Nouvelles

By Joseph Marks LAS VEGAS — In a Cosmopolitan hotel suite 16 stories above the Def Con cybersecurity conference this weekend, a team of highly vetted hackers tried to sabotage a vital flight system for a U.S. military fighter jet. And they succeeded. It was the first time outside researchers were allowed physical access to the critical F-15 system to search for weaknesses. And after two long days, the seven hackers found a mother lode of vulnerabilities that — if exploited in real life — could have completely shut down the Trusted Aircraft Information Download Station, which collects reams of data from video cameras and sensors while the jet is in flight. They even found bugs that the Air Force had tried but failed to fix after the same group of hackers performed similar tests in November without actually touching the device. “They were able to get back in through the back doors they already knew were open,” Will Roper, the Air Force's top acquisition official, told me in an exclusive briefing of the results. The hackers lobbed a variety of attacks — including injecting the system with malware and even going at it with pliers and screwdrivers. When I saw it, the metal box that's usually secure on the aircraft had wires hanging out the front. The hackers briefed Roper on the findings on Saturday afternoon. He was surrounded by discarded pizza boxes, iced coffee drinks — and the hotel's drinking glasses filled with screws, nuts and bolts removed from five fully dismantled TADS devices, which run about $20,000 a pop. He'd expected the results to be about this bad, Roper told me on a private tour of the hacking event. He pinned the weaknesses on decades of neglect of cybersecurity as a key issue in developing its products, as the Air Force prioritized time, cost and efficiency. He's trying to turn that around, and is hopeful about the results of the U.S. government's newfound openness to ethical hackers. He'd come straight from Def Con's first-ever Aviation Village, which the Air Force helped establish, and was wearing a gray T-shirt with the words “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to hack,” emblazoned on the front — a riff on a classic line from the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger.” This is a drastic change from previous years, when the military would not allow hackers to try to search for vulnerabilities in extremely sensitive equipment, let alone take a literal whack at it. But the Air Force is convinced that unless it allows America's best hackers to search out all the digital vulnerabilities in its planes and weapons systems, then the best hackers from adversaries such as Russia, Iran and North Korea will find and exploit those vulnerabilities first, Roper told me. “There are millions of lines of code that are in all of our aircraft and if there's one of them that's flawed, then a country that can't build a fighter to shoot down that aircraft might take it out with just a few keystrokes,” he said. Roper wants to put his military hardware where his mouth is. During next year's Def Con conference, he wants to bring vetted hackers to Nellis or Creech Air Force bases near Las Vegas where they can probe for bugs on every digital system in a military plane, including for ways that bugs in one system can allow hackers to exploit other systems until they've gained effective control of the entire plane. He also wants to open up the ground control system for an operational military satellite for hacker testing, he said. “We want to bring this community to bear on real weapons systems and real airplanes,” Roper told me. “And if they have vulnerabilities, it would be best to find them before we go into conflict.” Those hacking challenges will also be useful for the private sector because military planes and satellites share many of their computer systems with the commercial versions of those products, Roper said, and the Air Force can share its findings. The seven hackers probing the TADS devices were all brought to Vegas by the cybersecurity company Synack, which sells the Pentagon third-party vulnerability testing services, under a contract with the Defense Digital Service, a team of mostly private-sector technology stars who try to solve some of the Pentagon's thorniest technology problems during short-term tours. The Defense Digital Service started by organizing large-scale hacking competitions in 2016, with names such as “Hack the Pentagon” and, eventually, “Hack the Air Force.” These were open to almost anybody — but included only public-facing hacking targets such as military service websites and apps. Shortly after, they also began opening more sensitive systems to a smaller number of vetted hackers who sign nondisclosure agreements. DDS has run about a dozen of those more sensitive hacking competitions so far, but this is the first time it has offered up the same system for hacking twice, said Brett Goldstein, DDS's director, who earned a reputation in technology as Open Table's IT director and chief data officer for the city of Chicago. “That's important because security is a continuous process,” he told me. “You can't do an exercise and say, ‘Oh, we found everything' and check the box. You need to constantly go back and reevaluate.” They also allowed the hackers to be more aggressive this time and to physically disassemble the TADS systems to get a better idea of what kinds of digital attacks might be effective, Goldstein said. That meant the hackers could simulate a cyberattack from adversaries that had infiltrated the vast network of suppliers that make TADS components and had sophisticated knowledge about how to compromise those elements. They could also advise the Air Force about flaws in how the TADS hardware was built that make it more susceptible to digital attacks. Moving forward, Roper told me, he wants to start using that knowledge to mandate that Air Force vendors build better software and hardware security controls into their planes and weapons systems upfront so the Air Force doesn't have to do so much cybersecurity work on the back end. He's up against an arcane and byzantine military contracting process, however, that's going to make those sorts of fundamental reforms extremely difficult, he acknowledged. In some cases, the company that built an Air Force system owns the software embedded in that system and won't let the Air Force open it up for outside testing, he says. In other cases, the Air Force is stuck with legacy IT systems that are so out of date that it's difficult for even the best technologists to make them more secure. “It's difficult to do this going backward, but we're doing our best,” Roper told me. “I can't underscore enough, we just got into the batter's box for what's going to be a long baseball game.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-cybersecurity-202/2019/08/14/the-cybersecurity-202-hackers-just-found-serious-vulnerabilities-in-a-u-s-military-fighter-jet/5d53111988e0fa79e5481f68/

