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DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Victoria-class submarines were expected to reach the end of their operational lives starting in 2022, according to documents obtained under the Access to Information law. That could have been a major problem for the federal government as it is looking at planning a modernization program for the on-board systems on the class, starting in 2023 or 2024. If the subs were to reach the end of their operational lives starting a year earlier, how would that have worked? Defence Watch asked that question and has been informed that things have now changed. Department of National Defence spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said that the Victoria-class start to reach the end of their operational life in the mid-2020s. That later date was determined after DND officials did a more extensive examination of the submarine fleet life. But there are still no details on what needs to be done to extend the life of the subs, how much that will cost, or when that will be done. “The Victoria-class Modernization (VCM) Program is currently in the Options Analysis stage, where the preferred modernization option is being selected,” Le Bouthillier noted. “Details of specific capabilities and milestones will be determined as the program evolves.” Last year Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan praised the capability submarines provide Canada. “No other platform in the Canadian Armed Forces can do what a submarine can do,” Sajjan said. “No other platform has the stealth, the intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capability and the deterrence to potential adversaries that a sub does.” But the Liberals have rejected a Commons defence committee recommendation that the Victoria-class subs, bought used in 1998 from the United Kingdom, be replaced with submarines capable of under-ice capabilities. “The government has also committed to modernizing the four Victoria-class submarines to include weapons and sensor upgrades that will enhance the ability of the submarines to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and deliver necessary improvements of platform and combat systems to extend operational capability to the mid-2030's,” the government response to the committee noted. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-forces-says-submarines-can-operate-until-mid-2020s-it-is-still-determining-how-to-upgrade

ARMY Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $1,698,639,588 modification (P00163) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 to exercise available options for 6,107 vehicles and 22,166 kits. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds; and 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,698,639,588 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Harris Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, was awarded a $217,670,998 hybrid (cost, cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for monitoring, configuring, and maintaining of the wideband satellite communications operational management system network. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Detrick, Maryland; Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; Wahiawa, Hawaii; Fort Buckner, Japan; and Landstuhl, Germany, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2027. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,912,428 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91260-19-C-0001). Northop Grumman, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $37,235,028 modification (P00108) to contract W911S0-11-C-0014 for support services at Fort Leavenworth's center of excellence in combined arms education, doctrine, and leadership training. Work will be performed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $37,235,028 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Barrett Firearms Mfg. Inc., Christiana, Tennessee, was awarded a $7,952,249 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of M107, Caliber .50 Long Range Sniper Rifle systems with scope, suppressor and spare kits, M82A1M Caliber .50 Rifle and M107A1. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 26, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-19-D-0009). NAVY Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded $21,118,233 for modification P00001 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N6134018C00051) to procure four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Integrated Training System Distributed Readiness Trainers. These medium fidelity tactics trainers focus on interoperability for distributed training that is required to stay concurrent with the aircraft, and will be delivered with E-2D Delta Software System Configuration 2 (DSSC-2) and with future DSSCs to be integrated into the system later. Work will be performed in Sterling, Virginia (60 percent); the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan (20 percent); Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu, California (10 percent); and Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $21,118,233 will be obligated at the time of award; none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Apogee Research LLC, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,335,013 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a software systems. This contract provides for developing techniques and software systems that will substantially accelerate software vulnerability research. The Computers and Humans Exploring Software Security program will develop computer-human software systems and capabilities to rapidly discover all classes of vulnerabilities in complex software in a scalable, timely, and consistent manner. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 26, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 50 offers were received. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-0010). WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES Didlake Inc., Manassas, Virginia, was awarded a $7,806,079 firm fixed-price contract. The contract provides custodial services at the Pentagon. Work performance will take place at the Pentagon and Pentagon Reservation in Arlington, Virginia. Pentagon Reservation Maintenance Revolving Fund funds in the amount of $7,806,079 are being obligated on this award. The expected completion date is Nov. 30, 2019. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-15-C-0028). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1699233/

AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $383,421,855 cost-plus-incentive-fee, award-fee contract for the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service. This contract provides for a joint ground system to provide tactical satellite communications with enhanced anti-jam and low probability of intercept to tactical warfighters in contested environments. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $17,234,485 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, El Segundo, California, is the contracting activity (FA8808-19-C-0001). Raytheon Vision System, Goleta, California, has been awarded a $19,172,016 contract modification (P00012) to contract FA9453-17-C-0038 for the Fortress Program to push the state-of-the art infrared focal plane arrays. The contract modification is seeking to develop larger format and/or high operating temperature mid-wave infrared focal plane arrays for persistent surveillance applications. Work will be performed in Goleta, California, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 9, 2022. Fiscal 2018 and research, development, test and evaluation; and Title III funds are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $26,527,033. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc., Rancho Cordova, California, has been awarded a $9,452,398 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Advanced AF-M315E Engine Monopropellant Engine Development. This contract provides a contract vehicle the Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems, and Rocket Propulsion Division can use to address technical needs for next-generation strategic, tactical, and spacecraft propulsion systems. Work will be performed in Redmond, Washington, and is expected to be completed by April 21, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with five offers received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $900,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA9300-19-C-0001). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Qwest Government Solutions Inc., doing business as CenturyLink QGS, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a non-competitive firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite -quantity contract for a five-year period of performance for the continued operations and maintenance support for dark fiber and commercial facilities in the continental U.S. (CONUS) to support the Department of Defense. The guaranteed minimum amount is $1,000 and will be satisfied through task orders issued during the base year. The total amount of all orders placed against the contract shall not exceed $126,895,698. Performance will be at various locations within CONUS. The solicitation was issued on the basis of other than full and open competition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services would satisfy agency requirements. The period of performance of this contract is Nov. 30, 2018, through Nov. 29, 2023. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1013-19-D-0002). ARMY Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $79,383,886 modification (0006 03) to contract W52P1J-17-D-0043 for night vision sensor systems, subcomponent production and technical services for the Apache attack helicopter. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Ludlow Construction Co. Inc.,* Ludlow, Massachusetts, was awarded a $24,401,154 firm-fixed-price contract for Durham Meadows waterline remedial design. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Durham, Connecticut, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 20, 2021. Fiscal 2018 other environmental funds in the amount of $24,401,154 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Concord, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (W912WJ-19-C-0002). Federal Resources Supply Co.,* Stevensville, Maryland, was awarded a $19,569,771 firm-fixed-price contract for refilling of fire suppression bottles and systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 26, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-D-0017). CORRECTION: The $15,837,195 contract (W52P1J-19-C-0005) announced on Nov. 8, 2018, to Parsons Government Services Inc., Pasadena, California, was not awarded until Nov. 23, 2018. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,179,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $100,000 minimum, $45,000,000 maximum indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92241-19-D-0001) for 56 upgraded primary airframe structures for the A/MH-6 rotary wing aircraft. Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $5,173,400 shall be obligated at the time of award. The majority of the work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona. This contract is a non-competitive award and is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302.1. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. NAVY Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is being awarded a $37,253,983 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-5407 for procurement of fiscal 2019 U.S. Navy Standard missile SM-2 and Standard missile SM-6 intermediate-level repair and maintenance. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (88 percent); Camden, Arkansas (11 percent); and Huntsville, Alabama (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by November 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $19,047,890 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $13,903,935 firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of Navy communication, electronic, and computer systems. The contract will include a 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $79,829,608. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii (94 percent); and Geraldton, Australia (6 percent). Work is expected to be completed by November 2019; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by November 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,925,630 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was solicited on a full and open, unrestricted basis with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, Regional Contracting Department, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N00604-19-C-4001). Landscape Management Systems Inc.,* Tumon, Guam, is awarded an $11,426,341 modification under a previously awarded individual-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N40192-15-D-9008) to exercise the fourth option for base operations support services at Naval Base (NB) Guam and Naval Support Activity (NSA) Andersen, Guam. The work to be performed provides for all labor, supervision, management, tools, material, equipment, facilities, transportation and incidental engineering and other items necessary to accomplish work to perform all ground maintenance and tree trimming services for U.S. military facilities. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $48,598,810. Work will be performed in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas area of responsibility, including but not limited to, NB Guam (70 percent); and NSA Andersen, Guam (30 percent), and work is expected to be completed November 2019. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (family housing); and fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $8,348,102 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas, Guam, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1698166/

By: Andrew Chuter LONDON – BAE Systems hopes to begin operational trials of an augmented-reality system onboard a Royal Navy warship next year as part of a £20 million ($27 million) investment the defense contractor is making in advanced combat systems technology. Company officials said at a briefing in London Nov. 22 that they planned tests of augmented reality for a bridge watch officer role early in 2019 and expected the technology to be tried operationally during the second half of the year. “We have taken the navy through this and they are really excited. What they want to do is to take the technology into operation as soon as next year if they can,” said Frank Cotton, head of combat systems technology at BAE. The augmented-reality glasses would allow the officer of the watch to blend real-world visuals with data generated by sensors, like radars and sonars, laid over the top in a similar fashion to digital helmet displays used by combat jet pilots. Cotton said BAE is using technology from its new Striker II pilot's helmet to help develop the system for the Royal Navy. Microsoft's commercially available HoloLens augmented-reality headset, meanwhile, is set to feature in the Information Warrior 2019 exercise between March 25 and April 11. HoloLens, though, is better suited to gamers and software developers than for military use. Affordable, lightweight glasses, more suitable for the military environment are being developed by BAE, and the company hopes to take these to sea for operational testing in the second half of the year. Cotton said the Royal Navy is expected to use a Type 23 frigate for the sea trials. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/11/26/bae-rolls-out-augmented-reality-suite-for-the-royal-navy

By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan is facing what appears to be an increasingly difficult choice, between a desire to keep its domestic defense industry in business, and getting more value for its defense spending while introducing much-needed capabilities by buying foreign off-the-shelf systems. This conundrum comes as the U.S. ally continues to warily eye nearby China's military buildup and North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. Japan's defense industry came to being soon after the end of World War II, as it attempted to rebuild its shattered economy. According to Corey Wallace, a postdoctoral fellow at the Graduate School of East Asia Studies at Germany's Freie Universität Berlin, Japan adopted what was known as kokusanka — a conscious and systematic attempt to domesticate technologies that Japan would need for an autonomous defense-industrial base. Through licensing agreements and other methods of technology transfer and acquisition, the Japanese government in the post-war period identified the most important platforms it thought it needed and tried to domesticate them. Today, Japan's local industry produces all of the country's warships and submarines, albeit fitted with important systems like the Aegis combat system, radars and missiles from the United States as well as most of its land warfare systems. Despite