Drone Connectivity. A General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger demonstrated “hardware-agnostic, open standard-based autonomy” for Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) in a flight test on Nov. 13, the company said this week, through the use of three software-defined radios (SDRs) by L3Harris Technologies that supported line-of-sight command and control and data movement via Waveform X. “One SDR, an L3Harris’ Pantera, was integrated into the MQ-20 unmanned aircraft, and a second was on the ground working in concert with a third L3Harris SDR, BANSHEE 2, which was on the ground as part of the Mission Control Element, forming an IP-based Mesh Network,” General Atomics said. “The demonstration showcased Waveform X, a non-proprietary U.S. government-owned communications capability, and the ability to fly, flip, fly flight hardware as part of the Open Mission Systems (OMS) and skills based unmanned autonomy ecosystem. The flight demonstrated the ability to rapidly plug and play both U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force (USAF) autonomous unmanned technologies together. It further leveraged autonomy from three separate sources: government-provided human-machine interface (HMI) hardware, GA-ASI’s autonomy core, and orchestration of these components using Waveform X.”
First Commander.
Established on June 24, 2022 at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, the National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC), also known as Delta 18, is an all-source space analysis hub under the U.S. Space Force’s Space Operations Command (SpOC) to complement the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), also based at Wright-Patterson. NSIC’s inaugural director, Col. Marqus Randall, a career intelligence officer, is likely to receive a new assignment by this summer. Col. Marcus Starks, a staffer for Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, the Department of the Air Force’s deputy chief of space operations for intelligence, is to replace Randall as the head of NSIC. “Our charge is to look 5, 10, 20-plus years out to determine what adversaries are doing and planning to do,” Randall says of NSIC.
…More Than “China, China, China.” In addition to China and Russia, “we have to pay attention to the rest of the world,” Randall says. “We have to be prepared for that space 9/11. If and when something happens, we’re gonna be the first place that people are gonna come and ask, ‘What just happened?’ On October 6th [last year], nobody was looking at Israel or Hamas. Since Oct. 7, we’ve been ‘China, China, China’ and Russia, but we’ve also been asked about Israel and Hamas. With regard to denied first mover advantage, likewise, understanding adversary capabilities, intent, and actions, we have to be able to relay to our joint warfighters and even our acquisition community our understanding of the adversary capabilities, their perceptions, what they’re planning to do. A huge part of that is the use of modeling and simulation, how we take our understanding of those capabilities, model it, and put it into a joint or combined simulation environment with our allies and partners and determine those warfighting TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures) and what systems we need to develop and field.”
…Space Superiority. When it comes to space superiority, U.S. military space leaders have publicly said that the U.S. focus has shifted in the last decade from defensive “counterspace” to one with more offense. Counterspace “often gets the limelight and the focus when you look at defending ours,” Randall says. “For us, that’s the 2nd Space Analysis Squadron, which does the counterspace analysis for the center where we look at adversary capability to impact our space systems, not just on orbit, but terrestrially. [The head of U.S. Space Command] Gen. [Stephen] Whiting often says that cyberspace is the vulnerable underbelly of our space systems so we take a look at how we defend our systems when it comes to space superiority…Part of space superiority is also protecting the joint force from space /space-enabled threats. Part of that also means understanding what space or space-able capabilities our adversaries are developing that they can use either directly as a space threat or enable things like long-range or intercontinental ballistic missiles or even communications or PNT (positioning, navigation, and timing). As far as our ability to threaten theirs, the [NSIC] 1st Space Analysis Squadron looks at foreign adversaries’ space and space-able capabilities and understanding how they work, and, from a ‘kill web’ perspective, how do we impact those capabilities and what they’re being used for.”
More SRM Work. Evolution Space, which is developing solid rocket motors (SRMs) and launch vehicles, has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Air Force AFWERX unit to study solid propulsion hypersonic boost and target solutions. “We focused on agile product development and iterative testing first, allowing us to rapidly respond to today’s expanding propulsion needs,” Josh Marine, Evolution’s vice president of operations, said in a statement. Last fall, California-based Evolution began construction on a solid propulsion center and solid rocket motor testing facility at NASA’s Stennis Center in Mississippi.
DHS Blue UAS. The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has issued a Request for Information from vendors that can supply unmanned aircraft systems for the Blue List UAS System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) project. SAVER is managed by S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, which assesses and validates products and technologies to help emergency responders make procurement decisions. The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit oversees the Blue UAS List, which are U.S.-made drones that are vetted to meet cybersecurity requirements. The small drones of interest to DHS are offered by Ascent AeroSystems, Flight Wave Aerospace, Freefly Systems, Inspired Flight, Parrot Drones, Skydio, and Teal Drones.
A&D Acquisition. RTC Aerospace, a manufacturer of complex machined components and high-precision parts for military and commercial aircraft, has acquired Vanderhorst Brothers Industries, which offers the same capabilities for the aerospace, defense, and space industries. Both companies are based in California and serve Tier 1 and original equipment manufacturer customers. RTC, which is a portfolio company of Stellex Capital Management, said the acquisition expands its capabilities, complements its customer base, and bolsters its presence in Southern California.
