The Insider

Precious Metal
By John Liang
October 2, 2012 at 4:16 PM

The Pentagon's latest industrial capabilities report highlights a project begun in 2011 that resulted in the development of a facility that would allow a regular supply of high-quality beryllium metal:

This project allows the United States and its allies to be assured of an uninterrupted supply of primary (high-purity) beryllium metal. Current inventories of National Defense Stockpile beryllium ingots are projected to be exhausted in the near future. Imports of beryllium cannot meet the purity levels required for many defense applications. Essential strategic uses, where there is no suitable substitute for high- purity beryllium, include: airborne Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) systems for fighter aircraft and attack helicopters; guidance systems on existing strategic missiles; surveillance satellites; ballistic missile defense systems; and reflectors for high flux, nuclear test reactors.

The Title III Program entered into a partnership with Materion Corporation (then Brush Wellman, Inc.) in November 2005, thereby initiating construction of the beryllium “Pebbles Plant” in Elmore, Ohio. Since project award, Materion has successfully established the infrastructure, facilities, and equipment necessary to support a production capacity of 160,000 pounds per year of high-purity beryllium metal. Today, the completed plant stands 73 feet tall, contains three levels, has a 51,045 sq. ft. footprint, and contains 124,358 total square feet of floor space. The plant produced its very first batch of beryllium pebbles on 15 April 2011. Beryllium pebble qualification and the Initial Operational Capability of the plant were achieved in December 2011, with normal plant operations beginning in January 2012.

Initial funding was provided through DoD increases to the DPA Title III budget. Additionally, Congressional increases were added to accelerate the restoration of this critical domestic production capacity. Total Title III funding on this project was $73.23M. Materion provided an additional $26.4M in company cost share for the project. Materion's cost share consisted of the building, supporting infrastructure, tie-ins, and ancillary laboratory equipment. This was a sole source solicitation as a single domestic source was identified for the specific technology of interest.

Click here to view the report.

JSF Deputy
By John Liang
October 1, 2012 at 5:54 PM

The Joint Strike Fighter program is getting a new second-in-command, according to a just-released Pentagon statement:

Rear Adm. (lower half) Randolph L. Mahr will be assigned as deputy director, Joint Strike Fighter Program, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics, Arlington, Va.  Mahr is currently serving as commander, Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division/assistant commander for research and engineering, Naval Air Systems Command (AIR 4.0), Patuxent River, Md.

Mahr's incoming boss hasn't had kind words for the JSF program, as InsideDefense.com reported last month:

The next Joint Strike Fighter program executive officer today delivered a blunt assessment of the major changes needed to the way the F-35 is managed -- primary among them a reset of the relationship between manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the program office, which he termed "the worst I’ve ever seen."

Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the deputy PEO of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), has been nominated for a third star and the program manager's job when Vice Adm. David Venlet retires. In his first appearance before reporters since moving into a JSF management role five weeks ago, Bogdan today praised Venlet for steering the program onto a sustainable path while criticizing almost every aspect of the way the F-35 program was conceived.

In particular, Bogdan emphasized what he described as a lack of wisdom behind the idea of concurrency, the aircraft program's simultaneous development, production, training and fielding processes.

Bogdan -- whose extensive acquisition experience includes serving as PEO of the KC-46 tanker program and as senior military assistant to the Pentagon's top weapons buyer -- stressed that the relationship between the government, the JSF contractors and other participants needs to be radically altered for the program to progress.

"Here comes a little bit of straight talk," he said at the Air Force Association's annual conference in National Harbor, MD. "I have a lot of [experience] in the acquisition world, and I will tell you that the relationship between Lockheed Martin and the JPO and the stakeholders is the worst I have ever seen. The worst I’ve ever seen."

Bogdan continued: “We will not succeed in this program until we get past that. It's a cultural thing. It's a cultural thing that Lockheed Martin has to work on. It's a cultural thing that the JPO has to work on. It's a cultural thing the department has to work on. We have to find a better place to be in this relationship."

Oversight Plan
By John Liang
October 1, 2012 at 3:59 PM

The inspectors general for the Defense and State departments, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Government Accountability Office, the special inspectors general for Iraq and Afghanistan and the service audit agencies recently released their joint oversight plan for Southwest Asia. According to the report:

We expanded this oversight plan beyond the statutory mandate to show all the audit, inspection, and evaluation work (oversight) for Afghanistan and the rest of the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility. In addition to the audits of contracts, subcontracts, and task and delivery orders for logistical support being conducted, this comprehensive plan addresses other oversight areas, including asset accountability, transition of security responsibilities in Afghanistan, financial and logistics management, security, rule of law, and economical and social development.

