Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Experts see Hezbollah ‘escalation’ in use of new missiles, as group weathers Israeli bombardment

 

at 10/8/24 1:41pm

A scaled model of Irans first ultrasonic missile (Fattah) is carried by a truck during a protest gathering in Tehran, Iran, on September 28, 2024. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images) BEIRUT — Ten days after the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and amid an aggressive Israeli bombardment, a senior Hezbollah official today attempted to assauge any of the groups concerns by saying its capabilities are fine. The claim comes as experts say that the Iran-backed group, at least, has shown off the range of its arsenal, firing several new missiles and rockets for the first time in recent weeks. “Hundreds of rockets and dozens of aircraft, a great number of settlements and cities have come under rocket fire,” Naim Qassem, deputy leader of Hezbollah, said today in a televised speech in Arabic, with his use of aircraft likely referring to drones. “I would like to reassure you that our capabilities are fine.” Hezbollahs capacity to fight is a key question as the conflict in Lebanon intensifies, after the Israeli military said it has managed to take out several of the groups top leaders, in addition to striking hundreds of its members. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video posted online today that Hezbollah is weaker than it has been for many, many years. But as Israel has been striking Hezbollah, the group has been firing back — over 3,000 rockets and missiles in the last two weeks, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Experts specifically pointed to Hezbollahs use of several new projectiles, including the Qadr 1 ballistic missile, Noor cruise missiles and Fadi 4 and Falaq 2 rockets. Hezbollah claimed to have used the Qadr 1 last month and the others more recently, according to public statements. “The use of new, more sophisticated missiles by Hezbollah signals an escalation as well as a political message to show off strength for deterrence, especially amid the step up by Netanyahu,” defense analyst Sine Özkaraşahin told Breaking Defense. She added that level and sophistication of the systems seen in the recent strikes show that “Hezbollah is taking the fight deeper, most likely with Irans support.” Ozkarsahin specified that the newly introduced missiles “come with a greater payload, longer-range. For example, Qadr-1 is a guided ballistic missile with deep-strike capabilities, [a] significant shift from the unguided short-range rockets that used to dominate Hezbollah strikes.” Likewise, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute senior researcher Pieter Wezeman said that after Israel escalated its fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the use of the new missiles like likely the groups attempt to counter-escalate. Wezeman also said that Hezbollah, likely spooked by Israels ability to locate and kill senior members, may have opted a use-over-lose approach to the missiles, firing them before they can be struck by Israel. IDF has been bombing what it considered Hezbollah missile and rocket warehouses in South Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley and the southern suburb of Beirut. In several instances, open sources and televised video footage show secondary explosions after a number of Israeli raids, suggesting explosives or armaments of some kind were stored in the facilities. Behnam Ben Taleblu, an analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies think tank, said, however, that Hezbollahs current missiles and rocket barrages still arent what the use of the Qadr 1 may have signaled at the time. “⁠With the exception of the Qadr, which is Hezbollah’s first ballistic missile fired ever at Israel — and is a variant of Iran’s older Fateh family of short-range ballistic missiles — most of the projectiles Hezbollah has fired at Israel have been unguided and spin-stabilized rockets, larger artillery, drones, and anti-tank weapons. This includes the Falaq and Fadi systems,” he said. He stressed that Hezbollah “used this cocktail to incrementally widen the war of attrition imposed on Israel starting on October 8 last year. The use of the Qadr several weeks back however as a guided projectile had the potential to be a game changer if part of a larger campaign to move towards more missile use than rockets. But Israel’s rapid and bold string of military successes against Hezbollah prevented this trial ballon from being floated.” Ben Taleblu also said Hezbollah isnt the only enemy of Israel apparently escalating its use of missiles Iran’s employment of more solid-propellant systems in its October barrage against Israel, and in general employing nearly double the amount of ballistic missiles marks a clear shift, Ben Taleblu said, adding that the use of a new Fattah missile was a historic first and a sign that Tehran indeed wanted to strike at Israeli targets and was willing to up the ante compares to the April attack. “Iran chose to escalate after absorbing a series of setbacks to its regional terror network that did away in days what the Islamic Republic took years to build and cultivate,” Ben Taleblu said. As for whether the new missiles have actually been more effective, Israel reported no deaths outside a man killed in the West Bank in the more recent barrage by Iran. Still, Wezeman said reports indicate some projectiles launched then appear to have gotten through, suggesting they have a higher chance of penetrating the missile defenses that Israel and its allies have available. Hezbollahs Qadr-1 missile, the Israelis say, was intercepted before it could strike its target.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Air Force, ballistic missiles, ground operation, Israel, lebanon, Middle East, military capabilities, Qadr 1] [Link to media]

— An Army helicopter takes on new roles, including as a FLRAA testbed

 

at 10/8/24 12:34pm

UH-60M Black Hawk in flight. (Lockheed Martin photo). It’s fair to say that with 4,000 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flying worldwide, the next important role for the utility helicopter is going to be interoperability with the U.S. Army’s newest aircraft type coming into the fleet – the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). To prepare UH-60s for that eventuality and to serve as a present-day Future Vertical Lift testbed for new capabilities such as launched effects, the Army’s modernization efforts are largely focused on re-engining under the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), plus Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) and the digital backbone. “The Army has made a significant capital investment in rotary wing platforms up and to this point,” said Army Col. Ryan Nesrsta, program manager for Utility Helicopters at U.S. Army PEO Aviation. “In light of that decision and investment, there’s going to be an extant requirement for interoperability [and] pacing the threat with respect to survivability. “There’s going to be continued relevance for the rotary wing fleet to interoperate with tiltrotor aircraft in any theater of operations. It requires judicious and continued investment in the portfolio to ensure that the Future Vertical Lift family of systems is enabled.” A key piece of that strategy was the delivery earlier this year of two GE Aerospace T901 ITEP flight-test engines for the UH-60M Black Hawk, replacing the GE T700 powerplants. “We [recently] had a meeting with the enterprise – our partners from GE and Lockheed Martin – on how we address the nuanced challenges of engine airframe compatibility,” said Nesrsta, noting that the last time such an integration was done was in the 2007 timeframe, when GE’s YT706 turboshaft engine was fitted to an Army special operations MH-60M helicopter. A key piece of the Armys strategy for rotary wing modernization is the Improved Turbine Engine Program, under which two GE Aerospace T901 ITEP flight-test engines for the UH-60M Black Hawk were delivered earlier this year to replace GE T700 powerplants. (Lockheed Martin photo). “There’s lessons learned from previous experience, but knowing that there’s a significant learning curve with respect to the integration of an engine on even a mature platform,” he said. “Design for integration has been ongoing on the UH-60M with the delivery of the engines; physical integration has begun in earnest.” Sikorsky notes that the ITEP engine offers 50 percent more power than the T700 and an increase in fuel efficiency, giving the aircraft more range and payload. “The new ITEP will give division commanders more options for planning and executing assault missions,” said Hamid Salim, vice president for Army & Air Force Systems, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky. “This will be a game changer for the Army, and also for the National Guard units. The ITEP also enhances safety, reduces operating costs and provides growth for the future needs of the warfighter.” For the next steps, the Army Utility Helicopters Project Office (UHPO) and the Aviation Turbine Engines Project Office are working toward a first flight of the ITEP-powered Black Hawk in late FY25, early FY26. MOSA and interoperability for multi-domain operations The ongoing transformation in the role of rotary wing aircraft, in particular the UH-60M Black Hawk, in a 21st century security environment will allow it to play a critical role in multi-domain operations and Joint All Domain Command and Control. “In multi-domain operations, Army Aviation will be able to ‘extend’ to distances at 500 km with ITEP,” an Army Aviation Center of Excellence spokesperson noted. “Combined with launched effects, Army aircraft will be able to ‘reach’ and prosecute targets at double the current range. Combined with support of layered air defense, electronic attack and preparatory fire missions creating multi-domain effects, Army Aviation [can] reach beyond the FLOT (forward line of own troops) in support of the ground commander. “Rotary wing aircraft will still move people and equipment faster than ground vehicles or watercraft. In JADC2, Army rotary wing aircraft will link into mesh networks to pass data to commanders across the battlefield to foster a joint common operating picture, either as a deliberate airborne node or while executing their other mission tasks. A common joint air picture enhances survivability, improves engagement times, and provides situational understanding reducing the fog of war.” Lockheed Martin Sikorskys modernization efforts for the Black Hawk are largely focused on the ITEP engine, MOSA with the digital backbone, and launched effects. (Lockheed Martin graphic). MOSA is the lens through which much of that will occur, with the UHPO focused on delivering a Black Hawk that supports the Army of 2040 plan, is capable of operating within the air-ground littoral, and maintains fleet reliability and relevance through 2070. “We intend to do this through Modular Open Systems Architecture, general obsolescence management, IT integration, and survivability and air vehicle modernization opportunities,” said Nesrsta. “UHPO continues to work closely with industry partners to provide demand signals around these initiatives. We’re receptive to industry input for providing more adaptable, affordable systems that are capable of incorporating rapid technologies and upgrades to counter evolving threats.” For its part, Sikorsky is leveraging significant MOSA investments from the discontinued Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program and applying that to Black Hawk to demonstrate rapid integration of new capability such as crewed-uncrewed teaming. “We’re demonstrating the benefit of digital infrastructures that allow our customer to make organic changes to the aircraft while enabling distributed situational awareness,” said Salim. “Black Hawk could carry and manage a squadron of launched effects drones to be the forward-deployed eyes and ears for the division commander. We’ve been doing this both in Future Vertical Lift and Black Hawk simulators and aircraft, showing how these assets can seamlessly work together to give our ground commanders a tactical edge.” Autonomous Black Hawk In late 2022 at that year’s Army Project Convergence demonstration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Lockheed Martin successfully demonstrated an uncrewed Black Hawk performing a battlefield resupply of blood, a simulated casualty evacuation, and an external sling load cargo resupply mission at high speed at 200 feet of altitude to simulate the battle environment. DARPA and Lockheed Martin Sikorsky fly the optionally piloted Black Hawk, which includes the MATRIX autonomy solution. (Lockheed Martin photo). “We’ve continued to explore that capability, and have worked with DARPA on what is a planned technology transition agreement to further mature those technologies that lend to tech maturation and risk reduction of what are FLRAA’s requirements for an optionally piloted vehicle capability,” said Nesrsta. “We’re actively pursuing multiple efforts to further mature sensor fusion, autonomous algorithms, and full authority fly-by-wire flight controls as part of our general modernization strategy within the utility office. These three distinct but interrelated lines of effort will evolve from a spectrum of cognitive offloading, to minimally crewed, to ultimately an optimally or optionally crewed system.” It is this approach that the Army expects will reduce technical risk for the acceleration and integration of autonomy, not just in Black Hawk, but also for FLRAA’s subsequent Increment 2, which in addition to autonomy is also expected to include advanced avionics and an expansion of launched effects. Lockheed Martin has also continued to expand the autonomy system it calls MATRIX, which forms the core of DARPAs ALIAS (Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System) project that enabled the autonomous Black Hawk demonstrations. In addition to the PC22 demo, Sikorsky has demonstrated how the autonomous Black Hawk demonstrator can quickly launch and navigate itself to drop water on a wildfire soon after detection, and how an uncrewed Black Hawk controlled by MATRIX can resupply troops in contested airspace. Continuing relevance Black Hawk operators in Europe are focused on Ukraine, while in the Indo-Pacific it’s security and deterrence. U.S. priorities for the UH-60, other rotary wing platforms, and the next-generation of Army aircraft include those requirements in addition to modernization for greater range and payload, interoperability, contested logistics, and leveraging crewed-uncrewed capabilities. “The FLRAA platform provides a great capability to air assault soldiers from relative sanctuary in friendly and secure areas to deep into adversary territory, far beyond what we can do today,” noted the Army Aviation Center of Excellence. “Black Hawks will still be needed for shorter distances, while the Chinook remains the only heavy lift vertical aircraft and the Apache the only attack aircraft in the Army Inventory. Army Aviation exists to support the soldier on the ground, regardless of the aviation platform – manned or unmanned.” As such, it’s likely that the modernizations across those platforms – including the newest version of the AH-64E Apache with V6.5 software and the CH-47F Block II program – means that Black Hawk, Apache, and Chinook will likely remain a part of military operations for the next half century. “In lower-tier air domain, nothing performs better than a helicopter,” said Salim. “Black Hawk offers versatility, reach and access across varying terrain for a wide array of missions from air assault to frontline resupply and humanitarian relief. “But we’ve got to evolve that capability for tomorrow’s missions, like installing new engines for improved turbine power to ultimately provide lift and fuel efficiency, giving commanders more flexibility. MOSA will make upgrading the enduring platform faster and easier. Crewed and uncrewed teaming will deliver critical network capabilities and intelligence in contested environments while keeping pilots and soldiers out of harm’s way.”

