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Under the direction of President Trump, the Department of Defense remains focused on safeguarding our nation. We have deep respect for Secretary Mattis' lifetime of service, and it has been a privilege to serve as his deputy secretary. As acting secretary of defense, I now look forward to working with President Trump to carry out his vision alongside strong leaders including the service secretaries, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the combatant commanders, and senior personnel in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Department of Defense continues to be one of our nation's bedrock institutions. Our foundational strength lies in the remarkable men and women who volunteer to serve our country and protect our freedoms, while making immense personal sacrifice. It is an honor to work with such a dedicated team committed to the greatness of our nation. https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1722850/statement-from-acting-secretary-of-defense-patrick-m-shanahan/

desider is the monthly corporate magazine for Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S). It is aimed at readers across the wider MOD, armed forces and industry, and covers stories and features about support to operations, equipment acquisition and support. It also covers the work of people in DE&S and its partners in industry, and other corporate news and information. Published 1 January 2019 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/767541/January-desider-v1-Online.pdf

RÉMI AMALVY Drone MQ-25, Boeing MH-139 ou T-X, programme Starliner... Boeing dresse le bilan de son actualité militaire et spatiale de 2018 par le biais de deux courtes vidéos. L'occasion pour l'Usine Nouvelle de revenir plus en détails sur les principaux projets du géant aéronautique américain. 1 - Boeing MH-139 : A destination de l'US Air Force, les Boeing MH-139 permettront à l'armée américaine de remplacer ses célèbres UH-1N "Huey", en service depuis plus de 40 ans. Les petits nouveaux serviront pour la protection des bases hébergeant des missiles balistiques intercontinentaux ainsi que pour le transports des militaires et des membres du gouvernement américain. Les premières livraisons sont prévues pour 2021. 2 - Boeing MQ-25 : En début d'année, Boeing a présenté un prototype de son nouveau drone, le MQ-25. Cet appareil sans pilote aura pour mission de ravitailler en carburant et en plein vol les différents engins Boeing de l'armée américaine, comme les F/A-18 Super Hornet, les EA-18G Growler et les Lockheed Martin F-35C fighters. Le drone est désormais prêt, et devrait être mis en service pour l'US Navy "dès que possible". 3 - Boeing T-X : Boeing fournit également à l'armée américaine son nouveau système de formation pour pilotes. Constitué d'un modèle spécial d'avion, d'une base au sol et de divers supports, il devrait permettre à l'US Air Force d'entraîner au mieux ses équipes. Un vol test avait déjà eu lieu en mai dernier. Autre source de fierté outre-Atlantique, 90% de l'appareil T-X est conçu aux États-Unis, et le programme devrait fournir plus de 17 000 emplois dans 34 Etats. 4 - Boeing Starliner : 2018 aura été une année bien remplie pour les équipes du programme spatial de Boeing. Elles développent leur nouveau véhicule spatial CST-100 Starliner en collaboration avec la NASA, pour le transports des équipages vers la station spatiale internationale. Le Starliner a été conçu pour accueillir jusqu'à sept passagers pour des missions en orbite basse. Dans le cadre des prochains voyages jusqu'à l'ISS, quatre membres de l'agence américaine accompagnés de matériels et de données scientifiques feront le trajet. Chaque Starliner est utilisable jusqu'à dix fois, avec une période de six mois entre chaque voyage. Il est également équipé du wi-fi et d'une interface tactile. Pas moins de 3 Starliners sont développés actuellement au sein du célèbre Kennedy Space Center de la NASA, en Floride. En avril dernier, Boeing a publié sur Youtube la vidéo à 360° ci-dessous. Elle permet de voir un court instant ce qu'il se passe entre les murs de l'usine, pour la conception de l'une des navettes. Enfin, pour les plus passionnés, Boeing propose une interview (en anglais) de Chris Ferguson. Ancien capitaine de la Navy, il est surtout connu pour avoir été pilote et commandant de 3 missions spatiales de la NASA, STS-115 en 2006, STS-126 en 2008 et STS-135 en 2011. Il travaille depuis avec Boeing dans le cadre du programme Starliner, et devrait être le premier astronaute que la société enverra dans l'espace. https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/video-les-4-projets-militaires-et-spatiaux-de-boeing-a-suivre-en-2019.N787934

