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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Army Expected To Pick JLTV Winner Soon
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Brendan McGarry | Wednesday, August 19th, 2015 7:36 pm
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 20, 2015: Defense contractors competing for a contract to build the U.S. military’s replacement to the iconic Humvee are eagerly awaiting a decision from the Army.
Humvee-maker AM General, truck-maker Oshkosh Corp. and defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin Corp. are vying to begin production of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV.
An announcement on which company will be chosen to build the first 17,000 production models of the vehicle is expected either this week or next, sources told Military.com.
Overall, the Army and the Marine Corps plan to buy a total of 54,720 JLTVs to replace about a third of the Humvee fleet at an estimated cost of more than $30 billion, or about $559,000 per vehicle, according to Pentagon budget documents.
That figure, which rose from earlier estimates, includes expenses for research and development, overhead and add-on equipment such as radios, weapons and armor. Officials have said the cost of manufacturing the vehicle alone will be about $250,000.
The companies submitted their final bids to the Army in February. Each of the firms previously delivered 22 prototypes for testing under an earlier contract.
Over the past decade, the Pentagon spent nearly $50 billion buying 25,000 or so of the bigger, mine-resistant ambush protected, or MRAP, vehicles as part of a rapid-acquisition effort spearheaded by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates to better protect troops from roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thousands of the hulking vehicles were subsequently scrapped, mothballed or handed down to local police departments because the military never intended them to be a permanent part of the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet.
Now, the Army and Marine Corps are trying to incorporate some of the lessons learned from the wars into a lighter vehicle. “As we move forward, it will be a central piece of the Army,” former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said in June of the JLTV.
*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Brendan McGarry | Wednesday, August 19th, 2015 7:36 pm
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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Thirteen Years Later, ISAF Remembers The Fallen
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Story and photo by Lt. Michael J. Fallon - ISAF Headquarters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 12, 2014: KABUL, Afghanistan - “Thirteen years ago, on a clear summer morning, al-Qaeda struck the American homeland, and our world irrevocably changed,” said Gen. John F. Campbell, commander of International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces - Afghanistan.
Campbell delivered remarks during a ceremony at ISAF headquarters to honor those lost on September 11, 2001 and the sacrifices of countless others since that fateful day.
“Two airplanes sliced through the New York City skyline and smashed into the World Trade Center complex. Less than one hour later, an additional plane crashed into the Pentagon. Minutes later, another -- also headed for the American capital -- plummeted to the earth in Pennsylvania. When it was over, 2,977 men, women, and children representing over 90 countries, diverse cultures, and myriad religions lay dead, innocent victims of one of history's most brazen and reprehensible terrorist strikes.”
The skies over Kabul were clear and quiet as the group paused for a moment of reflection. The familiar sound of Blackhawk helicopters was nowhere to be heard. However, looking back on the thirteen years of combat operations in Afghanistan, such tranquility has been rare. America’s longest war has been an enduring path of combating terrorists and those who harbor them, of rebuilding the infrastructure of a nation ravaged by decades of war, and of assisting the Afghan government in attaining the goals of peace and stability that have eluded this region for so long.
“Our coalition and Afghan partners have applied relentless pressure against the terrorist networks that operate here,” said Campbell. “We have thoroughly disrupted their abilities to plan and execute further attacks against the West.”
On this solemn day, those gathered around the world acknowledged that the pursuit of terrorists who threaten the freedom of Afghanistan and, in fact, freedom everywhere has not come quickly or easily. Many have sacrificed greatly, but Campbell explained the necessity of taking this battle to the enemy: “As we found out on 9/11, the cost of our neglect could be far more expensive.”
By going after these terrorist networks, the opportunity has emerged to establish a strong, credible Afghan security network. This build-up of Afghan security capabilities is critical to the nation’s future as the coalition mission shifts from combat operations to training, advising, and assisting Afghan forces at the end of this year. In addressing the troops gathered at ISAF, Campbell stated:
“Thanks in large part to your efforts, the Afghan National Security Forces have become increasingly capable, confident, and credible. They've been in the lead for security efforts during two fighting seasons and are more than holding their own against a determined enemy. They have also earned the Afghan people's admiration and trust, and today, the ANSF proudly stands as the most respected institution in Afghanistan.”
