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June 3, 2021 | International, Land

US Army’s $5.5B wish list seeks to restore cuts made to protect force modernization

The Army has submitted its Unfunded Requirements List to the Hill that seeks to boost funding to improve military installations, restore delayed procurement of legacy aircraft and vehicle fleets and cover the potential hidden costs of withdrawing from Afghanistan while covering unforeseen contingencies.

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/06/01/us-armys-55-wish-list-to-congress-seeks-to-restore-tough-cuts-made-to-protect-force-modernization/

On the same subject

  • Le conflit en Ukraine pousse l’Europe à muscler sa stratégie cyber

    May 26, 2022 | International, C4ISR, Security

    Le conflit en Ukraine pousse l’Europe à muscler sa stratégie cyber

    Déclenchée une heure avant l'offensive terrestre russe, l'attaque destinée à couper les communications ukrainiennes utilisant le réseau de satellites KA-SAT, exploité par Viasat, avait, par ricochet, privé d'internet des milliers d'utilisateurs en Allemagne, en France, en Hongrie, en Grèce, en Italie et en Pologne. « Nous pouvons attribuer au gouvernement russe la cyberactivité malveillante menée contre l'Ukraine » déclarait le 10 mai dernier le chef de la diplomatie de l'Union européenne, Josep Borrell. C'est la première fois que les vingt-sept États membres de l'Union s'accordent sur une réponse conjointe face à une cyberattaque, en dégainant un outil pourtant à sa disposition depuis 2017. La France avait déjà fait du renforcement de la cybersécurité dans l'Union une de ses priorités. « Le conflit en Ukraine est le genre de choc systémique qui fait tout accélérer et prendre conscience qu'il faut faire encore davantage. Cela a donné un nouvel élan aux discussions sur le besoin de coopération renforcée, y compris dans le domaine cyber », explique Miguel Gonzalez-Sancho, chef de l'unité pour la cybersécurité à la direction générale des réseaux de communication et des technologies de la Commission européenne. Selon plusieurs spécialistes, le niveau d'échange d'informations sur les menaces n'a jamais été aussi élevé, à la fois entre États mais aussi entre agences publiques et de grandes entreprises privées. « La plupart des capacités de protection des systèmes d'information sont entre les mains du secteur privé », souligne Dan Cimpean, directeur de l'agence de cybersécurité roumaine. Les États réfléchissent à certifier à l'échelle européenne un réseau de prestataires privés qui permettrait d'aider entreprises et collectivités à faire face aux nombreuses attaques. Le conflit a aussi permis de conclure plus rapidement certaines négociations sur des textes pour renforcer le niveau global de sécurité au sein de tous les États membres de l'Union européenne, que ce soit au niveau des entreprises sensibles, des administrations ou des institutions européennes. « Il y a une volonté politique d'aller plus loin car la question cyber est devenue difficile à traiter au niveau national », ajoute Miguel Gonzalez-Sancho. Le Figaro du 21 mai

