Budget Boom. The HAC-D is set to mark up a FY ’12 Pentagon appropriations bill today that is 1.7 percent below the Pentagon spending amount President Barack Obama is requesting for the budget that starts Oct. 1. Obama wants $538.9 billion for the base defense budget, and the subcommittee proposes to cut that amount by $8.9 billion, down to $530 billion. Today’s HAC-D markup will be closed, and followed by an open defense-bill-writing session by the full HAC on June 14. The Department of Defense is the only one of the 12 federal agency budgets the HAC wants to increase in FY ’12 over FY ’11 levels, with a $17 billion boost for military spending, according to the so-called 302(b) allocations for the federal budget the HAC approves May 24. “The bills this year will include double-digit reductions for virtually every non-security area of government, while providing additional resources for the nation’s critical and urgent needs–such as our national defense,” HAC Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ala.) says May 24.
Orion It Is. NASA announces May 24 that its new Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle spacecraft will be based on designs for Lockheed Martin’s Orion crew capsule, which the space agency started working on as part of the dismantled Constellation manned-spaceflight program. “As we aggressively continue our work on a heavy lift launch vehicle, we are moving forward with an existing contract to keep development of our new crew vehicle on track,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden says. The agency says the new crew vehicle is intended to carry four astronauts for 21-day missions, have a pressurized volume of 690 cubic feet with 316 cubic feet of habitable space, and be 10 times safer during ascent and entry than the retiring space shuttle. Douglas Cooke, associate administrator for the agency’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, says the “Orion government and industry team has shown exceptional creativity in finding ways to keep costs down through management techniques, technical solutions and innovation.”
Bombs Away. Pentagon acquisition chief reportedly calls for the new Air Force bomber to be affordable and rejects language in the House-passed FY ’12 defense authorization bill calling for competitive engines for the aircraft. “It is inappropriate and premature to mandate what the acquisition strategy should be for a subsystem of one element of this program,” Carter says in a letter to HAC Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.), according to published reports. He writes that “very realistic opportunities exist” that “do not require the development of a new engine.” The Air Force is seeking $197 million in FY ’12 to begin developing the bomber. Carter says at a May 24 Capitol Hill event hosted by the Aerospace Industries Association that it is key for the Pentagon to start the program on an affordable path.
Improper Defense. The Pentagon “has a strong program to identify, report, eliminate and recover improper payments” Comptroller Robert Hale tells a subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee May 25. “Based on our current reporting methods, we estimate that 1 (percent) to 2 percent of our payments are classified as improper and most of those are recovered–say, probably 85 (percent) to 99 percent of them are recovered often quite quickly.” Hale says the Pentagon is working to further improve its improper payments program, which he notes the White House’s Office of Management and Budget has not flagged as being a concern. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Federal Financial Management subcommittee, is concerned about reports from the Department of Defense Inspector General and GAO say the Pentagon’s improper payment estimates have not been complete or accurate.
SAFETY Act Support. While the Department of Homeland Security came under some criticism last week for new problems in its administration of the SAFETY Act, the Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Homeland Security panel on security technology, says he received a number of letters from companies supportive of the law. At a hearing last week to review the law, which provides liability protections for companies who develop qualified anti-terrorism technologies if they go through a review process at DHS, Lungren says approvals for liability protections under the SAFETY Act have declined even though applications have gone up and industry witnesses say renewals for products that have already been approved are taking as long as first time applications. However, Craig Harvey, the chief operations officer for NVisions Solutions, which makes a real-time emergency management coordination tool that received SAFETY Act approval, tells the panel the process was “never bureaucratic.”
Trusted Boaters. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has introduced an online reporting tool, the Small Vessel Reporting System, to expedite the entry process for participating boaters reentering the United Sates along waterways on the northern border, New England, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The voluntary program allows boat owners and passengers to fill out an online application and schedule a visit to an enrollment center to apply for the program. Boat owners file a small vessel float plan before leaving the U.S. or from a foreign country, and then call CBP at the closest port of entry upon arrival, answer some questions and then receive clearance to enter the United States.