these capabilities, there are a number of hurdles for Japan's defense-industrial base. Chief among these is the relatively small, domestic market that drives up unit prices as well as Japan's own set of unique requirements that sometimes create a bespoke product difficult to market overseas. The small, domestic market has also meant there is little competition. And when the price of a product is determined by what Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun calls the “cost calculation method,” in which a contractor's profit is added to the prime cost that also includes that of materials and labor, it can lead to “an open invitation for soaring costs as contractors have few incentives for suppressing the prime cost.” An example of this is the C-2 airlifter. Since 2016, Japan has ordered a total of seven C-2 aircraft out of an eventual requirement of 40. This slow production rate means the C-2 costs about $201 million per aircraft, according to the latest budget request from Japan's Defense Ministry, which has asked to procure two aircraft in the next fiscal year. This, coupled with the need to focus on the expensive missile defense systems against the North Korean ballistic missile threat, has put Japan's defense budget under strain, to the point that earlier this year Japan's Finance Ministry reportedly took the unorthodox step of urging its defense counterpart to consider the option of acquiring a cheaper airlifter instead of the C-2. Given recent developments in the geopolitical and domestic industrial sphere, Japan has turned to what Wallace calls “selectivity and concentration” — the country accepts that its defense-industrial base cannot achieve absolute autonomy, particularly in areas like fighter jets and ballistic missile defense, where international cooperation is necessary in the development process. Foreign partnerships Cooperation with a foreign partner appears to be the way Japan is proceeding with two key aerospace programs: the development of a new air-to-air missile and its next fighter jet. Japan is developing the Joint New Air-to-Air Missile, which will marry the active electronically scanned array radar seeker of Japan's AAM-4B air-to-air missile with the European MBDA Meteor ramjet-powered beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. The missile is intended for use by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, but the program appears to be on a long timeline. Reports indicate no technical work has been done, and the first prototypes are planned to be ready for test shots after April 2022, with a decision following on whether to go ahead with the program. With regard to its next-generation fighter jets, following a request for information from several overseas manufacturers earlier this year, Japan is reportedly studying the feasibility of a joint development program. Local media has tracked the story, although official information is scant pending the release of Japan's five-year midterm defense plan later this year. It's widely expected Japan will link up with a foreign partner for the development, however some are holding out hope for a wholly domestic fighter program despite the risks and higher costs involved. Japan has not locally built fighters since Mitsubishi F-2s rolled off the line in 2011. However, Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer who is now a senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo, says Japan should consider spending more on defense, telling Defense News earlier this year that figure should be about $5 billion to $7 billion more per year for the next five years. As the world's third-largest economy, he said, “Japan has all the money it needs to properly fund defense. And the amounts required are about the same as the waste and/or fraud in a couple of public works projects, but it chooses not to do so.” Japan's latest defense budget request for the next fiscal year is for $48 billion, which is a 2.1 percent increase from the previous year's allocated budget and represents a new record-high defense budget for the country. The amount is roughly 1 percent of its gross domestic product, which, although not official policy, has essentially become a ceiling for its defense budget. Notably, Japan is carrying out final assembly on most of its 42 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, which will eventually replace the upgraded F-4EJ Kai Phantom II aircraft currently in service. The government reportedly wants to buy more F-35s, with some suggesting it's looking at the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35B to equip the flight decks of its helicopter destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Export challenges Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan has ended its ban on defense exports, which his government sees as a way to boost Japan's economy. Japanese defense companies have and continue to pursue several international acquisition programs ranging from Australia's requirement for submarines to France and Germany's requirement for new maritime patrol aircraft. However, these export opportunities have presented their own set of challenges, not least the fact that Japanese companies lack the savvy of their more-experienced competitors at the higher end of the global arms market, and that they're being priced out by cheaper alternatives at the lower end. And despite their undoubted quality, Japanese offerings are sometimes hindered in the export market by the domestic market's bespoke requirements. In the case of the C-2, there were no requirements for the aircraft to conduct operations on short or poorly prepared airstrips, and this is likely to hurt its prospects in New