The Insider

'War Footing'
By John Liang
January 18, 2011 at 3:57 PM

The House Armed Services Committee will meet on Thursday morning to approve a new "rules package" and "oversight plan" proposed by panel Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) "that fulfills his commitment to place the Armed Services Committee on a 'war footing' in the 112th Congress," according to a committee statement issued this morning:

The draft rules package contains a reorganization of the Armed Services subcommittee structure that better aligns the seven subcommittees with current operations and future threats.  Other proposed changes to the committee rules fulfill new transparency requirements adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month.

These include, but are not limited to, the following:

* Commitment to post online within 24 hours any amendment adopted by the committee;

* Commitment to post online within 48 hours the results of all roll call votes of the committee; and

* Commitment to post legislation online at least 24 hours prior to consideration by the committee.

The Armed Services Committee has a strong bipartisan tradition of translating oversight activities into prescriptive legislative action that provides for the nation’s common defense and the men and women of our Armed Forces.  The committee, under the leadership of Chairman McKeon, will continue to maintain a strong linkage between formal oversight efforts and legislative initiatives.  The committee’s draft oversight plan is the roadmap for how committee members will achieve that end.

As the committee executes its oversight activities, members may call upon the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the individual service secretaries and chiefs of staff, combatant commanders, other officials of the Department of Defense and the military departments, officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency and other defense-related intelligence agencies, and the Secretary of Energy, the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and other officials of the Department of Energy.

Given the unique nature of the national security challenges facing America’s Armed Forces, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Chairman McKeon believes that some high profile and immediate issues will not allow for members to plan comprehensively and predict all oversight activities.  Much of the committee’s most demanding oversight will be, by definition, event-driven and not subject to prior planning.

For example, Chairman McKeon has committed to placing the Armed Services Committee on a “war footing.”  This will include in-depth assessments of military operations and other major events that are generally difficult to predict in advance.  The committee’s oversight plan has been crafted to maintain an effective and flexible oversight structure to ensure current operations remain the top priority of the committee.

The committee’s oversight plan will also focus heavily of the fiscal health of the Department of Defense and military services.  Americans are demanding greater accountability on how the federal government spends taxpayer money.  Through its oversight activities, the committee will closely scrutinize Department of Defense programs, processes and weapons systems to ensure every taxpayer dollar is being spent wisely.

A Singing Soldier
By Tony Bertuca
January 14, 2011 at 7:18 PM

In the 1954 film White Christmas, Bing Crosby plays a WWII veteran who often breaks into song when expressing affection for his beloved general, ushering chestnuts like “What Can You Do With a General?” and “We'll Follow the Old Man” into the great American songbook.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, of Army Training and Doctrine Command, is himself hard man to follow -- when he sings, that is.

Dempsey, the administration's pick to be the next Army chief of staff, apparently likes to cut loose from time to time and sing the standards. In fact, there's video proof: The general can be seen on YouTube belting out a rendition of “New York, New York.”

His performance in the clip draws thunderous applause from a room full listeners and positive comments on the site.

“The coolest general in the U.S. Army,” one comment reads. “I remember him singing at the 1st Armored Division's Christmas Formals in Germany -- great voice."

“What a wasted talent,” according to a second commenter. “During my college time I worked as a waitress at the International Congress Center in Berlin and we had the 'Winter Formal Ball' of the Army. Those guys were a little bit stiff, but this buddy rocks.”

As of today, Dempsey's crooning clip has been viewed more than 1,600 times.

On Target
By John Liang
January 14, 2011 at 4:27 PM

The Missile Defense Agency has pushed back the due date of the final request for proposals for a new class of intercontinental ballistic missile targets to March, according to a Federal Business Opportunities notice published this morning:

The Missile Defense Agency received numerous inputs and feedback from Industry since the release of the Draft RFP and Industry Day. To ensure all industry feedback is reviewed and considered for incorporation into the final solicitation documents, the release of the FINAL RFP will be early March 2011.

The original due date was last month.

According to the original FedBizOpps notice:

Under FEDBIZOPPS announcement HQ0147-09-R-0011, released on July 2, 2009, the Government announced intent to award competitive, fixed priced and cost-reimbursement contract(s) to continue support of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) Element and System Flight Tests, to include Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM), Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM), Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), and Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) target systems. This pre-solicitation notice specifically addresses MDA’s ICBM Target Class requirements. ICBM requirements include development and manufacturing of ICBMs, integrated logistics support to include inventory storage and maintenance, pre and post mission analysis, launch preparation and execution, and engineering services to include Ballistic Missile Defense System modeling and simulation support. The requirement is for targets under a contract including cost-reimbursement and fixed priced contract line items.

