Thursday, May 16, 2024
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Michael Schifer, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, will hold a press briefing today on the Pentagon's report to Congress on the “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.”
The briefing is set for 2:00. We'll have details and the report as they are available.
Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan told reporters this morning that the Defense Department expects to send Congress a tardy annual report on China's military later this week.
Defense officials will also brief reporters on the document, he said.
The report is due to Congress each March, but is typically late. Asked why this year's edition is late, Lapan said, "It's a very complicated undertaking."
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) has been urging DOD to submit the document. (See his letter here.)
The losing contractor team in the Army's Ground Combat Vehicle competition is slated to get a debriefing from the government tomorrow in Detroit, according to Melissa Koskovich, a spokeswoman for lead company Science Applications International Corp.
While an SAIC-Boeing team was not selected to partake in technology development for the program last week, the meeting is crucial because it could determine whether the contractors believe they have grounds to file a protest with the Government Accountability Office.
Following a debriefing, companies typically have 10 days to file their case with GAO.
The SAIC-Boeing team had pitched a vehicle based on the chassis of the German Puma, which was to be extended to house a nine-man squad.
Citing federal procurement laws, an Army spokesman said he was unable to confirm or deny the date of the SAIC-Boeing debriefing.
The National Governors Association is continuing its push for legislation that would clarify and strengthen the National Guard's role within the Defense Department. In a letter sent today to Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the NGA states:
The nation's governors appreciate your work to support the National Guard and thank you for introducing the National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011. This legislation represents an important step forward in ensuring that our National Guard is properly trained, equipped, and resourced to fulfill its federal and state missions and that the Guard is properly represented within the Department of Defense.
The National Guard serves as a unique resource in the nation’s defense by supporting overseas missions and protecting the homeland. Since September 11, 2001, hundreds of thousands of National Guard members have served in federal combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the same time, the men and women of our National Guard have helped protect the safety and security of citizens during the response to domestic emergencies. The National Guard’s presence in our communities is a cornerstone of state preparedness and response capabilities and helps reduce the need for federal assistance during times of crisis.
The National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act recognizes the importance of the Guard’s overseas and homeland defense missions. Governors agree with the legislation’s objectives of further clarifying and strengthening the role of the National Guard within the Department of Defense and ensuring the National Guard is able to carry out domestic operations in support of civilian authorities. These initiatives reflect and support the important role of the National Guard. We look forward to working with you to further these efforts.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the Pentagon is working with OMB to revise spending blueprints for fiscal year 2013, his first comments on budget matters since OMB Director Jacob Lew on Aug. 17 directed executive branch agencies to prepare plans that are 5 percent and 10 percent below FY-11 spending levels.
“As always, we will work with OMB,” Panetta told the DOD-run American Forces Press Service in a story published online Friday afternoon. “They provide all kinds of guidance as we discuss how we approach these issues.”
The Pentagon's FY-11 budget allocation, excluding war costs, is $530 billion. A 5 percent cut, or $26.5 billion, would lower the military's FY-13 base budget to $503.5 billion. A 10 percent cut to projected FY-13 Pentagon spending, a $53 billion decrement, would push DOD's topline down to $477 billion and be in line with defense spending cuts required under the new law if Congress this fall does not agree to a long-term plan to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion.
More from the AFPS story:
Defense Department officials are working with the Office of Management and Budget on guidance issued yesterday that all agencies’ fiscal 2013 budget requests be at least 5 percent less than current appropriations.
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters today that Defense officials are working with OMB to determine what that will mean for the DOD budget.
“I don’t think this is necessarily a sea-change event,” he said, adding that Pentagon officials for months have been working toward a goal of cutting $400 billion from the budget over the next 10 years.
The House of Representatives will end its August recess and get back to work Sept. 7, leaving only 24 days in fiscal year 2011. When the House comes back its appropriators will have to consider the adjustments to the FY-12 appropriations bills imposed by the debt ceiling agreement and prepare to hammer out final appropriations bills with the Senate.
