Aviation Calendar 2009
Senior Pentagon officials are eyeing cuts to an Air Force-proposed increase of MQ-9 Reaper purchases by 34 aircraft, one-third the total buy, in fiscal year 2010, a decision DOD believes will not impact the service’s plans to stand up 50 combat air patrols over Iraq and Afghanistan by 2011, Inside the Air Force has learned.
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Naval Calendar 2009
Supply Corps flag officers and senior executives discussed the critical role the Navy Supply Corps plays in supporting the Maritime Strategy during a two-day conference held in Washington Nov. 20-21.
Among the topics discussed were: the Supply Corps’ role in supporting joint operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities, community management issues, challenges of providing logistics support to locations the Navy doesn’t typically operate, and new supply logistics systems that will provide the means to operate in the future.
“Face-to-face information exchange can never be underestimated,” said Rear Adm. Mike Lyden, chief of Supply Corps and Commander, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP). “Together we identified where we stand in many key logistics areas, and how we should align ourselves to meet the needs of the warfighter and to support [Chief of Naval Operation’s] Maritime Strategy.”
CNO Adm. Gary Roughead provided updates on various initiatives, including the Littoral Combat Ship, Fleet Response Plan, and Ballistic Missile Defense. He also discussed Global Logistics Capability and how important it will be in enabling the Navy to be even more effective in the future.
The group discussed NAVSUP’s October 2008 implementation of Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 1.0, the first step in adopting a business management system that will allow the Navy and NAVSUP to unify, standardize, and streamline supply functions into a single, secure, reliable, and accessible system.
“NAVSUP made a gigantic splash when it implemented Navy ERP,” said Vice Adm. Michael K. Loose, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics. “This is due, in large part, to NAVSUP leadership’s engagement in the field with their people.”
NAVSUP will implement the next phase of Navy ERP in February 2010.
The attendees also discussed the supply community’s new logistics specialist rating.
“This rating, which merges postal clerk and storekeeper ratings, will help shape the enlisted workforce of the 21st century,” Lyden said. He added that change will also greatly enhance the career opportunity for Sailors within the new Logistics Specialist rating.
Lyden said the conference was a great opportunity for military and civilian leadership in Navy Supply to share ideas and discuss issues. A highlight was a Combatant Commander update, during which two Supply Corps flag officers currently deployed to the Middle East teleconferenced in and provide their inputs to the discussions.
“We made a lot of progress in better defining our path ahead,” Lyden added.
NAVSUP’s primary mission is to provide U.S. naval forces with quality supplies and services. With headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 25,500 military and civilian personnel, NAVSUP oversees logistics programs in the areas of supply operations, conventional ordnance, contracting, resale, fuel, transportation, and security assistance. In addition, NAVSUP is responsible for quality of life issues for our naval forces, including food service, postal services, Navy Exchanges, and movement of household goods.
The primary mission of the Supply Corps is to provide expertise to the Navy and other services … including logistics, acquisition, and financial management … afloat and ashore. More than 3,500 naval officers—from Warrant Officer to Rear Admiral—are the business managers of the Navy, responsible for the supply and logistics support of the ships of the active Fleet and hundreds of Naval shore installations located worldwide.
NNS
Naval Calendar 2009
Officials from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), five Navy Warfare Centers and industry collaborating on the Navy Expeditionary Overwatch (NEO) system’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) technology watched warfighters demonstrate the network at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NWSC) Dahlgren Nov. 20.
They observed Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) Sailors deploy an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a manned Gunslinger Humvee and an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) on a successful mission to detect and engage fictional insurgents.
“The NEO suite of technologies underscore ONR and NSWC Dahlgren’s collaboration to produce real technology solutions for U.S. warfighters,” said George Solhan, ONR deputy chief of Naval Research, Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism.
NEO is the collection, integration and demonstration of manned and unmanned engagement systems, platforms and integrated sensors to enable tactical decision making by agile expeditionary units such as NECC, Special Operations Command, and the Marine Corps who conduct distributed operations in both ground and littoral environments.
“Today’s demonstration proves NEO’s capability to remotely engage hostile threats through unmanned systems and persistent surveillance,” Solhan added.
