News

U.S. Navy research contract could make complex metal additive manufacturing a reality both in production centers and deep in the field DENVER, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, 3-D printing generates parts used in ships, planes, vehicles and spacecraft, but it also requires a lot of babysitting. High-value and intricate parts sometimes require constant monitoring by expert specialists to get them right. Furthermore, if any one section of a part is below par, it can render the whole part unusable. That's why Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and the Office of Naval Research are exploring how to apply artificial intelligence to train robots to independently oversee—and optimize—3-D printing of complex parts. The two-year, $5.8 million contract specifically studies and will customize multi-axis robots that use laser beams to deposit material. The team will develop software models and sensor modifications for the robots to build better components. Lockheed Martin Metal 3D printer "We will research ways machines can observe, learn and make decisions by themselves to make better parts that are more consistent, which is crucial as 3-D printed parts become more and more common," said Brian Griffith, Lockheed Martin's project manager. "Machines should monitor and make adjustments on their own during printing to ensure that they create the right material properties during production." Researchers will apply machine learning techniques to additive manufacturing so variables can be monitored and controlled by the robot during fabrication. "When you can trust a robotic system to make a quality part, that opens the door to who can build usable parts and where you build them," said Zach Loftus, Lockheed Martin Fellow for additive manufacturing. "Think about sustainment and how a maintainer can print a replacement part at sea, or a mechanic print a replacement part for a truck deep in the desert. This takes 3-D printing to the next, big step of deployment." Currently, technicians spend many hours per build testing quality after fabrication, but that's not the only waste in developing a complex part. It's common practice to build each part compensating for the weakest section for a part and allowing more margin and mass in the rest of the structure. Lockheed Martin's research will help machines make decisions about how to optimize structures based on previously verified analysis. That verified analysis and integration into a 3-D printing robotic system is core to this new contract. Lockheed Martin, along with its strong team, will vet common types of microstructures used in an additive build. Although invisible from the outside, a part could have slightly different microstructures on the inside. The team will measure the performance attributes of the machine parameters, these microstructures and align them to material properties before integrating this knowledge into a working system. With this complete set of information, machines will be able to make decisions about how to print a part that ensures good performance. The team is starting with the most common titanium alloy, Ti-6AI-4V, and integrating the related research with seven industry, national lab and university partners. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. This year the company received three Edison Awards for ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and directed energy. SOURCE Lockheed Martin https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2018-10-01-Lockheed-Martin-Contract-to-Marry-Machine-Learning-with-3-D-Printing-for-More-Reliable-Parts

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The federal government will announce Monday that General Dynamics Mission Systems – Canada has been awarded the contract to upgrade the Royal Canadian Navy's underwater warfare sensor capabilities on the Halifax-class frigates. The firm, based in Nepean, has already begun work on the project. The contract is for six sensor suite upgrades and is valued at $103 million. The in-service support contract for the upgraded suites has a potential value of $83 million over the life of the equipment. Options are included in the contract to allow for the upgrade the underwater sensor suites of all twelve Halifax-class frigates. Department of National Defence spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande noted that initial delivery of the modernized systems is expected in 2021, with full operational capability in place by 2027. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/nepean-firm-to-upgrade-royal-canadian-navy-sonar-equipment

