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May 22, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

State, DoD Letter Warns European Union to Open Defense Contracts, Or Else

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Europe has bristled at a letter sent to the EU from the Pentagon and State Department, which says proposed EU defense programs are unfair to the US defense industry.

WASHINGTON: Pentagon and State Department officials have told the European Union they're “deeply concerned” over plans to potentially exclude US defense firms from competing for billions worth of new arms deals, suggesting the US could slap restrictions on buying European defense equipment in retaliation.

At issue is the proposed $14 billion European Defence Fund, and a host of procurement programs under the the Permanent Structured Cooperation, or PESCO, the European economic alliance is undertaking.

While the May 1 letter from Ellen Lord, Pentagon procurement chief, and Andrea Thompson, State's undersecretary for arms control and international security, expressed general support for the EU initiatives, it made clear the US would like to see significant changes in the draft language before the 28-country bloc votes on them as early as next month.

The language in both documents, the US argues, feature intellectual property and export control restrictions that would act as “poison pills” to “effectively preclude participation by any company that uses U.S.-origin technology.”

Overall, Lord and Thompson write, the conditions outlined in the EDF and PESCO documents “represent a dramatic reversal of the last three decades of increased integration of the transatlantic defense sector.” If the restrictions are kept in place, the US officials warn, “it is clear that similar reciprocally imposed U.S. restrictions would not be welcomed by our European partners and Allies, and we would not relish having to consider them in the future.”

But EU officials defended their efforts this week.

Asked about the US letter, an EU spokesperson replied in an email that the EDF and PESCO will “complement and strengthen NATO,” at a time in which the Trump administration has made that a key policy goal, and “enable Europe to shoulder its fair share of the burden and responsibility for global security.”

But it's clear the letter has rankled the Europeans. “The EU has an open and competitive defense procurement framework, in fact more so than the US procurement market,” the spokesperson wrote. “In the EU, there is no ‘Buy European Act.' 81 percent of the total value of international defense contracts in Europe go to US firms. The US defense market is three to four times larger than that of the EU, and yet imports from the EU are marginal for the US, while EU imports from the US are significant.”

The official said that American companies with subsidiaries in the EU will remain eligible for funding under the EDF subject to security conditions “which are similar – in fact less restrictive – to the ones that EU companies face in the US.”

The EU's High Representative Federica Mogherini told reporters Tuesday that PESCO projects aren't meant to be a vehicle to increase transAtlantic ties, and the EU will gladly continue doing business with non-EU defense companies. The program “is not defined to be an instrument for partnership,” she said. “It does not substitute other partnerships, including in the defense industry and research that we have already in place and that are essential for us,” she added.

For years, non-NATO countries like Sweden and Finland have drawn closer to NATO and have increased ties with US defense firms while also building their own domestic defense capabilities, though the relationship hasn't always been smooth.

While the US government is concerned over US companies being excluded, the PESCO effort has been developed explicitly to bolster the ability of European countries to produce their own weapons systems, cyber capabilities, and surveillance technologies. So-called “third states” — non EU members — may ask to participate in PESCO projects, but all of the member states must vote to allow them in.

Lord and Thompson argue that walling-off EU projects from NATO efforts would lead to duplication and waste, while decreasing interoperability between the EU and NATO. It could also “potentially tum the clock back to the sometimes divisive discussions about EU defense initiatives that dominated our exchanges 15 years ago.”

In the end, the US letter is just the latest turn in what has been a complex, up and down relationship between the US and Europe under the Trump administration. The president has loudly condemned Washington's closest allies in Europe for not spending enough on their own defense, while threatening to pull out of NATO. At the same time, the US has increased troop levels in Europe and pumped over $11 billion into the European Deterrence Initiative over the past two years, in an effort to upgrade US and allied basing, increase joint exercises, and modernize equipment on the continent to counter the Russian threat.

https://breakingdefense.com/2019/05/state-dod-letter-warns-european-union-to-open-defense-contracts-or-else/

