DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated January 23, 2012

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated January 23, 2012

 Source: U.S. DoD issued No. 045-12 January 23, 2012

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 24, 2012: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued January 23, 2012 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

            The Boeing Co., Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $693,373,638 firm-fixed-price contract for a modification to delivery order (DO) 0006 against the basic C-17 production indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, FA8614-06-D-2006, to procure five additional C-17 Air Force aircraft.  Basic DO 0006 was awarded on May 13, 2011 to procure the first five aircraft of the fiscal 2010 Air Force C-17 requirement.  The location of the performance is Long Beach, Calif.  Work is expected to be completed by March 20, 2013.  ASC/WLMK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-06-D-2006, DO 000603).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

            I-Solutions Direct, Inc. (Metals USA), Fort Washington, Pa., was issued a modification exercising the first option year on contract SPM8EG-09-D-0013/P00024.  The award is a fixed-price with economic price adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum $116,293,693 for prime vendor contract for various metal items.  There are no other locations of performance.  Using services are Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies.  There were three responses to the Web solicitation.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012 Defense Working Capital Funds.  The date of performance completion is Jan. 25, 2013. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity.

            US Foods International, Inc.*, Gardena, Calif., was issued a modification exercising the second option year on contract SPM200-09-D-3310/P00023.  The award is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum $42,100,000 for full line food distribution for the republic of Korea.  There are no other locations of performance.  Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, federal civilian agencies and other authorities, Department of Defense customers.  There were five responses to the Defense Logistics Agency Internet Bid Board System solicitation.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012/2013 Defense Working Capital Funds.  The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2013.  The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity.

*Small business

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD issued No. 045-12 January 23, 2012
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Hands Over Nerpa Nuclear Submarine To India

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Hands Over Nerpa Nuclear Submarine To India
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources RIA  Novosti
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 23, 2012: Russia’s K-152 Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine has been handed over to the Indian Navy, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Monday.

In line with the contract worth over $900 million, the Project 971 Shchuka-B (NATO: Akula II) class sub has been leased to India’s Navy for ten years. It will be renamed the INS Chakra.

The ceremony took place in the Far Eastern Primorye Territory. Russian submariners trained their Indian colleagues to steer the Nerpa in the Pacific Ocean.

The event was attended by Indian ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra, United Shipbuilding Corporation head Roman Trotsenko, Eastern Military District commander Admiral Konstantin Sidenko and other officials.

The submarine’s displacement is 8,140/12,770 tons. Its maximum speed is 30 knots, maximum operating depth, 600 m; its endurance is 100 days with a crew of 73. The vessel is armed with four 533mm torpedo tubes and four 650mm torpedo tubes.

India has become the sixth operator of nuclear submarines in the world, after the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China, though it previously leased another Russian submarine which was then returned.

Twenty sailors died on the Nerpa in 2008 after the vessel’s fire-suppression systems were accidentally triggered during sea trials, releasing toxic gases.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources RIA  Novosti 
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DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated Around The World

DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated Around The World
*Be lucky: Millions of Chinese around the world welcome in the traditionally prosperous Year Of The Dragon
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Graham Smith ~ Daily Mail UK
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 23, 2012: Millions of ethnic Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese across Asia are ringing in the new year with fireworks, feasting and family reunions.

From Beijing to Bangkok and Seoul to Singapore, people hoping for good luck in the Year Of The Dragon that begins today are visiting temples and lighting incense, setting off firecrackers and watching street performances.

For many, the Lunar New Year is the biggest family reunion of the calendar for which people endure hours of cramped travel on trains and buses to get home.

Scroll down for video

Chinese new year: Actors perform the dragon dance on the eve of the Year Of The Dragon at a Beijing park yesterday

Tradition: Actors dressed in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) costumes take part in the heaven-worshipping ceremony, in which people pray for good harvest and fortune, on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing today

Celebrations: People holding incense pray for good fortune at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing

In ancient times the dragon was a symbol reserved for the Chinese emperor, and it is considered to be an extremely auspicious sign.

