* The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is to award a sole source contract to Raytheon/BBN, SRI, and Leidos for Phases 4 and 5 of its Robust Automatic Transcription of Speech (RATS) program, whose purpose is to detect speech in very noisy environments. Does it involve filming potato chip bags?
* DARPA is also working on the self-explanatory Wireless Network Defense (WND) program. Here’s the briefing [PDF] delivered at an industry day last month. Proposals for their Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) are due by September 3.
From the Dept of Bad Romance Novels
* That the Commanding Officer of USS Cowpens (CG 63) would spend two months in his cabin for a relatively mild illness is weird in its own right. That a female junior officer – aptly named Destiny Savage – would then become de facto acting XO and essentially move in with the (resting in his cabin) XO is not just obviously improper but downright bizarre. Someone please draw a genre-appropriate steamy book cover. Gannett | CDR Salamander.
* Just 2 weeks ago the UK’s Royal Navy relieved [Plymouth Herald] their first female warship commander because of claims she had an affair with her 3rd in command onboard HMS Portland. Good luck trying to make this work, not just on surface ships but also in American, British, and French submarines.
Asia
* India’s BJP government followed through on its promise that the ceiling on foreign direct investment in defense firms would be raised from 26% to 49%. This rolls back the most stringent restrictions pushed by the previous administration, but does not really open things up as Indian firms will continue to remain in charge of defense joint ventures. The Economic Times.
Middle East
* Turkey wants to increase its weapons exports, with a focus on African and South American markets, where Russia usually has an edge and far from Turkey’s more natural projection in the Middle East and Central Asia. International Business Times.
* The Islamic State continues to gain ground in northern Iraq, reports Reuters.
* Today’s video from Stratfor discusses the differences between the Islamic State and Al Qaida:
