• According to Bloomberg the FY13 President Budget submission date has been postponed from Feb. 6 to Feb. 13. Meanwhile House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is suggesting to chip at sequestration one year at a time if rolling back the whole 10 years proves too much of a hurdle.

• Sen. Claire McCaskill [D-MO] is pushing for FAA commercial certification of a civilian “BC-17” heavy transport aircraft. DoD Buzz doesn’t seem to understand that there’s a significant global market for outside cargo delivery, and that the C-17’s short takeoff & landing capabilities could be useful to industries like mining, that operate in austere locations with smaller airstrips.

• US Army installations get together to share progress toward “NetZero” energy & waste goals.

• The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) looks at [PDF] the tax revenue implications of defense acquisition choices and finds that “the tax revenues are significant; they can yield to the Exchequer [DID: i.e. Treasury] over a third of the value of the contract.”

• France just bought [in French] 29 small Cobra Mk2 robots from Eca Robotics in Toulon, for use in finding and detonating land mines.

• US SOCOM’s 75th Ranger Regiment deploys to Afghanistan with GD’s AN/PRC-154 JTRS HMS Rifleman Radio, and Android-based Itronix GD300 wearable computers.

• Even a dying satellite has lessons to teach. GPS-IIA satellite SVN-30 is doing just that for the USAF.

• The US National Weather Services’ Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) is now operational at the NWS Omaha Weather Forecast Office, the 1st of 135 forecast sites to upgrade. It’s a Raytheon system.

NPOESS

NPP interim satellite; DWSS testing; NPP Launch and data transmission. (Nov 21/11)

The National Polar-orbiting Observing Satellite System (NPOESS) was a joint program of the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce and NASA to replace less sophisticated weather satellites that are expected to fail over the next several years. It would help develop 3-7 day weather forecasts for civilian and military purposes, including weather like hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. Unfortunately, the program ended up billions over budget, and 6 or more years late. Some gaps in coverage are possible during that time, if enough older satellites fail.

In November 2005 testimony given at a House of Congress Science Committee hearing, the Administrator of NOAA and the Undersecretary of the Air Force promised new cost and schedule estimates and policy options, as well as fuller and more rapid information. NPOESS was openly described as “a program in crisis.” Just under 5 years later, that crisis came to an end with a program split into civilian (JPSS) and military (DWSS) systems, and a 5-year NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite that will test key instruments and serve as a capability bridge…

• The NPOESS Program: Basic Briefing
• Hereafter: NPP, JPSS and DWSS [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: Stormy Weather – NPOESS’ Rocky Ride
• Appendix B: Nov 2005 DID Op/Ed: How About “Good Enough, and Working”?
• Appendix C: Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• The US DoD acquisition office hosted the 1st Product Support Manager (PSM) Conference last week. Among the material presented there, we recommend this overview [PDF] of Open Systems Architectures (OSA) and data rights. “Data rights are rights granted to the government for technical data and computer software” which can help DoD maintain competition over the life of a program, among other benefits.

• Also of interest from the PSM event: sustainment metrics [PDF]; this primer [PDF] on the role of PSMs, a position created under Section 805 of the FY10 defense authorization bill. Per DTM 10-015 [PDF], all ACAT I/II major programs must have a PSM supporting them.

• Conundrums can arise when safety procedures meet environmental concerns in the life of a military base. For instance, US DoD policy requires periodic aircraft hangar fire suppression foam system nozzle discharge checks to make sure these systems will perform when needed. But these necessary checks generate nontrivial amounts of wastewater, a liability and another burden to deal with. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Engineering Service Center think they have an answer with their “NoFoam” design [PDF].

• Meanwhile the US Army is trying to scale its renewable energy efforts through its recently-created Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF).

• If you’re a US military member preparing to enter the federal or private sector workforce, this US Navy primer will help.

• The WSJ reports that the CIA has made concessions about how it uses UAVs for strikes in Pakistan.

• The USAF’s unique BACN jets and UAVs receive official designations.

• Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro gave a speech last Friday summarizing the nature of American military support for Israel, which receives $3B per year in funding for training and equipment under Foreign Military Financing (FMF), or 60% of a total $5.5B spread among 70 countries.

• Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Ltd wins A$ 90 million Comprehensive Maintenance Services (CMS) contract for all Defence establishments in South Australia, from 2011-2014, with options to 2017.

• The US Air National Guard has approved the new LITENING G4 surveillance and targeting pod for fielding on its F-16s.

• Bloomberg has a wrap-up on the F-35, one of the few programs that have been identified by name in recent budget cut talks.

• 6th Swiftship patrol boat delivered to Iraq.

• The anti-climatic video below shows US National Guard soldiers loading tanks to be shipped out of Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq:
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• James Hasik looks at future options for the American super-carrier fleet, and delivers a preliminary cost analysis for various scenarios – including a scenario that involves halting the new CVN-21s after the 2nd-of-class CVN 79, mothballing 2 existing Nimitz Class boats, and dropping to 8 operational carriers.

• France orders 200 more of Panhard’s compact PVP armored patrol vehicles, to keep production going in 2012. Their 933 vehicle order from 2004 will end production in December 2011.

• Lockheed Martin submits its final CANES shipboard networking proposal to the US Navy. They’re competing with a Northrop Grumman team.

• A US military facility in Germany found cost savings by replacing its existing oil-fired water heaters with biomass/wood-chip equipment.

• The 1st Galileo GPS satellite lands in French Guiana, in preparation for its Oct 30/11 launch on board a Russian Soyuz rocket.

• NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for more open US and European defense markets.

• Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduce legislation to make the Obama administration sell F-16C/Ds to Taiwan.

