DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Army Expected To Pick JLTV Winner Soon

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 - DEFENSE NEWS: US Launches Biggest Allied Airborne Drills Since Cold War

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  US Launches Biggest Allied Airborne Drills Since Cold War

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 18, 2015: The United States said Tuesday it has launched the biggest allied airborne drills in Europe since the Cold War ended, as fighting involving pro-Russian separatists escalated in eastern Ukraine.

Nearly 5,000 soldiers from 11 NATO allies are taking part in four weeks of "simultaneous multinational airborne operations" across Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Romania that began in Saturday, the US Army said in a statement.

"Swift Response 15 is the largest Allied airborne training event on the continent since the end of the Cold War," according to the statement from the US Army in Grafenwohr in southern Germany.

It is designed to help allied "high-readiness forces" act as one and "demonstrate the alliance's capacity to rapidly deploy and operate in support of maintaining a strong and secure Europe," it said.

The statement made no reference to the crisis in Ukraine where government troops have been fighting pro-Russian separatists since April last year, which has claimed the lives of nearly 7,000 people.

While the conflict eased after a truce in February, fighting has escalated in recent days.

The fighting has stirred the highest tensions since the Cold War ended more than two decades ago as the West accuses Russia of not only arming the rebels but sending in troops to support them. Moscow denies the charges.

NATO, a 28-country alliance led by the United States, last week defended the number of military exercises it has staged as a response to "growing Russian aggression" and refuted suggestions that they were helping make war in Europe more likely.

The US Army said the highlight of the drills will take place on Aug. 26 when allied warplanes will drop more than 1,000 paratroopers and equipment the to Hohenfels training area in Germany.

A similar drill will also take place the same day at the Novo Selo training area in Bulgaria, a former Soviet ally.

Participating in the exercises until Sept. 13 are more than 4,800 soldiers from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Britain and the United States.

It said the exercise marks the first time the US 82nd Airborne Division has operated in Europe since supporting NATO operations in Kosovo in 1999.

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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Army Prepares For Next Network Integration Evaluation

Defense News: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Army Prepares For Next Network Integration Evaluation

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Claire Heininger, U.S. Army

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 16, 2013: With two units now readying for Afghanistan with the Army's new tactical communications network, the service will continue to drive technology forward through its next Network Integration Evaluation this spring.

Soldier training, vehicle integration, system check-outs and other preparations are well underway in advance of Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, 13.2, which begins in May at Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range, N.M. It is the fifth in the series of semi-annual field evaluations designed to keep pace with rapid advances in communications technologies and deliver proven and integrated network capabilities to Soldiers. 

The NIEs are not stand-alone events, but build on previous exercises by improving the Army's integrated network baseline and incorporating Soldier feedback into system functionality and training methods. As the Army continues to field network capability sets with systems and doctrine vetted through the NIE, the events will further evolve to include joint and coalition involvement next year.

"The NIE offers us the ability to evaluate and improve the network incrementally," said Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, known as ASA(ALT). "It forces the community together in an environment where Soldiers are telling us what we did well and what we didn't do well -- very graphically, very visually, very obviously."

From combined arms maneuver across more than 150 miles of desert to subterranean operations in mountain caves, NIE 13.2 includes mission threads designed to measure network performance at all echelons, from the brigade commander down to the dismounted Soldier. It will include an aerial tier to extend the range of communications and operational energy solutions to more efficiently power networked equipment.

"We've got some good questions, and the scenario will allow us to get at a lot of those operational pieces," said Col. Elizabeth Bierden, chief of the Network Integration Division, Brigade Modernization Command, or BMC. "We've seen many of the systems before, but I think we just get the network better every single time." 

The main focus for NIE 13.2 is the Follow-on Test and Evaluation, or FOT&E, for Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, known as WIN-T, Increment 2, the Army's mobile network backbone. WIN-T Increment 2 provides an enhanced capability over the current Increment 1 version used today in Afghanistan, including unprecedented "on-the-move" communications capabilities down to the company level. A successful test will enable the Army to keep fielding WIN-T Increment 2 to operational units beyond Capability Set 13, which is now being delivered to select brigade combat teams, or BCTs, preparing for deployment.

During the FOT&E, the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division will conduct the full range of military operations -- from movement to contact to peacekeeping -- and stretch the WIN-T network over even greater distances than during NIE 12.2, which was the unit's first formal chance to assess the system. Following that evaluation in May 2012, the Army aggressively pursued and implemented corrective actions to address the areas identified for improvement, and 2/1 AD Soldiers have also become more comfortable and proficient with the equipment.

