Nouvelles

Si vous êtes un manufacturier canadien ou une entreprise canadienne qui peut aider le Canada à répondre aux besoins en fournitures médicales, votre aide est nécessaire Si vous pouvez répondre oui aux affirmations suivantes, contactez-nous. Vos activités manufacturières sont basées au Canada ou vous avez facilement accès aux intrants nécessaires par le biais de votre chaîne d'approvisionnement. Vous disposez d'équipements pouvant être modifiés ou d'installations qui pourraient être réorganisées rapidement pour répondre aux besoins médicaux, notamment pour fabriquer de l'équipement de protection individuelle comme des gants, des masques et des blouses chirurgicales; des désinfectants; des lingettes; des ventilateurs; et d'autres équipements et fournitures médicaux. Vous avez des travailleurs qualifiés capables de réagir et qui seraient disponibles pour travailler dans les circonstances actuelles. Le Plan canadien de mobilisation du secteur industriel pour lutter contre la COVID-19 soutient directement les entreprises afin d'augmenter rapidement leur capacité de production et en leur donnant les outils nécessaires aux chaînes de production pour concevoir des produits faits au Canada qui aideront à lutter contre la COVID-19. Pour plus d'informations, cliquez ici. Ressources pour les entreprises canadiennes Les petites et moyennes entreprises sont la pierre angulaire de l'économie canadienne. C'est la raison pour laquelle le gouvernement du Canada adopte des mesures strictes pour aider les entreprises canadiennes à faire face à la pandémie de COVID-19, qui les touche ainsi que leurs employés et les membres de leur famille. Le gouvernement du Canada et les responsables de la santé publique invitent tous les Canadiens à prendre les mesures suivantes : demeurer à domicile sauf s'il est essentiel de sortir faire preuve de distanciation sociale et d'hygiène adéquate Pour les entreprises, cela peut vouloir dire : de permettre autant que possible des modalités de télétravail souples de préparer votre milieu de travail pour éviter la COVID-19 (en anglais seulement) d'assurer la sécurité de vos employés (en anglais seulement) Pour plus d'informations, cliquez ici. Ontario ensemble : aidez à combattre le coronavirus Si votre entreprise ou organisation peut fournir des produits médicaux tels que des ventilateurs, des tampons, des masques et des lunettes de protection. Remplissez ce sondage : ici. Le gouvernement du Canada a également besoin de produits et de services : découvrez ce dont ils ont besoin Si votre entreprise ou organisation peut aider les communautés à résister à la pandémie et que vous avez une solution pour: des services de santé mentale virtuels pour les personnes vulnérables ou vivant dans des communautés éloignées surveillance de la résilience de la chaîne d'approvisionnement planification financière et conseils aux petites entreprises qui peuvent être fournis en ligne à faible coût, y compris des conseils sur les programmes de secours et la façon de postuler Remplissez le formulaire : ici. Si votre entreprise ou organisation a des idées, d'autres produits ou services qui pourraient aider les Ontariens : communiquez votre idée. Pour plus d'informations, cliquez ici.