De : Défense nationale Communiqué de presse Le 16 août 2019 – London (Ontario) – Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes Le gouvernement du Canada franchit une autre étape pour procurer aux Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) l'équipement moderne dont elles ont besoin pour fonctionner dans tout le spectre des opérations, et ce, mieux protégées contre diverses menaces, comme le souligne la politique de défense du Canada Protection, Sécurité, Engagement. L'honorable Harjit S. Sajjan, ministre de la Défense nationale, a annoncé que le gouvernement achètera 360 véhicules blindés légers (VBL) d'appui tactique de la General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C). Les fonds nécessaires sont compris dans le budget approuvé réservé à la mise en œuvre de la politique de défense susmentionnée. Le gouvernement du Canada a également l'intention de fournir un prêt à remboursement à la GDLS-C. Afin d'accroître au maximum les retombées économiques de ce projet pour la population canadienne, le fournisseur réinvestira une somme rigoureusement égale à la valeur de ce contrat dans l'économie canadienne afin de créer des emplois et des possibilités en matière d'innovation. En plus des quelque 1 650 emplois existant à l'usine de la General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) à London, des travailleurs occupant près de 8 500 autres emplois disséminés dans tout le Canada aideront à fournir les pièces et l'équipement nécessaires à la construction des véhicules blindés légers. Le VBL est essentiel au parc de véhicules de combat de l'Armée et il appuie nos militaires, femmes et hommes, dans toute une gamme d'opérations, y compris les missions de soutien de la paix à l'étranger et les opérations de secours qui ont été menées lors des vastes inondations s'étant produites au Nouveau‑Brunswick, au Québec et en Ontario. Le VBL est une plateforme qui a fait ses preuves et qui répond aux besoins de l'Armée canadienne. La présence de véhicules d'appui tactique semblables dans le parc des Forces armées canadiennes offrira de nombreux avantages opérationnels, y compris la réduction du coût de l'instruction et du maintien en puissance et la disponibilité de pièces de rechange communes pour réparer les véhicules rapidement au cours d'opérations critiques. Les véhicules blindés d'appui tactique remplissent des rôles clés et servent notamment de postes de commandement, d'ambulances et d'ateliers mobiles de réparation. Cette nouvelle flotte offrira la protection et la mobilité dont les membres des FAC ont besoin pour exécuter leur travail dans les environnements opérationnels. Citations « Le VBL est l'épine dorsale de la flotte de véhicules de combat de l'Armée et il soutient nos militaires, femmes et hommes, dans tout un éventail d'opérations, allant des interventions de secours en cas de catastrophe au Canada telles que l'opération LENTUS aux missions de soutien de la paix à l'étranger. Je suis heureux de pouvoir renforcer notre flotte de véhicules blindés d'appui tactique, comme notre gouvernement s'est engagé à le faire dans la politique de défense Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, tout en soutenant des emplois canadiens et en favorisant l'innovation gr'ce à notre partenariat avec GDLS-C. » – Le ministre de la Défense nationale, Harjit S. Sajjan « Nous sommes résolus à fournir à nos militaires, femmes et hommes, l'équipement qu'il leur faut pour exécuter leur travail important. Dans le cadre de la politique de défense du Canada Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, l'annonce d'aujourd'hui nous fait avancer dans l'exécution de notre plan qui vise à fournir aux Forces armées canadiennes l'équipement moderne dont elles ont besoin, dans les limites du budget établi, tout en garantissant des emplois à la classe moyenne dans l'ensemble du pays. » – La ministre des Services publics, de l'Approvisionnement et de l'Accessibilité, Carla Qualtrough « Notre gouvernement continue de créer de bons emplois et des possibilités économiques pour les canadiennes et les canadiens. Chaque dollar dépensé aux fins de ce projet sera réinvesti dans l'économie canadienne en créant des débouchés pour les fournisseurs canadiens et en soutenant de bons emplois pour la classe moyenne. » – Le ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique, Navdeep Bains Faits en bref La flotte actuelle de véhicules blindés d'appui comprend des VBL II Bison et des VBL chenillés M113. Le gouvernement du Canada en est aux dernières étapes de la négociation d'un contrat avec GDLS-C. Le coût estimatif du projet pourrait atteindre trois milliards de dollars, et le prêt remboursable atteindra jusqu'à 650 millions de dollars. Ce premier montant comprend aussi le coût de la nouvelle infrastructure où les véhicules seront logés et entretenus. Les véhicules blindés d'appui tactique des FAC seront livrés en huit versions et pourront ainsi remplir divers rôles tels que: ambulances, récupération de véhicules, travaux de génie, atelier mobile de réparation, guerre électronique, transport de troupes et postes de commandement. En acquérant les véhicules maintenant, le Ministère épargnera les frais liés à l'entretien et à la prolongation de la durée de vie de la flotte actuelle de véhicules. La politique de défense du Canada Protection, Sécurité, Engagement contient l'engagement « d'intégrer l'analyse comparative entre les sexes plus (ACS+) dans toutes les activités liées à la défense dans l'ensemble des Forces armées canadiennes et au ministère de la Défense nationale ». Cela garantit que chaque activité, y compris l'acquisition de nouvelles plateformes majeures, prend en compte l'ACS+. L'opération LENTUS correspond aux interventions des Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) en cas de catastrophes naturelles au Canada. Elle suit un plan d'action établi pour soutenir les collectivités en crise. Les FAC peuvent alors utiliser des navires, des véhicules, des aéronefs et divers autres équipements. La Politique des retombées industrielles et technologiques est le principal outil dont dispose le gouvernement pour assurer les retombées économiques des grands marchés de défense, ce qui signifie que le fournisseur réinvestira dans l'économie canadienne un montant rigoureusement égal à la valeur du contrat. Liens connexes Protection, Sécurité, Engagement : la politique de défense du Canada Véhicule blindé d'appui tactique – Programme des capacités de la Défense Personnes-ressources Todd Lane Attaché de presse Cabinet du ministre de la Défense nationale Téléphone : 613-996-3100 Relations avec les médias Ministère de la Défense nationale Téléphone : 613-996-2353 Courriel : mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2019/08/le-canada-negocie-lachat-de-nouveaux-vehicules-blindes-dappui-tactique.html

NAVY Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $199,591,538 firm-fixed-price contract for MK 15 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) upgrades and conversions, system overhauls, and associated hardware. CIWS is a fast-reaction terminal defense against low- and high-flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other defenses. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $367,195,456. Work will be performed in Louisville, Kentucky (29%); Tucson, Arizona (20%); El Segundo, California (9%); Melbourne, Florida (5%); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3%); Andover, Massachusetts (2%); Ottobrunn, Germany (2%); Williston, Vermont (2%); Tempe, Arizona (1%); Grand Rapids, Michigan (1%); Hauppauge, New York (1%); Ashburn, Virginia (1%); East Syracuse, New York (1%); Camarillo, California (1%); Phoenix, Arizona (1%); Joplin, Missouri (1%); Murray, Utah (1%); Dallas, Texas (1%); Corona, California (1%); Huntsville, Alabama (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); Valencia, California (1%); Palo Alto, California (1%); and various locations with less than 1% each (13%). Work is expected to be completed by October 2023. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. government (85%); Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (8%); and the United Kingdom (7%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); 2019 other procurement (Army); 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); FMS Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; FMS United Kingdom; and 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $199,591,538 will be obligated at time of award. Funds in the amount of $59,964,768 will 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). Raytheon is the only source that can provide the MK 15 CIWS to fulfill Navy, Army, Coast Guard, and FMS requirements without unacceptable delays and substantial duplication of costs that cannot be recovered through competition. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-5406). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $27,303,596 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-6258 to exercise option for engineering services and other direct costs in support of the Integrated Submarine Imaging System. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (73.5%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (15%); Northampton, Massachusetts (5.5%); Fairfax, Virginia (3%); Arlington, Virginia (2%); and Newport, Rhode Island (1%), and is expected to be completed by September 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) in the amount of $2,633,461 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded $15,300,139 for a firm-fixed-price modification under a previously awarded contract (N40085-15-C-8739) for design and installation of a fire protection system for the Power Propulsion Facility, Building (Bldg) 633, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. This modification will provide for the full design and installation of the fire protection system for the P-547 power propulsion facility, Bldg. 633, Bldg. 519, Bldg. 520, and the P-104 test cell. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2013 military construction (Navy); and 2019 working capital fund (Navy) in the amount of $15,300,139 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this modification. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Wolverine Fire Protection Co., Mount Morris, Michigan, is awarded $11,104,895 for firm-fixed-price task order number N69450-19-F-0715 under a previously multiple award construction contract for fire protection upgrades at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. The work to be performed provides for the repairs and replacement of various existing fire alarm and additional associated systems (electrical, sprinkler systems, piping, and fire pumps) of Buildings 171, 175 and 176. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by February 2021. Fiscal 2019 defense working capital contract funds in the amount of $11,104,895 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-16-D-0613). AIR FORCE International Business Machines Corp., IBM Research - Almaden, San Jose, California, has been awarded a $59,999,958 cost reimbursement contract for NorthPole Software/Hardware. This contract provides for the design, verification, fabrication, and testing of a prototype artificial intelligence and machine learning IBM NorthPole neural inference processor that will be mounted on a test board. Work will be performed in San Jose, California. The work is expected to be complete by Nov. 16, 2021. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Air Force Research Laboratory/RIKF, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-1518). Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $47,917,924 for 469 Laser Maverick units. This contract provides for the manufacture and delivery of 469 each Laser Maverick units. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona. The work is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 3020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount $43,809,367 are being obligated at the time of award. AFLCMC/EBHK is the contracting activity, Hill Air Force Base, Ogden, Utah (FA8213-19-F-1006). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois; and Warner Robins, Georgia, has been awarded a $7,013,331, follow-on contract FA8523-19-D-0007, for DRE, Netherlands. This contract will provide action for the Royal Netherlands Air Force AN/ALQ-131 (V) electronics countermeasures pod upgrade. This program is focused on the redesign of the ALQ-131 Digital Receiver Exciter and ALM-256 Intermediate Level Support Equipment. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 15, 2022. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales to the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: An Aug. 14, 2019, announcement that Alloy Surfaces Company Inc., Chester Township, Pennsylvania (FA8213-19-D-0011), was awarded a $25,000,000 contract for MJU-52 A/B aircraft decoy flares included an incorrect amount of funds being obligated at the time of award. The correct amount of fiscal 2018 ammunition procurement funds being obligated at the time of award is actually $5,281,631. All other information in the announcement is correct. ARMY WMR-532 LLC, Athens, Alabama, was awarded a $49,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for operations, maintenance and technical support. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 18, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-19-D-0038). T.W. LaQuay Marine LLC,* Port Lavaca, Texas, was awarded a $10,736,570 firm-fixed-price contract for pipeline dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Port Isabel, Texas, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $10,736,570 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-19-C-0010). American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, White Plains, New York, was awarded a $10,654,800 firm-fixed-price contract for oral proficiency interviews. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 16, 2020. U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command, Presidio of Monterey, California, is the contracting activity (W9124N-16-D-0001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative Inc., Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $13,700,591 modification (P00027) to the existing 50-year contract (SP0600-16-C-8314) for electric operations and maintenance and renewal and replacement utility service charge. This is a fixed-price contract being modified to incorporate the economic price-adjustment agreement to the third-year. Location of performance is Florida, with a July 31, 2067, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. The Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The contract announced on Aug. 14, 2019, for General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona (SPRBL1-19-P-0047), for $12,973,184 was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is Aug. 15, 2019. *Small Busines https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1936972/source/GovDelivery/

