September 6, 2019 | International, Aerospace

Killing programs is ‘like working out,’ says acting US Army secretary

By: David B. Larter

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army's program-killing project known as “night court” will continue and become more aggressive in the coming years as demands for the service's modernization effort increase, the Army's acting secretary said Wednesday.

Named after the 1980s-era sitcom and a nod to the long hours worked by staff to pull it off, night court in 2018 identified $25 billion in savings and scrapped modernization efforts that the Army plans to use to finance new technologies. Acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced another $10 billion of savings in May.

But keeping night court alive will require a deliberate effort until it becomes routine, McCarthy told the audience at the third annual Defense News Conference.

“Night court is kind of like working out: You've got to get up, you've got to get after it,” McCarthy said. “It's hard. It wears you out. You think: ‘Boy, it would be easier to just stay in bed.' But it's necessary to keep the institution strong. We believe it has been institutionalized. ... But we've got to keep up the repetitions, and over time it will become a behavior, like a reflex.”

McCarthy, who is expected to face a confirmation hearing to become Army secretary later this month, said as Army Futures Command's cross-functional teams identify requirements for the next generation of Army systems, the effort must become more aggressive.

“What we've done in the cross-functional teams, those efforts have been successful,” McCarthy said. "So as we continue to go down the development pipe, they are going to come back with a requirement we are going to need X numbers of systems to lay in across our formations. And as we scale that out over time, that will cost more money.

“So, when you look at where are the opportunities, you have to make choices — divestiture. Legacy systems that we have enjoyed for decades that have performed for us in combat operations for going on 18 years now, some of them will have to go away.”

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who formerly served as the Army secretary and championed the service's effort, signaled he will continue night court Pentagon-wide, something that will test his political clout as services are often loathed to give up reliable legacy systems, and lawmakers is even less willing to give up jobs in their districts that would be threatened by program cuts.

But, McCarthy said, the effort is necessary to finance the new technologies the Pentagon needs to gain an advantage over China and Russia.

“Night court will continue. In fact, night court is going prime time with Secretary Esper down the hall,” he said. “It's necessary to find as much trade space within that [$741 billion] in the '20 and '21 budgets to find every penny we can to finance our ambitions. Every investment program has a divestiture.”

https://www.defensenews.com/smr/defense-news-conference/2019/09/05/killing-programs-is-like-working-out-acting-army-secretary-says

On the same subject

January 19, 2021 | International, Land

French Army orders 364 Serval armored vehicles
By: Christina Mackenzie &emsp; PARIS — The French Army is expected to receive 108 Serval armored vehicles in 2022 as part of an order from manufacturers Nexter and Texelis totaling 364. The contract was finalized through the DGA procurement agency on Dec. 23 but was not announced until Jan. 15. The two companies, which formed a temporary joint operation to build the light-armored, multirole Serval, will deliver the first 12 production vehicles in the first half of 2022, followed by a further 96 in the second half. The government previously allocated funding for the vehicle order, so the Army is expected to have a total of 978 Servals by 2030. The Serval is a four-wheel drive, 15-ton vehicle designed to replace the 40-year-old VAB, an armored personnel carrier and support vehicle. It complements the much bigger 24-ton Griffon armored vehicle, and these two, together with the Jaguar reconnaissance and combat vehicle, form the core of the French Army's Scorpion program to replace all French front-line fighting vehicles. They will be linked via a new communications and battlefield management system, the Scorpion Combat Information System. Three main versions of the Serval — patrol; intelligence and reconnaissance; and communications — will each have their own variants. Designed to operate in combat zones, the Serval combines flexibility, strategic mobility and payload-carrying capacity. The DGA said that despite difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, testing of the vehicle, which began in September 2019, was sufficiently advanced to allow this first production phase to take place before the end of 2020, as planned in France's 2019-2025 Military Program Law. In addition, as part of a procedure undertaken by the gendarmerie (national police force) to renew its fleet of armored vehicles, the Nexter-Texelis team has proposed a vehicle based on the Serval capable of operating in mainland France and overseas. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/01/15/french-army-orders-364-serval-armored-vehicles/
June 3, 2020 | International, Aerospace