"The training is more hands-on, and with the knowledge we already have we're able to go more in-depth," said Spc. Erik Liebhaber, who has participated in three NIEs and said training for 13.2 incorporated specific scenarios that Soldiers had previously encountered in the field. "That's a big part of the continuity." 

Other systems under formal test include Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P), the Army's next-generation situational awareness and blue force tracking technology; Nett Warrior, a smartphone-like system for dismounted leaders; the Area Mine Clearance System-Medium Flail, an armored vehicle designed for clearing large areas of anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines; and Tactical Communication and Protection System, designed to prevent hearing injury while allowing Soldiers to remain cognizant of their environment during combat. A dozen additional systems, such as those comprising the aerial tier, will receive less formal evaluations.

Both JBC-P and Nett Warrior have actively incorporated user feedback from several previous NIE cycles into their hardware and software designs.

"It's gotten a lot simpler to use," Staff Sgt. Lance Bradford said of JBC-P. "That was our largest suggestion to them -- you've got to get this more user-friendly."

Soldier feedback and lessons-learned from the NIEs not only affect the conduct of future NIE iterations, but have also been applied to the process of producing, fielding and training units on Capability Set (CS) 13, which is the Army's first such communications package to provide integrated connectivity throughout the BCT. The NIEs informed all aspects of CS 13, from how network systems are installed onto a vehicle, to which training approach is most effective, to which Soldiers within a brigade are issued certain pieces of equipment. 

Two BCTs of the 10th Mountain Division, now in the final stages of training before deploying to Afghanistan later this year, are receiving lessons-learned and recommended operational uses for the equipment that were developed during the NIE process. Serving as Security Forces Advise and Assist Teams (SFAATs), the units will rely on the new network as they work closely with the Afghan forces, take down fixed infrastructure and become increasingly mobile and dispersed in their operations.

While NIE missions to date have confirmed that CS 13 can support such operations, they have not been limited to the Afghan mission. The NIE 13.2 scenario will set the stage for future exercises that will include new offensive and defensive operations replicating what units may face in other regions, including joint and coalition involvement beginning with NIE 14.2 next spring. 

"We are trying to set the stage for a joint and multinational effort in 14.2, and so we're looking across functions at Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, close air support, air ground-integration, with the major objectives focused on joint entry operations and the joint network," said Brig. Gen. Randal Dragon, BMC commander. "We'll be in a position to look at a number of those joint functions and we'll set the stage through the series of NIEs we have coming up."

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Claire Heininger, U.S. Army
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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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U.S. Army Awards $9.4 Million Performance-Based Acquisition Task Order for Environmental Remediation Services at Fort Belvoir, Va.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 14, 2009, the U.S. Army awarded a $9.4 million performance-based task order to Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Monroeville, Pa., for environmental remediation services at Fort Belvoir, Va. The task order was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District on the Multiple Award Military Munitions Services contract.
The Fort Belvoir award is a five-year contract that includes achieving a Remedial Investigation at six Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) sites and achieving Remedy in Place at two MMRP sites. At one of the MMRP sites, munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) removal will be completed in required areas. At a second site, MEC Response Actions will be performed during construction activities. Lastly, the task order includes performing Remedial Action Operations/Long-Term Management at four Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites and five Compliance-Related Cleanup sites.
The Army has two restoration programs under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) for active/operating Army installations, the IRP and MMRP. The IRP is a comprehensive program to identify, investigate and clean up hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants resulting from past Department of Defense (DOD) operations and activities. The MMRP addresses the potential explosives safety, health, and environmental issues caused by past DOD munitions-related activities. Congress established the MMRP under DERP to address unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions and munitions constituents located on other than operational ranges on current and former defense sites.
Use of the performance-based acquisition approach requires clearly defined objectives to be achieved, measurable performance standards in terms of quality, timeliness, and quantity, and the method of assessing contractor performance against performance standards. The Army has found awarding performance-based contracts for environmental remediation services is a very effective means of accomplishing its cleanup objectives and benefits all involved.
Under a performance-based contract, the Army states the desired end result, and it's up to the contractor to take the necessary steps to get there. Contractors must still seek approval from the Army and regulators before implementing final cleanup remedies, and the Army still has the ultimate responsibility for the cleanup of its installations.
By providing clear definitions of performance expectations and government oversight criteria, there is a better likelihood that expectations will be reached to all parties' satisfaction. Linking payments to milestones provides incentives to develop and implement an effective and efficient approach to achieving contract requirements.
For more information on the Army's performance-based acquisition program, see http://aec.army.mil/usaec/cleanup/pba00.html or call (410) 436-2556.