The Government of Canada is taking strong and quick action to protect our economy, and the health and safety of all Canadians during this global outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We are working with our partners as part of the collective effort to help find solutions to the COVID-19 outbreak: 1. The COVID-19 Challenges Procurement Program: NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program and Innovative Solutions Canada Purpose: This program will post challenges seeking near-to-market solutions from small and medium-sized businesses (fewer than 500 staff) that need financial support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to refine and sell their product or solution to meet a COVID-19 related need. NRC IRAP works with roughly 8,000 small and medium-sized businesses every year through its cross-Canada network of 255 industrial technology advisors and provides over $300 million in support to more than 3,000 technology development projects annually Through this initiative, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Health Canada (HC) will establish a number of challenges corresponding to needs of health providers to deal with COVID-19 NRC IRAP will partner with Innovative Solutions Canada to launch calls for proposals over the next few weeks to address challenges, fund development of solutions, and buy successful products and services needed to address COVID-19 Together, NRC IRAP and Innovative Solutions Canada will: post the PHAC and HC challenges (Innovative Solutions Canada) award Phase 1 funding to successful small and medium-sized businesses to develop a proof of concept for their solution (NRC IRAP) award Phase 2 funding to the firms with the best concepts so they can develop a working prototype (NRC IRAP) The NRC, PHAC, HC or another federal department or agency will then be able purchase the product for use against COVID-19. Innovative Solutions Canada already has challenges in development, which they will begin posting to their website in the coming days. These will continue as PHAC, HC, and health care providers request new topics. Companies with promising technology relevant to the COVID-19 challenges can register their technology or product by clicking on the Register button below. Register 2. The Pandemic Response Challenge Program: National Research Council of Canada Purpose: This program will build teams to address challenges requiring further research and development for solutions to meet COVID-19 related needs. The NRC will build these teams drawing on internal-to-government capacity and academic researchers who register using the button below to indicate their interest, and related areas of expertise and capabilities. The NRC will receive $15M to form dedicated teams to address challenges in the areas of greatest research and development (R&D) need in the fight against COVID-19. The NRC Pandemic Response Challenge Program will accelerate the development of diagnostics and medical countermeasures for a rapid front-line response to protect and treat Canadians. This national vehicle will convene the best Canadian and international researchers from academia and small and medium-sized businesses to collectively accelerate R&D to address specific COVID-19 gaps and challenges as identified by Canadian health experts. The Pandemic Response Challenge Program is currently structured around 3 main research areas: Rapid detection and diagnosis Therapeutics and vaccine development and Digital health. Researchers at Canadian and international universities, government departments, colleges, and highly innovative firms with relevant expertise can now register their interest to work with us on these challenges by clicking the Register button below. Funding is available to help cover the costs of research for academic institutions, small and medium-sized businesses, and other eligible recipients participating in the challenge teams. Over the coming weeks, we will post the specific R&D challenges, send information to registered researchers, and invite them to indicate the expertise and capabilities they can bring to a team. Register 3. Biomanufacturing capacity at Royalmount: NRC Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre Purpose: This initiative will result in a Good Manufacturing Practices platform to develop and scale up COVID-19 Canadian vaccine and therapy candidates. The NRC Biomanufacturing facility, located in the NRC's Royalmount Avenue building in Montréal, is used to develop and scale up processes to produce biological medicines and is managed by the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre. As part of its development capacity, the facility is equipped with pilot-scale bioreactors (200 L and 500 L), which will be operationally available to produce up to 100,000 doses of vaccine per month within 6 months once a vaccine suitable for front-line responders is available. A $15 million investment will fund the certification of the facility for Good Manufacturing Practices compliance, and will enable production of material that will be used in humans, particularly for vaccines or therapeutics. This certification can also greatly increase the capacity for candidate vaccines or therapeutics to be quickly rolled out and clinically tested, particularly those originating from Canada. The work to refine and certify quality systems at the facility will include: bringing the existing facility to regulatory standards, installing equipment to expand capacity, and managing information. Once certified, this facility will be able to accelerate the scale-up production and testing of various types of vaccine candidates in the context of the current COVID-19 outbreak, including protein-based, viral vector-based, and antibody-based products. https://nrc.canada.ca/en/research-development/research-collaboration/nrc-covid-19-response

