New LCS Timeline. Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley tells the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee that the cost of the last Littoral Combat Ship may go up because of budget-driven delays. Subcommittee chairman Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) asks about the Navy’s plans to defer one of the four fiscal year 2015 ships to FY ’16. Stackley replies that “losing the last ship of the block buy in ’15 and moving it to ’16 is another one of the casualties of the drop in the budget. What we are going to do–we have not engaged industry yet–we are going to sit down with the two shipbuilders associated with the LCS program and we are going to look at production schedules, the vendor base, and performance on the program and effectively look to extend the pricing validation date for that last ship between the two shipbuilders.” He adds that “I see zero impact in the shipyard based on the production schedules. The concern is regarding the vendor bases–we have to take a hard look at the sequence in which they’re ordering material for that last ship and try to ensure we don’t incur–there will be some cost impact, this isn’t going to go to zero–but to minimize the cost impact associated with delays in ordering material.”
…Carrier In ’16 Budget
. Stackley give
s the strongest indication yet that the Navy would maintain its 11-carrier fleet, saying at the hearing that “there is sufficient schedule margin at Newport News [shipyard] to delay the start of the CVN-73 [refueling and complex overhaul] a full year or more without impacting the start of the following carrier, CVN-74, and her refueling and overhaul. Therefore, the Navy is proceeding under [Program Objective Memorandum] ’16 guidance to program the CVN-73 refueling and complex overhaul, albeit delayed, pending a final determination, presumably following Congress’s action in the 2015 budget regarding the outyear budget assumptions.” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), whose state would do the refueling work on the aircraft carrier, asks for clarification on how the final determination would be made and when. Stackley tells him that Congress has three tools: public hearings, the National Defense Authorization Act and the budget bill, which today includes sequestration returning in fiscal year 2016. “We are leaning forward in terms of building our POM to put the carrier back in there. The signal, I don’t know how clear a signal we’re discussing here, but when the budget is at [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] at the end of this year, we have the ’15 NDAA, the ’15 appropriations bill in our hands, and all other public record and discourse has taken place between the department and the Congress, then at the secretary level I believe they’ll determine if we have the signal to send the carrier with the budget in ’16.”
Virginia Boat Delivery. General Dynamics Electric Boat expects to deliver the first block III version of the Virginia-class submarine about two months ahead of schedule. Kurt Hesch, Electric Boat vice president and Virginia class program manager, told Defense Daily the future USS North Dakota should be handed over to the Navy by the end of June. The block III ships were designed to increase affordability to be able to maintain a production rate of two per year, with some changes to the bow and with a new sonar, Hesch said. The North Dakota will also adopt vertical launch tubes similar to the ones used on the SSGNs, subs who ballistic missile tubes were converted to carry multiple Tomahawk cruise missiles. Moving away from single launch tubes for a missile to multiple launch tubes helps save money, Hesch said.
Mugu v. Beale. When the Navy began pursuing what is now called the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle program it initially planned to station the West Coast orbits at Beale Air Force Base in northern California to capitalize on synergies with the Air Force’s block 30 Global Hawks, which are a predecessor to Triton and share the same basic airframe. But when the Air Force decided two years ago to cancel the block 30s, the Navy switched to its base at Point Mugu in southern California. Now that the Air Force has revived the block 30s, the Navy has no plans to reverse the decision and send the Tritons to Beale. “There is no discussion of that,” Sean Burke, the Triton deputy program manager at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), said Tuesday at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space exposition. “We made our decision and we headed off in the direction of Point Mugu.” The Navy has begun to build in infrastructure at Mugu to support the Tritons and would also be able to gain synergies from depot facilities in southern California, he said.
Kudos to the X-47B. The Navy’s X-47B built by Northrop Grumman has won the National Aeronautic Association’s prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy, widely regarded as aviation’s top honor. The two X-47Bs are demonstrator aircraft the Navy used to experiment with operating large unmanned aerial vehicles on an aircraft carrier. Last year an X-47B became the first ever unmanned aircraft to catapult launch off an aircraft carrier. A couple months later autonomous flying X-47B made history again when it performed an arresting gear landing. The NAA consists of leaders in government, business and industry.
