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Eric Felley La votation à peine digérée, le lobbyiste Thomas Borer invite déjà des parlementaires à une rencontre la semaine prochaine avec les Américains du Super Hornet. Malaise dans la commission. Les urnes sont encore tièdes d'une mince victoire pour l'acquisition des avions de combat que déjà s'active à Berne le lobbyisme pour influencer les élus sur le choix de l'avion: le Rafale de Dassault, l'Eurofighter d'Airbus, le F-35 de Lockheed Martin ou le Super Hornet de Boeing. Et les défenseurs de ce dernier ont semble-t-il tiré les premiers. En début de semaine déjà, certains conseillers nationaux, membres de la Commission de la politique de sécurité, avaient reçu une invitation pour venir se renseigner à propos de leur engin. Cette invitation leur est parvenue par quelqu'un de bien connu à Berne, l'ancien ambassadeur devenu lobbyiste de haut vol, Thomas Borer. Dans un courrier envoyé par mail, il invite certains parlementaires à rencontrer le directeur des ventes et du marketing des avions de combat à l'international chez Boeing, qui est responsable du processus d'achat en Suisse. Il semble que des élus de tous les partis l'ont reçu, même chez les socialistes et les Verts, opposés à l'achat. «Ils n'ont aucune pudeur, s'agace l'un d'entre eux. J'ai renvoyé aussitôt pour dire que je ne viendrai pas». Ancien pilote de F/A-18, le directeur des ventes de Boeing, Alain Garcia, «aimerait prendre le temps de parler avec vous sur l'offre de Boeing et de répondre directement à vos questions», écrit Thomas Borer. Les parlementaires pouvaient choisir entre mardi 6 octobre ou mercredi 7 octobre pour le rencontrer. D'après nos sources, la grande majorité d'entre eux ont refusé. S'abstenir de tout contact avec les avionneurs La Commission de la politique de sécurité, dans sa composition d'avant les élections de 2019, avait convenu que ses membres devaient s'abstenir de tout contact avec des avionneurs. Certains socialistes avaient été remis à l'ordre parce qu'ils étaient allés visiter un constructeur en Italie, pour chercher une alternative aux quatre concurrents qui sont en lice. La nouvelle commission, sous la présidence d'Ida Glanzmann-Hunkeler (PDC/LU), n'a pas encore pris de décision à ce sujet. Sa prochaine réunion a lieu les 26 et 27 octobre prochains. En interpellant les parlementaires seulement quelques jours après la votation, Thomas Borer est fidèle à sa réputation de fonceur. Mais au Parlement, ce n'est pas peut-être pas la meilleure façon d'agir. L'ancien ambassadeur a déjà troublé la quiétude des Chambres fédérales dans le cadre de ses activités de lobbyiste pour le Kazakhstan. Une enquête avait été ouverte contre lui par le Ministère public de la Confédération (MPC) et le conseiller national Christian Miesch (UDC/BL) suite à des soupçons de corruption passive et d'acceptation d'avantages. Mais l'affaire a été classée sans suite en juillet 2019. https://www.lematin.ch/story/avions-de-combat-boeing-passe-a-lattaque-426165817866

Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has discontinued its Rapid Equipping Force stood up during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to get urgently needed capabilities into the field in 180 days or less. As the Army shifts from a focus on counterinsurgency operations to going up against near-peer adversaries like Russia and China across air, land, sea, cyberspace and space domains in large-scale operations, the REF's utility and mission has been in question. The service is also disbanding its Asymmetric Warfare Group. “As our focus changes to great power competition and large-scale combat operations, Army analysis indicated that the personnel and resources could best be utilized in building the operational fighting force,” an Oct. 2 Army statement read. “To ensure the value of organization's work over the past 14 years is not lost, all lessons learned will be maintained by the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, via the Center for Army Lessons Learned, Centers of Excellence and other [Training and Doctrine Command] enterprise stakeholders.” The discontinuation won't happen overnight. Both organizations will be fully deactivated by the end of fiscal 2021 “and will transition the mission of providing immediate support to other organizations,” the statement noted. Over the past several years, the REF hung on to certain missions and continued to advocate for its relevancy. A year ago, Defense News sat down with the REF's director in a new, smaller office space at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in a conference room surrounded by small counter-unmanned aircraft systems that it was rapidly fielded to units and considered one of its success stories. In 2017, the REF was focused on counter-drone technologies; dismounted electronic warfare equipment; tethered intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities; and urban operations equipment including up-armored commercial vehicles. But many of those technologies have found other homes within the Army. As the service stood up its new security force assistance brigades, the REF expected a surge in work to support the needs of those units in the field as they deployed. The REF played a small role at the time, providing the first SFAB with a few items it needed ahead of deployment such as communications gear and an item that assisted the unit with indirect fires. Last year, the REF was highlighting its nearly 10-year-old Expeditionary Lab, a 3D-printing trailer that can be deployed downrange to solve problems for units operating in austere environments. Col. Joe Bookard, who is still the REF's director, told Defense News at the time that the REF would continue to fill the niche of urgently supplying soldiers with capabilities to meet immediate needs while they are deployed. He said that, in a way, the REF has been doing what Army Futures Command is doing now, but on a smaller scale: providing capabilities that are rapidly procured to a small number of soldiers for evaluation, and then refining those capabilities as needed. In 2019, the REF addressed 400 requirements sent from combatant commanders to address operational capability gaps, Bookard said. Among some of the recent success stories is the tiny Black Hornet, an unmanned aircraft system that is now a program of record and was fielded as the Soldier Borne Sensor. The REF was also working to transition two hand-held counter-UAS capabilities — the DroneBuster and the Drone Defender — to the larger force as official programs. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/10/02/army-discontinues-rapid-equipping-force/