With that in mind, late on Friday House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) issued the following statement:
“The Appropriations Committee has repeatedly and successfully made significant spending cuts this year that have drastically changed the trajectory of federal spending, trimming billions of dollars and imposing strict spending reductions so we don’t leave our children with mountains of debt. We will continue to work in this vein -- in a bicameral manner -- prioritizing House-passed Appropriations bills in negotiations and completing our Appropriations work as soon as possible. It is imperative that the Congress complete these must-pass bills in a timely manner to avoid the harmful, destabilizing effects caused by a delayed and drawn out Appropriations process.
“In addition, my Committee members and I remain committed to the responsible 2012 spending level agreed to by the House, Senate, and White House under the recent debt ceiling agreement. The work we do on our Appropriations bills this year will fulfill this agreement by reducing discretionary spending from current levels – saving the taxpayers billions – and steering agency budgets across the federal government to more sustainable and responsible levels.”
With a nod toward giving the taxpayer what he's paying for, the top White House budget officer this week sent a memo to all government department heads outlining how the Obama administration wants to operate a more efficient, effective and accountable government.
In his Aug. 17 memo, Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew said there are two management efforts that need the immediate attention of all department chief operating officers:
"First, under the GPRA Management Act, COOs are responsible for leading their agency's efforts to set priority goals; designating a senior official responsible for each goal; and reviewing progress quarterly to improve performance and reduce costs. The attached guidance provides more information on the Act's requirements for agencies
Second, COOs must ensure that their agencies are redoubling their efforts to cut waste, as required by Executive Order 13576, "delivering an Efficient, Effective and Accountable Government." Executive Order 13576 initiated the Campaign to Cut Waste and charged the Vice President with meeting with cabinet members to monitor agency progress on waste reduction, performance and management improvements. Chief Financial Officers are expected to lead agency efforts to implement the requirements of the Campaign to Cut waste, in accordance with guidance issued by the Controller on June 28, 2011."
Lew's memo includes a 39-page attachment that gives detailed instructions to the department COOs on how to carry out these efforts.
As Inside the Pentagon notes today, the Pentagon is planning to release an updated version of its Strategic Management Plan this month, according to Deputy Chief Management Officer Beth McGrath.
The plan lays out strategic priorities, such as acquisition, IT infrastructure, and the total workforce mix, among its seven key goals, McGrath said following a Government Executive conference panel Tuesday.
DOD released the last version in December 2010, which overhauled a number of its initiatives and performance measures to align them more closely with the objectives of the Quadrennial Defense Review.
The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization has received congressional approval to shift $350 million within its accounts. The money is needed to boost JIEDDO's "attack the network" line, at the expense of the organization's "defeat the device" efforts, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale wrote in a June 17 reprogramming request that has been approved by the defense committees in Congress.
Of the $350 million, $134.2 million will go toward a "High Spectral Imaging Initiative" aimed at disrupting the IED supply chain, according to the document. The rest, $215.8 million, will finance various, unspecified joint urgent operational needs focused on attacking the network of bomb makers, suppliers and emplacers, the document states.
On the day the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International is hosting a big event in Washington, Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) announced a teaming arrangement from his home district that is centered on unmanned aerial systems.
Turner, the chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, issued the following statement:
“Today the Dayton community has taken another step towards being a leader in the field of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). This agreement signed by Sinclair College and UAI will provide students with the tools to play an increased role in this expanding field. Already, UAS is a $100 billion industry. Currently, there is language passed by the House in the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which would place Dayton and Wilmington in a strong position to be future testing sites for UAS. An educated workforce with a focus on this field is a vital component which would help UAS become a significant job creator for our region.
"The agreement focuses on providing innovative training in the emerging industry of unmanned aerial systems. These classes will serve as the foundation for an emerging UAS program to be hosted by Sinclair College. The new class offerings will focus on the information technology side of unmanned aerial systems, including data analysis and full motion video where there is an enormous need for trained technicians."
According to its website, the UAI is a non-profit institute created to advance the UAS industry in North Dakota and the surrounding region.
Army Secretary John McHugh today announced the creation of a panel designed to overhaul what an service announcement described as a generating force stuck in the 1970s. The goal of the "Institutional Army Transformation Commission" is to implement changes -- and develop new ones -- formulated earlier this year by a task force carrying a similar mandate, according to an Army statement.
