Nouvelles

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON —The Trump administration reportedly plans to reinterpret a key arms agreement that governs the sale of unmanned aircraft, opening the door for more countries to buy drones from U.S. defense contractors. According to Reuters, the Trump administration plans to loosen its interpretation of the Missile Technology Control Regime, an agreement among the U.S. and 34 other nations that governs the export of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The report does not exactly lay out how the White House's interpretation of the MTCR will change, but it likely involves how the administration construes the phrase “strong presumption of denial.” Currently, the U.S. government's interpretation of that clause leads to a blanket denial of most countries' requests to buy “category-1” systems capable of carrying 500-kilogram payloads for more than 300 kilometers. The White House's National Security Council is set to review the change during a June 16 meeting, according to Reuters. The departments of Commerce, Energy, Justice and Homeland Security signed on to the new interpretation in May, and key industry stakeholders — including General Atomics and Northrop Grumman — have already been notified. The State Department could approve the first UAV sales under the new interpretation as soon this summer, a U.S. official and multiple industry executives told Reuters. The Trump administration has made loosening arms sale restrictions a major priority, but so far the changes to drone export policies have not had the impact desired by defense companies, which argue that they continue to lose sales to China and Israel. During a June 3 event on drone export policy, Keith Webster, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's defense and aerospace export council, said the administration has made some positive changes — including the approved sale of General Atomics MQ-9 Sea Guardian drones to India — but “for the policy changes, it has been disappointing.” In April 2018, the White House announced changes in policy allowing companies to sell certain unmanned aircraft through direct commercial sales to international militaries rather than having to go through the more laborious Foreign Military Sales process, where the U.S. government plays a large role in negotiating an agreement. It also struck rules that categorized unarmed drones with laser-designator technology as “strike enabling,” which grouped them with more highly restricted armed drones. The United States also attempted to change the MTCR by proposing language that would assign drones that fly under 800 kilometers per hour to “category-2” status, where sales are subject to approval on a case-by-case basis, said Heather Penney, a senior fellow at the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies. However, that proposal was not approved by all members of the regime and was thus denied. “We have information that the U.S. is potentially looking at an additional airspeed proposal, not from 800 kilometers per hour, but dropping that to 600 kilometers per hour — which is roughly about 320 knots,” she said at a June 3 event hosted by the Mitchell Institute. “This does not solve the problem set. It enables the look of advancement, the look of change, but really it does not move the ball forward.” Webster agreed, calling proposed changes to the MTCR a Band-Aid. “That buys us a year or two, but we're right back to square one because we haven't resolved the issue,” he said. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/06/12/trump-administration-considering-new-plan-to-ease-drone-export-rules/

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY US Foods, Los Angeles, California, has been awarded a maximum $525,250,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is California, with a June 12, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-3278). Sysco Hampton Roads, Inc., Suffolk, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $377,791,948 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a two-year base contract with one one-year option period and one two-year option period. Location of performance is Virginia, with a June 9, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-3277). Federal Contracts Corp., Tampa, Florida, is sharing a maximum $189,261,484 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for agricultural equipment. This was a competitive acquisition with 10 responses received. Other contracts have been awarded under this solicitation (SPE8EC-17-R-0007) and additional awards are expected. Awardees will compete for a portion of the maximum dollar value. This is a five-year base contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a June 11, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8EC-20-D-0060). NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a not-to-exceed $375,488,269 undefinitized contract modification (P00014) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-19-C-0013). This modification provides non-recurring efforts to design and develop unique hardware and software for the Multi-Role Helicopter MH-60R development program for the government of India. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (81%); and Stratford, Connecticut (19%), and is expected to be complete by June 2025. Foreign Military Sales funds for $117,700,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $183,815,073 modification (P00096) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0003). This modification incorporates additional operation, security and technical services in support of the F-35 Lightning II program for the Republic of Korea. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be complete by January 2021. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $183,815,073 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Scientific Systems Co. Inc.