To view the full report, click here.

Capstone Release
By Christopher J. Castelli
September 28, 2012 at 4:17 PM

The Pentagon today published its new Capstone Concept for Joint Operations, signed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey.

The document, which calls for globally integrated operations, is intended to connect the Defense Strategic Guidance unveiled in January to yet-to-be-developed joint doctrine that will further refine the ideas and support military operations. Defense Department investment decisions are also supposed to be guided by this effort.

Document Database
By John Liang
September 27, 2012 at 3:00 PM

A senior Pentagon official this week issued a memo calling for all documents related to major defense acquisition programs to be uploaded to a searchable database.

In the Sept. 25, 2012, memo, Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall writes:

The acquisition information required by the current Department of Defense (DoD) Instruction 5000.02 is not routinely stored in an accessible manner to support milestone decision-making or other analytical uses across the Defense Acquisition Community. In 2012, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics piloted and deployed the Acquisition Information Repository (AIR), a searchable document repository for the systematic consolidation of this information.

The UNCLASSIFIED AIR reached initial operational capability in February. A SIPRNet AIR capability should reach initial operating capability later this year. The AIR will store final milestone documents for Pre-Major Defense Acquisition Programs, Unbaselined Major Automated Information Systems, Acquisition Category (ACAT) ID, ACAT IAM, and Special Interest Programs with potential to expand to include ACATIC and IAC programs later.

The attached matrix identifies the Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) for each document and the document types each OPR will initially upload into the AIR. This list will be updated as necessary on my direction. OPRs are responsible for loading documents, appropriately marking documents, setting document permissions, and managing access to their documents. It is important that OPRs load documents in a timely fashion and with appropriate accessibility. Effective immediately, OPRs will upload into AIR all UNCLASSIFIED milestone documents approved after the date of this memorandum within 5 business days of their formal approval. The AIR will provide the capability to generate a standard report of loaded (approved) documents for a program to facilitate assessment of program planning and statutory compliance in support of milestone decisions.

View the memo.

Ship Shape
By John Liang
September 26, 2012 at 5:20 PM

Last week, InsideDefense.com reported that the Pentagon, hoping to avoid disrupting the Navy's tightly orchestrated aircraft carrier maintenance schedule and crimp the service's ability to surge naval power, was seeking congressional permission to use fiscal year 2012 funds to finance work on two aircraft carriers that would otherwise be delayed under a pending FY-13 continuing resolution.

We now have the reprogramming request.

From the story:

On Sept. 18, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale proposed reprogramming $219.1 million into the Navy's shipbuilding and conversion accounts to finance three warship projects: the refueling of the aircraft carriers Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and the completion of construction on DDG-1000 ships.

Specifically, the Defense Department is seeking to move $68 million into Navy accounts for the six months of the continuing resolution -- October through March -- to cover continuing efforts to refuel and overhaul the Roosevelt and "achieve the planned completion date of June 2013," the reprogramming request states.

In addition, the Pentagon proposes shifting $96.1 million to commence work on the refueling and complex overhaul of the Lincoln, considered a new start because no funding was appropriated for the project in FY-12. "Failure to provide funding and authorize a new start in FY-12" will carry a number of consequences, including a late delivery of the completed overhaul, DOD states. "The department will be unable to maintain a fleet response plan of three carriers deployed/available, two carriers within 30 days, and one carrier available within 90 days," the reprogramming warns.

Another ramification: "Potential inability to meet additional combatant commander emergent tasking," according to the proposed budget action. Lastly, any delay to the refueling of the Lincoln will disrupt plans to begin inactivating the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN-65), slated to begin in December 2014, according to the Pentagon.

UPDATE 6:00 p.m.: A Navy spokeswoman just told InsideDefense.com that lawmakers had approved the reprogramming request.

