January 14, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Tokyo will begin to alter the security equation in the Western Pacific in the not-too-distant future.
Long pacifist, Japan has decided to accelerate its military spending and effectively begin to gear up. It should hardly come as a surprise. Though Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has long sought to shift Japan from pacifism to what he calls a “normal country,” North Korea's missiles and China's aggressiveness in the Pacific would have left Tokyo little choice anyway. Spending has stepped up dramatically, as has planning. The nature of the buildup responds to other pressures from its great ally, the United States, which wants Japan to buy more U.S. equipment, as well as from the demographic and technological imperatives facing that nation.
Even now, some seventy-two years after Douglas MacArthur directed the writing of the then defeated Japan's constitution, the document still limits the country's room to maneuver. Spending cannot exceed 1.0 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Though clever accounting allows wiggle room, this rule nonetheless imposes a severe constraint especially next to China and the United States, each of which spend more than 3.0 percent of their much larger GDPs on defense. Because the constitution stresses defense exclusively, it naturally questions any preparation to project power, not the least the Ministry of Defense's (MoD) intention to construct two aircraft carriers and possibly base Japanese ground forces outside the country. The constitution also forbids Japan entering any mutual defense pact. Despite Japan's long-term alliance with the United States, it cannot go to America's aid if, for instance, a U.S. base in Asia was attacked. Prime Minister Abe has strived to change the constitution and has won concessions, but it remains a constraint.
The MoD budget requests for 2019 nonetheless make clear the new military emphasis. According to documents published in September, the MoD is asking for ¥5.3 trillion ($48 billion) in overall defense outlays, which is 7.2 percent above the 2018 budgeted amount. A jump like that would be noteworthy in any country, but especially so in Japan, where heretofore defense spending grows by fractions of a percent per year. Five-year plans would sustain this heightened level of spending. Still more interesting is the proposed allocation of these funds. Here, each point reflects the various pressures on Japan.
North Korea's presence is probably most evident. The budget document emphasizes on “deterrence,” which no doubt lies behind the decision to upgrade the electronic warfare capability of Japan's existing F-15 fighter jets and purchase six F-35A fighters from Lockheed Martin. New plans call for purchases of 147 of these new fighters over the next few years, well above the original plan to buy forty-two of them. U.S. pressure is also clearly evident in this decision, as it will preclude purchase of the domestically developed F-2 fighter. In the words of one Japanese security analyst, Masahiro Matsumura, Japan's “defense industry is being sacrificed for the political goal of maintaining good Japan-U.S. relations.” Less controversial but also clearly aimed at the North Korean threat, the budget calls for Japan to upgrade its airborne early warning capability and spend nearly ¥300 billion ($2.7 billion) to deploy two land-based Aegis missile defense systems (“Aegis Ashore”) and other U.S. manufactured missile interceptors.
Measures to counter China, at sea mostly, make a longer list. Of course, the F-15 upgrades and the new F-35s constitute something of an answer to China. More pointed are MoD plans to procure RQ-40 Global Hawk long distance drones, fund research to develop a long-distance undersea unmanned surveillance device, and otherwise enhance naval heft by procuring more anti-air missile and anti-torpedo ammunition as well as more standoff missiles. Plans also call for the construction of a new submarine, aimed, in the words of MoD budget documents, at “detections, etc.” (The etcetera no doubt refers to offensive capabilities that might raise constitutional questions.) Japan also has plans to construct two new multipurpose, compact destroyers that can also sweep mines. They will bring the fleet escort force to a total of fifty-four vessels—a considerable upgrade from the past.
More controversial from a constitutional standpoint are other efforts that would: 1) enable the military to project power and 2) obligate Japan to its allies. The MoD seeks to procure a tanker to support the navy at sea, a clear statement that Japanese naval power has gone beyond coastal defense. The ministry also seeks two new C-2 transport aircraft and six more UH-X helicopters specifically aimed at rapid deployments. Also, it seeks a training budget to ready Japanese ground forces for more distant deployments. The ministry also seeks to refit an existing helicopter carrier over the next few years to carry some of the new F-35 fighters and then build a second carrier. In some interpretations, this clearly violates the self-defense strictures in Japan's constitution, though the prime minister and the MoD have couched the requests in defensive terms. In what also might constitute a further violation of the constitution, the ministry has asked for concessions to allow greater integration of Japanese command, control, and planning with allies, the United States, obviously, but also India, Australia, and ASEAN, in other words those nations trying to check Chinese expansion.
Beyond these obvious countermeasures to North Korea and China, the MoD has also emphasized the need for modernization. It has set aside funds to establish what in the United States might describe as a cyber-defense command and to investigate the military use of artificial intelligence (AI). In a similar vein, the ministry has dedicated development funds to eventually install protections for Japan's satellites, including an optical telescope with which to identify objects flying nearby. It has further dedicated a not insignificant ¥2.7 billion ($24 million) to work with the United States on what it calls “deep space international awareness.” Not only do these efforts capture further needs, but the budget document emphasizes that the military will help Japan cope with its long-prevailing low birth rate and the resulting shortfall in people who meet the military's age requirements. One other aspect of this effort is the ministry's remarkably un-Japanese push to put more women into uniform.
Even if not every yen makes it to its designated place, it is apparent that Japan will begin to alter the security equation in the Western Pacific in the not-too-distant future. If Abe manages to alter the constitution as planned, then the change will no doubt occur at an accelerated pace. It will alter Washington's calculations. Beijing surely will also take note.
Milton Ezrati is a contributing editor at the National Interest , an affiliate of the Center for the Study of Human Capital at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and chief economist for Vested, the New York based communications firm. His latest book is Thirty Tomorrows: The Next Three Decades of Globalization, Demographics, and How We Will Live .