*, Woburn, Massachusetts, is awarded a $9,575,556 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N68335-20-F-0006) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N68335-15-G-0030). This order provides for continuing improvement of the software development processes to enhance cybersecurity and software safety for the Image Based Navigation for Vertical Take-off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Shipboard Landing program in support of the MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned air vehicle. This is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III for research and development performed under the SBIR topic numbers N112-127, N03-025 and AF06-149. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts (95%); and Bedford, New Hampshire (5%), and is expected to be complete by June 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds for $50,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Engility Corp., Andover, Massachusetts, is awarded a $7,956,180 modification (P00010) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable order (N68936-19-F-0379) against a General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Multiple Award Contract (GS00Q14OADU336). Work will be performed in Point Mugu, California (90%); Whidbey Island, Washington (1.67%); Patuxent River, Maryland (1.67%); China Lake, California (1.67%); Baltimore, Maryland (1.67%); St. Louis, Missouri (1.67%); and El Segundo, California (1.65%). This modification exercises an option for engineering, technical and programmatic support services for the development of electronic attack and electronic warfare products within the Airborne Electronic Attack Integrated Program. Work is expected to be complete by June 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $829,056 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Point Mugu, California, is the contracting activity. Johnson Controls Government Systems LLC, Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $7,836,200 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the dollar of a contract task order for the upgrade of a cogeneration power plant, government-maintained buildings and the Metasys building automation software under the Energy Savings Performance Contract within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of operations. Work will be performed in Twentynine Palms, California, and provides for contractors to complete the upgrade of the cogeneration plant, government-maintained buildings and the Metasys building automation software. Work is expected to be complete by November 2026. After the award of this modification, the total cumulative task order value will be $194,104,318. For this project, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms has agreed to pay for the costs of services and construction from project financing, which will be obtained by Johnson Controls Government Systems LLC. The NAVFAC Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity (DACA87-97-D-0069-EJP3). ARMY Versar Inc., Springfield, Virginia (W912PL-20-D-0028); E3 Federal Solutions LLC, McLean, Virginia (W912PL-20-D-0029); Accura Engineering,* Atlanta, Georgia (W912PL-20-D-0030); and Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas (W912PL-20-D-0031), will compete for each order of the $300,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to support various construction activities along the southern border of the U.S. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 11, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. Advanced Technology International, Summerville, South Carolina, was awarded an Other Transaction Authority agreement with a ceiling of $180,752,982 for enhanced technology maturation and risk reduction for Precision Strike Missile. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas; and Summerville, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 20, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $180,752,982 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-18-9-1008). Valiant Integrated Services, San Diego, California, was awarded a $68,045,249 hybrid (cost-no fee, firm-fixed-price) contract to provide an immersive training environment. 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 July 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0013). L3 Combat Propulsion Systems, Muskegon, Michigan, was awarded a $44,529,726 firm-fixed-price contract to procure hydro-mechanically propelled transmission, operational reliability, 800 series transmissions in two configurations. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Muskegon, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 weapons and tracked combat vehicle procurement, Army funds; 2019 overseas contingency operations funds; and 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $44,529,726 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-C-0124). Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., Vancouver, Washington, was awarded a $38,875,500 firm-fixed-price contract to replace a full-depth concrete ramp, taxiways and shoulders. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Klamath Falls, Oregon, with an estimated completion date of June 27, 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army National Guard funds in the amount of $38,875,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office, Oregon, is the contracting activity (W50S8Z-20-C-0002). Walsh Federal LLC, Chicago, Illinois, was awarded a $22,955,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide labor, materials, equipment and supervision necessary for upgrading the main gate access control point at Defense Depot San Joaquin. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Tracy, California, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 23, 2021. Fiscal 2020 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $22,955,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-20-C-0011). Avion Solutions Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $19,825,503 modification (0002 33) to time-and-materials Foreign Military Sales (Bahrain, Egypt, Latvia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sweden, Taiwan, and United Arab Emirates) contract for utility helicopter logistics support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of June 11, 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement, Army; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $19,825,503 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-15-A-0029). ICF Inc. LLC, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $13,444,607 modification (P00036) to contract W911QX-17-C-0018 to extend mission critical defense cyber operation services provided by ICF. Work will be performed in Adelphi, Columbia, Fort Meade, and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; San Antonio, Texas; and Colorado Springs, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 15, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $13,444,607 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Orion Marine Construction Inc., Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $10,499,080 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of March 30, 2021. Fiscal 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 civil construction funds; and 2017, 2018 and 2020 non-federal funds in the amount of $10,499,080 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-20-C-0015). Torch Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $7,484,308 modification (P00049) to contract W31P4Q-19-F-C003 for technical and engineering support for research and development. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of July 10, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $7,484,308 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. (Awarded June 10, 2020) AIR FORCE Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $202,600,272 definitive contract for F-15 sustainment. The estimated value of the options is $112,670,298. This contract provides support for the APG 82(V)1 radar modernization program depot activation in support of the Air Force. These services will include the engineering services required to support depot activation. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California; Forest, Mississippi; and McKinney, Texas. Work is expected to complete Dec. 11, 2024. This award is a result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $89,929,974 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8505-20-C-0001). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $24,570,275 definitized, fixed-price-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (PZ0011) to contract FA2103-18-C-0061 for the B61-12 Life Extension Program. The contract modification is to definitize contract action for Lot One and Lot Two. Work will be performed in Saint Charles, Missouri, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2019 ammunition procurement funds in the amount of $72,091,114; and 2020 ammunition procurement funds in the amount of $19,545,218 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $148,572,879. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. IBM Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,964,932 firm-fixed-price modification (P00010) to contract FA7014-19-F-A152 for advisory and assistance support. This modification exercises Option Year One that continues support for the development, implementations, analysis and provision of policies, guidance, oversight, career field management and human capital management programs across the civil engineer enterprise. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and if all options are exercised, work is expected to be completed Aug. 2, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with three offers received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,340,387 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force District of Washington Contracting Directorate, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $37,442,009 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Blackjack program, Phase 2. This contract provides for the research, development, and demonstration of an Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) payload for Blackjack. Raytheon will complete design, fabricate, test, and deliver in quantity space-flight ready OPIR payloads capable of integrating with multiple Blackjack buses and Pit Boss subsystem supporting an on-orbit constellation level demonstration. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California, with an estimated completion date of April 2023. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $24,934,144; and fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $8,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract is a competitive acquisition in accordance with the original broad agency announcement, HR001118S0032. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001120C0096). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2218996/source/GovDelivery/

Mark Pomerleau Following a significant merger and reorganization of its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and cyber enterprises, Air Force leaders are turning their attention to how these functions can work more closely together. “We're maturing this organization, moving past merging and focusing on integration,” Lt. Gen. Mary O'Brien, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations, said during a Joint Service Academy Cybersecurity Conference webinar June 11. “We find that our intelligence and cyber roles are focused increasingly interdependent and interconnected.” Within the last 18 months, the Air Force reconfigured its intelligence shop, formerly known as the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and added cyber effects operations. That change was followed by the merger of two numbered Air Forces – 24th Air Force and 25th Air Force – to create 16th Air Force last fall, the service's first information warfare entity. Officials have said in this new setup the deputy chief of staff handles the workforce, concepts, training, platforms, tools and integration. This is done so operators at 16th Air Force have the guidance they need. O'Brien added that the Air Force is now working at integrating the 2018 ISR flight plan and the 2019 cyber warfare flight plan. Each sought to chart a path for how the Air Force will fight in each respective area into the next decade as part of a great power competition. The ISR flight plan examined transforming the enterprise to meet future threats as opposed to modernization. The cyber flight guided funding, resourcing, training and capabilities for Air Force cyber offices. O'Brien also said integration related to network defense has proven critical with the increased telework during the pandemic. Intelligence and cyber experts are “identifying the threats and they're posturing to defend against them,” she said. "This was not always the case.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/information-warfare/2020/06/11/integration-is-the-next-step-for-air-force-information-warfare-leaders/

