May 28, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

‘Prepare to be abandoned’: China seizes on Mike Pompeo’s ‘disconnection’ comment

China's state media has issued a fresh warning for Australia, after a TV appearance by the US Secretary of State sparked a diplomatic storm.

China's state media says Australia should “be well prepared to be abandoned at any time” by the United States, after a TV appearance by the Secretary of State sparked a diplomatic storm.

The Chinese government-owned Global Times newspaper urged Australia to side with China, drawing on recent remarks from Mike Pompeo that the US could “simply disconnect” from us at any time.

“Obviously, what is on the mind of Pompeo and his likes is only US self-interests, and Washington is not going to foot the bill for the lost Australian jobs,” the article says.

“Australia is already in a passive position in the face of wavering US policy. Canberra is forced to pick a side between Beijing and the Washington even when it is loath to jeopardise its relationship with China.”

On Sunday, Mr Pompeo spoke to Sky News Australia about a proposal by the Victorian state government to work with China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“I don't know the nature of those projects precisely, but to the extent they have an adverse impact on our ability to protect telecommunications from our private citizens, or security networks for our defence and intelligence communities, we will simply disconnect, we will simply separate,” Mr Pompeo said. “We're going to preserve trust in networks for important information. We hope our friends and partners and allies across the world, especially our Five Eyes partners like Australia, will do the same.”

The remarks raised eyebrows in Canberra, and prompted the US embassy in Australia to issue a statement making clear the US had “absolute confidence in the Australian government's ability to protect the security of its telecommunications networks and those of its Five Eyes partners”.

Based on Mr Pompeo's comments, the Global Times report said “Australia should realise that the US views it only as a lackey”.

“The possibility that the US will not come to Australia's rescue when needed is nothing new,” it said. “While the US maintains its global hegemony by running roughshod over the interests of its allies, it does not offer any rewards.”

The report concluded by accusing Prime Minister Scott Morrison of “not taking the interests of people in each state seriously”, after the PM said the federal government had never supported Victoria's involvement in the trillion-dollar project.

“Boosting employment and economic opportunities is one of the essential tasks for every government, especially local governments. As the US tries to block Victoria's BRI deal, what alternatives does the US offer?”

It's just the latest in a series of targeted messages from the Chinese government.

Yesterday, the same newspaper warned Australia to “distance” itself from the US amid growing tensions between the two countries, saying it would be “extremely dangerous” for Canberra to get involved in a “new cold war”.

“If the Trump administration plunges the world into a ‘new Cold War', forcing China to take countermeasures against the US and its allies, it would be extremely dangerous for Canberra to become a player in a diplomatic club led by the US, given Australia's high dependence on the Chinese economy,” the article said.

“Once Australia is regarded as a supporter of the US in a ‘new Cold War', China-Australia economic ties will inevitably suffer a fatal blow.

“Australia's economic deterrent force is much smaller than the US', so China to some extent will enjoy more room to fight back against Australia with countermeasures if Canberra supports Washington ... it means Australia may feel more pain than the US.”

The debate over trade has intensified as the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic becomes more pronounced.

The US, which is closing in on 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, is trying to pin the blame squarely on the Chinese Communist Party, while Beijing says the Trump administration is trying to keep it from becoming a global power.

Meanwhile, there have been reports China is considering targeting more Australian exports, with Chinese authorities reportedly drawing up a list of potential goods including dairy, wine, seafood and fruit, which could be subject to tariffs if relations continue to sour.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/prepare-to-be-abandoned-china-seizes-on-mike-pompeos-disconnection-comment/news-story/36eebb8c45e9486fe0437124b2936449