Par Michel Cabirol Comment et pourquoi l'organisateur d'Eurosatory ont pris la décision d'annuler l'édition 2020 du plus grand salon d'armements terrestres au monde. Voici les coulisses de cette décision. C'est bien la mort dans l''me que le Coges a dû annuler l'édition 2020 d'Eurosatory, le plus grand salon international de défense et de sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres. Car jusqu'à peu la ligne tenue par l'organisateur d'Eurosatory était le déroulement normal du salon, qui aurait été "à l'équilibre" en dépit de quelques annulations d'exposants et de réduction de la voilure (annulation des démonstrations dynamiques...). Toutefois, cette position "n'est plus tenable", estime le Coges dans une note datée du 23 mars que La Tribune s'est procurée. Et de conclure qu'il recommande au bureau exécutif du GICAT l'annulation d'Eurosatory 2020 sans report du salon. Au final, il y avait plus de risques que d'avantages à maintenir le salon. Son annulation ne devrait pas coûter de l'argent au Coges. Ce denrier a dépensé au 24 mars près de 11 millions d'euros dans la préparation du salon. L'organisateur "fait tout depuis un mois pour différer ses engagements de dépense et a cessé tout engagement depuis le passage au stade 3", explique-t-il dans cette note. Il a également souscrit avec une grande sagesse en décembre 2019 une assurance annulation du salon comprenant une extension "maladies infectieuses", à concurrence de 13 millions d'euros sur un budget de dépense estimé à 20,6 millions. Au 30 avril, les prévisions d'engagement pour la préparation du salon doivent d'élever à 14,3 millions. Cela montre "bien tout l'intérêt d'annuler aujourd'hui", estime le Coges, qui devrait s'en sortir relativement bien au contraire du GICAT, qui ne pourra pas percevoir de dividendes. Les raisons de l'annulation Pourquoi Eurosatory ne peut plus tenir ? Après plusieurs annulations de salons comme Dimdex au Qatar (16-18 mars), LAAD Security au Brésil (14-16 avril) et ILA Berlin (13-17 mai), les premières annulations de salons prévues en juin aux mêmes dates que celui d'Eurosatory ont commencé à mettre sous forte pression les organisateurs : Viva Technology (11-13 juin) et Interschutz (salon mondial des pompiers à Hanovre). Mais l'annulation du salon britannique de l'aéronautique de Farnborough, prévu pourtant du 20 au 24 juillet, a été le coup de gr'ce. Mais là n'est pas la seule raison. Au-delà des quelques annulations d'exposants déjà reçues, le Coges recevait de plus en plus d'appels de sociétés exposantes qui ne souhaitaient plus engager de frais de préparation de leur stand et qui s'interrogeaient sur la présence de visiteurs au salon. Par ailleurs, des sociétés étrangères, qui représentent 65% des exposants à Eurosatory, avaient déjà commencé à annuler le transit de leurs matériels. Par ailleurs, le Coges ne recevait plus de demande de badge de visiteurs depuis plusieurs jours. Et en même temps, les fournisseurs qui permettent de réaliser le salon sont "quasiment tous à l'arrêt et auront des difficultés à redémarrer fin avril pour un salon début juin", explique le Coges. Il faut à minima cinq semaines de montage. Enfin, et surtout, le ministère des Armées qui invite les hautes personnalités étrangères venant de tous les pays du monde (240 délégations en 2018 représentant près de 1.000 VIP), a d'autres chats à fouetter en ce moment avec la crise du Covid-19 et le lancement de l'opération Résilience. "Nous sommes en contact avec le ministère des armées qui ne pourra sans doute pas lancer ces invitations dans le contexte actuel", estime le Coges dans sa note. "La tenue du salon en juin 2020 n'est aujourd'hui plus envisageable", conclut-il. La piste d'un report a été écartée Le Coges a étudié un report du salon à la condition de retrouver la disponibilité des exposants et d'un parc d'exposition. Pas facile quand la majorité des exposants sont aussi présents sur d'autres salons de défense dans le monde et très peu sont capables de mener de front deux salons. Des études lancées par le Coges ont trouvé une seule et unique solution : reporter Eurosatory au parc des exposition du Bourget, pendant Euronaval (du 20 au 23 octobre 2020). Mais cette piste a été abandonnée. Car d'une part, les exposants américains qui participent au salon AUSA début octobre risque de faire défaut, selon le Coges. Surtout, une cinquantaine d'exposants, présents sur les deux salons (Euronaval et Eurosatory), ne réaliseront plus qu'un seul stand. Pas sûr que le Gican voyait cette opération d'un bon œil... D'autant que le Coges estime dans sa note que "sur le plan financier, les chiffres d'affaires des deux salons ne vont pas s'ajouter". https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/aeronautique-defense/pourquoi-le-salon-de-defense-eurosatory-a-finalement-ete-annule-843347.html

