29 juillet 2022 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense
Nearly 9% boost for defense spending next year under new Senate plan
But Senate Republicans say the total still isn't enough to cover military needs.
20 février 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
AI makes Mattis question ‘fundamental’ beliefs about war
By: Aaron Mehta
WASHINGTON – Over the years, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has cultivated a reputation for deep thinking about the nature of warfare. And during that time, he has come to a few conclusions about what he calls the “fundamental” nature of combat.
“It's equipment, technology, courage, competence, integration of capabilities, fear, cowardice — all these things mixed together into a very fundamentally unpredictable fundamental nature of war,” Mattis explained Feb. 17. “The fundamental nature of war is almost like H20, ok? You know what it is.”
Except, that might not be true anymore.
During a return flight from Europe, Mattis was asked about artificial intelligence — a national priority for industry and defense departments across the globe, and one driving major investments within the Pentagon — and what the long-term impact of intelligent machines on the nature of war might be.
“I'm certainly questioning my original premise that the fundamental nature of war will not change. You've got to question that now. I just don't have the answers yet,” he said.
It's both a big-picture, heady question, and one that the department needs to get its head around in the coming years as it looks to offload more and more requirements onto AI. And it's a different question than the undeniable changes that will be coming to what Mattis differentiated as the character, not nature, of war.
“The character of war changes all the time. An old dead German [Carl von Clausewitz] called it a ‘chameleon.' He said it changes to adapt to its time, to the technology, to the terrain, all these things,” Mattis said.
He also noted that the Defense Innovation Board, a group of Silicon Valley experts who were formed by previous defense secretary Ash Carter, has been advising him specifically on AI issues.
For now, the Pentagon is focused on man-machine teaming, emphasizing how AI can help pilots and operators make better decisions. But should the technology develop the way it is expected to, removing a man from the loop could allow machine warfare to be fully unleashed. Mattis and his successors will have to grapple with the question of whether AI so radically changes everything, that war itself may not resemble what it has been for the entirety of human history.
Or as Mattis put it, “If we ever get to the point where it's completely on automatic pilot and we're all spectators, then it's no longer serving a political purpose. And conflict is a social problem that needs social solutions.”
Sur le même sujet
-
-
13 janvier 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 12, 2021
AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $1,687,359,008 modification (P00166) to contract FA8625-11-C-6600 for Lot Six production of KC-46 aircraft, subscriptions and licenses, and G081 flat file. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of 12 KC-46 aircraft, data, subscriptions and licenses, and G081 flat file being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed April 30, 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. AchieveIt Online LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (FA8612-21-D-0101); Aerocine Ventures Inc., Jackson Heights, New York (FA8612-21-D-0102); Aerovation Inc., Tucson, Arizona (FA8612-21-D-0103); AI.Reverie Inc., New York, New York (FA8612-21-D-0104); All Vision Technologies Inc., New York, New York (FA8612-21-D-0105); Allied Associates International Inc., Gainesville, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0106); Aptima Inc., Woburn, Massachusetts (FA8612-21-D-0108); A-Tech Corp., Albuquerque, New Mexico (FA8612-21-D-0109); BlackHorse Solutions Inc., Herndon, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0110); Charles River Analytics Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts (FA8612-21-D-0111); CIS Secure Computing Inc., Ashburn, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0112); Cognitive Space Inc., Manvel, Texas (FA8612-21-D-0113); TeleCommunication Systems Inc., Annapolis, Maryland (FA8612-21-D-0114); Concept Solutions LLC, Reston, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0115); Crunchy Data Solutions Inc., Charleston, South Carolina (FA8612-21-D-0116); CrowdAI Inc., Mountain View, California (FA8612-21-D-0117); Danbury Enterprises LLC, Arlington, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0118); Data Machines Corp., Ashburn, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0119); Defense Architecture Systems Inc., Fulton, Maryland (FA8612-21-D-0120); DTC Communications Inc., Herndon, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0121); Forcepoint Federal LLC, Herndon, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0122); Intelligent Waves LLC, Reston, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0123); Iron Bow Technologies LLC, Herndon, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0124); KeyW Corp., Hanover, Maryland (FA8612-21-D-0125); Modus Operandi Inc., Melbourne, Florida (FA8612-21-D-0126); Sentenai Inc., Boston, Massachusetts (FA8612-21-D-0128); The Stratagem Group Inc., Aurora, Colorado (FA8612-21-D-0129); Technergetics LLC, Utica, New York (FA8612-21-D-0130); Technica Corp, Sterling, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0131); RAFT LLC, Reston, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0132); Enveil Inc., Fulton, Maryland (FA8612-21-D-0133); Sherpa LLC, St. Louis, Missouri (FA8612-21-D-0134); KIHOMAC Inc., Reston, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0135); Kinnami Software Corpo., Braintree, Massachusetts (FA8612-21-D-0136); KPMG LLP, McLean, Virginia (FA8621-21-D-0137); and Perspecta Labs Inc., Basking Ridge, New Jersey (FA8612-21-D-0138), have collectively been awarded a ceiling $950,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to compete for future efforts associated with the maturation, demonstration and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software and algorithm development in order to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). These contracts provide for the development and operation of systems as a unified force across all domains (air, land, sea, space, cyber and electromagnetic spectrum) in an open architecture family of systems that enables capabilities via multiple integrated platforms. The locations of performance are to be determined at the contract direct order level and are expected to be completed May 28, 2025. These awards are the result of fair and open competition. The initial delivery orders will be fully funded by fiscal year research, development, test and evaluation funds. The Air Force Life Cycle Management, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. ARMY H&L Contracting LLC, Bay Shore, New York, was awarded a $30,628,978 firm-fixed-price contract to perform construction/rehabilitation of the seawall system at Montauk Point Lighthouse, Suffolk County, New York. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Montauk, New York, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 1, 2023. Fiscal 2014 and 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $30,628,978 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-21-C-0004). NAVY WR Systems Ltd., Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $19,191,662 non-commercial, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for engineering and program support services in support of the Relocatable Over-the-Horizon Radar Life Cycle Management Department at the Forces Surveillance Support Center, Chesapeake, Virginia. The contract will include a 48-month ordering period with no options. The ordering period is expected to begin April 2021 and be completed by March 2025. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (42%); Fairfax, Virginia (39%); New Kent, Virginia (6%); Corpus Christi, Texas (3%); San Juan, Puerto Rico (3%); Adelaide, Australia (1%); San Diego, California (1%); Dayton, Ohio (1%); Colorado Springs, Colorado (1%); Washington, D.C. (1%); Arlington, Virginia (1%); and Key West, Florida (1%). Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,000 will be obligated to fund the contract's minimum amount and funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year. One source was solicited for this non-competitive, sole-source requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, with one offer received. The Naval Supply Systems Command, Fleet Logistics Center, Norfolk Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00189-21-D-Z015). Container Research Corp.,* Aston, Pennsylvania, is awarded an $11,539,383 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the procurement of up to a maximum quantity of 275 V-22 Mission Auxiliary Tank System storage containers for the Navy, Marines, Air Force and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in Aston, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed in January 2026. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-21-D-0006). Advanced Computer Learning Co. LLC,* Fayetteville, North Carolina, is being awarded an $8,207,152 single-award, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the development of curriculum material and the instruction on the use of unique networks in the Joint Staff Joint Tactical Operations Interface Training Program and the U.S. Message Text Formatting Training Program in support of the Joint Staff, Joint Interoperability Division at the Joint Multi-Tactical School. The contract will include an 11-month base ordering period with an additional three consecutive one-year ordering period options, which if exercised, will bring the total value to $33,207,839. The base ordering period is expected to begin in January 2021 and be completed by December 2021. If the option is exercised, the ordering period will be completed by December 2024. All work will be performed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance defense-wide funds in the amount of $10,000 will be obligated to fund the contract's minimum amount and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted on Navy Electronic Commerce Online and beta.SAM.gov as a service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside, with nine offers received. The Naval Supply Systems Command, Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00189-21-D-Z014). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Alamo Strategic Manufacturing,** San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $8,700,000 modification (P00008) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1122) with two one-year option periods for knee and elbow pads. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Puerto Rico and Texas, with a Jan. 16, 2022, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small business ** Small disadvantaged business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2469624/source/GovDelivery/
-
25 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial
US Army awards air-launched effects contracts for future helicopters