By Kelsey Johnson After almost 14 months of tough bargaining, Canada and the United States have settled their trade differences and reached an agreement on a new North American free trade agreement. This one won't be called NAFTA, however. The trilateral deal will now be known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The new name seems to be a nod to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he didn't like the name NAFTA. The federal cabinet met at 10 p.m. Sunday for about an hour to discuss the agreement and, after it ended, the prime minister said it was “a good day for Canada” as he left the building. He said he'd have more to say on Monday. Officials from the Prime Minister's Office said there will be another cabinet meeting in the morning and likely a news conference, too. A joint statement was released by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. “Today, Canada and the United States reached an agreement, alongside Mexico, on a new, modernized trade agreement for the 21st Century: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA),” it stated. “USMCA will give our workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses a high-standard trade agreement that will result in freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in our region. It will strengthen the middle class, and create good, well-paying jobs and new opportunities for the nearly half billion people who call North America home.” The two lead negotiators added: “We look forward to further deepening our close economic ties when this new agreement enters into force.” They thanked their Mexican counterpart, Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo, for his work on the deal. On Twitter, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said “a good NAFTA deal is critical to Canada's economy.” “Millions of Canadian jobs rely on having free trade with the U.S. and Mexico. We will take a close look at the agreement's provisions as soon as they're available to evaluate the deal Justin Trudeau and the Liberals have signed.” Perrin Beatty, the president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said that with a deal like this, it's important to see all the elements, but details are still scarce. “However, if the broad lines are as reported, @cafreeland and the Canadian negotiating team have managed to preserve the most important elements of #NAFTA under very challenging circumstances,” he said on Twitter. Canada and the United States have been working hard to resolve their NAFTA differences since the end of August, after American and Mexican officials reached a bilateral agreement of their own. However, the prime minister has said throughout the process that his government would not sign a modernized NAFTA just to get a deal. Issues at the table have included the automotive industry, dairy, dispute resolution, cultural industries and intellectual property. Canada's dairy industry, in particular, has been in American crosshairs for months, with the United States demanding more access to this country's market, as well as changes to parts of Canada's domestic milk-pricing system. The U.S. has wanted access to about 3.5 per cent of Canada's dairy market, which is similar to what Canada granted under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership. There were strong indications this was also part of the deal reached Sunday night. Media reports say farmers will be compensated. The Americans have also asked for changes to several dairy classes. iPolitics has learned that the contentious Class 7 has been eliminated in this deal. Class 7 is a domestic pricing class that governs milk ingredients such as skim milk powder and milk proteins. The difficult politics of the trade deal were immediately on view with Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée saying on social media that Quebec dairy farms had been sacrificed by Trudeau. Quebec voters will elect a new government on Monday, with all parties saying the new trade deal could not touch Canada's dairy market. The Toronto Star is reporting that Canada has been able to preserve the dispute-resolution mechanism known as Chapter 19. The federal government had wanted to hold onto that to avoid having disputes settled in U.S. courts. Other reports say Canada has been able to maintain its exemption for culture. Ministers had arrived for the cabinet meeting Sunday amid strong indications the end was in sight for a renewed NAFTA. Freeland and Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton had spent the day in Ottawa, taking part in an aggressive, long-distance, last-minute push to get Canada into a free trade deal. Trudeau arrived at his downtown office, located directly across from Parliament Hill, around 7:30 p.m. He did not comment as he headed into the building, but media reports from the U.S. capital were indicating a deal was near. While most ministers also stayed mum, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said he's “always concerned about the agriculture industry.” He was joined in the meeting room by his deputy minister Chris Forbes. With files from the Canadian Press https://ipolitics.ca/2018/09/30/canada-and-the-us-reach-11th-hour-trade-deal/

© 2018 FrontLine Defence (Vol 15, No 5) The Canadian Surface Combatant program is the largest and most complex procurement to be undertaken by the Canadian Government to date. This program intends to replace the existing Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) frigates (specializing in anti-submarine capabilities and multi-role mission support) and the now-retired destroyers (providing anti-air capabilities) with a fleet of 15 versatile new warships that will be in service to the mid 21st century, if not longer. As outlined in its defence policy, the Government remains committed to replacing the Navy's surface fleet with 15 surface combatants, which will all be built by Irving Shipbuilding as part of the “combatant” portion of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Although rumours are swirling about the possibility of two variants on a common platform, a DND spokesperson confirms that “the current requirement is that all 15 CSC ships will have the same capabilities: anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare as well as command and control.” The DND email to FrontLine goes on to say that “Funding has been set aside to deliver the full complement of ships the Royal Canadian Navy needs, in order to provide capability across the full range of operations. This will replace both the recently retired Iroquois-class destroyers and the Halifax-class frigates with a single class of ship capable of meeting multiple threats on both the open ocean and the highly complex coastal (littoral) environment.” Full article: https://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/5/10490-CSC-2018-Evaluation-Stage

