August 7, 2018 | International, Naval
By: David B. Larter
The U.S. Navy's $122.3 billion Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program is off to an inauspicious start after faulty welding was discovered in several missile tubes destined for both the Columbia and Virginia-class programs, as well as the United Kingdom's follow-on SSBN program.
In all, 12 missile tubes manufactured by BWXT, Inc., are being scrutinized for substandard welds. Seven of the 12 had been delivered to prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boatand were in various stages of outfitting, and five were still under construction. The Navy and Electric Boat have launched an investigation, according to a statement from Naval Sea Systems Command spokesman Bill Couch.
“All BWXT welding requiring volumetric inspection has been halted until the investigation is complete,” Couch said.
The bad welds came to light after discrepancies were discovered with the equipment BWXT used to test the welds before shipping them to GDEB, according to a source familiar with the issue.
The discovery of a significant quality control issue at the very outset of fabrication of Columbia injects uncertainty in a program that already has little room for delays. The issue is made even more troubling because it arises from a vendor with an excellent reputation, and raises questions about whether the Navy can deliver Columbia on time, something the Navy says is vital to ensuring continuous nuclear deterrent patrols as the Ohio class reaches the end of its service life.
December 24, 2023 | International, Security
Several nations have announced their contributions to Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new multinational security initiative in the Middle East.
July 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR, Security
Mark Pomerleau The Air Force has selected the Air National Guard's training and education center at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Tennessee to be the focal point for training a cadre of defensive focused cyber teams, according to a news release. These teams, called mission defense teams (MDTs), will protect critical Air Force missions and installations such as critical infrastructure or computers associated with aircraft and remotely piloted systems. The teams are an outgrowth of the service's communications squadrons, which have performed much of the IT and cyber defense at the base or wing level. Now, with the Air Force outsourcing much of its IT management, the service was able to free up personnel and resources to focus on protecting these critical assets. The new crews differ from the cyber protection teams that the Air Force, and other services, provide to U.S. Cyber Command as part of the cyber mission force. At first, 20 students will participate in the mission defense team pilot class in mid-August. If that is successful, it will expand to six 20 student classes in 2021. The ultimate goal is to graduate 1,000 students each year across the service beginning in fiscal year 2023, the Air Force said. These teams will be stationed at 84 locations around the world. “This is an exciting moment for TEC and its future as an agile, innovative, and resilient center of learning for the total Air Force and the National Guard Bureau,” Col. Kenneth Lozano, the commander of the traning and education center, said. The Air Force has taken a “total Air Force approach” to cyber, to include its cyber mission force teams and mission defense teams, meaning, these forces are made up of combined active duty, guard and reserve forces. Prior training efforts for mission defense teams began at the 223rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base with a Cyber-Protect and -Defend course. The first classes were held in August 2019. The Air Force said to date, the schoolhouse has trained 160 airmen. The goal is for the training and education center at McGhee Tyson to assume 1,000 graduates a year, with the majority of training to transition there in 2022. One of the biggest hurdles thus far, is procuring a range for trainees to operate on. The Air Force is working through the Defense Cybercrimes Center to procure a cyber range and certify instructors. The price tag associated with this for the initial 20 students is $1.5 million. https://www.c4isrnet.com/cyber/2020/07/16/air-force-wants-to-expand-training-for-cyber-teams/
May 2, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Selon la dernière étude du Sipri, l'Institut international de recherche pour la paix, basé à Stockholm, sur les dépenses militaires, les pays consacrent désormais 2,2% de leur PIB à leurs armées et les dépenses militaires mondiales ont atteint précisément 2 113 Md$ (1 966 Md€), une hausse de 0,7% par rapport à l'année précédente. A eux seuls, les Etats-Unis et la Chine concentrent plus de la moitié des dépenses militaires mondiales. Avec un budget de 801 Md$ (745 Md€), les Etats-Unis ont accru leur effort de recherche et développement de 24 % en termes réels depuis 2012, quand l'achat d'armes baissait de 6,4 %. De son côté, la Chine réalise la plus forte croissance du top 5 mondial, avec une progression de ses dépenses de 4,7% pour atteindre 293 Md$ (273 Md€). En se lançant dans un grand programme de modernisation de l'équipement de ses armées, la France grimpe de deux places dans ce classement pour atteindre le 6ème rang mondial. L'Europe a augmenté globalement ses dépenses d'armement de 3% par rapport à l'année précédente. L'objectif fixé par l'OTAN à ses membres de consacrer au moins 2% de leur PIB à la défense se concrétise peu à peu : huit d'entre eux respectent ou dépassent le seuil, contre trois en 2014. Ensemble de la presse du 26 avril