Sequester Stance. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and more than 80 House Democrats decry Republican attempts to alter so-called sequestration cuts to the Pentagon–which could increase long-term defense reductions by $600 billion because of a budget-cutting panel’s failure–in a letter to President Barack Obama. They write they support his Nov. 21 threat to veto any sequester-altering legislation that comes without a large-scale balanced-budget plan. “The failure of Congress to act must have consequences,” they write. “We stand ready to work with you over the next year to put America back on a firm financial footing and will vote to sustain your veto of any effort to repeal all or part of the scheduled sequester.” Lawmakers joining Welch in leading the effort include Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), a Dec. 15 statement says.
Candidates On Cuts. Republican presidential hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman take on defense spending during a Lincoln-Douglas-style debate on foreign policy Dec. 12 in Manchester, N.H. Gingrich, the GOP frontrunner and former House speaker, says he is “deeply opposed to the sequester” cuts to the Pentagon yet also decries wasteful defense spending. “When you think about how rapidly iPads and iPhones and other things change today and you look at a weapons system process that takes 12 to 15 to 20 years, you know it’s wrong, and so there’s a lot of stuff we can shrink and flatten,” he says. “But I would start by saying create the defense system you need, create the foreign policy you need, then let’s talk about how we get to a balanced budget. You want to do it as inexpensively as you can, but you want to make sure it gets done.” He says the weapons-planning system could use “a very deep overhaul.”
…Huntsman’s view. Huntsman, the former Utah governor, says the nation’s debt is “something akin to a national-security problem,” and suggests “efficiencies” can be found in the Pentagon. He says defense spending must follow a strategy that “must be part of keeping us safe,” including fighting terrorism. “We have to be smart enough to say there’s a whole lot of waste in the procurement and purchasing side of the Pentagon,” he argues. “We’ve got something happening on the procurement side–the red tape, the numbers involved, the purchasing practices–whether that’s, competitive or sole source. But I think there is a huge opportunity for this country to lift up the hood of the car and to make some fixes in there that I think are going to be much better for our people longer term, as we all know we need to find greater efficiencies in government.”
TSA School. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Chief John Pistole says his agency is creating a TSA Academy to improve the consistency of the organization and obtain efficiencies. Having a centralized training facility would allow new employees, first line officers, as well as mid and senior-level employees to get “uniform consistency in that training delivery,” Pistole says at an aviation security conference hosted by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). He says the Academy would likely be located at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia. While Pistole didn’t mention it, air travelers, elected officials and travel experts often complain about inconsistencies in how security officers screen passengers from one airport to another.
…Checkpoint Technology. As TSA rolls out various risk-based initiatives aimed at providing select air travelers with expedited screening benefits at airport security checkpoints so that its security officers put more attention on people that less is known about, don’t expect much to change in the near-term in terms of the technology being used at the checkpoint, says Robin Kane, assistant administrator of Security Capabilities at TSA. Over the next one to three years it will be “pretty much the same types of technology as we’ve been using in the past,” he says at the AAAE event. Instead, that technology will be reconfigured to enable expedited screening, he says. There is one new technology coming to checkpoints early next year for operational testing and that is the Credential Authentication Technology/Boarding Pass Screening System, which will automate checks of drivers licenses and boarding passes for validation purposes and to make sure that the same name and person are associated with both documents, he adds.
Morbid Fascination With Congress. The prospects for sequestration kicking in are as unclear as ever and if the draconian spending cuts come down it could leave the aerospace industry particularly exposed, Marion Blakey, the president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association says. “At this point the picture isn’t any clearer than it was before,” she says at AIA’s annual review and forecast luncheon. Blakey notes the uncertainty brought about by Congress’ inability to come to a spending agreement to avoid sequestration can at times be fascinating. “We find it fascinating,” she says. “Morbidly so.”
Security clearances. Finding ways to streamline the government contractor security clearance process would bring efficiencies that would save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars at a time of constrained budgets, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) says in a white paper last week. INSA’s task force examining the issue estimated that 10 to 20 percent of contractors who are being paid may not be on the job because of delays in acquiring security clearances. Doing a better job of tracking contractor security costs, providing contracting officials with improved security guidelines, and being flexible when it comes to already-cleared contractor access to sensitive information were among the recommendations presented by INSA.
New Satellite Makes Strides. The Air Force first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite is making its way through initial phases of orbital testing and is on target for becoming operational in early 2012, the service says. The process has included a period of solo tests follow by linking up to the Milstar constellation already in orbit, the Air Force says. Army, Navy and Air Force communication terminals have been verifying AEHF’s performance, including the use of a higher data rate and backward compatibility with Milstar’s low-and medium data rate capabilities. The joint AEHF program is designed to provide survivable, global, secure, protected and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea and air assets for the United States and international partners.
Thank You Note. Goodrich Corp. gets a letter from Peter Luff, U.K. minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology, lauding “the tremendous support Goodrich has provided the United Kingdom in the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions to protect Libyan civilians.” Luff says, “Throughout Operation Ellamy, Goodrich continued to give sterling support ensuring that Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (RAPTOR) air and ground elements were always available when required. Goodrich personnel at RAF Marham and Malvern,UK were heavily involved during the first days of the operation to ensure the exploitation system on site at Malvern was ready to receive imagery if required in the interim period before the Exploitation Multi-Output Modular Architecture (EMMA) was established in theater.” Sam Macleod , Goodrich managing director of the two facilities, says, “Everyone worked with determination and total commitment to ensure information gathered by the RAPTOR pod could be fully exploited at all times. This technology made a real difference to the operation providing accurate and timely intelligence to NATO commanders.”
Bye Now. The Australian Royal Navy’s Sea King helicopters say goodbye to the nation Dec. 14 with a final formation flyover before landing for the final time. The Sikorsky-built helicopters are retiring after 35 years. 817 Squadron’s CO Cmdr. Paul Moggach, who led the formation, says, “We call them the Mack trucks of the skies. The Sea Kings are a very capable aircraft that has served Australia well, and all of who have maintained and operated them feel honored to have done so. New NH Industries’ MRH90 multi-role helicopters, undergoing acceptance trials, will take over amphibious and maritime logistics support.
New Boss. The United Kingdom’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) taps Jonathan Lyle as new chief executive starting in March 2012. Lyle is currently director of the DSTL Program Office. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Frances Saunders, Dstl chief executive at Dstl for five years is stepping down. Dstl is a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence and run on commercial lines.
Job Change. Australia’s Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today says it was a privilege to have worked with the dedicated men and women of the Australian Defence Force. Clare is moving on to a new responsibility as Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice. In leaving, Clare said, “My top priority as Minister for Defence Materiel has been to ensure our ADF personnel have the equipment they need–particularly our soldiers in Afghanistan.” The equipment is very different from a year ago, he says, including “new body armor, new combat uniforms and longer-range machine guns. We have also upgraded our Bushmaster vehicles in Afghanistan to make them even safer.”
New Board Member. Colt Defense LLC elects former Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, to its Governing Board. Casey served as Chief of Staff of the Army from April 2007 to April 2011. Previously, he was Commander, Multinational Force—Iraq, during a 41-year army career. Casey has a Masters Degree in International Relations from Denver University and has served as a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States. Colt Defense LLC President and CEO Gerald Dinkel says, “His experience and success as a military leader in the most challenging and complex environments makes him an ideal person to contribute to our strategic planning, business execution and overall corporate governance.”