Sunday, January 20, 2019
Key Issues Weapons audit FFG(X) IP debate
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, backed by top brass and senior Pentagon officials, has directed the Army and Missile Defense Agency -- along with the Joint Staff -- to resolve by mid-June a $10 billion dispute that for years has bedevilled plans to transition responsibility for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system from the agency to the service.
The necessary capabilities and mission sets for a future Navy auxiliary ship only recently disclosed to the public are being developed by three separate but overlapping requirements evaluation teams, according to a Navy program manager responsible for auxiliary fleet programs.
The Navy views its reactivation of U.S. 2nd Fleet as a move back to when the service still included NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, according to the U.S. Fleet Forces commander.
Congressional Democrats are pushing back on elements of the recently unveiled Missile Defense Review, calling into question the cost and feasibility of potentially deploying a space-based interceptor layer.
The Air Force has achieved critical design review for a major upgrade to the B-2 bomber's defensive management system.
The Defense Department has received final recommendations from a special advisory panel on intellectual property rights indicating the struggle between defense contractors and the Pentagon over ownership and access to technical data is far from over.
The Navy is now estimating the costs of follow-on next-generation frigates will be near $800 million, edging away from the $950 million threshold it announced last year, the program manager told attendees Jan. 17 at the Surface Navy Association symposium.
The 2019 Missile Defense Review directs a dozen follow-on studies with implications to dramatically expand the $180 billion Ballistic Missile Defense System by potentially growing the land- and sea-based interceptor fleets, adding the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter into the missile defense sensor network, initiating a hypersonic defense program and expanding space-based capabilities.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, backed by top brass and senior Pentagon officials, has directed the Army and Missile Defense Agency -- along with the Joint Staff -- to resolve by mid-June a $10 billion dispute that for years has bedevilled plans to transition responsibility for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system from the agency to the service.
Huntington Ingalls Industries said today it has agreed to buy Fulcrum IT Services, an information technology and government consulting company headquartered in Centreville, VA.
The Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center is warning cyber vulnerabilities in supporting infrastructure could thwart advancements in satellite and space technologies, an assessment that comes as the Trump administration is pushing expanded military operations in space.
Austal expects the Navy to issue contract awards for two Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels within "the next month or two," according to a company executive.
A mandatory audit of major weapon system programs turned up no cost growth in fiscal year 2018, which means the Office of the Secretary of Defense did not impose a penalty tax -- for a fourth consecutive year -- on any of the military services as required by law.
The Defense Department has received final recommendations from a special advisory panel on intellectual property rights indicating the struggle between defense contractors and the Pentagon over ownership and access to technical data is far from over.
To maintain dominance in the air, the Army is starting a new science and technology program to develop technology enabling manned and unmanned aircraft to work together.