March 26, 2020 - Saab has performed the first metal cut for the two-seater fighter aircraft Gripen F, marking an important milestone in the programme. Gripen F is under development for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and shares the same advanced design and features as Gripen E, but with seat, displays and controls for a second crew member. Gripen F has both a training mode for tuition of one crew member and a mode whereby the two crew members can share the workload with different display settings. The first part was manufactured recently at Saab's facilities in Linköping and is for the air duct section, just behind the cockpit of the aircraft. “This milestone is important for the Gripen project because it demonstrates that the development phase is proceeding properly. This signals the beginning of the production of the two-seater aircraft, Gripen F, which is much anticipated by the Brazilian Air Force,” says Colonel Renato Leite, head of the Monitoring and Control Group (GAC-Saab) at the Brazilian Air Force. The joint industrial programme on Gripen F is between Saab and the Brazilian partner companies Embraer, AEL Sistemas, Akaer and Atech. Currently, approximately 400 engineers are working with the development of Gripen F, mainly at Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN) at the Embraer plant in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo State, Brazil. Manufacturing will take place both in Sweden and in Brazil. “Very effective teamwork among many dedicated people, both in Sweden and in Brazil, paved the way for this milestone on this new version of Gripen. These kind of milestones are special moments due to their rarity and that feels great,” says Jonas Hjelm, head of Saab business area Aeronautics. Brazil has ordered 28 Gripen E fighters that will be delivered to Brazil starting from 2021 and eight Gripen F fighters, starting from 2023. Gripen F is also being offered by Saab to Finland for their fighter replacement programme. Please click here to watch a short video about the first metal cut. For further information, please contact: Saab Press Centre, +46 (0)734 180 018, presscentre@saabgroup.com www.saabgroup.com www.saabgroup.com/YouTube Follow us on twitter: @saab View source version on Saab: https://saabgroup.com/media/news-press/news/2020-03/gripen-f-fighter-production-under-way/

Rome, March 25, 2020 - Leonardo is extending its training services capabilities to include rotorcraft unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to provide 360° training solutions to its growing customer base for maximised mission effectiveness and safety. The Company has recently obtained an Authorized Training Organization Certificate for UAS released by ENAC (Italian National Civil Aviation Authority). With this certification Leonardo is now able to supply training services for light and very light category remotely piloted systems (up to 25 kg) through its Helicopter Training Academy headquartered in Sesto Calende (Northern Italy). This certification heavily adds to the overall quality level and versatility of training services provided by Leonardo, making the Company the world's first rotorcraft OEM with this capability - it is expected to be recognised by EASA in 2021. This latest service addition allows Leonardo to respond to the evolving market demands by those helicopter operators who are increasingly using small UAS for their missions, including those carrying out disaster relief and emergency response tasks. Furthermore, Leonardo is also developing a comprehensive training package for the AWHERO 200 kg class RUAS. The AWHERO was also involved in the successful maritime surveillance capability demonstration performed in the framework of the European OCEAN 2020 initiative in the Mediterranean Sea at the end of 2019. The training syllabus will exploit solutions and methodologies available for piloted helicopters leveraging the long-established and rapidly growing training capabilities of the Company offered to operators worldwide through Training Academies and Centres in terms of technologies and simulation. Among the available services, a mission planning system tool based on the Leonardo SkyFlight system will allow customers to include one more operational service for the AWHERO. View source version on Leonardo : https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/2-03-2020-leonardo-extends-its-training-services-capabilities-to-rotorcraft-unmanned-aerial-systems

Fort Worth, Texas, March 25, 2020 – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has been selected to continue its work on the U.S. Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program. As part of the selection, Bell is designing, manufacturing, and testing the Bell 360 Invictus, a prototype rotorcraft designed to provide improved lethality, survivability, and extended reach for Army Aviation. This selection follows almost a full year of design and risk-reduction work by the Bell team as part of the initial contract phase. "The selection of the Bell 360 Invictus to continue in the FARA program builds on our decades-long legacy as an innovator in reconnaissance rotorcraft supporting the maneuver force," said Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell. "Our team has applied innovative thinking with tested technology to give the Army a low-risk option to fulfill its requirements on an aggressive schedule." As part of the U.S. government's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) family of programs, the FARA competition seeks to test and acquire a next-generation attack reconnaissance aircraft to fill a critical capability gap identified by the Army on a rapid schedule. The Bell 360 addresses the requirements with a design optimized to achieve the performance, connectivity, sustainability, and reliability for soldiers to fight and operate in multi-domain operations. The aircraft is expected to meet or exceed the Army's requirements, using proven Bell technologies such as fly-by-wire flight controls, a proven articulated rotor design, and an innovative blade design to name a few. Additionally, Bell is partnered with industry leader Collins Aerospace to integrate a new generation of avionics hardware and software featuring cyber-hardened and digital backbone solutions to provide MOSA compliance in accordance with US Army FARA objectives. To ensure the team stays on schedule and on budget, Bell is using a digital design-as-built process. The team is able to connect and collaborate in a real-time digital environment to ensure alignment among all trades to facilitate smoother manufacturing, improve