PAGE Time. iRobot co-founder and CYPHY Works CEO Helen Greiner is a presidential ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE), selected by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. PAGE consists of successful American businesspeople who have committed to sharing their time, energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs. Greiner says, “I was lucky to have come as a child to the U.S. (from England)–a place of limitless opportunity where you can follow your passion, create cool products and good paying jobs. I am thrilled to be a member of PAGE because I am passionate about entrepreneurship. I will use the position to promote the creation of scalable technology companies to improve quality of life, employment, employee growth, community prosperity, and social good.”
Drone War Talk. Experts from across the country gather today and tomorrow outside Los Angeles to talk about the international peace and security implications of America’s drone wars, as well as the use of preventive force. The April 14 and 15 conference is hosted by Loyola Marymount University. Participants include political scientists, philosophers, legal scholars, defense analysts, and representatives of non-governmental human rights organizations.
Support Work. Southern Research Institute’s Engineering Division is part of a Torch Technologies proposed team recently awarded a contract with a potential value of $71 million to support Redstone Arsenal’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center’s (AMRDEC) System Simulation and Development Directorate (SSDD). The award will support SSDD’s facilities and enhance and maintain its current suite of missile element modeling, digital simulation, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) and prototype development facilities.
Air & Missile Symposium. The Middle East Missile and Air Defense Symposium (MEMAD 2014), organized by the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, is hosted by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense and supported by the UAE air force and air defense. It takes place April 27 and 28 in Abu Dhabi. Gathering senior government and military officials, subject matter experts and industry partners, the event features two days of highly focused strategy- and technology-centric discussions. MEMAD 2014 will cover multiple dimensions of transitioning toward a multinational integrated air and missile defense architecture in the Arabian Gulf. A series of structured briefings and extended panel discussions will address subjects such as burden-sharing, capability synchronization, architecture design, asset and network integration for layered air and missile defense in the GCC.
New Leader. Erin Conaton is the new leader of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at Rand. With 15 years of experience in defense policy, programs and budgeting, for the past year she had been president of Conaton Strategies LLC, vice chairman of the congressionally-created National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force and non-resident senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Conaton replaces James Dobbins, who left Rand in May 2013 after President Obama named him special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Conaton will lead the center that analyzes changes in the international environment and helps DoD develop policies to shape that environment and advance U.S. interests.
History Repeating Itself. HASC Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) tells reporters on April 10 that he worries budget cuts would lead to bad choices in the near-term that would cause long-term harm to the force–similar to past decisions haunting the force today. “Past mistakes cause future problems. F-22 was cut way down from what it was supposed to be, and I know there will be talks into the future about cutting back the number of F-35s. And when you slow the production line, you increase the cost, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: they cost too much, we can’t afford them; and if we slow it down they cost too much, we can’t afford them.” McKeon says he thought the Air Force bomber fleet was in danger today–with only 20 B-2s despite a need for them in the Pacific–because the research and design work was done on a previous long-range bomber but the program was canceled before production started. The Air Force now must prioritize designing a new Long-Range Strike Bomber, which along with other acquisition programs is forcing the other service to retire legacy platforms in bulk.
SpaceX CRS-3. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) preps for its April 14 Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) 3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket will take place around 4:58 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The 45th Weather Squadron says there is a 30 percent chance of violating launch weather constraints on launch day. If the launch is successful, it may count toward SpaceX’s certification to be eligible to compete for national security space launch missions known as the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
AEHF Shipment. Northrop Grumman delivers its fourth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite payload module in February, according to a company statement. Arriving on Feb. 11, Northrop Grumman says this is two months early. Complex phased array and nulling antennas, along with advanced crosslinks, will be shipped later this year to complete payload delivery a full six months early. The payload module contains the processing, routing and control hardware and software that perform the satellite’s communications function. Launch for the fourth AEHF satellite is planned for 2017. AEHF is an Air Force program to provide two-way, jam-resistant transmission of tactical military communication such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data.
STRATCOM TTX. U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) hosts a space table tabletop exercise (TTX), bringing together key leaders from the Defense Department and allied nations to discuss the integration of space capabilities that provide mission-essential functions in a congested, contested and competitive space environment, according to a STRATCOM statement. Lessons learned from the Space TTX help guide the development of capabilities; improve the United States’ ability to detect threats against space assets and enhance resilience of its space architecture.
AWACS Upgrade. The Air Force completes its 40/45 block upgrade on its Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), which the service calls the fleet’s largest modification. The upgrade provides a complete replacement of mission computer systems, some of which were installed in the 1970s, and a new, open and network-based architecture, which enables future net-centric operations. Five of the upgraded aircraft have been delivered to the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., which operates the AWACS fleet. Boeing is the prime contractor for AWACS, which is an airborne early warning system supplying tactical and air defense forces with surveillance and command and control (C2) communications.
