Defense Procurement Bumped Up by $26b

defense-spendingBudget cuts and a lack of direction have created an anxious atmosphere for many Defense vendors.  Recent events, however, provide cause for cautious optimism.  For one thing, the 2015 Defense budget made it through the Senate appropriations committee. This is a hopeful sign that the government may avoid the dangerous, near-default showdowns that have made supplying the military so difficult and unpredictable. Defense Industry Daily has a nice summary on the latest budget.  One detail that caught my eye, the beloved “warthog” (A-10C) is getting an upgrade.

Another cause for optimism for Defense vendors is an announcement that mid-year projections for procurement and research are $26 billion higher than before.  However, not everyone trusts these projections. Below, we reprint an article than originally appeared in Bloomberg Government.

Defense Firms To See $26b More In Outlays By Sept. 30, DoD Says

Revised Pentagon mid-year projections call for $26b more in procurement, research outlays by Sept. 30 than first estimates, according to newly disclosed figures.

Pentagon’s on-paper estimate now projects spending $110.7b on procurement by end of fiscal yr, up from $92.1b April forecast; as well as $63.3b in research, up from $56b, according to Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Bill Urban.

Military personnel outlays drop to $149.5b from $154.2b; operations and Maintenance slip to $246.3b from $272.8b.

Projections not outlined in July 11 OMB Mid-session Review.

Industry analysts in April said defense spending might plunge, based on Pentagon’s “Green Book” blueprint indicating drop in outlays for weapons, research of combined 18.5% compared with FY13.

Todd Harrison, defense analyst for non-partisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, says “new outlay projections” mean “near-term will not be so bad for U.S. defense firms as DOD previously projected.”

“However, I suspect most defense firms were not basing their internal projections on DOD’s prior outlay forecast, so it may not mean any material change for these companies,” he says.

“Companies have dismissed the projected drop and supported their own guidances,” says Roman Schweizer, defense policy analyst with Guggenheim Securities.

“Change may improve sentiment for the sector but not affect financial performance,” Schweizer says.

Schweizer says larger question is: given the revision can the Pentagon “Green Book projections be trusted?

/by

Building the 2021 Affordable Military [DOWNLOAD]

, ,

The bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has been rated the “…number one think tank for security and international affairs” (Wikipedia).  Power brokers and key influencers staff the CSIS, and when they talk, people listen.Building the 2021 Affordable Military

What they have to say about how we spend money on Defense will undoubtedly be heard by important decision makers. The 120-page “Building the 2021 Affordable Military” was created by a CSIS study team over the course of two years. It is “…a methodological approach for how DoD could minimize the impact of a deep budgetary reduction and provide the military capabilities needed for the strategic realities of 2020+.”

They even developed cost calculators for making trade-off decisions. They don’t simply advocate a specific strategy; they tell you the cost of various “alternative militaries.”

The great thing about this study is its unqualified embrace of details. What to find out how many tankers the Air Force Reserve has now? Will need? With or without sequester? With or without the Pacific tilt? This report has an answer for you. Same goes for battalions, submarines, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

One little tidbit I found on page 3 was “In the past, drawdowns ended below $400 billion in constant 2013 dollars; this one will bottom out at over $500 billion. In FY 2017, even though DoD is spending over $100 billion more, it will ‘buy’ an active duty force that is 34 percent smaller than in 1978 and six percent smaller than in 2000. This means not just fewer defense dollars but also a “weaker” defense dollar in terms of its purchasing power.”

So, the people who are complaining that Defense spending is at a historic high (during a drawdown) and those that are warning about  “hollowed-out” military capabilities are both right.

“Building the 2021 Affordable Military” is an ideal reference work for those doing serious market research on Defense issues.  Download it here.

 

/by

DARPA Robotics Challenge

, , , , ,

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) don’t get much love. Their aerial cousins, usually described by the technically inaccurate term “drone,” receive much more publicity, as well as greater funding. UGV developers fear that the Defense budget squeeze will disproportionately affect them.