ARMY Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Oak Brook, Illinois, was awarded a $92,551,470 firm-fixed-price contract for channel improvement project, entrance channel with extension, and dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 operations and maintenance; general construction; and non-federal funds in the combined amount of $92,551,470 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-19-C-0002). BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Radford, Virginia, was awarded an $89,520,585 modification (0053 09) to contract W52P1J-11-G-0053 for operations and maintenance of Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Work will be performed in Radford, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2010, 2016 and 2017 other procurement, Army funds in the combined amount of $8,929,605 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Kingsport, Tennessee, was awarded a $74,756,071 modification (P00678) to contract DAAA09-98-E-0006 for Building G-3 NQ/RDX recrystallization construction at Holston Army Ammunition Plant. Work will be performed in Kingsport, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $74,756,071 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Honeywell International Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, was awarded a $20,335,554 modification (P00100) to contract W56HZV-12-C-0344 for hardware services. Work will be performed in Phoenix, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army; and Army working capital funds in the amount of $20,335,554 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. STG Inc.,* Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $17,098,410 modification (P00011) to contract W91RUS-18-C-0007 for information technology support services. Work will be performed in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $17,098,410 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Melwood Horticultural Training Center Inc., Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was awarded a $9,986,235 modification (P00014) to contract W91QV1-18-C-0008 for base operations. Work will be performed in Fort Meade, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,986,235 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $75,020,715 firm-fixed-price contract for rotary wing aircraft maintenance. This contract provides for services to support all management, personnel, equipment and services necessary to perform 811th Operations Group rotary wing flight line maintenance. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $28,555, are being obligated at the time of award. 11th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA2860-19-C-0005). (Awarded Dec. 27, 2018) Pinnacle Solutions Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, has been awarded a $20,562,123 firm-fixed-price modification (P00040) to previously awarded contract FA8621-16-C-6281 for support of the KC-10 training system. This modification provides for the exercise of the fourth year option and incorporates within scope changes to contractual requirements resulting from a mutual agreement of the parties, and brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $100,583,419. Work will be performed at Travis Air Force Base, California; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; and Fairfield, California. Work is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $20,316,980 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1722766/source/GovDelivery/

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN In October, the Canadian government sent out its draft request for proposals to aerospace firms expected to bid on replacing the CF-18 fighter jets. The aircraft that are being considered in this competition are Lockheed Martin's F-35, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab's Gripen and the Boeing Super Hornet. The aerospace companies will provide feedback on the draft request for proposals and after that is received the final RFP will be issued and bids required by May 2019. Industry is expected to provide feedback on a number of issues, including the so-called “Boeing clause.” The Canadian government has introduced the change to the standard procurement process with a new provision that defence analysts say was aimed directly at Boeing. The move came after the U.S. firm complained to the Trump administration that its Quebec-based competitor Bombardier was receiving unfair Canadian government subsidies on the production of its C-Series civilian passenger aircraft. The U.S. ruled in favour of Boeing, resulting in Bombardier facing duties of almost 300 per cent on sales of its C-Series planes in America. The Liberal government retaliated against Boeing's complaint by cancelling plans to buy 18 of the company's Super Hornet fighter jets at a cost of around $6 billion. In addition, as part of the competition for the new fighter jets, Canada announced it would assess a company's “economic behavior” in the years leading up to the competition. Navdeep Bains, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, said if a firm has caused economic harm to Canada that would be at a distinct disadvantage in the fighter jet competition. But the Canadian government hasn't yet outlined its criteria for the controversial clause. Jeff Waring, director general for industrial benefits policy at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada recently told Esprit de Corps military magazine that the federal government is “still finalizing the assessment tool” for that clause and will continue to discuss the issue with industry. The details for the clause will be outlined before the final request for proposals is issued, he added. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/criteria-for-boeing-clause-in-fighter-jet-competition-to-be-outlined-in-the-new-year