Design Shortage
By John Liang
September 26, 2012 at 3:26 PM

The Pentagon recently issued its annual industrial capabilities report to Congress, in which it warns:

The loss or reduction in design teams and specialized engineering skills is a particular Department concern that cuts across multiple defense sectors -- most notably the aircraft, missile, space, Command, Control, Communications, Computers (C4) and Information Communications Technology (ICT), and munitions and missiles sectors. The demand for new design and development is at a historic low with significant skill and experience loss expected due to an aging and retiring workforce and a shortage in qualified design engineers. The loss in design expertise may jeopardize U.S. technological edge and increase the execution risks for future DoD programs. Preserving and developing unique and highly-creative talent, skills, and technology are vital to the industrial base's ability to design and produce world-class products.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is essential toward ensuring the nation maintains a workforce capable of understanding and satisfying the technical and advanced design requirements of future defense systems. After a temporary rise during the internet boom of the 1990s, enrollments in university STEM programs have reverted to previous historical levels. There is growing concern within the Department that there may be an insufficient supply of qualified graduates to meet rising defense C4/ICT and other design-unique program requirements.

The Department is addressing STEM education issues with the National Science Foundation and the President's Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program. DASD(MIBP) is also monitoring potential design team shortages through continued S2T2 assessments.

View the full report.

Check out our coverage of the report:

New DOD Assessment Pinpoints At-Risk Defense Industrial Base Sectors (DefenseAlert, Sept. 25)

An "aggressive" Pentagon analytical effort to identify critical and fragile niches in the defense industrial base has turned up several areas of concern for senior military acquisition officials, who have developed plans to intervene if necessary, according to a new government report.

DOD: Industrial Edge To 'Shift Against' U.S. Without 'Near-Term' 6th-Gen Fighter (DefenseAlert, Sept. 24)

Without "near-term" plans to launch a sixth-generation fighter aircraft program before 2030, the Defense Department estimates the U.S. aerospace industry could forfeit what is believed by the U.S. government to be a five-year technological advantage over foreign combat aircraft makers, according to a previously unreported Pentagon assessment.

Stay tuned for more.

DOD Internet Policy
By John Liang
September 25, 2012 at 3:13 PM

The Pentagon recently issued an instruction memo that outlines the Defense Department's policies for setting up, operating and maintaining "DOD Internet services on unclassified networks to collect, disseminate, store, and otherwise process unclassified DOD information," as well as the "use of Internet-based capabilities (IbC) to collect, disseminate, store, and otherwise process unclassified DOD information."

More specifically:

4. It is DoD policy that:

a. Decisions to collaborate, participate, or to disseminate or gather information via DoD Internet services or IbC shall balance benefits and vulnerabilities. Internet infrastructure, services, and technologies provide versatile communication assets that must be managed to mitigate risks to national security; to the safety, security, and privacy of personnel; and to Federal agencies.

b. DoD Internet services and IbC used to collect, disseminate, store, or otherwise process DoD information shall be configured and operated in a manner that maximizes the protection (e.g., confidentiality, integrity, and availability) of the information, commensurate with the risk and magnitude of harm that could result from the loss, compromise, or corruption of the information.

(1) For use of DoD Internet services, paragraph 4.b. applies to both public and non-public DoD information.

(2) For use of IbC, this applies to the integrity and availability of public DoD information. IbC shall not be used to collect, disseminate, store, or otherwise process non-public DoD information, as IbC are not subject to Federal or DoD information assurance (IA) standards, controls, or enforcement, and therefore may not consistently provide confidentiality.

c. DoD information systems (ISs) hosting DoD Internet services shall be operated and configured to meet the requirements in DoDD 8500.01E (Reference (f)) and DoDI 8500.2 (Reference (g)), and certified and accredited in compliance with DoDI 8510.01 (Reference (h)).

d. Effective information review procedures for clearance and release authorization for DoD information to the public are conducted in compliance with DoDD 5230.09 and DoDI 5230.29 (References (i) and (j)). DoD information intended for non-public audiences requires similar review and consideration prior to dissemination. DoD employees shall be educated and trained to conduct both organizational and individual communication effectively to deny adversaries the opportunity to take advantage of information that may be inappropriately disseminated.

e. Public DoD websites shall be operated in compliance with the laws and requirements cited in Reference (c). Detailed explanations, and implementation guidance are provided at the Web Manager’s Advisory Council Website.

f. DoD Internet services and the information disseminated via these services, where appropriate, shall be made available to Federal initiatives such as Data.gov, Recovery.gov, and USA.gov to reduce duplication and to foster greater participation, collaboration, and transparency with the public. Where feasible and appropriate, such DoD information shall be provided as datasets in raw (machine readable) format as defined in DepSecDef Memorandum (Reference (k)).

g. All unclassified DoD networks (e.g., Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET), the Defense Research and Engineering Network) shall be configured to provide access to IbC across all the DoD Components.

h. Authorized users of unclassified DoD networks shall comply with all laws, policies, regulations, and guidance concerning communication and the appropriate control of DoD information referenced throughout this Instruction regardless of the technology used. Furthermore, all personal use of IbC by means of Federal government resources shall comply with paragraph 2-301 of DoD 5500.7-R (Reference (l)).