sustainability characteristics, and mitigate schedule risks. This process has been used and refined on Bell commercial projects, as well as during the recent U.S. Army Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program that produced the Bell V-280 Valor. "The Bell 360 Invictus will help the Army achieve and sustain overmatch against competitors with its new attack and reconnaissance capabilities," said Keith Flail, vice president of Advanced Vertical Lift Systems at Bell. "Our aircraft builds on Bell's legacy of providing ultra-reliable scout rotorcraft by keeping our aircraft affordable with an emphasis on simplifying processes to achieve a sustainable and maintainable aircraft for the warfighters." Initiated following contract award in 2019, the Bell 360 program is producing an advanced, scout aircraft to fulfill requirements set out by the Army FARA program. The Bell 360 design was revealed last October. The next generation design highlights Bell's intent to deliver exceptional performance using proven technologies to preserve schedule and control cost. To learn more about Bell 360 Invictus and FVL, please visit the Bell 360 Invictus website, and follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This research was partially funded by the Government under Agreement No. No. W911W6-19-9-0002. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Aviation Development Directorate, or the U.S. Government. ABOUT BELL Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 80 years, we've been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us. We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were aboard NASA's first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we're defining the future of on-demand mobility. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours. Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront. ABOUT TEXTRON INC. Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com. Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the risk that the U.S. Army will not choose Bell's solution for the FARA program; the efficacy of research and development investments to develop new products or unanticipated expenses or delays in connection with the launching of significant new products or programs; changing priorities or reductions in the U.S. Government defense budget, including those related to military operations in foreign countries; changes in worldwide economic or political conditions that impact demand for our products, interest rates or foreign exchange rates; our ability to perform as anticipated and to control costs under contracts with the U.S. Government; the U.S. Government's ability to unilaterally modify or terminate its contracts with us for the U.S. Government's convenience or for our failure to perform, to change applicable procurement and accounting policies, or, under certain circumstances, to withhold payment or suspend or debar us as a contractor eligible to receive future contract awards; changes in foreign military funding priorities or budget constraints and determinations, or changes in government regulations or policies on the export and import of military and commercial products; and performance issues with key suppliers, subcontractors or business partners. View source version on Bell Textron Inc.: https://investor.textron.com/news/news-releases/press-release-details/2020/BELL-360-Invictus-Chosen-to-Continue-In-US-Armys-New-Scout-Rotorcraft-Competition/default.aspx

BETHESDA, Md., March 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At Lockheed Martin, we recognize that the rapid spread of COVID-19 and its wide-ranging impacts have caused severe disruption across society and tragic loss of life around the world. We also recognize that the global pandemic has created a need for urgent action by government, business, communities and citizens. In response to this crisis, our company will be guided by and operate with three clear priorities. First, we will continue to protect the health and safety of our men and women on the job and their families. Second, we will continue to perform and deliver for our customers because what they do for our national security, global communications, and infrastructure is critical to our nation and our allies. Third, we will do our part to use our know-how, resources, and leadership as a company to assist our communities and our country during this period of national crisis. In this regard, today I am announcing that Lockheed Martin will take the following steps as an initial contribution to the national COVID-19 relief and recovery effort: We will advance more than $50 million to small- and medium-sized business partners in our supply chain to ensure they have the financial means to continue to operate, sustain jobs, and support the economy. We will donate $10 million to non-profit organizations involved in COVID-19 related relief and assistance, with emphasis on veterans and military families. We have activated a $6.5 million employee disaster relief fund to assist Lockheed Martin employees and retirees impacted with COVID-19. These are our initial financial steps to help during this time of national need. In addition: We will offer Lockheed Martin's engineering and technical capabilities to help solve the most pressing challenges faced by federal, state, and local officials. We will donate the use of our corporate aircraft and vehicle fleet for COVID-19 relief logistical support and medical supply delivery. We will donate the use of our facilities for crisis-related activities including critical medical supply storage, distribution, and COVID-19 testing, where needed and practical. Finally, during this time of economic uncertainty, we will continue our planned recruiting and hiring. Given the requirement