By Charlie Pinkerton Federal Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan spoke with iPolitics for a year-end interview. Here's what he had to say. Q: During your time as Canada's defence minister, what are you most proud of? A: The thing I'm most proud of is that our defence policy is focused on looking after our people. I've always said our Number 1 asset is our people; if we look after them, everything else will start to fall into place. I'll give you an example of this: putting the tax-free allowance in the defence policy; if you're deployed on an operation internationally, it's tax-free. That gives families back home tremendous flexibility with what they can do. That's one of the things I'm proud of. We also include families as part of our defence policy. We're seeing tangible results. We've done some work, we've got more work to do. As you can see, this is what I'm focused on. Those procurement projects — ships, jets — are absolutely important, right? But the thing is, if we don't look after our people, those ships and jets don't mean anything. And that's probably what I'm most proud of: turning into a reality our focus in the defence policy, which is to our people. Q: What do you regret during your tenure as defence minister? A: Sometimes things can't move as fast as you want. I wouldn't call it a regret, but you want to see progress as fast as possible, and sometimes you end up pushing so hard, like with procurement: Why aren't we moving faster? We have these questions, and we're reminded that we need to hire enough people to move on these files. And so it's a reminder — it's not a regret — to never put your people in a position to over-extend themselves. You need to have a holistic Canadian Armed Forces that will look after itself. This whole conversation of more teeth, less tail — I hate that. In reality, making sure your pension cheques are given on time is just as important. Q: Is there something you really want to accomplish during the time remaining in your mandate? A: It goes back to my first point: making sure we have enough momentum that we're able to start executing all the things that we want, and having the right number of people to be able to move our projects forward. Also, making it a reality that, from the time somebody joins the military, we're focusing on resilience and that they know the country has their backs. For example, with the Transition Group, we've ensured that no future government can ever take that focus away from the people ever again. Q: Whether you or someone else takes over in a year's time, what will be the most pressing issue he or she faces? A: For me, a Number 1 priority will be making sure the environment inside the Canadian Armed Forces is one that's inclusive, that's harassment-free, and I know it seems very idealistic to say this, but any other goal is unacceptable, because it leaves leeway for things, because when you create that environment, you'll be able to get the best potential out of your people at the same time. That's the challenge we're working on. General (Jonathan) Vance is aggressively dealing with this, and Operation Honour is showing results. To me, it's a challenge, and a challenge that has to be met, regardless of who's in this position. Q: Is there something you wanted to accomplish that was pushed aside by larger or more pressing priorities? A: There's one thing I was really looking forward to doing, which is learn French. I sort of underestimated the time required of the job. However, I am still committed to learning French. I do what I can in my own time, and I'll learn it when I leave politics, because I think it's important for all Canadians to be able to speak both official languages. Q: You're up for re-election. You've been defence minister for three years, which is a relatively long time. Aside from Peter MacKay, who held the job for about six years, you've had one of the longest tenures of the past 20 years. If re-elected, will you seek re-appointment? A: I got into politics because I wanted to represent the neighbourhood I grew up in of Vancouver South, and I was very privileged to have that honour. When it comes to the next election, my job is going to be to make sure I connect with my community in my riding. That's the Number 1 job that I'm fighting for: to become the member of Parliament for Vancouver South. If the prime minister thinks again that my skills are needed, regardless of portfolio, I'd be honoured and privileged to serve. Q: Considering you got into politics to represent Vancouver South, is there something that being defence minister prevented you from doing, and that, given another term, you'd like to take on? A: In Vancouver South, my focus has been a lot on the youth, and I've done a lot of things in the riding, but I always feel like I wish I could do more. I want people to know that I — a person who grew up in that riding — can do some interesting things, and reach this portfolio, and that every single (constituent) can reach the highest levels. So that's the one thing I wish I had a little bit more time to do. But at the end of the day, if I still had that time, I would still have that regret, because I want to make sure we inspire the next generation, because I see so much potential in them. https://ipolitics.ca/2018/12/31/a-year-end-qa-with-defence-minister-harjit-sajjan/

By BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH Ottawa Bureau OTTAWA—A new fighter jet “can't arrive quickly enough” for Canada's Air Force as it deals with aging CF-18s that are approaching the end of their useful life, the country's top military commander says. Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, acknowledged that an old fighter and personnel shortages present challenges for the Air Force. “The F-18 is clearly an aircraft that is one that is coming to the end of its useful life. But it's not at the end,” Vance told the Star in a year-end interview. “I'm real keen to get the future fighter in place as quickly as possible. Until then we've got the F-18. We're going to have to invest in it to ensure that our aircrew, the RCAF, can continue to ... protect Canada and Canadians and be valued in operations,” he said. A recent report by the federal auditor general's office put the challenges facing the Air Force into stark focus with its findings that the CF-18s, first delivered in 1982, are increasingly obsolete. But more critically, the report said the bigger challenge was a shortage of technicians to maintain the 76 existing jets and pilots to fly them. Vance said the military is moving to address its personnel shortages. On the pilot front, the problem isn't attracting new recruits, he said. It's training them and then keeping them in uniform at a time when civilian airlines are dangling the promise of big paycheques and better quality of life. “I'm not going to lie to you. It's not going to be easy,” Vance said. “There's no way we're ever going to be able to compete with private industry. We never have. You don't join the military for the paycheque,” he said. But he said the Air Force is considering a number of measures, from better compensation and benefits to addressing complaints about postings and desk jobs that contribute to drive pilots from the ranks. Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger, RCAF commander, told the Commons public accounts committee in December that pilots quit because of family challenges, tempo of operations, work-life balance and geographic postings. “My assessment is that it's going to take us approximately five to seven years to grow the crew force. Again, a lot of the considerations are in the future. We have to stave off the attrition we're experiencing today. We're getting at that as a priority in terms of some of the retention ideas we have,” Meinzinger told the committee. A tortured procurement stretching over several governments, with several false starts, has delayed the purchase of new fighters, leaving the Air Force with the CF-18s, which require 24 hours of maintenance for every hour they fly. Jody Thomas, the deputy minister of defence, told the Commons public accounts committee in December the government now expects to release a request for proposals next spring with bids submitted in 2020 and a contract award in 2022. Under that timeline, deliveries of 88 new fighters would occur between 2025 and 2032. “We expect to achieve initial operating capability by 2026 with nine advanced fighters ready to fulfil the NORAD mission,” Thomas said. That still means the CF-18s have to remain airworthy and combat capable for up to 12 more years to help bridge the transition, a tall order for jets that are already three decades old. To help augment the fleet and spread the flying hours, the federal government has purchased 18 used F-18s from Australia. The first of those aircraft is expected to arrive late winter. They will require maintenance checks and some upgrades to make them compatible with existing fleet. National Defence expects to spend almost $3 billion to extend the life of its current fleet and to buy, operate and maintain the interim aircraft. The auditor general's report noted the CF-18 has not undergone any significant upgrade to its combat capabilities since 2008. That's because the Air Force thought they would be replaced. Now, analysis is underway on how best to upgrade some of the CF-18s as early as 2020 in the areas of sensors, weapons, self-protection and mission support capabilities. “Those capability upgrades are sufficient ... to keep the aircraft at an acceptable level of combat capability until the future fleet arrives,” Vance said. Bruce Campion-Smith is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @yowflier https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2018/12/21/new-fighter-jets-cant-arrive-quickly-enough-canadas-top-military-commander-says.html