© 2018 FrontLine Security (Vol 15, No 5) Canada's new Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Minister finally has a mandate: What should Canadians expect? When Prime Minister Trudeau shuffled the federal Cabinet on July 14th, the entire country was taken by surprise when Bill Blair was named as the Minister for the newly-created portfolio of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction. At the time, Blair was serving as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and had been placed in charge of the Government's challenging initiative to legalize possession and use of marihuana. As such, Blair had worked with several federal departments, with Provincial and Municipal governments, with police organizations, the RCMP, CBSA, and also with U.S. officials who, understandably, were, and are, concerned about cross-border smuggling. By all accounts, Blair did an exemplary job of working with the multiple stakeholders to identify and ‘solve' the many problematic issues involved with marihuana legalization. He was ably supported in this task by officials from Public Safety Canada's Border Strategies and Law Enforcement Division – those skilled policy people who understand and prioritize operational results. Mr. Blair's success on the marihuana file was no doubt a significant factor in being chosen to handle this new responsibility. It is also clear that his lengthy career of law enforcement, including as the Chief of the Toronto Police Service and President of the Canadian Association of Police of Chiefs, was also instrumental in his selection for this new role. Full article: https://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/5/10483-Border-Security-%26-Organized-Crime

By: Kyle Rempfer If China goes forward with plans to establish another Air Defense Identification Zone in the region, the U.S. could be forced to change its military posture in Asia, a senior national security official said this week. “We oppose China's establishment of an ADIZ in other areas, including the South China Sea,” Evan Medeiros, the senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, said in an interview with Japan Times. “We have been very clear with the Chinese that we would see that [setting of another ADIZ] as a provocative and destabilizing development that would result in changes in our presence and military posture in the region." An ADIZ is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location and control of aircraft is jointly performed by civilian air traffic control and military authorities in the interest of a country's national security. China set up one ADIZ over the East China Sea in 2013, which many viewed as an attempt to try and bolster its claims over disputed territories, like the uninhabited Senkaku islands. China began to elevate its claims to the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the 1970s after studies indicated there may be vast oil reserves in the surrounding sea bed, according to Japan Times. The United States is obligated to defend aggression against territories under Japanese administration under Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. Defense Secretary James Mattis reaffirmed in 2017 that the defense obligation extends to the Senkakus. “I made clear that our longstanding policy on the Senkaku Islands stands,” Mattis said, according to a Pentagon transcript. “The United States will continue to recognize Japanese administration of the islands.” U.S. officials have also criticized China for setting up an ADIZ that overlaps with similar zones operated by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan without prior consultation. The Chinese have labeled recent missions by nuclear-capable U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers over the South China Sea as “provocative." Two separate B-52s also flew over the East China Sea this week. The Pentagon called all of these flights routine. “If it was 20 years ago and had they not militarized those features there, it would have been just another bomber on its way to [Naval Support Facility] Diego Garcia or wherever,” Mattis told the press, according to a Pentagon transcript. “So there's nothing out of the ordinary about it." China has also been accused of militarizing the South China Sea — which includes important shipping routes, fisheries and hydrocarbons. The Chinese military has built islands on existing reefs and placed airstrips, radars, missiles and other military equipment on them. Multiple other countries in the region, to include Vietnam and the Philippines, claim portions of the South China Sea as well. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2018/09/28/us-military-posture-in-asia-could-change-if-china-declares-another-air-defense-identification-zone