[Category: All Domain, Land Warfare, Sponsored Post, Army, assault helicop, autonomous, black hawk, Black Hawk Helicopters, FLRAA, helicopters, JADC2, Lockheed Martin, MOSA, multi-domain, networks, Presented by Lockheed Martin, sponsored content, Spotlight, Spotlight Utility Helicopters] [Link to media]

— In strategic growth, Breaking Defense brings on Director of Multimedia to lead video expansion

 

at 10/8/24 12:28pm

Breaking Defense is pleased to announce that Daniel Woolfolk is joining Breaking Defense as our Director of Multimedia. In this key development, Daniel will spearhead expansion of Breaking Defense’s coverage into new multimedia platforms. Daniel brings a wealth of experience, professionalism, talent and skill to the role. He has been covering the military as a journalist, videographer and producer since 2010. He covered Fort Drum for the Watertown Daily Times and, later, Camp Pendleton for AOL. He then spent nearly a decade at Sightline Media Group, where he served as Executive Producer and co-anchor of the weekly Defense News TV show, as well as a video journalist and producer for Military Times. Recently he has worked as a special assignment video journalist for Agence France-Presse covering the 2024 election and border security. He has also worked with Breaking Defense on freelance video projects, such as our recent Collaborative Combat Aircraft series. An early adopter of drone use in video journalism, Daniels footage and photos have appeared in major publications, news shows and streaming services around the world. Daniel is a veteran of the US Army, having deployed with the 1st Armored Division to Kosovo and Iraq. He is a 2010 graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He starts full time in his new role at Breaking Defense on January 6, and until then will work with Breaking Defense on special projects, including leading our multimedia efforts at the upcoming AUSA 2024 show. “While we’ve produced trade show videos over the last few years, our capability had pretty much hit where it could go without bringing someone in-house. Luckily, the right guy came along,” said Aaron Mehta, editor-in-chief of Breaking Defense. “I worked with Daniel for years at our last stop, and he’s professional, creative and easy to collaborate with. I’m thrilled to get to work with him again and see what we develop.” “This is a very exciting, next-stage development for Breaking Defense. I’m thrilled to bring on a skilled professional with such experience and reputation in our market as Daniel Woolfolk,” said David Smith, publisher and managing director of Breaking Defense. “Our strategic expansion with a vibrant new video platform is in keeping with the growth and leadership of Breaking Defense in the market. Many of our team have known and worked with Daniel for years, and he’ll be a perfect fit for this role and our culture, leading the development of new products and opportunities in multimedia defense journalism.”

[Category: Announcement] [Link to media]

— AFRL moves toward flight testing satellite internet radios under Global Lightning

 

at 10/8/24 12:06pm

Air Force Research Laboratory is developing antennas and radios that can link with multiple satellite internet constellations from aircraft, ships and ground vehicles. (Photo: AFRL) WASHINGTON — The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is planning flight tests in late 2025 and early 2026 of prototype antennas and radio receivers capable switching between multiple commercial satellite internet constellations — a capability that would both make them more difficult to jam and serve as an enabler of the Pentagons planned Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) network. Under the program nicknamed Global Lightning, AFRL researchers hope to see this kit eventually make its way not only into airborne systems used by the Air Force, but also to platforms used by the other services, said Brian Beal, principal aerospace engineer at AFRLs Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation Office. Ive talked the most about aircraft, because in a lot of ways, thats the most technically challenging, and also, as an Air Force employee its my primary focus. But we do also work with Navy, Coast Guard and Army for tests on ground vehicles and ships, as well as stationary [ground systems]. Although you dont need anything as complex as what were doing for stationary applications; you kind of get that as a bonus, he told Breaking Defense. The end game is, if were wildly successful I would expect different program offices to start adopting this and and fielding it, he added. This could include having the Space Forces Commercial Satellite Communications Office serve as a middleman for contracting out services from commercial providers, as Beal explained already has happened with two of the vendors AFRL worked with under its initial Global Lightning contracts. Beal noted that AFRL further is working closely with the Space Development Agency (SDA), which is developing its own version of a space-based internet in low Earth orbit (LEO) under its Transport Layer program. One of the guiding principles of what were trying to do is that these radios should be able to talk to many different constellations, and they should be able to add waveforms and control for new constellations as they become available. So, one of the constellations that that the radios will be able to talk to is the SDA Transport Layer. AFRL launched the Global Lightning program with contracts in 2018, somewhat confusingly under the formal title Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI). Up to now, the lab has spent almost $500 million in experimental contracts to 11 different vendors. Theres about seven key contracts between the antenna vendors and the multiband radio vendors, Beal said. So the the multiband radios are L3Harris, Northrop Grumman SES Space and Defense, and Intelsat General. Whereas the antennas are Northrop Grumman, RTX and Viasat. Those are the primes. And then there are also relevant subcontracts to additional antenna providers. AFRL currently has an annual budget of about $160 million for Global Lightning, he said, but that the sum varies somewhat year-to-year as new contracts are signed and others are phased out. The most recent contracts were issued under what is known as DEUSCI Call 4, aimed at prototyping multiband antennas that can link to Ku-band and Ka-band satellites in LEO, medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). RTX in August was awarded $51.7 million; Viasat in September was awarded $33 million. Air Force Research Laboratory is experimenting with antennas and receivers capable of linking to multiple satellite internet constellations. (Image: AFRL) The goal is for these antennas to be able to interface with modems and transceivers developed in the previous contract stage, called DEUCSI Call 3. Under that solicitation, AFRL in 2023 contracted with Intelsat General, SES Space and Defense (the American arm of Luxembourg-based SES), Northrop Grumman, L3Harris and RTX for a total of some $250 million according to government contracting documents.  Beal explained that at the highest level, theres sort of been two stages of Global Lightning. The earliest awards were experimenting with linkages to individual satellite constellations, such as SpaceXs Starlink. AFRL has moved on from single vendor testing to multi-vendor, multi-constellation SATCOM, he said. What I mean by that is we are developing with our commercial partners, and then flight testing and tech transitioning, systems that can communicate with multiple constellations using the same hardware, Beal said. In particular, we care a lot about being able to be multi-orbit. So, were in the process of making systems that will communicate with LEO, GEO and MEO orbits, both commercial and military, and across multiple frequency bands. In other words, the idea is to create what sometimes is known in Pentagon circles as a hybrid SATCOM network. The real impetus of the Global Lightning program is that one of the biggest barriers to entry on using a new SATCOM system is actually getting the hardware, in particular the antenna, installed and integrated into an aircraft, Beal explained. So, the thought process here is put on very capable hardware that can communicate with multiple systems, and then we can move from constellation to constellation as business needs dictate. Beal said the goals for the upcoming flight tests will gradually increase in complexity, starting with ensuring the antennas and radio receivers can keep reliable, stable connections to any particular constellation. Then tests will be run that stress those connections with aircraft maneuvers to find out, for example, how far a plane can bank before dropping connectivity. Well measure some basic technical parameters like that, and then we move into the real heart of it, which is the multi-constellation piece. So, well measure things like when we switch from Spacecraft A to Spacecraft B, how long does that transition take? What are any wrinkles that we run into when making that switch? Beal said. The expectation is that we will bounce between those constellations in the same flight, so well move between them. Now, I dont think anybody should be guaranteeing that on flight one, he stressed. Were going to improve as we go and get to that, but that is the goal of the program.

[Category: All Domain, Space, Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL, All Domain Operations, commercial satellite communications, Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO), Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI)., Global Lightning, Joint All Domain Command and Control JADC2, Multi-Domain Operations, Space Development Agency, Space Force, Transport Layer] [Link to media]

— DIA ‘almost done’ with JWICS tech refresh goal to enhance network resiliency

 

at 10/8/24 11:11am

Doug Cossa, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Chief Information Officer (CIO), speaks on the Intelligence Community CIO Panel at the 2021 Department of Defense Intelligence Information System (DoDIIS) worldwide conference on December 7, 2021. (Myles Scrinopskie / Defense Intelligence Agency WASHINGTON — The Defense Intelligence Agency is on the verge of completing a much-needed update to the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System (JWICS) to make the system more resilient to outages, DIA Chief Information Officer Doug Cossa said this morning.  Over the past two years, the DIA set the goal of performing a “tech refresh” on the JWICS, the Pentagon’s secure network that hosts top secret and sensitive compartmented information. The JWICS was created during the Gulf War as the DIA had to figure out how to transmit secure voice and video to the Pentagon. “We are almost done with tech refresh. Were essentially there,” Cossa said during an Intelligence and National Security Alliance webinar this morning. “That has been the focus over the past two years, since we started the program, really replacing the antiquated infrastructure, especially where we have critical nodes.” He added that this “tech refresh” doesn’t necessarily mean just updating the JWICS at the device level, meaning routers, switches and encryption, but includes “everything that goes along with providing connectivity” and making the JWICS more resilient. The goal is to catch outages before they occur, Cossa said.  “Its a mesh network to where, if one point goes down, youve got alternate routes, just like a highway system, right?” he said. “You dont want to just have one exit. You want multiple on ramps and off ramps. That’s where we are on the tail end of completing.” “So how do we move into software-defined networking, to where we can identify error issues or errors early? You know, in the past, as weve experienced networking problems, its always an after-the-fact of, ‘Okay, what happened?’ he said. How do we move that question up front before an outage occurs? The tech refresh is only one part of modernizing the JWICS, which has been in the works since 2021. Cossa said the DIA is also focused on enhancing the cybersecurity and automation capabilities of the system. Related: Top secret info-sharing: DIA info chief sees modernizing JWICS as top priority in 2024 This automation process, which will harness artificial intelligence, will eventually help in catching errors before they cause serious consequences like outages or the theft of information — whether by foreign hackers or insider bad actors. “Really the aim over three years, its enhancing the monitoring of network traffic and connectivity, and then, of course, automating the management of that as we start to see anomalies. And then especially from the cybersecurity side, is how do we isolate parts of the network that arent operating towards their norm? And thats where a lot of that AI as I mentioned comes in,” Cossa said today. At the upcoming Department of Defense Intelligence Information System, or DoDIIS, conference later this month, the DIA will continue looking for industry solutions to transforming the JWICS from a manual system to an automated system.  “Thats really what the next generation of the JWICS architecture looks like. Its taking the person out of the loop, and the management of that, and then looking at ways to automate that in a smart kind of way. Thats definitely a big priority [and] will remain a big priority for the next several years,” Cossa said today when asked about this years DoDIIS themes.  “So youll see a lot of discussion on that, but you will also see a lot of breakout sessions on the automation of networks and the security of networks,” he added. 