Though the mission has evolved over the years, the determination to rid the world of terrorists and those who support them is as palpable as ever among Afghan and coalition forces.
At a ceremony in Kabul -- a world away from New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania -- a flag flies at half-staff as this international coalition gathers to remember the atrocities of September 11, 2001, atrocities whose inception was born here and whose effects reverberated around the globe.
Campbell reflected on the memory of those lost to that vicious awakening thirteen years ago today and on the resolve shown since.
“We will continue to protect our homelands by preventing Afghanistan from ever again becoming a safe haven for terrorism. This will be our most important legacy and tribute to our fallen heroes.”
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Describes Anti-ISIL Operations in Iraq
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth + DoD News, Defense Media Activity
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 19, 2014: (WASHINGTON) The U.S. military used fighters, bombers, attack, and unmanned aircraft to conduct 35 strikes that eliminated ISIL positions in and around the Mosul Dam complex, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement released yesterday.
Kirby’s statement reads as follows:
Over the past 72 hours, at the request of the Iraqi government, the U.S. military used fighters, bombers, attack, and unmanned aircraft to conduct 35 strikes that eliminated ISIL positions in and around the Mosul Dam complex. In all, we destroyed over 90 targets including a range of vehicles, equipment, and fighting positions.
Iraqi forces have cleared the dam and are working to further expand their area of control. Secretary Hagel remains extraordinarily proud of the men and women serving on land and sea who conducted these operations.
He knows they stand ready to continue such missions as needed. Secretary Hagel also commends the way in which Iraqi forces worked together in this operation. It reflects the growing determination of Iraqis to fight back against ISIL.
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Confirms New Chinese Long-Range ICBM Development
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Bill Gertz
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 8, 2014: China is developing a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile with multiple nuclear warheads as part of a large-scale strategic and conventional forces buildup, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday in its annual report to Congress.
“China also is developing a new road-mobile ICBM known as the Dong Feng-41 (DF-41), possibly capable of carrying multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV),” the report says.
It was the first time since 2007 that the Pentagon acknowledged the development of the road-mobile DF-41, which U.S. officials said was test launched twice since 2012, most recently in December.
The Washington Free Beacon first disclosed details of the DF-41 last year. The missile is part of China’s large-scale strategic nuclear missile buildup, that includes three other ICBMs, the DF-31, DF-31A road-mobile missiles, and the JL-2 submarine-launched missiles.
The DF-41 is assessed by U.S. intelligence agencies of being capable of carrying up to 10 MIRVs.
“We have been seeing pictures of [the DF-41] since 2007, but now we know that the Pentagon knows that [People’s Liberation Army] PLA nuclear warheads will be increasing faster with the introduction of this ICBM,” said Rick Fisher, a China military analyst with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
“The Second Artillery continues to modernize its nuclear forces by enhancing its silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and adding more survivable mobile delivery systems,” the Pentagon report said, referring to China’s Second Artillery Corps, as the strategic nuclear missile forces service is known.
The report also said China has deployed three Jin-class ballistic missile submarines and that up to five of the submarines will be built before a newer generation missile submarine comes online.
“China is likely to conduct its first nuclear deterrence patrols with the JIN-class SSBN in 2014,” the report said.
The Pentagon said that China’s new generation of mobile missiles with multiple warheads and penetration aids designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses “are intended to ensure the viability of China’s strategic deterrent in the face of continued advances in U.S. and, to a lesser extent, Russian strategic [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance], precision strike, and missile defense capabilities.”
In addition to new missiles, the Chinese military is deploying new command, control, and communications for its nuclear forces, an enhancement the Pentagon assessed is making its strategic forces more lethal.
“Through the use of improved communications links, China’s ICBM units now have better access to battlefield information and uninterrupted communications connecting all command echelons, and unit commanders are able to issue orders to multiple subordinates at once, instead of serially, via voice commands,” the report said.
On cyber warfare, the report said China, along with Russia, is seeking to promote intergovernmental control over the Internet. China has been a major promoter of seeking to remove control of the Internet from the United States.