for social distancing, Lockheed Martin will deploy virtual technology and other techniques to sustain our hiring activity during this crisis period. Lockheed Martin understands that the shared effort to combat COVID-19 and recover from its effects will be a long-term one. We will continue to engage national, state, and local leaders to undertake additional measures as needed. And, throughout this crisis, Lockheed Martin remains committed to continuing to deliver critical capabilities for our nation and our allies, supporting job creation and economic recovery, and helping those in need wherever we operate. Marillyn Hewson Chairman, President and CEO Lockheed Martin Corporation About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. SOURCE Lockheed Martin https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2020-03-27-Statement-From-Lockheed-Martin-Chairman-President-And-CEO-Marillyn-Hewson-On-COVID-19-Response

By: The Associated Press WICHITA, Kan. — Aircraft parts maker Spirit AeroSystems announced Tuesday that it is temporarily halting work for Boeing that is performed in Wichita, Kansas, and two Oklahoma facilities amid an outbreak of the new coronavirus. The move came after Boeing announced Monday that it was suspending operations at its Seattle, Washington, area facilities. At least 110 people have died from COVID-19 in Washington state, mostly in the Seattle area. Boeing employs about 70,000 people in the region. The company said 32 employees have tested positive for the virus, including 25 in the greater Seattle area. At Spirit, military, non-Boeing work and other programs will continue. In Oklahoma, the suspension affects facilities in Tulsa and McAlester. Spirit will continue to support 787 work for Boeing's Charleston, South Carolina, facility. Spirit did not say how many employees would be affected, but the suspension begins Wednesday and will last until April 8. Employees will continue to be paid during the two-week period. Deep cleaning of work spaces and facilities also is planned. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/03/24/spirit-aerosystems-temporarily-suspends-boeing-work-in-some-facilities

By THERESA HITCHENS on March 25, 2020 at 3:22 PM WASHINGTON: Congress is likely to approve almost $9.4 billion for the Defense Department to use to attack COVID-19 — a sum that includes direct operations and maintenance funding to the services, the National Guard and reserves. There is an additional $1 billion in the bill that may be made available for contracting under the TRICARE health care program — bringing the entire package to $10.4 billion. The DoD funding is part of the $2 trillion relief deal being beaten out between the White House and Congress, that includes significant assistance to the defense industry. “The administration's thinking about how to use the military has evolved substantially from the supplemental proposal the administration submitted just last week,” notes Mark Cancian, a defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “In that proposal, DoD's funding consisted of an $8.3 billion transfer account. DoD would later decide where to put the money. In this bill, the amount has grown to $10.4 billion, and the destination accounts have been specified, though there is still a lot of uncertainty and slushy-ness.” According to the draft bill obtained by Breaking Defense, the biggest chunk goes to the Defense Health Program “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.” The program is allocated $3.8 billion, of which $3.4 billion is for operations and maintenance; $415 million is for research, development, test and evaluation. The funds will remain available until Sept. 30, 2020. The TRICARE funds are provided in a separate section, but will be available until Sept. 30, 2021. The Defense Working Capital Fund — which allows DoD to make investments in things like depot maintenance, transportation, and supply management in the near term and recoup the costs through future year pricing deals — gets $1.5 billion. The bill would add $160 million in O&M funding to the Army budget; $360 million to the Navy; $90 million to the Marines; and $155 million to the Air Force. Defense wide O&M funds would be pumped up by $828 million. The Army National Guard is set to receive $187 million in O&M dollars and the Army Reserve is allocated $48 million; the Air National Guard would receive another $76 million. The Army and Air National Guards also would receive a plus up of $750 million and $480 million respectively in military personnel funds. Apart from new funds, the draft bill would allow President Donald Trump to extend the tenure of Air Force Chief Gen. David Goldfein, Space Force Chief Gen. Jay Raymond, and National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Joseph Lengyel, among other military leaders set to retire — a move apparently made to avoid a change of hands during the current crisis. The extension can be for up to 270 days. Goldfein currently is set to retire in June. Raymond is doubled-hatted as chief of the Space Force and head of Space Command, but only for a year as mandated by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Further, while DoD is given wide latitude to move the new money around to where it is needed, it specifically bans any funds being moved to fund Trump's southern border wall by preventing any transfer to DoD “drug interdiction or counter-drug activities.” Finally, Cancian noted that the language gives DoD “flexibility on contracts and contract decision authority.” The bill would allow DoD Secretary Mark Esper able to delegate authorities for emergency transactions at his discretion. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/03/covid-19-congress-likely-to-slate-9-4b-to-dod-for-response