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/japan-accelerates-its-defense-buildup-41277
May 25, 2023 | International, Aerospace
This contract follows the selection of the solution offered by Leonardo announced last October, and includes the supply of two ATR Special Mission aircraft in Maritime Patrol configuration plus the...
September 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace
by Pat Host Dynetics believes it gained enough data from a July flight test of its X-61A Gremlins unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to next time achieve a closer soft docking to the recovery aircraft than the 38 m distance it reached in July. The July flight test was the demonstration of a second X-61A air vehicle as well as the Gremlins airborne recovery system. The X-61A, which weighs 544 kg, flew for a total flight time of 2 hours 12 minutes and flew in formation with a Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft from as close as 38 m back and 38 m below the aircraft. Tim Keeter, Dynetics Gremlins programme manager, told Janes on 27 August that the company needed centimetre-level accuracy and precision to get the air vehicle's engagement arm into the 30 cm stabilised towed docking, or capture, device. This process is known as soft docking. Dynetics, Keeter said, advanced the maturity of the system, its confidence in the air vehicle's behaviour, and downloaded enough data where the company is confident it can close that last 38 m for a closer soft docking event in an upcoming flight test. The X-61A that flew in July was Gremlins Air Vehicle (GAV) Number 3, the first flight for this air vehicle. Keeter said Dynetics launched this air vehicle the same way it launched the first one: from a pylon on a C-130 operated by International Air Response (IAR), which offers C-130 services. Dynetics used the same C-130 for both launch and recovery. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/dynetics-seeks-closer-soft-docking-of-x-61a-gremlins-in-next-flight-test
June 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, California, was awarded a competitive, firm-fixed-price, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HC1084-19-D-0004) for Cisco Smart Net Total Care Joint Enterprise License Agreement (JELA) II. The contract ceiling is $724,096,866. The period of performance is for one base year period with a one-year option. The period of performance for the base year is June 18, 2019, through June 17, 2020, and the option year follows consecutively through June 17, 2021. The place of performance will be across the Department of Defense. The solicitation was issued as other competitive action pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S. Code §2304(c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services, will satisfy agency requirements. Four proposals were received. Solicitation HC1084-19-R-0013 was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov). The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1084-19-D-0004). AIR FORCE General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded $90,961,866 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the United Kingdom (UK) MQ-9A Contractor Logistics Support Phase IV Program. This contract provides for depot repair, life cycle sustainment, and software maintenance services for UK's MQ-9A fleet. Work will be performed in Poway, California. Performance and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. This contract involves 100 percent foreign military sales to the UK. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $90,961,866 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-19-C-2003). Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Defense Electronic Systems Business Unit, Northridge, California, has been awarded a $38,950,511 indefinite-delivery requirements contract for Common Munition Built-In-Tester Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE) production units. This contract provides for the production of the following items associated with the CMBRE system: AN/GYQ-79A CMBRE Plus, ADU-890/E, ADU-891-(V) 1/E, ADU-891-(V) 3/E, CMBRE initial spares kits and assorted items belonging to the CMBRE configuration. Work will be performed in Northridge, California, and is expected to be complete by June 16, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 procurement funds are being obligated via an individual delivery order against the production contract as requirements are made known. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8533-19-D-0009). Canadian Commercial Corp., Ottawa, Canada, on behalf of Honeywell Canada, has been awarded a $10,371,078 firm-fixed-price contract for C5 Super Galaxy Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Production. This contract provides for the purchase of Honeywell Inmarsat satellite communication kits, interim contractor support, initial spares, data and program management. Work will be performed in Ottawa, Canada, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 30, 2019. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 procurement funds in the amount of $10,371,078 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-19-C-6607). NAVY Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded $29,633,004 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order N00019-19-F-2593 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0003). This order provides for the upgrade of the Block IV Tomahawk test equipment, including the system Integration Laboratory, the Air Vehicle System Integration Laboratory, hot-benches, automated flight test equipment and associated test equipment. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (74.90 percent); Carlsbad, California (4.36 percent); Denver, Colorado (2.55 percent); Englewood, Colorado (1.56 percent); Mosheim, Tennessee (1.37 percent); Scottsdale, Arizona (1.34 percent); Irvine, California (1.03 percent); North Sutton, New Hampshire (1.02 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (11.87 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2021. Fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $29,633,004 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ARMY Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $21,709,189 fixed-price-incentive contract for Palletized Load System Trailers. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2021. Fiscal 2017 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $21,709,189 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-F-0468). SGS LLC,* Yukon, Oklahoma, was awarded a $13,456,297 firm-fixed-price contract for a design-bid-build construction project for the KC-46A Fuselage Trainer Facility Phase 3 at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2015, 2016 and 2019 Corps of Engineers civil construction funds in the amount of $13,456,297 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (W912BV-19-C-0011). R.E. Staite Engineering Inc.,* San Diego, California, was awarded a $7,052,735 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging the Redwood City Harbor Channel. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Redwood City, California, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 9, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,052,735 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco, California, is the contracting activity (W912P7-19-C-0010). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, has been awarded an estimated $14,771,246 modification (P00036) to a three-year base contract (SPE7MX-16-D-0100) with two one-year option periods adding vehicle spare parts. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Michigan and South Carolina, with an Aug. 11, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio. Eddy Pump Corp.,* El Cajon, California, has been awarded a maximum $8,427,827 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for pump assemblies. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is California, with a June 16, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (SPRMM1-19-D-TR01). Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Plymouth, Minnesota, has been awarded a maximum $8,346,345 firm-fixed-price contract for automatic feeders. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a one-year base contract with one one-year option period. Locations of performance are Minnesota and Arizona, with a Sept. 10, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-C-042). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1878725/source/GovDelivery/