March 28, 2024

Upon the 11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month: Remember

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Whether you call it Remembrance, Armstice or Veteran’s Day, Defence Industry Daily recalls its origin, “On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in 1918, the guns ceased.” The wearing of poppies is in honor of the memorializing poem of World War I, “Flander’s Field.”

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Brandyn Gaito, a team leader with 2nd Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, signals to team members in a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province's Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 5. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force. 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Public Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper Date Taken:04.05.2011 Location:NEAR COMBAT OUTPOST OUELLETTE, AF Related Photos: dvidshub.net/r/r5scb4

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Brandyn Gaito, a team leader with 2nd Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, signals to team members in a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 5. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Public
Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper
Date Taken:04.05.2011
Location:NEAR COMBAT OUTPOST OUELLETTE, AF
Related Photos: dvidshub.net/r/r5scb4

It will also be in this 11th month of 2013, commemorations of the 50th anniversary year of the US entering Vietnam will begin at the College of Southern Maryland and across the nation. Planning began in 2007 for the commemoration that uses the date March 8, 1965, as the start of the Vietnam War when “3,500 Marines were deployed with the American public’s support. By Christmas, nearly 200,000 Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors were in the country. At war’s end on April 30, 1975, nearly 3 million Americans had been on the ground, in the air and on rivers of Vietnam. More than 58,000 Americans lost their lives,” reported Army.mil.

SecDef Chuck Hagel directed over the weekend US Pacific Command to support US government humanitarian relief operations in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, reports Defense News.

If what’s good for Lockheed Martin is good for the country, we’re sitting pretty for years to come, reports Daily Finance in a cautionary but bullish assessment of the JSF program now and into the future. Nevertheless, Lockheed implemented more layoffs at  electronics plants, the result of “unclear program funding, delays in contract awards and a competitive marketplace,” the Little Falls Times reported company statements.

Prospects overseas might be brighter. Business Korea reports Lockheed’s lowered JSF pricing may return the F-35 to consideration by South Korea. The fighter jet was dropped from the competition earlier this year when Lockheed failed to meet the price point set by the South Korean government, but with contracts increased throughout the rest of the globe, the price may fall within the target range, says a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute. The Netherlands contract for 37 of the fighter jets won Labour Party approval last week, reports NL Times.

Budget cuts are taking ever deeper bites into full spectrum training for troops still being deployed into harm’s way, say members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reports Defense One. If sequestration continues, by 2021, the Chief of Naval Operations said the Navy would not be able to execute the re-balance of forces to the Asia-Pacific region, while maintaining presence in Europe and the Middle East, reports Seapower Magazine.

The DoD acquisition chief says a second $50 billion cut a year to the military, as planned in the next sequestration slashing, will leave the Pentagon “below the level we thought we needed to defend the country,” reports Defense.gov.

The Buzz reported last week the death of the Early Bird, this week Politico reports on the downsizing of Stars and Stripes, the military’s respected newspaper is facing the same struggles to remain relevant as other print media in a digital age.

BAE conducts Taranis UCAS flight trials, but the Brits remain mum on when or where, reports Defense News.

Northrop Grumman Satellite communications experts will design advanced satellite communications capability for the US Navy E-6B Mercury strategic and communications relay aircraft under terms of an $18.5 million contract, reports Military & Aerospace News.

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded an $8,343,276 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-fee contract (N00019-09-C-0019) for the replacement and/or refurbishment of production life limit tooling for the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft.  Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be completed in October 2014.  Fiscal 2013 aircraft procurement, Navy contract funds in the amount of $8,343,276 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

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