AIAC releases aerospace recommendations and calls on federal government to implement long-term sectoral strategy
Posted on June 3, 2020; Aerospace Industries Association of Canada Press Release The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) released six key recommendations that build on the Vision 2025 plan; while repeating the call for the federal government to recognize aerospace as a strategic sector in urgent need of a long-term sectoral strategy. “The impact of COVID-19 on Canada's aerospace industry has been unprecedented. The consequences of aircraft being grounded cascade down to our industry — to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), maintenance, repair and overhaul workers (MRO) and ongoing work relating to Canada's assets in space. With longer lead times in supply chain slowdowns, the devastating economic effects of this crisis are going to reverberate across our industry for years to come,” said Mike Mueller, senior vice-president, AIAC. “Competitor countries are making aerospace a key part of their economic recovery plans. Canada needs to take similar steps — not only to retain our current position but also to be ready for the global market opportunities that will emerge when the industry recovers,” said Mueller. AIAC recommends the following actions the Government of Canada can take immediately to help ensure best possible outcomes and long-term stability for Canada's aerospace sector: 1. Develop a pragmatic and proportional plan to allow people to begin flying again. 2. Adapt Canada's job retention program and liquidity measures to support employees in industries that will take longer to recover. 3. Rapidly expand government support for green technologies to enable the decarbonization of key sectors, particularly transportation and aviation. 4. Establish a new long-term investment bank to support and foster essential manufacturing supply chains through the market transformation ahead. 5. Advance public procurement projects, particularly in defence and space projects, to help stimulate and sustain high-tech supply chains through the difficult months ahead. 6. Establish a Canadian sector strategy for aerospace that includes civil, defence and space. “There is a need now, more than ever, for the Federal Government to work with us on a long-term sectoral strategy for Canada's aerospace industry. Ensuring a strong Canadian aerospace sector will be crucial to rebuilding Canada's economy given aerospace's substantial contributions to our nation's economic health on an annual basis — $31 billion in revenues, over $25 billion to GDP and nearly 215,000 jobs,” said Mueller. Find the letter in its entirety here near the bottom of the page. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/aiac-releases-aerospace-recommendations-and-calls-on-federal-government-to-implement-long-term-sectoral-strategy
March 25, 2020 | International, Land

Leonardo DRS receives contract for Army mortar Fire Control Computers
Arlington, VA, March 23, 2020 ̶ Leonardo DRS, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a contract by Elbit Systems of America to provide advanced rugged tablets as the Fire Control Computer Two (FCCII) for U.S. Army Mortar Fire Control Systems. The $20.6 million contract, was awarded in October 2019. The FCCII hosts the software which enables the warfighter to interact with the overall system designed to reduce the time it takes soldiers to prepare and fire rounds. The FCCII is a rugged computer tablet from the Leonardo DRS Land Electronics business. When loaded with Mortar Fire Control software, it is capable of computing firing solutions for 120mm mounted and dismounted mortar systems, processing digital call for fires messages from battlefield's Fire Support Network, and providing technical manual reference to the user. The FCCII is being fielded to Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, Armored Brigade Combat Teams and Stryker Brigade Combat teams. “These tablets are providing advanced ruggedized multi-touchscreen technology so warfighters can have the most advanced and reliable digitized equipment for more effective protective fire missions,” said Bill Guyan, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Electronics business. “We are proud to be working with Elbit Systems of America on this program and are dedicated to the support and fielding of these proven digital fire control computers for our warfighters.” Manufacturing of these FCCII rugged tablets will be conducted by the Leonardo DRS Land Electronics business unit in Melbourne, Florida. About Leonardo DRS Leonardo DRS is a prime contractor, leading technology innovator and supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and defense contractors worldwide. The company specializes in naval and maritime systems, ground combat mission command and network computing, global satellite communications and network infrastructure, avionics systems, and intelligence and security solutions. Additionally, the company builds power systems and electro-optical/infrared systems for a wide range of commercial customers. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Leonardo DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A. See the full range of capabilities at www.LeonardoDRS.com and on Twitter @LeonardoDRSnews. For additional information please contact: Michael Mount Senior Director, Public Affairs +1 571 447 4624 mmount@drs.com View source version on Leonardo DRS, Inc.: https://www.leonardodrs.com/news/press-releases/leonardo-drs-receives-contract-for-army-mortar-fire-control-computers/

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