Nouvelles

MICHELLE ZILIO ADRIAN MORROWU.S. CORRESPONDENT French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that NATO faces “brain death” because the United States can no longer be counted on to co-operate with the other members of the military and political alliance. In an interview published on Thursday, Mr. Macron said what “we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO,” citing concerns about the lack of co-ordinated strategic decision-making between the United States and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Speaking more generally about the future of Europe, Mr. Macron said the continent needs to “wake up” to the shift in U.S. foreign policy toward isolationism and the global balance of power, with the rise of China and re-emergence of authoritarian powers such as Russia and Turkey. Mr. Macron said Europe is at risk of disappearing geopolitically and losing “control of our destiny” if it fails to face this reality. U.S. President Donald Trump has condemned NATO as outdated, and complained publicly that the United States contributes the most to its defence operations, while other allies, including Canada, fail to boost their military spending. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was visiting Germany on Thursday for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, hailed NATO's importance in uniting democratic countries to win the Cold War. But at a press conference with his German counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas, he repeated Mr. Trump's demand that other members contribute more to the alliance. He said he was glad to see German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's commitment earlier in the day to bring German defence spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2031. “It is an absolute imperative that every country participate and join in and contribute appropriately to achieving that shared security mission,” Mr. Pompeo said. NATO is an alliance of 29 countries from Europe and North America for mutual defence, fighting terrorism and helping manage crises around the world. Its members contribute to its operations mainly by participating in its missions. Members pledged in 2014 to increase their military spending to 2 per cent of GDP by 2024. U.S. military spending was 3.2 per cent of GDP in 2018, according to the World Bank. Canada has no clear plan to reach 2 per cent in the next decade. In a statement, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan's office said Canada's total defence spending is expected to reach 1.48 per cent of GDP by 2024. However, spokesperson Todd Lane said the government plans to exceed another NATO target, 20 per cent of defence spending on major equipment. Mr. Maas, the German foreign affairs minister, dismissed Mr. Macron's comments. “I do not believe NATO is brain-dead,” he said. “The challenges should not be downplayed in their importance, those that we are facing, but we have an interest in the unity of NATO and its ability to take action.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday in Berlin, also rejected Mr. Macron's “drastic words.” “That is not my view of co-operation in NATO,” she said at a news conference. “I don't think that such sweeping judgments are necessary, even if we have problems and need to pull together.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that NATO continues to play an important role on the world stage. He pointed to Canada's leadership of the NATO training mission in Iraq and its involvement in a mission in Latvia as examples of where the alliance is still valuable. “I think NATO continues to hold an extremely important role, not just in the North Atlantic, but in the world as a group of countries that come together to share values, that share a commitment to shared security,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. Fen Hampson, an international affairs expert at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, said Mr. Macron made a fair point about NATO's problems, but said use of the term “brain death" was a bit hyperbolic. “This [NATO] is a corpse that perhaps has a beating heart in terms of the intergovernmental machinery, but in terms of its political leadership and political commitment ... I think he is on the mark there,” Prof. Hampson said. In the wide-ranging foreign policy interview with The Economist, Mr. Macron also questioned the effectiveness of NATO's Article Five, which says that if one member is attacked, all others will come to its aid. The collective defence article is meant as a deterrent. Mr. Macron said NATO “only works if the guarantor of last resort functions as such,” adding that there is reason to reassess the alliance in light of the U.S. actions. He pointed to the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops from northeastern Syria last month, abandoning Kurdish allies. The move made way for Turkey to invade and attack the Kurds, whom Turkey has long seen as terrorists. Mr. Macron expressed concern about whether NATO would respect Article Five and back Turkey, a member, if Syria launched a retaliatory attack. “If the [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad regime decides to retaliate against Turkey, will we commit ourselves under it? It's a crucial question,” Mr. Macron said. David Perry, vice-president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said that while Mr. Trump's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria sent a troubling signal to allies, it would be much more difficult for him to bypass the U.S. national security community, which widely supports NATO, to make drastic changes to his county's involvement in the alliance. “NATO is different in the order of importance than the American relationship was with the Kurds. Because of that there's enough of the national security establishment built in and around Trump that would safeguard the U.S. role in the alliance to prevent anything catastrophic from happening," Mr. Perry said. Roland Paris, a professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa and former foreign policy adviser to Mr. Trudeau, said Mr. Macron is right about the need for Europeans to work together more effectively, but said calling NATO's Article Five into question is a “dangerous and irresponsible way to do so.” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-trudeau-says-nato-is-still-important-despite-macrons-warning-of/