Zealand, which is seeking airlifters for both strategic and tactical airlift missions. In this case, the ability to operate from poorly prepared runways is important given the Royal New Zealand Air Force conducts regular operations to South Pacific islands, particularly on humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions in the aftermath of natural disasters. Newsham noted that despite the recent loosening of restrictions, there has not been significant effort by Japanese companies to dive into the international defense market, as most major Japanese companies don't consider the defense business to be profitable. Other sources in Japan who are familiar with the industry have corroborated that view in speaking to Defense News. And Newsham adds that despite being the administration that pushed for the loosening of defense export restrictions, the Abe government has not proactively supported Japanese defense companies seeking to do business overseas. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2018/11/26/japan-at-a-crossroads-whats-keeping-its-defense-industry-from-growing

By: John Grady The Navy could be forced to make hard choices sooner rather than later when it comes to finding the money to replace its aging ballistic missile submarines or reach its goal of having a fleet of 355 warships, a panel of security and budgetary experts said this week. When asked by USNI News what the future holds for fleet size and ballistic missile submarines now that the Democrats control the House, Frank Rose, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former assistant secretary of state for arms control, he said: “There is not enough money” for both, and “priorities need to be taken.” Rose and Jim Miller, a former undersecretary of Defense for policy, came down firmly on the side of building the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, the replacements for the current Ohio-class, in setting priorities for Navy spending. For the U.S., the ballistic missile submarines “secures the second strike” in event of a nuclear attack. “It really is the backbone of our nuclear force now and for the next 70 to 80 years,” Rose said. The Navy shouldn't be allowed to say, “sorry, we ran out of money” when it comes to paying for the ballistic missile submarine because the shipbuilding account was used for other kinds of warships. “The Navy needs to step up to that bill,” Miller said. That line of thought is not confined to think-tanks. Rep. Adam Smith, (D-Wash.), who is expected to become chairman of the House Armed Services Committee when the new Congress convenes in January, has long expressed skepticism over the Navy's shipbuilding plan leading to a fleet of 355 warships. He has several times at recent public events referred to it as “simply a number thrown out there.” A sense of how the Republican-controlled Senate Armed Services Committee will line up on fleet size and modernizing the nuclear triad could come Tuesday when the full panel looks at the recommendations of the commission on the National Defense Strategy and that afternoon its sea power subcommittee looks at current and future shipbuilding plans. In his presentation, Miller said a fleet of 355 ships, meaning a growth of about 70 from the current size “are numbers that should be challenged” as should those increasing Army end strength from about 450,000 soldiers to 510,000. If all the services force structure numbers were challenged there would be funds for readiness and modernization, including the nuclear triad. “Will this administration put its money where its strategy [of deterring new-peer competitors — Russia and China] is?” he asked rhetorically. There is some concern that the Trump administration will pull back from long-term, continually rising Pentagon budgets. The Defense Department was planning for a request for Fiscal Year 2020 of $733 billion, but it has now been told by the Office of Management and Budget to work with a $700 billion top line. The question for all the services is: “can they get by with current force structure” if missions are also re-examined to free money for readiness, modernization and investment in the future like cyber resilience and space, especially sensors for missile defense. Michael O'Hanlon, who moderated the session at Brookings in Washington, D.C., added in answer to the USNI News question that for the Navy it means looking at the missions its accepts critically. For example, does the lack of an aircraft carrier strike group presence in the Persian Gulf upset security in the region. Or is it a way to free money for other things. He pointed out that when there was no carrier present there for months Iran did not act more aggressively. “The Middle East was a mess before; the Middle East was a mess after. [The Navy] can be more flexible [and that] could be with a smaller fleet,” he said. Miller said during the presentation and later with USNI there was a tradeoff that needed to be understood between “quantity and quality.” Following the presentation, Miller said the Navy “is in a bind” when it has to choose between large capital surface ships, like carriers, “and places where it has an advantage, like submarines — boomers and attack and unmanned undersea vessels. He added modernizing the amphibious fleet remained a priority to meet the need for rapid response of Marines and special forces. Overhanging all this discussion of where the Pentagon should spend its money is the old bugaboo — sequestration, the automatic across-the-board cuts in defense and domestic spending if deficits are not offset, as required by existing law. Maya MacGuiness, president of the Committee for a Responsible Budget, said unless Congress reaches a