JASON and Genomics
By Dan Dupont
January 13, 2011 at 6:25 PM

The Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy News has something of a pipeline for reports from the JASON defense advisory panel, this week turning up a new one on genomics.

From the blog:

The technology for sequencing human DNA is advancing so rapidly and the cost is dropping so quickly that the number of individuals whose DNA has been mapped is expected to grow "from hundreds of people (current) to millions of people (probably within three years)," according to a new report . . . from the JASON defense science advisory panel. The Defense Department should begin to take advantage of the advances in "personal genomics technology" by collecting genetic information on all military personnel, the panel advised.

The cost of sequencing complete human genomes has been falling by about a factor of 30 per year over the last six years, the JASONs said. As a result, "it is now possible to order your personal genome sequenced today for a retail cost of under ~$20,000" compared to around $300 million a decade ago. "This cost will likely fall to less than $1,000 by 2012, and to $100 by 2013." . . .

For military purposes, it will be up to the Department of Defense "to determine which phenotypes . . . have special relevance to military performance and medical cost containment" and then presumably to select for those. "These phenotypes might pertain to short- and long-term medical readiness, physical and medical performance, and response to drugs, vaccines, and various environmental exposures. . . . More specifically, one might wish to know about phenotypic responses to battlefield stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder, the ability to tolerate conditions of sleep deprivation, dehydration, or prolonged exposure to heat, cold, or high altitude, or the susceptibility to traumatic bone fracture, prolonged bleeding, or slow wound healing."

Secrecy News has a copy of the report posted here.

Rep. Akin on EFV
By Dan Taylor
January 12, 2011 at 11:13 PM

Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), the incoming chairman of the House Armed Services seapower and expeditionary forces subcommittee, told reporters today that he does not know “where we're going to come out as a committee” regarding the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program, but buying at least some EFVs is a possibility.

Akin voiced concern over Defense Secretary Robert Gates' announcement last week that the Pentagon would ax the troubled program due to its high cost, but he said following his address at the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium that the Marine Corps appears to be in favor of the decision and not simply doing as told.

“We've been convinced they genuinely think it's too much money for what their budget can handle,” he said.

Akin said his panel would consider buying at least some EFVs or completely resubmitting the program “because the engineering is 20 years old at this point.”

The Marine Corps said it will completely cease production of EFVs and will issue a request for proposals soon to find a follow-on program to fill the capability. The Marines will upgrade legacy vehicles and use a mix of other existing capabilities to bridge the gap, according to Gates.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), a former Marine and member of the subcommittee, told Inside the Navy last week that members of the panel were “standing firm . . . that this is the most needed product in the United States Marine Corps.”

Big Spinoff
By John Liang
January 12, 2011 at 7:04 PM

ITT Corp. today announced a plan to separate into three independent publicly traded companies -- one defense-related, one water-related and one engineering and industrial firm.

According to a company statement:

Under the plan, ITT would execute tax-free spinoffs to shareholders of its water-related businesses and its Defense & Information Solutions segment.  Following completion of the transaction, ITT will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange as an industrial company that supplies highly engineered solutions in the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. Under the plan, ITT shareholders will own shares in all three corporations following the completion of the transaction.

ITT senior management and its board of directors believe that these three businesses are well-positioned to create significant value for shareholders as standalone companies.  ITT expects to finalize and execute the plan before the end of the year.

"For nearly a century, ITT has been known for transformative strategies that create value for customers and shareowners," said Steve Loranger, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ITT.  "In recent years, we have nurtured and grown our unique portfolio of businesses, which are now poised to emerge as three strong and focused standalone companies, with leading products and market positions, highly skilled employees and tremendous value-generating potential for shareowners.  In today's business environment, we believe this strategy is the best approach to unlock this value and position the three businesses to grow and serve customers as focused global companies.  Each new company will be more nimble and able to build stronger, more intimate customer relationships to accelerate mutual success."

