December 27, 2022 | International, Aerospace
Congress tells Air Force to upgrade skiplanes as Arctic heats up
Lawmakers called on the Air Force to study how swapping out the polar airlift fleet could help the U.S. keep protect the Arctic.
November 1, 2017 | International, Security
U.S.-Canada to Test Cross-border Communication for Disaster Response
Newswise — WASHINGTON—Emergency management officials and first responder agencies on both sides of the border between the United States and Canada will work together for an experiment in disaster response. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and Canada Department of National Defence's Centre for Security Science will be conducting the fifth Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resiliency Experiment (CAUSE V) on November 15-16, 2017. This year's exercise scenario will be based on a volcanic eruption and crater collapse at Mt. Baker. Mt. Baker is an active volcano and closely monitored by the USGS. It is visible to local residents on both sides of the border.
CAUSE V will take place along the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia (B.C.) and the state of Washington (WA). The scenario involving a (simulated) Mt. Baker volcanic eruption and subsequent mudflow was developed with help from the U.S. Geological Survey and will provide a realistic opportunity to test cross-border communications and interoperability between U.S. and Canadian first responder and emergency management agencies. Participants will include local first responders, emergency management agencies from Whatcom County, Washington in the U.S., the City of Abbotsford, City of Langley and the Township of Langley in B.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency. This experiment will use emerging tools for enhanced situational awareness and communications to plan for, respond and recover from this disaster.
Wednesday, November 16
12:00 PM PDT U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and Canada Minister of Defence's Center for Security Science will hold a joint press conference on the conclusion of the fifth Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resiliency Experiment (CAUSE V).
Whatcom County Unified Emergency Coordination Center
311 Grand Ave,
Bellingham, WA 98225
Credentialed media planning to attend are required to RSVP no later than November 13 by contacting Evrim Bunn at evrim.bunn@associates.hq.dhs.gov or 1 (202) 768-5554.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/u-s-canada-to-test-cross-border-communication-for-disaster-response
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March 20, 2024 | International, Land
Sweden purchases over 300 armoured vehicles from Patria
The 321 vehicles, which in Sweden are called Pansarterrängbil 300, will be stationed at Livgardet regiment in Kungsängen and several other units around the country.
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May 27, 2020 | International, Naval
Navy Wants $12 Billion for Unmanned Platforms
5/26/2020 By Jon Harper The Navy already plans to spend big on robotics platforms in the coming years. As operation and maintenance costs grow and defense budgets tighten, that trend could accelerate, analysts say. The sea service's future years defense program calls for about $12 billion for unmanned aircraft, surface vessels and underwater systems in fiscal years 2021 through 2025, according to Bloomberg Government. Senior officials have a stated goal of pursuing a 355-plus-ship fleet of manned vessels, but unmanned systems are “probably the future of the Navy,” Robert Levinson, senior defense analyst at Bloomberg Government, said during a recent webinar. About $7.9 billion in the future years defense program would go toward drones, including nearly $4.3 billion for the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance aircraft and nearly $1 billion for the MQ-25 Stingray aircraft carrier-launched tanker, according to his presentation slides. An additional $2.2 billion would be allocated toward unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, and $1.9 billion for unmanned underwater vessels, or UUVs. Navy plans call for spending $941 million on USVs and UUVs in 2021 alone, a 129 percent increase relative to 2019, according to the slides. Operations, maintenance and personnel costs could squeeze modernization accounts in the coming years, Levinson noted. The 2021 Navy budget request included $125.8 billion total for those categories. In comparison, the request included $57.2 billion for procurement and $21.5 billion for research, development, test and evaluation. “With this budget being especially flat, you're really seeing the tension particularly in the Navy of, ... ‘Do we spend money on buying new stuff? Or do we need to spend the money on maintaining the stuff we have?'” he said. “You can buy more ships and put more money [into that], but then you need more sailors and you need more training of the sailors,” he noted. The COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate funding constraints and further incentivize investments in unmanned platforms, Levinson said. “The Navy is really in a tough spot” trying to achieve its force level goals, he added. However, unmanned vessels are generally expected to be less expensive to procure, operate and maintain than manned platforms, which make them attractive as the sea service invests in new capabilities, Levinson noted. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps plans to restructure its forces to take on advanced adversaries, with a heavier emphasis on robotic platforms. “That has huge implications going out into the future” for acquisitions, Levinson said. “The Marine Corps' restructuring that's been announced is probably the biggest in a generation.” https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2020/5/26/navy-wants-$12-billion-for-unmanned-platforms