The Insider

The National Defense Industrial Association recently released an updated guide for conducting integrated baseline reviews. According to its executive summary, the document "describes the purpose of the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR). It describes the overall, ongoing IBR process and specifically describes the IBR event, which is the formal review jointly conducted by the customer and supplier teams."

Further, the Sept. 1 document states:

While the overall IBR is a continuous process of analysis of the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) and its executability, the IBR event is a formal review that occurs at a point in time. Specific conditions within a project’s life cycle warrant an IBR event. These include the initial establishment of the project PMB, either before contract award (when a pre-award IBR is required) or after contract award as determined by the customer, as well as significant changes to the original PMB, e.g., a significant contract modification or a major project replan. IBR events may also recur any time a PMB assessment determines the need for a subsequent IBR. Recurring IBRs can be initiated by the customer Project Manager (PM) or supplier PM.

An effective IBR process leads to a better understanding of project risks and opportunities. With the common definitions and framework provided by this guide, the expectations and objectives of the customer and supplier will be better aligned and key stakeholder engagement will be enhanced. The IBR process enables PMs to effectively assess the PMB and to determine its adequacy for successful project execution.

Pre- or post-award IBRs are directed on all projects requiring Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS). The solicitation will specify which type of IBR applies. For pre-award IBRs, the supplier must establish the PMB and the organization that will manage it prior to contract award. For post-award IBRs the supplier must establish a PMB as soon as possible after receipt of the Authorization to Proceed (ATP) and begin preparations for the initial post-award IBR event. Both types of reviews should follow the structured approach for conducting the IBR review as described in this guide.

Inside the Pentagon reported on June 1 that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is slated to complete an IBR by the second quarter of fiscal year 2011. The review comes in the wake of a Defense Department report to Congress that strongly criticized the Lockheed Martin division that builds the JSF for ignoring key management rules. However, according to Lockheed the department has stopped short of revoking the contractor's management certification. Further:

In a report sent to Congress today, the Pentagon declares Lockheed's aircraft division in Ft. Worth, TX, "was determined to be non-compliant" with the department's standards for earned value management, Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter's preferred tool for managing the cost and schedule of major programs.

The "systemic corporate level problem" is "disappointing and unacceptable," the Defense Department writes, adding that the Pentagon is "challenging Lockheed Martin to deal with this issue on all levels."

Inside the Pentagon obtained a copy of the report, which details plans to continue the troubled F-35 program despite cost increases and schedule delays.

Carter's office uses earned value management to flag problems, forecast cost and schedule performance and get troubled programs back on track. The tool integrates the technical, cost and schedule parameters of a contract, letting program officials develop an integrated baseline and objectively measure progress.

Since late last year, Carter's office has been reviewing the Lockheed sector's failure to fully implement the management rules, as Inside the Pentagon has reported. Defense officials have weighed whether to revoke the sector's certification for its earned value management system (EVMS), which applies to all Lockheed aircraft built in Ft. Worth.

But despite the new criticism in the report, Lockheed spokesman Joe Stout said the contractor remains certified. "We have received no notice that affects our EVMS certification," Stout told ITP.

Lockheed has been working closely with the Defense Contract Management Agency to develop a corrective action plan that "will address all issues and lead to resolution of all concerns," Stout said. The agency is expected to approve details of the plan in the near future, he added, noting that Lockheed "will diligently work to meet the established milestones in the months ahead."

The report states DOD is providing Lockheed with scheduling, program management, technical, and earned value management compliance expertise and assistance. Carter writes that the corrective action plan is due to be completed and accepted by the agency by June 30, and that the plan is supposed to show "measurable progress leading to successful completion" of a compliance review, as determined by the agency, by the first quarter of fiscal year 2011. Successful execution of the integrated baseline review is slated for the second quarter of FY-11.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Ashton Carter, the Pentagon's procurement executive, will roll out “new acquisition and procurement initiatives guidelines” on Tuesday, according to a Pentagon announcement.

On June 28, Carter said he aimed to find as much as $12 billion in annual savings from the Pentagon's procurement of goods and services through more efficient practices, funds that could be plowed back into weapons procurement accounts.

The new initiatives, due to be unveiled at a 2 p.m. press conference at the Pentagon, are expected to reflect ideas proposed from within the defense bureaucracy as well as from suggestions proposed by defense industry. Inside the Pentagon last week reported that Carter will unveil the new efforts to an audience of senior Defense Department acquisition officials in a auditorium at the National Defense University earlier in the day.

As the Air Force continues to develop requirements for its long-range strike family of systems, its work will be focused on fielding a conventional weapon, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said today.

Speaking at the Air Force Association's annual conference, Donley said the air service is approaching its LRS development from conventional capabilities perspective.

