Obama Sequestered. President Barack Obama says he is “frustrated” that “sometimes the very folks who say they stand with our military proudly are the same ones who are standing in the way of fixing the sequester.” His comments, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendelton, Calif., are an apparent dig at Republican hawks in Congress with whom he disagrees on a plan for ending the $1
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billion-plus, decade-long spending cuts–half of which would come from the Pentagon. He tells the troops in the audience that to protect national security “we’ve always got to look and make sure we’re dealing with our deficits and our debt.” He adds: “If our economy is strong, that means the military will be strong. If our economy is weak, that weakens our military. But our deficits right now are falling at the fastest rate in decades. We’ve cut them in half and they keep on moving in the right direction. In that context, Congress needs to agree on a responsible plan that reduces our deficits but also keeps our military strong, also invests in education, also invests in research, also invests in our infrastructure.”
Inhofe In. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, plans to run for a fourth term, he announces Aug. 7 on Oklahoma radio station KJRH. He list of top priorities, though, are not related to the military. His office says in a statement that he wants to focus on three things he “believes President Obama is leaving behind: gun rights in America, the war on fossil fuels, and regulations brought against U.S. farmers.” He says he has “an obligation to do the things that others aren’t willing to do or don’t have the knowledge to do,” saying “that’s why I’m running.” Inhofe will be 80 years old when his potential fourth six-year term starts.
Skelton Nod. Obama nominates former House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat, to serve as a member of the World War I Centennial Commission. The White House announces the appointment Aug. 8. Skelton served in the House from 1977 to 2011 and chaired the House panel from 2007 to 2011. He is now a partner at the law firm of Husch Blackwell LLP. Skelton’s father, Ike Skelton, Sr., served in the Navy during World War I and was a fireman aboard the USS Missouri.
Russian Talks. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Russian Minister of Defense Shoygu hold their first meeting as military leaders, before formal “2+2” sessions with Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, the Pentagon says Aug. 9. “Secretary Hagel and Minister Shoygu agreed that it is time to build a more robust agenda for military cooperation and directed their staffs to put together a plan for more regular and frequent engagement,” spokesman George Little says in a statement. He adds that Hagel said the Pentagon “is determined to overcome impediments to deeper cooperation by concluding necessary enabling agreements that will allow for improved information sharing, exchanges, joint exercises, and training.” They also discussed security and stability in Afghanistan after 2014 and the “importance” of supporting a political process to end violence in Syria.
Cyber Bill. The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee last month introduced the Cyber Security Act of 2013 (S. 1353), which would give the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) authority to facilitate and support the development of voluntary, industry-led cyber standards and best practices for critical infrastructure. NIST is actually doing that now through a presidential executive order that calls for the agency to create a Cybersecurity Framework of standards and best practices that critical infrastructures can voluntarily implement. The bill also directs the federal government to support cyber security research and improve the nation’s workforce to deal with cyber threats.
19th DMSP. The Air Force, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman successfully deliver the 19th Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Block 5D3 weather satellite Aug. 1 to Vandenberg AFB, Calif., where it will be prepared for a March 2014 launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, according to a Lockheed Martin statement. DMSP-19 arrived on a C-17 from Travis AFB, Calif., and will now undergo final launch preparations, encapsulation and transport over the next 250 days. DMSP satellites over the last 50 years have fulfilled military requirements for global atmospheric, oceanic, terrestrial and space environment information. Military users through these satellites find, track and forecast weather systems over remote and hostile areas for deployed troops. DMSP additionally supports a broad range of civil users with sensing capabilities not provided by United States civil and foreign weather satellite systems. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
SSL MILSATCOM. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (AFSMC) awards Space Systems/Loral (SSL) a $4.2 million contract option to continue developing and demonstrating affordable design concepts for next-generation protected military satellite communications (MILSATCOM), according to a company statement. For this effort, SSL is leveraging its experience to develop cost effective solutions for secure SATCOM connectivity for highly mobile platforms such as remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) and ground command and control (C2) vehicles operating in contested environments. SSL is a provider of satellites and spacecraft systems for commercial and government customers.
