Monday, January 31, 2011

NATO Achieves First Step On TBMD Capability

NATO Achieves First Step On TBMD Capability: "On 27 January 2011, NATO's first ever theatre ballistic missile defence (TBMD) capability has been handed over to NATO's military commanders. The handover took place at the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem, Germany, in the presence of NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, and civil and military authorities from NATO and host nation Germany.

The NATO Combined Air Operations Centre demonstrated how this interim capability allows NATO commanders, for the first time ever, to do limited ballistic missile defence planning and exchange information with national ballistic missile defence assets.

'The handover of this interim capability marks an important step in NATO's missile defence efforts,' said Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero.

'In line with the NATO Lisbon Summit decision, this capability will be further expanded to form the cornerstone of a future missile defence system for the protection of territory and populations.'"
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Aegis BMD System Completes Tracking Exercise

Aegis BMD System Completes Tracking Exercise: "The Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin completed a key tracking exercise for the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) system aboard three Navy ships.

In the test, known as Atlantic Trident, the USS Monterey (CG 61), USS Ramage (DDG 61) and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) successfully tracked a short-range ballistic missile target. The Monterey and Ramage also simulated target solutions that would have resulted in successful intercepts.

"This event verified that both the Aegis BMD systems and crews aboard the ships are able to execute the missions necessary to support the nation's missile defense strategy," said Lisa Callahan, vice president of maritime BMD systems.

"Aegis BMD is effective, affordable and interoperable with other systems and produces a layered air and missile defense capability to protect the U.S. homeland, our deployed forces and our allies."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Pakistan doubles its nuclear arsenal

Pakistan doubles its nuclear arsenal: "Pakistan's nuclear arsenal now totals more than 100 deployed weapons, a doubling of its stockpile over the past several years in one of the world's most unstable regions, according to estimates by nongovernment analysts.

The Pakistanis have significantly accelerated productionof uranium and plutonium for bombs and developed new weapons to deliver them. After years of approximate weapons parity, experts said, Pakistan has now edged ahead of India, its nuclear-armed rival.

An escalation of the arms race in South Asia poses a dilemmafor the Obama administration, which has worked to improve its economic, political and defense ties with India while seeking to deepen its relationship with Pakistan as a crucial component of its Afghanistan war strategy.

In politically fragile Pakistan, the administration is caught between fears of proliferation or possible terrorist attempts to seize nuclear materials and Pakistani suspicions that the United States aims to control or limit its weapons program and favors India. "

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Iran to showcase new rockets, satellites: report

Iran to showcase new rockets, satellites: report: "Iran said on Sunday it will showcase what it called a new range of rockets and satellites during annual celebrations marking the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Safir 1-B and Kavoshgar 4 rockets and Rasad and Fajr satellites would be unveiled during the 10-day celebrations that start on Tuesday, according to state television website.

Iran will mark on February 11 the 32nd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the US-backed shah. Every year Tehran uses the occasion to tout its scientific and technological achievments."
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

'Air laser' could find bombs at a distance

'Air laser' could find bombs at a distance: "U.S. scientists say a new 'air laser' will allow soldiers to detect hidden explosives from a distance and help scientists measure airborne pollutants.
Researchers at Princeton University say they've developed a technique for generating a beam of laser light out of nothing but air, a university release said Friday.
'We are able to send a laser pulse out and get another pulse back from the air itself,' says Richard Miles, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton. 'The returning beam interacts with the molecules in the air and carries their fingerprints.'"
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Russia, US set date for new nuclear arms pact

Russia, US set date for new nuclear arms pact: "Moscow said Friday that the world's first nuclear arms deal in two decades would come into force early next month when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets her Russian counterpart in Munich.

A senior Russian official announced the February 5 meeting between Clinton and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov only moments after President Dmitry Medvedev put his name on the ratification of the new US nuclear disarmament agreement.