By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has awarded 10 contracts worth a total of $29.75 million to companies to provide mature technologies in the realm of air-launched effects, or ALE, for future vertical lift aircraft that are expected to come online around 2030, service aviation officials have told Defense News. Raytheon, Alliant Techsystems Operations of Northridge, California, and Area-I of Marietta, Georgia, were awarded contracts to develop air vehicles. L3 Technologies, Rockwell Collins and Aurora Flight Services Corporation were awarded contracts to provide mission systems. And Raytheon, Leonardo Electronics US Inc., Technology Service Corporation of Huntsville, Alabama, and Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC of Northridge, California, received contracts to provide ALE payloads. Through ALE, the Army hopes to provide current and future vertical lift fleets with “the eyes and ears” to penetrate enemy territory while manned aircraft are able to maintain standoff out of range of enemy attack, Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, who is in charge of the Army's FVL modernization efforts, said in an exclusive interview with Defense News. “To do that, that has a whole host of capabilities embedded in it, and I would say it's not just the eyes and ears, but it's also, what we are finding, is the mouth, so our ability to communicate by bringing mesh network capabilities, by bringing an ability to hear in the electronic spectrum, and, again, the ability to collect in that spectrum so we can find, fix and finish on pacing threats,” he added. The Army plans to take these already technically mature capabilities through additional technology maturation, Col. Scott Anderson, the unmanned aircraft systems project manager for the Army's Program Executive Office for Aviation, said in the same interview. “We're looking for high technology readiness levels, so best of breed,” he said, “that we can buy and then we don't have to develop, spend a lot of developmental dollars getting ready to get out the door in a prototype.” The air vehicle, payloads and missions systems will all fit into a government-owned architecture by fiscal 2024. The service will first look at each major component of ALE individually, rather than as a whole system, to assess readiness, Anderson said. That will run through most of 2021. Then in 2022, the Army will take those capabilities and bring them together into a full system prototype working with Georgia Tech, which is helping the service write the underpinnings of the reference architecture, he added. In the final phase, the Army will integrate the system onto a platform, first targeting the Gray Eagle and AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Ultimately the ALE capabilities to come out of the effort will be targeted for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) ecosystem, Anderson said. The Army is planning to field both FARA and a Future Long-Range Attack Aircraft (FLRAA) in the early 2030s. “We want to mature the [ALE] ecosystem and then have it ready to hand off to FARA in full bloom,” Rugen added. The Army has been looking at ALE since roughly late 2017, Rugen said, and has been working to refine the associated capabilities development documents for several years. Army Futures Command Commander Gen. Mike Murray signed an abbreviated capabilities development document in May. The service has been pleased with what it has seen so far in live prototype experimentation and physics-based modeling within the science and technology community and is prepared to move quickly on the effort, Rugen said. The Army selected Area-I's ALTIUS, the Air-Launched, Tube-Integrated Unmanned System, to launch from a rotary-wing test aircraft — a UH-60 Black Hawk — and was able to demonstrate the concept from a high altitude in August 2018. Then the service demonstrated the concept again during a ground robotic breach exercise at Yakima Air Base in Washington state in 2019 as well as a launch from a Black Hawk flying at a lower altitude — roughly 100 feet or less. In March, at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, the Army demonstrated multiple ALEs launched from a Black Hawk at very low altitudes to “maintain masking,” Rugen said. “We got our mesh network extended out to about 60 kilometers, so we were pretty happy with, again, the requirements pace and the experimentation pace with that.” The program will evolve beyond 2024 as the capability will align more closely with fitting into future formations. The Army could award future contracts to integrate the capability or could establish follow-on Other Transaction Authority contracts — which is the type of contract mechanism used for the 10 awardees that allows the Army to move faster to rapidly prototype. “We have the contractual mechanisms” to be “flexible and responsive,” which is key in a program like ALE, Joe Giunta, executive director of Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, said. Instead of looking for a vendor that could deliver every aspect of a system, “we can harvest from across multiple different vendors, who bring, if you will, the best characteristics,” Patrick Mason, the deputy PEO for Army Aviation, added. “Then as they merge into our government reference architecture and our open system approach, we are then able to bring those together to create a much more capable product,” he said, that “fits into the longer term on how we can modify that as technology comes along and we can ramp on increases in technologies as we get out into the '23, '24 time frame and then further into the future as we look out to FY30 and the fielding of FARA, FLRAA and the full establishment of the FVL ecosystem.” The Army released a notice to industry Aug. 12 looking for input on technology that could further advance the capability of ALE against sophisticated adversaries with plans to host an industry day in September. While the service will prototype mature technologies in the near term, Mason said, “when you look at the '25 and '26 time frame, there will be better technologies that are developed around the payload side of the house, advancements in air vehicles or advancements in the missions systems.” The RFI is “looking at the next increment that is out there as we move from now in 2020 to what we would have as a residual capability in '24 to what we could move to in 2030,” Mason said. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/08/24/army-awards-air-launched-effects-contracts-for-future-helicopters/