On the same subject

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 21, 2018

    November 23, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 21, 2018

    NAVY Stratascor LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $210,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price contract for command, control, communications, and computer system afloat operations and sustainment support for capabilities aboard the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet of ships, and the MSC network operations centers. This contract includes a five-year ordering period. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is scheduled to commence Jan. 1, 2018, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2023. Navy working capital funds and U.S. Transportation Command working capital funds in the amount of $500,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220519D1000). Thales Defense and Security Inc., Clarksburg, Maryland, is awarded a not-to-exceed $13,999,410 for undefinitized contract action delivery order N00383-19-F-AQ00 under previously awarded basic ordering agreement N00383-17-G-AQ01 for repair of 58 dome sonars in support of the H-60 airborne low frequency sonar system. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Maryland (50 percent); and Brest, France (50 percent). Work is expected to be completed by November 2020. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $10,499,557 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One firm was solicited for this non-competitive requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. PAE Applied Technologies LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $12,473,525 cost modification to previously-awarded contract N66604-05-C-1277 for Hurricane Matthew repairs to the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). AUTEC is the Navy's large-area, deep-water, undersea test and evaluation range. Underwater research, testing and evaluation of anti-submarine weapons, sonar tracking and communications are the predominant activities conducted at AUTEC. This modification increases the total value of the contract to $800,549,247. Work will be performed on Andros Island, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and is expected to be completed by September 2019. No funding will be obligated at time of award, as work has been incrementally funded with fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. Offshore Service Vessels LLC, Cut Off, Louisiana, is awarded a $10,493,750 firm-fixed-price contract with reimbursable elements for the West Coast Naval Special Warfare submarine support vessel MV Alyssa Chouest. This vessel will be utilized to launch and recover submersibles, divers and small craft. This contract includes a 12-month base period, three 12-month option periods, and one 11-month option period. If all options are exercised this would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $54,238,356. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and at sea, and is expected to be completed July 9, 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through June 8, 2024. Fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $2,415,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 50 plus proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with six offers received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220519C3518). URS Group Inc., Morrisville, North Carolina, is awarded a $10,010,000 modification on a firm-fixed-price task order under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62470-13-D-6022) for phase one of Hurricane Michael repairs for stabilization and repairs to multiple buildings at Naval Support Activity Panama City. The work to be performed provides for removal of carpet, walls, windows and other unsalvageable items due to water penetration, clean-up of roofing materials and tarping of rooftops to mitigate further water intrusion. Repairs include roof replacement, roof decking, and sealing roof penetrations. The repairs also include correction of architectural, structural, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fire protection, electrical deficiencies and any other incidental related work as found due to the hurricane. After award of this modification, the total task order value will be $21,510,000. Work will be performed in Panama City, Florida, and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $10,010,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Noble Supply and Logistics, Rockland, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $75,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, 192-day bridge contract for maintenance, repair, and operations support in the Central Command Area of Responsibility. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification using 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Locations of performance are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with a June 1, 2019, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and other federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriate is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8E319D0002). AIR FORCE CACI NSS Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $63,267,131 fixed-price-incentive firm-target modification (P00068) to contract FA8823-16-C-OOOC for support of Consolidated Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) modification, maintenance and operations. The modification exercises the second option period effective Nov. 22, 2018. This contract provides for continued operations and maintenance at AFSCN mission locations, AFSCN factory compatibility testing and phase-in sustainment activities for same systems. Work will be performed at tracking stations in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory; U.S. Territory of Guam; Ka'ena Point, Hawaii; New Boston Air Force Station, New Hampshire; Thule AFB, Greenland; Vandenberg AFB, California; Bordon and Hants, United Kingdom; and Eastern Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Work is expected to be completed by May 21, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations maintenance funds in the amount of $40,267,131 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $165,067,247. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting Activity. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Littleton, Colorado, has been awarded a $16,113,613 definitization (P000012) to previously undefinitized contract FA8204-18-C-0009 (P00005) to implement security classification guide changes. Work will be performed in Littleton, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 3, 2020. Fiscal 2018 research and development (3600) funds in the amount of $50,215 is being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Nuclear Weapon Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $13,965,639 modification (P00110) for the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) communication system, mitigation and anti-jam effort and additional strings. This effort will provide the WGS system with increased resilience. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California; and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2021. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $13,965,639 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8808-10-C-0001). CORRECTION: The $489,924,430 contract (FA8620-18-C-1000 PZ0004) announced on Nov. 19, 2018, to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, San Diego, California, for the Japan Global Hawk Program was actually awarded on Nov. 20, 2018. ARMY Guyco Inc., Lampasas, Texas, was awarded a $57,538,500 firm-fixed-price contract to revitalize and renovate barracks. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Fort Hood, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 21, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $57,538,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-19-C-0008). Canadian Commercial Corp., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, was awarded an $18,742,500 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of strip stock and ground side and wheel side rubber materials. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 22, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W911RQ-19-D-0018). AMG JV, Leesburg, Virginia,* was awarded a $9,820,000 firm-fixed-price contract for renovation of an administration building. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 12, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $9,820,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W91236-19-C-0005). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Insitu Inc., Bingen, Washington, was awarded a maximum $18,000,000 modification (P00018) for an existing non-competitive, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92222-16-D-0031) for mid-endurance unmanned aircraft systems (MEUAS 1.5B) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services. An increase of $18,000,000 to a ceiling of $250,000,000 prevents a gap in ISR services until all task orders are transitioned to the current competitive MEUAS III contracts. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $18,000,000 are available for obligation as needed. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1696664/source/GovDelivery/

