August 7, 2018 | International, Aerospace
By: Jen Judson
WASHINGTON — House and Senate lawmakers have authorized an injection of about $51 million in funding to cyber-harden missile defense systems, according to the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report, and appropriators are expected to follow suit in the defense spending bill with roughly $100 million in additional funding.
Congressional authorizers noted in a summary of the NDAA conference report, released July 23, that the conferees were supporting an increase in funding to address cyberthreats to U.S. missile defense systems.
WASHINGTON — House and Senate lawmakers have authorized an injection of about $51 million in funding to cyber-harden missile defense systems, according to the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report, and appropriators are expected to follow suit in the defense spending bill with roughly $100 million in additional funding.
Congressional authorizers noted in a summary of the NDAA conference report, released July 23, that the conferees were supporting an increase in funding to address cyberthreats to U.S. missile defense systems.
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What the new defense bill means for cyber
U.S. House and Senate negotiators boosted funding for cybersecurity in the annual defense authorization bill, which serves as a repudiation of the Trump administration's foreign policy.
By: Justin Lynch
The U.S. military and its allies are reliant on missile defense systems both regionally and to defend the homeland. Such a capability will require a more robust level of protection against cyberattacks as adversaries grow in their ability to take down systems through jamming and other electronic warfare capabilities.
The strategy to disarm enemy systems using jamming and electronic attack already plays a major role in war gaming against possible peer adversaries in the future. Using cyber and electronic attack is seen, at times, as the first line of offense to take down enemy air defense systems, so as to allow the injection of friendly forces into denied territory.
And since that's part of the strategy to penetrate enemy systems, it will be and already is a part of the adversaries' strategies, too.
Full Article: https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2018/07/27/congress-offers-millions-in-budget-to-cyber-harden-missile-defense-systems/
April 24, 2022 | International, Other Defence
Speaking to Italian publication L'Espresso, Giuseppe Bono said his mandate was not being renewed by the Italian government due to his age, adding that he 'respected' the decision.
October 11, 2018 | International, Land
By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — With the presence of drones ubiquitous in the skies, industry and international partners are turning their eyes closer to earth in an attempt to cash in on a growing sector: unmanned ground vehicles. “UGV market growth has historically been slow and steady, mostly S&T and niche procurements. What we're seeing now is an inflection point,” said Joshua Pavluk, a principal with Avascent. “There's a lot of activity happening and several DoD new starts happening nearly all at once.” That inflection point is partly the result of improved autonomy and navigation opening up opportunities, Pavluk said. But there is also a desire to see how these systems can transition from sole-mission capabilities, such as explosive ordnance disposal, to multi-mission systems capable of doing ISR, EW and communications. According to a report from the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, total spending for ground drones in FY19 was set at $429 million, of which only $86 million is for procurement — DoD planned to buy 134 new systems during the fiscal year — and the rest for research and development. That pales in comparison to the $6.05 billion the Pentagon planned to spend on UAVs, and half the expected $982 million in naval drones. But that number shows steady growth, doubling in just two years from $212 million in FY17 and $310 million in FY18. And while explosive ordnance disposal systems still represent the biggest spending from the Army in this arena, it will likely be overtaken by programs such as the Army Common Robotic Systems and Robotic Ground System Advanced Technology Development. “The market won't match overall UAS spending levels anytime soon, but it's fast growing, and there's opportunity for the taking,” Pavluk said. However, Michael Blades, an analyst with Frost and Sullivan, is more subdued in his predictions. “It's a significant market and it is growing, but not at the levels of sea or air systems, or even counter-drone capabilities,” Blades said. “We will see some unmanned-unmanned teaming between UAS and UGV, but the land market for unmanned will be orders of magnitude smaller than the markets for air and maritime.” From a competition standpoint, Blades sees “the usual suspects” who are already in the market continuing to dominate in the coming years. And internationally, there are only a few players, with the market largely dominated by Israel. Could that change in the future? The international market generally lags behind the U.S. on such capabilities, Pavluk said, but he noted that “other countries will get in on the act, and it doesn't have to be large ones” to try and participate. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2018/10/09/industry-nations-hope-to-cash-in-on-unmanned-ground-vehicle-growth
October 29, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