As the test scenario unfolded, military and civilians watched the UAV and USV detect and relay target information to warfighters in an up-armored Humvee that fired at targets on the simulated littoral and riverine maritime irregular warfare environment on the Potomac River Test Range.
“The close partnership between ONR, Navy commands, Warfare Center Divisions, NECC and industry produced a NEO engagement system that combines manned and unmanned vehicles,” said NSWCDD Commander Capt. Sheila Patterson. “This synergy fostered NEO’s integration and capabilities, accelerating its readiness for real transition to warfighters.”
The NEO system enables 10 Sailors – four in the Gunslinger Humvee (GS-3) and a maximum of six in the Land Based Control Station (LBCS) – to continuously monitor, detect and engage hostile forces over 10 square miles of territory inland, on marshy terrain, along a river or near a coastline. The range of NEO – developed entirely with existing technologies – may increase to about 20 square miles as the program develops.
“Sailors testing NEO’s expeditionary capability to patrol diverse littoral and riverine terrains employed the system in response to a series of realistic scenarios and engaged all threats successfully,” said Nelson Mills, NEO technical manager at NSWCDD. “The constant flow of ISR sent to the control station from the vehicles enabled effective integrated command and control remote responses to each and every unconventional attack, including those from small boats.”
The unmanned boat and the “Scan Eagle” UAV sent video and data throughout the event to a LBCS where Sailors directed vehicles, including the Humvee armed with a Gunslinger to observe and attack throughout the test scenario.
The Scan Eagle – integrated with a unique communications relay and optical day-night sensors for a complete battlefield picture – weighs 40 pounds and its 10-foot wingspan lifts the four-foot long fuselage where the engine, avionics, GPS and a fully directional video camera are housed. Scan Eagle provides about 15 hours of continuous day or night surveillance at a height of about 19,500 feet.
The 36-foot-long USV is equipped with a Gunslinger payload and a range of sensors and communications systems that allow it to perform surveillance and engagement missions at sea, controlled either remotely by an operator or semi-autonomously on its own.
At the Potomac River NEO demonstration, warfighters in the Humvee used the Gunslinger’s acoustic detection package and infrared sensors to determine the location of hostile fire and automatically move the weapon in the direction of the fire for friendly force response. A version of Gunslinger has been deployed in Iraq.
The Gunslinger Humvee’s remote-control gun is operated by a gunner who sits at a control panel in the back seat. The Mk 45 weapons system is hooked up to video and infrared cameras connected to a set of sensors designed to detect gunfire, including a device that watches for muzzle flashes and listens for gunshots. The equipment on the Humvee’s roof is linked to the control trailer.
At one point, warfighters sent the NEO USV to intercept a small insurgent vessel. Armed with the USV’s Long Range Acoustic Device, land-based operators communicated with fictitious enemies in the boat and others the USV confronted. The LRAD can be used as a nonlethal weapon to blast enemies with sound, or they can hail the threat vessel.
NSWC Dahlgren and four other Navy Warfare Center Divisions partnered with ONR and industry to integrate NEO with technology leveraging commercial and government off-the shelf products combined with small business innovation research investments.
John Joyce (NNS)
Aviation Calendar 2009
Inside the Air Force reports that Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has directed the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps to all but disregard a recent assessment by a highly esteemed team of
military cost estimators that concludes the Joint Strike Fighter program requires two additional years of testing and development — and a staggering $15 billion more than is currently programmed over the next six years.
Naval Calendar 2009
Marine Link reports that the Defense Acquisition Regulations System of the Department of Defense (DOD) has promulgated a final rule establishing evaluation criteria for use in obtaining carriage of DOD cargo by a commercial vessel.
Aviation Calendar 2009
The Pacific theater is large, diverse and complicated, but the Airmen of Pacific Air Forces are up to the challenge, according to a senior PACAF leader speaking in Los Angeles Nov. 20.
Lt. Gen. Chip Utterback, 13th Air Force commander, kicked off the Air Force Association Global Warfare Symposium with a briefing on how PACAF approaches the vast Pacific theater, home to 36 countries, nearly 60 percent of the world’s population and six of the world’s largest armed forces.