People News. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week by a vote of 7-1 approved the nomination of Jeff Rezmovic to be the chief financial officer of the Department of Homeland Security. The nomination, which was approved by the committee last year, must still pass the Senate. Leidos last week announced two new appointments, with Ryan Colvert joining the company as vice president of government affairs and Daniel Antal as general counsel and corporate secretary. Colvert previously was senior director of defense programs for BWX Technologies and Antal was general counsel for Rolls-Royce Defense and North America. Antal will succeed Jeral Howe effective April 1. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Balan Ayyar, the founder and CEO of percipient.ai, has been appointed to the board of directors of Serco Inc., the U.S.-based arm of Britain’s Serco.
DIB Consortium. The Pentagon announced on Jan. 17 it has selected non-profit research institution Advanced Technology International (ATI) to manage the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), which it said aims to “enable rapid research and allow access to commercial solutions for defense requirements and innovations from industry, academia, and non-traditional contractors.” “The Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) will not only help stimulate the growth of the defense industrial base, but it will also enable more rapid execution of Defense Production Act funding,” Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, said in a statement. “Additionally, this helps us execute the National Defense Industrial Strategy, address defense supply chain pain points, develop the industrial workforce, sustain critical production, and allow for complementary investments from other federal agencies to build a robust, resilient, and modernized defense industrial ecosystem.” ATI will manage the DIBC under a 10-year OTA agreement, according to the Pentagon.
White House Meeting. President Biden on Jan. 17 hosted congressional leadership and the heads of the House and Senate Armed Services, Appropriations, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees to discuss the “urgent need for Congress to continue supporting Ukraine.” The meeting was held as Congress has yet to pass the proposed national security supplemental spending bill, with more aid for Ukraine and Israel, and as the White House has approved the last assistance package for Kyiv pending additional funding. “In the meeting, President Biden underscored the importance of Congress ensuring Ukraine has the resources it needs—including air defense and artillery capabilities—to defend itself against Russia’s brutal invasion. The President discussed the strategic consequences of inaction for Ukraine, the United States, and the world. He was clear: Congress’s continued failure to act endangers the United States’ national security, the NATO Alliance, and the rest of the free world,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting.
…Schumer Perspective. A Senate procedural vote on the supplemental bill stalled out in December, with the upper chamber continuing to work on border security negotiations to gain additional Republican support for the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the Wednesday discussion at the White House was a “very good meeting.” “There was tremendous focus on Ukraine, and an understanding that if we don’t come to Ukraine’s aid, that the consequences for America around the globe would be nothing short of devastating,” Schumer said in remarks following the meeting. “We also talked about the border and how it’s so important to deal with the border. The president himself said over and over again that he is willing to move forward on border [policy]. And so we said we have to do both. There were a couple of people in the room that said let’s do border [policy] first. We said we have to do both together.”
CVN-78 Home. The newest aircraft carrier and first in its class, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), returned to its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Jan. 17 after its first eight-month deployment. CVN-78 is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 and was deployed to the Naval Forces Europe area of operations. The CSG was extended by 76 days after the latest Israel-Hamas conflict began and operated in the Mediterranean Sea to deter escalation. The CSG participated in exercises Baltic Operations, Air Defender, Bomber Task Force Viking Trident, Neptune Strike, and Sage Wolverine. The ship was at sea for 239 days total. “The ship’s crew conducted 43 underway replenishments, logged more than 17,826 flight hours and 10,396 sorties, sailed more than 83,476 nautical miles, and safely transferred 20.7 million gallons of fuel with zero mishaps. The Ford crew conducted 33,444 flight deck moves, 3,124 hangar bay aircraft moves, 2,883 aircraft elevator moves, 16,351 aircraft fueling evolutions, and transferred 8,850 pallets of cargo and mail,” the Navy said in a statement.
EPF-14. The Navy accepted delivery of the first Austal USA Flight II Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport vessel, USNS Cody (EPF-14), on Jan. 11. The ships are designed to operate in shallow waterways and can transport troops, 419 short tons of equipment at an average speed of 33 knots and can travel up to 1,200 nautical miles. It includes a flight deck and can on/off-load heavy equipment at austere ports. As the first Flight II EPF, the Cody will have enhanced medical capabilities, called Role 2E (expanded)
U.S.-Korea-Japan. Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, led by flagship USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) aircraft carrier conducted a three-day trilateral maritime exercise with the Republic of Korea Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) starting on Jan. 16. The three countries’ forces sailed together, conducted advanced maritime communication operations, maritime interdiction operations training, air combat drills, staff exchanges and integration. The forces last trained together in November. The other ships participating in the event included Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59), Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Kidd (DDG-100) and USS Sterett (DDG-104); JMSDF Hyuga-class helicopter destroyers JS Hyuga (DDH-181), JMSDF Kongo-class guided missile destroyer JS Kongo (DDG-173); Korean guided missile destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991) and Korean ROKS Wang Geon (DDH-978).
President’s Cup. Registration for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s fifth annual President’s Cup cybersecurity competition is open, with team applications due January 23 and individuals by February 6. The competition is for federal employees and there is an offense and defense track for individuals. CISA says this year’s President’s Cup “will take teams and individuals on an adventure through classic gaming.” Finals will be held at the agency’s facilities in April and will be followed by a White House awards ceremony in May. For more information: (https://presidentscup.cisa.gov.)