Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks Visits Defense Industrial Base Partners and Army Ground

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  9 octobre 2018 | International, Terrestre

  Army looks to a future of integrated fire

  By: Daniel Cebul WASHINGTON — Even as Army leadership points to the great progress made toward interoperability of missile systems, the future could take that vision one step further. During a Monday panel hosted by Defense News at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting, Col. John Rafferty, director of the Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team, said the Army aspires to have “an integrated network, rather than interoperability, which is the work around" in the meantime. "When we get into operational strategic fires we want to extend the systems approach across the fires warfighting function, offensive and defense,” Rafferty added. Tom Karako, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, stressed that a more aggressive approach to integrating offensive and defense fires is required to defeat current and future near-peer threats. One area Karako has his eye on “is the degree of integration between Maneuver SHORAD, and frankly the whole rest of ARMY AMD, as well as offensive fires. Making sure that interoperability or integration is common as opposed to being another stovepipe of excellence.” The Integrated Air and Missile Battle Command System (IBCS) is one Army program that will be key to achieving integrated fires. The brains behind the Army's future air and missile defense command-and-control system, IBCS will improve the operational capabilities of current AMD systems like THAAD and Patriot by connecting the former disparate systems. When integrated, the Army can leverage THAAD's AN/TYP-2 radar to extend Patriot's effective range and provide a clearer picture of incoming threats. Discussing the importance of integrated air and missile defenses, Karako said, “just as there is that full spectrum of air and missile threats, we're going to need to have a full spectrum and integration of air and missile defense.” Rafferty and his team have not overlooked the significant investment being made in long-range precision fires. “I definitely feel like we are the number one modernization priority for the Army,” Rafferty said. “I also realize that with the investment comes a sense of cost consciousness because we know that hard choices were made ... across the Army to resource this number one priority.” And while Rafferty's cross functional team is receiving significant funding, the Army knows it has to work as a team to achieve its goals. As explained by Brig. Gen. Alfred Abramson, the program executive officer with PEO Ammunition, the Army has to put their heads together to figure out “where's the juice worth the squeeze in terms of investment." "Can we build a better mouse trap so to speak with some limited dollars, because you can't spread it across everything,” said Abramson, adding that his organization has seen a significant spike of about $2.5 billion for fiscal years 2017 to 2022 funding for ammunition and armament systems products. "At the same time we have a conversation with Col Rafferty's organization about what direction should we be heading. So it really is a discussion across these organizations to make sure everybody is focused on the same thing.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2018/10/08/army-looks-to-a-future-of-integrated-fire

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  18 mars 2019 | International, Terrestre

  Spain cleared to buy American assault amphibious vehicles

  By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department has cleared Spain to purchase 11 assault amphibious vehicles, built by BAE systems, in a deal that could be worth $107 million. The possible foreign military sale notification was posted on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Friday. Sale notifications are not guarantees of sale, and quantities and dollar figures can often change during final negotiations. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally which is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the notification reads. “It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Spain in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability.” Spain seeks three types of vehicles in the deal, which will join the 19 AAVs already in use by that country. Included in the proposal are eight personnel carriers, two command vehicles and one recovery vehicle. Also included are “Enhanced Armor Applique Kits (EAAK), spare and repair parts, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, training and training material,” per the notice. Work will be done at BAE's locations in York, Pennsylvania, and Anniston, Alabama. The announcement marks Spain's first FMS request of fiscal 2019. In FY18, the country requested $1.3 billion worth of CH-47 helicopters. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/03/15/spain-cleared-to-buy-american-assault-amphibious-vehicles

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  7 août 2019 | International, Naval

  A hazy future: Amid a competition to build British frigates, a UK shipyard hits hard times