Moving Up. The Navy is ahead of schedule in developing a replacement for its Whidbey Island-class of amphibious warships, service acquisition chief Sean Stackley tells Congress. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Seapower subcommittee last week, Stackley said the Navy has ramped up planning for the LSD-41 replacement by two years, expecting to deploy the new warship by 2017. As part of that plan, Navy requirements officials will kick off an analysis of alternatives for the LSD(X) within the next few months, with an eye toward strengthening the shipbuilding industrial base, according to Stackley. “We keep a close eye on the industrial base, when we build the shipbuilding plan….in the near term we’re doing everything we can to address the rise in the budget and the types of ships that we build,” he says.
Looking Ahead. As the Defense Department prepares to do some budget belt-tightening over the next few years, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen warns that the Pentagon must be ready to build its capabilities back up, once the nation’s fiscal situation improves. ‘We need to be ready to do more again” once America is able, Mullen says during a speech at a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars luncheon in Washington last week. Currently, DoD is conducting a wide-spanning roles and missions review, in order to identify where to trim $400 billion over the next decade. The effort is part of the White House’s deficit reduction plan, announced by President Barack Obama in April.
Ownership. The various service chiefs need to take on a larger oversight role in the acquisition and procurement programs within their organizations, to ensure big-ticket programs do not spiral out of control, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos says this week. Citing his day-to-day role in overseeing development of the service’s variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and its Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle replacement, known as the Assault Combat Vehicle, Amos says service chiefs have let such oversight backslide in recent years. That disengagement has led to unrealistic cost and schedule estimates, as well as instances of requirements creep.
Sub Gap. The Navy needs to extend the lifespan of its current fleet of tactical and nuclear submarines, or face a fleet shortfall within the next 20 years. Due to the cycle of sub retirements, coupled with the development of the Ohio-class replacement, the SSBN(X), the sea service will have a sub force of 39 boats in the 2030 timeframe, Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley tells Congress last week. That’s of deep concern to us. And so when we look at what that potentially means . . . [it] means that we have to stay right on top of the maintenance plan” for the sub fleet, in particular the Virginia-class boats, he says before a Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee hearing. While keeping the Virginia-class subs afloat longer will be key, the Navy may have some trouble funding the shipyard upgrades needed to do that life extension work.
Israel JSF. System integration work on the Israeli version of the Joint Strike Fighter has gone off without a hitch, with program officials able to insert the country-specific systems onto the plane and still maintaining the fighter’s stealth signature, according to a senior industry official. Steve O’Bryan, vice president for F-35 customer engagement at Lockheed Martin, said installation went well and none of the fighter’s integral attributes were affected during the work. O’Bryan declined to comment on the nature of the systems that were installed. The U.S. program office for the JSF had been at odds with the Israeli military over the nation’s participation in the fighter program, with a main point of contention being the integration of specific weapons and systems. Israel signed a memorandum of understanding to join the JSF international coalition last year.
SNEP-ing Forward. Weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin is moving ahead with plans to outfit Saudi Arabia with a tranche of new MH-60 rotorcraft, in support of the kingdom’s naval expansion plans, according to a company officials. Talks regarding potential involvement of American industry in the Saudi Naval Expansion Program II has been ongoing between Washington and Riyadh, with DOD recently submitting formal price and availability data to the Saudis for a number of weapons systems, including the S and R versions of the MH-60. The proposal covers a multi-aircraft buy, with Lockheed Martin supplying the Middle Eastern nation with 35 R models and 25 S models, the official said. The deal, along with other proposals involving a possible sale of the company’s Littoral Combat Ship, are still under review, according to the official.
Sold Out. The Land Warfare Conference at the Royal United Services Institute in London June 1 and 2 is sold out, their website says. Among the confirmed and featured speakers is Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey–expected to deliver a keynote address June 1. Dempsey is widely touted to be nominated today by President Barack Obama as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing Adm. Mike Mullen.
…U.S. Army Views. The U.S. Army is participating in the international conference, including Lt. Gen. Robert Lennox, deputy chief of staff G8, Lt. Gen. Rhett Hernandez, commanding general of U.S. Army Cyber Command, and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe. The conference will be RUSI’s first public discussion of the role of the British Army following the Strategic Defense and Security Review.