  • "Nous visons les entreprises qui ont un potentiel dual, à la fois civil et militaire", annonce Emmanuel Chiva, le patron de l'Agence de l'innovation de Défense

    December 3, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    "Nous visons les entreprises qui ont un potentiel dual, à la fois civil et militaire", annonce Emmanuel Chiva, le patron de l'Agence de l'innovation de Défense

    Pour le directeur de l'Agence de l'innovation de défense, Emmanuel Chiva, il faut détecter plus vite les technologies capables d'arriver sur le champ de bataille pour imaginer les parades et les évaluer à des fins militaires. L'Usine Nouvelle. - Quel est l'objectif du ministère des Armées avec cette deuxième édition digitale du Forum innovation défense, du 2 au 4 décembre ? Emmanuel Chiva. - Nous souhaitons montrer à un large public la diversité de l'innovation de défense en termes de recherche, de projets et de préparation des futures capacités militaires. Nous voulons attirer des sociétés industrielles et des porteurs de projets innovants en les informant du soutien dont ils peuvent bénéficier. C'est également un moyen de susciter des vocations chez les ingénieurs et les chercheurs. Cet événement sera l'occasion de lancer notre fonds d'investissement dédié à l'innovation de défense et doté de 200 millions d'euros. Quel est le profil des entreprises ciblées ? Nous visons les entreprises qui ont un potentiel dual, à la fois civil et militaire dans des technologies qui sont importantes pour les armées : les technologies quantiques, l'intelligence artificielle, l'énergie, les matériaux... Ce qui nous intéresse, c'est de « capter » des technologies développées par des sociétés déjà établies sur leur marché primaire, mais qui présentent un intérêt pour la défense. Pourtant certaines sociétés innovantes nous disent qu'il n'est pas toujours simple de travailler avec le ministère. Comme le fabricant de drones Parrot... Je suis surpris. Des acteurs comme Parrot sont reçus à l'Agence et nous regardons comment nous pourrions intégrer leurs technologies... C'est typiquement le type d'innovation qui nous intéresse. De la même manière, nous travaillons avec Franky Zapata [l'inventeur du Flyboard, un engin à sustentation hydropropulsé, ndlr]. Nous réfléchissons à l'utilisation de sa technologie pour envisager un « robot-mule volant » à des fins d'évacuation sanitaire, de transport de munitions... Nous finançons ses travaux pour optimiser ses moteurs en termes d'autonomie et de discrétion acoustique, en partenariat avec l'Office national d'études et de recherches aérospatiales (Onera) et la société Poly-Shape, spécialiste de la fabrication additive à partir de métal. Auparavant, les grands programmes militaires dans le spatial, la dissuasion nucléaire, tiraient l'innovation civile... Aujourd'hui, l'inverse se produit. Pourquoi ? Ce qui a changé, c'est le rythme de l'innovation civile. On assiste à un raccourcissement des cycles entre l'idée, sa réalisation et son emploi sur un marché. La puissance des Gafam et de leurs équivalents chinois, les BATX, change aussi les équilibres. Ils investissent des sommes considérables dans les applications à base d'intelligence artificielle, d'où l'accélération et la démocratisation de l'accès à cette technologie. C'est une source d'opportunités pour les armées. Le secteur civil est mieux placé que nous pour développer certaines technologies car nous n'irons pas plus vite. C'est le cas des processeurs graphiques, tirés par l'industrie du jeu vidéo, ou de la propulsion électrique, tirée par l'industrie automobile. Néanmoins, ces technologies civiles vont nécessiter une adaptation. Une voiture électrique sur une autoroute européenne n'est pas soumise aux mêmes conditions d'emploi qu'un véhicule d'infanterie dans le nord du Mali, où les routes sont sommaires et les stations de recharge inexistantes ! Cette démocratisation des technologies ne représente-elle pas une menace ? Ce qui nous empêche de dormir, ce serait de rater les prochaines évolutions à très court cycle et que nos adversaires s'en emparent alors avant nous. Regardez les groupes terroristes : ils utilisent les drones, l'impression 3D pour fabriquer des armes... Plus vite nous détectons l'innovation, plus vite nous pouvons imaginer les parades pour nous en protéger et les évaluer pour un usage militaire. Nous sommes engagés dans une course. Comment l'agence s'organise-t-elle pour capter cette