By: Shawn Snow The top Marine has been steadily increasing the Corps' footprint in the arctic region, preparing Marines for a fight in extreme cold-weather environments as the U.S. defense strategy shifts toward near-peer threats. It's an oft repeated remark by Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller that the cold weather business is something the Corps hasn't done for some time. And it certainly shows in some of the equipment the Corps uses in Norway, like the nearly 40-year-old Cold War relic over-the-snow vehicle, the Bv206. The Corps has been rapidly replacing its cold-weather gear to include skis, pack frames, boots and shelters. And now, a new over-the-snow vehicle could be on the horizon for the Marines. One potential replacement for the aging Bv206 could be BAE's BvS10, which is already in use by Marines in Norway, who have been training on the British variant of the BvS10 known as the Viking. The BvS10, while predominantly suited for the Arctic region, is actually an all-terrain vehicle that can also traverse mud, swamp, gravel or even water. The tracked vehicle, which can carry 11 to 12 troops, has a ground pressure less than the human foot, according to Keith Klemmer, BAE's U.S. BvS10 representative. The low ground pressure spread across the tracks gives the vehicle superior mobility in a multitude of terrains, especially snow. And for military operations, the BvS10 can mount the Ma Deuce .50 caliber machine or even the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, which affords troops the ability to engage targets from the protections and confines of the vehicle. Speaking of protection, the armor plating on the BvS10 can withstand small-arms fire and the RPG-7, Klemmer said. The Bv-S10 can operate in temperatures ranging from -50 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and boasts an impressive range of nearly 200 miles, according to Klemmer. While the Corps is prepping for its fourth six-month rotation to Norway, it's only been recently that the Corps and the U.S. military has once again focused on the Arctic and European theaters. For the past twenty years, the desert terrain of the Middle East has garnered the attention of the Corps and as a result, the military's fleet of over-the-snow vehicles have taken a back seat in priority. But with a renewed spotlight on the Arctic region, and a Marine footprint that is expected to double in Norway in the coming months, the time may be ripe to upgrade the Corps' suite of snow vehicles. And the U.S. military is showing interest. In early June, the Army posted a request for information, or RFI, to industry leaders for what it has dubbed the Joint All Weather All Terrain Support Vehicle, or JAASV. According to the RFI, the Army wants its future tracked snow vehicle to operate in temperatures between -50 and 115 F. And the Army wants a multi variant vehicle that can carry troops, serve as an ambulance, or a command system. The BvS10 fits much of that description. The main cab can serve as a command node, while the back cab can transport nearly eight troops. The rear cab also has the ability to flip up and serve as an ambulatory vehicle. “The JAASV shall be a tracked vehicle that has excellent on and off-road mobility in extreme cold temperatures, deep snow, rugged uneven terrain, thick brush or forest, soft wet ground, rivers, streams, and lakes, and mountainous terrain,” the RFI reads. The Army also wants the JAASV to be air mobile by CH-47, UH-60 and C-130. And while this RFI was submitted by the Army, the Corps has a tracked record of partnering with the Army on a number of procurement projects. The Corps hasn't made a decision yet to upgrade its snow vehicles, but the Marines are increasingly becoming focused on the Arctic domain and its forces are already learning how to operate partner forces' BvS10s in the region. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/09/28/with-an-increasing-footprint-in-the-arctic-the-corps-may-need-a-new-snow-vehicle

