Rapid Fire 2010-10-06: Trinidad and Tobago Cancels Patrol Vessels

• Changing the Rules: The UK government plans to rewrite the rules governing defense contracts.

• Mexico’s “Blog Del Narco” has stepped into a media void as the go-to publication for Cartel War reporting, used as a source – and a tool. Welcome to the blogging dimension of information war.

• Going Green: US military turns to renewable energy to reduce vulnerability of fuel supply in Afghanistan. Read DID’s “Frontline Commanders Requesting Renewable Power Options” for more in-depth background.

• After a series of construction delays on the GBP 150 million contract, Trinidad and Tobago doesn’t want their 3 BAE OPV patrol vessels any more, even though 2 have finished sea trials. While BAE pursues negotiations with its customer, one observer thinks the US Coast Guard should take a look.

• NATO’s theater missile defense systems are slowly coming together, from ALTBMD to CAOC improvements, and could be upgraded for around EUR 200 million/ $268 million.

• Strategic Buy: FLIR Systems, a Portland, OR-based thermal imaging equipment maker, completes acquisition of ICx Technologies, a supplier of CBRNE sensing technologies, for $268 million.

• Training Wheels: L-3 receives a $91 million USAF contract to provide logistics support for the T-1A Jayhawk jet trainer.

• The Fighting Seabees: Navistar Defense snags $18.9 million contract to supply 38 International 5000-MV [PDF] heavy truck tractors to the US Navy Seabees.

• Northrop Grumman’s AMSEC gets $10 million contract to provide engineering and logistics support to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Philadelphia.

Laser Designators for RQ-7 Shadow UAVs

Shadow 200 in Iraq

Local US military surveillance/strike capabilities have been growing with SecDef Robert Gates’ strong support for more attention to the needs of the counterinsurgency fight. Surveillance is part of that, but it needs to be backed by action. Pending and emerging approaches tie UAVs, manned propeller planes, artillery, and helicopters into a cohesive, fast, and flexible solution for finding, identifying, and capturing or killing opponents.

Another piece of that puzzle is about to fall into place…