innovation tous azimuts ? La loi de programmation militaire 2019-2025 prévoit d'augmenter de 25 % les crédits annuels consacrés à l'innovation pour atteindre 1 milliard d'euros en 2022. Avec ses 100 salariés, l'Agence agit avant tout comme un chef d'orchestre de l'innovation. Et dans un orchestre, le chef ne joue pas tous les instruments ! Nous nous appuyons sur un réseau national qui comprend les laboratoires d'innovation des armées et les centres d'expertise technique et d'essais de la Direction générale de l'armement. Nous avons par ailleurs créé une cellule de détection et de captation, une petite équipe chargée de faire en quelque sorte « la chasse et la pêche » à l'innovation. Il s'agit de correspondants qui se rendent dans les incubateurs, les salons, les communautés d'innovations... Ces derniers ont permis à l'Agence de travailler avec la société SEAir, qui fabrique des foils rétractables pour les bateaux à coque semi-rigide. Demain, une embarcation des forces spéciales intégrera cette innovation. Nos équipes n'hésitent pas non plus à se rendre là où on ne les attend pas. Les salons de cosmétique par exemple ! Les géants du domaine réalisent des développements pour le traitement de la peau qui pourraient avoir un intérêt dans le soin aux grands brûlés. Dans certains domaines technologiques, par exemple les missiles hypervéloces, la France ne risque-t-elle pas de se faire déclasser ? Les États-Unis, la Russie et la Chine sont les plus actifs sur ce sujet. Si la France est plus discrète, elle n'a pas forcément de retard du fait des exigences technologiques dans le domaine des véhicules spatiaux liés au programme de dissuasion. Nous avons une expertise reconnue en matière de technologies spatiales, de propulsion, de guidage et de science des matériaux. Nous menons un programme structurant dans le domaine de l'hypervélocité qui s'incarne, par exemple, dans le développement par l'Agence d'un démonstrateur dédié à la montée en maturité des technologies d'un planeur hypersonique. Quelles sont vos priorités en matière de technologies quantiques ? À notre sens, l'ordinateur quantique n'est pas un sujet militaire en soi. La recherche d'un tel ordinateur est faite par l'industrie, au niveau mondial. En revanche, le ministère des Armées finance les travaux qui sont spécifiquement liés à une utilisation militaire possible des technologies quantiques. Les technologies de cryptographie post-quantique nous intéressent au premier plan. Nous suivons également de près l'évolution des capteurs quantiques. En particulier les travaux de l'Onera sur les gravimètres quantiques à atomes froids, qui peuvent avoir des applications dans la navigation sans GPS. Vous aviez en prévision la création d'une Red Team au sein du ministère des Armées, qui s'appuierait sur des auteurs de science-fiction. De quoi s'agit-il ? Nous profiterons du Digital forum innovation défense pour faire découvrir les auteurs qui ont intégré cette Red Team et pour rendre publics ses premiers travaux. Son but est d'identifier les menaces auxquelles nous pourrions être confrontés à l'horizon 2060 et la manière de les anticiper d'un point de vue technologique, organisationnel et sociétal... Pour illustrer la démarche, citons l'équipe de Los Alamos du programme nucléaire américain à la veille de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, qui a reconnu s'être inspirée des ouvrages de Robert Heinlein, un auteur de science-fiction, pour mettre au point le concept de la dissuasion nucléaire. Isaac Asimov, auteur de la série « Fondation », a également travaillé pour le gouvernement américain. Nous avons d'abord été surpris par le succès de notre appel à candidatures auprès des personnes travaillant dans le domaine de la science-fiction : auteurs, écrivains, dessinateurs... Plus de 600 candidatures ont été déposées alors que nous nous attentions à en recevoir une vingtaine ! https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/nous-visons-les-entreprises-qui-ont-un-potentiel-dual-a-la-fois-civil-et-militaire-annonce-emmanuel-chiva-le-patron-de-l-agence-de-l-innovation-de-defense.N1034509

  • US Air Force wants to retire all A-10s by 2029

    March 9, 2023 | International, Aerospace

    US Air Force wants to retire all A-10s by 2029

    “The A-10 is a great airplane … in an uncontested environment,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown said.

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