Seth J. Frantzman JERUSALEM — Israel Aerospace Industries has chosen five startups to work with its engineers and experts to create products with the company, including sensors and artificial intelligence. The five startups are QuantLR, Aigent-Tech, DST, Scopoli, and FVMat. Their work will focus on sensors for tracking people and objects, AI, monitoring systems, and landing gear, among other technologies. IAI produces and supports a variety of defense systems for land, air and naval applications, such as a recent test of the Arrow 2 air defense weapon and a new sea-to-sea missile. “IAI's unique accelerator track allows the startups to work with IAI's technology leaders, realize long-term business potential, leverage breakthrough technologies, and gain access to IAI's customers,” the company said in a statement Oct. 1. Among the companies selected, FVMat focuses on meta-materials, such as the production and design of materials with unique densities and stiffness. The firm will work with IAI on landing gear applications. Aigent-Tech previously developed on-demand ridesharing solutions, and works on navigation and routing technology to improve transit efficiency. QuantLR's website says it works on quantum encryption technologies. DST will work with IAI's Aviation Group on real-time monitoring, while Scopoli will work with the System Missiles and Space Group on solutions for tracking people and objects. IAI said it conducted more than $900 million in research and development activity last year, of which $191 million was used for its own innovation groups. A company spokesperson called research and development the company's “DNA.” Toward that end, it has invested millions of dollars in various collaborations with startups. In February IAI promoted collaboration in intelligence and remote sensing with MassChallenge. Its Elta subsidiary said it would offer participating startups “to hold their proof of concept on ELTA's operational intelligence and radar systems, and will facilitate their access to global customers and markets.” That program targeted startups developing high-frequency sensors, quantum computing, photonics, acoustics, ultrasonic, and other disruptive sensory or data-fusion technology. IAI's new Innovation Center and the selection of five startups are part of the firm's concentration on working with a large number of local startups. The center opened with the help of Starburst Aerospace, which specializes in pre-seed technological challenges, IAI said. The effort is expected to support work on machine learning, quantum computing, radars, sensors, robotics, big data, computer vision, smart cockpits, propulsion, drones, cyber technology and 3D printing. “IAI invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year in in-house R&D of innovative technologies. The Innovation Center is unique in its startup model, which exists inside a stable, well-established company, providing IAI's engineers with a path for testing their ideas and developing proof of concept within weeks,” said Amira Sharon, executive vice president of strategy and R&D. After a public call in August for participants in the center, 90 startups applied. Of those, five have been chosen. “It is a win-win: They get access to what we do operationally, and we become familiar with their technology, and the objective of the accelerator is to bring, in 13 weeks, viable and concrete products,” an IAI spokesperson said. After the 13 weeks, the intention is to continue development and enhance the capabilities. One concept under development is to detect people and objects in complex terrain. But the business development model will vary with each startup, according to IAI. IAI company did not specify how much money would be invested in the projects with which the startups are involved, but IAI's Innovation Center has received several million dollars. IAI at present is not investing in the startups themselves, but rather is teaming with them. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/10/02/israeli-defense-giant-picks-five-startups-to-develop-future-tech/

Nathan Strout WASHINGTON — The U.S Space Force plans to stand up a new command to oversee all of the service's acquisitions in 2021, although that timeline is dependent on identifying the space-related parts of the other military branches that will be transferred into the nation's newest service. The Space Force announced in June that it will be made up of three field commands — Space Operations Command; Space Training and Readiness Command; and Space Systems Command — with the latter charged with developing, acquiring and sustaining systems for the Space Force. Space Systems Command will oversee both the Space and Missile Systems Center, which currently procures most of the service's space-related platforms, and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. “We anticipate standing that up in 2021, probably sooner rather than later. We're working on those final details,” Space Force Vice Commander Lt. Gen. David Thompson said during a Defense One event Oct. 1. Notably, Space Systems Command is set to become the new home of the Space Development Agency in October 2022, bringing the ambitious organization under the Space Force's purview. The agency was launched in 2019 and has quickly moved forward with plans to establish a mega-constellation of