spending agreement Pentagon spending would automatically fall back to $576 billion because the Budget Control Act of 2011 remains in place. As it has in the past, Congress has reached an agreement to lift the caps, but is no longer trying to offset those hikes in spending with comparable cuts in other programs. With a trillion dollar deficit and national debt “the highest it has been since World War II,” she said the United States “faces incredible fiscal challenges,” but administrations and Congress aren't making the choices in where to cut, where to spend, how to find revenue to pay for programs, cover entitlements — in and out of the military, and meet the interest payments on the debt. Instead, there has been “a doubling down” on spending and cutting taxes. The reality has become “I won't pay for mine; you won't pay for yours.” MacGuiness said, “We have to stop the notion we can have it all” in federal spending on guns and butter. She did not predict whether the new Congress would make those decisions. While expecting House Democrats to exercise more executive branch oversight, Elaine Kamerck, of Brookings, said didn't see their approach come the New Year as an all-out assault on Pentagon spending. The party's leadership is concerned about keeping its majority having taken seats in more conservative suburban areas after 2020. A more interesting question come January will be “how does the Republican leadership in Congress take the lessons from the elections” that saw “them decimated in the suburbs” and their winning margins cut in rural areas, she said, and apply them to the budget. https://news.usni.org/2018/11/23/panel-navy-may-choose-new-ballistic-missile-subs-355-ship-fleet

Nicolas Berrod Jambe bionique, casque de réalité virtuelle... Le premier salon de l'innovation de la Défense ouvre, ce samedi, au public. Pour avoir une idée de ce à quoi va ressembler le soldat du futur, il faut se rendre à... la Cité de la Mode et du Design ! C'est ici, dans l'Est parisien, que se tient le premier Salon de l'Innovation de la Défense, qui ouvre ses portes au public samedi. Dans les allées, on croise des militaires, industriels, scientifiques, venus présenter leurs propres projets -160 sont exposés. Le robot greffeur de peau permet, par exemple, de soigner un soldat brûlé, à proximité du champ de bataille, sans attendre trop longtemps. Le principe est simple : un bras robotisé prélève à un endroit sain un échantillon de peau, qui, une fois mélangé avec une encre spéciale, via une imprimante 3D, est greffé sur la partie blessée du corps. « On peut le faire en une seule fois et l'opération ne dure pas plus de quelques heures », assure Amélie Thépot, la présidente de la start-up LabSkin Creations, qui à conçu le projet avec les Hospices de Lyon. Une jambe bionique Pour les militaires plus gravement blessés, la société Proteor a imaginé une jambe bionique nouvelle génération, constituée d'un ensemble genou-cheville-pied contrôlé par un microprocesseur. Abel Aber, 32 ans et militaire de formation, a perdu sa jambe gauche dans un accident à l''ge de 17 ans. Depuis, ce grand gaillard utilise plusieurs prothèses dont celle-ci qui lui « apporte un nouveau confort de marche, même si ça reste évidemment contraignant ». L'outil, développé avec le soutien de la Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) et disponible d'ici 2021, a ses limites : impossible pour le moment de monter un escalier, par exemple. « Et pour faire du sport, on a besoin de prothèses plus spécifiques », glisse cet amateur de boxe thaï. Un casque de réalité virtuelle Autre innovation qui attire l'attention : la cape d'invisibilité, dite Caméléon. Imaginé pour camoufler un véhicule terrestre, ce système optique fonctionne gr'ce à une caméra haute définition qui capte l'environnement, et le reproduit ensuite sur la surface du blindé. « Les soldats peuvent facilement changer de treillis mais on ne peut pas repeindre un véhicule selon l'endroit où il se trouve », justifie Sébastien Fagour, ingénieur chez Nexter Systems. Article complet: http://www.leparisien.fr/high-tech/comment-l-armee-se-prepare-aux-batailles-du-futur-23-11-2018-7951917.php

Murray Brewster · CBC News Move comes after Alion Canada challenged frigate design pick in Federal Court The federal government's decision to select a group of companies led by Lockheed Martin Canada to design and support the construction of the navy's new frigates is now facing a trade challenge, on top of a Federal Court challenge filed last week. Alion Science and Technology Corp. and its subsidiary, Alion Canada, have asked the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to look into the procurement deal. They're telling the tribunal that Lockheed Martin's design will need substantial changes to meet the federal government's requirements, which would mean higher costs and more delays. The company last week separately asked the Federal Court for a judicial review and an order quashing the decision, which saw Public Services and Procurement Canada select Lockheed Martin Canada as the preferred bidder on the $60 billion program. Alion pitched the De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate, a Dutch-designed warship that is already in service in other countries. More delays? Depending upon how they play out, said defence procurement expert Dave Perry, both challenges have the potential to further delay the frigate program. Federal procurement officials had hoped to nail down a fully fledged design contract with Lockheed Martin by the winter. Perry, who works with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said he expects those negotiations to continue — unless the Federal Court orders them to halt. "Unless