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Breaking Defense: UK Seeks Potential Spawns of US Medium-Lift Aircraft Development Program
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Breaking Defense: UK Seeks Potential Spawns of US Medium-Lift Aircraft Development Program


ArmyChopperU.K.’s ministry of defense has monitored the ongoing U.S. Joint Multirole Technology Demonstrator that seeks to develop a medium-lift vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with updated capacity, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

Richard Whittle writes U.K. can potentially get involved with the JMR-TD program and acquire future aircraft spawned from the effort.

Bryan Finlay, senior engineer at U.K. defense science and technology laboratory, said — at the American Helicopter Society International annual forum — the government has decided to replace its army and navy medium-lift helicopters by mid-2030s.

Bell Helicopter‘s V-280 Valor tiltrotor and the Sikorsky–Boeing SB>1 Defiant compound helicopter will begin flights for validation of technologies and designs next year as part of the JMR-TD, the report said.

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Charles Bolden: NASA Eyes Continued Space Cooperation with Int’l Counterparts
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Charles Bolden: NASA Eyes Continued Space Cooperation with Int’l Counterparts


Charles Bolden
Charles Bolden

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has said the agency’s international counterparts remain interested in spaceflight cooperation projects with the U.S. despite concerns over the next administration’s plans for space programs, Space News reported Monday.

Jeff Foust writes Bolden told a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies breakfast event in Washington that he will meet with officials in Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates next week to affirm NASA’s support for UAE’s first Mars orbiter mission set for launch in 2020.

He is also set to negotiate the extension of the International Space Station to 2024 with the European Space Agency and sign an agreement during the Farnborough Air Show in July for the establishment of NASA’s SERVIR Earth observation program ground station in England, according to Foust’s report.

The report said he also plans to travel to China for a potential agreement on aeronautics and air traffic management cooperation

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FCW: GSA Adds Contracting Officer to Technology Transformation Service
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FCW: GSA Adds Contracting Officer to Technology Transformation Service


Tom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe

The General Services Administration will embed an acquisition expert within the newly established Technology Transformation Service group in a move to boost 18F‘s acquisition capabilities, FCW reported Monday.

Mark Rockwell writes a contracting officer will transition to TTS from the Federal Acquisition Service in order to help TTS personnel in their procurement assistance efforts for customer agencies.

FAS Commissioner Tom Sharpe told FCW that TTS needs FAS contracting officers to provide external procurement support in addition to the new group’s internal acquisition authority.

The contracting officer will impart insights about Federal Acquisition Regulation methods and receive training in agile information technology procurement in return, the report said.

Sharpe said the number of embedded contracting personnel will increase in the future as demand grows, Rockwell reports.

GSA formed TTS early this month to house 18F, the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies and the Presidential Innovation Fellows program.

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Peter Highnam: NGA Identifies 7 Research Focus Areas
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Peter Highnam: NGA Identifies 7 Research Focus Areas


highnam_peter_small
Peter Highnam

Peter Highnam, director of the InnoVision organization at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, has cited radar, spectral, geophysics, environment and culture, automation, geospatial cyber and anticipatory analytics as the focus areas of NGA’s research work in an interview with C4ISR & Networks published Monday.

He told reporter Amber Corrin at the GEOINT Symposium the agency used input gathered from the U.S. intelligence community to identify those seven research “pods.”

Highnam added he believes people have a key role in technology transition efforts.

“So we’re going to be giving resources — people, funds — to technologies and having those people move to be the champions of that technology somewhere else at NGA and to take it into practice,” he said.

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First Batch of Naval Academy Cyber Operations Majors to Graduate
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First Batch of Naval Academy Cyber Operations Majors to Graduate


cybersecurityThe first batch of midshipmen who took the cyber operations course at the U.S. Naval Academy will graduate on May 27, the U.S. Navy reported Monday.

The Navy said the 27 graduates compose the inaugural class of the academic program, which covers areas such as computer architecture, programming, networks, data structures, information assurance, forensics and cryptography.

The course works to provide knowledge on cyber applications in the military and national services designed to prepare graduates for various roles under the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

“Whether these students are going into the cryptologic warfare, air warfare, submarine warfare, surface warfare or special warfare communities, USNA is building a cadre of junior officers who are leaving here with an understanding of cyber operations,” said Capt. David Bondura, USNA deputy director of the center for cybersecurity studies.

The academic offering also includes electives in policy, ethics, social engineering, law and other relevant fields, the Navy added.

Officers that complete the cyber operations program can enter advanced studies or select assignments with cyber-related military forces to support national security, the service branch said.

The report added that 51 freshmen have selected cyber operations as a major earlier in the year.

US Army Central to Adopt Solar Lighting Systems in Kuwait; Weaver Prosper Comments
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US Army Central to Adopt Solar Lighting Systems in Kuwait; Weaver Prosper Comments


solarpowerThe U.S. Army Central received the last batch of 250 solar-powered light systems May 16 following the completion of a nine-month test period, the Army reported Friday.

