Back in June 2006, Boeing and Raytheon teams were preparing for a big border surveillance contract. It was all part of the USA’s Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a comprehensive plan to secure U.S. borders and reduce illegal immigration, including an array of technical aids and elements on both the northern Canadian border and the southern border with Mexico. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency would lead and execute both the SBI and related SBInet “virtual fence” efforts, mirroring similar programs underway around the world.

As promised, a winner was announced in September 2006 – and it was Team Boeing. In March 2010, however, funding has been frozen.

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• White House releases its Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, which includes plans to deploy intrusion detection and prevention systems throughout the US federal government.

• Up to $187.4 million to L-3 for US Navy systems engineering and technical support services.

• ITT snags $45 million order to support US military prepositioned equipment at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait under US Army’s FIRST contract [PDF].

• New Zealand army awards $100 million contract to Lockheed Martin to provide warehousing and repair services.

• Canadian Forces release latest suicide rates, program information. For comparison, the Canadian male rate was 17.9 per 100,000 in 2005, and would be higher if restricted to forces-eligible age ranges.

• Northrop Grumman seeking small businesses to join its GMD missile defense bid. Industry Day on March 11/10, in Huntsville, AL.

• Navantia delivering patrol vessels to Venezuela.

• USAF updating GPS-II ground control software.

• “Bet you’re surprised” category: 3 US Navy facilities nominated for wildlife conservation awards.

• Research and Markets: Study finds that technology companies have role to play in beefing up early warning systems for regional conflicts.

Hermes 450 -
note civil reg. #
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Joint EDA/ESA contracts for research into UAV/satellite combinations. (Feb 8/10)

Deconfliction issues have also prevented civil UAV markets from reaching anything close to their full potential for border patrol, land surveying, etc. The task is not impossible – for instance, the Hermes 450, which is the basis of Britain’s Watchkeeper Mk450 system, is now civil certified in Israel. Which is why a May 2007 EUR 500,000 (then about $672,000) European Defence Agency initiative could be significant… and now, a EUR 50 million MIDCAS contract involving an array of European firms has been signed at the 2009 Paris Air Show.

• The EDA’s Goals
• Air for All
• Contracts and Events [updated]
  
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(c) DJ Elliott
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DJ Elliott is a retired USN Intelligence Specialist (22 years active duty) who has been analyzing and writing on Iraqi Security Forces developments since 2006. His Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle is an open-source compilation that attempts to map and detail Iraqi units and equipment, as their military branches and internal security forces grow and mature. While “good enough for government use” is not usually uttered as a compliment, US Army TRADOC has maintained permission to use the ISF OOB for their unclassified handouts since 2008.

This January 2010 compilation is reproduced here with full permission. It offers a set of updates highlighting recent changes in the ISF’s composition and development, followed by the full updated ISF OOBs in PDF form. Reader feedback and tips are encouraged. This month’s developments include…

• December 2009 Updates
  • Weapons Orders
  • Peshmerga
  • Iraqi Army
  • Iraqi Navy
  • Iraqi Air Force
  • Ministry of the Interior
• Additional Readings: Full ISF OOB
• Additional Readings: DID Articles
  
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Aria’s airship
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In early 209, Aria International, Inc. announced a contract from the Royal Thai Army to provide in-country surveillance and communications solutions and services, for an aggregate purchase price of $9.7 million. The RTA surveillance system consists of a manned airship with military-grade imaging and communications systems, a state-of-the-art Mobile Command and Control Vehicle, and upgrades to existing communications and facilities to receive real-time surveillance data.

Thailand has the questionable distinction of being saddled with the bloodiest Islamist insurgency most people have never heard of. The American export system hindering their order, however, is well known around the world…

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SELEX VTMS Control Center
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Border control and domestic security systems are becoming an important export category for many defense suppliers. Finmeccanica subsidiary SELEX Sistemi Integrati recently announced a EUR 300 million (currently $442 million) contract with Libya for a large Border Security and Control System. The first tranche of EUR 150 million has already started.