[Category: Networks & Digital Warfare, artificial intelligence, cyber security, DIA, Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System JWICS, networks, technology] [Link to media]

— America’s greatest adversary? Kamala Harris says Iran is ‘an obvious’ answer

 

at 10/8/24 10:23am

Vice President Kamala Harris waves after arriving at Ellington Field JRB and being greeted by Chief Master Sergeant Bennie Bellvin, 147th Attack Wing Command Chief and Colonel Bif French, 147th Attack Wing Commander, July 24, 2024. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Stacy Cooper) WASHINGTON — Though the Defense Department and the Intelligence Community have long identified China as Americas number one geopolitical challenge, when Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was asked who Americas top adversary is, she said one obvious answer, right now, sits 5,600 miles west of Beijing. I think theres an obvious one in mind, which is Iran, Harris said during an excerpt of a 60 Minutes interview. Iran has American blood on their hands, okay? This attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles, what we need to do to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power, that is one of my highest priorities. After the vice president declined to answer a hypothetical about how the US would respond to evidence Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapon, 60 Minutes interviewer Bill Whitaker asked a follow-up question: What about China? In her response, Harris framed Americas relationship with the Pacific power in economic terms, saying the US must win the competition for the 21st century with China. We must be able to compete and win. We should not seek conflict, but we have to understand that there are parameters in which we much operate that include ensuring, for example, that we protect American business interests, she said. Asked if the US would intervene should China invade Taiwan, Harris declined to get into that hypothetical as well and reiterated the Biden administrations adherence to the one China policy, but that includes supporting Taiwans ability to defend itself, including what we need to do to ensure freedom of the Taiwan Strait. Harriss assesment of Iran as the number one adversary doesnt quite match official statements from the Pentagon and IC, which put China as far and away the most pressing geopolitical challenge — impetus for the DoDs years-long, stop-and-start pivot to the Pacific effort. For instance, in the Biden administrations official National Defense Strategy, Bejing is described as Americas pacing challenge, compared to Russias acute threat. Iran is typically relegated to a group of dangerous regional actors. The ICs 2024 Worldwide Threat Assessment [PDF] likewise first addresses China as having the capability to directly compete with the US to challenge the global order and Russia as a threat to that same order. Iran, it says, threatens US interests, allies, and influence in the Middle East and intends to entrench its emergent status as a regional power []. But analyst Becca Wasser told Breaking Defense that observers shouldnt read too much into Harriss answer as forecasting a change in priorities in a potential Harris administration, as much as a recognition of what the current challenge is. Maybe that answer doesnt comport with what the current National Defense Strategy says, but there is the reality of acknowledging the ways in which Iran has, time and time again, complicated US efforts to focus elsewhere, said Wasser, a senior fellow for the Defense Program at the Center for New American Security. The 60 Minutes interview was broadcast amid a devastating conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran-backed proxies in the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and just a week after Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel. Millions of civilians are caught in the middle, and its a conflict that perpetually threatens to spiral into a wider regional war that could draw in American forces. Wasser said she wouldnt have necessarily put Iran at the top of her list of adversaries, but said she didnt believe Harris was wrong that Iran is an obvious answer for one of the potential threats that faces America today and could face America tomorrow. If you looking at the current threat environment, the current world in which [we] stand, Iran does stand out as truly one of the most relevant adversaries that is actually causing problems for the United States at this very moment, she said. You hear a lot about China as a DoD pacing challenge, but that is a long-term challenge. And so here I think we have to sort of view her answer in different time frames. Wasser also suggested its possible Harris may have taken issue with Whitakers use of the word adversary in the original question, as the Biden administration, including the Pentagon, has attempted to frame American competition with China as just that — a competition, not a conflict. It is a US-China strategic competition; war with China is not inevitable, Wasser said, noting that its an eventuality the Biden administration has been trying to avoid at all costs.

[Category: Land Warfare, Naval Warfare, Pentagon, Army, China, Donald Trump, iran, Kamala Harris, Navy, politics, Taiwan] [Link to media]

— The incubator from whence tomorrow’s radars, missiles, and jammers emerge

 

at 10/8/24 6:20am

Raytheon’s Advanced Technology business makes extensive use of modeling and simulation in sensor and weapons development. Shown are renderings of the SPY-6 naval radar. (Raytheon image) The torpedoes, radars, missiles, and satellites that will be in the Defense Department’s arsenal of the future are being defined and crafted today by Raytheon’s Advanced Technology business whose job it is to turn next-generation technologies into real-world warfighting capabilities. This is the organization, for example, where the Air Force’s hypersonic air-breathing weapon, HACM, was conceived, designed, and matured. Colin Whelan, president of Raytheon’s Advanced Technology (AT) business, gave us a high-level look at the team. In two follow-up stories, AT will discuss: the flexible foundational building blocks it uses when developing new radar and weapon capabilities (such as software defined-apertures and composable weapons); and the importance of modeling and simulation in demonstrating radar and weapon system capabilities through its Rapid Campaign Analysis Demonstration Environment (RCADE) that analyzes capabilities at the theater level. Breaking Defense: Advanced Technology is RTX’s capability incubator business for Raytheon. How do you address future defense challenges? Colin Whelan is president of Raytheon Advanced Technology. Whelan: RTX is transforming innovative research into technologies that shape the future of aerospace and defense. At Advanced Technology, we approach our customer’s challenges from theater- and mission-level perspectives. I’ve spent the last 25 years working across the company to ensure we give our warfighters an unfair advantage on the battlefield. The output of the ‘AT team’ as we like to call it, spans the development of individual components to full-scale solutions, early ideation to production readiness, and from seabed to space. AT works to understand the future threat landscape and we shape our technology development for what our warfighters will need for the future fight, rather than only what may be written in a requirements document today. The team operates seamlessly across the entire RTX enterprise that also includes Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney, while routinely partnering with small businesses and academia to ensure we’re always bringing our customers the best, most innovative and capable solutions. What are some of the well-known DoD programs that were birthed and matured within the Advanced Technology business before they were handed off to the other Raytheon business units? This team has helped define, architect, and propel some of Raytheon’s most well-known franchise programs such as: the Navy’s SPY-6 radar on carriers and destroyers; the Army’s Air and Missile Defense LTAMDS radar complementing our Patriot system; the Air Force’s hypersonic air-breathing weapon, HACM; and the Next Generation Jammer, the Navy’s latest electronic warfare system for the EA-18 GROWLER. Why are you pulling back the curtain, so to speak, on Raytheon AT at this point? It’s always been hard to say much about what we do. The world has changed rather significantly in the recent past, but the AT team has been thinking about ways to solve for the emerging need for faster fielding, with more capabilities and at lower costs, for a long time. We are delivering many of those systems today. We leverage our expertise in systems integration and mission-level solutions to help define future product roadmaps. And thanks to the flexible foundational building block architecture that I mentioned earlier, our solutions can quickly receive customizable features enabled through software. How is AT translating that into new capabilities in radars/sensing and weapons? From a sensing system development perspective, AT is focused on harnessing the full capabilities of the RF spectrum. We’ve created a software-defined aperture architecture rather than a conventional radar approach to produce flexible hardware solutions that serve multiple missions with ‘software apps’ like on your cell phone. Fielded and future programs are receiving these upgrades today. From a new weapon-development lens, reuse once again becomes a catalyst for speed. Over the last decade, we have architected the use of common, scalable, Lego-like hardware and software building blocks, allowing us to go faster and streamline our factories. Final thoughts? I’m incredibly fortunate to be a part of Raytheon’s Advanced Technology business, and I see the impact our work makes to ensure the safety of our nation and allies around the world regularly. Our team is an agile one, built for speed. We take the challenge of developing next-generation defense technologies very seriously, and I look forward to being able to share more about our work soon.

[Category: All Domain, Networks & Digital Warfare, Sponsored Post, Advanced Technology Insight, Air Force, Army, cyber security, EA-18G, Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), hypersonics, LTAMDS, Navy, networks, Next Generation Jammer NGJ, Presented by Raytheon, satellites, space, Space Force, sponsored content, SPY-6, technology] [Link to media]

— As Hurricane Milton intensifies, military bases in Florida prepare to weather another serious storm

 

at 10/7/24 3:23pm

The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) returned to Naval Station Mayport after an eight month deployment, Jan. 4, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brandon J. Vinson) WASHINGTON — As Hurricane Milton barrels down on the Florida coast, the US military there is once again working to move assets, prepare personnel and lock down equipment to weather the storm — just days after it had to make similar moves ahead of Hurricane Helene. Milton continued to gather strength Monday, rapidly swelling into a Category 5 storm. Current projections expect it to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday in the Tampa area, by which time it should have weakened somewhat, but still risking over 10 feet of storm surge for some areas still struggling to clean up from Helene’s aftermath. Tampa is home to MacDill Air Force Base, the headquarters of US Special Operations Command. The base evacuated 12 KC-135 refueling aircraft to McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas and are keeping two in a hangar on site, according to Department of the Air Force spokesperson Rose Riley. Riley added that the base will close Tuesday and personnel have been directed to follow local evacuation orders, though roughly 185 base personnel will work from an alternate emergency operations center at Raymond James Stadium, the home field of the Buccaneers that is also designated as a shelter and disaster response site by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  The 482nd Fighter Wing has additionally relocated seven F-16s from Homestead Air Reserve Base in the Miami area to San Antonio, Texas, Riley said. Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Florida’s east coast are currently in Hurricane Condition 4 status, according to Space Launch Delta 45. Riley said “tenant units have moved aircraft assets out of the local area,” though SLD 45’s website says that there are no mandatory evacuations as the storm is expected to considerably weaken by the time it reaches the area. “While the anticipated impacts of this storm are not driving a mandatory evacuation, we do expect downed trees, power outages, possible cell service outages, and localized flooding,” the unit said. The Navy is also battening down the hatches in advance of the storm and told Breaking Defense in a statement today that the service will move out to sea three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers from Mayport in northeast Florida as a result: Donald Cook (DDG-75), Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), and Lassen (DDG-82).  “Other Mayport-based ships will remain in port at Naval Station Mayport. Mayport Harbor Operations will position those ships in designated ‘heavy weather mooring’ positions based on the latest forecast models of the storm. Meanwhile, aircraft will commence evacuations from local airfields or be safely stored in hangars designed to endure hurricane-force winds,” a Navy spokesman said. All bases are expected to close non-essential operations by Tuesday afternoon, the Navy added. Bryan Clark, a fellow for the Hudson Institute and retired Navy officer, told Breaking Defense that repeatedly moving ships to dodge the hurricanes is not a significant expense, relatively, for the service. But the cost of having to spend time securing equipment and stopping operations could add up fast for Florida-based private shipyards, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the frequency of the hurricanes and how long it takes for the weather to come and pass, he said. A spokesperson for the National Guard said officials there are “continuing to watch the speed, strength and track of Hurricane Milton, and we’re ready to help coordinate resources that may be necessary to deal with the storm’s aftermath. Like with Helene, Guard resources from multiple states can come in if needed to help areas impacted by Milton.” The Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