"While I've been encouraged by the task force's early work, the simple fact is that large-scale institutional transformation takes years to mature before agile, cost-effective organizations emerge -- with a culture of continuous improvement incorporated in all activities," McHugh was quoted as saying.
According to an Army spokesman, the commission will be led by Leonard Braverman, whose title is technical director in the office of the deputy under secretary of the Army. The maximum number of commission members is 15 from across the Army -- plus, perhaps, a few private-sector experts.
The June 2011 Selected Acquisition Reports were sent to Congress last week, according to an information paper released by the Pentagon.
Quick highlights:
Reports were transmitted on Joint Tactical Radio System Ground Mobile Radio (JTRS GMR) for a Nunn-McCurdy breach, and AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) for a schedule breach.
The June 2011 SARs show a net cost decrease for all MDAPs of 1.0 percent, primarily due to JTRS GMR.
More to come.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will conduct a live, Internet-broadcast "conversation" next week, the Pentagon announced earlier today.
The event will take place at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16 at the National Defense University's Abraham Lincoln Hall at Ft. McNair in Washington. CNN's Wolf Blitzer will moderate, according to the announcement.
(UPDATE 8:25 a.m., Aug. 15: Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, will moderate the discussion)
The event will be streamed live on the Defense and State department websites.
Credit Suisse analysts, in a research note sent out this morning, write that Huntington Ingalls Industries' work on the Navy's aircraft carriers "bear watching." Further:
With DoD budgets under review, carrier centerlines (delivery frequency) are being discussed. Any delay to CVN-79 (already started, and accounting for ~10%/13% of our projected sales/EBIT for 2011-13) could be significant. Also, there are reports that HII is ~10% over target cost on CVN-78 (Ford), but HII noted this is typical of lead ships and financial targets are unchanged, which is supported by NN margin in Q2. Still, both carriers are a watch item for us.
During a conference call with Wall Street analysts yesterday, Mike Petters, HII's president and chief financial officer, pushed back against rumors that the Pentagon might consider stretching out the procurement plan for Gerald Ford-class carriers, or even cancel one altogether. As InsideDefense.com reported:
"There's a lot of speculation regarding the shipbuilding budget, including not only the timing of the next carrier in the Ford class, the John F. Kennedy, but also long-term," he said. "The ultimate outcome is only certain once the defense budget is finalized and signed into law."
He noted that HII has already started cutting steel on the Kennedy, and he argued that a carrier build cycle of six or seven years would increase shipbuilding costs and harm suppliers.
Asked about reports that the lead ship in the new carrier class, the Ford (CVN-78), was $562 million over budget due to construction inefficiencies, Petters only said that the company was performing well and on track.
"I'm not going to comment on any particular story out there," he said.
Want to know what's happening minute-by-minute on today's Hypersonic Technology Vehicle test?
Well, DARPA has a tweet for that.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been live-Tweeting (@DARPA_News) today's launch of the HTV-2. The program, which can get to speeds of Mach 20, is part of the Pentagon's Conventional Prompt Global Strike effort designed to strike worldwide targets in less than an hour.
After counting down to the launch, at about 7:45 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, DARPA_News tweeted: "We have lift-off of the Minotaur IV launch vehicle carrying the 2nd #HTV2 flight test vehicle." One minute later, DARPA let the Twitterverse know that in a few minutes the vehicle will leave the visual range of Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA tracking, where the launch took place.
"Confirmation of a successful #HTV2 separation from the Minotaur IV launch vehicle," DARPA tweeted right before 8 a.m. PST. This was followed by news that Pacific Tracker acquired the signal, and that the mission is on track with the vehicle entering the "glide phase." During this phase, the HTV-2 "performs maneuvers to test aerodynamic performance," according to a DARPA fact sheet.
But around 8:20 PST, a hiccup: "Range assets have lost telemetry with #HTV2. More to follow."
During the vehicle's first test in April 2010, the vehicle lost communication about nine minutes into the flight and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
UPDATE (12:26 p.m.): DARPA's latest Tweet: "Downrange assets did not reacquire tracking or telemetry. #HTV2 has an autonomous flight termination capability. More to follow."