Finmeccanica will provide all the typical functions of a C3 (Command, Control & Communication) system, such as command decision support tools, information processing, integration of data gathered by different sensors, the sensors themselves, and emergency management. SELEX-SI has prime responsibility for the architecture of Large Systems within Finmeccanica, and they will design, install and integrate all the subsystems on behalf of their customer, The Libyan General People’s Committee for General Security. SELEX-SI will also be responsible for the training of operators and maintenance staff, as well as the completion of all associated civil infrastructures required by the contract. Finmeccanica release.

Given the nature of Libya’s regime, and recent events, this contract may acquire a more political context…

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C-27J Spartan
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The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced Ghana’s official request for 4 C-27J light tactical transports, to be delivered with 10 Rolls Royce AE-2100 engines (8 + 2 spares), 4 of BAE’s AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispensing Systems, 4 AN/ARC-210 VHF/UHF Multimode Integrated Communication Systems without COMSEC (COMmunications SECurity; encryption), 4 of Raytheon’s AN/APX-119 Identification Friend or Foe Digital Transponders with mode 1,2,3a, 3c; plus commercial GPS navigation, a VIP module and observation windows, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support.

The estimated cost is $680 million, but a DSCA request is not a contract. If Congress does not block the sale within 30 days, negotiations may begin.

Ghana is a West African country located on the Gulf of Guinea. Its parliament was chosen to host President Obama’s 2009 Africa speech, and the DSCA describes the country and the sale as…

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Saudi Arabia
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Border fences and related surveillance systems are becoming popular around the world, including the Middle East. As “Jordan’s JBSP Border Security Program” notes, these systems are not foolproof. They can offer important improvements, however, and in recent years, the risk of violence insourcing back to Saudi Arabia from Iraq prompted construction a fence along the kingdom’s northern border. That concept became a serious initiative in 2006, and is currently scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.

The northern fence was never designed to be a stand-alone effort. A much larger border project was first envisaged in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been conducting a 13-year long bidding competition for a more comprehensive set or border and infrastructure security measures. Bidders reportedly included France’s Thales and EADS, Britain’s BAE Systems, and Raytheon in the USA. Now, a contract worth a reported $2.3-2.8 billion has been issued for over 8,000 miles of fencing and surveillance. Even as Saudi Arabia’s biggest concerns have shifted away from its northern border…

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Bell 412EP
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Bell’s 412 series helicopters represent the latest evolution of its famed “Huey” design. These twin-engine utility helicopters are easily identifiable by their 4-bladed composite rotors, and serve with a wide array of military, government, and civilian operators around the world. Over 700 have been produced.

Bell 412EP (“enhanced performance”) helicopters are being sold to the Mexican Air Force (FAM). Mexico will use them to fight drug traffickers, gangs, and other criminal activities in its ongoing “Cartel War,” which has already claimed thousands of lives. The helicopters can also provide support to Mexico’s civilian population during natural disasters. Events related to this purchase, and background resources regarding Mexico’s situation, include…

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Spanish CN-235-300MPA
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Mexico’s military needs have escalated, as the country faces what counter-terrorist analyst John Robb has called a growing “open source insurgency” of narco-traffickers and some leftist groups. The violence associated with “The Cartel War” has reportedly claimed between 6,000 – 8,000 lives over the last 2 years.

Mexican governments are signing contracts on a number of fronts, from full city-wide surveillance and monitoring systems, to UAVs and aerostats, to medium helicopters. More equipment is on the way, via Mexico’s own purchases and the USA’s Merida Initiative.

One of its most important acquisition programs has just received official notification: EADS-CASA’s popular CN-235MPA maritime patrol aircraft, which currently serves with Spain, Ireland, Turkey, and the US Coast Guard. Indonesia’s Digiranta has built them for Indonesia, Brunei and the UAE, and recently added South Korea’s Coast Guard as a customer.

A May 1/08 Economist article may help to explain the importance of these aircraft in Mexico’s current Cartel War:

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