Recently added articles from National Defense:
Defense industrial base: active management needed.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)
Nov 01, 2009; Farrell, Lawrence P., Jr. ... In a time of constrained defense budgets, it is important to consider how the United States will preserve critical industrial and engineering capabilities. The concern obviously is to make sure the nation does not lose access to skills and supplies for future conflicts. So what ...
Air power: Where's the Love?(READER'S FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2009; O'Brasky, Jim ... * I enjoyed your August 2009 editorial. It certainly conveys the whining tone of many air power advocates. I suspect that tone will continue at even higher amplitude and pitch as the QDR progresses. The secretary of defense is trying to rebalance the department to better deal ...
Army's future combat vehicle.(READER'S FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2009; Kojro, Chester A. ... * Regarding your August 2009 article, "Army's Next Combat Vehicle: New Beginning or FCS Sequel?" my compliments to Sandra Erwin for exposing the mindset of the various Army leaders and agencies trying to desperately put together the "new combat vehicle" to replace the recently canceled ...
Climate change.(READER'S FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2009; DeCicco, Michael A. ... * In the July 2009 article, "Greener Military Defense Department's energy strategy debated," I did not find much debate. This article implies without question the negative nature of climate change is occurring because of humankind's energy use. Using Sudan as the example of this change ...
Attracting New Blood.(READER'S FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2009; Quenneville, Don ... * In your editorial "Attracting New Blood Tougher Than Building Jets and ICBMs." (Sept. 2009) you have accurately characterized the acute shortage of scientists and engineers that faces the defense industry, especially those scientists and engineers who can get a security clearance. ...
To cut waste in defense, stop piling on reforms.(DEFENSE WATCH)
Nov 01, 2009; Erwin, Sandra L. ... In the latest chapter of the Air Force's tanker-procurement saga, the officials in charge laid out an elaborate new plan last month to put the program back on track after a series of embarrassing setbacks. They gave assurances that this time around the acquisition reforms will really work ....
Acquisition reform: among Pentagon buyers, much angst about IT.(DEFENSE INSIDER)
Nov 01, 2009; Erwin, Sandra L. ... The issue of how to manage "IT acquisitions" is causing much consternation at the Defense Department. The problem is that the Pentagon procurement system treats information technology as if it were a weapon system. In other words, it can take a decade to acquire. By the time the technology ...
Contractors should not panic over program cuts.(DEFENSE INSIDER)
Nov 01, 2009; Erwin, Sandra L. ... It is a difficult political environment for defense contractors today, but there is no reason to panic, and business is still good, says David Berteau, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Pentagon plans to replace contractors with public ...
Despite rise of unmanned aircraft, pilots still needed.(DEFENSE INSIDER)
Nov 01, 2009; ... The Air Force may be on an unmanned aircraft buying frenzy, But it's still way too early to sign the death warrant for conventionally piloted aviation, cautions Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. The service is expected to buy 350 unmanned aircraft over the next ...
Air power: Coast Guard testing next generation of ice rescue boats.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)
Nov 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DETROIT -- Coast Guard personnel conducting ice rescues on the frozen rivers and lakes near Detroit will have a new specialized airboat to try out this winter. Coast Guard Station Saginaw River, Mich., is the first to receive a new version of ...
Government ignores cargo scanning law, port operator says.(SECURITY BEAT)
Nov 01, 2009; ... The Department of Homeland Security is ignoring a law that calls on it to monitor, by 2012, every container that enters a U.S. port, an executive at one of the world's leading port-operating companies charged. The United States is opening itself up to a nuclear attack of economic ...
In the eye of the beholder: contact lenses as displays and sensors.(INSIDE SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY)
Nov 01, 2009; Jean, Grace V. ... The next time you look at a computer chip, imagine what might happen if the electronics were miniaturized and embedded into a contact lens. Scientists believe that the little plastic discs that hundreds of millions of people rely on to see clearer may one day serve military personnel and ...
For Big Apple, huge fireboats.(TECH WIRE: EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL AGE)
Nov 01, 2009; Wright, Austin ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For several days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, firefighters in New York City relied on two half-century-old fireboats for urgently needed water, as downtown water mains had been severed. The boats each pumped 20,000 gallons of water per ...
PC bunker on wheels.(TECH WIRE: EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL AGE)
Nov 01, 2009; Wright, Austin ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Public safety agencies in Avondale, Ariz., store a backup of all of their computer data inside one 5-foot-tall box that can withstand fire, rain and shock. Now, the box's maker, Elliptical Mobile Solutions, is marketing the product to the ...
Smart vests take pressure off troops.(TECH WIRE)
Nov 01, 2009; Wright, Austin ... The heavy loads that soldiers carry on the battlefield--including more than 20 pounds of body armor--often lead to fatigue and injuries. Technology is now being developed that may allow troops to better distribute their loads so they're more comfortable. Researchers at ...
How to keep track of supplies worldwide.(TECH WIRE)
Nov 01, 2009; Wright, Austin ... Radio-frequency identification tags allow operators to scan and track assets. The tags send product numbers to electronic readers. The technology is similar to the barcode scanners used by retail stores. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Omni-ID has released a passive tag that ...
Why the U.S. needs a new tanker.(VIEWPOINT)
Nov 01, 2009; Lichte, Arthur I. ... Picture this: Two U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers explode while in the midst of in-flight refueling and crash near Honolulu, Hawaii. According to witnesses from the ground, the two aircraft--a KC-135 and KC-10--drew the attention of onlookers when, on a local training ...
Defense budget: industrial policy debate: should the Pentagon pick winners and losers?
Nov 01, 2009; Erwin, Sandra I. ... The last time the United States drastically cut spending on new weapons systems, defense contractors were told to merge of else they would perish. The industry over the past two decades consolidated into a handful of mega-corporations. Now, a new drawdown in big-ticket weapon ...
U.S. trade office says access to global markets is easier than ever.
Nov 01, 2009; Erwin, Sandra I. ... Defense and aerospace contractors are fretting these days about the anticipated decline of U.S. government spending on new hardware. The good news is that Uncle Sam is ready and willing to help companies seek new markets for their products, overseas. All they need to do is ...
Connecting the dots: battlefield intelligence: easy to collect, tough to share.(Intelligence)
Nov 01, 2009; Jean, Grace V. ... The U.S. military has deployed unmanned aircraft and other information collection devices at a pace that exceeds the capabilities of battlefield intelligence systems to archive, analyze and disseminate the video and imagery. Networks with limited bandwidth further compound the problem by ...