“We are first and foremost challenged in the Pacific by the tyranny of time and distance,” General Utterback said. “That calculus drives virtually everything I do as a warfighter in the Pacific. It drives our planning (and) it drives our execution.”
The PACAF area of responsibility covers more than 100 million square miles, or 51 percent of the Earth’s surface, meaning the time it takes to get from one location to another can be a major challenge, the general said.
“We have strategically postured our forces throughout the Pacific to overcome not only those vast distances but the emerging threats, the traditional threats and the challenges we face in the Pacific,” General Utterback said.
This force posturing includes nine bases in the region from which the very latest in airpower technology operates, the general said. Three of seven planned F-22 Raptor squadrons will be assigned to the Pacific, two C-17 Globemaster III squadrons recently stood up in the AOR and the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system soon will find a home at Guam, General Utterback said.
“And for several years now, we have maintained a continuous bomber presence out at Guam with either B-1 (Lancers), B-2 (Spirits), or that magnificent B-52 (Stratofortress) that continues to fly on and on,” the general said.
In 2009, Air Force, Marine and Navy fighters also will operate out of Guam on a regular basis, he added.
Although posturing forces and providing responsive combat capability is important, PACAF officials also understand that a stable Pacific can only be achieved by engaging with the area’s other nations, General Utterback said.
“(We) are promoting regional security and stability by continuing and expanding a robust program of military-to-military exchanges with our foreign friends,” the general said. “Some of these relationships are long-standing. Some of them are new (and) flourishing.”
Events like the PACAF-sponsored 2008 Pacific Rim Airpower Symposium, in which military representatives from 17 nations met to discuss disaster response, and the nearly 40 exercises a year PACAF forces participate in, are building “an absolutely necessary foundation for reliable communication” between military leaders across the region, General Utterback said.
These military-to-military exchanges are about building personal relationships, and the 45,000 total force Airmen assigned to PACAF are doing that both in the Pacific region and around the world, the general said. Some 2,050 PACAF Airmen are deployed worldwide every day, not counting the 6,800 7th Air Force Airmen deployed to the Korean peninsula, he said.
“We’re making a difference,” General Utterback said. “We’re out there every day extending America’s helping hand during crisis while teaching others how to deal with crisis. We’re not just fishing out there, we’re teaching others how to fish.”
Sam Highley
Aviation Calendar 2009
The Norwegian Minister of Defence, Ms. Anne-Grete Strøm Erichsen, recommends that the F-16 is replaced by the American F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)
11/24/2008 :: Lockheed Martin’s JSF is the only candidate which fulfils all the operational requirements specified by the Norwegian Government and is furthermore offered at a lower price than the Gripen NG. The selection of the Joint Strike Fighter rests upon a clear recommendation from Project Future Combat Aircraft Capability. External auditors have concluded that the evaluation has been carried out in a professional and ethically sound manor.
– Combat aircraft is a crucial capability for Norway’s defence. The procurement of new combat aircraft is therefore an essential element in the Government’s Long-term Defence Plan, states Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
– Both candidates’ performance have been evaluated against a number of different scenarios. The scenarios used in this evaluation are the same as the ones used in the Long-term Defence Plan, says Minister of Defence Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen.
– The Joint Strike Fighter is considered to be the better of the two candidates regarding intelligence and surveillance, counter air, air interdict and anti-surface warfare, says Strøm-Erichsen.
– An investment of this magnitude offers substantial opportunities for Norwegian industry. Throughout the process, the Government has communicated clearly to the candidates the significance of securing industrial opportunities, and the results of that focus is clearly evident today, states Minister of Defence Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen.
The Government underlines that from a Norwegian security policy viewpoint, both candidates have been fully acceptable. Nordic defence and security cooperation will proceed independently of the procurement of new combat aircraft and will receive our continued support.
– We are pleased that we have conducted a transparent, just and credible competition and that the candidates themselves so far have confirmed this. I would also like to credit the Swedish and American authorities and the suppliers, SAAB and Lockheed Martin, for the professional manner in which they have supported this demanding process, declares Strøm-Erichsen.
