Quand Emmanuel Macron joue au petit alchimiste avec les milliards du Fonds défense

On the same subject

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  October 1, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  US government may gain new power to track drones and shoot them down

  By: David Koenig, The Associated Press An aviation bill Congress is rushing to approve contains a little-noticed section that would give authorities the power to track, intercept and destroy drones they consider a security threat, without needing a judge's approval. Supporters say law enforcement needs this power to protect Americans from terrorists who are learning how to use drones as deadly weapons. They point to the Islamic State terrorist group's use of bomb-carrying drones on battlefields in Iraq, and warn that terrorists could go after civilian targets in the United States. Critics say the provision would give the government unchecked power to decide when drones are a threat. They say the government could use its newfound power to restrict drone-camera news coverage of protests or controversial government facilities, such as the new detention centers for young migrants. The provision is tucked in a huge bill that provides $1.7 billion in disaster relief and authorizes programs of the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates drones. The House approved the measure Wednesday by a 398-23 vote, and the Senate is expected pass it on to President Donald Trump's desk in the coming days. The White House signaled support of the drone provision in July. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, introduced the Preventing Emerging Threats Act this year. It would give the Homeland Security Department and the Justice Department power to develop and deploy a system to spot, track and shoot down drones, as unmanned aircraft are called. Officers would have the authority to hack a drone operator's signal and take control of the device. The bill was never considered on its own by the full Senate or the House. Instead, in private negotiations that ended last weekend, it was tucked into a "must-pass" piece of FAA legislation. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wrote in a recent op-ed that the threat of drone attacks "is outpacing our ability to respond." She said criminals use drones to smuggle drugs across the border, but worse, terrorists like the Islamic State are deploying them on the battlefield. "We need to acknowledge that our first and last chance to stop a malicious drone might be during its final approach to a target," she wrote. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement this week that the measure "would finally give federal law enforcement the authority we need to counter the use of drones by drug traffickers, terrorists and criminals." The National Football League's top security executive recently endorsed the bill's intent but said it should go further by letting trained local police officers intercept drones. The official, Cathy Lanier, a former Washington, D.C., police chief, said the NFL is alarmed by an increase in drone flyovers at stadiums. Opponents including the American Civil Liberties Union argue that the proposal gives the government unchecked power to track and seize drones without regard for the privacy and free-speech rights of legitimate drone operators. It exempts the government agencies from certain laws, including limits on wiretapping. The bill provides no oversight or means to question a government decision about what is a "credible threat" and what is an "asset" or "facility" in need of protection when drones are nearby. News organizations are increasingly using drones. They deploy them to cover natural disasters like the recent flooding from Hurricane Florence and also controversies such as the Trump administration's construction of new camps for migrant children who were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. "Being able to see footage of protests, the size of protests, being able to see facilities like those at the border is useful — those are newsworthy events," said India McKinney, a legislative analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Without a specific means to protect First Amendment rights — something not in the bill — "it's entirely feasible to think that the DOJ or DHS could just decide that a drone owned by a news organization provides a credible threat and then destroys the footage," she said. ___ David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/09/28/government-may-gain-new-power-to-track-drones-and-shoot-them-down

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  March 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 20, 2019