The new year, which traditionally lasts for 15 days, is the longest and most important of the Chinese holidays.

Much like New Year in Western cultures, the festival begins on the first day of the first month within the Chinese calendar. It ends on the date of the full moon.

 

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This year it starts today and runs until February 6.

Despite often being known as 'Chinese' New Year, the annual celebration is recognised by other Asian populations worldwide, within countries such as Thailand and Singapore.

Different years are represented by different zodiac animal signs - today marks the start of the Year Of The Dragon.

Perhaps the most recognised image within Chinese culture, the dragon symbolises power, strength and good luck. In contrast to European beliefs, where dragons are considered evil creatures, they are seen as having auspicious power and it is seen as positive.

Praying for fortune: Worshippers burn incense in prayer at the Lama Temple, one of the most renowned Tibetan monasteries outside Tibet

Lantern ladies: Actresses perform during an underwater theatre show in Ancol park in Jakarta, Indonesia

Dragon dance: An entranced crowd outside a grocery store in the Binondo Chinatown district of Manila, Philippines

Often regarded as one of the most important signs in the zodiac, Chinese tradition dictates that those born in Dragon years tend to be brave, innovative and highly driven, regularly making it to the top of their profession.

Famous people born in Dragon years include former U.S. president Bill Clinton, actress Reese Witherspoon and artist Salvador Dali.

Those celebrating Chinese New Year mark the occasion by buying presents, clothing, food and decorations embracing popular themes such as wealth, happiness and good fortune.

Each of the 15 days has a particular role, and often those taking part in celebrations will abide by the traditional beliefs according to each day.

The first day is often set aside for people to honour the elders within their families, whereas the third day is generally accepted as a bad day to socialise with relatives or friends.

The final day of the Chinese New Year is traditionally marked by a Lantern Festival when people walk through the streets carrying lanterns and light candles outside their homes.

It is tradition to cleanse a house of all ill-fortune and to try to reconcile with others, removing negativity from your life.

Hot stuff: A Filipino fire breather performs in the Binondo Chinatown area of Manila

Long tradition: Performers dressed in Qing Dynasty costumes participate in an ancient ceremony in Ditan Park in Beijing

Colourful: A lion dance dominates the opening of the temple fair at Ditan Park, also known as the Temple of Earth

New York tribute: The Empire State Building is lit up in red and yellow to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year

Ancient march: The new year, which traditionally lasts for 15 days, is the longest and most important of the Chinese holidays

A woman lights up incense sticks at the Tin Hau temple in Lam Tsuen, Hong Kong, today

Natural arch: Worshippers walk towards the main entrance of the Lama Temple in Beijing

Dragon dancers draw attention from onlookers as they parade through Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan

Free as a bird: An Indonesian-Chinese woman releases starlings at a temple in Jakarta

Video: Crowds gather at the White Cloud Temple, Beijing

 

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Graham Smith ~ Daily Mail UK
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Syrian Blasts Kill 14, Arab Monitors May Stay

DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Syrian Blasts Kill 14, Arab Monitors May Stay
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 21, 2012: Bombs killed at least 14 prisoners in a Syrian security vehicle on Saturday, and fierce battles erupted between rebels and state forces as the Arab League considered whether to keep monitors in place.
The League looks set to extend its monitoring mission in Syria, given the lack of any Arab or world consensus on how to halt the bloodshed there, an Arab diplomatic source said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, said an explosive device planted on a road in the northwestern province of Idlib had killed 15 detainees and wounded dozens.

Syria's state news agency SANA said a "terrorist" group had set off two explosions on the road between the towns of Idlib and Ariha, killing 14 prisoners and wounding 26. Six police guards were also wounded, some critically.

Activists in Idlib offered a very different account, saying the vehicle had actually been carrying dead bodies. They uploaded videos of corpses on the bloodied floors of a hospital morgue, some of which appeared to be decomposing, and said they had come from the vehicle.