On the same subject

July 31, 2020 | International, Aerospace

Lockheed Martin sells Indago 3 UAV to Switzerland
by Pat Host Armasuisse has contracted Lockheed Martin to procure a fleet of the company's Indago 3 small Group 1 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Swiss Army, according to a company statement. The deal also provides options for spares, training, technical support, and additional systems. Brandon Reimschiissel, Lockheed Martin Procerus Technologies senior systems engineer, declined to specify terms of the agreement to Janes on 20 July. The first phase of Lockheed Martin's contract comprises manufacturing development to optimise the Indago 3's configuration to meet the Swiss Army's requirements. These include integration of a transponder for sense-and-avoid and installation of a Silvus Technologies radio. The first phase also includes implementation of Lockheed Martin CDL Systems VCSi Touch small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) ground control system (GCS) software. This includes access to Swiss maps, including digital terrain elevation data (DTED) and geofencing. The first set of optimised Indago 3s will be delivered to the Swiss Army later this year with the remaining systems to be delivered several months following the first delivery. These Indago 3s will support tactical level reconnaissance and surveillance to support information collection, search and rescue, disaster relief, and battle damage assessment. Depending on the payload and operating environment, the Indago 3 has a flight time of up to 50 minutes with a range of 10 km. The aircraft can operate at cruise speeds of 25 kt. The Indago 3 can operate at temperatures ranging from -34 to 49°C.
November 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace

US Army floats the option of fielding high-altitude balloons
By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is now carving out a path to field high-altitude balloons to provide an additional but less expensive layer of communications, connectivity, range extension and surveillance capabilities, adding resiliency to the service's existing architecture of space assets and aircraft supporting multidomain operations. Recent tests and experiments with high-altitude balloons at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, left an impression on the head of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command. “It's just phenomenal what we're able to do with high-altitude balloons,” Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler told Defense News in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference, which took place virtually Oct. 13-16. “I don't have the cost analysis but, in my mind, pennies on the dollar with respect to doing it. If I had to do it via a [low-Earth orbit] or some satellite constellation, what we are able to provide with high-altitude balloons, it's tactically responsive support to the war fighter,” he added. Karbler said he sees the balloons supporting the Army's Multidomain Task Force in the future. “Conceptually, with the types of missions that the Multidomain Task Force is working, the high-altitude balloons would be a key capability enabler,” Brent Fraser, concept development division chief at SMDC's Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence, told Defense News in an Oct. 29 interview. “[The balloons would] be able to provide some beyond-line-of-sight capability, whether it's communications, extended distances, to be able to provide the ability to enable sensing of targets deep in the adversary's areas, to be able to reinforce and complement existing sensing systems other than the aerial layer as well as the space layer,” Fraser added. In terms of war games and experiments conducted with high-altitude balloons, “as we look at a number of emerging concepts and capabilities and formations,” he explained, “I think we still have a ways to go, but I think we're on a positive path to continue.” SMDC has been working on high-altitude balloons — basically dirigibles that can camp out roughly 60,000-90,000 feet in the air — for a long time, but recently the technology has improved, particularly through the commercial market. Google, for instance, used high-altitude balloons to help Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to help establish internet connectivity. Duration is one of the areas that has greatly improved. High-altitude balloons can now stay aloft for weeks, if not months, rather than just hours or days. Users can also command and navigate the balloons better than before, and the platforms can more easily be recovered after missions. “The technology readiness levels have really come a long way,” Fraser said. SMDC has partnered with Army Futures Command to advance the technology, particularly involving the latter's Assured-Positioning, Navigation and Timing cross-functional Team as well as Training and Doctrine Command, the Army Intelligence Center, and cyber and special operations personnel. Several years ago, the Army developed a high-altitude concept that established a foundation on which to build, Col. Tim Dalton, Army capability manager for space and high altitude within the SMDC's center of excellence, said in the same interview. After integrating the concept into a variety of war games with Futures Command and other entities, the Army is starting to develop requirements. “We're in the initial stages of defining what those requirements would be,” Dalton said. “There's kind of two aspects to the high-altitude piece: the high-altitude platform, so it's the balloon, and then whatever it's carrying on there for a payload.” The Army has created initial documents for staffing through Futures Command, and over the next couple of years the service will run those requirements through the Joint Capabilities and Integration and Development System process, which will lead to review by the Army Requirements Oversight Council. The service is in the early stages of figuring out what a program of record would look like, but it has some options, Dalton said. “What we're kind of hoping to do over the next couple of years as part of our campaign of learning is to help define what that looks like and the best way to resource those requirements for the Army.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2020/11/09/us-army-floats-the-option-of-fielding-high-altitude-balloons/
March 1, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 26, 2019
NAVY Lockheed Martin Space, Littleton, Colorado, is awarded a maximum amount $846,030,000 un-priced letter contract modification PH0001 to a previously awarded and announced un-priced letter contract (N00030-19-C-0025) for the design, development, build and integration of large diameter rocket motors, associated missile body flight articles, and related support equipment for Navy Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike Weapon System flight test demonstrations. Work will be performed at Littleton, Colorado, with an expected completion date of Jan. 1, 2024. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $20,000,000 are obligated on this award, which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $67,000,000 are being obligated on this award, which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded $25,229,389 for firm-fixed-price modification P00033 to a previously awarded contract (N00019-17-C-0034). This modification provides for the procurement of Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round spares to support the recertification of Tomahawk Missiles. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (27.57 percent); Walled Lake, Michigan (15 percent); Tucson, Arizona (14.47 percent); Washington, Pennsylvania (11.66 percent); Hollister, California (4.25 percent); Midland, Ontario, Canada (4.18 percent); Glenrothes Fife, United Kingdom (3.2 percent); Vergennes, Vermont (2.9 percent); Orchard Park, New York (2.56 percent); Berryville, Arkansas (1.86 percent); South El Monte, California (1.46 percent); Merrimack, New Hampshire (1.28 percent); Fairfield, California (1.08 percent); Huntsville, Alabama (1.05 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (7.48 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2020. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $25,229,389 will be obligated at the time of award, $4,186,657 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Johnson Control Navy Systems, York, Pennsylvania, was awarded an $18,819,845 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract, for up to 32 air conditioning plant conversion kit and auxiliary components to support Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania. The contract will have a three year ordering period and work is expected to be complete by February 2022. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,995,356 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code. 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-19-D-4008). (Awarded Feb. 22, 2019) ARMY Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Dallas, Texas, was awarded a $40,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect and engineer services to support the Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters buildings at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 25, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-19-D-0013). QED Systems LLC,* Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, was awarded a $9,688,969 modification (P00036) to contract W15P7T-14-C-C012 for program management, engineering, logistics, business, administrative, operations, and security services. Work will be performed in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 26, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $9,688,969 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Cherokee Nation Technologies, Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $39,461,205 firm-fixed-price contract for advisory and assistance services (A&AS) for programmatic, environmental cleanup, project execution and financial support. This contract provides base realignment and closure programs and requires a full range of A&AS and deliverables in the areas of management and professional services; studies, analyses, and evaluations; and engineering and specialized technical expertise. Work will be performed at several locations in the U.S. and is expected to be complete by April 6, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,525,678 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8903-19-F-0001). RiverTech, LLC,* Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $34,513,979 firm-fixed-price contract for command and control technical support. This contract provides for the operational, technical, and analytical expertise for the planning and execution of training and test events, conducting Live-Virtual-Constructive and Distributed Mission Operations activities, providing operational support, providing non-kinetic operations training and tactics development support, and conducting operational testing of command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; and Nellis AFB, Nevada, and is expected to be complete by March 25, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,520,157 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Combat Command Acquisition Management & Integration Center, Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA4890-19-C-A005). Sonalysts Inc., Waterford, Connecticut, has been awarded a $17,316,322 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P0002) to previously awarded contract FA8806-19-C-0002. This modification provides for the development of the training system supporting GPS Next Generation Operational Control System under the management of the Space Training Acquisition Office. Work will be performed in Waterford, Connecticut, and is expected to be complete by April 25, 2022. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $6,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY De Rossi & Son Company, Inc., Vineland, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $11,351,934 modification (P00012) exercising the fourth one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-15-D-1033) with four one-year option periods for men's Army coats. This is a firm-fixed-price contract. Location of performance is New Jersey, with a March 3, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Cargo Transport System Co., Safat,, Kuwait, has been awarded a contract modification (P00007) on contract HTC711-17-D-R021 in the amount of $10,000,000. This modification provides continued stevedoring and related terminal servicesto the 595th Transportation Brigade. This includes vessel loading, vessel discharge, receipt of cargo, disposition of cargo, stuffing/unstuffing of cargo, intra-terminal transfer of cargo, inland transportation of cargo, customs clearance, yard management and management expertise. Work will be performed in ports of Kuwait. The period of performance is from March 9, 2019, to Sept. 8, 2019. Fiscal 2019 Transportation Working Capital Funds were obligated at award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $27,709,945 from $17,709,944.97. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Feb. 25, 2019) * Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1768604/

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