Rapid Fire 2011-09-15: Australia, Canada Defence Procurement Cooperation

Sep 15, 2011 07:00 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff
  • The US Army is looking to change its physical fitness test (shorter but harder), and may add a combat readiness test before deploying. Army readers, you may want to adjust your PT.
  • Leadership failure: A Marine Corporal and a US Army Captain charge together into enemy fire, repeatedly, to retrieve their fellow soldiers’ bodies. The Marine is getting the Medal of Honor. The Army Captain… nothing?!? Wouldn’t want to make the officers in the TOC, who denied them fire support, look bad.
  • Australia and Canada will now work together on mutual defense procurement issues (vid. Australia transcript | Canada release). The F-35 fighter program’s cost & schedule risks, and their respective problems with their unready Collins Class and Victoria Class submarine fleets, are obvious places to start.

  • The UK’s DSTL introduces its latest research project: Super Bainite perforated armoring steel. It will be manufactured in Britain by India’s Tata Steel.

  • Boeing hands Australia the keys to its 5th C-17A heavy airlifter, while L-3 assumes responsibility of RAAFB Amberley’s C-17 Training System for pilots, loadmasters and maintenance personnel.

  • Who let the dogs out? Gen. Petraeus. Now the US Army (TEDD) and USMC (IDD) each have funded programs from 2012-2014, to put more K-9 teams on the front lines in Afghanistan. Canine PTSD remains a top issue.

  • Portuguese Ministry of Defense José Pedro Aguiar-Branco told the local press that some programs were under review [in Portuguese], given the country’s fiscal difficulties. Last month, El Pais was reporting [in Spanish] that neighboring Spain’s Ministerio de Defensa was facing a tough financing hurdle in years to come to pay for committed armament acquisitions. Reflecting its stronger fiscal position, Germany’s defense ministry is set for a modest 2012 budget increase, pending parliamentary approval.

  • DoD Comptroller and CFO Robert F. Hale asked Congress to reprogram $3B of funding, in part in anticipation of likely delays with the FY12 OCO budget.

  • The Aerospace Industries Association launched yesterday a public relations campaign dubbed “Second to None” (video below). Meanwhile POGO is not convinced by contractor math. Both organizations, among plenty of interested parties, will no doubt want to have the ear of the Defense Business Panel recently created by the House Armed Services Committee.

  • The Deficit Supercommittee will have its first closed-door meeting today (Thursday).

    • Categories: Australia & S. Pacific, Boeing, Britain/U.K., Contracts - Awards, Daily Rapid Fire, India, L3 Communications, Leadership & People, Materials Innovations, Policy - Personnel, Simulation & Training, Support Functions - Other, Transport & Utility, USA

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