By: Shawn Snow The same innovative rocket artillery unit that fired HIMARS from a ship is once again mixing things up, but this time they're doing it with aircraft. The tactic is called HI-RAIN, which is short for HIMARS Rapid Infiltration, where the Corps takes its precision-guided rocket artillery system, stuffs it in a KC-130 and flies it to a location to destroy a target. Once on the ground, the HIMARS crew offloads the system and strikes a target and then rapidly exfils from the target site. The Corps says HI-RAIN is the progression of an aerial artillery raid capability they already have, which can be done with sling loaded M777 howitzers hauled by the Corps' heavy lift helicopters like the CH-53. The MV-22 Osprey is also capable of lifting the M777. Aerial artillery raids provide battlefield commanders flexibility by inserting a long-range fire capability beyond a captured beachhead or behind enemy lines to quickly destroy a target. But the HIMARS will greatly extend the Corps' range of that existing raid capability, which should prove useful should the Corps find itself stretched thinly across the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean in a fight with a sophisticated adversary like China. A Marine HIMARS unit known as 5th Battalion, 11th Marines, recently executed a HI-RAIN mission on Dec. 7 as part of an annual exercise with the 1st Marine Division dubbed Steel Knight. For the exercise, Marines with 5/11 loaded two HIMARS systems onto two KC-130 aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California, and flew to Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. Once on the ground, the a HIMARS unit fired one M31A1 GMLRS – Unitary precision rocket, striking a target approximately 15 km away. The GMLRS round is short for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System. HIMARS are capable of striking targets several hundred kilometers out, the short range was due to range limitations, Marine officials said. The Corps says 5/11 began aerial embarkation testing with KC-130s in 2014, and since then have carried out many HI-RAIN missions across the U.S. from Alaska to Arizona, all during training exercises. Other Marine HIMARS units are honing the same skill. The Corps is also capable of carrying out artillery raids inserting howitzers via helicopter. In August, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, carried out the first lift in an austere environment in Australia of an M777 howitzer using an MV-22 Osprey. The Marines of 5/11 are known for their innovative experimentation firing HIMARS from the deck of the amphibious transport dock Anchorage in fall 2017. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/12/28/the-corps-himars-are-going-airborne-as-marines-bring-them-to-targets-via-kc-130s

By PAUL MCLEARY The release of the 2020 defense budget is still over a month away, and it's already been a wild ride. A look at what has happened, and what might happen next. WASHINGTON: If there's one complaint that has sounded a consistent across the Joint Chiefs and Pentagon leadership in recent years, it has been the lack of predictability in year-to-year funding. If there's one thing we have learned about President Trump, it's that nothing is certain until the very end. And even when there's a decision, it can be flipped, rehashed, tinkered with or forgotten about in the time it take to knock out a Tweet on phone. After two years of budget certainty in 2018-19, the 2020 submission was humming along at $733 billion — until it wasn't. In late October, the number plummeted (relatively speaking) to $700 billion, until the president was convinced by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis — not yet on his way out at the time — to rocket it up to $750 billion. But even that number isn't certain. Most analysts see the 2020 submission settling around the $733 billion level. Visiting US troops at the Al Asad air base on Dec. 26, the president gave the latest vague update. “I mean, I want to see costs come down, too. But not when it comes to our military. You have to have the finest equipment anywhere in the world, and you have that — $716 billion. And this year, again, we're going to be — don't tell anybody because nobody else knows — even a little bit higher.” Whatever the number is, it appears likely that incoming acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will be the one to deliver and defend it on Capitol Hill in February, as Mattis has been told to leave by Jan. 1. It's unclear what effect the firing of Mattis will have on the process, or if there will be any significant strategic shifts for the department given the change in leadership. As budget guru Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told me this week — specifically in reference to the Space Force, but it really applies across the entire budget — “the thing to keep in mind is that this is, so far, just the Pentagon's proposal to the White House. It's not clear if the White House is going to agree to this. The president has a way of sticking to his ideas even if his own administration recommends otherwise.” Here are a few of the stories we've done over the past months breaking down what is happening, and what might — might — happen next. Full article: https://breakingdefense.com/2018/12/budget-busters-what-to-look-for-in-2019-and-beyond