• Today’s video (embedded below): the Panel on Defense Financial Management and Auditability Reform’s hearing last week with the House Armed Services Committee. Among the issues is whether the branches (let alone DoD at large) are able to reconcile their books with the Department of Treasury. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller Jamie M. Morin [PDF bio] says the USAF is now achieving 99.99% accuracy on its 1 million+ records/month ledger.
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In late August 2011, the AECOM/EnSafe joint venture, Resolution Consultants in Virginia Beach, VA won a maximum $200 million cost-plus award-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract for comprehensive long-term environmental services at NAVFAC Atlantic’s installations.

Both firms have extensive experience in this area, and have worked with the Navy on similar efforts; indeed, Resolution consultants is just one of AECOM’s joint ventures in this area…

(click to visit)

Defense purchase coverage often focuses on weapons, but in FY 2010, weapon procurement is actually only 20.1% of the Pentagon’s budget. By comparison, “Operations and Maintenance” took up 34.7%. That $180+ billion total includes a wide range of items. For instance…

CH2M Hill, Inc. in Virginia Beach, VA wins a maximum $170 million cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract for comprehensive long-term environmental action services on NAVFAC Atlantic Navy and Marine Corps installations, running until May 2016. Their architectural and engineering services will include program management and technical environmental services in support of the Department of the Navy’s Environmental Restoration Program, the Munitions Response Program, and other similar programs at any Navy and Marine Corps activity in NAVFAC Atlantic’s AOR...

Lake Ponchartrain
& New Orleans (shaded area)
(click to view larger)

USACE awards $675 million contract to CBY for Lake Pontchartrain canal closures and pumps. (April 18/11)

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is in the process of doling out large contracts to repair and strengthen flood control infrastructure in New Orleans and the vicinity.

The contracts are being awarded under the Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS – formerly the Hurricane Protection System). USACE has developed an interactive map with the status of all of the projects under this program in the New Orleans area.

The USACE expects to complete construction under the HSDRRS in 2011…

• Defense industry is running out of patience with Congress over FY2011 defense appropriations. Since the last Congress failed to pass a budget, the “continuing resolution’s” expiry could create a crisis of mismatched funds. The hardest hit service would probably be the Navy.

• Speaking of crises, some people believe that upheavals in Tunisia, Egypt, etc. may delay approvals and contracts for American arms sales to the region. Is that prudence, or digging a deeper hole?

• Meanwhile, the British are very unhappy that American diplomats divulged classified information about Britain’s nuclear deterrent to the Russians, as part of New START negotiations.

• That treaty isn’t going to stop Russia from developing its new SS-NX-30 Bulava SLBM and Yars-24 ICBM nuclear missiles.

• To add to British unhappiness, their new nuclear fast attack boat HMS Astute is back in port yet again. This time, failures to its weapon support and onboard toilets & sewage were to blame. “A busted flush,” indeed.

• Pentagon has failed to pay for transportation improvements to accommodate BRAC-mandated personnel transfers in the greater Washington, DC, area, according to a report by the National Research Council.

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in San Diego, CA agrees to acquire Herley Industries, a Lancaster, PA-based supplier of defense microwave products, for $270 million in cash.

• Raytheon and Analytical Graphics are teaming under a $22 million contract to develop a wind turbine/radar modeling tool that will determine the best wind farm locations to avoid interference with radar systems, a significant concern of the DoD [PDF].

• There are more than 2,000 ground robots deployed in Afghanistan, and US troops want more.

• Australian Department of Defence issues tender documents to conduct cybersecurity review of department personnel.

• The Pentagon must buy American-made solar panels, according to the FY 2011 defense authorization law; many of Nellis Air Force Base solar panels are Chinese made.

• Doling out justice: US DoJ charges former NASA employee with illegally exporting military infrared technology to South Korea without an export license; Army staff sergeant gets 7.5 years for aiding a government contractor in stealing $1.5 million in fuel from FOB Shank in eastern Afghanistan.

• South Korea installing underwater sensors near its border with North Korea. Better late than never, we suppose.

• BAE Systems thinks they’ve developed a viable anti-piracy laser weapon.

• Edwards AFB prepares to test the next generation of UAVs: Aerovironment’s Global Observer, Boeing’s X-45C Phantom Ray, and Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Pegasus N-UCAS.

• Boeing’s 787 and Airbus A380. What does their past decade teach us about requirements setting and engineering choices in other aerospace projects?

• Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance, which joined forces following the Air France KLM merger, announce a contract with Boeing to install the French E-3F AWACS fleet’s modification kits.

• Lockheed Martin participates in joint US Navy-Royal Navy ARTIST research program to develop advanced naval radar systems.

• Up to $47 million to URS to provide software engineering services support to the US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgen Division.

• Research and Markets: Japan’s defense spending is expected to increase at 3.22% per year, reaching $62.3 billion in 2015.

• Portland, OR-based Vigor Industrial to pay $130 million [PDF] for Seattle, WA-based Todd Shipyards, a military and civilian shipbuilder.

• The US government, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and the city of Moses Lake have agreed to spend $58 million to clean up the former Larson Air Force Base in Moses Lake, WA.

• US Army Ranger school, once considered a rite of passage is noticing a sharp drop in applicants, especially among NCOs. The substitute? Combat experience.

• Wall Street Journal wonders if we’re looking at a passenger aircraft economic bubble. They’re not the first to ask the question this year, and if it happened, there would be consequences in a number of military programs. One more reason for KC-X to get even more heated…

• South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense to issue defense white paper Thursday, decides not to refer to North as “main enemy.”

• ManTech closes $75 million acquisition of MTCSC, a Chula Visa, CA-based supplier of C4ISR systems to the USMC.

• CAE, a Montreal-based provider of military aviation simulation and training systems, falls short on free cash flow compared to US defense firms.