Read the full memo.

Eying Asia
By Jordana Mishory
September 24, 2012 at 6:46 PM

More military-to-military contacts might help to stabilize the Asia-Pacific region and diffuse the conflict between China and Japan over the Senkaku islands, according to Kathleen Hicks, the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy.

Speaking today at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event, Hicks said increased military-to-military engagement can help not only with China but with other nations in the region as well.

Asked why China would listen to the United States on the latest standoff between China and Japan over the islands, Hicks said stability in the region is of interest to everyone, including China.

Her comments echo those of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last week in Japan. Panetta told reporters it's in everyone's interest for Japan and China to maintain good relations, noting that the message he's been trying to convey to China about the stand-off is “to urge calm and restraint on all sides.”

“The United States, as a matter of policy, does not take a position with regards to competing sovereignty claims,” Panetta said. “Having said that, we expect that these issues will be resolved peacefully. And although, you know, we understand the differences here with regards to jurisdiction, it is extremely important that diplomatic means on both sides be used to try to constructively resolve these issues.”

TRADOC 'Strategic Estimate'
By John Liang
September 24, 2012 at 3:44 PM

On Friday, InsideDefense.com reported that Army intelligence analysts looking deep into the next decade had issued a "strategic estimate" document that envisions potential operational environments and related missions against adversaries in Iran, China, Yemen, North Korea, Pakistan and Nigeria:

In the new estimate, Training and Doctrine Command's intelligence directorate anticipates operational environments through 2028 as part of an effort to identify future needs for all aspects of the Army -- including new weapons -- while thinking anew about land operations after more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"This strategic estimate will serve as the foundation to build, train and educate the U.S. Army," Gen. Robert Cone, TRADOC commanding general, wrote in a foreword to the 100-page document, dated August 2012.

The volume is intended to inform decisions about future Army budgets, it states: "Currently, in the midst of a global recession, the Army finds itself at a strategically important crossroad as it tries to determine where to wisely invest its limited training, personnel, and materiel resources."

The document describes the need to be ready to confront a wide range of potential adversaries, from standing conventional forces to irregular militias and paramilitary forces to terrorist groups and criminal gangs.

"The strategic environment remains as it has always been: complex," the report notes.

We now have the document.

Engine Deal
By Courtney Albon
September 24, 2012 at 3:21 PM

The Defense Department has awarded  a $394 million contract to General Electric Aviation for its Adaptive Engine Technology Development program, DOD announced late Friday.

Inside the Air Force reported late last week that the service was in final negotiations with GE-Aviation and Pratt & Whitney, expecting to award up to two contracts for the four-year development program. The goal behind AETD is to mature fuel-efficient component technologies for the Air Force's future combat aircraft.

A contract for Pratt & Whitney has not yet been announced.

The service estimates AETD and its Adaptive Versatile Engine Technologies work could cut Air Force fuel consumption by 1.4 billion gallons through 2040.

The contract announcement reads:

GE-Aviation, Cincinnati, Ohio (FA8650-09-D-2922), is being awarded a $394,747,900 indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract modification for the Adaptive Engine Technology Development program. The location of the performance is Cincinnati, Ohio. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2016. The contracting activity is AFRL/RQKPB, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Nuclear Safety
By Dan Dupont
September 21, 2012 at 5:40 PM

Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), who chairs the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, announced he has introduced a bill designed to better protect nuclear weapons and facilities, "legislation that would transfer responsibility for providing security at certain National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) nuclear weapons facilities to the Department of Defense (DOD)."

From his statement:

Under the bill, the military would provide security for nuclear weapons and special nuclear material at NNSA's sites in the same manner as it does for nuclear weapons in military custody. In addition, responsibility for securing transportation of nuclear weapons would also shift to DOD.

"Last week my Subcommittee heard directly from NNSA officials and experts on the Y-12 incident and the alarming lapse of security. On a bipartisan basis we were stunned by the series of failures, at all levels, that enabled this incident to occur. We were also dismayed by the lack of accountability in responsible federal officials. It is clear that the NNSA is broken and we must take immediate action to ensure the security of the nation's nuclear materials," said Turner.