As for the defense-related spinoff:

Following completion of the spinoff, the existing Defense & Information Solutions segment will be renamed and rebranded as a new standalone company that is an industry-leading provider of innovative technologies and operational services to meet the enduring requirements of the global military, government and commercial customers. The company’s products and services will include premier technologies such as next generation night vision, integrated electronic warfare, networked communications, force protection, radar, global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, composite structures, space-based satellite imaging, weather and climate monitoring, and navigation and imaging systems, as well as maintenance, engineering and professional services. The business will continue to focus on growth beyond the core Department of Defense customer, with nearly 30 percent of revenues already coming from adjacent markets, such as air traffic management, information and cyber security as well as strong international growth prospects.

Pro forma 2011 revenue for the new defense and information solutions business is estimated at $5.8 billion.

And on who will lead what:

Effective upon the completion of the transaction, the new ITT Corporation will be led by ITT’s current Chief Financial Officer, Denise Ramos, who will serve as its future chief executive officer.  Its chairman of the board will be Frank MacInnis, currently a director of ITT Corporation and the chairman and former chief executive officer of EMCOR Group, Inc.  The water technology businesses will become a new company to be led by Gretchen McClain, currently president of ITT Fluid and Motion Control, who will serve as its future chief executive officer.  Its executive chairman of the board will be Steve Loranger, currently chairman, president and chief executive officer of ITT Corporation.  The Defense & Information Solutions business will become a new company to be led by David Melcher, currently president of ITT Defense & Information Solutions, serving as its future chief executive officer. Its chairman of the board will be Ralph Hake, currently a director of ITT Corporation and previously the chairman and chief executive officer of Maytag Corporation.

Amos Pledges Action On F-35B
By Jason Sherman
January 12, 2011 at 6:33 PM

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos today pledged to use his position and prestige to independently monitor the development of the troubled F-35B, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week put on a two-year probation in a bid to ensure the service acquires the Joint Strike Fighter short-takeoff-and-landing variant.

In a statement issued today, Amos -- the first pilot to lead the Marines -- said:

I personally met with top leadership within the F35 program, to include our industry partner, and communicated that I intend to personally track the progress of our airplane over the next two years. I will track every pound of weight growth, required engineering fixes, and every test point completed.

This strikes a different chord than that of his predecessor, Gen. James Conway, who 13 months ago asserted that the word of Robert Stevens, chief executive officer of JSF prime contractor Lockheed Martin, was good enough for him.

On Dec. 15, 2009, Conway was asked during a Pentagon press conference whether -- in light an independent assessment panel's assertion that more time and money were required to develop the F-35B -- he was confident the Marine Corps would be able to fulfill its plan to field its first JSF unit in 2012.

I just saw Bob Stevens last week, you know, and we stood closer than you and I are, and I asked him that question, okay. So -- and he's not a BS kind of guy. You know, he tells me he's got his A team on it, he still thinks he can make 2012, and all, you know, focuses are in that direction. So I got to take the man at his word.

Days after Conway's statement, the Pentagon committed to the first installment of what now amounts to $7.4 billion in remedial funding to be pumped into the program over the next five years, a sum paid for by slashing 246 aircraft from the Defense Department's JSF production plans through FY-16.

Here's the full exchange from the late 2009 press briefing.

Q    Let me ask about the Joint Strike Fighter, too. There's a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on this tomorrow. What's your level of concern these days, contrasted with earlier this year when you were fairly enthusiastic about the STOVL'S purported performance? You know, it hasn't flown yet, the full envelope, but we're still waiting, sir. What's your level of concern?

GEN. CONWAY:  Yeah. We have the first test aircraft at Pax [Patuxent] River. The second one, I think, is going to be there before the end of the year.

My focus . . . is on the promise that the contractor has made to us that we will have IOC [initial operational capability] of our first squadron -- and by the way, I think you know we're the first service to get an operational squadron -- in 2012. That is an important period to us because the British and the Italians, who are buying the same version that we are, are keenly interested in that. We have accepted risk now for a number of years not buying fourth-generation airplanes, such as the Navy has done, to await the arrival of this aircraft. We've got a small bathtub out there, a vulnerability with regard to attack and fighter aircraft.

So all of our planning is 2012 backwards. And when we ask that question, we get the same answer: We're going to make 2012 for you; it may be December of calendar year 2012, but we're going to make 2012 for you.