  NAVY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a ceiling priced $4,040,458,297 modification to convert a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract (N00019-18-C-1046) to a fixed-price-incentive-firm-target multi-year contract. The target price for this multi-year contract is $4,001,410,000. This modification provides for the full-rate production and delivery of 78 F/A-18 aircraft, specifically 61 F/A-18E and 17 F/A-18F aircraft for fiscal years 2018 through 2021. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (61 percent); Hazelwood, Missouri (9 percent); Longueuil, Quebec, Canada (2 percent); Torrance, California (2 percent); Bloomington, Minnesota (2 percent); Ajax, Ontario, Canada (2 percent); Vandalia, Ohio (1 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (1 percent); Irvine, California (1 percent); Palm Bay, Florida (1 percent); Santa Clarita, California (1 percent); Grand Rapids, Michigan (1 percent); Greenlawn, New York (1 percent); Endicott, New York (1 percent); Marion, Virginia (1 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (13 percent). Work is expected to be completed in April 2024. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,557,334,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Virginia (M67854-19-D-7870); Calibre Systems Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (M67854-19-D-7871); Corps Solutions, Stafford, Virginia (M67854-19-D-7872); Obsidian Solutions Group,* Fredericksburg, Virginia (M67854-19-D-7873); Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia (M67854-19-D-7874); Solutions Through Innovative Technologies Inc., Fairborn, Ohio (M67854-19-D-7875); and Valiant Global Defense Services Inc., San Diego, California (M67854-19-D-7876), are awarded a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-pricing arrangements for the procurement of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Training Systems Support (MTSS), with a combined maximum ceiling amount of $245,000,000. MTSS provides pre-deployment training to the Marine Corps Operating Forces within a joint and combined environment to improve warfighting skills. Training includes realistic computer-based simulation training; command, control, computers, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance training; combined arms staff trainer training; MAGTF tactical warfare simulation; and Deployable Virtual Training Environment. Work will be performed at Quantico, Virginia (55 percent); Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (15 percent); Camp Pendleton, California (10 percent); Twentynine Palms, California (10 percent); and Okinawa, Japan (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 19, 2029. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued. The companies will compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with seven offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Merrill Technologies Group,* Saginaw, Michigan (N68335-19-D-0038); and Precision Custom Components LLC,* York, Pennsylvania (N68335-19-D-0039), are each being awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts. These contracts provide for the delivery of various components in support of the aircraft launch and recovery and support equipment programs, to include critical safety item/critical application item. The estimated aggregate ceiling for all contracts is $42,240,000, with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders. Work will be performed at contractor facilities in Merrill, Michigan; and York, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed in March 2024. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. These contracts were competitively procured via a 100 percent small business set-aside electronic request for proposals; three offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded $37,496,252 for modification P00002 to firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001918F0478 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0026). This modification provides for the procurement and delivery of seven MR-TCDL B-Kits, one Mission Avionics Systems Trainer B-Kit, and associated A- and B-Kit spares for the MR-TCDL upgrade to the E-6B Mercury aircraft. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah (73 percent); San Diego, California (25 percent); and Boston, Massachusetts (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $37,496,252 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Syracuse, New York, is awarded a $27,510,334 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-09-C-6247 for the procurement of fiscal 2019 electronic warfare AN/BLQ-10 kits and spares to support program requirements. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York (99 percent); and Manassas, Virginia (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2022. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $27,510,334 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. MEB General Contractors Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a $20,334,000 firm-fixed-price contract for consolidated fuel facilities at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. The work to be performed provides for the construction of a new 6400 sq. ft. petroleum, oils, and lubricants operations facility with privately-owned vehicle parking for 60 vehicles; a new 2400 gallons per minute (gpm) Type III pump house facility and control room; four new 600 gpm high speed truck fillstands; a new reinforced concrete parking area for 20 fuel refueler trucks; piping modifications to the three existing aboveground storage tanks; new interconnecting piping; spill containment provision; a cathodic protection system; and supporting site work and utilities for the new facilities. Work will be performed in Sumter, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by March 2021. Fiscal 2018 military construction (Defense Logistics Agency) contract funds in the amount of $20,334,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-19-C-1304). Air Cruisers Co. LLC, Wall Township, New Jersey, is awarded an $8,026,673 long-term contract for repair of five various life raft inflatables in support of the Multi-Place Life Rafts System for use on various aircraft. The contract will include a three-year contract with two one-year option periods which if exercised, the total value of the contract is estimated to be $13,754,049. Work will be performed in Liberty, Mississippi. Work is expected to be completed by March 2022; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by March 2024. No funds are obligated at the time of award. Annual working capital funds (Navy) will be obligated as individual task orders are issued. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source, non-competitive requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-19-D-UC01). ARMY American Mechanical Inc.,* Fairbanks, Alaska (W911KB-19-D-0012); Brice Civil Constructors Inc.,* Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-19-D-0013); Central Environmental Inc.,* Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-19-D-0014); Derian/OCC JV,* Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-19-D-0015); and Patrick Mechanical LLC,* Fairbanks, Alaska (W911KB-19-D-0016 ), will compete for each order of the $200,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design, construct and repair of utilidor/utility systems. 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 March 18, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Anchorage, Alaska, is the contracting activity. Applied Visual Technology Inc.,* Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $10,153,464 modification (P00005) to contract W900KK-18-D-0019 for systems engineering and software support. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 19, 2020. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Company Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $39,933,653 firm-fixed-price contract for technical and programmatic expertise and recommendations. This contract provides for force optimization analysis support to HQ Air Combat Command. Work will take place at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by June 15, 2022. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,949,388 are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-19-F-A024). (Awarded March 19, 2019) DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Freeman Holdings of Louisiana LLC, doing business as Million Air Lake Charles,* Lake Charles, Louisiana, has been awarded a minimum $18,832,439 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with 148 responses received. This is a 47-month contract with a six-month option period. Location of performance is Louisiana, with a March 31, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE607-19-D-0008). M&M Manufacturing LLC,** Lajas, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $13,781,250 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Navy Working Uniform blouses and Army Combat Uniform coats. This was a competitive acquisition with six responses received. This is an 18-month base contract with three one-year option periods. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with a March 19, 2021, estimated performance completion date. Using military services are Navy and Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1145). Eaton Aeroquip LLC, Jackson, Michigan, has been awarded a maximum $8,992,216 firm-fixed-price contract for hoses, assemblies and other related parts. This was a competitive acquisition with one offer received. This is a three-year contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Michigan, with a March 20, 2022, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-19-D-0016). *Small business **Woman-owned small business in historically underutilized business zones https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1790554/