  • 3 ways America can fix its vulnerability to cruise missiles

    October 30, 2019 | International, Naval

    3 ways America can fix its vulnerability to cruise missiles

    By: Bradley Bowman and Andrew Gabel September's drone and cruise missile attack on a major Saudi energy facility highlights the challenges associated with cruise missile defense. Americans might be tempted to dismiss this attack merely as evidence of a Saudi vulnerability, with little relevance to the U.S. homeland. However, given that an American-built air defense system failed to stop the attack, this would be a mistake. As China and Russia continue to develop and deploy advanced cruise missiles to threaten the United States, urgent action is required. In recent years, the Pentagon has focused on protecting the homeland from ballistic missile attacks by building a ballistic missile defense system consisting of radars and interceptors. This system can provide some protection against a limited ballistic missile attack on the United States, but it is not designed to protect American cities from cruise missile attacks. Unlike ballistic missiles, which arc high into the atmosphere and beyond before striking their target, cruise missiles fly at low altitudes, where ground-based radars struggle to detect them. And to defeat a cruise missile, the Department of Defense must first be able to detect and track it. America's adversaries “currently hold our citizens and national interests at risk,” the commander of Northern Command, Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, testified before the Senate in April. “The homeland is not a sanctuary. For that reason, improving our ability to detect and defeat cruise missile attacks is among my highest priorities.” It is not difficult to understand why. Seeing this long-standing vulnerability, America's great power adversaries have worked to improve their cruise missile capabilities. Today, for example, Russia possesses a submarine-launched cruise missile that Moscow could use to circumvent existing U.S. missile defenses and target key East Coast military bases and population centers. And the cruise missile capabilities of U.S. adversaries are only growing more formidable. In April testimony before the Senate, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood warned that potential adversaries are developing sophisticated “cruise missile systems with increased speed, range, accuracy and lethality.” For its part, Russia is developing hypersonic cruise missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin claims one of these cruise missiles could fly as fast as nine times the speed of sound. The Kremlin is also pursuing nuclear-powered cruise missiles with virtually unlimited range. Not to be outdone, China is developing its own hypersonic cruise missiles, supplementing its existing cruise missile stocks. Against both Moscow and Beijing's cruise missile arsenals, America's current defenses are inadequate. So what's to be done? The first step is for the Department of Defense to quickly assign a lead in the Pentagon for homeland cruise missile defense, which would enable key decisions related to the homeland cruise missile defense architecture — including decisions related to sensors and shooters, as well as command and control, battle management, and communications. This would help expedite efforts to integrate ballistic missile defense and cruise missile defense. Second, Congress should support efforts to deploy without delay the space-based sensors necessary to detect, track and ultimately defeat advanced cruise missiles and other missile threats to our homeland. Third, the Department of Defense should proactively look to partner with its impressive array of allies and partners to field — both at home and abroad — advanced cruise missile defense capabilities without delay. Consider the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. These allies are already part of a long-standing intelligence sharing arrangement with the United States, known as the “Five Eyes agreement.” As Atlantic Council Senior Fellow William Greenwalt has suggested, systematically expanding this arrangement to institutionalize the shared development of military technology makes sense. Cruise missile defense might be one of several good places to start. Israel represents another obvious partner, as it possesses a proven track record on missile defense innovation, deep real-world experience, an admirable sense of urgency and a long history of cooperation with the U.S. on missile defense. Indeed, Israel and the U.S. have worked together for years to develop the Arrow and David's Sling missile defense systems. If we combine these international partnerships with the innovation prowess of the American private sector — as well as timely, predictable and sufficient funding from Congress — much can be done to address areas of shared vulnerability. That includes cruise missile defenses for both the American homeland and forward-deployed U.S. troops. The September attack on the Saudi energy facility may seem of little concern to most Americans, but that attack should serve as a warning regarding the unique challenges associated with cruise missile defense. If Iran could pull off such an attack, imagine what Moscow and Beijing may be able to do. If our great power adversaries believe a surprise cruise missile attack against the U.S. homeland or American positions abroad might succeed, it increases the chances that Beijing or Moscow would undertake such an attack. The Pentagon assessed in its Missile Defense Review earlier this year that advanced cruise missile threats to the homeland “are on the horizon.” The attack last month in Saudi Arabia suggests that horizon might be closer than Americans think. Bradley Bowman is the senior director for the Center on Military and Political Power with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Andrew Gabel is a research analyst. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/10/29/3-ways-america-can-fix-its-vulnerability-to-cruise-missiles/

  • Two French defense heavyweights scoop up Dolphin chip designer

    August 24, 2018 | International, Aerospace

    Two French defense heavyweights scoop up Dolphin chip designer

    By: Pierre Tran PARIS — European missile company MBDA and microchip maker Soitec said Aug. 21 they are acquiring Dolphin Integration, a design firm for low-power chips which has fallen into receivership. The two companies will buy through a joint venture the chip maker, which filed for insolvency July 24. Dolphin Integration has designed chips which are “indispensable” for certain highly classified sectors, including the French nuclear deterrent, a defense source said. MBDA will acquire 40 percent, while Soitec will own 60 percent. MBDA and Soitec will pay a total of some €6 million (U.S. $7 million) to acquire most assets of Dolphin Integration, pay some of the liabilities and inject a significant amount of cash to meet working capital requirements, the companies said. Further details of how the acquisition amount will be shared were not immediately available. All the business and staff will be kept on, but the sale price will not cover all amounts owed to creditors, Dolphin Integration said in an Aug. 21 statement. MBDA is a strategic customer of Dolphin Integration for defense applications since 2004, the missile company said. The acquisition will strengthen its industrial collaboration and long-term commercial pipeline for application specific integrated circuit and system-on-chip products, the company added. “With the support of MBDA, Dolphin Integration will be able to advance its positions in aerospace and defense design,” the missile company said. Other key clients include Airbus Defence & Space, Safran and Thales, besides MBDA, the defense source said. Soitec specializes in chips drawing on fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology, running on low power and at high speed. The acquisition can be seen as an “offensive” move by securing a market upstream for FD-SOI, while MBDA takes a "defensive " step by protecting a strategic supplier, the defense source said. Soitec played an active role in an industry group which lobbied the Elysée president's office to support a European Project of Common Interest, the source said. Such projects are backed by the European Commission for cross-border work on infrastructure and energy. Soitec will seek to strengthen Dolphin Integration in the semiconductor market, to develop and promote products and services in strategic sectors such as mobile devices and infrastructure, data centers, and space and industrial applications, the chip specialist said. Dolphin Integration had annual sales of €17 million for the year to March 31, 2018 and employs 155 staff, of which 130 are design engineers. The company is based in Grenoble. MBDA's interest in semiconductors has sharpened since the U.S. blocked the sale of American chips for the Scalp cruise missile sought by Egypt to arm its fleet of Rafale fighter jets. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/08/23/two-french-defense-heavyweights-scoop-up-dophin-chip-maker

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