Foreign journalists are mostly banned from Syria and such reports are impossible to verify.

Elsewhere in Idlib, clashes broke out between rebels and troops in the city of Maarat Noaman.

"Ten soldiers were trying to desert and their escape sparked clashes between the army and the rebels. One rebel was martyred when he helped give the defectors cover and nine army personnel were killed," the Observatory's head Rami Abdelrahman told Reuters by telephone from Britain.

The Observatory said troops had clashed with army deserters who had joined the insurgency in the town of Jebel al-Zawiya, also in Idlib province, which borders Turkey.

FIGHTING NEAR DAMASCUS

Rebels seized parts of the town of Douma near Damascus before retreating, activists said. Explosions and gunfire rocked the area, a hotbed of revolt after dark.

The fighting began on Saturday afternoon, after security forces killed four people when they fired on a funeral march for a slain protester. Ensuing clashes left dozens wounded, activists said.

Syria accuses its neigbours of failing to combat arms smuggling to insurgents across their borders. On Saturday Syrian forces killed a Lebanese fisherman and wounded another when they seized their boat at sea, the father of the dead man said.

Residents said the Syrians may have suspected the men of smuggling.

Hundreds of people have been killed during the month-long observer mission, despatched to assess Syria's implementation of an Arab peace plan originally agreed in early November.

Sudanese General Mohammed al-Dabi, head of the 165-strong monitoring team, was due in Cairo on Saturday to submit his report for a League committee on Syria to consider on Sunday.

Syria is keen to avoid tougher action by the Arab League or the United Nations. It has tried to show it is complying with the plan, which demands a halt to killings, a military pullout from the streets, the release of detainees, access for the monitors and the media, and dialogue with opposition groups.

Critics say the Arab monitors have only given Assad diplomatic cover to pursue a bloody crackdown on his opponents.

The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) told Reuters it had formally asked the League to refer the Syrian crisis to the U.N. Security Council.

But an Arab source said the League was most likely planning only to extend the mission's mandate: "Yes, there is not complete satisfaction with Syria's cooperation with the monitoring mission. But in the absence of any international plan to deal with Syria, the best option is for the monitors to stay.

This month the Syrian authorities have freed hundreds of detainees, announced an amnesty, struck a ceasefire deal with armed rebels in one town, allowed the Arab observers into some trouble spots and admitted a gaggle of foreign journalists.

"TERRORISTS"

Assad also promised political reforms, while vowing iron-fisted treatment of the "terrorists" trying to topple him.

Burhan Ghalioun, head of the SNC, was in the Egyptian capital for meetings with opposition colleagues and Arab League officials.

The group said in a statement he would ask for the case to go to the Security Council in order to get a resolution imposing a no-fly zone or safe zone.

Western powers have failed to overcome Chinese and Russian opposition to any Security Council resolution condemning Syria or imposing sanctions.

The United States and the European Union have toughened their own punitive measures, but have shown no desire to mount a Libya-style military intervention to help Assad's opponents, who include both armed insurgents and peaceful protesters.

Washington warned on Friday that it might soon close its embassy in Syria due to worsening security conditions and said it believed Assad no longer had full control of the country.

U.S. concern about the safety of its mission in Damascus, which was attacked by a pro-Assad crowd in July, intensified after three deadly blasts in the Syrian capital in recent weeks, blamed by Syrian authorities on al-Qaeda suicide bombers.

Closing the embassy would not amount to cutting diplomatic ties, but would reduce direct U.S. contacts with Damascus.