Sgt. James Bunn writes the service branch tested the solar-based light platforms as part of the Army Central’s Operational Energy Program.

“We currently have 250 solar powered light systems here in Kuwait,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Weaver Prosper, manager of the Operational Energy Program at USARCENT.

“The way forward for us is to purchase approximately 1,000 more.”

Prosper noted that USARCENT will now work to replace all diesel-powered light systems on Camp Arifjan in Kuwait with solar-based platforms.

“Our initial analysis of the SPLS indicated that by replacing every diesel powered light system in USARCENT with one powered by renewable energy, we would save approximately $56 million a year,” he added.

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Rep. Duncan Hunter Asks Navy to Help Coast Guard With Arctic Icebreaker Acquisitions
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Rep. Duncan Hunter Asks Navy to Help Coast Guard With Arctic Icebreaker Acquisitions


Rep. Duncan Hunter Asks Navy to Help Coast Guard With Arctic Icebreaker AcquisitionsRep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) has asked the U.S. Navy to offer the U.S. Coast Guard support in efforts to build a new heavy Arctic icebreaker ship as the platform is currently scheduled to deploy in 2025, Navy Times reported Monday.

Meghann Myers writes Hunter wrote a letter to Navy acquisition lead Sean Stackley that asks the service branch to provide insights on the Coast Guard’s Arctic missions.

Joe Kasper, Hunter’s chief of staff, told Navy Times the letter aims to start a discussion on whether the Navy should provide financial assistance for the Coast Guard’s acquisition program or help pay for the lease of a heavy icebreaker.

“The Navy’s going to have to support efforts to enhance ice-breaking capability in the Arctic if the Navy truly believes that capability is necessary,” said Kasper.

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Report: U.S. Ends Ban on Weapon Sales to Vietnam
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Report: U.S. Ends Ban on Weapon Sales to Vietnam

David Sling Weapon SystemThe U.S. government has fully removed its decades-long ban on sales of military equipment and weapon systems to Vietnam as the two countries aim to renew their bilateral relationship, Reuters reported Monday.

Matt Spetalnick writes President Obama said during a press conference Monday with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo on Vietnam was not related to China’s increased military activities in the South China Sea.

“It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards normalization with Vietnam,” Obama told reporters.

The U.S. issued a policy in October 2014 to ease restrictions on weapon shipments to Vietnam in an effort to help that country address maritime surveillance and security challenges.

Vietnam’s arms procurement requests will be considered by the federal government on a case-by-case basis, according to Spetalnick’s report.

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Sen. John McCain to Request $17B in Additional Defense Funds Through Amendment to 2017 NDAA
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Sen. John McCain to Request $17B in Additional Defense Funds Through Amendment to 2017 NDAA


John McCain
John McCain

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) has said he plans to propose an amendment to the fiscal year 2017 defense policy bill to authorize $17 billion in additional funds for the Defense Department, Defense News reported Monday.

Joe Gould writes McCain told attendees at a Thursday event hosted by the Brookings Institution that he would introduce the amendment despite the spending caps in the fiscal 2015 budget deal.

“I don’t know whether or not this amendment will succeed, but the Senate must have this debate and senators must choose a side,” McCain said.

According to Defense News, McCain raised the debate on defense spending in a letter published Friday in which he called for additional funds to procure more F-18 and F-35 fighter jets, support shipbuilding efforts for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Virginia-class submarines as well as stop the planned force reductions to the Army and Marine Corps.

The full Senate is scheduled to take up this week the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act that would allocate $602 billion in funds for DoD, Gould reports.

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NATO-led Mission in Afghanistan to Continue Beyond 2016 as Voted by Foreign Ministers
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NATO-led Mission in Afghanistan to Continue Beyond 2016 as Voted by Foreign Ministers


military in trainingResolute Support foreign ministers have agreed to continue the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan beyond 2016 to assist in the stabilization efforts of the country through political, military and financial support.

Ministers had also reviewed the financial support to the Afghan security forces with $1.4 billion U.S. dollars in the Afghan National Army Trust Fund, NATO said Friday.

“The Afghan forces are showing real courage, determination, and professionalism; and they are benefitting from our training, advice and assistance; but Afghanistan continues to face serious security challenges,” said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General.

“That is why today, ministers agreed to sustain the Resolute Support mission beyond 2016. Our military authorities will now address the details of the mission beyond 2016, including in the regions of Afghanistan.”

The Afghan foreign minister updated the ministers on the Afghan National Unity Government’s efforts to stop corruption, uphold human rights and advance the peace process.

Stoltenberg added, “I am confident that we will be able to announce at the Warsaw Summit firm commitments to continue funding the Afghan forces through the year 2020.”

“This is critical for Afghanistan’s ability to build sustainable security forces and ensure Afghanistan’s lasting security. Ministers also reaffirmed our long-term ambition for a strong political partnership and practical cooperation with Afghanistan.”

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