Through Life Fleet Support. General Dynamics Land Systems-Australia (GDLS-A), receives a five year, $47.8 million Through Life Support contract from Australia. The work is to deliver enhanced fleet availability of the Army’s ASLAV wheeled armored fighting vehicles, M1A1 Abrams tanks, and M88A2 Heavy Recovery vehicles. Ongoing spare parts, repairs, maintenance and engineering tasks will be ordered as required through this integrated support contract. The contract is expected to change the mechanisms and business processes between the Commonwealth and General Dynamics in Australia to improve efficiency, reduce costs and promote value. The contract also includes implementing a performance management framework for the services, which contributes toward the Commonwealth Strategic Reform Program (SRP). This provides the basis for awarding up to 15, one-year contract extensions based on performance.
New Missile Seekers. Boeing says it has received a $274 million contract from Lockheed Martin to produce more than 300 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile seekers. The firm fixed price contract is Boeing’s ninth consecutive PAC-3 seeker production award, following three low-rate initial production buys, and the largest PAC-3 contract received by Boeing to date. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is the PAC-3 Missile Segment prime contractor, supporting the U.S. Army Lower Tier Project Office. Ron Eckels, program director for Boeing’s Terminal Missile Defense business, says “The battle-proven PAC-3 missile system, which includes the highly accurate Boeing seeker, provides unrivaled in-theater defense for America’s military and its allies.”
Good Relations. While there’s more emphasis on the use of special forces and building regional partnerships and support around the world, Robert Blake, assistant secretary of state, bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, says he hasn’t issued any new directives about it. “Obviously we coordinate very closely with the Pentagon on all these issues. We put a great emphasis on chief of mission authority so that the ambassador in the field always has full knowledge of all the different elements, military and otherwise, that are under his or her command.” In his part of the world that relationship has been solid. “We work very closely with the Pentagon and there haven’t been any, really no tensions or disagreements at all,” he says.
New Scholarship. Australia’s Minister for Defence Science and Personnel Warren Snowdon says the government is funding a new scholarship for an outstanding American professor to work with Australian scientists. The new position, the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Advanced Science and Technology, is the result of a partnership between the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the Australian American Fulbright Commission. “I’m pleased to announce this is the first Fulbright Distinguished Chair to be established in science and technology in Australia and joins the Fulbright Flinders University Distinguished Chair in American Political Science,” Snowdon says. The chair has been funded for an initial three years, with applications opening in February 2012 and the first chair expected to start in 2012-13.
Congress of Ravens. AeroVironment receives an $8.23 million follow on contract with the Army for new digital Raven small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) and initial spares packages. The Raven unmanned aircraft is a 4.2-pound, back-packable, hand-launched sensor platform that provides day and night, real-time video imagery for “over the hill” and “around the corner” reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of tactical units. U.S. armed forces use Raven systems extensively for missions such as base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning and force protection. Each Raven system typically consists of three aircraft, two ground control stations and spares.
New Boss Coming. Third Army will conduct a Change of Command Ceremony June 3, at Ft. McPherson, Ga. as Lt. Gen. William Webster relinquishes command to Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, who is slated for promotion. Brooks previously served as the commanding general of 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan. Outgoing commander Webster will retire after more than 37 years of service. Third Army serves as the Army’s longest continuously deployed warfighting headquarters, currently operating from five distinct locations including its Main Command Post at Ft. McPherson. At any time Third Army has forces deployed in 12 of the 20 nations in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility.
Model Procurement. The Army National Guard Bureau says it’s going to spend $19,875.00 to buy a 1/6th Scale Airplane Model of the MQ9 Reaper from Dimensional Technologies. The sole source procurement comes as the bureau says Dimensional Technologies is the only company with proprietary rights on the MQ9 Reaper Design from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. The ANG says its 174th FW has recently converted to MQ9 Reaper aircraft and the Recruiting office requested the procurement of MQ9 Reaper aircraft models to use as a recruiting device.