A White House spokesman said Assad's fall was "inevitable" and demanded he halt violence against protesters in which the United Nations says more than 5,000 people have died since March. Syria says 2,000 security personnel have been killed. (Writing by Alistair Lyon and Erika Solomon; editing by Andrew Roche)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta ~ U.S. Military Best In World, But Threats Remain

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta~ U.S. Military Best In World, But Threats Remain
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. - American Forces Press Service
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 21, 2012:  The U.S. military is the world’s best and it’s on the right path to face the challenges ahead, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks to military members and civilian workers at the Joint Strike Fighter hangar at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Jan. 20, 2012. Panetta toured several facilities related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is in its test phases at the base. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Speaking to a crowd of service members, civilians and local leaders at a town hall meeting, Panetta said the military “has to be able to make that turn as we head into the future.”

“We're at a point, as you know, where the Iraq mission was brought to an end, and it's now clearly up to the Iraqi people, to the Iraqi leaders to make sure they stay on the right track,” he said. “That was the whole point of the mission, was to make Iraq be able to govern and secure itself.”

The defense secretary also cited U.S., coalition and Afghan progress made in Afghanistan and NATO’s success in helping to topple a dictator in Libya.

“In Afghanistan, we are making good progress there in transitioning to Afghan control and security, and we remain committed to making sure that happens,” Panetta said. “In Libya, we had a successful NATO mission that helped bring down Gadhafi and return Libya to the Libyan people.”

Panetta noted the U.S. military has “significantly impacted” al-Qaida operations. Al-Qaida chieftain Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011 in Pakistan by U.S. troops.

“Its leadership is decimated,” Panetta said of al-Qaida. “It doesn't have the ability to put command and control together to make the kind of plans for the kind of attacks we saw on 9/11.

“We have successfully gone after their leadership, and it's not just bin Laden, but a number of leaders,” he continued. “But we need to continue that pressure.

“We need to keep going after them wherever they go, whether it's Yemen or Somalia or North Africa,” he added. “We need to continue the pressure on them. But we are working to significantly weaken their capability. We've been good at it.”

The defense secretary noted that “we’re moving in the right direction” by virtue of the men and women in uniform doing “everything we've asked them to do.”

Panetta also said the current drawdown isn’t like previous drawdowns following World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War or the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“This isn't like drawdowns in the past … when the potential enemy or the enemy that we were confronting, you know, was disabled and in some way rendered ineffective,” he said. “We're still confronting a number of threats in the world.”

“We're still fighting a war in Afghanistan,” Panetta said. “We're facing threats from North Korea. We're facing threats from Iran. We continue to face threats from the proliferation of nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction.”

The defense secretary also noted threats from “rising powers” in Asia, continuing turmoil in the Middle East, and in the cyber world where “the battlefields of the future could very well be in cyber.”

“So at a time when we're at that turning point, at a time when we're facing the budget challenges that we're facing, we still have to be strong to confront the threats that we face in the world,” Panetta said. “And so that's been the challenge.”

After Congress mandated a reduction of $487 billion in the defense budget over the next 10 years, Panetta said he saw it as an “opportunity to shape the defense system we need for the future.”

“Number one, we are and have to remain, the strongest military in the world,” he said. “We are not going to back off from our position of being the strongest military. If we're going to confront those threats, if we're going to be a world leader, we have got to maintain our military power.”

Panetta was also adamant about not hollowing out the force which, he said, is a mistake “we’ve made in the past.”

“Every one of those drawdowns I talked about, there were cuts across the board,” he said. “They took big numbers, cut everything across the board, weakened everything across the board … we are not going to do that.”

The defense secretary noted he’d looked at every budget area where savings, efficiencies and balance can be achieved.

Despite current fiscal belt-tightening, the nation ““cannot break faith with those that have served, men and women who've deployed time and time and time again to the war zone, who've been promised and committed to certain benefits,” Panetta said.

“We have got to maintain faith with them,” he added, “at the same time that, obviously, we've got to deal with growing costs in the future."

The nation’s national defense strategy, Panetta added, always depends upon the quality of its service members.

“And thank God we have the very best fighting men and women in the world,” he said. “And thank God we have the American people that are supportive of making sure that we do everything possible to reach that American dream of giving our kids a better life.”

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable source By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. - American Forces Press Service 
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