By Lee Hudson The Pentagon has issued a laundry list of items that are “most in peril” during a potential six-month continuing resolution (CR) that includes the UH-60M helicopter, aircraft carrier maintenance, establishing a Space Force and new-start programs like F-15EX. Congress voted to pass a stopgap CR to keep the federal government funded through Nov. 21. Passing a CR buys Democrats and Republicans more time to reach consensus on fiscal 2020 appropriations bills, which are being held up for defense because of disagreement on funding a border wall. Operating under a CR only allows the Pentagon to operate at prior-year funding levels and the services cannot begin work on new-start programs. “We would like to see Congress find ways in the CR to fund those,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters Nov. 7 during a briefing. “The bottom line is that a CR, top to bottom, is debilitating. Whether it's readiness, we lose buying power, we lose predictability with our contracting, we lose the ability to train.” A six-month CR lasting through the first half of fiscal 2020 (ending March 31, 2020) would slash munitions procurement by 1,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition tailkits, 99 Sidewinder Air-to-Air Missiles and 665 Small Diameter Bomb IIs, which will constrain industrial production capabilities and delay inventory buildup. The Pentagon says delaying F-15EX production forces the Air Force to operate and sustain the aging F-15C fleet longer than planned, which would incur extensive maintenance actions. Operating under a six-month CR puts at risk Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk production of 15 aircraft valued at $247 million. A year-long CR would upset the current strategy for the Precision Strike Missile and increases risk to contract the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition. Operating under a longer CR in fiscal year 2020 will curtail 14 ship availabilities, cancel ship underway training, shut down non-deployed carrier airwing and expeditionary squadrons and restrict fleet flying for training and deployments, Navy spokesman Lt. Tim Pietrack told Aerospace DAILY. The budget uncertainty will detrimentally affect the midlife refueling of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), which requires funding for advance planning and long lead-time material purchases to begin the maintenance period in January 2021. “Failure to fund the CVN 74 [refueling and complex overhaul] will cause a month-for-month slip, increase costs, and delay the return of CVN 74 to the fleet,” Pietrack said. The CR also would impact the production rate of 22 F-5s, three MQ-9s, five F-35Cs and one KC-130J. Operating under budget uncertainty also blocks the Navy from increasing the production rate for the Tomahawk, Amraam, Rolling Airframe Missile, Joint Air to Ground Munition, Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Over-The-Horizon missile, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, Mk. 48 torpedo and LCS module weapons. “Based on required progress payments, the CVN 80/CVN 81 Carrier Replacement Program will not have sufficient funding to make a required payment on May 1, 2020,” Pietrack said. “This could result in required renegotiation of the contract and higher end costs for both CVN 80 and CVN 81.” https://aviationweek.com/defense/dod-space-force-f-15ex-peril-under-cr

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 7, 2019 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced the appointment of Andrew (Andy) Adams to oversee all strategic and operational aspects of its efforts to support Future Vertical Lift (FVL), which will shape the United States military's helicopter fleet of the future. This appointment emphasizes that Lockheed Martin is bringing the full strength of its portfolio to FVL and demonstrates that the corporation is prepared to support accelerated fielding of these capabilities. Led by the U.S. Army, FVL will create the next generation of rotary wing aircraft that are faster, more maneuverable, more lethal, and more technologically advanced. Andy joins the Rotary and Mission Systems business from Aeronautics, where he was vice president and deputy general manager, F-35 Lightning II program. He has a diverse background in the aerospace industry with 31 years of experience within Lockheed Martin, including 29 with Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works®). Andy brings unique skills to the role based on his deep involvement in the pursuit, capture and execution of highly complex, highly contested capture campaigns. His appointment is effective Nov. 18, 2019. “Lockheed Martin is demonstrating its leap-ahead technologies today that will enable us to provide these critical capabilities to the U.S. Army in record time. For more than a decade, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has been investing in game-changing X2 technology to support our customers' FVL missions with increased speed, agility and maneuverability,” said Frank St. John, Executive Vice President, Rotary and Mission Systems. “Coupled with our adaptable mission systems, sensors, weapons, advanced manufacturing, and training and sustainment solutions, Andy will ensure we bring the best of Lockheed Martin to Future Vertical Lift. He will lead the way as we advance industry and supplier partnerships with a stronger, centralized effort to meet our customers' critical missions.” Lockheed Martin's FVL campaign will integrate capture initiatives for the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), for which Lockheed Martin is proposing its RAIDER X aircraft, and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), the Marine Corps' Attack Utility Replacement Aircraft (AURA), as well as S-97 RAIDER, SB>1 DEFIANT and international efforts. The FVL campaign will bring employees and resources together into a unified organizational structure, increasing efficiencies and preparing Lockheed Martin for rapid development and delivery of game-changing technologies and capabilities. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. https://news.lockheedmartin.com/Lockheed-Martin-Appoints-Leader-of-Future-Vertical-Lift-Campaign