'Today I signed the ratification document on the Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START),' Medvedev said at a meeting with top security officials in comments broadcast on state television.

The pact will come into force the moment Clinton and Lavrov swap their respective ratification documents during the annual Munich Security Conference -- an event born in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Support for arms trade treaty grows

Support for arms trade treaty grows: "Support for international efforts to secure an effective arms trade treaty has received boost with new European funds going into the work of leading think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Frenetic arms buying in Latin America in 2009 and last year led to diplomatic initiatives, including several from the Obama administration, to control a trend that critics said could turn into an arms race.

The arms buying was fueled partly by tensions between Colombia and Venezuela and partly by the various national military establishments' lobbying for defense modernization.

More recently, arms buying focus has shifted to the Middle East amid continuing tensions between Iran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf region.

SIPRI said its arms transfers research program received funding from the foreign ministries of Norway and Sweden.

The money will go toward further research to inform discussions toward an arms trade treaty opening later in the year."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Afghan troop proposal may cost $2 bln more - U.S. aide | Reuters

Afghan troop proposal may cost $2 bln more - U.S. aide | Reuters: "A proposal to quickly build up Afghanistan's military, key to a planned drawdown of U.S. troops, would cost the United States as much as an extra $2 billion a year, a U.S. congressional aide said.
Washington and its allies are struggling to balance mounting budget pressures at home with the need to stand up a capable local fighting force in Afghanistan that can take over more security responsibilities as foreign forces withdraw.
The plan, under consideration by Afghan, U.S. and NATO officials, would boost troop levels in the Afghan national forces to 378,000 by October 2012 -- from this year's goal of 305,000 -- a U.S. Senate aide who works on Afghanistan issues told Reuters in an interview this week.
The aide spoke on condition of anonymity.
The proposed increase is 17 percent more than the $11.6 billion requested by President Barack Obama for Afghan security training in the fiscal 2011 budget, but it is not likely to encounter big opposition in Congress."

Steep cost of military vehicles outlined in Army report - CNN.com

Steep cost of military vehicles outlined in Army report - CNN.com: "The dangerous roads of Iraq and Afghanistan have forced changes in what soldiers drive, and forced costs up as well, according to a just-released report on Army vehicles.

The former military workhorse, the Humvee, carried a $70,000 price tag. As that was modified, or "up-armored," the cost rose to from $160,000 to $220,000.

"This modern Up-Armored HMMWV (UAH), however, still does not fully meet the evolving mobility or protection requirements of our soldiers," according to the report, released by the Army Thursday. It looks ahead to future needs for tactical wheeled vehicles.

The next generation, JLTV, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, has new capabilities and a higher price but is still far cheaper than, MRAPs, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, developed to counter hidden explosive devices, the report notes.

"The cost to provide this capability is high -- it is estimated that each JLTV will cost in excess of $300,000
"

Thursday, January 27, 2011

NATO, Russia meet at odds over missile shield

NATO, Russia meet at odds over missile shield: "NATO and Russian military brass went into talks Wednesday, bound in outrage over terrorism after Moscow's airport bombing, but at odds over cooperation on a missile shield for Europe.

Wednesday's talks follow a landmark Lisbon summit in November, when Russia agreed to allow NATO to transport more goods to Afghanistan through its territory, and explore the possibility of working with the Western alliance on the missile defence system.

NATO decided at Lisbon to deploy radars and missile interceptors to protect Europe from rogue attacks, and invited Moscow to cooperate in the project to ease Russian fears that the system was aimed against its nuclear deterrent.

But the military powers have since then offered differing visions about the shield, with NATO insisting on keeping two independent systems and Russia calling for a "sectoral" system, in which each side would shoot down missiles coming from a certain geographic area.

"We don't really get what the Russians really want," a NATO official told AFP.