Once focused mainly on developing weapons and tactics for a conflict over Taiwan, the Pentagon now regards China’s military buildup as expanding beyond a Taiwan contingency.
“China is investing in military programs and weapons designed to improve extended-range power projection and operations in emerging domains such as cyberspace, space, and electronic warfare,” the report said.
The Chinese military is developing high-technology forces as part of what Beijing calls “informationization” capabilities.
In addition to kinetic, battlefield weapons such as its large-scale missile and naval forces, China also is working on a military capability to launch an “information blockade” during a conflict. China “envisions the use of military and non- instruments of state power across the battlespace, including in cyberspace and outer space to deny information superiority to its adversaries,” the report said.
“China’s investments in advanced electronic warfare systems, counterspace weapons, and computer network operations —combined with propaganda and denial through opacity—reflect the emphasis and priority China’s leaders place on building capability for information advantage,” the Pentagon said.
Chinese military and government hackers also are continuing cyber attacks against the Pentagon the report said.
“In 2013, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military,” the report said.
“These intrusions were focused on exfiltrating information,” the report said. “China is using its computer network exploitation capability to support intelligence collection against the U.S. diplomatic, economic, and defense industrial base sectors that support U.S. national defense programs.”
The report for the first time said China’s buildup of air forces is significant, and includes two new radar-evading warplanes and several armed drones.
China’s air force “is pursuing modernization on a scale unprecedented in its history and is rapidly closing the gap with Western air forces across a broad spectrum of capabilities including aircraft, command and control, jammers, electronic warfare, and data links,” the report said.
Most of its jet fighters will be advanced, fourth-generation fighters within the next several years, including two new stealth fighters, the J-20 and the J-31.
The J-31 “is similar in size to a U.S. F-35 fighter and appears to incorporate design characteristics similar to the J-20,” the report said.
The H-6 bomber fleet has been upgraded to increase its lethality by deploying new standoff weapons on the aircraft, such as anti-ship cruise missiles and land attack cruise missiles.
“Modernizing the H-6 into a cruise missile carrier has given the PLA Air Force a long-range stand-off offensive capability with precision-guided munitions,” the report said.
China also is modernizing its ground forces with rapid deployment capabilities over long distances, along with advanced special operations forces.
Strategically, the Pentagon report states that the Chinese military has adopted what is being called “new historic missions” that seek to bolster the power of the ruling Communist Party of China.
The report highlights China’s ongoing territorial disputes, mainly in the South China Sea against Vietnam and Philippines and in the East China Sea against Japan.
In the South China Sea, the Pentagon criticized China for not observing international maritime laws during a dangerous encounter in December involving the USS Cowpens, a guided missile cruiser.
The Cowpens was sailing in international waters 32 miles south of China’s Hainan Island when it was harassed by two Chinese naval vessels.
“Two PLA Navy vessels approached USS Cowpens,” the report said. “During this interaction, one of the PLA Navy vessels altered course and crossed directly in front of the bow of USS Cowpens. This maneuver by the PLA Navy vessel forced USS Cowpens to come to full stop to avoid collision, while the PLA Navy vessel passed less than 100 yards ahead.”
The action was “inconsistent with internationally recognized rules concerning professional maritime behavior,” the report said.
The Free Beacon first disclosed the dangerous encounter involving the Cowpens in December.
Fisher, the China military affairs expert, said the latest report, which omitted all photos of Chinese military hardware, appeared to be part of the Obama administration’s policy of not portraying the PLA as a Cold War enemy.
Still, “the 2014 Pentagon PLA report has come a long way to presenting a more useful listing of China’s military direction,” Fisher said.
“But it is now time for this report to take the next step,” he said. “It needs to become an illustrated book translated into multiple languages. This document defines the Chinese military’s trajectory more than any other statement by any other country—which is why the Chinese government hates it and wants to shut it down.”
The Pentagon for the first time in its annual report also discloses brief details of China’s development of missile defenses.
China’s government has denounced U.S. and allied missile defenses as destabilizing Asia.
However, China has been secretly developing anti-missile capabilities at the same time.
“While specialists have been watching this since the 1990s, it is time to assess that the U.S. deterrent posture must now factor in a future Chinese national missile defense capability,” Fisher said.