(Norwegian MoD Press Release)
Naval Calendar 2009
Peter Brookes wrote a great essay on why the world still needs America, and especially the United States military. It begins like this:
Sometimes you don’t miss something until it’s gone. While this old chestnut is most often rolled out when referring to a lost but seemingly troubled love, or a trying but departed friend, it might be said for American military might as well.Indeed, many are predicting that we’re entering the twilight of American power–American preemi nence. This notion is no doubt reinforced by the cur rent economic troubles, a contagion that seemingly began in the United States and has since spread around the world.
While it might be true that American power has peaked in a comprehensive way, certainly in relative terms, especially with the rise of China, Russia, India, and Brazil, I would suggest that American power, particularly its military dominance, might be sorely missed in the years to come if America is indeed on the wane–a refrain, I’ll remind you, that we’ve heard before.
For those who may greet a decline in American power with glee, I admonish you: Be careful what you wish for. You’ll be sorry when it’s gone. Let’s conjure up for a moment what a world without American mil itary power might look like.
Read the entire essay at The Heritage Foundation
Chemical Soldiers from the 1st Calvary Division’s 2nd Chemical Battalion performed team pre-deployment training on toxic industrial chemical protection and detection equipment, known as TICPDE, and hazardous material identification on Nov. 18, at Fort Hood Army Airfield.
For the 30 Soldiers involved, the training and familiarization with the equipment became extremely important due to a high volume of chlorine and other toxic industrial chemicals, or TIC, detected in Iraq during the division’s last deployment. Following that deployment, the Department of the Army approved a directive to develop and provide specialized equipment and training in order to safely mitigate the hazards of dealing with TIC.
Columbus, Miss. native, Staff Sgt. Theresa Stepp, a chemical operations specialist with the Divisions Special Troop Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, explained that this training consists of various steps to include a cross check, hands on process called the ‘buddy system.’ This system is necessary to successfully prevent any possible chemicals from seeping into their self containing breathing apparatus protected gear.
“It can take up to 3 to 4 minutes for the system breathing apparatus to be fully ready, prior to any mission,” said Stepp.
This makes the buddy system both a time and life saver for all troops under chemical response operations. She described the equipment as more user friendly during operations with an extensive range of detection capabilities. Another key change is making the equipment lighter, approximately 6 to 22 pounds; just a couple of pounds lighter than the previous equipment used in theater.
Soldiers were divided into groups where they donned two different suits to include level A, a neon yellow, fully encapsulated suit used for chemical reconnaissance, and level B, a beige cover all suit used for decontamination.
“It’s always good training with any type of equipment before our next deployment,” said Sgt. Dwayne Bautista, a Soldier with Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
“I prefer the level B suit because it’s more comfortable and it breaths for you versus the Joint Service Light Integrated Suit Technology (known as JSLIST), I used while training with the 602nd Aviation in Korea,” said Spc. Elizabeth Game, currently with 181st Chemical Company, 2nd Chemical Battalion, at Fort Hood.
“The JSLIST was made of plastic and had a charcoal lining which was used like a filter making it much more uncomfortable to be in and harder to breathe. The level B suit breaths for you and it comes with an air tank,” she added.
In addition to suiting up in Level A suits, several soldiers conducted a situational training exercise to include chemical response operations using the HazMat ID. This device is a key feature for pre-deployment training. Its digital console can detect a range of both liquid and solid chemical agents using a built in digital library. It can also divide any agent into sections utilizing its computerized sensor and diamond plate where substances are placed for testing.
Sgt. Quinton Humphrey and Spc. Vale Miller with STB, 2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div., communicated via ‘walkie-talkie’ to each other and their decontamination unit while detecting chemical agents using the HazMat ID during their training exercise. This time around, their HazMat ID detected corn oil and cottonseed oil, two of many house hold chemicals used for training. They recognized the danger and delicacy of detection and know next time it can be a more fatal chemical agent.
After the situational training exercise, all Soldiers in Level B suits assisted Soldiers in Level A suits to a full step-by-step decontamination process to ensure safety to those not exposed to the contaminated area.
Chemical troops from Fort Hood will continue to conduct situational training until the end of November.
Jasmine Morales
The Pentagon Brief 