* The US Congressional Budget Office put together a presentation [PDF] on DoD’s budget prospects for the next 10 years. They note that not only DoD’s 5-year plan is above sequester caps by $60B-$90B a year, but acquisition, operations & maintenance, and personnel each have their own inflationary momentum that makes the mismatch between Pentagon planning and BCA caps even more acute.
* Likewise, Elana Broitman, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for manufacturing, is skeptical of optimistic forecasts issued by prime contractors.
* But with the return of an unfunded wishlist to Congress in the soon-coming FY15 President budget request, the focus on the Hill is going to be on unwinding and preempting program cuts, not implementing them.
Pentagon Staff
* Bob Work is confirmed as the Administration’s pick as as the next deputy secretary of defense.
* USAF Lt. Gen. Paul Selva has been promoted from commander of Air Mobility Command to heading the whole of TRANSCOM.
Safety Matters
* New USAF aviator locator beacons, which are critical for finding pilots who have ejected or been shot down, work only 55% of the time. Not acceptable.
* Rolls-Royce is taken to court by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive over submarine radiation claims at its Derby plant.
Northern Naval News
* Sweden has accepted an SDL-SS system that links small warships like its Visby Class corvettes to USV/UAVs, and also to helicopters, for joint anti-submarine operations.
* Russia to arm its warships with a new air defense system. It’s a navalized variant of the land-based Tor-M2KM (upgraded SA-15), and will replace the existing SA-N-9 Gauntlet systems, which were based on the original Tor system.
Success Usually Starts with Failure
* Google Glass + GoPro camera + a bunch of sensors mounted on a model rocket… turned into a short-lived experiment as the rocket didn’t fly as high as expected, its parachute failed to open, and the camera was destroyed as the rocket crashed back to earth. But this sort of tinkering is still worth paying attention to. Video below:
