Satellite Export Controls. Export controls of commercial satellites and related components loosen Nov. 10, according to a Federal Register
notice. Category XV of the U.S. Munitions List (USML) traditionally-treated commercial satellites and related components as strictly-controlled. The move to the less-strict Commerce Control List (CCL) allows companies to export commercial satellites and components to friendly nations. The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) welcomes the change in a Nov. 10 statement, saying it ensures the U.S. space industrial base’s ability to compete in global markets for years to come. AIA was critical of the heavy-control on commercial satellites, claiming it caused U.S. industry to lose critical market share to foreign competitors.
…Rep. Smith Praises Changes. HASC ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) praises the export control changes, saying: “Overly restrictive controls on exports have hampered the U.S. defense industrial base for too long. In order to ensure that we have the cutting edge technology and equipment necessary to protect national security, we must work to make sure that our defense industries are able to compete in the defense marketplace. The previous control regime hindered the ability of U.S. companies to compete in the international market place. The new requirements are a welcome change that will be good for the economy and national security.”
Air Force Paveway. The Air Force awards Lockheed Martin a $40 million contract and Raytheon $31 million for follow-on production of Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits. Lockheed Martin says it is the eighth contract award under a five year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract. Deliveries will begin in July 2015 and will include computer control groups and airfoil groups for GBU-10 and GBU-12 bombs. Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Melissa Hilliard says this is the FY ’14 delivery order against an August 2011 contract award to Lockheed Martin and Raytheon worth a combined $475 million for seekers and tailkits. The Paveway II Plus LGB kits incorporate an upgraded laser guidance package. 
Raytheon Griffin. The Air Force awards Raytheon a not-to-exceed $86 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract for Griffin missiles and support, according to a company statement. The first increment of the contract is funded at $33 million and orders are expected for missiles and engineering services over the life of the contract. Raytheon will also deliver Griffin A and B Block II/III missiles as well as test and support equipment. Work is expected to be completed by Oct. 30, 2017, and the award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. The Griffin missile is a multi-platform, multi-service weapon.
SpaceX Micro Sats. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is in the early stages of developing advanced micro-satellites operating in large formation, company founder and CEO Elon Musk says on Twitter. Musk says an announcement will come in two to three months. Company spokesman John Taylor declined to comment further.
USSTRATCOM-Australia. U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) chief Navy Adm. Cecil Haney meets with Australian Defense Force military and senior leaders Nov. 4-7, according to a USSTRATCOM statement. The visit includes discussions about opportunities for closer cooperation in space, cyberspace, ballistic missile defense and other areas of common interest. Haney says although he had previously visited Australia during his time as the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet commander, this was his first visit to Australia as USSTRATCOM chief.
Lockheed Martin-SBIRS. The Air Force Nov. 7 awards Lockheed Martin a $63 million modification to a previously-awarded contract for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Survivable Endurable Evolution increment two effort, according to a DoD statement. Lockheed Martin will provide contractor logistics support and major sustainment modification to the current SBIRS mobile ground system’s data processing for both the Defense Support Program and SBIRS geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites. In addition, this effort will provide the required operation shelters to the SBIRS mobile ground terminals to perform limited GEO satellite commanding. The SBIRS Endurable Evolution (S2E2) will replace the mobile ground system (MGS).
B61-12. Boeing in 2014 reaches a number of milestones in its B61-12 tail kit assembly (TKA) program by starting accelerated life testing of TKA components in June and completing two initial separation test vehicle drop tests in the summer, according to spokeswoman Katie Kelly. Boeing supports the B61-12 Life Extension Program (LEP), Kelly said, by providing a highly-reliable tail kit needed to provide guidance for the system. Boeing prepares for guided flight testing of the B61 All Up Round (AUR) scheduled to occur in 2015, she said. The B61-12 LEP is a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) program to refurbish both nuclear and non-nuclear components of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb and, with the Air Force’s TKA, will replace the existing B61-3, -4, -7 and -10 bombs. The B61-12 will also enable the retirement of the B83, the last U.S. megaton class weapon in the mid to late 2020s, according to NNSA.
Orion Arrives. The Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft arrives at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Nov. 12, in preparation for its first test flight, according to a company statement. It also mates to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket, which Lockheed Martin contracted for the flight. Over the next few weeks, the rocket and spacecraft will be integrated and powered up and engineers will test and verify interfaces in preparation for the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Dec. 4. During EFT-1, the uncrewed spacecraft will travel 3,600 miles beyond earth–15 times further than the International Space Station (ISS). That same day, Orion will return to earth at a speed of approximately 20,000 mph for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Orion is NASA’s future crewed space vehicle.
Global Hawk Sustainment. The Air Force Oct. 1 awards Northrop Grumman a $306 million contract to continue RQ-4 Global Hawk logistics and sustainment services, according to a company statement. The new agreement continues an existing contract for Global Hawk maintenance, inventory management, parts procurement and other tasks necessary to ensure the availability of Global Hawk, which is a remotely piloted autonomous unmanned aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system.
ISS Joint Statement. The International Space Station (ISS) partner agencies are working through their respective government procedures for continued ISS utilization through at least 2020, according to a Nov. 4 joint statement issued by NASA. The partner agencies are Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the U.S. The partner nations also note ongoing work for a similar extension like the U.S.’ commitment through 2024. The statement comes after the partner nations met in Paris, where they noted the stable, solid and robust ISS partnership that will serve as the basis for working together in future human exploration.
Raytheon DCGS. The Air Force awards Raytheon a $175 million follow-on contract to provide field support for high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and the Distributed Command Ground System (DCGS), according to a company statement. Raytheon says this is the 15th year it has successfully partnered with the Air Force on this contract, where it provides around-the-clock contractor field services to the warfighter at numerous sites around the globe. These services include: system maintenance, operations training, pre-flight system checks and mission support during flights, among others.
Secret Service Findings. The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday issued an executive summary of one of two separate investigations in to White House break in September, with the report citing shortcomings by the Secret Service in training, staffing decisions, communication, pre-incident intelligence, multiple databases lacking interoperability. The report, conducted internally and overseen by Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, says several of the Secret Service agency’s communications systems failed during the incident, preventing the relevant personnel from stopping Omar Gonzalez after he jumped the White House perimeter fence. “A combination of technical missteps, lack of radio discipline, improper use of equipment, and aging infrastructure contributed to communications failures on the date of the incident that delayed notification to key officers,” says the Executive Summary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Report on the White House Incursion Incident of September 19, 2014.
…Database Overlap. The report also says that the Secret Service relies on multiple databases for the “collection and distribution of protective and/or criminal information,” adding that they lack interoperability and have different levels of accessibility. “Given the number of distinct databases that contain different information with varying levels of accessibility, many officers expressed confusion or misunderstandings about the various databases,” the report says. Consequently, Secret Service personnel that interacted with Gonzalez nearly a month before the incident didn’t have access to information in some of the databases, which “may have allowed them to change the tenor and consequences of the discussion with Gonzalez,” it says.
…Resources and Culture. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, says that the report shows the Secret Service’s response to the incident was “significantly hampered…because of critical and major failures in communications, confusion about operational protocols, and gaps in staffing and training. While some of these problems can be attributed to a lack of resources, others are systemic and indicative of Secret Service culture.” In addition to the DHS internal report, the department appointed an outside panel to review the White House incident and several other recent failures by the Secret Service. That report is due by Dec. 15.
DHS Nominees. A Senate panel on Wednesday approved two nominees to senior positions at the Department of Homeland Security, including Sarah Saldana to be an assistant secretary leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Russell Deyo to be Under Secretary for Management. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the nominees en bloc by vote. The Senate must still confirm Saldana and Deyo. ICE has been without an appointed leader for 16 months.
HASC Member Enters Election Runoff. A week after the midterm elections, House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.) is 161 votes behind his Republican challenger, retired Air Force colonel Martha McSally. The two will head to the state’s first-ever general election automatically generated recount, which only happens when less than 200 votes separate candidates. McSally declared victory on Wednesday despite the pending recount, saying “All ballots are now counted and the voters have made their choice. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve seen from across Southern Arizona. … While we still have a recount to go, we expect similar results and will provide the necessary oversight to ensure accurate results.”
Chiu Joins Atlantic Council. The Atlantic Council names Daniel Chiu, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, as its new deputy director of its Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. Chiu led work on the 2010 and 2014 Quadrennial Defense Reviews and the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance. “His ability to think creatively and strategically on the most important issues of the day will be a vital asset to the Council’s growing work on emerging security challenges and strategy,” Atlantic Council Vice President and Scowcroft Center Director Barry Pavel says in a statement.
SASC Nomination Hearing Scheduled. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Dec. 2 to consider several recent nominations. Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense for plans, was nominated to be the assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities. David Berteau, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, was nominated to be the assistant secretary of defense for logistics and materiel readiness. Alissa Starzak, a deputy general counsel for the Defense Department, was nominated to be the Army’s general counsel. And Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the Navy’s U.S. Pacific Fleet, was nominated to succeed Adm. Samuel Locklear as commander of the United States Pacific Command.