And what the contractors tell us, and in fact it's validated by the program manager, is that the ground test birds that we have used are going to be tremendously more impactful than they have been in the past, and that a lot of things that we're going -- that we could see when we start flying the experimental aircraft in the vertical takeoff mode will be less problematic for us.

I still fully expect to get an invitation in the spring of next year to go watch the first vertical flight at Pax River.

And if that happens, again, the contractors and the program manager tell me that we will be generally on the schedule that they think we need to follow.

Q     What does your BS meter tell you, though? I mean, you've heard this from the companies and the program manager before, that the thing is on schedule, it's going to do this, it's going to do that. I mean, are you getting more skeptical or are you --

GEN. CONWAY:  Well, I'm a -- I'm an unapologetic optimist, okay, I got to tell you that at the outset, I guess.  But, you know, I -- we are very concerned about it. We register that concern, okay. I just saw Bob Stevens last week, you know, and we stood closer than you and I are, and I asked him that question, okay.  So -- and he's not a BS kind of guy.  You know, he tells me he's got his A team on it, he still thinks he can make 2012, and all, you know, focuses are in that direction. So I got to take the man at his word. And so I think everybody understands how important it is and that we're not going to -- we're not going to let up.

Q     What are concerned about?  I don't -- this will be my last question.  What are you concerned about at this point, though?  That they may not make the '012 date, or that the program is just slipping too much?

GEN. CONWAY:  Our focus is 2012, okay.  And I think they're related. So long as that -- as that doesn't slip, then I -- I'm not going to be critical of the other things that they have in some of the areas of the program, okay. Cost rise and all that, that's someone else's concern, at least at this point, although we're watching it in a per-unit kind of consideration. But our focus is that we want to get those planes in and operational so we can start doing the same thing with the F-35 that we -- that we have done with Osprey.

Saudi Ships
By Cid Standifer
January 11, 2011 at 8:06 PM

Saudi Arabia has formalized its interest in buying eight Littoral Combat Ship-like medium surface combat ships (SCSs) and 30 Fast Patrol Vessels, according to officials with Lockheed Martin.

Company officials briefed reporters today at the Surface Navy Association symposium, and Paul Lemmo, vice president of business development, mission systems and sensors, said Saudi Arabia has submitted pricing and availability requests for the SCSs and FPVs.

However, Lemmo and other Lockheed officials said there had been no indication of whether Saudi Arabia is looking to purchase the Lockheed Martin version of the ship or the Austal USA variant.

The Saudis are not interested in the mission modules concept that is central to the American version of the ship and are asking instead for integrated air and missile defense capabilities, so all of vital equipment will have to be built in, according to Lemmo. Joe North, director of the LCS program for Lockheed, said the SCS will likely include a redesigned deck house, and the SCS will replace the LCS's radar system with Aegis-system SPY radar.

“Of course, changing radars to something of the SPY high-end changes structure up in the deck house,” North said, “so we would revise that kind of stuff, but it would be easy to just replace the deck house with a different design.”

EFV Lowdown
By Thomas Duffy
January 11, 2011 at 4:49 PM

Last evening the Marine Corps sent out an e-mail notifying reporters that the service's top combat development and integration officer would sit down Wednesday morning and talk about the recent cancellation of the Marines' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle and what lies ahead for the service's amphibious warfare mission.

The subject line on the e-mail was "Signature Mission Intact, Marines Plot The Way Ahead For New Amphibious Vehicle." The message is as follows:

Please join Lt General George J. Flynn, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration, for a print media roundtable discussion (on the record) here at Marine Corps Base Quantico. The discussion will take place Wednesday January 12 at 9:00 AM. Topics will include the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle's cancellation and the way ahead--to include both interim and long-term investment strategies and plans.

Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that the EFV was being canceled. The program, kicked off during the Reagan administration, has eaten up $3 billion and would cost another $12 billion to field a fleet of slightly more than 500 vehicles.

Gates made the point that the cancellation does not call into question the Marine Corps amphibious assault mission. He noted the Defense Department will "develop a more affordable and sustainable amphibious tractor to provide the Marines a ship-to-shore capability into the future."

Flynn should provide some specifics on that plan tomorrow morning.

Turbulence For ABL
By John Liang
January 11, 2011 at 3:46 PM

An Airborne Laser Test Bed intercept attempt scheduled for last night did not take place, according to a Missile Defense Agency spokesman. "Weather was too turbulent at altitude," MDA's Rick Lehner told reporters in an e-mail.