FORT SILL, Okla., Nov. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) recently demonstrated their laser weapon system for the U.S. Air Force at a government test range at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where the system successfully engaged and shot down multiple fixed wing and rotary drones. The Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) operated in a fully-netted engagement environment with a government command and control (C2) system and radar sensor. The radar track was provided to airmen who operated ATHENA via cues from the C2, then ATHENA's beam director slewed, acquired, tracked and defeated the drone with a high-energy laser. Validating this type of full kill-chain performance has been a priority of the U.S. Air Force and other branches of the Department of Defense, and it remains a requirement for laser weapons to be effective against unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on the battlefield. "We've watched in recent news this type of laser weapon solution is essential for deterring unmanned vehicle type threats, so it's an exciting time for us to watch airmen compete Lockheed Martin's critical technology. ATHENA has evolved to ensure integration and agility are key and it remains an affordable capability for the warfighter," said Sarah Reeves, vice president of Missile Defense Programs for Lockheed Martin. The ATHENA system was developed by Lockheed Martin to integrate seamlessly and provide a cost-effective, complementary anti-drone capability with the network of systems the warfighter is already using. ATHENA was operated by USAF personnel during this demonstration, and it was able to destroy multiple drones in engagements representative of what is being encountered by U.S. armed forces today. The ATHENA high-energy laser system is transportable and therefore enables the Air Force to emplace it anywhere they need to defend bases and high-value assets. For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/DE About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 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/2019-11-07-ATHENA-Successfully-Defends-Drone-Threat

By: Nathan Strout Military leaders are reluctant to treat the electromagnetic spectrum as a separate domain of warfare as they do with air, land, sea, space and cyber, even as the service increasingly recognize the importance of superiority in this area. At the Association of Old Crows conference Oct. 30, representatives from the Army, Navy and Air Force weighed in on a lingering debate: whether the electromagnetic spectrum should be considered its own domain. In short, while the spectrum can legitimately be described as a physically distinct domain, it does not make sense logistically for the Department of Defense to declare it a separate domain of warfare, they said. “It's something that we've had a lot of discussion about ... In one way, you can argue that the physical nature of the electromagnetic spectrum, the physical nature of it being a domain. However, I understand the implications and those are different challenges for a large organization like the Department of Defense. So I think that there's a little bit of a different discussion when you talk about domain and what that implies for the Department of Defense and each of the departments in a different way,” said Brig. Gen. David Gaedecke, director of electromagnetic spectrum superiority for the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements. Regardless of whether it's an independent domain, military leaders made clear that leveraging the electromagnetic spectrum is a priority for every department and every platform. “We're going to operate from strategic down to tactical, and EMS ... is going to enable all of our forces to communicate and maneuver effectively, so we'll have a layered approach across all the domains that we operate in,” said Laurence Mixon from the Army's Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors. “EMS is definitely an aspect of the operational environment that every tactician has to be aware of, understand and leverage. And on the acquisition side we have to consider EMS when we are developing every one of our systems. I think since EMS crosses all of the domains that we currently have today that we identify and use in the joint parlance--I don't think the Army is ready to call it a domain." Similarly, while the Navy is working to understand how EMS works best within the maritime domain, Rear Adm. Steve Parode, director of the Navy's Warfare Integration Directorate, N2/N6F, indicated that there was no rush to declare EMS a separate domain. “For the Navy, we're pretty comfortable with the way we are into the maritime domain as our principal operational sphere. We are working through understanding the EMS and the way it relates to physical properties in that domain. We know where we're strong and we know where we're weak. And we understand principally why we're weak. We're making decisions about how to get better,” said Parode. https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2019/11/06/should-the-military-treat-the-electromagnetic-spectrum-as-its-own-domain/

