The US Army in the 21st century is an army on the computer and the network. Whether in a Kabul command post, on a Kandahar patrol, or at a Pentagon desk, the Army relies on desktop and laptop computers to stay connected and access intelligence.
Army laptops and desktops are made by the same companies that supply computers in the commercial marketplace: HP, Dell, Apple, Samsung, and others. To get the best deal on COTS computers, in 2005 the Army instituted the consolidated buy (CB) program, which enables Army customers to get laptops, desktops, and other computer equipment at bulk prices, even if they only purchase one at a time. The program is intended to save the Army money and ensure that computers purchased comply with Army IT technical and security standards. The Army estimates that its CB program has saved it millions of dollars on purchases of computer equipment since 2005.
This article examines the Army’s CB program for buying laptop and desktop computers, printers, and peripherals, and the contracts awarded to implement the program.
BAE signs a deal to use Iveco’s SUPERAV 8×8 amphibious wheeled APC as the basis for the US Marines’ upcoming MPC competition. That doesn’t look like good news for BAE’s own SEP; Patria Oyj & Lockheed announced an AMV MPC entry in 2007…
India’s Samay Live reports tough conditions attached to use of Pakistan’s new F-16s…
SAIC snags follow-on contract worth up to $49 million to support video processing capability of USAF DCGS, a globally networked ISR system.
Russia moves to keep up, with new President-S helicopter active protection system to defeat portable anti-aircraft missiles. Irony alert: most of the missiles likely to threaten Russian helicopters these days are Russian designs.
Environmental Tectonics wins $38 million contract to supply 4 USAF research altitude chambers to study pilots’ reactions to high-altitude flight.
Chinese defense firms – including China North Industries (NORINCO) and Poly Technologies – exhibit tanks and other military equipment at Paris-based Eurosatory trade fair for 1st time.
“The sun in the sky: The relationship between Pakistan’s ISI and Afghan insurgents” [PDF Report | BBC | al-Jazeera interview] by Harvard’s Matt Waldman and London School of Economics analysts cites Taliban commanders, alleges that Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service still plays a key role in supplying and advising the Taliban. Recent seizures coming from Iran [PDF] add a second dimension of foreign support.
Czech Aero Vodochody contracts with Algeria to refurbish and support its L-39 Albatros jet trainers. The L-39 is the world’s most widely-deployed jet trainer, but few new sales mean that refurbishment and support contracts are critical for Aero.
Sailing away: Russia’s United Industrial Corp. plans to sell the Severnaya Verf and Baltiysky Zavod shipyards in St. Petersburg to the state-run United Shipbuilding Corp.
Lockheed pushes Indian C-130J-30s to final stations on the manufacturing line, promises in-India delivery in February 2011.
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 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:
June 9/10: Finmeccanica subsidiary SELEX Sistemi Integrati announces [PDF] a 5-year, EUR 238 million contract from the Italian Ministry of Defence’s Land Armaments General Directorate, for a digitized system known as Forza NEC (Network Enabled Capability). The contract covers the manufacture and integration of command posts in shelters and vehicles; communication, command and control devices for soldiers under the Soldato Futuro program; unmanned vehicles equipped with sensors; and systems offering full interoperability between the Italian armed forces and the forces of other countries. A test laboratory consisting of numerous military centers connected in a network will also be delivered.
SELEX Sistemi Integrati is the main supplier and system integrator, but they will work with a very broad alliance of Italian firms. Other Finmeccanica companies such as SELEX Communications, SELEX Galileo, Elsag Datamat, Oto Melara, AgustaWestland, and MBDA Italia are included. So are independent firms like Elettronica, Iveco, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, the Iveco-Oto Melara consortium, and the Soldato Futuro consortium.
Battlefield command systems are becoming the backbone of any modern land force…
In June 2010, India’s largest privately-owned ship-builder, Pipavav Shipyard, won a Rs 2,600 crore (about $553.5 million) contract, as the lowest bidder to build 5 new 110m, 2,000t offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Indian Navy. These would be more than mere coastal patrol boats, with expeditionary range throughout the Indian Ocean and beyond. A good comparison might be the US Coast Guard’s current fleet of 115m, 2,950t Hamilton Class high endurance cutters. With 2 of the globe’s major centers of piracy standing athwart their shipping lanes in the western Indian Ocean, and through the Straits of Malacca, large patrol vessels with good endurance are an important part of India’s force mix.
On an industrial level, this is a significant contract for Gurjat’s Pipavav shipyard, for 2 reasons. One is that it swells their order book by almost a third, to 7,000 crore. The other is that it marks their first foray into Indian military shipbuilding. India’s government is beginning to place more emphasis on trade, and their location gives them natural maritime interests. Prime Minister Singh sees a strong private shipbuilding sector as part of that push, and a 2009 policy proposal sought to nurture that sector by having them build smaller-size vessels for the coast guard and navy. Larger defense contracts would be left to the few state-controlled shipyards that have executed them in the past – but Pipavav has expressed the intention before of moving up to more complex naval ships, as they gain expertise. India’s Economic Times | India’s ET on PM Singh speech | Pipavav Shipyard news.