  By: Andrew Chuter LONDON — The Northern Irish shipyard that built the Titanic ceased business Aug. 5, and its part in a bid to build a new class of the general-purpose frigate for the British Royal Navy appears to have sunk with it. Harland and Wolff was the lead U.K. yard in a proposal by German-based warship company Atlas Elektronik to build five Type 31e frigates for the Royal Navy. But the Belfast shipyard of Harland and Wolff went into administration after a 158-year history, which included production of the Titanic and ended with its parent company insolvent and running out of offshore renewable-energy work that had become the mainstay of its business. Industry executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that unless Atlas has a plan B, the bid has likely been scuttled by the Belfast yard slipping into administration and thus putting the jobs of 125 on-site workers at risk. Atlas Elektronik UK did not return calls regarding its bid. British warships must be locally built, but designs can be foreign. Atlas Elektronik UK is offering parent company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' Meko A200 frigate to Britain. Currently, Atlas Elektronik and its U.K. partners Harland and Wolff and Ferguson Marine Engineering of Scotland are vying for the deal against rival proposals led by BAE Systemsand Babcock International. An announcement by the Ministry of Defence on a winning bidder for the program worth more than £1.25 billion (U.S. $1.52 billion) could come next month. The procurement competition was aimed at breaking the local maritime monopoly of BAE Systems. Sharing work across the shipbuilding sector via the Type 31e was part of a national shipbuilding strategy published by the British government in 2017. A strategy review was completed this year by its author, John Parker, but the findings have not been published by the MoD. New Defence Procurement Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyn, the fourth such minister in three years, will likely give Parker's findings a close review. Trevelyn has no previous ministerial experience, but she is known in maritime circles for her membership of Parliament's all-party group on shipbuilding and ship repair, which recently published a report advocating for the domestic production of a new fleet of logistics support ships. However, it's unclear how long the government, and hence the new ministerial team at the MoD, will survive given the political uncertainty here around Britain's exit from the European Union and murmurings of a general election. Buy British? The logistic vessels, known here as fleet solid support ships, are not considered military vessels by the British government; this is so the government can procure them more cheaply overseas. A competition is underway with a U.K. team led by BAE Systems bidding against overseas rivals. But the tide may be turning, as there's parliamentary pressure that two or three large supply ships be built locally. The industry executives who spoke to Defense News said that although the upcoming DSEI defense show had been touted as a possible venue for some kind of an announcement, the timing was — like most other defense issues — clouded by political uncertainties, including the appointment of a new defense secretary and defense procurement minister as part of the government reshuffle by the new prime minister, Boris Johnson. An MoD spokesman said the department wouldn't provide a running commentary on the Type 31e competition or Harland and Wolff's part in it. However, the spokesman did suggest an announcement could take place after DSEI. “It would be inappropriate to comment on Harland and Wolff's involvement in the Type 31e program, whilst this is subject to an ongoing competition," the spokesman said. “The competitive design phase is proceeding to schedule. The outcome of the competition for the design and build of the ships will be announced by December 2019.” All three bidders have been in a competitive design phase ahead of submitting their proposals in late June. The MoD previously ran a competition for the Type 31e (the "e" stands for export), but it halted the procurement effort when all of the bidders failed to submit fully compliant bids. The Royal Navy wants the first of the five Type 31e frigates handed over during 2023 to start replace aging Type 23 frigates in its fleet. Some analysts and industry executives think that's a tall order. The government originally demanded a price tag of no more than £250 million per frigate, although earlier this year, industry executives said the budget restriction had been abandoned, as the MoD agreed to supply more equipment and systems at its own expense. Atlas Elektronik isn't the only company with Harland and Wolff on its team. Babcock International also listed the Northern Irish yard in its proposal. But Babcock has various options, including using its site at Rosyth in Scotland, where the second of two aircraft carriers being assembled for the Royal Navy is now virtually complete. “Our solution for the T31(e) requirement includes a flexible U.K. build approach that can accommodate the use of a range of delivery sites,” a Babcock spokesman said. BAE's plan is to build it's Leander-class warships at the Cammell Laird yard near Liverpool while its own yards on the River Clyde in Scotland focus on completing the design and build of eight Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates destined for the Royal Navy. Three have been ordered so far. Steve Turner, the assistant general secretary for manufacturing at the Unite union, said there are strategic defense interests why the Belfast yard should be saved. “The shipyard works with BAE on the Dreadnought [nuclear] submarine program, has an important part to play in the building of the Royal Navy's new Type 31e and is central to the U.K. consortium's bid to build the Navy's fleet solid support ships,” Turner noted. “All this proud workforce needs is a temporary boost from government and a commitment from U.K. ministers that they will back U.K. shipbuilding by block building the new fleet solid support ships in yards across the UK." Harland and Wolff is not the only potential Type 31e supplier in a tough spot. Ferguson Marine, which has a yard on the River Clyde and has been part of the Atlas and Babcock proposals, is experiencing significant cost and time overruns building two ferries. Nationalization by the Scottish government is one option under consideration for the financially fragile company. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/08/06/a-hazy-future-amid-a-competition-to-build-british-frigates-a-uk-shipyard-hits-hard-times/