In May of this year, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R.4310). The bill contained a series of reforms sponsored by Turner that would overhaul the governance, management, and oversight of the nuclear security enterprise. The bill would shift NNSA from focusing on paperwork and overly bureaucratic processes to ensuring NNSA's mission is performed safely, securely, and effectively.

"Shifting security to the military provides a number of advantages over the current system. Our military has the capabilities, training, and cultural mindset needed to secure the nation's most powerful weapons. NNSA was originally created by Congress because of major security and mismanagement problems at DOE. For 12 years DOE and NNSA have been saying they will get things right -- this latest incident proves once again that they haven't. I am not willing to risk having security for our nuclear weapons continue to reside inside this broken system," added Turner.

Cosponsors of Turner's bill include: Reps. Trent Franks (AZ-02), Mo Brooks (AL-05), Austin Scott (GA-08), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Mike Rogers (AL-03), and Jon Fleming (LA-04).

Sequestration Delay?
By Christopher J. Castelli
September 20, 2012 at 2:26 PM

Echoing comments made yesterday on Capitol Hill by Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said this morning that delaying sequestration would be preferable to permitting its implementation.

Kendall said Wednesday that he remains hopeful that Congress will be able to solve the nation's debt problems, not merely delay sequestration. But if all a lame-duck Congress can accomplish is a delay sequestration that gives the next Congress the ability to address the problem, that would clearly be better than allowing sequestration to be implemented, Kendall told lawmakers, contractors and reporters in remarks on Capitol Hill.

Speaking at the Newseum today, for an event organized by Politico, Carter agreed.

Carter also reiterated his concerns about export-control reform, which he voiced yesterday at an Air Force Association conference.

From our story on his Wednesday remarks:

"I think that starting with Secretary Gates, and really Secretary Clinton, President Obama, Secretary Panetta, all the senior leadership, myself also, are frustrated with the outdated nature, I guess you would say, of the export control system and with the way it is designed, which has so many hands in the pot that it takes an extraordinary collective and simultaneous act to get anything done," Carter said. "That is annoying and impairing, and we are under pretty clear instructions -- and have been for the last three years -- in the department to clean up our act."

Over that time, he added, DOD, State and Commerce have made progress in streamlining their approval processes and simplifying export control. But Carter made clear that improving the system in a larger way requires legislation from Congress.

"Where I cannot give you much optimism at the moment is elsewhere," Carter said. "I think we're all fine -- the Commerce Department, the State Department, and the Defense Department are aligned in our general reviews, but then there's the Congress, which has views of its own, so this is just something we have to keep handling.

"I'm dogged and Secretary Panetta is pretty dogged within the walls of the Department of Defense that we can do it and have done a lot there," he continued. "It's a lot harder when you get outside, and it turns into missionary work for us and not something we can direct and manage in the way that we can inside the building."

V-22s in Japan
By Christopher J. Castelli
September 19, 2012 at 12:40 PM

The Defense Department announced overnight that it had reached an agreement with the Japanese government that will permit the V-22 Osprey to commence flight operations in Japan.

“This agreement was the result of a deep partnership and thorough process that allowed both sides to reconfirm the safety of the aircraft. It is a testament to the strength and maturity of our alliance, which remains the cornerstone for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, he added, who "has placed a high priority on reaching this agreement," has "directed numerous senior officials at the Department of Defense to work on this issue over the past several months, and raised the issue in multiple discussions with Foreign Minister Gemba and Defense Minister Morimoto, including earlier this week."

DOD and China
By Christopher J. Castelli
September 19, 2012 at 12:38 PM

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta met today with China's Vice President and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in a statement released this morning. “In a session that lasted more than an hour, the two leaders held constructive and candid discussions on a broad range of bilateral issues, with a focus on the U.S-China military-to-military relationship,” Little said.

“The two leaders agreed to work together with a goal of building a stronger relationship capable of cooperatively addressing the security challenges of the 21st century,” Little added, noting Panetta and Xi also discussed the U.S. rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region, the importance of the peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes as well as other matters of importance to regional security, including North Korea. “In addition, both leaders engaged in a dialogue about working cooperatively to address a number of other global issues and discussed future cooperation on cyber and space issues," Little said. A day earlier, Panetta met with and held a press conference with Chinese Defense Minister General Liang Guanglie.