In March, a senior-level DOD working group explored options for long-range strike capabilities in the hopes of having the review complete in time to influence the fiscal year 2012 budget. As part of that review, group members drilled down into possible long-range strike scenarios involving force mix options of nuclear and conventional weapons.

While service officials working LRS development are also focusing on "complimentary capabilities" that could be included in the eventual platform, a nuclear LRS option will be shelved for the time being.

Donley noted the focus on conventional capabilities would prevent the burgeoning program from suffering the same fate as the Air Force's previous attempts to field a new bomber.

Service officials put the kibosh on the next-generation bomber effort after the program became weighed down, and ultimately delayed, by excessive requirements not integral to the long-range strike mission.

The Missile Defense Agency this morning released a statement giving more details on this month's failed Airborne Laser Test Bed intercept attempt. In a nutshell, it didn't aim where it was supposed to:

On Sept 1, 2010, the Missile Defense Agency executed the Flight Experiment Laser (FEL-01b) mission at the Point Mugu flight test range off the Southern California coast. The objective of this mission was for the Agency's Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) to destroy a liquid-fuel, short-range ballistic missile during its boost phase. During the mission the Boeing 747 flying laser laboratory detected and tracked the target. However, the experiment terminated early when corrupted beam control software steered the high energy laser slightly off center.

While we continue analyzing the failure, preliminary indications are that a communication software error within the system that controls the laser beam caused misalignment of the beam. The ALTB safety system detected this shift and immediately shut down the high energy laser.

The Agency plans to resume flight experiments beginning with tests of the software repair on September 13 leading to a lethal shootdown experiment involving a solid-fuel target missile by the end of this month. A mid-October experiment is in the planning stages that will involve lasing a solid-fuel missile at three times the range of last February’s successful destruction of a liquid-fuel missile.

The test was the fourth attempt in recent weeks, with each try being delayed due to software or hardware issues with either the ALTB system or its target missile. As Inside the Pentagon reported yesterday:

The fourth intercept attempt was pushed back because of problems with the system's tracking laser, according to an Aug. 24 agency statement. In February, the ALTB program intercepted a missile at a distance greater than 50 miles.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has recommended keeping the program in a research and development status because of its high cost and questionable operational concept. When the Obama administration's fiscal year 2011 defense budget was unveiled in February, Pentagon officials announced that the former Airborne Laser program was being transferred to the office of the director of defense research and engineering (DDR&E) and being renamed the ALTB.

During an Aug. 19 breakfast with reporters, Zachary Lemnios, the DDR&E, said his office views the Airborne Laser Test Bed as just that -- a test bed.

"We're looking at using that platform to validate other high-powered laser concepts," Lemnios said. "We have a number of projects underway at the energy labs and also funded through DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] and funded through the Air Force to look at high-powered solid state lasers that would offer similar performance as the enormous coil laser" that's on the Airborne Laser Test Bed.

The Pentagon's latest report on stability and security in Iraq paints a fairly bleak picture of the Iraqi government's internal security apparatus.

The June 2010 report, released yesterday, does state that Iraq's security forces overall "are functioning well as a counterinsurgency (COIN) force. They are striving to reach a Minimum Essential Capability (MEC) by the time U.S. Forces redeploy at the end of December 2011. MEC means that the Iraqi Security ministries, institutions, and forces can provide internal security and possess foundational capabilities to defend against external threats."

However, Iraq's nascent Interior Ministry (MoI) is having some growing pains, according to the report:

In order to achieve MEC, the MoI must develop a self-reliant ministry by the end of 2011; a ministry with sustainable and enduring systems, staffed with professional and capable leadership that enables the manning, training, and equipping of interior forces. The MoI continues to make slow, uneven progress in developing the ministerial capacity to provide oversight, training, professional development, facilities, and resourcing for Iraqi internal security forces. The MoI is progressing toward MEC by December 31, 2011, but the ministry is currently experiencing challenges in the areas of C2, interoperability, resource and acquisition management, and operational sustainment.

The report paints a more positive outlook for Iraq's Defense Ministry (MoD), however:

With the exception of logistics and sustainment, the MoD is currently on track to achieve its MEC objectives to provide oversight of the Iraqi armed forces prior to U.S. Forces withdrawal in December 2011. In addition to logistics and sustainment, the current MoD challenges are in the areas of planning and budgeting, procurement, and information technology. As the ground force nears completion, lack of a sustainment funding plan and the presence of a highly centralized decision-making process inhibit MoD force improvements.

The Missile Defense Agency has identified $1.4 billion in the Pentagon's six-year budget plan for the Next Generation Aegis Missile (NGAM) program.

In answers to questions submitted to MDA after a July 29 industry day with agency Director Lt. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, which were recently posted on Federal Business Opportunities, MDA writes:

The $1.4B figure that LTG O'Reilly mentioned was referring to the funding within MDA's POM12 budget for the Product Development Phase (covering years FY12-16.) The number is a requested amount. No funds for FY-12 have been appropriated yet.