Lee Hudson June 11, 2020 Once the global coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., the military moved to ramp up remote pilot training options. But it is unclear if the trend will continue after the contagion passes. Before COVID-19, the Air Force was developing immersive training devices that would help instruct students remotely as part of Air Education and Training Command's Pilot Training Next program, says Lt. Col. Ryan Riley, commander of Detachment 24. Instead of the pupil coming into the office, receiving an in-person brief, locating a training device and executing a mission, Riley's team was looking at how to conduct those events with both the student and instructor at separate locations. Army pauses to assess training options Air Force and Navy immediately pivot to remote instruction “What we wanted to see, prior to COVID-19, was how far [we could] push the bounds of remote instruction,” Riley says. The pandemic turned that desire into a need to provide students the same level of instruction remotely as they would in person. The Air Force and training companies were already working to develop virtual training systems when COVID-19 struck, and the pandemic seems to have accelerated adoption. “There are only so many places to train,” says Todd Probert, defense and security group president at CAE. Though the military was once reluctant to fully tap into distance training, the question has become: “Is there a way to centralize that instruction?” he says. Pilots more than 100 mi. from a training base would be required to quarantine for two weeks once they arrived. The technology, however, was “very glitchy,” Riley says. The main problem was latency. So the team got to work, disassembling hardware and issuing the newest equipment to students and some of the instructor corps. Another issue was the fact that the detachment's home-use devices were running off a laptop. The team discovered that various software programs such as remote screen-sharing were taxing the central processing unit (CPU) heavily, overwhelming laptops, says Lt. Col. Robert Knapp, Detachment 24 operations officer. “No matter how good a laptop you buy, they're just never going to run at the same speed as a desktop computer,” Knapp says. “We took some of our older desktop computers that were in the building and sent those home with students to replace the laptops, which opened up a lot more CPU bandwidth.” The students also were asked to plug their devices into their routers instead of using wireless home internet, which reduced latency and resulted in a more streamlined, less glitchy process. Meanwhile, the Army was tackling similar challenges at Fort Rucker in Dale County, Alabama, where the service produces pilots to fly the Boeing AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. In addition to training its own pilots at Fort Rucker, the service also assists with the training of foreign military aviators from as many as 47 countries annually at the base. The Army established a virtual instructor's course so that the instructor pilots could learn how to teach using a digital platform, says Maj. Gen. David Francis, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general. “COVID-19 has enabled us to really take a look at ourselves and how we're delivering training,” he says. Francis envisions a blend of in-person and virtual training once the crisis passes. As the pandemic took hold, the Navy, too, set up remote instruction with unprecedented speed. With 45 students per class, the service would not have been able to comply with social distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Lt. Tim Benoit, aviation preflight indoctrination instructor at Naval Aviation Schools Command located in Pensacola, Florida. So in just five days, the Navy created a digital classroom and launched classes for its student Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy pilots. Benoit had selected flight instructors to test the new digital system, and the next day he prepared a presentation to train the rest of the instructors. “We were able to adapt to this without missing any productivity targets,” Benoit says. The Navy does not plan to employ remote instruction after the COVID-19 crisis but views the technology as an alternative when a natural disaster such as a hurricane hits. The service is recognizing the advantages of remote learning, however, which include saving time and money. Students have access to each session's recording and associated course materials, and the technology would allow students not in Pensacola to take the courses. “It can also be used in conjunction with in-person training to prep students . . . and it's been used to enable guest speakers” in another city, Benoit says. “Those are some things that I think may persist beyond the pandemic.” https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/us-military-turns-remote-pilot-training