By: Todd South MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va., ― Last year at the annual military expo here, Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller told industry his vision for simulations is a kind of Star Trek-like holodeck in which any Marine could fight any battle on any terrain in virtual reality. Since then, Secretary of Defense James Mattis has said that close combat infantry units should fight 25 battles before they ever taste real combat. This year one of the Marines in charge of bringing those simulation dreams to reality laid down some of the tangible needs of the Corps now and in the near-term. Lt. Col. Byron Harder, with Training and Education Command's capabilities division, told the audience at this year's Modern Day Marine military expo that while live training will always remain the standard against which a unit's readiness is measured, even live training has its limits. It costs a lot of money to ship Marines out to Twentynine Palms or other areas. It costs money to fire munitions. Some of those munitions can't be fired in most areas. Some of the advanced weapons, such as cyber and electronic warfare types, can't be used for fear of damaging civilian networks or facilities in the United States. And some really advanced weapons can't be demonstrated where just anyone can see them in action, thus revealing our tech to adversaries. And that is where simulations can help bridge the gap. But first, there's a list of things that must come to fruition. Much of that is going to be software and bandwidth, basically getting better versions of terrains and simulations that are more realistic and can accommodate as much as a division's worth of players and an equally complex, simulated adversary. But some items are smaller and more hands-on, like better virtual reality and augmented reality headsets. Those headsets are key since the Marines want them to work not as they do now, with pounds of cabling in bulky indoor shooting simulators but light with long-lasting batteries that can be taken in the field and on deployment. Harder said a goggle that is about twice the weight of existing eye protection, perhaps with its power source somewhere on the body, is likely five to 10 years away based on his survey of the field. There's another an ongoing need: better drones. But instead of longer flying, large-scale drones that can coordinate complex fires and sensors for the operational environment, what Harder said simulations needs are smaller drones that can fly lower, giving Marines a street-level, detailed view of the battlespace so they can create their own terrain maps and fight the simulated fight in the areas they'll really be operating in. And those video feeds that are now on every ISR platform in the real world? Simulations need them too, to be realistic. That means game designers have to have human-like activity going on in areas instead of some digital “blob” representing enemies. That way, when a commander wants to zoom in on a tactical frame in the game, they'll be able to do it just like in theater. Which brings it to one of the more ambitious items beyond terrain and hardware: getting simulations to act more like humans. As it works now, unit commanders set up their forces, work their mission sets and then the virtual “forces” collide and often a scripted scenario plays out. Not too realistic. What's needed is both civilian simulations to act like civilian populations might act in the real world and the same for the enemy, taking advantages, fighting and withdrawing. But one step further is key: The enemy has to talk back. When a commander finishes the fight, they should be able to query the virtual enemy and figure out why it did what it did, how it gained a certain advantage. And it shouldn't take a programmer to “talk” with the simulation. Units communicate via voice and chat. That's how simulations users must be able to talk with their simulated civilians, allies and enemies, in plain language. These pursuits are not happening in a vacuum. This April for the first time Marine pilots at both Yuma, Arizona, and Camp Pendleton, California, ran flight simulations coordinated with ground units at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. Those were done at a battalion level with a short prep time, far different than the large-scale Marine Expeditionary Unit or Marine Expeditionary Brigade-sized training that is typical. That is part of a larger effort to create a “plug-and-play” type of training module that any battalion, and later smaller units, can use at home station or on deployment to conduct complex, coordinated training. What made that work new was pairing legacy systems with a variety of software and operating systems between them. That's another example of what needs to be fixed. Marines and other services are, in many cases, using systems that were designed decades apart and creating a labyrinth of patchwork methods to get the hardware to work together when it wasn't built for that type of operation. The new systems must be open architecture so that new tech, new weapons and new terrain can be added on the fly. But also secure enough to operate across networks and not be spied upon by those who would want a peek at our tactics. Across the infantry battalions Marines received new gear last year called Tactical Decision Kits. These allow for squad to company-sized elements to do video game-play for their unit exercises, complete with NFL-style replay of engagements and decisions. That's a low-level example of one thing that's lacking in current training, Harder said. Right now the main piece of tech for a Marine commander conducting an after action review is a pen and paper pad. But with ISR drones, body cams and sensors, Marines in the near-term future should be able to monitor individual Marine's energy and hydration levels, where they pointed their weapon, when they fired, how many rounds, if they hit their target, even where their eyes were looking while on patrol. And, if on deployment, Marines can't rely on a cadre of civilian contractors back home to run their hardware. To that end, the Corps began two courses last year, the Simulation Professional Course and the Simulations Specialist Course. Both give Marines in infantry units experience setting up simulations and running the games for their units. They input training objectives and can understand and put together training for the unit staff or just for their fire team back in the barracks. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/09/28/here-is-the-current-checklist-for-marine-corps-simulations-training

By: The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Navy says it's awarded a ship's $3.9 billion contract to Bath Iron Works to build four new destroyers. The Navy announced Friday that it awarded the contract to the Bath shipyard as part of a plan to build 10 new Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Competitor Huntington Ingalls of Mississippi will build six destroyers. The contracts contain options for additional ships if Congress appropriates more money. The Bath shipyard will build the destroyers over four years. The shipyard this year successfully fought to receive $45 million in non-refundable state tax credits over 15 years, down from $60 million over 20 years as originally proposed. The shipyard employs 5,500 workers and says it wants to stay competitive with the Mississippi shipyard as it bids to build the Navy's new frigate. https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/09/28/bath-iron-works-lands-39-billion-navy-contract