The Department of Defense is poised to spend nearly $1 billion on artificial intelligence in the next year. The Pentagon's proposed budget for fiscal 2020 includes some $927 million for AI, as well as machine learning, according to Ainikki Riikonen, a research assistant for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. This includes $208 million earmarked for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, which was created in 2018. The Center's initial efforts have delivered “a very mature, insightful high-level view” of issues surrounding AI, said Ian McCulloh, chief data scientist at Accenture Federal Services. AI encompasses hardware, software, people and processes. With nearly a $1 billion bankroll, Defense Department leaders and the intelligence community are now looking for the best ways to leverage this emerging capability most effectively. Starting point A deep dive into the numbers shows an early emphasis on basic research. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's budget request includes $138 million for advanced land systems technology, up from $109 million in fiscal 2019. That program includes research into urban reconnaissance and AI-driven subterranean operations. DARPA's budget also includes $10 million for the Highly Networked Dissemination of Relevant Data Project, a situational awareness tool, as well as $161 million for the AI Human Machine Symbiosis Project, up from $97 million. “That's all about creating systems and people that actually understand each other,” Riikonen said. These foundational research efforts could yield practical results for the war fighter. But before the Pentagon can make use of AI's analytic and predictive powers, military leaders will need to ensure they have the underlying infrastructure in place. “There's so much data available to the military, but it's stored all over the place, and rarely in a format that is easily transferrable into an algorithm,” said Todd Probert, vice president for Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “If the military wants to set itself up for success, they should focus on data curation, labeling and cleaning, as well as recruiting and training the data scientists necessary to make use of it.” Good data requires good technical people, and those aren't easy to come by. “Talent isn't cheap and it's in high demand. The government will be competing directly with industry for a very small pool of people,” Probert said. This indicates a need for early investments on talented professionals. From there, defense can begin to look at funding specific projects and programs that take advantage of AI's capabilities. AI applications The Pentagon might begin by considering the potential for AI as a weapon of war. “We are only starting to scratch the surface on the impact of AI and how it can be manipulated by adversaries for nefarious purposes,” said Rahul Kashyap, president and chief executive of network traffic analysis company Awake Security. Machine learning might help military systems be more effective, but the reliance on data could also make those systems vulnerable to new kinds of attack. “With the adversarial use of AI, there are already discussions about ways in which data we have come to rely on may be poisoned to trick the machine inputs and algorithms,” Kashyap said. Some experts suggest that any early investments should address this potential risk, building in a defensive capability as part of AI's foundational layer. Others say that the low-hanging fruit lies in the military's ability to leverage AI in support of mundane, but nonetheless critical, tasks. In the near term, for example, AI spending could help provide transparency around inventory and supply chain management. “AI could help manage the complexity behind the connectivity and flow between transportation, people, facilities and supplies including equipment, spare parts and fuel in a predictive manner,” said Brigham Bechtel, chief strategy officer for intelligence and defense at big data applications firm MarkLogic. In this scenario, AI would leverage existing data on materiel availability and equipment performance to drive preventative maintenance, as well as parts procurement — “keeping records of millions of screws, wire couplers, and even tank gun barrels to support scaling to operational demand,” Bechtel said. That's a task for which machine-scale intelligence is ideally suited. In the realm of ISR, some industry representatives point to “open-source intelligence” (such as social media) as a prime target for AI investments. Sources such as Facebook and Twitter contain “significant intelligence that is beyond the scale of humans or classic computation analysis,” said Chad Steelberg, chief executive and chairman of AI-based analysis company Veritone. As in logistics, open-source intelligence offers ample data in a space where machine-scale analytics could have a deep impact. “The war of ideas, ranging from ISIS recruiting to state-sponsored propaganda, is the most dangerous battlefronts today,” Steelberg said. “With the source of ideas now being influenced by AI, the countries that harness this new weapon most effectively will have a distinct advantage.” The intelligence community also could benefit from AI's analytic powers to manage the sheer volume of sensor data in the field. “Is the analyst overwhelmed with data? If so, AI has the potential to help,” said Graham Gilmer, a principal in Booz Allen Hamilton's analytics business. “Generating a more robust search capability, fusing data from multiple sources, and generally doing the heavy lifting to cue the analyst are the most immediate applications.” In addition to addressing external data, the intelligence community could score an early win by building AI models that scrutinize conversations amongst analysts themselves. “In an ISR suite there can be as many as 15 chat rooms going at any time, with info coming in from various units and intelligence agencies,” Probert said. “That's too much data and crosstalk for a person to manage, so information is inevitably going to be missed. We need machine learning tools that can flag critical data and alert analysts to what's important.” All these represent valid points of inquiry and the Pentagon likely will pursue diverse variations on these themes. In the short term, though, analysts predict AI will mostly be about robots. “Advanced automation is the fastest growing category in AI, with the rise of unmanned systems,” Riikonen said, noting it would be a natural evolution for the military to leverage private sector learning to utilize AI in support of autonomous systems. “That fits very well with the overall U.S. defense strategy, which is all about having more of these autonomous systems that support war fighters in denied and contested environments.” In order to achieve those goals, the Defense Department may have to adopt a new way of investing in technology. Rather than a single development effort that leads to a completed product, however, AI requires an iterative process in which the computers learn over time. “You do small chunks, you do small bites,” said Paul Johnson, Grant Thornton public sector senior strategic adviser for the defense and intelligence community. In this light, AI investment will require not just algorithmic development, but investment in organizational change, to spur deep interactions between stakeholders. “We need to get the coders in the same room with the end users and start having the conversation about the art of the possible,” Johnson said. “You have to have that conversation early, often and repeatedly, for the coders to understand what they need to do.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/artificial-intelligence/2019/08/16/whats-the-best-way-for-the-pentagon-to-invest-in-artificial-intelligence/