there is a compelling reason to stop, they are going to keep going," he said. "There is a recognition of the urgency across the board." That urgency is partly due to the program's legacy of delays, which have stretched the design competition out for almost two years. Public Services and Procurement Canada would not comment on the matter because it is before the courts, but a senior official, speaking on background Thursday, said the federal government has up to 20 days to respond to the court challenge. The official — who was not authorized to speak on the record because of the sensitivity of the file — said there is flexibility built into the timeline and the government is optimistic it can meet its goal of an early 2019 contract signing. Perry said there are aspects of both the court challenge and the application to the Canadian International Trade Tribunal that he finds puzzling. Alion claimed in its court filing that the winning bid was "incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements" of the design tender. Speed bump The company said, for instance, that the Type 26 cannot meet the mandatory speed requirements set out by the navy and that both Public Services and Procurement Canada and Irving Shipbuilding, the yard overseeing the construction, should have rejected the bid outright. Perry said the criteria cited by Alion were among the first the federal government evaluated. "The rest of Lockheed Martin's bid wouldn't have been looked at if the Crown and Irving was not satisfied that the bid met each of those [initial] criteria," he said. "It's a weird dynamic." Alion's trade tribunal application argues in considerable detail that in order for the Type 26 to meet Ottawa's speed requirement, it will have to undergo considerable redesign. The court application also cites the fact that the design tender was amended 88 times and those changes "effectively diluted the [warship] requirements" and allowed the government and Irving to select "an unproven design platform." Unlike its two competitors, the Type 26 has yet to enter service with the Royal Navy. Competitors have privately knocked it as "paper ship." Navantia, a Spanish-based company, was the other bidder in the competition. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/failed-bidder-files-trade-challenge-against-ottawa-s-frigate-design-pick-1.4916881

Murray Brewster · CBC News Winning bid 'incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements,' says Alion Canada One of the losing bidders in the competition to design the navy's next generation of warships has asked the Federal Court to overturn the recent decision to award the contract to a group of companies led by Lockheed Martin Canada. Alion Science and Technology Corp. and its subsidiary, Alion Canada, asked for a judicial review on Friday — a challenge that could mean more delays to the $60 billion program. The company had pitched the Dutch-designed De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate as their solution for the Canadian navy. It's asking the court to set aside an Oct. 19 decision to select Lockheed Martin Canada the preferred bidder and to prevent the federal government from entering into negotiations with the company, which has offered up the BAE Systems-designed Type 26 frigate. In their court filing, Alion officials argue that the winning bid was "incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements" of the design tender. Notably, they say the Type 26 cannot meet the mandatory speed requirements set out by the navy and that both Public Services and Procurement Canada and Irving Shipbuilding, the yard overseeing the construction, should have rejected the bid outright. Alion said it "submitted a fully-compliant and conforming bid at enormous expense" and argued it "has been denied the fair treatment (it was) owed." The court application also points out that the design tender was amended 88 times during the 22 months it was under consideration and that the changes "effectively diluted the [warship] requirements" and allowed the government and Irving to select "an unproven design platform." Rising cost estimates Over two years ago, the Liberal government said it wanted to select a "mature design" for the new frigates, rather than designing a warship from scratch. Former public works minister Judy Foote said it would be a faster, cheaper solution. Unlike its two competitors, the Type 26 has yet to enter service with the Royal Navy and competitors have privately knocked it as "paper ship." Navantia, a Spanish-based company, was the other failed bidder. It headed a team that included Saab and CEA Technologies and proposed the F-105 frigate design, a ship in service with the Spanish navy. The Liberal government plans to build 15 new warships and hoped to get construction underway in the early 2020s. The program, which has been beset with delays and rising cost estimates, is intended to replace the navy's aging Halifax-class frigates, the backbone of the nation's maritime fighting force. Federal procurement officials had hoped to nail down a complete design contract with Lockheed Martin by the winter. The court challenge now puts that timeline in doubt. It also has enormous implications for Irving, which has been concerned about a slowdown in warship production between the current Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship program and the frigate replacements, which are formally titled 'Canadian Surface Combatants'. No one at Public Works or Lockheed Martin was immediately available for comment on Wednesday. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/frigate-design-decision-challenged-in-federal-court-putting-60b-program-in-limbo-1.4915501