[Category: Air Warfare, Land Warfare, Naval Warfare, Space, Air Force, Army, Cape Canaveral, florida, hurricane, Navy, Space Force] [Link to media]

— Sweden goes all-in on NATO with new deployment proposal

 

at 10/7/24 2:59pm

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Swedish Minister of Defense, Pal Jonson tour the Swedish Visby-class corvette, HSwMS Härnösand (K33) at Musko Naval Base, Sweden (US DoD) STOCKHOLM — The Swedish government today pitched a proposal to their parliament that would assign a large chunk of its military towards NATO operations, in a move all about showing Stockholm is ready to go all in with the alliance. The proposal requests that the Riksdagen (the parliament) should green-light the government to be ready to roll out a beefy Swedish military force — up to 1,200 troops from ground, special ops, and amphibious units, plus six warships complete with crew, and a fleet of up to 24 fighter jets [AM1] (25 percent of the overall fighter fleet) — to back NATO deterrence operations in the North Atlantic, through the end of 2025. While not huge numbers by American standards, this commitment is a serious one from Sweden and an increased on previously announced plans that appears designed to send a signal to the other alliance members that their newest ally is taking their security seriously, as well as its own. This is a historic decision. Sweden has previously declared that we will pursue a policy of solidarity within the alliance. Now were putting that into practice, as we for the first time as an ally contribute with an armed force to NATOs collective defense, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, said at an event announcing the request. To be clear, Sweden had already pledged a certain number of its forces towards NATO operations. For instance, it had planned to send up to 600 troops to Latvia as part of an alliance mission, side by side with the Danes under Canadian leadership. But today’s announcement would significantly boost the number of forces and materiel being planned for alliance missions. Just looking at the Latvia mission, the new plan would call for the soldiers to expand up to 1,000, which would consist of “officers and full-time serving soldiers, so were not talking about conscripts here, said Defense Minister Pål Jonson. And the operational area for those forces would extend into Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland. While Sweden had indicated plans to join NATOs standing naval forces, today was the first time it was revealed six warships, a sizeable contribution for Sweden, would be considered. At least some of those ships will be focused on mine countermeasures in the Baltic and North Atlantic. Similarly, the size of Sweden’s contribution to the air policing mission would grow to potentially 24 jets. Overall, Swedish forces are planned to take part in three areas of operation through NATO in the coming year: Ground and air operations in the Arctic environment: These are to take place in the Nordic Cap (Nordkalotten) within the framework of the deepened Nordic defense cooperation (Nordic Defence Concept) or with other allies. This mission was newly announced today. Operations in the North Sea and Baltic Sea Region: These will involve ground, naval, or air forces within the context of the Nordic Defence Concept, the Joint Expeditionary Force, or alongside other allies. Air Operations with the USA: These are framed under the Bomber Task Force initiative and include both bilateral and multilateral air operations with other allies within a defined operational area. One area that was not touched on today: how Sweden will work with NATO`s nuclear forces. NATO´s head for nuclear policy, Jim Stokes, highlighted at a seminar in Stockholm in June that “Sweden needs to communicate to its public the importance of having joined a nuclear Alliance,” in part because the question of whether to allow NATO planes equipped with nuclear weapons to use Sweden’s air space is a controversial one. Jonas Olsson is a freelance national security journalist in Stockholm.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Air Force, Army, Europe, NATO, Sweden] [Link to media]

— Northrop Grumman adds AI to Army’s command system for counter-drone defense

 

at 10/7/24 2:53pm

Forward Area Air Defense Command & Control (FAAD-C2) tracks incoming threats from drones, rockets, artillery, and mortars. (Northrop Grumman photo) WASHINGTON — Since 2020, when the Pentagon established a technical architecture to connect counter-drone systems, their digital backbone has been the Army’s Forward Area Air Defense Command & Control. FAAD-C2 is built by Northrop Grumman and in widespread use by US forces and, increasingly, foreign allies like the Baltic States. Today, Northrop announced it had developed a new AI-driven upgrade to FAAD-C2, an Advanced Battle Manager to help users handle “complex aerial swarm scenarios.” The ABM can generate engagement plans in under a quarter of a second, a Northrop spokesperson told Breaking Defense. Formal testing has been completed, and [ABM] will be deployed by the US Army shortly. The Advanced Battle Manager takes the data FAAD-C2 is already receiving from multiple sensors, analyzes the threat, and then rapidly recommends the best available weapon to engage each target — what’s called “weapon-target pairing — while avoiding friendly fire shootdowns of US and allied assets. It boasts an “open architecture” design, meaning it uses common industry and military technical standards that allow a wide variety of vendors’ weapons and sensors to plug-and-play, rather than being restricted by a closely-held proprietary interface. And, the release says, its algorithms were trained on “years of live fire data” and then “successfully tested in spring and late summer at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.” It’s not yet clear if these tests overlapped with June’s multi-week JCO Demo 5, also at Yuma, which pitted an array of defensive systems against up to 50 inbound threats at once, ranging from tiny propeller-driven drones to unmanned mini-jets weighing over half a ton. But that demonstration definitely indicated the kinds of threats the military is worrying about. The Pentagon has long seen air defense in general — not just against drones — as a prime area to deploy artificial intelligence, because threats can come in so fast, from so many different directions, that it can overwhelm a human’s capacity to respond. “As threats evolve, the need for operations to become simple and clear during high-stress multi-target engagements has increased,” said Northrop Vice President and retired Air Force missile defender Kenneth Todorov, according to the release. “This critical AI enhancement will create a streamlined and intuitive engagement plan giving service members more time to save lives with a single click.”

[Category: Air Warfare, Land Warfare, Networks & Digital Warfare, Air Force, Army, artificial intelligence, C-UAS, cyber security, Drones, FAAD-C2, Gen. Kenneth Todorov, networks, Northrop Grumman, technology, Yuma Proving Ground] [Link to media]

— US greenlights ‘electronic attack’ system for Italy, torpedoes for India and radars for Romania

 

at 10/7/24 2:18pm

Leaders from the 55th Wing, 55th Electronic Combat Group, and 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron stand ready to receive Air Combat Command’s first EA-37B Compass Call aircraft during a delivery ceremony at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, on Aug. 23, 2024. (US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Paige Weldon) WASHINGTON — The US State Department today gave their blessing to a trio of Foreign Military Sales that would see Italy bring online $680 million-worth of electronic attack systems, India load up $175 million in torpedoes and Romania light up a $110 million radar system. Specifically Rome appears to be in the market for the Electronic Attack (EA)-37B mission system made by BAE Systems — the radars, encryptors, terminals, etc. that make up the brains of the US Air Forces EA-37B Compass Call aircraft, which is based on a highly modified Gulfstream G550 [PDF]. Italy reportedly already has a couple Gulfstreams to host the new, high-end equipment. The potential sale will improve Italy’s capability to meet current and future threats by increasing interoperability with the United States Air Force (USAF) and disrupting enemy command and control communications when Italy is contributing to overseas contingency operations, according to an announcement posted to the Defense Security Cooperation Agencys website. Meanwhile, New Dehli has been cleared to proceed with the potential acquisition of 53 aircraft-launched MK 54 MOD 0 Lightweight Torpedo all up rounds, as well as associated equipment and support, including in-country torpedo training. The proposed $175 million agreement is one directly with the US government, as DSCA said a majority of the lightweight torpedos hardware will be purchased directly from U.S. Navy stock. Should it go through, the sale would will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats by increasing the size of its anti-submarine weapons stockpile for its MH-60R helicopters, DSCA said. More broadly it would support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the United States-India strategic relationship and improving the security of a major defense partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions. Lastly, Bucharest is a step closer to acquiring four AN/MPQ-64 F1 Sentinel radar systems, made by RTX, along with a host of non-Major Defense Equipment like encryptors, Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) equipment and anti-spoofing tech. The mobile three-dimensional radar systems support several command and control interfaces, providing consistent air surveillance and fire-control data to weapons that counter unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. It works both at fixed sites and in highly mobile maneuver operations, according to an RTX description. The proposed sale will improve Romania’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force that is capable of deterring adversaries and participating in NATO operations. Romania will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces, DSCA said. The announcements do not represent what the final deals may look like, as unit number and prices could change as negotiations continue. Congress could also step in to pause the deals, but thats a rare occurrence.

[Category: All Domain, Land Warfare, Naval Warfare, Army, Europe, India, Italy, Multi-Domain Operations, NATO, Navy, Romania] [Link to media]

— Sole cancer center of excellence in the military health system has new ideas on treatment

 

at 10/7/24 12:38pm

Although breast cancer brings with it some sobering statistics, the treatments to combat it are continually evolving and improving. (Photo provided by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.) Breast cancer remains the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women and the second leading cause of death from cancer among women after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s also the most common cancer in the world. Although the disease brings with it some sobering statistics, the treatments to combat it are continually evolving and improving. “Our goal is to improve the diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment of patients through innovative clinical research, care, and education,” said Dr. Craig Shriver, retired Army colonel and director of the Murtha Cancer Center (MCC) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. That goal is backed by the wherewithal to achieve it. MCC is the only DoD Cancer Center of Excellence within the Military Health System. The Breast Care Center at MCC has received full accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. The facility provides treatment that is both comprehensive and highly focused. When a person is first diagnosed with breast cancer, they meet with the Murtha breast cancer team to determine the biology of the patient’s tumors in order to find the optimal course of treatment. A surgeon, medical/radiation oncologist, pathologist, geneticist, and nursing caregivers then work together on a treatment plan. “Breast cancer treatment is stressful for patients on many levels, and our ongoing research is driven by compassion,” said Shriver, who noted that MCC’s multidisciplinary approach to breast disease integrates five key areas: prevention, screening, early diagnosis, treatment, and continuing care. Immunotherapy is an important part of treatment and brings it a unique promise because “it trains your body to fight cancer by using your own immune system,” explained Marie Borsellino, RN, the survivorship coordinator for the Uniformed Services University’s Murtha Cancer Center Research Program at MCC, which was established to manage cancer care for the DoD. “We have newer treatment options that target the subtypes of cancer beyond hormone therapy such as targeted treatments, which block certain proteins that control how cancer cells grow, multiply, and spread,” she said. “Targeted treatments for HER2-positive cancer have improved survival over the last 10 years.” The ultimate success of any clinical care starts with the prevention and awareness of a person’s personal risk. Early detection is critical. Women who are at average risk of breast cancer are advised to have screening mammograms each year starting at age 40. In an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer research and the work that MCC is doing, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine will once again partner with Leonardo DRS on their “Stick It 2 Cancer” fundraiser during the 2024 AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition, which runs from Oct. 14 through 16 at the Washington, D.C. convention center. Donations can be made at the Leonardo DRS booth on the show floor. Donations will support the MCC and continuing education.