By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is months behind schedule getting its latest batch of Virginia-class attack subs under contract, and no resolution appears imminent — leading to mounting concerns that delays on the Virginia will affect the Navy's top acquisition priority, the Columbia-class submarine. The contract for the 10-ship Block V Virginia-class attack submarine was supposed to be signed in April, but Navy and industry sources say that there has been a lot of talk and little agreement between the service and the two shipbuilders, General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Newport News. Intended to integrate acoustic upgrades and an 84-foot section for additional strike missile tubes, the delayed contract for the Block V Virginias have instead turned into just the latest warning sign that all is not well in Virginia-land, as schedules have slipped and at least one of the builders is now bleeding profits. Furthermore, it's unclear what the Navy's buying profile for Block V will be, which is subject to both contract negotiations and Congressional action on the fiscal year 2020 budget. The anxiety over Virginia delays, however, are less about Virginia, which is still a strong performing program — especially when compared with other programs such as the Ford-class carrier — but are more driven by the potential for compounding issues bleeding over into the Columbia-class. Both submarines will be drawing on the same workforce and supplier base, which is already showing signs of strain. The Navy says the delays are part of ongoing negotiations and that the schedule should not be affected further since the Navy has already contracted for long-lead time materials, but with the first Columbia expected to be ordered in 2021, the service is facing the reality that it lacks a clear idea of the future of the Virginia program when it is preparing to launch Columbia. The delays center on the integration of the Virginia payload module and just how many the Navy intends to buy. Until this year, the public plan was for Virginia Block V to be a 10-ship class, where the first boat would integrate the acoustic upgrades but the follow-on boats would all integrate the VPM, which is designed to triple the Virginia's Tomahawk payload capacity to 40 per hull. When the Pentagon's 2020 budget request dropped in March, the plan changed, with the total buy expanded to 11 hulls with eight VPM boats. But according to sources who spoke to Defense News, the builder was laying the groundwork for the original plan, which the Navy had already purchased long-lead material toward. The confusion over just how many VPMs the Navy intends to buy has been a major sticking point in the negotiations, with sources telling Defense News that the number of VPMs could still end up as either eight or seven, or potentially even fewer. Complicating matters further is that Congress has yet to weigh in on the fate of the 11th Block V boat, which would mean buying three Virginia's in one year, and some on Capitol Hill have voiced skepticism that the industrial base can support that The Navy's top acquisition official, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Acquisition and Development James Geurts, is working toward a solution that will balance the needs of the Navy and the needs of the builders, his spokesman said. Geurts "continues to work closely with the program team and industry on negotiating a Block V Multi-Year procurement contract that will be affordable, executable and supports the industrial base,” said Capt. Danny Hernandez. “He wants to ensure we are maximizing the use of taxpayer dollars while at the same time striving for an acceptable level of design and program risk. “Additionally, during this period, the Navy is continuing to fund the shipbuilder for long lead time materials and pre-construction efforts to ensure submarine work continues at the shipyards and with the supplier base.” ‘Worst of Both Worlds' With uncertainty looming about the future of the Virginia class, questions remain about whether that will bleed into Columbia, creating schedule risk that Navy leaders have said for years was untenable. Congress has sought to ease the strain on the supplier base by offering money to help smaller vendors expand to meet demand. And in March, Geurts announced that he was standing up a new program executive officer for Columbia, citing the need to be proactive with any problems that might arise from the competing demands on the industrial base. “These yards are integrated,” defense analyst Dan Goure, a former Bush Administration official who now works for The Lexington Institute, said in an April interview. “When you start messing with the other program on a short-notice basis, you risk the yards being able to deliver on time and at cost for multiple programs. “In a sense you risk the worst of both worlds: You risk further perturbations in the Virginia class, and at the same time risk not being able to get Columbia out on time.” Both General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls said in earnings calls they expect the Block V contract to be signed by the end of the year. Delays The setbacks seem to be compounding for the Virginia program. Welding issues on missile tubes destined for the Virginia Payload Module and the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program have eaten into the schedule margin for both programs. And issues with the supplier base as well as the labor force have caused schedule delays. Industry sources who spoke to Defense News said growing the Virginia-class program from one submarine per year to two submarines per year, which started with the budget in FY11, has put increasing strain on a diminished submarine supplier base, which has put pressure on schedules as the shipyards wait for parts. Huntington Ingalls has dropped 23 percent of its profit margin on the Virginia-class program, according to a second-quarter earnings report analyzed by defense business analyst Jim McAleese. In an earnings call, Huntington Ingalls executives seemed to blame the drop on the schedule delays. Two sources familiar with the issue said profit loss stemmed from labor force issues that resulted from a year-long delay in the Navy contracting for the carrier George Washington's mid-life refueling and overhaul. The delay caused Ingalls to lay off about 1,200 employees, which drew off workforce from the Virginia program because of labor union rules that say that the most recent hires must be laid off first. Those rules forced Huntington Ingalls Industries to lay off workers who were working on the Virginia program, who in turn were then snapped up by other yards; Huntington Ingalls Industries then had to train new employees for the Virginia work. Defense News reported in March that class-wide, Virginia is looking at four-to-seven month delays for delivery, which drives up labor costs. Huntington Ingalls Industries chief financial officer Chris Kastner said on the call that getting the Virginia program back on schedule is a top priority. “Especially when you're a in a serial production line like we are with the Virginia-class,” Kastner said. “If you start to have issues with schedule it does start to affect the synchronization of the line. “We've been working pretty hard to reset that this year, given kind of where we started last year fourth quarter and we made great progress on that." https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/08/16/questions-about-us-navy-attack-sub-program-linger-as-contract-negotiations-drag/