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DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: Separatists Shoot Down Ukrainian Helicopter
*Rebels shoot down Ukraine military helicopter; 14 dead
Among victims is a Ukrainian general; rebel leader in Donetsk admits his fighters include Russian 'volunteers.'
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Haaretz
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 30, 2014: A Ukrainian Mi-24 military helicopter.
Pro-Russian separatists shot down a Ukrainian army helicopter on Thursday, killing 14 soldiers including a general, as government forces pressed ahead with an offensive to crush rebellions in the east swiftly following the election of a new president.
After weeks of accusations from Kiev of Russian involvement in the uprising, a rebel leader in the eastern city of Donetsk acknowledged that some of his fighters who died in the government offensive had been "volunteers" from Russia, saying their bodies were being returned home across the border.
In Kiev, acting president Oleksander Turchinov said the helicopter, which had been carrying supplies in eastern Ukraine, had been brought down by anti-aircraft fire from near the town of Slovyansk, which has been under the control of separatists since early April.
It was one of the heaviest losses inflicted by the separatists on the army in two months of unrest in Ukraine's eastern regions, and followed a fierce assault by government forces in which 50 or so rebels were killed earlier this week.
"I have just received information that terrorists using Russian anti-aircraft missiles shot down our helicopter near Slovyansk. It had been ferrying servicemen for a change of duty," Turchinov told parliament.
The bodies of some of the separatists killed this week when the Ukrainian military tried to regain control of Donetsk international airport were being prepared for return to Russia on Thursday, the rebel leader said.
In a stark admission that the rebels were being supported by Russian militia fighters, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, said: "Those who are volunteers from Russia will be taken to Russia today."
Interior minister Arsen Avakov accused the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the airport violence. Weapons collected at the airport after the rebels were forced out by airstrikes and a paratroop assault had been brought in from Russia, he said.
"These are not our weapons - they were brought from Russia. Serial numbers, year of production, specific models ... I am publishing this photograph as proof of the aggression of the Putin regime," Avakov wrote on his Facebook page.
Kiev's leaders have long asserted that Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March, has fomented the separatist rebellions in the east of Ukraine with a view to bringing about dismemberment of the country.
Moscow denies this but they also allege that it is failing to stop Russian fighters from crossing the long land border into Ukraine together with truckloads of guns and live ammunition.
Defense Minister Mikhailo Koval said on Thursday: "We have put all our forces and equipment into the anti-terrorist operation. We have covered the whole state border."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday accused the West of pushing Ukraine into "the abyss of fratricidal war", and reiterated his call for an end to Kiev's military offensive.
Fierce Assault
The assault launched last Monday was the first time Kiev has unleashed its full military force against the fighters after weeks of restraint and came the day after Ukrainians overwhelmingly elected Petro Poroshenko as president.
Poroshenko, 48, a billionaire confectionary magnate who became the first Ukrainian since 1991 to win the presidency outright in a single round of voting, marked his clear victory by calling for a swift and effective offensive to crush the eastern rebellions.
Though he is unlikely to be inaugurated before June 7, Poroshenko will have an opportunity to meet Putin when both attend commemorations of the 70th anniversary of World War Two's "D-Day" landings in Normandy on June 6. On June 3, Poroshenko is also expected to have talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in Warsaw.
The separatist authorities say those who died on Monday and Tuesday included a truckload of wounded fighters blasted apart as they were driven away from the battlefield. The government said it suffered no losses in the operation, when its aircraft strafed the airport and paratroops landed to reclaim it.
At Donetsk's Kalinin morgue, where the dead from the violence were taken, 30 coffins were laid out in rows on Thursday.
"Yes. They're going to Russia," said an orthodox priest, who was edgy and did not wish to be named.
In another part of the morgue lay a local man, 43-year-old Mark Zverev, who had also been killed in the airport fighting. "Europe should know what is happening. He's not a terrorist. He is a defender of his home, of his people and of his land," said his mother, clutching his portrait.
A separatist leader in another part of the region acknowledged his men were holding four monitors from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who went missing in eastern Ukraine on Monday.
Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, whose group controls Slovyansk, said the OSCE had been warned not to travel in the area, but had sent a four-man team out all the same. He said they would be released soon.