Saskatoon / 650 CKOM The Canadian Press June 14, 2020 10:28 am OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence has been called out for assigning less than three people to monitor the rollout of the Liberal government's plan to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in new military equipment, troops and training. The criticism is contained in an internal Defence Department audit and follows previous concerns that delays and other problems are slowing implementation of the plan, which was unveiled in 2017 and promised to spend $553 billion in the military over 20 years. The plan known as Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) is seen as critical for replacing much of the military's aging equipment and adding new capabilities such as armed drones and defences in cyber and space that are needed for 21st-century warfare. Yet the Defence Department earlier this year revealed that more than 100 of the roughly 300 capital projects associated with the plan were facing delays, with the delivery dates for some urgently needed equipment pushed several years into the future. The audit report dated last November but only recently published online underscores the importance of monitoring and oversight to ensure the plan is properly implemented over the next two decades. Auditors instead found "limited dedicated resources to co-ordinate and monitor implementation" of the plan, according to the report, with fewer than three full-time staff members specifically tasked with the job. By comparison, there were 32 staff members assigned to oversee a cost-cutting exercise launched by the previous Conservative government in 2013 that aimed to eliminate $1.2 billion in annual waste within the department. That effort met with limited success. "The capacity of the SSE implementation team is limited and as such, certain monitoring functions and independent validation of information are not being performed," according to the audit report. The auditors also flagged concerns that the lack of monitoring meant senior defence officials were not receiving clear and accurate information about the state of the plan, raising fears about bad decisions being made. Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said some of the issues identified by the auditors have been addressed while work on others is underway, though she did not say how many staff are now responsible for monitoring the plan. "We welcome reviews of this nature, which help us find where adjustments and improvements can be made to ensure the continued efficient progress and oversight of the policy," Lamirande said in an email. "All of these audit recommendations are being addressed, with several already completed and the others well underway. In fact, some recommendations validated work that was already in progress." Defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute expressed surprise at the auditors' findings given senior officials had emphasized the importance of properly implementing the plan when it was released three years ago. That emphasis included monitoring progress, which Perry described as fundamental for identifying problems and areas that need attention — such as delayed procurement projects — to ensure the military gets what it has been promised and needs. The need to properly implement the plan and eliminate delays is even more important now, he added, given fears the federal government could start cutting defence spending as it seeks to find ways to pay for its COVID-19 emergency programs. "You've got a government whose wholesale attention is focused on the response to COVID," Perry said. "Any kind of delay in a program and the department basically not seizing the moment that it's got opens up potential vulnerability given the huge degree of economic and fiscal uncertainty that the department and government are facing right now." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2020. Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press https://www.ckom.com/2020/06/14/auditors-target-defence-department-for-poor-oversight-of-military-spending-plan/

DEFENSE Qu'est-ce que la Base industrielle et technologique de défense (BITD) ? Selon L'Opinion, l'ancien candidat LREM à la mairie de Paris et porte-parole du gouvernement Benjamin Griveaux se serait vu confié en tant que député une mission sur la « Base industrielle et technologique de défense » (BITD). Durant deux mois, il serait chargé avec le député Les Républicains Jean-Louis Thieriot de se pencher sur la place des industries de défense dans le plan de relance post-Covid-19. L'occasion pour l'Usine Nouvelle d'expliquer dans un article ce qu'est la BITD. L'Observatoire économique de la Défense, rattaché au ministère des Armées, établit chaque année cette Base industrielle et technologique de la défense. Elle regroupe l'ensemble des entreprises contribuant directement ou indirectement à la production ou au maintien en condition opérationnelle des armements : elles sont soit fournisseurs directs du ministère des Armées, soit sous-traitants des grands maîtres d'oeuvre industriels de la Défense. En 2018, il s'agissait d'une dizaine de grands groupes de taille mondiale (groupe Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Naval Group, MBDA, Nexter, Safran, Thales...) et 4 000 PME, soit environ 200 000 emplois, qui étaient comptabilisés. L'Usine Nouvelle du 12 juin 2020

UNE OCCASION D'EN APPRENDRE DAVANTAGE SUR LE PLUS GRAND APPROVISIONNEMENT EN MATIÈRE DE DÉFENSE AU CANADA RELATIF À DES SYSTÈMES TÉLÉCOMMANDÉS Renseignez-vous sur le Projet de Système d'aéronef télépiloté du gouvernement du Canada et sur la façon dont l'industrie canadienne et d'autres intervenants peuvent être mieux placés pour saisir les possibilités industrielles. Dans le cadre de la politique de défense du Canada, Protection, Sécurité, Engagement (PSE), le ministère de la Défense nationale s'est engagé à acquérir un système d'aéronef télépiloté (SATP). Ce projet permettra l'acquisition d'un SATP armé et à moyenne altitude, ainsi que de l'équipement, des armes, de l'infrastructure et du soutien en service connexes. La Politique des retombées industrielles et technologiques (RIT) s'appliquera à ce projet, exigeant que le fournisseur choisi réalise des investissements au Canada équivalant à la valeur de les contrats. Les fournisseurs qualifiés admissibles à présenter une soumission pour ce projet devront proposer des investissements industriels au Canada qui correspondent aux objectifs