JASSM-ER. Lockheed Martin delivers its first production lot of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missiles to Dyess AFB, Texas, in March, according to a company statement. After nine years of testing, fielding began this month. JASSM and its extended range variant are autonomous, long-range, highly-survivable, conventional air-to-ground precision guided missiles. Although the B-1B bomber is the only Air Force aircraft employing JASSM-ER, Lockheed Martin says there are ongoing efforts to bring it to other aircraft, including the F-15E, F-16 and B-52.
R-R T-45. The Navy awards Rolls-Royce a contract worth more than $100 million to provide continued support for the F405 (Adour) engines that power the service’s T-45 training aircraft, according to a company statement. The follow-on contract is a one year deal. Rolls-Royce will provide intermediate, depot-level maintenance and related logistics support for more than 200 F405 engines in the Navy fleet. In addition to powering the T-45 Goshawk and other military aircraft, the Adour engine will also power the Hawk Advanced Jet Training System (AJTS) aircraft, which is a contender for the Air Force’s T-X trainer program.
Strategic Force Structure. The Defense Department announces its new Strategic Force Structure that it says will comply with the New START treaty, which limits the total number of deployed and non-deployed strategic delivery vehicles to 800. By Feb. 5, 2018, the total deployed and non-deployed force will consist of 454 ICBM launchers, 280 SLBM launchers and 66 heavy bombers. U.S. deployed forces will consist of 400 deployed ICBMs while there will also be 240 deployed SLBMs. DoD will also maintain 60 deployed nuclear capable heavy bombers for a total of 700 deployed strategic delivery vehicles, the treaty limit.
FAB-T. The Air Force delays its downselect for its Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T) program to no later than June 30, according to a service spokesman. The downselect has been delayed numerous times, with the latest being in April. The program, with an expected value of multiple billions of dollars, is being competed between Boeing and Raytheon. Boeing was the original contract award winner over a decade ago, but the Air Force brought in Raytheon to hedge its bet. FAB-T is to provide communications terminals so the president and DoD brass can communicate in the event of nuclear war.
GPS IIF-5. Boeing hands over its fifth Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite to the Air Force, according to a company statement. This means Boeing and the Air Force complete deployment and validation of the spacecraft’s systems, stabilizing the satellite and activating its navigation payload. Boeing is preparing GPS IIF-6 for a second quarter 2014 launch. GPS IIF is the Air Force’s precision navigation and timing (PNT) constellation.
Burke Retiring. Sharon Burke, the assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs, is stepping down May 9, according to DoD. Tom Morehouse, Burke’s principal deputy, will take over in an acting capacity after her departure. Burke is the inaugural assistant secretary for the office, which was created to strengthen the energy security of U.S. military operations. Burke took the helm in 2010.
More Sharing. Companies are sharing information with each other about cyber threats but only on a limited basis and need to do more, says Rand Beers, White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, However, he says, this “sharing needs to expand dramatically,” adding that Thursday’s statement by the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission that antitrust concerns should not be an inhibitor to sharing cyber threat data between private companies will enable such sharing. “Let me be clear,” he says, “the federal government wants companies to communicate with each other about threats. We are not standing in the way. In fact, we are doing just the opposite.”
Boston Strong. The actions taken by first responders in April 2013 following two bomb explosions during the Boston Marathon show that nearly 10 years after the creating of the National Incident Management Systems, “incident command works,” Herman “Dutch” Leonard, a Harvard Univ. professor, tells the House Homeland Security Committee. He says the coordinated response that included federal, state and local agencies wasn’t due to chance but to exercises and training, demonstrating that other communities can be just as ready when there is a sudden crisis.
…Core Elements. Leonard says the key characteristics behind the effective response in Boston include “the rapid formation of an effective command and coordination structure that oversaw and directed all elements of the response.” The “tens of thousands of hours” that went into planning, exercises and previous operations such as the 2004 Democratic National Convention created the knowledge and lessons that were effectively applied after the bombings, he says. Finally, he says, joint planning and practicing of interagency coordination makes incident response go smoothly. “The single most important lesson of our research is that routine and constant practices and use of incident command is one of the best investments a community can make in its present well-being and against any future dark day that might arise,” Leonard says.