"The turbulence and wind shear can impact the optics for the sighting equipment on the aircraft," Lehner explained.

The next opportunity for an intercept will be this weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, he added.

Price Tag
By John Liang
January 10, 2011 at 9:00 PM

With the Pentagon planning to implement a five-year, $78 billion cut imposed on military spending by the White House (while at the same time allowing the services to retain $100 billion in efficiencies garnered since June), Defense Secretary Robert Gates last month set a firm date for when Pentagon officials should begin including the price tag of any new program or initiative when it is formally proposed.

Last week, Gates announced the results of the efficiencies initiative he launched last year, as well as key elements of the Defense Department's fiscal year 2012 budget request. Part of Gates' efficiencies push involves a requirement that any new proposal or initiative, regardless of its size, come with a specific estimate of how much that new program would cost.

In a Dec. 27 memo, Gates wrote that guidance and support tools to help Pentagon officials calculate those costs were made available that month.

He adds:

I urge you to begin using these tools now. I am directing that, effective February 1, 2011, all of these tools be used to calculate costs associated with the aforementioned business activities in the department. After this date, every new proposal or initiative shall come with a cost estimate, and every report or study shall include the cost of that study on the front cover.

All DOD components are required to comply with this directive and are expected to fully support and cooperate with the guidance to ensure that costs are routinely considered in decision-making throughout the Department.

Righting LPD-17
By Cid Standifer
January 10, 2011 at 7:59 PM

A fatal accident on the San Antonio (LPD-17) in 2009 and a subsequent court martial trial is prompting Naval Sea Systems Command to take a second look at its small-boat-launching procedures for the ship class, as well as life jacket design, according to the Navy's program executive office for ships.

“We are reviewing the boat handling and recovery procedures for the ship,” Rear Adm. David Lewis told Inside the Navy in a Jan. 7 interview. “There's multiple ways of doing that off of both sides of the ship, and I'm working with the pre-commissioning crews to do a review of the procedures. It hasn't resulted in any design changes at this point that I'm aware of.”

A sailor drowned in February 2009 in the Gulf of Aden when he was tipped out of a rigid-hulled inflatable boat as it was being launched. After a Navy investigation, the executive officer of the ship, Lt. Cdr Sean Kearns, was accused of negligence. However, a military jury last year found him not guilty after his defense team successfully argued that the accident was the result of issues related to the ship's design and contradictory instructions on RHIB operations.

Lewis said NAVSEA is also reexamining life jacket designs because Petty Officer 1st Class Theophilus Ansong, the sailor who was lost at sea, slipped out of his jacket when he was thrown overboard.

The LPD-17 class has been plagued by technical problems, including engine trouble that took the first ships in the class temporarily out of commission. Lewis said engineering change proposals have been issued on the ships still under construction to make sure the same problems don't show up on the remaining vessels in the class. Solutions are also being backfitted onto the existing ships.

“In the new construction world, we have implemented pretty much everything, I think,” Lewis said. “In the backfit world, I can't speak with clarity, but I believe that they have also implemented every fix that we know of.”

Missile Defense, Simulated
By John Liang
January 10, 2011 at 5:06 PM

The Missile Defense Agency this morning released a request for proposals for an effort to upgrade the agency's modeling and simulation efforts. According to a Federal Business Opportunities notice on the proposed "Objective Simulation Framework":

The current frameworks (the Digital Simulation Framework [DSA] and the Single Stimulation Framework [SSF]) integrate models from each of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) program elements into a system that accurately represents the performance of fielded BMDS equipment against a variety of threats in realistic environments. The desired framework, hereafter called the Objective Simulation Framework (OSF), will leverage existing or mature capabilities, develop common interfaces, or propose a combination of both, to join digital and hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) representations into a modular, scalable, reconfigurable, and compose-able system.

The MDA OSF contract includes: the development, deployment and sustainment of an OSF Modeling & Simulation (M&S) framework that will replace the existing digital (DSA) and hardware-in-the-loop (SSF) systems; the sustainment of the legacy framework/architecture as required until OSF is deployed, and; other requirements as detailed within the Request for Proposal (RFP) package.

MDA anticipates the award of a single OSF Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract with Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee, Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee, Fixed-Priced-Incentive (Firm Target) and Firm-Fixed-Price pricing arrangements to occur by July 2011. The contract is expected to have a five (5) year period of performance without any option periods.