By: Agnes Helou ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates has launched a government-owned company meant to position the country as a global player in advanced technology that can address the threat of hybrid warfare and streamline the local defense industry. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, led the inauguration ceremony of the new entity, known as Edge. “The solution to address hybrid warfare lies at the convergence of innovations from the commercial world and the military industry. Established with a core mandate to disrupt an antiquated military industry generally stifled by red tape, Edge is set to bring products to market faster and at more cost-effective price points,” said Faisal Al Bannai, CEO and managing director of Edge. With a combined annual revenue of $5 billion, Edge employs more than 12,000 individuals, and it will consolidate a number of companies and other entities totaling 25 subsidiaries. Those subsidiaries include Nimr, AMMROC, Abu Dhabi Ship Building, Al Tariq, Caracal, Emirates Advanced Research and Technology Holding, ADASI, Al Hosn, Al Jasoor, Al Taif, APT, Beacon RED, EPI, ERS, ETS, GAL, Halcon, Horizon, Jaheziya, Knowledge Point, Lahab, Remaya, and Sign4l. Edge will also adsorb Emirates Defence Industries Company, Tawazun Holding as well as Advanced Investments Group. “The conglomerate will manage effectively the five clusters it has, through the chief executive of each entity who will report to the chief executive of the cluster within the conglomerate,” Al Bannai told Defense News. Those five focus areas are platforms and systems; missiles and weapons; cyber defense; electronic warfare and intelligence; and mission support. The executive said ongoing contracts signed by the subsidiaries before Edge's creation will continue as usual. "With respect to new contracts, they will be signed by Edge if they are strategic deals, and others will be signed by the subsidiary entity depending on the type of the contract,” he added. “EDGE will invest extensively across [research and development], working closely with front-line operators to design and deploy practical solutions that address real-world challenges.” Lockheed Martin's Middle East chief executive, Robert Harward, praised the creation of Edge as “a great opportunity for Lockheed Martin and other partners to engage with the UAE in a new and innovative way.” “Today's announcement is indicative of the UAE's growing defense and technology ecosystem,” Harward said. "We look forward to working with Edge and helping them expand their capabilities through effective partnerships.” The conglomerate will develop partnerships with original equipment manufacturers and defense contractors, small and medium enterprises, and academia, according to an Edge news release. The company also said it will seek industry experts and talent from around the globe to help on a wide spectrum of modern product development related to its five clusters. The company also plans to develop technologies that advance autonomous capabilities, IT hardware, the internet of things, advanced propulsion systems, robotics and smart materials, with a focus on artificial intelligence across all its products and services. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/dubai-air-show/2019/11/06/uae-launches-edge-conglomerate-to-address-its-antiquated-military-industry/

By: Agnes Helou Correction: Leonardo has corrected statements made about M-346 customers during a tour of one of its facilities by Defense News, and this story has been updated to reflect that. BEIRUT — After the first order of its fighter attack variant of the M-346, Italian firm Leonardo is marketing the fighter jet in the Middle East, industry officials told Defense News, while noting that the training version was tested in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. “M-346 has been tested in Kuwait under hot conditions, passing all the tests successfully, and then it was also tested with the Italian Air Force in November 2018 in Qatar,” a Leonardo official said. Defense News spoke to the official during a tour of the company's facilities in Venegono Superiore, Italy. Leonardo would not identify the M-346FA customer or the contract value, despite inquiries by Defense News during and after the tour. The deal comes in the wake of increased interest for trainer jets — both those solely used for training and those able to perform close-air support missions — from Mideast countries seeking to expand their respective fighter fleets. “There is an increasing need for trainer jets in the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region as countries there work to expand their fighter fleets. The MENA nations have requirements for trainers also able to perform close‐air support missions," said Marco Buratti, Leonardo's senior vice president of international marketing and strategic campaigns. “Among the most notable examples that have chosen Leonardo's training approach is the UAE's national aerobatic team, Al Fursan — widely recognized as one of the best in the world and considered as a UAE national pride — which uses the Aermacchi MB‐339 aircraft,” he added. “The Emirati pilots were trained in Italy and the UAE under the supervision of the Frecce Tricolori pilots using Italian aircraft and training systems.” Leonardo offers its trainer customers the opportunity to send personnel to its International Flight Training School, where it trains pilots in four phases: primary training/screening; basic-advanced training; lead-in to fighter training; and an operational conversion unit. Leonardo is a member of the Eurofighter consortium, which builds the Typhoon fighter jet. Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are among those in the Gulf region who have ordered the aircraft. Meanwhile, in Europe, Italy has joined the United Kingdom's Tempest program for a next-generation fighter. Will the M-346 be the chosen trainer for that effort? “M-346 demonstrated its capability as [a] trainer for Eurofighter and F-35. It is early to speak about Tempest program because we don't know yet how it will be inserted in the combat environment," a Leonardo official told Defense News. "First, we need to understand [the] Tempest combat environment, and then we evaluate the M-346 as a trainer for the Tempest, or if in 10-15 years from now Leonardo will have to evolve the training system towards a new combat environment that require[s] new training skills.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/dubai-air-show/2019/11/06/mideast-customer-orders-attack-variant-of-leonardos-m-346-trainer-jet/