Over One-Third of Americans Believe Fewer Troops Should be Committed in Afghanistan

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--On Thursday August 27, 2009, (BUSINESS WIRE)--As the situation in Afghanistan, especially in the wake of the current elections and the vote-counting, continues to deteriorate for U.S. troops on the ground, Americans may be thinking of this situation in a similar manner as they once thought about Iraq. In the past six months, even fewer U.S. adults believe more troops should be committed to the war there and more Americans believe fewer troops should be committed.
These are some of the results of a new BBC World News America/The Harris Poll® of 2,004 adults surveyed online between August 12 and 14, 2009 by Harris Interactive®..
In January, President Obama proposed sending an additional 30,000 or more troops to support the U.S. and allied troops there. At that time, just one-third (33%) of all adults supported this increase. Many people thought we should either keep the same level of troops (21%) or cut the number there (27%).
Currently, just one-quarter (25%) of Americans support sending more troops to Afghanistan while one in five (20%) want to keep the level of troops the same and 37% want to commit fewer troops. Among women, almost half (45%) want to cut the number of troops while 37% of men say they want to commit more troops to the war in Afghanistan.
There is also an age difference on this issue – the older one is, the more likely they are to say they want to commit more troops. Just under one-quarter of those aged 18-34 (23%) say they want to commit more troops compared to 44% of those aged 55 and older. The reverse is true with sending fewer troops as almost two in five of those aged 18-34 (38%) say they believe the U.S. should commit fewer troops while 14% of those aged 55 and older say the same. Educational levels also show a difference. Two in five of those with a high school or less education and college graduates (41% and 39% respectively) say they believe the U.S. should commit more troops in Afghanistan while two in five people with some college (39%) say the U.S. should commit fewer troops.
So What?As there is more violence there, and more U.S. casualties there as well, Americans are hearing more about Afghanistan and, therefore, paying more attention to the conflict. And, as such, it is clear that Iraq may not be far from their minds as Americans are saying that they would prefer to see fewer troops in Afghanistan. President Obama has a lot on his plate domestically, but this is an issue that is moving to the forefront of Americans’ minds and he can’t afford to let this slip.
The Harris Poll® #95By Regina A. Corso, Director, The Harris Poll
MethodologyThis BBC World News America/Harris Poll® was conducted online within the United States August 12 and 14, 2009, among 2,004 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Full data tables and methodology are available at www.harrisinteractive.com
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
About Harris InteractiveHarris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com

Adapx Receives Certificate of Networthiness From U.S. Army for Capturx Solutions

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - 08/26/09) - Adapx (www.adapx.com) today announced that its Capturx software for digital pens has received a Certificate of Networthiness (CoN) from the U.S. Army's Network Technology Command (NETCOM) for automating paper-based medical records within MedCom. The certification signifies successful completion of a stringent assessment to ensure that the Capturx software installed on U.S. Army computers are secure, supportable, sustainable, and compatible with the Army Enterprise Infrastructure's (AEI).
"Adapx has been providing innovative software to the Department of Defense since 2001 so we're proud to receive this certificate," said Ken Schneider, CEO at Adapx. "This certification reflects our commitment to delivering the DoD and other agencies with secure and reliable ways to automate data collection for any paper-based process."
More than 500 organizations are using Capturx -- ranging from large enterprises such as Holland America Line and EMCOR to agencies such as NASA and the Port of Seattle. Capturx is used in the Department of Defense to automate paper-based data collection processes ranging from medical records to facilities management.
Only Capturx enables teams to instantly digitize information as it's written with digital pens that automatically integrate data into Microsoft(TM) Office, Autodesk, and ArcGIS. Mobile workers can immediately share field data, improve collaboration and speed decision making, without the extra time and cost of scanning, sending, and transcribing paper -- or deploying mobile computers or PDAs. Capturx products are available on the GSA Schedule [GS-35F-0131R].
About Adapx
Adapx is changing the way mobile teams collect data and collaborate with Capturx(TM) software for digital pens. A broad range of industries and agencies use Capturx products as natural interfaces into Microsoft Office, GIS, and CAD systems through digital pens and voice. Teams can immediately collect and access data in native file formats and systems without the delay and cost of transcribing paper or deploying mobile computers. Adapx has strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Autodesk, ESRI, Lockheed Martin, In-Q-Tel, and works with standard digital pen technology from Anoto. For more information, please visit www.adapx.com, send email to sales@adapx.com, or follow Adapx on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Capturx.
Adapx and Capturx, and their respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Adapx Corporation. Other products and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.