stratégiques de la proposition de valeur (PV). Systèmes Télécommandés Canada offre un webinaire oû un aperçu du projet de SATP sera présenté à l'industrie canadienne et à d'autres intervenants, y compris des renseignements clés sur les exigences du projet, le processus d'approvisionnement et les échéanciers. Le webinaire, en plus de décrire l'approche initiale de la PV, permettra à l'industrie canadienne et à d'autres intervenants de se familiariser avec la Politique des RIT. La façon dont les intervenants canadiens pourront fournir des commentaires et des suggestions pour peaufiner la PV de ce projet afin de générer des retombées économiques considérables pour le Canada sera également décrite. Des représentants du ministère de la Défense nationale, de Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada et d'Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada participeront à cette présentation conjointe. De plus, le webinaire comprendra de brèves présentations de les deux fournisseurs qualifiés pour le projet, L3 Technologies MAS Inc. et General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. Date du webinaire : Le 22 juin, 2020 Séance en français, 14h30 (HAE) Séance en anglais : 13 h (HAE) Chaque séance devrait durer une heure. Lien d'inscription pour la séance en français: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XcA8YokRRw67fBL3A3dnKg Lien d'inscription pour la séance en anglais : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Fz7G5NglR-aWIw_aW1Pa7g Les liens vers les renseignements sur le projet se trouvent ici : SPAC - https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/app-acq/amd-dp/air/snac-nfps/sdat-rpac-fra.html MDN - https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/services/approvisionnement/projet-de-systeme-aeronefs.html ISDE - http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/086.nsf/fra/accueil

By Rachel Emmanuel. Published on Jun 12, 2020 12:00am Experts say COVID-19 hasn't negatively impacted Canada's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), though the final result is still anyone's guess. The UN General Assembly will vote on June 17 on what countries will join the powerful body as non-permanent members for two-year terms. Canada is facing stiff competition from Norway and Ireland, who both entered the race earlier, to fill the two Western European and other states seats. Adam Chapnick, deputy director of education at the Canadian Forces College and a professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, said the coronavirus pandemic has changed Canada's narrative in the race — it can now portray itself as a large, wealthy country capable of helping smaller, less affluent nations emerge from the COVID-19-induced economic downturn. “We have more money to give and as a result we can demonstrate, in a time like this, the value of having us at the centre of global power,” he told iPolitics on Thursday. “[The COVID-19 pandemic] has allowed Canada to highlight some of the factors that differentiate it from its competitors, in a way that it would otherwise not have been able to do.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first announced Canada would pursue a seat on the UNSC back in 2016, just months after the Liberals bounced the Harper government from power. An outline of Canada's campaign is displayed on the Global Affairs website and points to commitments like addressing climate change, promoting economic security and advancing gender equality. While Canada announced its campaign long before the global COVID-19 pandemic, Andrea Charron, an associate professor and director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, said the crisis could end up benefitting Canada's bid. Coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, she said Canada can signal that they'll be there to help struggling countries as they recover from their own economic crises. “It does no good if some states recover beautifully and others fall hopelessly behind,” Charron said. Like most other public gatherings, the vote will also be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. In other years, all delegates would show up to UN headquarters in New York City and vote in person, with each round of voting taking a couple minutes. But this year, because of the pandemic, Chapnick said delegates now have a designated time to arrive and voting in the first round will take around 10 hours. Because a country requires two thirds of the vote to be elected, Chapnick said delegates will likely be asked to return to the building to vote again the following day or days, in the case that two countries aren't elected in the first round, which he said is probable. At a certain point, Chapnick said delegates might stop showing up to cast their ballots, with the bid becoming a “get out and vote campaign” that would never happen in a normal election year. “We've never had anything like this before,” he explained. Charron, who's also a Canadian Global Affairs Institute fellow, said it will be interesting to see how countries revamp their second ballot strategy, which refers to a country's plan to win the second seat if they didn't win in the first voting round. She said in a typical election, all the delegates are milling around and candidates can easily speak with particular countries in a last minute push to win their vote. However, because of COVID-19 restrictions, countries won't have quick access to make their case to the 192 UN delegates in one room. Chapnick said this new process has major implications for the second ballot strategy. Traditionally, he said Canada has had trouble creating a second ballot strategy because, as a G7 country, it assumes it will win in the first round. He said Canada is committed to the UN and views itself as a country that belongs on the security council, whereas smaller countries may ask to be considered in the second round if they lost to a more powerful country in the first run. “For a G7 country normally to have a second ballot strategy would suggest weakness,” he explained. But, by entering the race late, he