…SSL TVC. SSL successfully completes the assembly, installation and placement of a new thermal vacuum chamber (TVC) shell at its Palo Alto, Calif., satellite manufacturing facility, according to a company statement. The chamber shell has completed preliminary pressure testing and construction of the building in which it will be housed is underway. The TVC will increase SSL’s production capacity and improve testing efficiency for satellite operators who need to meet aggressive procurement schedules. The new front loading TVC, which has an internal diameter of 27 feet and is 50 feet long, will serve as a second spacecraft testing facility operating simultaneously with the existing TVC. The new TVC shell was successfully installed in June.
SpaceX Germany. Germany awards Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) a contract to provide the launch services for the country’s second-generation radar reconnaissance satellite system, according to a company statement. The satellites, provided by OHB System AG and Astrium GmbH, will replace the current constellation and will be delivered to orbit by two Falcon 9 rockets in 2018 and 2019. OHB will build two passive-antenna synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites and Astrium GmbH will build a larger, phased-array-antenna satellite under contract for OHB. The three satellite constellation will replace the current OHB-built five satellite SAR-Lupe constellation. SpaceX’s recent test of its Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) reusable rocket prototype in July leaped 325 meters, more than four times higher than its previous attempt. Astrium GmbH is a division of European Aeronautic Space and Defense Co. (EADS).
Astro Aerospace. A deployable reflector and boom system made by Northrop Grumman strategic business unit Astro Aerospace successfully deploys on-orbit Aug. 3 aboard the Alphasat spacecraft, according to a Northrop Grumman statement. Alphasat will provide commercial broadband telecommunications services to Europe, Africa and parts of Asia. Developed by prime contractor Astrium, a division of European Aeronautic Space and Defense Co. (EADS), Alphasat was launched July 25. The spacecraft, one of the largest telecommunications satellites in the world and the first satellite to use the high-capacity Alphabus platform, is carrying a commercial payload for Inmarsat and four technology demonstration payloads for the European Space Agency (ESA).
New REF Director. Col. Steven Sliwa is now director of the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF), taking the helm at Fort Belvoir, Va., last week. “The REF is an extremely unique and capable organization that has proven its utility to the warfighter time and time again,” Sliwa says. The REF is singularly focused on providing soldiers with operational capabilities as quickly as possible. In his first week, Sliwa emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on the soldiers in Afghanistan. “Fewer Soldiers on the battlefield translates into reduced infrastructure and capabilities for those remaining. REF is the right Army organization to rapidly equip and to continue to meet urgent operational needs as they occur,” he says.
Here Come The Echoes. The Army’s newest versions of Boeing’s AH-64 Apache, the E model nicknamed the Guardian, will head off to Afghanistan in the third quarter of next year, says Col. Jeff Hager, project manager, Apache Attack Helicopter. To date, he says during M-TADS/PNVS million flying hour ceremonies last week that a total of 41 of the Echo models have been delivered. The new aircraft in the designated armed reconnaissance battalion will take with it the Unmanned Aerial Systems Tactical Common Data Link Assembly (UTA), which gives them the capability to talk to the Army’s Gray Eagle multi-role unmanned aircraft in theater, Hager says.
New Board Members. TISTA Science and Technology Corp., a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (DVOSB) and 8(a) IT and engineering company, names retired Air Force Col. William (Bill) George Gregory and retired Navy Rear Adm. Miles Wachendorf to its Board of Advisors. They join three other advisors who will provide senior guidance to TISTA’s executive leadership on the direction and growth of the company. Former astronaut Gregory and former nuclear and strategic missile submariner Wachendorf join company advisors: retired Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, former DIA director, retired Lt. Gen. Bob Wood, former director of Joint Experimentation in the U.S. Joint Forces Command and Albert Krachman, legal advisor on government contracting.
ASEAN Anniversary. The United States joins the 600 million people of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam marking the 46th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN. ASEAN plays a critical and growing role in Asia through promoting regional integration and maintaining regional security, Secretary of State John Kerry says in an Aug. 6 press statement. “The United States is deeply committed to supporting and partnering with ASEAN. The United States was the first dialogue partner nation to establish a dedicated mission to ASEAN. Our engagement with ASEAN has led to collaboration on everything from maritime security to investing in sustainable energy resources to development in the Lower Mekong sub-region.”