[Category: All Domain, Land Warfare, Sponsored Post, Army, breast cancer awareness, cancer, DRS Charity AUSA, John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Leonardo DRS, Presented by HJF, sponsored content] [Link to media]

— On Army bases, nuclear energy can’t add resilience, just costs and risks

 

at 10/7/24 9:24am

Twin containment domes, that house nuclear reactors, looks out over the Pacific Ocean at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo on August 9, 2024. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Every now and then, the US government offers a huge subsidy to an industry on grounds that make no sense to anyone with even basic knowledge of the subject. The latest example, announced in June, is the Army’s Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) program to install small reactors on military bases, ostensibly to increase “energy resilience.” This is perplexing for several reasons. First, such resilience can be provided much more effectively, safely, and cheaply with non-nuclear options. Second, nuclear reactors themselves cannot provide “resilience,” because their safe operation always has required input of electricity to the reactors from other power sources. Third, the Army’s planned reactors would lack a robust containment building, so an attack or accident could disperse radioactive waste, endangering base personnel and neighboring civilians. Both the Army and taxpayers should cry foul on this indefensible waste of national security dollars. Of course, energy resilience is a reasonable concern for Army bases, which now get their electricity from the commercial grid that is potentially subject to blackouts from bad weather or even cyberattacks. The simple and inexpensive solution, already utilized by military bases and other essential services including hospitals, is to maintain backup diesel fuel and generators for emergency use. It costs only about $2 million to $4 million for a set of diesel generators to produce 5 megawatts of electricity — the amount the Army seeks — and the diesel fuel would be cheap since the generators would operate only during rare emergencies. By contrast, the price of a single nuclear reactor to produce the same five megawatts of electricity would be several hundred million dollars — roughly 100 times as expensive — according to government estimates and my previously published research. Even if, as the Army hopes, the reactor could replace the commercial grid as the primary source of power for the base, the electricity produced by the reactor would cost several times more than what the Army now pays for commercial electricity. So, regardless of whether the reactor was used for primary or backup power, Army costs would spike substantially. What about resilience, which is the supposed justification for buying these expensive reactors?  Well, even though reactors can produce electricity, they have always required an external source of electricity to keep them running safely — most crucially to cool the fuel to avoid a nuclear meltdown and radioactive release. The Army’s recent request for proposals seems to acknowledge this reality by saying that in addition to an external electricity source, the reactor must have an “alternative credited independent power source as a backup.” Therefore, an Army base reactor would almost surely depend on drawing electricity from the commercial grid. But this means the reactor would be no more resilient than the existing power source it is supposed to replace to increase resilience. In the event of a blackout of the commercial grid, what would the reactor do to get essential electricity? Of course, it would turn on its backup diesel generators. However, if the base requires backup generators anyway, it has no need for the super-expensive reactor. It gets even worse. To prevent costs from rising even higher, the nuclear industry has decided that its small reactors — the kind the Army is seeking — will be built without a containment building that could prevent radiation from escaping in the event of an accident. This also means the reactors would be more vulnerable to attack by aircraft, missiles, rockets, and drones. A successful kinetic attack could spread radioactivity in at least two ways. First, like a “dirty bomb,” it could disperse the reactor’s solid irradiated fuel over a wide area into a few or many radioactive chunks that would be very hazardous if approached. Even worse, if the attack interrupted the reactor’s active or passive cooling, the fuel could overheat and breach its cladding, thereby allowing gaseous radioactivity to spread more widely. Ironically, it is not clear if the Army even wants these nuclear reactors, which originally were proposed in 2018 by Congressional advocates of nuclear energy, who also have promoted nuclear reactors for Air Force bases and forward operating bases — including in war zones where they would be even more vulnerable. Comments from Pentagon officials about these programs indicate that at least part of the motivation is to help America’s struggling nuclear reactor companies, which have yet to find a single private-sector customer for their small but pricey powerplants. The Defense Secretary’s manager for the Army’s mobile reactor project touts it as “a pathfinder to advanced nuclear reactors in the commercial sector.”  A Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Air Force says, “Were trying to … create a playbook of how other villages or communities and cities” can pursue “energy through a microreactor.” But even if the civilian nuclear industry deserved additional subsidies, which is questionable, that would not justify wasting defense dollars on unnecessary reactors that could endanger our troops. Truthfully, energy resilience for military bases is a real concern that deserves safe, effective, and economical solutions — but nuclear reactors satisfy none of those criteria. Fortunately, we live in a democracy, so there is still a chance to stop these dangerous boondoggles. Service members and their dependents, communities near military bases, and taxpayers in general can and should call on Congress to suspend the ANPI program — and instead explore how its funding could be reprogrammed more productively. Alan J. Kuperman is associate professor and coordinator of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project (www.NPPP.org) at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.

[Category: Congress, Land Warfare, Pentagon, Army, AUSA 2024, Energy, Nuclear Reactors, Op-Ed Commentary] [Link to media]

— MOSA: A Winning Strategy for FLRAA and Army Current Fleet Modernization

 

at 10/7/24 8:34am

The Armys Future Vertical Lift ecosystem is illustrated in this concept image by Collins Aerospace. The Army’s Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) will serve a dual purpose for both the Future Vertical Lift program/Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) and its current fleet of Black Hawk, Chinook, and Apache platforms in areas of affordability, interoperability, and the ability to quickly upgrade and integrate new technologies. We discussed this with Collins Aerospace’s Chet Treloar, director, Future Vertical Lift Strategic Pursuit, and Joseph Graf, Senior Fellow and communication systems architect. Breaking Defense: Discuss Army aviation’s open-systems approach to accelerating outcomes for FVL and in modernizing the current fleet. Chet Treloar is Director, Strategic Pursuits, Customer & Account Management, Collins Aerospace. Treloar: The Army has done a great job of complying with the Modular Open Systems Approach and the new Title X regulations. That helps to keep them ahead of any threat since you can upgrade faster, keep up with technology, and maintain affordability. It is at the forefront of almost everything they talk about. The Army intends to spiral in new capabilities but in order to do that you’ve got to have the system, the digital backbone, and you’ve got to be able to implement improvements quickly and have the flexibility to work with multiple vendors to make operations and sustainment cheaper. Graf: Think of MOSA as a framework to enable more flexibility and capability. Part of that openness is standardizing on architecture. Chet mentioned the digital backbone, and to truly take advantage of new capabilities, we need an infrastructure to plug into to get data from point A to point B with a specified throughput and latency, so that new capabilities can be quickly and easily added to the mission. One of the things the Army wants to do more is graphical data distribution. Standards like ARINC 661 and OpenGL are helping create a framework where we share information in an open way across the digital backbone, so that the Army doesnt have to rely on vendor A or B to provide that capability. If another vendor comes along and they have a better way to synthesize the data and distribute it to the pilot or user, then that can be inserted efficiently. The digital backbone is also a framework for power and cooling, among other things. And once you get a basic infrastructure in place, for example in the current fleet, you can start to replace mechanical actuation with electromechanical and begin migrating the system to fly-by-wire. Then you can start looking at autonomous operations or even full up autonomy. There needs to be a more straight-forward path for technology insertions that allow the fleet to outpace the threat, and it all hinges on MOSA. What current fleet aircraft do you envision could take most advantage of this? Treloar: Recently, we attended Army Aviation Industry Days and based on the themes of that event, there seems to be modernization plans for the Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk and the CH-47 Chinook. There are likely to be opportunities for the Apache, as well. Of course, funding and timelines are subject to change, but theres certainly an emphasis on modernizing the current fleet with MOSA as the cornerstone. How is FLRAA and current fleet modernization working in tandem to meet capability goals for both? Treloar: The Army is showing a unified front and they are happy to leverage each others investments and capabilities to improve their platforms whenever that fits and makes sense. They are looking at the capabilities being put on the -60 or the -47 that can go on FLRAA. When you hear the current fleet PMs talk, they mention that as FLRAA matures and uses the FAF, the FVL Architecture Framework, the digital backbone will flow down into the current fleet. I think they’re very much aligned. Joseph Graf is Senior Tech Fellow and FVL Chief Engineer at Collins Aerospace. Graf: To some extent, the existing fleet is a proving ground for a lot of these new capabilities even before they go into FLRAA. The question is how can we enable new capabilities, such as head-up displays or helmet mounted displays, in the existing fleet in the most cost-effective way to enable the users to start assessing that technology? You want to get those capabilities into the users hands, so they can start using them as much as possible ahead of time. The Army has stated that they want the end users involved in the assessment of new capabilities in real-time. The users are not going to be able to fully assess the technology until they actually receive it and are flying with it. As we migrate toward this new world of open architectures, theres a huge learning curve. Its going to take some time as new technologies present themselves as possibilities, but there are certainly pathways to best utilize and deploy these technologies. What are additional benefits to the Army of upgrading current fleets with an open systems cockpit? Treloar: Take the UH-60, for example. It is expected to fly into 2070. Chinook and Apache are somewhere along the same lines. In order to do that, you’ve got to upgrade those fleets and MOSA is a key enabler to technology insertions, transformation in contact, and multi-domain operations. It wont just be FLRAA out there, youre going to have current fleet platforms doing all kinds of things they dont do today, especially in the area of launched effects. You’ll have FLRAA flying faster and farther, but the other platforms will also need upgrade capabilities, which MOSA expedites in order to be relevant. Graf: For example, if I have mission computing hardware that is based on an open standard like SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture) and I need to integrate a new capability that requires more computing power than my existing system, I can swap out a component and it won’t take years to do. They want to be able to upgrade in months or faster. With faster upgrades, comes increased affordability in the long-term – a win-win for all parties involved. MOSA will prevent the Army from being dependent on single suppliers, the so-called vendor lock. How so? Treloar: As we just mentioned, with MOSA you have the capability to insert modification in weeks or months as opposed to multi-year integration programs. Enduring systems are not going to be on a platform forever. With MOSA, the Army can compete things as needed, which can make operations and sustainment cheaper. In the past when a system was not built with MOSA in mind, there were fewer opportunities for competition – often making upgrades and other enhancements more time consuming and expensive. Graf: Affordability is enabled because were standardizing on particular interface standards, hardware profiles and so on. You snap a chalk line and give the industry some guide rails to know how they should be investing and what their boundaries are, so they can focus their investments. It is a different, but better way of thinking for industry. Now, I have to provide a solution that distinguishes my product from other vendors because they could replace me. That generates competition, drives the prices down, and enables the Army to take advantage of the latest and greatest. Thats the whole vision for MOSA. In Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East we fight with partners. How does the DoD’s MOSA translate to our ability to conduct joint operations? Treloar: In this country we have MOSA. They have other approaches in the UK, France, and other European nations. They call it something different, but its all the same idea. The demands are out there and for the same reasons: affordability in the future, new threats, and the need to stay up with technology from the Army perspective. MOSA is the common thread in FLRAA, and Id say its becoming the common thread in the current fleet and beyond. The new avionics upgrade program coming out of the -60 office has MOSA as a requirement. So, the Army has doubled down on their commitment to MOSA and that consistency of message serves as a demand signal to industry. Graf: The standards that were creating are open, but theyre only open in the United States. So, the question to be asked is what information we can start sharing with our closest allies so that they can begin reaping those same MOSA benefits. For example, if I start upgrading my Black Hawks that are being used in the UK or Australia, I want to be able to give them the same kind of capabilities used by U.S. operators. In order to do that, they have to have access to the same basic digital backbone-type technology. How do you do that? That’s part of the equation that needs to be addressed to realize the benefits of MOSA on a global scale.