The OSCE sent in about 300 observers to monitor compliance of an international accord for de-escalating the crisis in troubled eastern Ukraine, where separatists have seized control of strategic points in several towns.
*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Haaretz
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DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: Defense-Technology News May 4, 2014 (Video)
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 4, 2014: Pro-Russian groups in Donetsk have been reacting angrily to the deaths in Odessa.
More than 40 people died there on Friday, most of them in a fire at the Trade Unions House, where separatist protesters had barricaded themselves following running battles with pro-Kiev activists.
Ukraine's interim PM has accused the security services of failing to stop violence in the southern city of Odessa that left more than 40 people dead.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, on his way to Odessa, told the BBC there would be a "full, comprehensive and independent investigation" into Friday's events.
Most of the victims were pro-Russian separatists who had barricaded themselves inside a building.
Mr Yatsenyuk has blamed pro-Russian groups for "provoking the unrest".
Dozens of people were arrested after the unrest. On Sunday, hundreds of pro-Russians gathered outside Odessa's main police station demanding their release, and there were reports of scuffles breaking out on the streets.
'Real war'
Some 42 people died in Odessa on Friday, most of them in the fire at the Trade Unions House, where separatist protesters had barricaded themselves in following running street battles with pro-Kiev activists.
Mr Yatsenyuk said the security service and law enforcement office had done "nothing to stop this crackdown", saying they were "inefficient and they violated the law".
The police chief of the Odessa region had been removed, he said, and the prosecutor's office had started an investigation into "every single police officer"
Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY.
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Spain Approves Larger U.S. Force At Base
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Stratrisks.com
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 12, 2014: The Spanish government approved Friday an expansion of the size and duration of the U.S. military presence at the Moron base in southern Spain.
The Pentagon is authorized to increase the U.S. Marine contingent at Moron from the current level of around 850 troops to as many as 1,100, Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes told reporters after Friday's Cabinet meeting.
The U.S. military also asked to expand the number of aircraft stationed at the Moron base, he said.
Under the new agreement, the U.S. can keep the troops and aircraft at the base through April 2015.
Morenes recalled that Spain has authorized the size of the U.S. presence at the Rota and Moron bases since 1988, and noted that the use of Moron is related to the instability of North Africa and the Sahel, which affects the interests of both the United States and Spain.
Following the decision of the Spanish government, the U.S. ambassador to Spain, James Costos, issued a communique thanking the people and government of Spain for their continued support for the Marines' rapid-response force at the Moron base.
He said that this group strengthens the efforts to stabilize a geographic region of interest both to the United States and to Spain, and facilitates joint operations by the military of both countries.
Costos said that Spain is "one of the most important allies of the United States and one of its most trustworthy partners." EFE
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Waived Laws To Keep F-35 on Track With China-Made Parts
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 4, 2014: The Pentagon repeatedly waived laws banning Chinese-built components on U.S. weapons in order to keep the $392 billion Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter program on track in 2012 and 2013, even as U.S. officials were voicing concern about China's espionage and military buildup.
According to Pentagon documents reviewed by Reuters, chief U.S. arms buyer Frank Kendall allowed two F-35 suppliers, Northrop Grumman Corp and Honeywell International Inc, to use Chinese magnets for the new warplane's radar system, landing gears and other hardware. Without the waivers, both companies could have faced sanctions for violating federal law and the F-35 program could have faced further delays.
"It was a pretty big deal and an unusual situation because there's a prohibition on doing defense work in China, even if it's inadvertent," said Frank Kenlon, who recently retired as a senior Pentagon procurement official and now teaches at American University. "I'd never seen this happen before."
The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, is examining three such cases involving the F-35, the U.S. military's next generation fighter, the documents show.
The GAO report, due March 1, was ordered by U.S. lawmakers, who say they are concerned that Americans firms are being shut out of the specialty metals market, and that a U.S. weapon system may become dependent on parts made by a potential future adversary.
The waivers apply to inexpensive parts, including $2 magnets, installed on 115 F-35 test, training and production aircraft, the last of which are due to be delivered in May 2014. Lawmakers noted that several U.S. companies make similar magnets.
