The world spent almost $2 trillion on defense in 2020

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  21 avril 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Pentagon Predicts Three-Month Major Program Delay

  Lee Hudson The Pentagon predicts there will be a three-month slowdown for major defense acquisition programs because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Aerospace, shipbuilding and small launch are the most vulnerable sectors in the wake of COVID-19, Pentagon acquisition executive Ellen Lord told reporters April 20. Out of the 10,509 major prime contractors, 106 have shuttered their doors, and 68 have closed and reopened. Of 11,413 vendor-based companies, 427 are shut down, with 147 having closed and reopened, she said. Lord's team has not identified specific programs but anticipates there will be schedule delays, she said. One of the measures the military is taking to support the defense industrial base is boosting progress payment rates to contractors, raising them for large businesses from 80% to 90% and for small businesses from 90% to 95%. “Based on submitted invoices, we expect payments at the higher progress payments to start this week, helping provide $3 billion in increased cash flow to industry,” Lord said. “I commend Lockheed Martin and Boeing for both publicly committing to ensure this cash flow goes quickly down the supply chain to small businesses who need it most.” The DOD is hoping other large defense contractors will make similar public announcements. The Pentagon's small business program office hosted a webinar with more than 1,000 companies to address their unique concerns, she said. Over the last few weeks, Lord's team has focused on supply chain “illumination” tools and found “international dependencies.” Specifically, the defense industrial base is being hit hard by supplier closures in Mexico and India. Lord spoke with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico on April 17 and on April 20 was sending a letter to the Mexican foreign minister asking for help in reopening international suppliers. The Pentagon also is hoping for additional aid from the American people via the second Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Lord would not pinpoint a particular amount, but the money sought is incremental funding for inefficiencies related to contracting, Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III, the defense industrial base and medical resources. In the inaugural CARES Act, DOD received $1 billion for DPA Title III, $750 million for medical resources and $250 million for the defense industrial base. The DPA Title III medical resources priorities are N95 masks, ventilators, active pharmaceutical ingredients, testing kits, suppliers and reagents, vaccines and delivery systems. The defense sector focus areas for DPA Title III include machine tools and industrial controls, aircraft supply chain illumination, chem bio, directed energy, radar, munitions, missiles, space, shipbuilding, soldier systems and ground systems. To date, the Defense Logistics Agency has provided more than 1.8 million N95 respirator masks, 3.2 million nonmedical and surgical masks, 54.8 million exam gloves, 8,000 ventilators and 275,000 isolation and surgical gowns to the military services, combatant commands, and several federal agencies, Lord said. “We have ordered face coverings for the workforce, 3 million active duty, guard, reserve and government civilians with deliveries starting this week,” she said. “We expect 135,000 by the end of April and 580,000 by the end of May.” For the first time ever, U.S. Transportation Command (Transcom) was able to use the Defense Threat Reduction Agency-developed transport isolation system to move three COVID-19 positive patients from Afghanistan to Germany. The system was developed in 2014 during the Ebola crisis. “The joint staff, Transcom, and the Air Force continue to work to ensure that we can safely transport COVID-19 patients from overseas locations to the United States,” Lord said. “We just issued a memo that directs contracting officers to support a U.S. Forces Afghanistan memo to redeploy at-risk contractor employees due to insufficient medical capability in-country.” The Pentagon anticipates this will affect fewer than 1,000 personnel. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/pentagon-predicts-three-month-major-program-delay

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  17 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Leonardo dévoile le Spartan de nouvelle génération