[Category: Land Warfare, Sponsored Post, Air Force, Apache, Army, Chinook, Collins Aerospace FVL, FLRAA, Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, Future Vertical Lift / FVL, Modular Open System Approach / MOSA, MOSA, Presented by Collins Aerospace, sponsored content, UH-60] [Link to media]

— In a year of war since Oct. 7, Israel introduced new battlefield tech, honed its organization

 

at 10/7/24 5:58am

An Israeli soldier rides an armoured personnel carrier on the border with the Gaza Strip on July 17, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images) JERUSALEM — In July, nine months after the devastating Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Israel Defense Forces released one of its first publicly available investigations into the failures of that day, a study of the battle of Kibbutz Be’eri, where 101 civilians were killed during the Hamas attack. But it is clear the Israeli military could not wait nine months to begin reacting to the Oct. 7 attacks, as it mounted an aggressive, deadly retaliatory campaign in Gaza. The IDF has been evolving in real time in the year of war since — using new technology, reorganizing its fighting forces and even adjusting the way it trains its soldiers. With ground operations now expanding into southern Lebanon, where Israel hopes to push back Iran-backed Hezbollah, here’s a look at how Israel has responded to the demands of modern combat in the past year. RELATED: What life looks like in Lebanon after 1 year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel New Tech, New Uses For Old Tech Before the war began, the IDF was training the first crews of its infantry Nahal Brigade on the new wheeled Eitan armored personnel carrier, not knowing that it would shortly be making its combat debut. Since then, the new vehicles have been used in raids in Gaza and by the IDF’s 162nd Division during battles in Rafah in May. To protect those systems, the Trophy active protection system has seen its share of fighting and appears to have performed well, as there’s little evidence of incapacitated tanks sporting the system, though several Namer APCs do appear to have been destroyed. Still, the IDF is being forced to innovate in some decidedly low-tech ways — like adding metal nets on the top of some tanks to protect them from top-down drone attacks, as seen in Ukraine. As Breaking Defense has reported, the IDF has also transformed older vehicles into some of the first-ever robotic platforms to see combat. Unmanned versions of older M113 APCs have been spotted on battlegrounds in Rafah, and D-9 bulldozers are being remotely controlled to do dangerous grunt work like ground excavation, clearing rough terrain or setting up tank firing positions. A new wheeled artillery system, called the Roem, is expected to be introduced to the IDF artillery corps soon, though it’s unclear when the first pieces will see action. Once deployed it will give the artillery an automated ability to fire more shells at a faster pace with fewer artillery pieces, replacing the older M109 howitzers, according to several Israeli reports. Beyond vehicles, the IDF has made battlefield strides in networking, communicating between ground, air and naval forces. Handheld systems help soldier see assets on the battlefield, allowing better coordination between armor and drone operations, for example. Israel has also used a large number of drones in the current war, including the older Hermes 450 and employing smaller Skylark drones with units that aid the artillery. In cases Breaking Defense saw during the war, various units have also acquired commercially available smaller quadcopters. At the same time, the IDF has sought to counter drone threats using new technologies that can be placed on vehicles, or using hard-kill solutions such as fire-control sights on rifles and interceptors. With the exception of the first days of the war when Hamas used small drones, the IDF has confronted longer-range kamikaze UAV threats and has used the air force or Iron Dome to down them. Lastly, at sea the IDF’s new Sa’ar 6 corvettes got their first combat experience in this war. They have served off the coast of Gaza and in the Red Sea. The naval version of Iron Dome, called C-Dome has also seen its first interceptions in the war. Changing Structure The IDF has undergone several organizational changes during the war, perhaps the most prescient of which was to bolster its forces in the north well before the announced ground operations in Lebanon. Back in April the IDF created a new Mountain Brigade to defend Mount Dov and Mount Hermon, a triangle of land bordering Lebanon and Syria. The creation of the new brigade takes pressure off the IDF’s 769th territorial brigade, which is the eastern brigade of the 91st Division. The 91st is responsible for defending Israel’s border with Lebanon. The new Mountain Brigade comes under the control of the 210th Division, which historically defended the Syrian border along the Golan Heights. In essence this shortens the defensive line of the 91st and lets it concentrate on the Hezbollah threat while providing a new unit to safeguard the unique mountainous terrain that forms a triangle between Israel, Lebanon and Syria. The IDF is also expanding its combat helicopter squadrons. On the eve of the Oct. 7 attack the IDF only had two helicopters on station for an emergency, and they were both based at Ramat David base in the north. A recent article in the Hebrew-language website Mako noted “there seems to be unanimity in the IDF regarding the need to increase the array of combat helicopters of the Air Force, after the intention was to close one of the two squadrons. The need for them was sharpened by the events of October 7, and since then they have operated in all sectors.” Now it appears the air force may acquire more combat helicopters to replace old Apaches as part of an ongoing multi-billion dollar expansion. The overall expansion will include new refuelers, heavy transport helicopters, more F-15s and the third squadron of F-35s that Israel has acquired. The war has also given Israel the chance to showcase its long-range bombing capability with two strikes on Yemen where the IDF used its aging refuelers and a variety of combat aircraft. Israel has also embraced the prominence of drone warfare, creating a new squadron dedicated to the Hermes 900. Israeli Air Force drone pilots beside a Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at Palmachim Airbase in Palmachim, Israel, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images) In the armored forces, the IDF began to bolster the regular armored brigades by creating new companies of regular army tank crews. This replaces the former model of having battalions that consist of two regular companies and a reserve company. It essentially means more tank crews that can be called upon to fight, rather than relying on as many reservists in the 7th, 188th and 401st regular armored brigades. It takes time to train all these new companies, but the pressure on the armored corps is clear. The 7th armored served throughout the war in Gaza, first with the 36th Division and then with the 9th Division. It was transferred north with the 98th in September 2024 and entered Lebanon on Oct. 1. The 401st Brigade has served in Gaza since the ground offensive began while the 188th entered Lebanon on Oct. 2 after guarding northern Israel for eight months. The last major change for the ground forces has been the experience gained in Gaza against tunnels. The IDF has learned to identify and destroy tunnels and also search for them. Much of this work was conducted by the IDF’s 98th Division and its commandos and combat engineers. However, other forces linked to the 162nd Division and other units have done the same work. Throughout most of the war the IDF has attached the 7th Armored brigade to the 98th Division, which could become a semi-permanent change, reducing the 36th Division from two armored brigades to one armored brigade. Reservists And Training The first impact of the war has been the unprecedented pressure put on the IDF by calling up reservists for a long period of time. Historically, Israel fought short wars that lasted from a week to several months. Or, in times of long-term fighting, such as the Second Intifada, the war was usually of such low intensity that it didn’t require reserves to serve for months on end. In the war that began in October 2023, Israel initially called up around 300,000 reservists. Many of the combat units have now seen up to eight months of service in the last 12, according to numerous reservists who spoke to Breaking Defense. The long experience of reserve service has led to extensive and improved training of the reservists. For instance, some went through two weeks of specialized training before ground operations in Gaza, and other units conducted brigade and battalion level training in northern Israel in expectation of a ground offensive into Lebanon. Other personnel changes could be on the horizon. Israel has weighed extended the age of service for retirement from the reserves. In addition, the lack of manpower for the IDF has put a spotlight on the need to enlist ultra-Orthodox Jews who are usually exempt from service. Regular army service for conscripts may also be extended. In the end, the IDF is a force that’s evolving as it’s fighting. With Israeli soldiers in Lebanon now and no end to the fighting in sight, it’s sure to keep evolving — perhaps beyond what the failure of Oct. 7 alone could have taught. Follow Breaking Defense’s full coverage of the region: Israeli operations in Lebanon should draw on lessons from the past Lebanon’s military ‘repositioning’ itself as Israel invades – but for what? ‘The King doesn’t lie down to save the pawn’: Why Iran may let Hezbollah face Israel alone After failure of Oct. 7, with Hezbollah Israel gets the war it trained for For Lebanon, a war in all but name has finally arrived: Experts OP ED: How Israel degraded Hezbollah for years to come, in 8 days US special ops official lays out ‘strategic’ reason for Israel to better protect civilians In Northern Israel, empty villages and talk of war in Lebanon In Southern Lebanon, empty villages, ruined crops and fears of what comes next

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Networks & Digital Warfare, Air Force, Army, cyber security, Gaza, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, lebanon, Middle East, networks, technology] [Link to media]

— System update: Army general takes over from Skinner as director of DISA, JFHQ-DoDIN