Kendall said the waivers were needed to keep production, testing and training of the Pentagon's newest warplane on track; avert millions of dollars in retrofit costs; and prevent delays in the Marine Corps' plan to start using the jets in combat from mid-2015, according to the documents. In one case, it would cost $10.8 million and take about 25,000 man-hours to remove the Chinese-made magnets and replace them with American ones, the documents indicate.
Lockheed is developing the F-35, the Pentagon's costliest arms program, for the United States and eight countries that helped fund its development: Britain, Canada, Australia, Italy, Norway, Turkey, Denmark and the Netherlands. Israel and Japan have also placed orders for the jet.
The program is already years behind schedule and 70 percent over initial cost estimates. At the time Kendall was granting the waivers, officials were acutely worried that further delays and cost increases would erode the foreign orders needed to drive down the future cost of each warplane.
In the documents, Kendall underscored the importance of the F-35 program to ensure continued U.S. military superiority and counter potential emerging threats from nations developing their own stealth fighter jets, including Russia and China.
He said additional delays would force the United States and its allies to keep its legacy fighters flying longer, which would result in higher maintenance costs. It would also leave them with older jets, which Kendall said "cannot match the offensive and defensive capabilities provided by F-35."
The Pentagon first disclosed problems with non-U.S. magnets in a little-noticed written statement to Congress in the spring of 2013. But the statement did not name companies involved and did not disclose that some of the parts came from China.
Officials at Northrop, Honeywell and Lockheed declined to comment on the issue, referring queries to the Pentagon.
Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) at the Pentagon, said the office was committed to ensuring that federal defense acquisition laws were strictly followed.
"There was never any risk of technology transfer or other security breach associated with these manufacturing compliance issues," he said. "The JPO is working with industry to put in place long-term solutions to avoid the need for future waivers."
In his statement to Congress, Kendall said he took the matter "extremely seriously" and said Lockheed was told to take aggressive steps to identify any further cases, and correct its compliance process.
Bill Greenwalt, a former senior defense official and now an analyst with the American Enterprise Institute think tank, said the risk to national security appeared low since the magnets in question had no programmable hardware.
However, he added: "This is an area that will need considerable due diligence in the future to ensure that components for more high-risk applications are safe from potential tampering and foreign mischief."
SPECIALTY METALS
Since 1973, U.S. laws have banned the procurement of specialty metals produced outside the United States for use on U.S. weapons. A separate 2006 law also bans the purchase of end-use items and components that include such specialty metals.
The documents reviewed by Reuters show that Northrop first discovered the use of non-compliant Japanese magnets on the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar it builds for the F-35 in August 2012, alerting the prime contractor, Lockheed, which then told the Pentagon.
A subsequent investigation of all parts on the F-35 turned up two more cases in which non-U.S. specialty metals were used on the F-35's radar, and on target assemblies built by Honeywell that are used for positioning doors and landing gear.
Northrop's radar was also found to contain $2 magnets made by Chengdu Magnetic Material Science & Technology Co, in China's Sichuan region, according to the documents.
The magnets used on the Honeywell target assemblies were acquired through Illinois-based Dexter Magnetic Technologies Inc.
Dexter and Chengdu Magnetic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
KNOWING AND WILLFUL?
In June, the House Armed Services Committee asked the GAO to determine whether the companies involved "knowingly and willfully" supplied non-compliant magnets, and how the Pentagon investigated that question. The committee also asked GAO for recommendations on potential changes, such as fines or penalties for non-compliance to deter future problems, as well as suggestions for beefing up Pentagon supply chain management procedures.
In a document approving use of Chinese magnets on the batch of 32 F-35 fighter planes now being built, Kendall said neither Lockheed nor Northrop knowingly allowed the parts to be used.
In his waiver, Kendall wrote that Northrop's initial mistake, involving magnets built in Japan, was an "administrative oversight" and noted the firm quickly reported the matter when it was discovered in August 2012. It led to the comprehensive review that found two additional issues involving Chinese-built magnets.
It is not clear from the waiver documents whether Kendall determined that Honeywell's use of Chinese-built magnets involved a similar mistake.