  Leonardo a commencé les essais finaux du C-27J Next Generation qui dispose de nouveaux équipements, un nouveau système avionique et des dispositifs aérodynamiques avancés, ceux-ci amélioreront les performances existantes de l'avion. Le premier C-27J de la nouvelle configuration sera livré à un client non divulgué en 2021. Une toute nouvelle avionique L'évolution du C-27J Spartan se base principalement tout autour du tout nouveau système avionique conçu pour se conformer aux exigences de contrôle de la circulation aérienne de prochaine génération, y compris les liaisons de données FANS 1/A+, TCAS 7.1, ILS Cat.II et vidéo améliorée TAWS. Le cockpit de son côté bénéficie de nouveaux écrans d'affichage accompagnés d'un nouveau radar météorologique. L'effort s'est également porté sur l'amélioration des capacités de communication par satellite et radiocommunication. L'équipage bénéficiera par ailleurs d'un nouveau système d'intercommunication. Des ailerettes en bout d'aile Le bimoteur est équipé du mode 5 IFF/ADS-B Out et des modes tactiques de navigation verticale et de pilote automatique de recherche et sauvetage sont disponibles. En outre, d'anciennes boîtes d'interface avionique et des systèmes généraux ont été remplacées par de nouveaux équipements par Leonardo Electronics. Enfin, des ailerettes améliorent l'aérodynamique de l'appareil et sa consommation de carburant, tout en permettant d'augmenter la masse maximale au décollage d'une tonne. La nouvelle configuration de base est également offerte en qualité de rénovation pour les opérateurs actuels qui veulent mettre à niveau leurs capacités de flotte C-27J, qui sont actuellement au nombre de 14 pays. Cet avion de transport militaire peut ainsi emporter jusqu'à près de 5 tonnes de chargement par m2 en soute ou 34 passagers. Il peut également accueillir une vingtaine de civières en configuration Evasan (évacuation sanitaire). https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/leonardo-dvoile-le-spartan-de-nouvelle-gnration-23852

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  26 mars 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Latest emergency coronavirus funding package includes tens of billions for defense, VA

  Leo Shane III The Department of Defense is poised to get another $10.5 billion in emergency funding and the Department of Veterans Affairs another $19.6 billion as part of a $2 trillion package designed to blunt the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak throughout America. The money includes $1.4 billion in direct funding for National Guard deployments to help state governments respond to emerging health needs, $1.5 billion for the expansion of military hospitals and mobile medical centers if needed, and $1 billion for the Defense Department to help with production of medical supplies running short because of the pandemic. The measure — which if passed would be the third major coronavirus response by Congress this month — also includes provisions to deliver billions of dollars to hospitals, new state and local government support, expanded unemployment compensation and massive business loans, all designed to help stabilize the economy amid unprecedented social shut-downs to curb the virus spread. Senate lawmakers are expected to vote on the measure sometime Wednesday afternoon. The House could take it up soon afterwards. Nationally, more than 54,000 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19, the strain of coronavirus causing worldwide disruptions and panic. More than 730 deaths have been connected to the illness in the United States alone, all in the last month. "Combating this disease has forced our country to put huge parts of our national life on pause and triggered layoffs at a breath-taking pace,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said after the deal was reached Wednesday morning. “This strange new reality has forced our nation on to something like war-time footing. A fight has arrived on our shores.” Lawmakers who worked on the agreement said the Defense Department funding is targeted “primarily for the protection of members of the Armed Forces, their families, and military retirees.” None of the funds can be transferred to accounts connected with the construction of a southern border wall, a sticking point between Democrats and President Donald Trump in past appropriations fights. Of the $10.5 billion total, $1 billion will be set aside for use with the Defense Production Act, allowing department officials to “invest in manufacturing capabilities that are key to increasing the production rate of personal protective equipment and medical equipment.” Those items have been in short supply in recent weeks. Trump invoked the act earlier this week but has yet to order any civilian production of the scare items. Veterans Affairs Within VA, the majority of the money — nearly $15.9 billion — will be used for direct care specifically in response to veterans health needs. “This covers treatment of veterans nationwide for coronavirus within VA hospitals as well as in community urgent care clinics and emergency rooms,” a bill summary stated. “These funds allow VA to cover overtime for their clinical staff, the purchase of personal protective equipment, test kits, and other necessary equipment to manage the impacts of this pandemic among the veteran population.” Another $3.1 billion will be set aside for new telemedicine efforts within VA, including staffing and equipping mobile treatment sites and “remodeling to VA facilities and state run veterans homes to address the needs of veterans being treated for coronavirus.” Nearly 300 veterans have already been diagnosed with the coronavirus strain, and four deaths of VA patients connected to the illness. The bill also includes a number of expanded authorities for VA officials to respond to the threat, including extended overtime pay rules for medical providers, new agreements with broadband internet suppliers to increase telemedicine options for veterans, and waiving some rules regarding income-level eligibility for department benefits. Lawmakers also included $360 million for the Department of Labor to invest in programs providing training and supportive services for dislocated workers, to specifically include homeless veterans. White House officials have indicated Trump will sign the measure into law if it passes Congress. Earlier this week, Trump called on lawmakers to quickly pass some deal, saying that the economic impact of the illness on the country could be more devastating than the health complications. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/03/25/latest-emergency-coronavirus-funding-package-includes-tens-of-billions-for-defense-va/