 

at 10/4/24 3:46pm

U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, welcomes attendees to AFCEA’s TechNet Augusta 2022 at the Augusta Marriott Convention Center in Augusta, Georgia, on August 16th, 2022. (Photo by Capt. Rebecca Harr) WASHINGTON — Gen. Robert Skinner today formally passed his responsibilities as director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Networks (JFHQ-DoDIN) to Army Gen. Paul Stanton. “I leave this agency and command with a deep sense of humility, optimism, confidence and, most importantly, honor,” Skinner said during a passing of the flags ceremony today. “I have truly been privileged to lead and be among our nation’s finest, working the most difficult problems, making the impossible possible. It is my hope today as I relinquish leadership of these two organizations, that I too have given more than I have received,” he added, according to a DISA release. Skinner is retiring after a 40-year military career in which he started as an administrative supervisor for the Office of the Secretary of the Navy. He later worked his way up to an Air Force general and in 2015 became the chief of staff at DISA and deputy commander of the JFHQ-DoDIN. In 2021 he took over the post of director of DISA and JFHQ-DoDIN.  In his final months on the job, DISA published a five-year strategy, with Skinners top three priorities: a common IT environment, more robust cloud computing and a push toward zero-trust cybersecurity. In his last address to Augusta Technet in August, Skinner also set an ambitious goal for DODNET, shooting for getting 100,000 users within a few months. “We’re going to collapse a lot of these [defense] agency networks that have been stovepiped and have legacy technology in them, he said at the time. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, director of Defense Information System Agency and the commander of the Joint Force Headquarters, delivers remarks during the DISA Central Field Command change of command ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, July 7, 2023. (Airman 1st Class Zachary Foster, 6th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs) Stanton, who moves to his current position after serving as the commanding general of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower in Augusta, Ga., acknowledged that hes taking over at an unprecedented period of significant change in an unsettled word, one that has an insatiable appetite for data. “At the core of our responsibilities, we must securely and reliably get the right data to the right place at the right time to make a better and faster decision than our enemies, period. This is our business, he said at the ceremony. This is warfighting as it has been, it is today and will be in the future. This agency and command are critical to our nation’s warfighting success. Failure is not an option, and excellence is our standard.” Other top DoD cyber and IT officials attended today’s ceremony, offering praise for Skinner and his replacement. “This transition means not only a change in leadership, but also a change in perspective,” Leslie Beavers, acting DoD Chief Information Officer, said. “I can tell you [Skinner] was the right leader to take on the challenges that DISA faced coming out of COVID and setting a path for the future. It is going to take a warrior-scholar to take the handoff from Bob and move those and many other initiatives down range, and we found one. [Stanton] is the perfect person to take on this challenge.” Gen. Timothy Haugh, CYBERCOM commander and director of the National Security Agency, said Skinner enabled the joint forces success. This team, all of you, are engaged with our adversaries and our competitors on a daily basis, 24/7, and the very definition of success is nothing short of mission assurance for the joint force and for serving our nation’s decisive advantages,” Haugh said. “The mission has been accomplished by all of you over the past three years, enabled by Bob Skinner’s leadership. It is a fantastic way to wrap up a career of dedication serving our nation. JFHQ-DoDIN and DISA will be in terrific and very capable hands with Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton at the helm and all of you working missions. Paul was built for this job.”

[Category: Networks & Digital Warfare, cyber security, Department of Defense Information Networks DoDIN, Gen. Robert Skinner, JFHQ DoDIN, networks, technology] [Link to media]

— What life looks like in Lebanon after 1 year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel

 

at 10/4/24 1:20pm

A torn Lebanese flag flies on October 3, 2024 in Marjayoun, Lebanon. Israel continued airstrikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs as its military announced a ground offensive in Lebanon, part of what it said would be a limited incursion to target Hezbollah forces. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) BEIRUT — One year ago Monday, the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel. A day later, Hezbollah joined in what it called the “Gaza support” front, dragging Lebanon into the conflict. Ever since, the country has been on edge, waiting for what felt like an inevitable all-out invasion from Israel over the border. The inevitable arrived last week, and the violence wrought so far could presage a much more intense second year of fighting here, with Lebanese citizens caught between an Israeli rock and a Hezbollah hard place. Over the past year, the strikes across the border have expanded and diminished on a week by week basis. On the worse days, they would feature Israeli jets soaring overhead and bombs splashing down on what the IDF has called Hezbollah targets. But the last two weeks have seen a major escalation, including multiple direct strikes on Beirut — long seen as a safe haven that Israeli forces would avoid attacking. For many southern Lebanese, Israels declaration of an invasion, which Jerusalem has stated has the goal of limited, localized raids designed to push Hezbollah back from its border, has become a last straw. So many have left. The government is estimating that the number of migrants heading north will exceed 1 million — in a country of 5.4 million overall. Tens of thousands of Lebanese also have fled east to neighboring Syria, a dark reversal of time when desperate people from that wartorn nation fled the opposite direction. Even before the announcement of raids, the aerial campaign was proving brutal for those in the region. “We couldn’t sleep all night, bombardment sounds never seem to pause. The nights are the worst,” one southerner told Breaking Defense. She added that when her family decided to leave the south earlier last week, there was no easy way out: The two main paths north, either via Nabatiyeh-Sidon or through the Beqaa Valley, are either blocked by rubble left over from airstrikes or in IDF-identified target zones — meaning braving that route could be more dangerous than staying home amid strikes there. Those who cant or wont leave their homes are stuck taking cover, having nothing to do but offer “prayers” that things won’t escalate to a full incursion beyond the South Litani river. The pace of strikes does not appear to be slowing down — a Reuters tally of statements from Israel found that 70 towns, including predominantly Christian ones, have been ordered to evacuate in the last three days. On X, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson has posted several maps of Lebanese cities with red squares superimposed on them, warning civilians to evacuate those areas, as they are near purported Hezbollah activity. You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, and the IDF will act against them in the near future, one post reads. What those refugees will find in the north is unclear. Many people have become homeless, and the winter season is imminent. Despite a few incidents where refugees met resistance in Beirut neighborhoods, Lebanese solidarity is largely holding: The citys residents are busy collecting food and medical supplies, but without a national emergency plan, many families may face harsh days, especially as the temperature begins to drop. While not as frequent a target as in the south, Beirut, particularly its southern suburb Dahieh, is no longer immune to the sounds of jets screaming overhead and explosions rocking buildings and windows. Israeli air force pilots seem to prefer striking under Lebanon’s beautiful moonlight, adding an extra layer of terror for those who were able to find sleep in the moments of quiet. “Are we going to die tonight?” my children ask me every night while they rush into my room, awakened from their sleep, not by calls to get ready for school but from bombs. It is easy to see the black and white smoke plumes from these attacks rising above the city. Mornings are not much better than the nights. People rush to check social media for what disasters happened in the few minutes of sleep they could get, and the situation seems to only grow more dire every sunrise. Many hospitals are near full capacity. In an Oct. 2 report, the Lebanese government said that since the war began, there have been 1,928 killed with 9,290 injured — including 55 killed and 156 injured in the 48 hours period from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. Smoke rises above Beiruts southern suburbs during an Israeli strike on September 27, 2024. A source close to Hezbollah said the massive Israeli strikes on Beiruts southern suburbs flattened six buildings. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images) While there are no national sirens signaling threats, church bells are doing the duty — and seemingly never get a rest. On Beiruts roads, Lebanese Armed Forces are increasingly deployed near embassies. Schools are largely closed, turned into refugee centers for children, adults and old people who migrated from the south, Beqaa Valley and even Dahieh. Its unclear when children will be able to go back to school, and there are now discussions about online classes — which might fail entirely if Lebanons traditionally iffy utility system collapses. When Hezbollah launched its rockets a year ago in support of Hamas, neither the Lebanese government nor the people were given a choice. Certainly, Hezbollah has its supporters, in the south, Beqaa and the southern suburb of Beirut, but there is no national consensus about this conflict, as the country is divided into sectors and parties. Hezbollah is only one of them, if the most powerful. Follow Breaking Defense’s full coverage of the region: Israeli operations in Lebanon should draw on lessons from the past Lebanon’s military ‘repositioning’ itself as Israel invades – but for what? ‘The King doesn’t lie down to save the pawn’: Why Iran may let Hezbollah face Israel alone After failure of Oct. 7, with Hezbollah Israel gets the war it trained for For Lebanon, a war in all but name has finally arrived: Experts OP ED: How Israel degraded Hezbollah for years to come, in 8 days US special ops official lays out ‘strategic’ reason for Israel to better protect civilians In Northern Israel, empty villages and talk of war in Lebanon In Southern Lebanon, empty villages, ruined crops and fears of what comes next But as the world has watched the conflict over the past year, watched Hezbollahs leadership taken out in a shocking manner, watched Irans attack on Israel, watched Israel give updates on its raids into the country — it is hard not to feel that the Lebanese people have been caught up in something beyond our control. Many Lebanese, myself included, feel like to the world we are mere numbers: numbers of casualties, migrants, injured people and demolished buildings. While international political and regional military actions might determine the day after, no one in the country right now knows whether they will live to see the sunrise on that day. Lebanon has been described as a phoenix that rises from the ashes, but for five consecutive years the ashes have been piling up above the Phoenixs head. From the 2019 revolution against the ruling authority, to an ongoing economic crisis and the collapse of Lebanons currency, to the 2020 port explosion and finally, the start of this war in October 2023, it has been one calamity after another. The most recent, Israels invasion, continues now. When it will end, and what Lebanon will look like when it does, feels impossible to know.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Air Force, Army, Ground incursion, Hezbollah, Israel, lebanon, Middle East, migration wave, Missiles, raids] [Link to media]

— HASC leaders probe Navy on Newport News faulty welding problem

 

at 10/4/24 12:10pm

The worlds largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 21, 2023. Gerald R. Ford is the US Navys newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, representing a generational leap in the US Navys capacity to project power on a global scale. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins) WASHINGTON — Leaders of the House Armed Services Committee want the Navy to hand over data about the occurrences of faulty welding made to aircraft carriers and submarines under construction at HII Newport News Shipbuilding. In an Oct. 3 letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, four senior members of the committee called on the service to lay out a plan for how the Navy and Newport News will “protect US Navy vessels against knowingly faulty work.” “It is deeply concerning to learn that faulty welds may have been knowingly made to U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers. The safety of our sailors is our top concern, and we must immediately understand any risks associated with the faulty work,” said HASC Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, HASC’s ranking Democrat Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state; Mississippi Rep. Trent Kelly, who leads the seapower subcommittee; and Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney, the subcommittee’s top Democrat. The letter from HASC leaders comes a week after USNI News reported that the Justice Department had been notified by Newport News that workers had knowingly made faulty welds while building non-critical components of new and in-service submarines as well as Ford-class carriers. Naval Sea Systems Command has assessed that potential deficiencies on three in-service ships are not on components or systems that affect ship safety or operations, and certified those ships as safe to operate, Capt. Clay Doss, a spokesman for Del Toro, said in a statement to Breaking Defense today. Additionally, Newport News and Navy technical experts are validating specific welds on 23 ships — including new construction vessels and those in refueling complex overhaul or maintenance — with results from the inspections expected in mid-October, Doss said. The Navy provided letters to the four congressional defense committees on Thursday with an update on the problem, Doss said. In a statement, Newport News spokesperson Todd Corillo said the company found through internal reporting that while some welders knowingly circumvented certain welding procedures, initial investigations show no indication of malicious intent. Upon this discovery, we took action to communicate with our customers and regulators, investigate, determine root causes, bound the issue, and put in place immediate corrective actions as we work through longer-term solutions, Corillo said. Newport News declined to comment on how many and which vessels are suspected to have faulty welds, citing the ongoing investigation. The HASC lawmakers included a list of questions about the issue, including whether the Navy fully understands the scope of the problem and if the incorrectly performed welds present a safety threat. The letter also requests that the Navy provide details on all occurrences of faulty welds, a rework plan for impacted ships, and a detailed timeline of when the service was notified about the problems, setting a deadline of Oct. 11 for a response. The lawmakers added that they expect a briefing from Navy officials on the matter “promptly.” On Sept. 27, a day after the USNI report, Newport News president Jennifer Boykin confirmed in a post on LinkedIn that the company had received reports from workers about welders who “knowingly violated weld procedures” and produced work that did not meet the company’s quality standards, and had notified the Justice Department. “I cannot over stress that individual actions and behaviors either strengthen — or weaken — our ethical culture in an instant. Every choice you make as a shipbuilder has long lasting impact,” she stated. Newport News is the prime contractor on the Ford-class carrier and manufactures Virginia-class attack submarines and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines in partnership with General Dynamics Electric Boat.

