Germany to buy 50 more Puma fighting vehicles for 1.5 bln euros

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  21 août 2024 | International, Aérospatial

  Reliant on Starlink, Army eager for more SATCOM constellation options

  Army officials said at TechNet Augusta that the service wants to ensure its units have access to multiple satellite connectivity options.

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  17 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Lithuania’s defense minister: It will be a good year for NATO

  By: Raimundas Karoblis The end of the year is a traditional time to pause for reflection and take a moment to look ahead. Especially so, if the upcoming year brings an important milestone, like the 70th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance. From the outside, it may seem that NATO is approaching the year 2019 quite perplexed, if not embattled. The important decisions of the NATO Brussels Summit were overshadowed by acrimonious public exchanges among the allies on the highly sensitive issue of burden-sharing. Moreover, the recent initiatives on European defense — in particular, all the talk about a “European army” — are perceived by many as highly divisive and damaging to the very foundations of NATO. However, to paraphrase a famous saying, the rumors of the imminent death of the alliance seem to be greatly exaggerated. The burden-sharing drama at the NATO Brussels Summit has obscured the vitally important decisions that were taken there to prepare the alliance for the post-2014 security environment. Whereas the earlier NATO summits in Wales and Warsaw focused on quick-impact deterrence measures to support the most vulnerable allies, the Brussels Summit marks the start of a systemic NATO adaptation to the conventional threat posed by Russia (as well as to the threats emanating from the south). This adaptation will take many years to complete, but its impact will be durable and profound. In the course of 2019 we will see the key elements of NATO's long-term adaptation process taking shape. In February, NATO will start systemic implementation of a reinforcement strategy, which will be a major step in carrying out the Readiness Initiative, better known as the Four Thirties. The initiative aims at providing the alliance with more high-readiness forces — a crucial aspect in today's security context. Furthermore, we will be making significant advances with the NATO Command Structure update and upgrade. Work will continue in setting up the new Cyberspace Operations Centre in Belgium to provide situational awareness and coordination of operational activity within cyberspace — a capacity that is long overdue in the alliance. Next year, the Joint Support and Enabling Command in Germany will achieve its initial operational capability to ensure rapid movement of troops and equipment into and across Europe, which has become one of the most pressing operational needs. All of these steps will make us more fit to plan and execute operations in today's demanding security environment. A significantly improved financial background is another major reason to approach the new year optimistically. In fact, if there is any drama in the NATO context, it is the dramatically increased defense budgets across the alliance. Last year we witnessed the most substantial growth in defense spending since the end of the Cold War, and 2019 will continue to mark further progress in this area, with the majority of the allies nearing the fulfillment of their commitment to reach 2 percent of their gross domestic product by 2024. Two eastern flank allies — Lithuania and Poland — have committed to moving well-beyond this number, striving to raise their defense spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2030. We should be soon starting to see how the additional investments translate into more and better capabilities for the alliance. We are also approaching 2019 after a year of passionate discussions on European defense and the ways to organize it. There are voices putting forward ideas on how the European Union should strengthen its “strategic autonomy” and make sure it is able to ensure security independently. The launch of the Permanent Structured Cooperation and other European initiatives are sometimes interpreted across the Atlantic as an attempt to build an alternative to the alliance. We find such fears ungrounded. Europe's own defense efforts notwithstanding, NATO is bound to remain an irreplaceable pillar of collective defense on the European continent. It is the sole organization that can provide truly credible deterrence and defense for its members. As keen supporters of NATO-EU cooperation, we are very pleased to have witnessed the recent expansion of this cooperation into new areas. This cooperation has acquired additional importance with the finish line of Brexit just around the corner. While leaving the EU, the United Kingdom will remain in Europe, with every significant defense problem in and around the continent still affecting it. The U.K. has already assumed an immense role within NATO in addressing them, and the country has continuously indicated that its commitment to the alliance will be even stronger following Brexit. In welcoming a new year and a new chapter of its history, NATO is not doing it perplexed. The alliance is turning a new leaf, is proud of its achievements and with confidence is looking toward the future. For this reason, I am sure that 2019 is going to be a great year for the alliance. Raimundas Karoblis is the defense minister of Lithuania. https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2018/12/10/lithuanias-defense-minister-it-will-be-a-good-year-for-nato/

