STRIKING STATEMENT: The Bush administration opposes several changes to its non-war defense appropriations requests made by the Senate but will not veto the recently passed bill, according to a White House statement. Topping the list, the administration "strongly" criticized an $85 million cut to proposed ballistic missile defense facilities in Europe, saying it would slow the U.S. capability to counter "emerging" Iranian threats.
The Bush administration is threatening to veto the Senate's fiscal 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations bill, which includes the budgets for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), because the overall bill contains $3.2 billion in funding above the White House's request.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress recently of a possible foreign military sale to Iraq of various vehicles, small arms ammunition, explosives and communications equipment as well as associated equipment and services in a deal that could total $2.257 billion if all options are exercised.
BAMS SLIPS: The U.S. Navy's selection of a contractor to develop the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) system has slipped until February. It was slated for award this month. Competitors include a Northrop Grumman Global Hawk proposal, a Lockheed Martin/General Atomics Predator-based proposal and a Boeing/Gulfstream option.
John Young, the acting and likely next formal Pentagon acquisition chief, gave no indications of major shake-ups to defense acquisition programs during his confirmation hearing Oct. 4, but the longtime Defense Department procurement official hinted at a new level of oversight and performance expectations.
Arianespace is counting down to the Oct. 5 dual-launch of the Intelsat-11 and Optus D2 communications satellites aboard an Ariane 5 GS rocket from the company's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Both satellites have passed prelaunch checks, according to Arianespace. Liftoff is slated for a window running from 6:28 p.m. to 7:13 p.m. local time (5:28 p.m. to 6:13 p.m. EDT). The flight will be Arianespace's fourth mission of 2007.
U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne has notified the Pentagon's leadership of a new cost overrun that could potentially reach $1 billion on the troubled Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS).
The U.S. Air Force plans to stick to the same requirements, funding profile and, if possible, fielding date for the next round of competition in the Combat Search and Rescue-X (CSAR-X) helicopter program.
GREEK HELLFIRE: An agreement between the U.S. and Greece has authorized the sale of multiple warhead variants of Lockheed Martin's Hellfire II precision-strike laser-guided missile to Greece. The modular missile will be mounted on the Hellenic Army AH-64 Apache and Navy SH-60B Seahawk helicopters. There are three variations of the Hellfire semi-active laser warhead: a High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) missile, a blast fragmentation missile and a metal augmented charge missile. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
BAHRAIN DEFENSE: Lockheed Martin delivered what it says is the world's only 360-degree coverage mobile radar certified to detect tactical ballistic missiles to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The ballistic missile defense radar system is part of a May 2004, $43.6 million contract with the U.S. Marine Corps to provide a long-range radar system to the country. Members of the Bahrain Defence Force were trained to operate and maintain the AN/TPS-59(V)3B radar system earlier this year at Lockheed Martin's Radar Systems facility in Syracuse, N.Y.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) failed to follow proper acquisition regulations in a contract worth $375 million, according to a recent audit by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (IG). The audit was performed in response to allegations received by the Defense Hotline, according to the Sept. 26 IG report. Overall, the IG substantiated six of the seven allegations.
Senators passed their version of regular fiscal 2008 defense appropriations late Oct. 3, but not before earmarking for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and unmanned aircraft for domestic border security.
The first Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) spacecraft will launch on Oct. 9, providing 10 times the communications capacity available from Defense Satellite Communications Systems (DSCS) spacecraft currently in orbit, according to prime contractor Boeing. The launch window opens at 8:22 p.m. EDT, and the WGS spacecraft will be launched atop an Atlas V rocket. Operators expect to receive the first signals from the satellite about 45 minutes after liftoff.
BAE Systems on Oct. 2 unveiled a proposed belly-mounted gun system for the Marine Corps' V-22 Osprey tiltrotor that the company says will provide 360 degrees of suppressive fire. Known as the Remote Guardian System (RGS), it was tested recently at Camp Ripley, Minn., using a GAU-17 7.62mm minigun mounted on a moving ground vehicle. The Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) has approved the requirement for a defensive weapon system on the V-22, BAE says. The company has been funding the effort internally since mid-2005.
Senators have argued over and ultimately rejected the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) proposed space-based missile defense test bed once again, likely sealing the fate of efforts to begin studies in fiscal 2008.
The Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) X-band radar slated for the Czech Republic and the interceptors intended for Poland will undergo some modifications to respond to threats more quickly, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering told a group of reporters at the Pentagon Oct. 2.
50 YEARS AGO: On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik-1, marking the beginning of the Space Age. The first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, Sputnik 1 was a 23-inch diameter sphere covered with aluminum alloy weighing 184 pounds and featuring four antennas. It was launched atop an R-7 rocket and orbited the Earth at an estimated altitude of 150 miles for nearly three months before re-entering the atmosphere and burning up on Jan. 4, 1958. The mission kicked off the space race and the U.S.
The Pentagon needs to fortify its procedures to strengthen export controls, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (IG) said in a recent report. "Until changes are made, DOD will be at increased risk of other nations' countering or reproducing our technology," the IG said in a Sept. 28 report.
CHEMICAL DETECTORS: The Defense Department has selected Smiths Detection's M4 lightweight chemical detector to participate in the second increment of the Pentagon's Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD) program. In July, the Pentagon awarded Smiths a $3.9 million firm-fixed price contract to supply lightweight detectors under the JCAD program. The M4, an advanced non-radioactive chemical point detector, can be worn by personnel or mounted on vehicles or robots.
A Coast Guard authorization bill working its way through the House, but still facing an uncertain future, would enact oversight measures that should lead to certain if unquantifiable savings, budget scorekeepers on Capitol Hill said. Assuming necessary appropriations are provided, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Coast Guard would spend $5 million over the next two years to implement the provisions, according to a CBO report following late-September action by the House Homeland Security Committee.