[Category: Congress, Naval Warfare, Adam Smith, Business & Industry, Carlos Del Toro, Ford-class aircraft carrier, HII, House Armed Services Commitee, Joe Courtney, Mike Rogers, Navy, Newport News Shipbuilding, submarines, Trent Kelly] [Link to media]

— For a more lethal joint force, answer the ‘Five Ws’ of climate change

 

at 10/4/24 9:55am

Debris litters Tyndall Air Force Base following Hurricane Michael on October 17, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. the base experienced extensive damage from the storm. Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle on October 10, as a category 4 storm causing massive damage and claiming nearly 30 lives. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) After China became the focus of American defense in the 2018 and 2022 National Defense Strategies, the Pentagon got busy preparing its forces by breaking down the so-called “China challenge” into smaller, manageable pieces. Professional military education (PME) scoped learning outcomes for intermediate and senior schools, while services created standalone courses and ensured training regimens factored in Chinese tactics. It might not have been easy to do, but the rationale behind the effort was clear: A “one size fits all” approach to complex threats provides inadequate preparation. When the Pentagon said that the military needed to be able to counter China, it was understood that individual servicemembers’ missions, functions, and roles would guide what they needed to know and do in order to execute that mission. Lessons from that approach now need to be applied towards building the military’s understanding of another existential threat: climate change. A threat so systemic may seem too difficult to disaggregate, but, as with competition with China, there are clear ways to break the issue down and tackle it — despite entirely misguided assertions from some quarters that climate change distracts from the “real” military mission and leapfrogs higher priorities. Through keeping a focus on what it takes to execute that mission, it’s possible to empower our forces to tackle multiple threats at the same time. I ran the Pentagon’s Office of Force Education and Training for three years, during which time we deepened mission-critical knowledge of China and climate change simultaneously. One did not come at the expense of the other — on the contrary, an understanding of climate realities enhanced the ability to plan for a China scenario. The approach wasn’t about turning on a firehose of climate change information at the expense of other topics. Rather, it was about answering the five Ws: Who needs to know what information when to do which job, and why. Large and complex as it may be, the military’s mission is extremely narrow: Preserve US national interests and security through the threat or use of overwhelming lethal force against any enemy, anywhere, any time. Each job and career path in the military ultimately contributes to that mission. So the question then naturally follows: How does climate change complicate that specific job and that specific career path? The answers to that question are what needs to be taught. For example, to effectively prepare for potential aggression from China, a surface warfare officer needs to understand the order of battle for the Chinese navy and how a Luyang III-class works. She also needs to understand what can affect the accuracy of her ship’s sonar. Ocean salinity is one cause, and salt levels are changing globally as the climate warms. Knowing how to account for that makes her more effective at her job. Or, to pick a ripped-from-the-headlines example, the installation commander of Tyndall Air Force Base needs to understand the impact of increasingly more intense hurricane seasons on his base so he can make climate-informed decisions when preparing and rebuilding. If he is expected to be able to flow forces forward for a China conflict, he needs to understand if his base is going to be unusable for stretches of time each fall and plan accordingly. Integrating climate change into overall preparations, while keeping the focus on the essential knowledge required to execute the mission, is a question of scope. Of course it can be complicated. So is modern warfare. But it can and must be done. And here are five proposals for how to do it well. First, make action, not knowledge, the purpose behind any dissemination of climate change information. Military education and training prepares those who wear the uniform to do something; it’s not a consciousness-raising regimen. Service members across the joint force today are facing operational challenges made worse — or in some cases created — by climate change, from nuclear-powered aircraft carriers unable to cool their equipment and reactors with hot seawater, to soldiers sickening and dying from the heat, to fighting wildfires instead of human adversaries. Information on climate change needs to help people know how to execute the mission, no matter the type or source of the obstacle. Second, tailor that information wisely: Dispense with the misperception that everyone in uniform needs a deep understanding of why the climate is changing. Beyond units like the 14th Weather Squadron that are trained climatologists and oceanographers, fluency in the details of anthropogenic change is not mission-essential knowledge. Moreover, delivering that information competes for time that is already overtaxed by the ballooning number of Common Military Training modules. Dispense too with the misperception that everyone in uniform needs to know the same thing about climate change. A Foreign Area Officer in Japan and one in Germany need to appreciate different climate effects; so too a missileer versus an installation commander versus a sub driver. Third, resist the temptation to “set it and forget it” in professional military education (PME). Use PME and its subset, Joint PME, for what they are best suited for: an early foundation-builder for new officers and a cognitive chiropractor as they rise in the ranks. PME teaches leaders how to think by introducing students to complex issues, such as how to account for the effects of climate change in military strategy and operations (like factoring in warmer oceans when planning carrier deployments). However, PME only reaches a small portion of the total force at set touch points throughout a career, and it only sets the stage for the problems future leaders will face. A static dispensary of information is not an on-demand problem solver — and the problems today’s servicemembers will face are dynamic and fluid. Fourth, support the growth of and access to places that provide answers for dynamic and fluid problems, like the DoD Climate Resilience Portal. Such a website helps provide the sorting function for what a vast and complex military needs to know to achieve the mission in a climate-informed way. Finally, ensure that the places created to provide job-specific training include climate realism. A tank driver attempting to navigate a washed-out bridge with a 68-ton Abrams should be able to rely on the preparation she got at Ft. Moore. Build muscle memory early for the likely scenarios servicemembers will face over their careers. The US military is not only the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen, but also a world-class risk mitigation organization. Integrating climate information into how they perform their jobs only makes them better at them. Service and DoD leadership should deliver practical, climate-informed education and training that helps them know what to do. Then they can get after solving any problem. Caroline Baxter is a Senior Advisor at the Center for Climate and Security. From 2021 to 2024, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Education and Training working as the principal senior authority on the development of DoD policy on all issues relating to military education, training, and exercises across the Joint Force. She also led DoD’s Climate Literacy Sub-Working Group (CLSWG) that devised a methodology to baseline and grow mission-centric knowledge of climate change through tailoring information to job functions and roles. For her work in DoD, Ms. Baxter was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. 

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Pentagon, Air Force, Army, Asia, China, climate change, National Defense Strategy, Op-Ed Commentary] [Link to media]

— US Heritage Foundation offers Pacific Islands’ blueprint for Trump

 

at 10/4/24 8:58am

WASHINGTON, DC SEPTEMBER 25: U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a group photo with leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as part of the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit at the White House on September 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. President Biden and senior administration officials are meeting with Pacific Islands leaders to discuss regional corporation on climate change, economic growth and regional security. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) SYDNEY — The US-based Heritage Foundation, closely associated with many supporters of former President Donald Trump, has published a report making competition with China the centerpiece of US policy in the Pacific Islands and urging it pump more money into the region to ensure that American interests be paramount. American policymakers should consider the Pacific Islands a region worthy of increased U.S. engagement and resource allocation, the report says. While focused on making the case for and to Americans, the strategy also incorporates Pacific Island, allied, and partner interests and perspectives to emphasize shared interests, potential areas of cooperation, and long-lasting engagement opportunities. The paragraph ends with the line that the US should counter Chinese ambitions in the Pacific. The report, tellingly titled The Pacific Pivot: An American Strategy for the Pacific Islands, notes that since the Solomon Islands former leader, Manasseh Sogavare, signed a still-secret security pact with China — catching the western national security establishment by surprise — competition for influence with island populations and their leaders has grown much sharper. The Pacific Islands occupy a pivotal location that is important to U.S. efforts to protect Americans and deny China’s regional hegemonic ambitions, the report says. But this greater competition for influence requires careful management, the report says: If the United States does not carefully navigate these relationships, it risks ceding influence and access to China, thereby granting Beijing a potential foothold in the Indo–Pacific that can threaten U.S. national security interests and complicate possible future military operations in Asia, if and when needed. Aside from simple competition for influence, the report, authored by Andrew Harding, points to the crucial strategic locations of the islands, as was so well demonstrated during World War II. They straddle the shipping lanes that carry the majority of global trade, span vast areas of the Pacifics fishing grounds, gas fields and possible sea floor mineral riches. As to how to accomplish the goals sought by Heritage, America should pursue at least one, if not more, of four vital national interests: Safeguard America and the American people; Bolster deterrence vis-à-vis China and, if needed, combat capabilities; Improve the economic well-being of the American people; and/or Strengthen regional attitudes and perceptions toward America, i.e., enhance soft power. There is reasonable room for debate regarding whether this national interest is vital or on par with the other three. In keeping with Heritages heritage as the most stalwart of the conservative think tanks in Washington, the report focuses on the American Pacific territories and what it says are immigration loopholes there that should be closed. But the aperture widens when the report argues that the primary goal of the United States in the Pacific should be to defend its people, territories, and way of life. While it praises elements of the Biden Administrations Pacific Islands strategy, the first of its kind, Heritage says it possesses two primary shortcomings, ones that will sound familiar to those who follow Trump closely. The Biden strategy does not explain how it materially benefits America, the Heritage report says, noting that it places great emphasis on climate change and its effects on the islands, something that many experts said played an important role in the Solomons decision to bend toward China. Instead of putting American interests first in the region, Bidens strategy ranks the interests of the Pacific Islands above American interests and does not explicitly articulate why or how any of the proposed objectives or lines of effort directly benefit America’s interests or the American people. In keeping with the Republican Partys strongly skeptical view of climate change, the report cites what it calls the Biden strategys overemphasis on combatting the effects of climate change as a vital American interest. (original italics). Instead, Heritage says a stronger strategy would include a more realistic, straightforward acknowledgement of the threats China poses to the region and the economic opportunities the U.S. could support—even if they may not be exactly what the region may prefer to hear. While Heritage does not dictate what the Republicans in Congress or a possible Trump administration do, no other think tank carries as much weight in those communities. Heritages Project 2025 document is widely viewed as a blueprint for how a Trump administration will govern, and a recent document from the organization openly billed itself as “a draft Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) for a 2025 presidential administration.

[Category: Global, Naval Warfare, Asia, China, climate change, Federated States of Micronesia, guam, Heritage Foundation, Indo-Pacific, Manasseh Sogavare, Navy, Pacific islands, Solomon Islands] [Link to media]

— CCA: What weapons and engines will let loyal wingmen drones hit their potential? [VIDEO #4]

 

at 10/4/24 7:55am

WASHINGTON — When talking about aircraft, its easy to focus on the main body of the plane itself. But in many cases, its the subsystems that make a capability reach its full potential. Thats true for drones as well as manned jets, meaning whether the US Air Forces Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program is ultimately a success will come down, in part, to the engine, weapons, sensors and communications gear that are on board. In the final video from our CCA roundtable discussion, our panel — Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta, reporters Michael Marrow and Valerie Insinna, and Stacie Pettyjohn of the Center for a New American Security think tank — go into the development of those systems, where the technology is at and the pros and cons of different capabilities that can be strapped onto a CCA. For more from this series, click below.

[Category: Air Warfare, Air Force, CCA video series, collaborative combat aircraft, Drones, video] [Link to media]

As of 10/8/24 9:53pm. Last new 10/8/24 2:34pm.