NAVY American Rheinmetall Munition Inc., Stafford, Virginia, is awarded a $32,449,901 modification to previously awarded, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract M67854-18-D-5225 to increase the contract maximum value, including the third, fourth and fifth option years, from $59,703,284 to $92,153,184. This modification will allow the ordering of up to a maximum of 1,051,734 additional MK281 MOD 3 40MM high velocity day/night practice cartridges. Work will be performed in Camden, Arkansas, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 25, 2023. No funds are being obligated on this award and no funds will expire. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-18-D-5225). Energetics Technology Center, Indian Head, Maryland, is awarded a $15,606,996 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Automated Global Energetics Science and Technology (S&T) Awareness effort. The proposed effort has three major components: a national energetics study, automated global energetics S&T awareness, and creating an energetics ecosystem. The national energetics study will collect and analyze information in support of the requirement to develop a plan that fulfills the request of National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020, Section 253. The automated global energetics S&T awareness will develop and demonstrate the feasibility of an approach to enable machine-assisted energetics S&T global awareness. The energetics ecosystem will utilize a tool to assist Department of Defense research and development centers with establishing/enhancing innovation and commercialization ecosystems. Work will be performed in Indian Head, Maryland. The period of performance is 72 months, including a 36-month base period from Oct. 27, 2020, through Oct. 26, 2023, and one 36-month option period. The total cumulative value of this contract is $15,606,996. The base period is $7,722,823 and option period is $7,884,173. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,722,823 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-20-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science & Technology.” Since proposals are received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-21-C-1016.). MRIGlobal, Kansas City, Missouri, is awarded a $12,674,104 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to develop a flexible detection system consisting of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-based assays paired with reconfigurable point-of-need and massively multi-plexed devices for diagnostics and surveillance. This two-year contract includes four options which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $36,732,661. All work will be performed at the contractor's facilities in Gaithersburg, Maryland (19%); Kansas City, Missouri (19%); San Francisco, California (30%); Cambridge, Massachusetts (25%); and Salt Lake City, Utah (7%). The period of performance of the base award is from Oct. 26, 2020, through Oct. 25, 2022. If all option periods are exercised the period-of-performance would extend through Oct. 25, 2024. Funds in the amount of $5,285,258 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funds will be obligated as individual options are exercised using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency broad agency announcement solicitation HR0011-20-S-0016 published on the beta.SAM.gov website. Seven proposals were received and two were selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-C-4048). (Awarded Oct. 26, 2020) Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded an $11,478,415 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N66001-16-D-0033. Support includes production management, integration and fabrication, and system and component procurement for Network Integration Engineering Facility production services. This six-month modification increases the overall value of the existing contract to $111,356,945. The period of performance is from Oct. 27, 2020, through April 26, 2021. All work will be performed in San Diego, California. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funds will be obligated as individual task orders are issued. Funds will be obligated using operations and maintenance (Navy); Department of Defense working capital funds; other procurement (Navy); Foreign Military Sales; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and shipbuilding and conversion (Navy). The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-16-D-0033). Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $10,757,780 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N66001-16-D-0032. Support includes production management, integration and fabrication and system and component procurement for Network Integration Engineering Facility production services. This six-month modification increases the overall value of the existing contract to $105,116,891. The period of performance is from Oct. 27, 2020, through April 26, 2021. All work will be performed in San Diego, California. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funds will be obligated as individual task orders are issued. Funds will be obligated using operations and maintenance (Navy); Department of Defense working capital funds; other procurement (Navy); Foreign Military Sales; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and shipbuilding and conversion (Navy). The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-16-D-0032). AIR FORCE KOMAN Construction LLC, Chandler, Arizona, has been awarded a $20,062,515 firm-fixed-price, definitive contract for renovation and repair construction services. This contract provides for the complete repair and replacement required to provide humidity control and repair the interior administrative areas of B3 at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Work is expected to be completed April 26, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8137-21-C-0005). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Kandor Manufacturing,** Arecibo, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $9,824,940 modification (P00010) exercising the first one-year option period of an 18-month base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1163) with three one-year option periods for various types of blouses and trousers. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with an Oct. 29, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military services are Navy and Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ja Apparel Corp.,* New Bedford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $9,342,555 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for men's dress coats. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a one-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with an Oct. 26, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customer is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-21-D-1410). *Small business **Small disadvantaged business in historically underutilized business zones https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2396088/source/GovDelivery/