Recovery System, or MCRRS . . .

Navy looks to new hull coating to keep barnacles at bay.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Small as they are, sea barnacles can still slow a Navy warship by as much as 10 percent and increase its fuel consumption by up to 40 percent. To fix this problem, the O . . .

Device to take medical readings from outside clothing.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * A device has been developed to give first responders quicker medical readings of multiple disaster victims. A product of Las Vegas-based Noninvasive Medical Technologies . . .

Mini armored vehicle available to police.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I A new vehicle allows police and other law enforcement personnel to take on heavily armed bad guys from behind the safety of armor. Built on a small platform with tank-like . . .

Next generation grenade launcher.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
* In June, soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division were the first in the Army to start training on the new 40mm M320 grenade launcher. German firearms maker Heckler & Koch designed the weapon, wh . . .

Battery to extend work-life of bomb-disposal robots.(TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * If dealing with an unexploded bomb wasn't hairy enough, try it with a battery that may conk out in the middle of the job. The Defense Department believes it may have help . . .

Deals can be derailed by security concerns.(ETHICS CORNER)
* Given the weak U.S. dollar and historically low valuations of defense contractors, commentators expect even greater mergers-and-acquisitions activity from foreign buyers in the U.S. defense indust . . .

Iowa-Illinois NDIA chapter hands out greenberg award.(NDIA NEWS: ASSOCIATION BRIEFS)(National Defense Industrial Association giv
The National Defense Industrial Association Iowa Illinois chapter presented the Paul Greenberg Award for lifetime contributions to the ammunition industrial base to John W. Masengarb. Masengarb ha . . .

Tennessee Valley chapter recognizes snider.(NDIA NEWS: ASSOCIATION BRIEFS)(National Defense Industrial Association gives award t
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association in April gave the Medaris Award for lifetime achievement in support of national security to Retir . . .

Vice Adm. McCullough receives Sides Award at Annual Symposium.(NDIA NEWS: ASSOCIATION BRIEFS)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Admiral John H. Sides Award for 2009 was presented to Vice. Adm. Bernard J. "Barry" McCullough III at the NDIA Strike, Land Attack, and Air Defense Division Annual Sympo . . .

NDIA leadership.(NDIA NEWS: ASSOCIATION BRIEFS)
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Harold L. Yoh The Day & Zimmermann Group, Inc VICE CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD John D. Ilgen Northrop Grumman Information Systems SENIOR STAFF Lawrence P. Farrell, Jr., . . .

NDIA Calendar.(National Defense Industrial Association)(Calendar)
AUGUST 11-12 2009 Missile Defense Agency Small Business Innovation Research Industry Day Long Beach, CA www.ndia.org/meetings/9160 12-13 Iowa-Illinois Chapter ASC Advanced Briefing to Indust . . .

Defense Department acquisition directory.(2009 MEGA DIRECTORY)(Directory)
The 2009 edition of National Defense Magazine's directory of military acquisition agencies and programs provides a comprehensive guide to the complex world of Pentagon procurement organizations. I . . .

NDIA corporate index of capabilities.(2009 MEGA DIRECTORY)(National Defense Industrial Association)(Brief article)
This edition of national Defense magazine--annual directory of the corporate members of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)--is designated to be useful and long-term business referenc . . .

NDIA leadership.(2009 MEGA DIRECTORY)
OFFICERS Lawrence P. Farrell President and CEO Barry D. Bates Vice President, Operations (Meetings) Dave Chesebrough President, AFEI Sandra Erwin Editor, National Defense Magazine . . .

Index of capabilities.(Access Control-Image Exploitating/processing/Systems)(Directory)
Access Control 3M Accenture ACI Technologies Advantor Systems Corporation American Auto-Matrix American Systems Analytical Graphics Inc. ARINC Assurance Technology Corporation An . . .

Index of capabilities.(Information Technology-Women-Owned)
Information Technology 1stPower, a Division of Energy Technologies Inc. 3M A2B Tracking Solutions AAR Mobility Systems Accenture ACI Technologies Acquisition Solutions Inc. Actionet . . .

Defence industry.(1stPower, a Division of Energy Technologies Inc.--L-3EOTech)(Directory)
1stPower, a Division of Energy Technologies Inc. Rugged Power <> Global Solutions 219 Park Ave., East Mansfield, OH 44902-1845 (419) 522-4444 (phone) Home Page: www.1stpower.com Tim Lo . . .

A word from NDIA's Vice President of Operations.(2009 MEGA DIRECTORY)(National Defense Industrial Association)
Dear NDIA Members: To those of you who have generously contributed your time and talent to serve in Divisions, Industrial Committees, Chapters and Affiliates to advance NDIA's Advocate, Promote & . . .

NDIA schedule of events.(2009 Mega Directory)(National Defense Industrial Association)(Calendar)
OCTOBER 2 U.S.--UK--Canada Defense Industry Trilateral Symposium Arlington, VA www.ndia.org/meetings/047K 12-14 Combat Vehicles Conference Dearborn, MI www.ndia.org/meetings/0620 14-16 TACOM L . . .