By: Jen Judson HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The new U.S. Missile Defense Agency director is opposed to the transfer of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, or THAAD, to the Army — something Senate authorizers want to do this year in the fiscal 2020 authorization bill. Talk of transferring THAAD to the Army has been ongoing for roughly a decade. The Army officially operates the system, but the MDA conducts its development and continued modernization. Both MDA and Army leadership have said if Congress were to authorize a transfer, they would not oppose the move as long as the necessary funding is made available and not taken from other portfolios within the service. But there's still a fear that programs transferred to the services is where they go to die, either in their entirety or at least the chance of continued system modernization. For instance, there could be a plan down the road to extend the range of the THAAD interceptor. Historically, at times, when programs are transferred, funding meant to further improve systems has been cannibalized for more pressing, immediate needs within the armed services. “Why would we hand that off to the Army or Air Force, that sort of transfer to a service where it won't be prioritized? They have many other priorities,” MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill told Defense News in an exclusive interview at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. “I don't like organizational experiments on programs that are delivering more fighting capability,” he added. The challenge Before Congress, the military or the MDA consider transferring such a capability, a better definition for “transfer of services” must be ironed out, Hill said. He considers defining this one of his top challenges. “It gets suspicious when we don't have a fully defined term because all it really results in is fracturing of a program during a time where it's most critical to have those programs stable and taking care of the war fighter,” Hill said. “There's been a lot of discussion about the THAAD and the SM-3 [missile] transfer to the services. What does that mean?” The definition of transfer “ranges everything from a full-up transfer of the system over to the service, which assumes that the system is static and how it's designed today is how it's going to be designed forever,” Hill said. If it means transferring operations and sustainment responsibility, and then “put that in the done pile. The Army invests heavily in the operations and sustainment of that. I don't know what more we would want out of them,” he said. The argument MDA is examining whether it is doing enough to support the Army's successful operation and sustainment of the system, he noted, such as whether the service has the right logistics line in place and the right training. A THAAD transfer could also be disruptive to production at a time when THAAD interceptors are in high demand and orders continue to grow. Even if the transfer of THAAD meant the service would responsible for interceptor procurement, the MDA would have to break contracts for the Army to take over, which could result in delayed production, according to Hill. “We know right now, in today's operational environment, we need more,” Hill said. “So that makes no sense to me.” And for Hill, a THAAD transfer is a slippery slope. If the Army took complete control of the batteries, “then there's this discussion, ‘Well, let's include the TPY/2 radar and let's walk it a little bit further and let's take the homeland defense radars that are deployed globally that have a totally different mission.” The resistance to transfer THAAD in its entirety is not a sign of a resistance to transfer where it makes sense, Hill noted. “I often hear that we don't know how to transfer. Well look at the Aegis ships today. Navy procures those ships with ballistic missile defense capability. The Navy has come in and said: ‘Hey, we're going to build a multimission radar to include BMD capability in a SPY-6 [radar],' ” Hill said. “Man, what's wrong with that? That's fantastic.” MDA has also fully transferred the Patriot air and missile defense system to the Army. “Where Patriot is different, is it's a multimission system,” Hill said. “They have air defense as part of the maneuver force. It's sort of like cruise missile defense on a ship. We don't need to take over the Navy's cruise missile defense. ... Patriot is sort of the same thing.” THAAD is part of a wider integrated missile defense system, he added. “THAAD has to stay in MDA ... for the interoperability and integration into the other domains from across the services," Riki Ellison, chairman and founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, told Defense News. "THAAD is not an Army-centric weapon system. It should never be deployed as a standoff, alone weapon system.” The Joint Urgent Operational Need out of the Korean theater that calls for the integration of THAAD and Patriot is a prime example, Ellison noted. “MDA is the only one that has cross-domain [Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications] development and operational development as proven with the [Ground-Based Midcourse Defense] System," he said. Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said: “I'm afraid the Army won't fund THAAD if it's their responsibility. We need to free up more money in MDA so it can focus on research and development, so we have a dilemma. Something has to give.” Short of the defense secretary directing the services to fund and support systems like THAAD, Heinrichs said, “they're probably just going to have to stay in MDA. That means we need a much bigger top line in MDA ... to fund the new technologies needed for advanced threats, especially.” The agency is currently advising the Pentagon and Congress on the right plan for where THAAD should live. “That's something that we have to work internally," Hill noted, "and so we need to get our act together on both sides.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/smd/2019/08/14/mda-director-opposes-transfer-of-terminal-missile-defense-system-to-army/

ARMY GiaCare and MedTrust JV LLC,* Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was awarded a $218,983,564 firm-fixed-price contract for registered nursing services. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2024. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-19-D-0021). Honeywell International Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, was awarded an $110,870,867 modification (P00102) to contract W56HZV-12-C-0344 for Total Integrated Engine Revitalization (TIGER) hardware to meet the Anniston Army Depot production of the Advanced Gas Turbine 1500 engine for the Abrams tanks and TIGER field repair site requirements. Work will be performed in Phoenix, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 22, 2022. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $110,870,867 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. The Ross Group Construction Corp., Tulsa, Oklahoma, was awarded a $46,949,880 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of a new visiting quarters facility at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 1, 2021. Fiscal 2019 non-appropriated funds for Air Force services funds in the amount of $46,949,880 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-19-C-0028). Lord & Son Construction Inc.,* Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was awarded a $32,128,489 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a Long-Range Stand-Off Acquisition Facility on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 14, 2021. Fiscal 2018 military construction funds in the amount of $21,128,489 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-19-C-0023). GEO Consultants Corp.,* Kevil, Kentucky, was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for environmental services. Nine bids were solicited with nine bids received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 14, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-19-D-0045). Michael Baker International Inc., Moon Township, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for communications engineering services within the Central Command Area of Responsibility. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 14, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-19-D-0043). NAVY Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded an $80,011,579 fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-14-C-5106 for fiscal 2019 AEGIS Modernization (AMOD) production requirements. This procurement covers the production, test and delivery of multi-mission signal processor equipment sets; electronic equipment fluid cooler; AEGIS Weapon System AMOD Upgrade equipment; Kill Assessment System 5.1 equipment; AEGIS spares; Australia Combat Systems Engineering Development Site; and AEGIS Ashore Japan Sites equipment. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (78.1%); the government of Japan (18.2%); and the government of Australia (3.7%) under the Foreign Military Sales program. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract action to $80,411,730. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (71.2%); Clearwater, Florida (27.4%); and Owego, New York (1.4%), and is expected to be complete by November 2023. Fiscal 2019 defense-wide procurement; 2019, 2018, 2017 other procurement (Navy); 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales funding in the amount of $80,011,579 will be obligated at the time of award, of which $968,079 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp. Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $55,960,700 cost-plus-incentive fee, cost-only, firm-fixed-price contract for combat system engineering support on the Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS). The SSDS combat system engineering agent/software design agent primary deliverables will be SSDS tactical computer programs, program updates and associated engineering, development and logistics products. This contract will manage the in-service SSDS configurations as well as adapt and integrate new or upgraded war-fighting capabilities. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (95.6%); and San Diego, California (4.4%), and is expected to be complete by December 2019. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $637,583,110 and be complete by December 2028. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); 2019 other procurement (Navy); 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $12,438,006 will be obligated at time of award, and funding in the amount of $1,306 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-5603). American Electronic Warfare Associates Inc.,* California, Maryland, is awarded a $40,103,262 fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for technical support services for the Aircraft Prototype Systems Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center – Aircraft Division Integrated Battlespace Simulation and Test Department. Services to be provided include all phases of program execution from initial conceptual studies, execution planning, management, engineering, documentation, fabrication, installation/ modification and test and evaluation activity support for aircraft research, development, prototyping, experimentation and test and evaluation programs. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in November 2023. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside; two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0042119D0076). FLIR Surveillance Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon, is awarded a $12,689,470 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year ordering period for supplies, repairs and upgrades for Littoral Combat Ship configuration of Sea Star SAFIRE III Electro-Optics Sensor Systems. Work will be performed in Wilsonville, Oregon, and is expected to be complete by August 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $432,514 will be obligated at the time of award and will 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 supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-19-D-JQ49). Teledyne Instruments Inc., North Falmouth, Massachusetts, is awarded a $7,666,080 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for services and supplies to support the ongoing development of autonomous underwater vehicles, localization systems, monitoring and navigation tele-sonar subsea modems. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $22,222,593. Work will be performed in North Falmouth, Massachusetts (90%); and Keyport, Washington (10%), and is expected to be complete by December 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $4,281,649; and fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,070,412 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was procured as a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III award without further competition. The awardee satisfied competition requirements during Phase I and Phase II under Topic N02-082. A justification and approval document pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(5) was approved by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, Competition Advocate in January 2017. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, in Keyport, Washington, is the contracting activity (N00253-19-D-0005). DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY AMYX Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a fixed-price contract with an estimated value of $56,818,861. The contract provides contracting and program management support to the Defense Health Agency (DHA). Services include, but are not limited to, acquisition and contract management, program management support, and other related workload requirements associated with the award and administration of DHA contracts. The contract was awarded as a competitive 100% small business acquisition. There is a base period of eight months, and four one-year option periods. The places of contract performance are: Falls Church, Virginia; Rosslyn, Virginia; San Antonio, Texas; and Aurora, Colorado. The period of performance begins on Sept. 25, 2019, and the completion date is May 31, 2024. The base period is funded with fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $7,208,836. The Defense Health Agency, Enterprise Medical Services, Contracting Division, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (HT0050-19-F-0001). AMYX Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a fixed-price contract with an estimated value of $47,926,649. The program and acquisition support services include, but are not limited to, program management support and other related workload requirements associated with acquisition and business processes. The contractor shall accomplish a variety of acquisition and other related administrative services to complement the government's workplace capabilities. The contract was a competitive 100% small business acquisition. There is a base period of nine months, and four one-year option periods. This contract provides support to San Antonio, Texas; Aurora, Colorado; Falls Church, Virginia; and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, with a completion date of June 17, 2024. The base period is funded with fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $6,077,590. The Defense Health Agency, Enterprise Medical Services, Contracting Division, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (HT0050-19-F-0002). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Sysco Alabama, Calera, Alabama, has been awarded a maximum $37,893,960 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full line food distribution. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year bridge contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Central Alabama and Florida Panhandle regions, with an Aug. 8, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-19-D-3234). Arizona Industries for the Blind, Phoenix, Arizona, has been awarded an estimated $8,600,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for warehousing, storage, logistics and distribution functions. This is a two-year base contract with three one-year option periods. Location of performance is Arizona, with an Aug. 16, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and National Guard and Reserves. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-B065). U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Trident Technologies LLC, Huntsville, Alabama, has been awarded a contract modification (P00013) on contract HTC711-14-D-D003 in the amount of $13,616,300. The contract modification executed Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services for the Enterprise Architecture, Data, and Engineering (EADE) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity to continue vital support services. The EADE contract acquires enterprise architecture, data, and information technology engineering services for the U.S. Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command/A6, and the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. Period of performance is Oct. 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020. The location of performance is Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Operations and maintenance; transportation working capital funds; and research, development, test and evaluation funds will be obligated at the individual task order level. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract from $125,752,500 to $139,368,800. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1935785/source/GovDelivery/

By: Leo Shane III The next few months could decide whether the Defense Department gets another base closing round in the next decade, according to a new analysis from a conservative think tankwarning military officials not to dismiss the potential looming impact on budgets and readiness. Officials from the Heritage Foundation, whose policy priorities have helped influence President Donald Trump's administration, have in the past supported a new base closing round to cut back on excess military infrastructure and more efficiently spend annual defense funding. In the analysis released this week, author Frederico Bartels — policy analyst for defense budgeting at the foundation — said a Pentagon report on the issue being compiled now represents “the best chance for the Department of Defense to make the case for a new round of BRAC” in years, and perhaps the last realistic chance to advance the idea for the near future. “I think it's the last chance of the Trump administration to make an argument for this,” he said in an interview with Military Times. “Even if he gets re-elected next year, I think it will be hard to go back and make the case if they're unsuccessful this time.” The military convened six base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commissions between 1988 and 2005, shutting down dozens of military installations and turning over that land to state and local municipalities. The process has always been fraught with political turmoil, as lawmakers protest any loss of jobs, military personnel and resulting economic benefits in their districts. But the 2005 BRAC round was particularly controversial, as defense officials consolidated numerous service locations into joint bases and massively rearranged force structure in an attempt to modernize the military. As a result, cost saving projections from that process were significantly below past rounds, and members of Congress have strongly opposed any attempts at another round since then. In the fiscal 2019 national defense authorization act, lawmakers did include language for a new military infrastructure capacity report — due next February — where defense officials can make the case for the need for additional closures. Similar Pentagon reports in the last few years have shown excess capacity of between 19 and 22 percent. Bartels said Pentagon leaders have repeatedly supported the idea of another round in recent years, but have done a poor job selling lawmakers on the idea. “The department needs to make the case for a new round of BRAC based on two key tenets: potential savings and the National Defense Strategy,” he wrote. “A new BRAC round could save $2 billion by reducing unneeded infrastructure. Additionally, a new round of BRAC would permit the department to assess its infrastructure against the threats outlined by the National Defense Strategy, providing a holistic look at all of the infrastructure.” He warns that naming specific locations will only exacerbate political tensions on the issue, and said defense officials also need to publicly acknowledge problems with the 2005 base realignment round to win back congressional support. And Bartels argues that the Trump administration must do more to push the issue. Defense officials requested a base closing round as part of their annual budget for six consecutive years before the Trump White House dropped the idea in their fiscal 2019 and 2020 budget plans. If officials fail to request one next spring, or if the planned infrastructure report is delayed by several months, the department risks pushing the idea back at minimum an entire extra budget cycle and likely several more years down the road. Even if approved, the new BRAC round is likely to take several years of research and debate before any recommendations are made. “I think there is still support for this in Congress,” Bartels said. “I think there are enough people that are about good stewardship of government funds that this can move ahead, if (defense officials) make the right argument. At least, I hope those lawmakers still exist.” The full analysis is available on the Heritage Foundation's website. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/08/15/plans-for-a-new-base-closing-round-may-be-running-out-of-time-report/

By Oriana Pawlyk As part of the U.S. Air Force's effort to improve how it prepares to deploy at a moment's notice, the service earlier this month tested how swiftly it could move its premier stealth fighter to a forward operating location in the Middle East. During an exercise called "Agile Lightning," held Aug. 4-7, airmen assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, temporarily deployed to an undisclosed location in the Middle East to train in an austere environment with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to a service news release. "By executing the adaptive basing concepts we have only practiced at home until now, we increased the readiness, survivability and lethality of the F-35A in a combat theater," said Lt. Col. Joshua Arki, 4th EFS commander. "The 'Fightin' Fuujins' of the 4th EFS successfully deployed a small detachment of aircraft and personnel to a forward location, supporting combat operations from that location for a given period of time, and then re-deployed back to our primary operating location," Arki said in the release. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/08/15/air-force-tests-how-quickly-nimbly-it-can-deploy-f-35-agile-lightning.html