MDA anticipates contract awards for the NGAM program "in the second quarter of FY-11," the document states. When asked about the "technology maturation contact awards time line vs. the concept definition time line," MDA responds: "We intend to award additional technology maturation contracts in FY-11."

As to a question about the "funding stream," the agency answers: "The planning profile for this effort includes approximately $130 million between the years of FY11-13. The profile is notional and may change. It is roughly linear." However, the next question asks whether there is $45 million available "per year or total" for the concept definition and technology development phase, to which MDA responds: "The planning profile for this effort includes $135 million between the years of FY11-13. The profile is notional and may change."

In response to a question about the agency's focus on countering intercontinental ballistic missile threats and whether "longer-range" short-range ballistic missiles and medium-range ballistic missiles "should be in the trade space," MDA writes: "The priority is to maximize performance against ICBMs. But, the Government is also interested in the performance gain and loss trades between threat classes."

As to whether industry should "consider the inventory and consider the fact that other interceptors can handle the shorter-range threats," MDA states: "The allocation and use of a mixed missile inventory will not be part of this contract."

When asked whether the agency is looking for a "new or modified" kill vehicle, MDA responds: "The Kill vehicle configuration is part of the trade space."

MDA expects all the missile components to have "at least" a Technology Readiness Level 5 "at the start of product development," according to the document.

Northrop Grumman recently demonstrated a sensor for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that could be used to detect boosting ballistic missiles, according to a company statement released today.

The AN/AAQ-37 Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS) "successfully detected and tracked a two-stage rocket launch at a distance exceeding 800 miles during a routine flight test conducted aboard the company's BAC 1-11 test bed aircraft," the statement reads. Further:

"The DAS could fill critical capability gaps in the area of ballistic missile defense (BMD)," said Dave Bouchard, program director for F-35 sensors at Northrop Grumman. "We have only scratched the surface on the number of functions the F-35's DAS is capable of providing. With DAS, we've combined instantaneous 360-degree spherical coverage, high frame refresh rates, high resolution, high sensitivity powerful processors and advanced algorithms into a single system. The number of possibilities is endless."

An operational DAS system is comprised of multiple DAS sensors whose images are fused together to create one seamless picture. DAS successfully detected and tracked the rocket during a nine minute, two-stage, flight period from horizon break until final burnout through multiple sensor fields of regard. Unlike other sensors, DAS picks up targets without assistance from an external cue. Because DAS is passive, an operator does not have to point the sensor in the direction of a target to gain a track.

"The DAS software architecture already includes missile detection and tracking algorithms that can be applied to the BMD mission," Bouchard added. "The results of the flight test were extraordinary. We found that the data gathered during this flight validated our performance predictions. In fact, we knew we could have seen the rocket at a longer distance."

The AN/AAQ-37 DAS is a high resolution omni-directional infrared sensor system that provides advanced spherical situational awareness capability, including missile and aircraft detection, track and warning capabilities for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. DAS also gives a pilot 360 degree spherical day/night vision, with the capability of seeing through the floor of the aircraft. Northrop Grumman is now exploring how the existing DAS technology could assist in several additional mission areas, including Ballistic Missile Defense and irregular warfare operations.

Using fighter aircraft as missile defense platforms is a concept that has been gaining traction in recent years.

Last year, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz called for his service to partner with the Missile Defense Agency to study the possibility of using fighter jets, bombers and drones to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles. As Inside Missile Defense reported in July:

If eventually adopted, the concept could give the service a more prominent seat at the table in the missile defense world, which is dominated by Army and Navy interceptors. The Air Force currently tracks and provides targeting data for those systems through Defense Support Program satellites.

Right now, the Air Force does not have a "shooter" in the missile defense fight. It plans to use the Airborne Laser Boeing 747 for this mission; however, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has recommended keeping the effort in a research-and-development status due to its extremely high price tag and what Gates calls a questionable operational concept.

To that end, the Air Force explored the Air-Launched Hit-to-Kill concept in Unified Engagement 2008. The wargame concluded that "several approaches may be operationally suitable for employment from Air Force fighters or other aircraft," Schwartz wrote in a June 2 memo to MDA Director Lt. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly.

The concept proposes using modified Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) missiles or Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) weapons to shoot down different types of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The THAAD-based system would be "shorter than a 600 gallon external fuel tank and weigh approximately 1,600 pounds," according to an April 24 white paper included with the memo. The document is marked "for official use only." The system could be carried externally on F-15 and F-16 fighters. Follow-on development of this "upper-tier capability" would include an F-22A and F-35 internally carried interceptor system.

The AMRAAM-based Net Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCADE) "would provide lower tier or endo-atmospheric intercept capability," according to the document.

The use of fighter aircraft "increases the range of equivalent surface-based missiles 3 to 6 times," the document states.