August 17, 2020 | International, C4ISR

Pentagon wins brief waiver from government’s Huawei ban

WASHINGTON ― The Trump administration is granting the Pentagon a temporary waiver of government-wide ban on contractors using Huawei and other Chinese-made telecommunications equipment, according to a memo obtained by Defense News.

The move offers a weeks-long reprieve, until Sept. 30, for firms doing business with the Department of Defense. The firms are among those still reeling from the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic and who lobbied for more time to comply with new far-reaching regulations.

The original provision was to take effect Aug. 13. The administration had been finalizing regulations that would prohibit government contracting with companies whose supply chains contain products from five Chinese companies including Huawei, as mandated under of Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.

The administration, confronting China on trade and a host of issues, has deemed Huawei an espionage threat.

Citing U.S. national security interests, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe granted the Pentagon a temporary waiver to further assess a broader waiver request from DoD. The action came in a memo to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord.<

The temporary waiver Lord sought was so DoD could continue to execute procurement actions that would, in part, equip and feed troops.

“You stated that DoD's statutory requirement to provide for the military forces needed to deter war and protect the security of out country is critically important to national security,” Ratcliffe said. “Therefore, the procurement of goods and services in support of DoD's statutory mission is also in the national security interests of the United States.”

While considering the broader waiver, Ratcliffe asked Lord share more information about potential increased risks, mitigation measures and a plan to contract with alternatives to the banned Chinese companies.

Contractors had been confused over an interim acquisition rule, agencies cannot award new contracts, task orders or modify existing contracts to any vendor who doesn't self-certify that they are not using products from Chinese companies like ZTE and Huawei, the Federal News Network reported this week.

Ratcliffe's memo is a win, albeit a temporary one, for defense contractors and trade associations representing them. They had hoped for a legislative fix in a new pandemic relief package ― but larger bipartisan talks had broken down.

The leaders of the National Defense Industrial Association and the Professional Services Council had called for the deadline for 889 implementation to move. They argued the focus should be on recovering from the fallout caused by the COVID-19 crisis. And citing the far-reaching implications of the government's rules, NDIA said companies should get a yearlong extension.

In May, Lord told lawmakers that contractors needed more time to comply with the government-wide ban or risk throwing the defense industrial base into disarray.

“The thought that somebody in six or seven levels down in the supply chain could have one camera in a parking lot and that would invalidate one of our major primes being able to do business with us gives us a bit of pause,” Lord testified at a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/08/14/pentagon-wins-brief-waiver-from-governments-huawei-ban/

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June 12, 2019 | International, Naval, Security, Other Defence

Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Provide Marine Corps Full-Rate Production G/ATOR Radar Systems
BALTIMORE – June 10, 2019 – The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) a $958 million contract for Lot 6 full-rate production of the Gallium Nitride-based (GaN) AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) systems. This contract provides an additional 30 units. The program is managed by Program Executive Officer Land Systems. “Northrop Grumman and the Marine Corps have successfully partnered to create a best of ground and airborne radar solution that exceeds the current threat on the modern battlefield,” said Christine Harbison, vice president, land and avionics C4ISR, Northrop Grumman. “G/ATOR is a crucial capability that protects our warfighters and defends against today's threat environment and the threat environment of the future. We are excited to reach the full-rate production decision and continue providing advanced multi-mission functionality that meets our customer's mission needs, protects the warfighter in a rapidly changing threat environment, and has significant margin for capability growth.” G/ATOR replaces five legacy systems operated by the Marine Corps with a single system, providing significant improvements in performance when compared to the legacy radar families in each of its modes. This results in reduced training, logistics and maintenance costs. The AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR is an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) multi-mission radar that leverages GaN to provide comprehensive real time, full-sector, 360-degree situational awareness against a broad array of threats. The highly expeditionary, three-dimensional, short-to-medium-range multi-role radar system is designed to detect, identify, and track cruise missiles, manned aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles as well as rockets, mortars and artillery fire. https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-awarded-contract-to-provide-marine-corps-full-rate-production-gator-radar-systems
December 16, 2024 | International, C4ISR, Security

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December 11, 2019 | International, Aerospace

Turkey reveals path to boost defense and aerospace exports by $10.2B in 2023
By: Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey plans to boost its defense and aerospace exports to $10.2 billion by 2023, from $2 billion in 2018, according to a government document. The “Strategic Plan 2019-2023,” released by the country's procurement agency, SSB, is also aiming for the annual revenue of the defense and aerospace industry to rise to $26.9 billion in 2023, from $6.7 billion in 2018. Also by 2023, domestic industry will meet 75 percent of military requirements, up from 65 percent in 2018, according to the plan. To his these targets, the government plans to restructure its defense export incentive system. In addition, Turkey is to launch a government-to-government sales scheme, whereas SSB will open defense export promotion agencies in 20 countries. Other critical targets detailed in the document include switching to a new procurement model; prioritizing programs that minimize dependency on foreign-made systems; and supporting models that bolster Turkey's ability to compete in high-tech markets internationally. Since coming to power in 2002, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sharply increased local input in defense procurement. The government's strong priority to drop off-the-shelf procurement options and instead go for indigenous design and production has produced scores of local programs including drones, naval vessels, armored vehicles, helicopters, trainer aircraft, a new-generation main battle tank and an ambitious program to locally build a fighter jet. But an Ankara-based defense analyst warned that some of the government's targets do not look feasible. “Take the export target, for instance,” the analyst told Defense News. “The original export target for 2023 was $25 billion. Now they have come down to a still-difficult $10.2 billion. That's a long way from the current level of around $2 billion.” https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2019/12/10/turkey-reveals-path-to-boost-defense-and-aerospace-exports-by-102b-in-2023

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