said Canada now has wiggle room to develop a second ballot strategy — it can ask countries who pledged support to Norway or Ireland before Canada entered, to vote for the country in the second round, if there is one. Chapnick also said the Canadian team can spend the longer gap in between rounds calling delegates and asking for their support. Still, he warned that there's a “discount rate” of 15 to 35 per cent of countries who promised the Canadian government they'd vote for them, but won't. He said even the Canadian government cannot be sure who's voting for them. “Countries lie all the time,” he said. In fact, Chapnick said part of the reason the countries are voting in-person is because a number of countries refused to participate in electronic voting at the risk that someone could hack the system and realize a country broke their voting promises. He said countries break promises in one of two ways; countries make individuals deals to support all three countries but can only vote for two, or the head of government makes a promise and the ambassador then goes “freelance” when it comes time to vote. “You can never actually tell how a campaign is doing,” he warned. “Really strange things happen in these elections.” Charron said the good news is that all the UNSC candidates are excellent. She said there's concern that Canada will let this election define itself, with lots of national “gnashing of teeth” and deciding on the fate of the government in general, which she said is overblown. “It's just one of the organizations to which we belong,” she said. “We've won six times, we've lost times, we've survived, carried on in all cases.” https://ipolitics.ca/2020/06/12/experts-say-covid-19-hasnt-derailed-canadas-campaign-for-un-security-council-seat/

BY LEE BERTHIAUME THE CANADIAN PRESS Posted June 11, 2020 7:58 am The Defence Department's top civilian official is touting the importance of continued investments in the Canadian Armed Forces, and says she has received no indications the Liberal government is planning to cut spending because of the COVID-19 crisis. The comments by Defence Department deputy minister Jody Thomas come amid questions about how the Liberal government plans to find the tens of billions of dollars doled out in recent months to support Canadians during the pandemic. The emergency support, estimated at $153 billion at last count, has far surpassed expected government spending and significant belt-tightening is likely after the crisis as Ottawa will start searching for ways to keep the country from drowning in red ink. Military spending was previously slashed in the 1990s as Jean Chretien's Liberal government wrestled with massive deficits while Stephen Harper's Conservative government followed a similar course after the 2008-09 financial crash. That has prompted concerns within defence circles that the pattern will repeat itself after COVID-19, with fears the Liberals will lean heavily on the country's $29-billion defence budget to help get government spending back under control. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Thomas said she had not received any order or direction to slow or cut defence spending and that officials are continuing to work on the planned purchase of new warships, fighter jets and other equipment. “We are not experiencing any slowdowns,” she said. “We are continuing very aggressively and ambitiously to continue our plan.” That plan is the Liberals' defence strategy, which it released in 2017. Known as Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE), the strategy promised $553 billion in military spending over 20 years. Much of that is to buy new equipment such as jets and warships. “There has been zero indication from anyone that there would be a cut to the budget,” Thomas said, adding Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan “has been very clear of his expectations of us to execute on SSE.” She went on to suggest the planned defence spending is actually needed as much now as before the pandemic as the crisis amplifies the already significant global uncertainty that existed before COVID-19. A scan of recent headlines underscores that uncertainty, from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration suggesting it may pull troops from Germany to China imposing its will on Hong Kong and flexing its muscles in the South China Sea. There are also ongoing concerns about Russia and the situation in the Middle East. “Canada has to be equipped,” Thomas said. “In a post-COVID world, there is, I would say as the deputy minister of defence, a need for SSE to in fact be done more quickly rather than slow it down or cut the budget.” The government last week tabled its latest request for money in Parliament, which included $585 million for the continued construction of two new naval support ships in Vancouver. The first of those ships is due in 2023. Defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute said the Liberals have significantly ramped up military spending, but no one knows how fast the economy will recover or how deep Ottawa will be in the hole when the pandemic ends. “Without knowing more about these things, it's way too early to know what the impact will be to defence,” he said. “But it's a basic fact of Canadian federal budgeting that if a government is looking to reduce all federal spending, DND plays a part in that because it spends the most money.” And while trimming military spending was the route taken by previous governments, there are implications, as evidenced by the age of Canada's CF-18s and other old equipment and its lack of naval support vessels until the new ones are finished. “Part of the reason we're having issues with procurement today is because of the decisions that were taken before,” Perry said. “The reasons they were taken — rightly or wrongly, I would say largely rightly — in the 1990s to reduce spending then, we're still dealing with the after-effects of it now because we didn't buy stuff then and we're trying to make up for lost time now.” https://globalnews.ca/news/7053393/canada-military-spending-coronavirus/