satellites operating in low Earth orbit. The agency's planned transport layer — a space-based mesh network comprised of satellites connected by optical intersatellite crosslinks — is set to play a major part in the Pentagon's Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept. The new command will act as a unifying force, said Thompson, removing unnecessary duplication between organizations while encouraging healthy competition in some areas. “We're not going to duplicate, but we're certainly interested in the energy that comes from competing ideas and competing designs and competing approaches to a problem,” he explained. Unifying space acquisitions and activities under a single service was a major justification for the establishment of the Space Force. However, details on which organizations, functions and platforms will be absorbed has been scant, as talks continue between the services and Department of Defense leadership. “The absolute final decision hasn't been made,” Thompson said. “We have been engaged in this process for several months now. We're getting close to the decisions that need to be made in terms of transfer of some of those functions and capabilities.” “There is a tremendous amount that the Space Force and the Air Force and the Army and the Navy working together with [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] have already agreed on,” Thompson added. “One is the capabilities and forces that will stay in place where they are to continue to do the activities that are space-related, the set of activities that are prepared to move over; and then there's a couple, there's a few, units and functions left that we haven't reached full agreement on, and we're in the process of finalizing the data and the information that will allow the decision-makers to decide the final disposition — whether they'll stay or whether they'll move to the Space Force.” The Space Force largely completed this process with the Air Force in the spring, said Thompson, with 23 units or functions selected for transition into the new service. Much of the planning and execution of that transfer has already been completed, and the Space Force has gone on to identify other organizations and capabilities that should be brought into their fold, including two Air Force units and two more from the intelligence community. Plans are expected to be finalized for the other services in the near future, with Thompson teasing that an announcement was likely before the end of the year. “The target that the leadership in the DoD has given us is we want to be able to make decisions so that we can execute planning in FY2021 and begin facilitating moves in 2022,” he explained. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/10/01/the-space-force-to-establish-new-acquisitions-command-in-202

NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Mission Systems Sector, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, was awarded a $100,798,804 fixed-price-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for follow-on production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 3 electronic attack systems and hardware design modifications required for aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship installation. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $1,164,529,315. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (55%); Tampa, Florida (6%); Andover, Massachusetts (5%); Chelmsford, Massachusetts (4%); Rochester, New York (3%); San Diego, California (3%); Los Angeles, California (2%); Winona, Minnesota (2%); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (2%); Glendale, Arizona (1%); Nashua, New Hampshire (1%); Elk Grove Village, Illinois (1%); White Marsh, Maryland (1%); Tucson, Arizona (1%); Chandler, Arizona (1%); Washington, North Carolina (1%); Woodridge, Illinois (1%); Richardson, Texas (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); El Cajon, California (1%); Hiawatha, Iowa (1%); Littleton, Colorado (1%); Glendale, California (1%); and miscellaneous locations - each less than 1% (4%), and is expected to be completed by May 2023. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2026. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (67%); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (33%) funding in the amount of $100,798,804 will be obligated at time of 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 one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5519). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) EFW Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $35,801,006 five-year requirements type, firm-fixed-priced contract for repair of line-replaceable units in support of the V-22 aircraft. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (50%); and Talladega, Alabama (50%). Work is expected to be completed by October 2025. Annual working capital funds (Navy) will be used and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. One company was solicited for this sole-sourced requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. The Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-20-D-Y001). BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, was awarded a $17,290,912 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of two 57mm MK 110 Mod 0 gun mounts and associated hardware. Work will be performed in Karlskoga, Sweden (93%); and Louisville, Kentucky (7%), and is expected to be completed by May 2023. Fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $17,290,912 will be obligated at time of award and $249,448 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5300). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) Peraton Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $13,891,979 cost-plus-fixed-fee, level of effort contract (N00030-21-C-0016) for program support services for the Navy's strategic weapons systems reentry subsystem. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado (75%); Washington, D.C. (15%); Albuquerque, New Mexico (8%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (1%); and Omaha, Nebraska (1%). Work is expected to be completed by March 30, 2026. Contract will be awarded subject to the availability of funds. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Once funding becomes available, contract will be funded as follows: fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,214,639; and fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,677,340, which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole-source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Beta.sam.gov (formally Federal Business Opportunities) website. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, was awarded an $8,934,292 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price order under previously awarded blanket ordering agreement N00024-19-G-5306 for engineering services, open, inspect and repair services and spare and component parts in support of the MK 110 MOD 0 gun mount. This order includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $23,400,781. Work will be performed in Louisville, Kentucky (50%); and Karlskoga, Sweden (50%), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. Fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) (92%); and fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy) (8%) funding in the amount of $6,128,002 will be obligated at time of award, of which $495,948 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order 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 Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-F-5301). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) ARMY AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, was awarded a $60,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to manufacture AZD7442, a combination antibody product intended to prevent or treat clinical effects of SARS-CoV-2, for a minimum of 100,000 treatment courses. Work will be performed in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Army general funds in the amount of $30,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-20-C-0119). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) CORRECTION: The contract announced on Sept. 28, 2020, for Tatum Excavating Co. Inc., Texarkana, Texas (W9126G-20-F-0768), for $10,000,000, was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is Sept. 29, 2020. CORRECTION: The contract announced on Sept. 29, 2020, for University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota (W9128F-20-D-0059), for $12,800,000, was announced with an incorrect awardee. The correct awardee is South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, has been awarded a $35,582,832 sole-source, hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract (HQ0851-21-C-0001) under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Case JA-P-NCO to the government of Japan. Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will perform Aegis FMS Baseline J7.B development and SPY-7(V) 1 radar production, integration and test planning support. The work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey. The period of performance is from Oct. 2, 2020, through July 31, 2021. Funds from the government of Japan in the amount of $35,582,832 are being obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0851-21-C-0001). AIR FORCE Wolverine Supply Inc., Wasilla, Alaska, has been awarded an $8,649,500 firm-fixed-price contract for repair of the Blackstart Generator. This contract provides for repair of the Blackstart Generator at the Eielson Air Force Base central heat and power plant. Work will be performed at Eielson AFB, Alaska, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 22, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The 354th Contracting Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska, is the contracting activity (FA500420C0015). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) * Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2370617/source/GovDelivery/

Military.com | By Matthew Cox The Army just awarded a $1.2 billion contract to General Dynamics Land Systems for Stryker combat vehicles equipped with new short-range air defense weapons. Under the contract, the company will produce, test and deliver Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) Strykers to the Army, a key modernization effort for the service, according to an Oct. 2 company news release. The IM-SHORAD is designed to counter threats from unmanned aerial systems, as well as enemy helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, according to the release, which adds that the Army's initial, $230 million order calls for 28 Stryker IM-SHORAD vehicles. "This dedicated SHORAD capability adds a new operational dimension to the Stryker fleet in all of the Army's maneuver formations," Don Kotchman, vice president and general manager of GD Land Systems -- the company that also manufactures Stryker vehicles for the service -- said in the release. General Dynamics has partnered with Leonardo DRS and Raytheon on the deal, which has an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2025, according to the release. Air and missile defense is a major modernization priority for the Army as it prepares for future, large-scale conflicts with adversaries such as Russia and China. The IM-SHORAD vehicles will be equipped with Raytheon's Stinger Missiles. The Army is also working to equip Strykers with 50-kilowatt lasers under the Directed-Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) effort. In July 2019, the service selected Northrop and Raytheon to develop competing prototypes of 50-kilowatt laser-equipped Strykers as part of a $203 million deal that includes Kord Technologies as the prime contractor. Northrop and Raytheon will each bring their laser-equipped Stryker to a competitive shoot-off scheduled for the third quarter of fiscal 2021. Army officials plan to select one of the prototypes, which will ultimately be among four vehicles fielded to the first platoon equipped with the 50-kilowatt version of M-SHORAD. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/10/02/army-inks-12-billion-deal-equip-strykers-short-range-air-defense-weapons.html