Northrop Grumman and Boeing announced last September that they intended to compete together for the contract, according to a statement the two companies released at the time:

"The MDA has an essential need to more efficiently validate Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) performance through the increased use of modeling and simulation," said Karen Williams, vice president of Air and Missile Defense Systems for Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector. "This partnership will provide the MDA with the best value and lowest risk approach to successfully develop and apply a comprehensive simulation framework toward that objective.

"Our team brings unsurpassed expertise across the full-spectrum of modeling and simulation domains, a comprehensive knowledge of the BMDS and experience in applying modeling and simulation tools across all the OSF use cases. The strategic partnership will allow us to bring our combined strengths, synergies and focus to this critical MDA program," added Williams.

In leading the Northrop Grumman-Boeing team, Northrop Grumman will draw on its experience as a leader of the modeling and simulation community for the MDA since 1995. As the prime contractor of the Joint National Integration Center Research and Development Contract (JRDC), Northrop Grumman has led a world-class team to conduct BMDS-level modeling and simulation, ground and flight tests, wargames, exercises, analysis and operational training in Colorado Springs, Co., Huntsville, Ala., and other locations. Boeing brings decades of experience in developing modular, scalable, maintainable and reconfigurable missile defense modeling and simulation products that focus on satisfying the full range of MDA and warfighter requirements.

"This partnership builds on our well-established relationship successfully executing the Groundbased Midcourse Defense program over the past 12 years as well as our years of experience in modeling and simulation development and execution," said Greg Hyslop, vice president and general manager of Boeing Strategic Missile and Defense Systems. "We look forward to working side by side with Northrop Grumman to deliver this important capability to our MDA customer."

JFCOM Chief Speaks
By John Liang
January 7, 2011 at 8:48 PM

Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the head of the soon-to-be-disestablished U.S. Joint Forces Command, issued a statement this afternoon regarding the impact of the Obama administration's decision:

On Jan. 6, the President approved the disestablishment of USJFCOM on a date determined by the Secretary of Defense, and directed that action to be reflected in the 2010 Unified Command Plan.

Earlier that day, the Secretary of Defense announced while details are still being refined, a number of USJFCOM missions will be retained in the Norfolk/Suffolk, Va. area and that 'roughly 50 percent of the capabilities under JFCOM will be kept and assigned to other organizations.'

We continue to work closely with the Pentagon, the Virginia delegation and the governor's office in our detailed planning effort.  The input and involvement of the Virginia delegation and the governor's office have been very valuable to me, and we will continue to work together towards a final plan in the near future.

U.S. Joint Forces Command has an exceptionally skilled and capable work force that will continue to make contributions to the joint warfighter. We will do everything we can to assist the work force going forward.

Inside the Pentagon reported in November that officials serving on the command's transition team had been sworn to silence:

The Defense Department has barred staffers serving on the command's transition planning team from sharing information, first through non-disclosure agreements and then through a standard guidance memo.

DOD issued non-disclosure agreements that were signed by the 15 JFCOM employees serving on the transition planning team, but subsequently withdrew those agreements and replaced them with standard guidance in a memo, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs Elizabeth King told Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) in an Oct. 21 letter.

"The agreement was patterned after non-disclosures designed to protect classified or highly sensitive information," King writes. "As such, it was determined to be inappropriate for the intended use of the command's transition planning team. Thus, the agreement has been withdrawn and replaced with standard guidance that is applicable for the pre-decisional planning necessary for the disestablishment of JFCOM."

Striking News
By Dan Taylor
January 7, 2011 at 5:52 PM

A day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates promised to cancel the Marine Corps F-35 Joint Strike Fighter short-take-off, vertical-landing variant in two years if problems with the program aren't resolved, Lockheed Martin released a bit of good news: Test aircraft BF-2 accomplished its first vertical landing yesterday, the first time that an aircraft other than BF-1 had done so.

John Kent, a Lockheed spokesman, said today that BF-2 performed one flight and four sorties for one hour, including a vertical landing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. The aircraft performed one conventional takeoff, three short takeoffs, three slow landings, two hovers and one vertical landing, and it performed similarly to BF-1, according to Kent.

BF-1's problems have largely been the reason the program has been behind, as it has been relied upon to expand the flight envelope before the other aircraft -- BF-2, BF-3 and BF-4 -- can follow suit.