NIGHTMARE: Expect a "nightmare" fiscal 2006 appropriations process on Capitol Hill, the budget and appropriations adviser to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) says. Bill Hoagland says another late omnibus spending bill is likely, and that defense appropriations - usually the first set of bills to be completed - may not be finished first this time. Hoagland blames the uneven appropriations structure between the Senate and House, due to Rep. Jerry Lewis' (R-Calif.) recent consolidation of the House Appropriations Committee (DAILY, Feb. 11).
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - President Bush's nomination of U.N. Ambassador John D. Negroponte to be Director of National Intelligence probably won't have a significant effect on the current lines of intelligence communication to U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, according to Adm. Timothy J. Keating, who heads both commands. But Keating also said the creation of the DNI post may boost the ability of the two commands to get intelligence and pass it along.
Feb. 28 - March 2 -- 2005 International Conference On ISO 9000, Hilton Hotel, Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Fla. For more information go to www.iso9000conference.com. Feb. 28 - March 3 -- 21st National Logistics Conference & Exhibition, "Adapting Logistics Capabilities to National Security Requirements," Hyatt Regency, Miami, Fla. For more information contact Phyllis Edmonson at (703) 247-5730, email [email protected] or go to www.ndia.org.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems has been awarded a $10 million contract to provide seven photonics mast workstations (PMWs) for U.S. Navy Virginia-class submarines, the company said Feb. 25. The contract was awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command. Under the contract, General Dynamics will perform engineering services for the development, field maintenance and modification of PMWs that will be integrated into the photonics mast system.
Naval Air Systems Command plans its third public demonstration of unmanned aerial vehicles on June 27 at the Webster Field Annex of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Guests will be able to view a large stadium-style LED monitor featuring live feeds of imagery being taken by the UAVs as they fly overhead. UAV systems demonstrated in previous years include the Fire Scout, Predator, Pointer and Dragon Eye.
MORE CONSOLIDATIONS: Merger and acquisition dealmakers see 2005 turning into another robust year for industry consolidations. Michael Lustbader, vice president of Arlington Capital Partners and Bob Kipps, a director of Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin Capital, say the past few years have seen 80 to 100 deals a year, and they expect that rate to continue this year. Government services companies, and defense firms in particular, tend to consolidate relatively easily because of similar cultures and use of the same financial information technology systems.
DOD AND GSA: The results of an inspectors general review of the Defense Department's recent contracting through the General Services Administration's regional Federal Technology Service centers are expected "shortly," says Diedre Lee, the director of defense procurement and acquisition policy. So far, most FTS centers have been cleared for that work, although a few centers are still "iffy," she says. Fiscal 2005 legislation mandates that DOD and GSA address cross-agency contracting issues by March 15, or DOD can't continue to tap FTS.
RFID SAVINGS: Cost savings from using radio frequency identification (RFID) are persuading the Defense Department to look at other RFID applications to refine the supply chain process, such as tracking the useful life of specific parts, weapons, and even soldiers in the field, says the consulting company Input of Reston, Va. Most RFID contracts have been awarded to smaller firms specializing in RFID and supply chain management, and Input expects this trend to continue in the near term because RFID adoption will continue to be at the program level instead of agency-wide.
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis BMD) system successfully intercepted a short-range ballistic missile target during a Feb. 24 test in the Pacific, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced late that day.
The Navy's GQM-163A "Coyote" Supersonic Sea Skimming Target program is planning the fourth of its six planned flight-tests for late March, according to a spokeswoman for engine provider Aerojet. Developed by Orbital Sciences Corp., the expendable GQM-163A will replace the Navy's dwindling inventory of MQM-8 Vandal Extended-Extended Range (EER) targets. The program's most recent flight-test took place Dec. 14 at Point Mugu, Calif. Aerojet provides the missile's variable flow ducted rocket (VFDR) ramjet engine.
The House and Senate armed services committees and other panels are scheduled to take up the fiscal 2006 Department of Defense budget request in earnest this week, starting with a Senate Budget Committee hearing with the Pentagon's chief financial officer, Tina Jonas, on March 1. The same day, the Senate Armed Services Committee will host a hearing on European and special operations commands. On March 2, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hear testimony from Jonas and the House Appropriations Committee will hear from Army officials.
NAVAIR SUPPORT: Titan Corp. said Feb. 24 that it was one of multiple winners of a five-year blanket purchase agreement to provide business and financial management support services at the Naval Air Systems Command. Last month, CACI International Inc. announced it too won a piece of the contract (DAILY, Jan. 27). The total deal has a potential value of $135 million.
Lockheed Martin has begun work on a $6.6 million study contract to develop military computer systems capable of performing cognitive tasks such as deduction, reasoning and learning. Lockheed Martin received the two-year contract for the Polymorphous Computing Agent Architecture (PCAA) program in September 2004. The program is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as part of its Architectures for Cognitive Information Processing program.
NEW DELHI - India's Defence Research and Development laboratory has called for a national policy to induct indigenous missile systems - such as the Prithvi, Trishul, Akash and Nag - into the military as soon as they are ready. India is focused on refurbishing its stockpile of missiles, but India's military often shops around for international alternatives even after domestically developed systems are ready for use.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Composite Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) has secured a $32 million contract to manufacture and supply composite panels to Goodrich Aerostructures Group for V2500 engines.
The United States and Russia have signed an agreement to help control the spread of man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Feb. 24 in Bratislava, Slovakia. "We agreed ... to combat MANPADS," which terrorists could use to shoot down commercial airliners, Bush said in a press conference with Putin that came as Bush was wrapping up a tour of Europe.
Defense contractor EDO Corp. reported $536.2 million in revenue for 2004, up 16.4% from 2003 and a company record. Net earnings were $29.1 million, up 96.3% from the $14.8 million reported for 2003, the company said. "This has been a very successful year, in which we have surpassed all of our major financial goals, and have converted our revenue growth into a substantially improved net income," James M. Smith, EDO's CEO, said in a statement.
Anteon International Corp. of Fairfax, Va., has been awarded a five-year, $350 million contract to design and install live training ranges (LTR) and digital multipurpose battle area complexes for the U.S. Army, the company said Feb. 23. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation.
The U.S. Air Force said Feb. 24 that it will follow a recommendation from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to hold a competition for the second phase of the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) program. The Air Force said it expects to award a contract for the second phase, also known as Increment 2, in early fiscal 2006. Increment 2 calls for giving SDB the ability to hit moving targets.
Northrop Grumman completed its part of the U.S. Army's Extended Range/Multi-purpose (ER/MP) unmanned aerial vehicle fly-off at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., on Feb. 18, and competitor General Atomics is set to begin its demonstration flights Feb. 28. Northrop Grumman is offering the Hunter II UAV, based on the Israeli Heron UAV. The company brought three Hunter II demonstrators to Libby Army Airfield at Fort Huachuca and began flying demonstrations for Army officials on Jan. 31 (DAILY, Feb. 2).
The V-22 Osprey has received the go-ahead to undergo an operational evaluation (OPEVAL), a key test phase that is now slated to begin in "mid-March or so" and last four to five months, a program spokesman said late Feb. 24.
Connecticut's two Democratic senators will push to cancel the U.S. Navy's recent contract award to build the next fleet of presidential helicopters to an international team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. Sens. Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman will introduce the Senate version of legislation already introduced in the House by Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). The senators plan to introduce the Senate version of H.R. 459 as soon as the Senate reconvenes Feb. 28.
