Exploring America’s Forgotten Battlefield
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World War II was a war that encompassed the globe. However, when it comes to the locations of combat we think of Europe or the Pacific Ocean. Not many people know that there was a war being fought off the coast of North Carolina, reports worldwarwings.com. Two years after the discovery of the Atlantic graveyard of planes, a German U-boat, and a Navy freighter, NOAA researchers are finally exploring America’s forgotten battlefield.
Bob Sadowski, the US Army’s chief roboticist, talked with Breaking Defense about what makes it so challenging for the military to design autonomous trucks that can crawl through some of the nastiest terrain on Earth without a human driving them.
BAE Systems showed off its next-generation Bradley at the annual Association of the US Army conference last week. Observers say it looks much like the current M2-Bradley, but it’s oh so different inside, Breaking Defense reports.
It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. In observation of the annual campaign, the Navy is set to distribute graphics, videos, and articles on cyber threats to educate personnel and partners, ExecutiveGov reports. “In my role as Navy cybersecurity director, I am on the hunt every day for capabilities that reduce the risk of cyber warfare disrupting maritime operations,” said Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare.
Nature.com reports that NASA is looking at a new way of studying the red planet. Starting in the 2020s, scientists involved with NASA’s Mars mission might no longer design and build their own highly specialized payloads. NASA’s era of spacecraft production is winding to a close, and international and commercial interests are on the rise. Planetary scientists could be operating much as astronomers who use large telescopes do now: applying for time to use a spacecraft built with a generic suite of scientific instruments.
The USS Mesa Verde, USS George Washington, and USNS Comfort are making their way to Haiti to join in the relief effort there, The Old Salt Blog reports. Hurricane Matthew left widespread destruction and killed hundreds of people when it struck the island last week.
Lockheed Martin will provide additional Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 2 systems to upgrade the AN/SLQ-32 systems on US aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and other warships with key capabilities to determine if the electronic sensors of potential foes are tracking the ship, Aerotech News reports.
Recently declassified CIA historic documents reveal how the Air Force kept secret its state-of-the-art spy plane of the ’50s and ’60s. The SR-71 Blackbird flew quickly at high altitudes over the Soviet Union, filling in for the U-2 Dragon Lady which had become vulnerable to then-new surface-to-air missiles, writes The National Interest. The government surrounded the Blackbird with so much silence because it was an experimental plane and the first stealth aircraft.
Over the past few months, Facebook feeds — and even official defense media sites — have been inundated with videos of people dropping to the ground and doing 22 pushups to raise awareness of the problem of veterans and suicide. Air Force Times reports that the Air Force is warning airmen that while they are allowed to take part in such challenges, doing so while in uniform or on duty, even if their intentions are good, could violate the Defense Department’s policies against endorsements and fundraising. The release emphasized that fundraising can’t be done while in uniform, in the workplace, or during duty hours, although lunch hours are OK.
Germany is looking at buying nearly a half-dozen new Lockheed Martin C-130J military troop transport planes and operating them jointly with France, placing a further dent in plans for a fully European airlift capability following the delayed A400M, Reuters reports.
Alethea Contee began her career with NAVAIR in 1966, a recent high school graduate, she took a clerk-typist job. Fifty years later, Contee has climbed the professional ladder, and celebrated her golden jubilee as a civil servant with the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office (PMA-263), The Tester reports. According to NAVAIR, Contee is one of 10 of the more than 27,200 current civilian employees at NAVAIR to reach the 50-year milestone.
In a ceremony at the Pentagon on Oct. 4, Alec “Ed” Forsman, photogrammetrics team lead at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Atlantic Test Ranges, was awarded an Outstanding DoD Service Members and Civilians Disability Award, somdnewsnet.com reports. Forsman was one of 18 DoD employees from across the country who received the award at a ceremony hosted by DefSec Ash Carter.
Contracts:
Valdez International Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $33,273,654 firm-fixed-price contract for support services to operate, sustain, and assure availability of the Air Force Information Network to enable war-fighter mission execution. Work will be performed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; Andrews AFB, Maryland; Scott AFB, Illinois; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; and Lackland AFB, Texas. Work is expected to be complete by Sept. 25, 2017. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with 11 offers received. Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $33,273,654 are being obligated at the time of award. The 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8773-16-C-0018).