Pat Host The Pentagon's top acquisition executive blames the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aerial refuelling tanker's fixed-price contract structure for the programme's ongoing issues. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said during a 1 October hearing that Boeing cancelled a 2 October KC-46A delivery to the 157th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) in New Hampshire due to electrical problems with the aircraft. Ellen Lord, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment (A&S), said in response that the root cause of the KC-46A's problems is the contract type that was awarded to Boeing. Lord said that one issue is the technical solution that was the aircraft's original design, which is now being redesigned. The programme, she said, also has a myriad of manufacturing issues including ongoing foreign object debris (FOD) problems. The programme, Lord said, has an engineering design and execution issue as well as a manufacturing problem. Boeing's fixed-price contract structure, previously lauded as an example of improved government contracting, means the company pays the Pentagon for cost overruns. The contract structure was considered an improvement over cost-plus contracting, where the government reimburses the contractor for cost overruns. One expert said that Boeing paying for cost overruns on the KC-46A disincentivises the company from improving its performance. Doug Birkey, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies executive director, told Janes https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/pentagons-lord-blames-kc-46as-fixed-price-contract-structure-for-further-programme-issues

Andrew Chuter LONDON — The British military and government must “fundamentally change” the way they counter the political and military ambitions of authoritarian rivals, or risk being overwhelmed, warned the country's top soldier. Gen. Nick Carter's speech at the Policy Exchange think tank Sept. 30 coincided with the publication of Britain's new “Integrated Operating Concept.” The chief of the Defence Staff said key changes backed by the concept include improved integration of effort across government and with allies, equipment modernization, and constant competition with adversaries below the threshold of war. The concept says the strategy rethink “represents the most significant change in UK military thought in several generations. It will lead to a fundamental transformation in the military instrument and the way it is used.” Carter said one of the “big ideas” in the operational concept was that it makes a distinction between “operating” and “war fighting." “In an era of persistent competition, our deterrent posture needs to be more dynamically managed and modulated. This concept therefore introduces a fifth 'C' — that of competition — to the traditional deterrence model of comprehension, credibility, capability and communication,” he said. “This recognizes the need to compete below the threshold of war in order to deter war, and to prevent one's adversaries from achieving their objectives in fait accompli strategies, as we have seen in the Crimea, Ukraine, Libya and further afield. “Competing involves a campaign posture that includes continuous operating on our terms and in places of our choosing. Carter also identified the nature of the growing threat driving Britain to rethink its strategy. “Our authoritarian rivals see the strategic context as a continuous struggle in which nonmilitary and military instruments are used unconstrained by any distinction between peace and war. These regimes believe that they are already engaged in an intense form of conflict that is predominantly political rather than kinetic,” he said. “Their way of warfare is strategic, it is synchronized and systematic, and our response must be too.” The new concept comes ahead of the government's Integrated Defence Review, expected in the second half of November. The review is planned to bring together British policy thinking across defense, security, foreign policy and overseas development spending. Government ministers and advisers previously signaled the review would see the military effort pivot away from conventional military capabilities and move toward a greater focus on space, cyberspace and artificial intelligence. Carter's speech and the new strategy document are the best evidence to date of where the government's plan for change is heading. “We must chart a direction of travel from an industrial age of platforms to an information age of systems,” Carter said. “Some industrial-age capabilities will increasingly have to meet their sunset to create the space for capabilities needed for sunrise. The trick is how you find a path through the night. We know this will require us to embrace combinations of information-centric technologies. But predicting these combinations will be challenging." The concept identified some capabilities it expects will be in demand in the future, including smaller and faster capabilities to avoid detection; trading reduced physical protection for increased mobility; an increasing dependence on electronic warfare; stealth technology; and evermore sophisticated networks of systems. Carter made no mention of how the cash-strapped country will find the resources for a strategy rethink that requires substantial spending in sectors like space and cyberspace. Analysts here reckon the early disuse of conventional capabilities, like much of the main battle tank force, may be one way of balancing the books. Last week, the Ministry of Defence confirmed it is considering cutting an order to buy five Boeing Wedgetail command-and-control aircraft to three platforms as part of its cost-cutting effort. Completion of the new aircraft expected around 2030. The new operating concept document said it's impossible to immediately abandon the current force structure and create a bespoke one from scratch, noting that important operations must continue and that legacy programs and platforms should retain utility. Carter reinforced that message, saying it is “important to emphasize that the willingness to commit decisively hard capability with the credibility to war fight is an essential part of the ability to operate and therefore of deterrence.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/30/britain-unveils-new-operating-concept-for-a-fundamental-transformation-in-the-military/

Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan is set to continue its recent trend of setting new records for its annual defense budgets, with the country continuing to cast a wary eye on China's military modernization and nuclear-armed North Korea's missile program. The latest budget request issued by Japan's Ministry of Defense is seeking $55 billion for fiscal 2021, which begins in April 2021. The amount is an 8 percent increase from the previous year, and makes it the eighth consecutive year the defense budget request to the Ministry of Finance has set a new record high. This is the first defense budget for the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who looks set to continue his predecessor Shinzo Abe's push for Japan to bolster its international involvement in security matters. Unsurprisingly, the latest budget request includes potential funding for more Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The ministry is seeking $308.5 million for four more F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing variants, and $249.8 million for two F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing versions. Japan has an eventual requirement for 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs, which makes it potentially the biggest operator of the F-35 outside of the United States. The F-35Bs will be operated onboard Japan's helicopter destroyer Izumo, which is being retrofitted domestically to operate the stealthy fifth-generation fighter jets. The budget request is seeking $218.6 million this fiscal year for the project, which will include thermally protecting the Izumo's flight deck from the jets' exhaust gases and reshaping of the ship's forward flight deck for operating the jets. As usual, the budget request also includes items related to Japan's air and ballistic missile defense capability. The country is seeking $370 million to acquire more Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles. Japan recently backtracked on plans to acquire the ground-based Aegis Ashore system following technical difficulties with the development of the SM-3 Block IIA interceptors, and is currently looking at alternatives. Japan's local defense industry will also get funding for various defense acquisition and research projects under the budget request, with the MoD seeking $643.7 million for three more Kawasaki P-1 anti-submarine aircraft and $487.5 million for two more C-2 airlifters from the same manufacturer. Japan's land forces are seeking $180.7 million for 25 more Type 16 wheeled maneuver combat vehicles, while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has asked for $937.2 million and $654.1 million respectively to acquire two more frigates and the first boat of a new class of attack submarine. Research funding for Japan's next-generation stealth fighter to replace the approximately 90 Mitsubishi F-2s currently in service is also being stepped up, with $555.8 million requested and an additional $113.6 million sought for research and development of fighter subsystems such as radars and mission systems integration. A further $218.6 million will go toward the research and development of Japan's hypersonic weapons program, while the development of a standoff long-range electronic warfare aircraft based on the C-2 airlifter will require $144.9 million and a further $67.2 million requested for the acquisition of onboard systems to equip it. The budget request also includes funding for less traditional defense, such as the research and operation of space and cyber units, as well as for new electromagnetic warfare units. The electromagnetic unit would be based at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Asaka base, north of Tokyo, and an unspecified number of staff would be deployed at several army bases across the country by March 2022, mostly in southern Japanese islands including Okinawa — areas of increased Chinese maritime and air activity. The mission of such a unit would be to block electromagnetic attacks that could disrupt thing such as radio and GPS functions. The ministry is requesting $66 million to purchase RC-2 reconnaissance aircraft, and about $218 million for research into surveillance systems to counter electromagnetic attacks by drones and other weapons. Japan in May launched the Space Operations Squadron as part of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, with 20 initial members. It is expected to grow to about 100 members once the unit is fully operational in 2023. The unit is tasked with monitoring and protecting Japanese satellites from enemy attacks or space debris. It will also conduct satellite-based navigation and communications for other troops in the field. The ministry will launch a commanding unit in western Tokyo and staff size will be increased to 70 next year. It is seeking more than $680 million to design and launch a surveillance satellite, and develop and purchase equipment compatible with its ally the United States. The budget request will now be reviewed by Japan's Finance Ministry, which will then decide on the funding allocation for the various ministries and announce Japan's next budget, which is expected later this year. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/10/01/japan-reveals-record-high-budget-request-supporting-hypersonic-tech-f-35-buys-and-more/