However, one federal agency still believes in promoting UGV development. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is sponsoring the DARPA Robotics Challenge, “… a competition of robot systems and software teams vying to develop robots capable of assisting humans in responding to natural and man-made disasters.” In addition to a $2 million prize for the top contestant, this challenge represents a wonderful opportunity to explore capabilities and for developers to network.

Read more

/by

Military Fails (Video)

,

FUNNY MILITARY VIDEOS

The Civil War gave us The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. World War I inspired A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. Our generation will be remembered by funny military videos.



Rocky RS11 Rugged laptop

/by

DB6 & Target Acquisition [VIDEO]

, , , ,

This amazing video illustrates how the DB6 is integrated into a lightweight Ground Target Acquisition System (GTAS).  Made by the Israeli defense giant, IAI, the GTAS is clearly designed for the classic Special Forces mission, i.e. a small number of soldiers infiltrate enemy territory and locate targets.

Read more

/by

Colbert makes fun of unmanned morality [VIDEO]

, ,

The NAVY is thinking of teaching morality to autonomous unmanned systems.  Some are troubled by possible dystopian implications of this announcement. Others see prospects for financial and technological advancement.  Stephen Colbert sees opportunities for ridicule and satire.
Read more

/by

Don’t panic – There is no “robot gap”

, , ,

Chinese UAV An opinion piece.

ForeignPolicy.com has a very good article on unmanned systems (there is a registration wall, but it’s free). Written by Michael C. Horowitz, Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, The Looming Robotics Gap is full of interesting facts and figures.  The only problem with the article is that its central premise – the United States military is in immediate danger of losing its technological edge – is a load of hooey.

Read more

/by

Night Vision & Computers: The Basics

, ,

Night VisionNight Vision Imaging System(NVIS) enables US military forces to enhance situational awareness, increase mission flexibility, and maintain battlefield dominance.  Also, night-vision goggles (NVG) are cool.  If you don’t believe me, buy one, show it to your friends, and see how quickly they try to grab it out of your hands.

No matter how cool NVG are, military personnel need to be able to use them with other equipment.  For example, depending on the intended application, computers must comply with aviation and Army night-vision specifications (the standards governing cockpit equipment and the units used by ground pounders are different).

Night-vision compatible computers must be simultaneously visible and not visible. The display should have a setting that enables visibility through NVG, but also have another setting that allows normal light use.  Visible light must be dimmed during night-vision mode, not only so the signal-to-noise ratio is reduced, but also so the enemy cannot see the computer.  To avoid detection by enemy NVG, a computer must filter its infrared and UV emissions as well as its visible light.

In order to meet military standards for night vision compatibility, there are two methods of decreasing the light emitted from a computer platform. The first method is to have a built-in switch that dims the keyboard and display.  In the photograph below, the switch is conveniently located in the front.

Night vision 2 Dimming switch

The second method of achieving night vision compatibility is to apply a special filter to the display.  Filters can be attached with snap-on clips or fastened with adhesive. The adhesive is not necessarily permanent; filters can be made so that they can be repeatedly removed and applied. Typically, all night vision compatible filters are green.

Night vision 3 filters

Of course, both the built-in and add-on filter methods can be simultaneously used. Each method of dimming emissions has their advantages and disadvantages (see chart below).

 Night Vision Filters vs. Built-in Dimming Switch

Night vision 4 Comparison

AMREL offers night vision compatible platforms that have been proven in the field by the German military. Whatever you require, AMREL has a great deal of experience in modifying computer platforms to meet military standards.

 

/by

JIEDDO & Preserving Counter-IED Knowledge

, ,

The article below originally appeared in the Counter-IED Report.

JIEDDOConcerns are being expressed that all the counter-IED knowledge that’s been learned during the protracted wars against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan will be lost if the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) is slashed or abolished under the proposed plan to scale back the organization.

Read more

/by