(Editing by Michael Williams, Tiffany Wu and Grant McCool)
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US-Russian Helicopter Deal Under Fire
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 10, 2013: The US government is under fire for allegedly misleading the Congress into buying Russian transport helicopters for US troops in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon ordered 63 Russian Mi-17 rotorcrafts worth $1 billion over the past two years.
According to the Associated Press, senior Pentagon officials have repeatedly assured members of Congress that the Department of Defense had made the right call, citing a top-secret 2010 study that named the Mi-17 as the superior choice.
The report also states the Boeing Chinook was found to be “the most cost-effective single platform type fleet for the Afghan Air Force over a twenty-year” period.
The 2010 study "specifically analyzed the opportunity for DOD to provide a U.S. alternative to the Mi-17 for Afghanistan," the report said, adding the Boeing helicopter is larger than its Russian counterpart, carries up to a 26,000 pound payload, which is twice as much as the Mi-17, and can operate at nearly the same high altitude.
*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Defense News
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Looking To Sell Portion of Afghan MRAP Fleet
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources ArmyTimes
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 6, 2013: The U.S. government is working to sell as many as 2,000 of its hulking mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles in Afghanistan instead of sending them home or destroying them in place — provided the foreign buyers pay to ship the trucks out of the country themselves.
The cost of shipping an MRAP back to the U.S. and fixing it up runs the Pentagon about $250,000 to $300,000 per vehicle. With about 11,000 MRAPs in Afghanistan, bringing them all back home is too expensive to contemplate, according to Pentagon officials. Overall, the US military is destroying about $7 billion worth of material in Afghanistan as US troops head for the exits.
A Pentagon spokesman said that several foreign countries have expressed interest in buying the Afghan MRAPs but no final agreements have been signed.
In the end, the Army plans to retain about 8,000 MRAPs after completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of 2014, a number that carries a substantial logistics and maintenance bill.
Between January 2013 and the end of December 2014, it’s estimated that it will cost between $5 billion and $7 billion to bring all U.S. equipment out of Afghanistan, either by ground transport through Pakistan or by air through the Northern Distribution Network.
The ground route is the cheaper — if longer — option, though the U.S. military stopped all cargo traffic out of Afghanistan on Dec. 3 due to security concerns.
The route, which winds through dangerous mountain territory in Pakistan, runs from Torkham Gate at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border down to the port in Karachi in Pakistan.
There have been days of protests led by Pakistani politicians protesting U.S. drone strikes in their country, which worried U.S. officials who feared the convoys would be attacked.
Pentagon officials said that they expect the roads to reopen soon, but couldn’t put a date on it
If the roads through Pakistan remain open, the final price tag should be closer to the lower number; if weather or another breakdown in the relationship with Pakistan closes the roads, the cost will go up, according to Pentagon officials.
Before the shutdown, things were picking up. In October, the U.S. shipped out a record 33,000 tons of equipment from Afghanistan, with about 56 percent going by road through Pakistan, said Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesperson.
The NATO military command in Kabul also said the retrograde is proceeding as planned. U.S. forces in the country continue to redeploy “in accordance with President Obama’s announced level of 34,000 troops in country by Feb. 1, 2014,” spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Ripley emailed. There are currently 46,000 American troops deployed in Afghanistan.
However quickly or slowly the withdrawal proceeds, the Pentagon insists that it has plans to deal with it.
“When we started the retrograde we didn’t know what the final end state would be, so [a flexible end strength number] is more or less built into the plans we already have,” Wright said. The plans are “flexible enough to allow us to scale up or down” depending on the pace of the withdrawal and the potential size of an American and NATO follow-on force.
One of the most critical hubs in the Northern Distribution Network is the transit center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, which the Pentagon will shut down in July 2014 when its lease with the Kyrgyz government expires. Since the United States will still be flowing troops and equipment out of Afghanistan, the U.S. and Romania signed a pact in October allowing the Pentagon to use the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase on the Black Sea instead of Manas.
The Kyrgyzstan operation has been a matter of dispute for years, with the Kyrgyz government announcing it would cease American operations there in 2009, until the U.S. agreed to triple yearly payments to about $60 million.
Related MRAP's images:
*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources ArmyTimes
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