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  25 février 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 19, 2019

  AIR FORCE United Launch Services, Centennial, Colorado, has been awarded a $441,761,778 firm-fixed-price contract, for launch services to deliver the SILENTBARKER, SBIRS GEO-5, and SBIRS GEO-6 missions to their intended orbits. This launch service contract will include launch vehicle production, mission integration, mission launch operations/spaceflight worthiness, and mission unique activities for SILENTBARKER and SBIRS GEO-5, with an option for an additional SBIRS GEO-6 launch service. The locations of performance are Centennial, Colorado; and Cape Canaveral, Florida. SILENTBARKER is expected to be completed by March 2022, SBIRS GEO-5 is expected to be completed by March 2021. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 space procurement funds in the amount of $308,550,970 will be obligated at the time of award. The Contracting Division, Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California, is the contracting activity (FA8811-19-C-0005). Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, California, has been awarded a $297,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract, for launch services to deliver the NROL-87, NROL-85, and AFSPC-44 missions to their intended orbits. This launch service contract will include launch vehicle production, mission integration, mission launch operations/spaceflight worthiness and mission unique activities for each mission. The locations of performance are Hawthorne, California; Cape Canaveral Air Force Space Station, Florida; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. NROL-85 and NROL-87 are expected to be completed by December 2021 and AFSPC-44 is expected to be completed by February 2021. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 space procurement funds in the amount of $285,223,097 will be obligated at the time of award. The Contracting Division, Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California, is the contracting activity (FA8811-19-C-0004). NAVY Marine Systems Corp., Boston, Massachusetts, is awarded a $29,111,774 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price hybrid single award contract for engineering, logistical, and information technology services to support the Navy Habitability Projects. The contract will include a five-year base ordering period with a six-month ordering period option pursuant of Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.212-8 - option to extend services, which if exercised, will bring the total ceiling value to $32,191,928. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (84 percent); San Diego, California (5 percent); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (5 percent); Mayport, Florida (2 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (1 percent); Bahrain (1 percent); Japan (1 percent); and Rota, Spain (1 percent). The base ordering period is expected to be completed by March 2024; if the option is exercised, the ordering period will be completed by August 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated to fund the contract's minimum amount and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities and Navy Electronic Commerce Online websites, with five offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Norfolk Office, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N0018919D0004). Vadum Inc.,* Raleigh, North Carolina, is awarded a $9,413,901 cost-plus-fixed-fee, level of effort, research and development contract with a five-year period of performance, to procure engineering support services. Technical instructions will be issued in accordance with the Statement of Work for this contract to support the Reactive Electronic Attack Measures project. Work will be performed in Raleigh, North Carolina, and will be completed by February 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-19-C-WS30). Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded an $8,242,834 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-5151) to exercise options for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) for AWS Baselines through Advanced Capability Build 16. Work will be performed in Camden, New Jersey (43 percent); Pascagoula, Mississippi (25 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (12 percent); Everett, Washington (10 percent); Virginia Beach, Virginia (6 percent); San Diego, California (3 percent); and Washington, District of Columbia (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2024. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,242,834 will be obligated at the time of award. No contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. ARMY T&H Services LLC,* Juneau, Alaska, was awarded a $26,468,671 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for base operations support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Fort Carson, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 18, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $5,019,250 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Carson, Colorado, is the contracting activity (W911RZ-19-C-0002). Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions Inc., Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $12,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for hazardous toxic and radiologic waste consulting services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 19, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Concord, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (W912WJ-19-D-0002). * Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1760766/