Nonpartisan congressional budget officials have reported that the Navy would need to spend an average of $19.6 billion every year (in 2007 dollars) on new-ship construction to achieve the 313-ship battle fleet in 2035 now being outlined by the chief of naval operations (CNO). According to a Dec. 16 report by the Congressional Budget Office, if refuelings of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines were included, the Navy would need to spend an average of $20.8 billion annually through 2035.
Jill Kale has been named vice president of strategic program management, transitions and processes for the Commercial, State and Local business unit of the company's information technology sector. John F. Olesak has been appointed vice president of space and intelligence for the Information Technology sector.
Luiz Carlos Siqueira Aguiar has been appointed executive vice president for the defense and government market. He replaces Romualdo Monteiro de Barros, who resigned.
Sales grew 30 percent and net profit climbed 44 percent for defense electronic systems provider Elta Systems Ltd. in the first nine months of fiscal 2005, the company said. The firm, which is owned by Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd., said Dec. 19 that sales were $493 million for the '05 period compared with $380 million the year before. Net profit increased from $10.4 million in the first nine months of FY '04 to $15 million for the same period this year.
Kenneth M. Duberstein has been elected lead director for the board of directors. Duberstein has been on the board since 1997. He replaces Lew Platt, who died earlier this year.
President Bush has nominated James Finley to be deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and technology, replacing Michael Wynne, who became Air Force secretary. Finley currently serves as president of The Finley Group LLC, a consulting company he formed in 2002. Before that, he was chief executive of Smartskin Inc. Previously, Finley served in management of General Electric, Singer, Lear Siegler, United Technologies and General Dynamics, where he was president of information systems.
E-4 SUPPORT: A Boeing-led team will serve as product support integrator for the U.S. Air Force's four-plane E-4 National Air Operations Center fleet under a five-year contract with a $2 billion cost cap, Boeing said Dec. 21. The team includes L-3 Communications, Rockwell Collins and Greenpoint Technology Inc.
Steven M. Kellner has been appointed quality control manager for the Intelligence Division. Scott E. McHugh has been named senior vice president of business development.
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products said Dec. 21 that it will provide the U.S. Army with additional enhanced-capability reactive armor tile sets for Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Iraq under a $19 million contract modification. The original $122 million contract was first awarded in 2004.
Douglas L. Maine has been elected to the board of directors, effective Jan. 1. Maine will also serve on the board's audit and finance committees. Maine was general manager of the Consumer Products Industry Division for International Business Machines Corp.
Senate Republican leaders failed Dec. 21 to push through a congressional conference agreement for the fiscal 2006 defense appropriations bill, increasingly squeezing the chamber as it tries to adjourn for a holiday break. By a 56-to-44 margin, the Senate voted against invoking cloture on debate over the agreement, which would have set the conference deal along an accelerated, guarded path to a final vote in the Senate.
TRIDENT WORK: The U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Programs awarded Lockheed Martin's Space Systems unit an $869 million, noncompeted contract for fiscal 2006 Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed system support. The Dec. 19 award runs until September 2009.
International Launch Services has scheduled the launch of the Astra 1KR satellite on an Atlas V rocket for April 2006 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., the company announced. ILS markets launches on Lockheed Martin's Atlas rocket and the Khrunichev-built Proton. This will be the first Atlas mission for SES Astra of Luxembourg, which has used Protons for six previous launches with ILS. The 1KR spacecraft is based on Lockheed Martin's A2100 spacecraft bus.
The University of California (UC) - working with Bechtel Corp., BWX Technologies and Washington Group International - will retain its management work for Los Alamos National Laboratory for up to 20 years, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman announced Dec. 21.
Sweden's government has decided to proceed with the joint Neuron unmanned combat air vehicle, the country's defense ministry said. The decision allows Sweden's armed forces to place an order with the Defense Materiel Administration for the development of a Neuron technology demonstrator, and also allows the administration to sign a deal with France for cooperation on the program. The Neuron program is led by France's Dassault.
The Defense Department has requested more information on Lockheed Martin and Boeing's proposed United Launch Alliance merger, which will push the regulatory approval process into next year, according to a Boeing spokesman.
NEW CHAIR: Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.) was named the new chair of the House Intelligence terrorism, human intelligence, analysis and counterintelligence subcommittee, replacing former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.). Cunningham recently resigned after admitting to taking $2.4 million in bribes from a few small defense contractors to steer contracts their way. Davis, a member of the Armed Services and International Relations committees and a vocal shipbuilding proponent, previously chaired the Intelligence Committee's policy and national security subcommittee.
Congress is putting more pressure on the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program by cutting funding for fiscal 2006, withholding even more until it receives reports and requiring more oversight and more information in the Army's revised implementation plan.
International Launch Services has been given the go-ahead from the U.S. Air Force to launch a military weather satellite on an Atlas V launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch is scheduled for late 2007 with DMSP-18, a satellite built for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Both the satellite and the booster were built by Lockheed Martin, which is a partner in the ILS joint venture with Russia's Khrunichev.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency put the eighth interceptor missile into its underground silo at Fort Greely, Alaska, on Dec. 17, Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III announced Dec. 20. The missile, designed to intercept and destroy a long-range ballistic missile, is the final interceptor emplacement planned for Fort Greely this year. Another interceptor will be installed in January, followed by "additional" interceptors by the end of 2006.
