U.S. & China To Discuss Sharing Resources During Joint Missions
The United States has officially extended the invitation for a team of senior Chinese logisticians to visit Washington in early 2013 to discuss the possibility of a first-ever logistics cooperation agreement between the two countries.
DOD Develops Energy Strategy For Future Force
Assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs, Sharon Burke, announced that the Defense Department is developing an energy strategy that will carry it forward for decades.
Potential New U.K. Markets For U.S. Defense Contractors
Two recent announcements indicate a desire by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense to rely more heavily on the private sector in the coming years, thus creating potential new markets for U.S. defense contractors.
Report Warns DOD Could Run Out Of Money For Weapons By 2020
Pressure from declining budgets and growing inflation could so squeeze the DOD so that it might have no money to research and buy new weapons by 2020, according to a new report by defense analyst Dr. Clark Murdock, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This is a stark acknowledgement that with or without sequestration, the problems of coming years could drop defense spending off a cliff.
Panetta: Nation Faces ‘Dangerous & Unpredictable’ World
After a decade of war, the U.S. is at a strategic turning point and congressionally mandated budget cuts come when the nation still faces a dangerous and unpredictable world. Warfare in cyber, violent extremism, weapons proliferation, international instability and the rise of new powers across Asia are just some of the challenges facing the country. Panetta discusses the five elements of the new defense strategy.
EADS Looks To Team Up With Defense Contractors To Pump Sales
EADS invested tens of millions of dollars to develop an armed helicopter for a possible U.S. Army competition and will look to team up with defense contractors to pump up its non-Airbus U.S. sales to $10 billion by 2020.
Air Force Releases Request For Proposal For Search & Rescue Helicopter
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition announced the posting of the Combat Rescue Helicopter Request for Proposal to the Federal Business Opportunities website, signaling the official launch of this high priority Air Force acquisition program.
Army Combat Vehicles Likely To Dodge Huge Sequestration Impact
Many Army combat vehicle programs are in development rather than production, and because of this, the Army doesn’t expect to have to renegotiate many of the contracts if deep spending cuts begin to take effect in January. “The Army combat vehicle office does not have many ongoing production programs,” said Scott Davis, who oversees ground combat systems for the Army. Instead, it’s in the process of developing next-generation vehicles, he told reporters at AUSA. This means far fewer multiyear production contracts, which are particularly vulnerable to the automatic budget cuts. “We’re certainly in a transitional phase right now, so we don’t have a large production stream,” Davis said.
Defense Contractors & Their Concerns For The Fiscal Cliff
The nation’s largest defense contractors reported mixed financial results as the companies continue to take steps to safeguard against possible federal budget cuts associated with the fiscal cliff.
Panetta’s To-Do List For Congress
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta needs Congress to do at least four things when it returns to work after the Nov. 6 elections. First on that list: come up with an agreement that averts sequestration. There are only 70 days left before the automatic spending cuts kick in on Jan. 2 and “Congress is on the clock,” stated Panetta. Secondly, he would like to see Congress pass a defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2013. Until then, the Pentagon is unable to move forward with a number of policy initiatives. Third on the to-do list is a cybersecurity bill, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will try to pass in November.
Lastly, there are two important nominations that require Senate approval. President Obama has nominated Marine Gen. John Allen to serve as NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command. He selected Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford to succeed Allen as commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Their confirmation hearings are scheduled to take place when Congress returns.