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  February 12, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  How Republicans might accept a smaller defense budget

  By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert is willing to meet Democratic lawmakers partway in their reported plans to trim the defense budget: cut back on civilian employees, not equipment and modernization. “Like everything else in government, personnel is your biggest cost, and the civilian-to-uniform ratio ... is at an all-time high,” Calvert, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee's defense subpanel, said in an interview Wednesday. “Our inability to correct that trend is eating away at our military, our procurement, our readiness, all the above, and so we need to do this.” President Joe Biden is expected to release his federal budget plan in April, but battle lines are being drawn on Capitol Hill ahead of what is expected to be a tighter military budget than in recent years. While some key Republicans want to protect the military budget increases that came under then-President Donald Trump, or even build upon them, Calvert said he is open to “responsible reductions.” He is offering civilian cuts as an alternative to cutting end strength and weapons platforms. “Rather than reducing [personnel in] uniforms ― and I think there's some talk about doing that, especially in the Army ― we need to look at the civilian workforce, which is at the highest ratio to uniformed service members than it has ever been,” Calvert said. “If you're going to cut defense, are you going to cut procurement? People are arguing we need to build the Columbia-class submarine and Virginia-class submarine ― and I agree ― that we [keep the] Space Force, and [that] our satellite program is woefully behind ― and I agree. Where do you make your reductions when your overwhelming cost is personnel?” Under Calvert's bill, the Rebalance for an Effective Defense Uniform and Civilian Employees Act, or Reduce Act, a 15 percent cut to the civilian workforce overall and a cap for the Defense Department's Senior Executive Service at 1,000 employees would have to be in place by fiscal 2025 and remain through 2029. The defense secretary would be empowered to use voluntary-separation and early-retirement incentives toward the reduction. The legislation, which has been introduced several times before, was inspired by a 2015 study by the Defense Business Board that illustrated how the Department of Defense could save $125 billion over five years by slashing overhead. Still, the proposal to cut civilians would face new optics this year. As civilian voices were muted in favor of uniformed leaders under the Trump administration, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a former general, committed under bipartisan pressure to “rebalance” Pentagon decision- and policy-making in favor of civilian leaders. It's also a different tact than that of the House Armed Services Committee's new top Republican, Rep. Mike Rogers, who plans to guard against cuts and would prefer a 3-5 percent increase in defense spending ― which Pentagon leaders say is required to carry out the 2018 National Defense Strategy. It's still early in the budgeting cycle, and the two may align. But in meantime, Calvert's approach offers something to fiscal conservatives, and it tracks with past efforts from Rogers' predecessor, former Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. Even if Republicans can fend off a top-line cut or win an adjustment for inflation to keep shipbuilding and aircraft procurement on track, Calvert said he supports cutting the Defense Department's civilian workforce. “Hey, I hope Mike's right. I mean, he is a good friend, but I think he's a realist too,” Calvert said. “I worked with his predecessor on procurement reform, I'm trying to do some personnel reform, and we need those reforms on both sides.” For their part, Democrats swiftly rejected Calvert's legislation, making it one of the first skirmishes of the annual battle over the defense budget. The defense subpanel's new chairwoman, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said she discussed the matter with Calvert and disagrees with him. “His proposal could lead to some of the most talented and committed DOD public servants losing their jobs,” McCollum said in a statement. “While we agree there is excess defense spending, my focus is on making smart investments that yield demonstrable outcomes by cutting waste and ending subsidies for outdated and unnecessary programs and facilities. In my view, the existing Department of Defense civilian workforce is mission critical to ensuring our national security.” The American Federation of Government Employees has historically opposed the bill, and a spokesman said funding and defense policy legislation passed last year prohibit civilian workforce cuts “without regard to impacts on readiness, lethality, military force structure, stress of the force, operational effectiveness and fully burdened costs.” With 768,000 federal employees working across all Defense Department components, the proposed cut amounts to 100,000 employees. Between 2015 and 2019, an average of just under 82,000 employees left DoD jobs each year. Calvert contends his 15 percent cut could be accomplished through attrition, not firings, and target “growth in middle management,” not the supply depots scattered around the country that have political backing. Previous cuts of civilian personnel have fueled increases in contracting costs ― and Calvert said he is open to cutting those too, in partnership with McCollum. “There would be discretion on the part of the people running the Pentagon; there are people you don't want to lose, they're in a special category, I get it,” Calvert said. “There are probably a lot of people you wouldn't miss, people up for retirement.” Democrats are more apt to take on nuclear modernization, which is projected to cost the Pentagon more than $240 billion in taxpayer dollars through 2028. In the balance is the contract for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, awarded to Northrop Grumman last year, to replace aging, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. Politico reports that progressive lawmakers and disarmament advocates are lobbying allies in the Biden administration for a pause in the GBSD program, while the Air Force and its allies in Congress, think tanks, and defense contractors are sharpening their arguments to preserve the program. Calvert acknowledged criticism of nuclear spending from House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., but said big cuts to the nuclear triad lack the backing to succeed. (The panel rejected a funding cut for GBSD last year.) “I know Adam has been critical of that, but there's absolute support for redundancy of the deterrent within the Republican ranks, and so I don't see that going away. What I'm hearing so far out of the administration is that they feel the same way, so I don't think that's going to happen,” Calvert said. Austin and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks have voiced support for nuclear modernization broadly but stopped short of pledging to uphold the current nuclear modernization strategy in its entirety. Nuclear modernization cutbacks would “weaken the United States,” Calvert argued. “We're not just thinking about Russia; we've got China, who's rapidly militarizing space, and their missile capability is improving. Obviously we've got countries like North Korea or Iran that are building their own missile capability, so we have to have a strong deterrent to make sure we are ready for any contingency.” Jessie Bur of Federal Times and Leo Shane III of Military Times contributed to this report. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2021/02/11/how-republicans-might-accept-a-smaller-defense-budget/