Airbus Defence & Space has revealed a more than decade-long research and demonstration effort into very low observable (LO) technologies, conducted as a classified effort for the German defence ministry. Showing its LO UAV testbed – or LOUT – platform at Manching on 4 November, Airbus future combat air system (FCAS) programme manager Mario Hertzog said the company began initial concept work in 2007. This led to a contract award in 2010 to refine configuration and material choices, and the production of a diamond planform demonstrator was completed in 2014. Pointing to the company's long involvement with LO reseach, Hertzog says: “Bringing all our experience into one programme was a logical conclusion.” The chosen configuration used for aerodynamic and anechoic chamber testing since 2014 has a roughly 12m (39.3ft) wingspan and similar length, and is described as a 4t-class vehicle. The subsonic design would use a conventional engine concealed behind a diverterless inlet, and has twin intakes blended into its upper fuselage. A cockpit transparency and sensor apertures also formed part of the testing. The aircraft's exhaust nozzle also is shielded from beneath, with Hertzog noting that such a vehicle would be optimised for use against ground-based air-defence systems. This mission requirement also led the company to hone LO techniques for the vehicle's landing gear doors and centerline internal weapons bay, Hertzog notes. Focus areas have included testing LO materials, including a radar absorbent structure for engine intake ducts, and on assessing radar frequency and infrared signature performance. Modelling work has also been conducted to analyse the likely acoustic characteristics of such a design. Airbus confirms that it has completed contracted work on LOUT, but says additional activities could be conducted. However, Hertzog declines to say whether Berlin could seek a flight-test campaign with such a system. Lessons learned from the LOUT programme will be available for potential adaptation during a long-term evolution activity on the Eurofighter Typhoon, and on a proposed French-German-Spanish FCAS development, Hertzog says. "Stealth is and will remain an enabler for survivability," he notes. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-airbus-reveals-classified-lout-stealth-tes-462003/

CAE has announced the appointment of France Hébert to the position of vice-president, Defence and Security for the Canada region. Hébert will be taking on the position on Nov. 4, 2019 and she will report to Marc-Olivier Sabourin, vice-president, Defence and Security, CAE International. Hébert will lead the Defence and Security (D&S) business in Canada, shaping the vision and the operational and commercial strategy for the division, which includes 14 sites across the country. She will strategically position CAE to win large-scale procurement opportunities and continue to protect and maintain our leading position in the military training systems and solutions in Canada with our current programs. As an influential leader, she will be CAE's representative for D&S Canada with the federal Government and Canadian stakeholders. Over the course of her career, Hébert has held senior positions in strategy, business development and operations. She brings extensive leadership experience with a proven track record on complex, billion-dollar defence and aerospace programs. Through her varied career, she was an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces and worked for three companies playing major roles in Canada, namely: Bombardier, Nortel and General Dynamics Mission Systems – Canada (GDMS-C). Since 2017, Hébert was head of the land C4ISR business area for General Dynamics Mission Systems Canada, Ottawa. She was fully accountable for the line of business including all aspects of execution, operations and finance of the Canadian division. CAE is certain that Hébert's vast experience, knowledge and versatility will greatly contribute to the success of the Canada region. CAE would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Joe Armstrong, who continued to lead the Canada region along with his current role as vice-president, Business Operations while we were recruiting for the position. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/france-hebert-appointed-vp-of-defence-and-security-for-cae-canada/