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

NATO networks vulnerable to cyber threat: US

NATO networks vulnerable to cyber threat: US: "NATO's military networks are not fully protected against cyber threats and the alliance must make good on a pledge to erect a virtual wall by 2012, a top US defence official said Tuesday.
US Deputy Defence Secretary William Lynn warned at the end of a two-day visit to Brussels that the cyber threat was 'maturing' from an espionage and disruption tool to a destructive force against vital infrastructure.
'I think the discussion for NATO at this point, the threshold step is we need to be able to protect our own military networks, and frankly we're not there yet,' Lynn told journalists after meetings with European Union and NATO officials as well as the private sector."

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US Cyber Defense in Place



The US military is preparing for 21st Century electronic warfare and cyber terrorism. A joint US Cyber Command and four service cyber commands have been set up.

Their mission is to defend American military networks and civilian American infrastructure from cyber terrorism and from foreign government hackers.

The officers leading these cyber commands explain how they are organized, how they operate, and how they will protect the United States from foreign military hackers, intelligence agencies, and cyber terrorists.

Learn more at http://www.teamultimedia.com/cyber-defense.html

Long-Range Radar Program Moving Forward

Long-Range Radar Program Moving Forward: "The Electronic Systems Center's Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar program is finalizing one step and heading for the next in its development.
'3DELRR will be the primary ground-based long-range radar for tracking aircraft and ballistic missile threats in theater,' said Maj. Brian McDonald, 3DELRR program manager.
'It will replace the Air Force's current radar, the TPS-75, as the air surveillance asset used by the Joint Forces Air Component Commander for controlling theater air operations as the airspace control authority and area air defense commander.'
Because the TPS-75 was built more than 20 years ago, challenges are occurring with performance and sustainment. In addition, the command and control community has an ever-evolving need to accurately see small targets in stressing environmental conditions, such as weather, terrain and bird flocks, and to see theater ballistic missiles."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Iran not working on bomb: Israel intelligence head

Iran not working on bomb: Israel intelligence head: "Iran is not currently working on producing a nuclear weapon but could make one within 'a year or two' of taking such a decision, Israel's military intelligence chief said on Tuesday.
'The question is not when Iran will acquire the bomb, but how long until the leader decides to begin enriching (uranium) at 90 percent,' Brigadier General Aviv Kochavi told parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee in his first briefing since taking up the role in November.
Once such a decision is made, it would take 'a year or two' to produce a nuclear warhead, he said, adding that Iran would then need more time to develop an effective missile delivery system for it."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Enzymes That Provide Protection Against Nerve Gas

Enzymes That Provide Protection Against Nerve Gas: "Protection against nerve gas attack is a significant component of the defense system of many countries around the world. Nerve gases are used by armies and terrorist organizations, and constitute a threat to both the military and civilian populations, but existing drug solutions against them have limited efficiency.
A multidisciplinary team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science succeeded in developing an enzyme that breaks down such organophosphorus nerve agents efficiently before damage to nerves and muscles is caused. Their results have recently been published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.
Recent experiments performed in a U.S. military laboratory (USAMRICD) have shown that injecting a relatively small amount of this enzyme into animals provides protection against certain types of nerve agents, for which current treatments show limited efficacy."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Plants That Earn Their Keep - NYTimes.com

Plants That Earn Their Keep - NYTimes.com: "Could airport security gardens be the wave of the future? (“Please have photo ID and boarding pass ready and walk past the rhododenrons.”) How about a defensive line of bomb-sniffing tulips in Central Park in New York, or at the local shopping mall’s indoor waterfall, or lining the streets of Baghdad?

Researchers at Colorado State University said Wednesday that they had created the platform for just such a plant-kingdom early warning system: plants that subtly change color when exposed to minute amounts of TNT in the air.

They are redesigned to drain off chlorophyll — the stuff that makes them green — from leaves, blanching to white when bomb materials are detected. "

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Arny Tests Nanosatellite Earth Surveillance Capabilities

Flying into orbit in small package: For 35 days, the comings and goings of employees in the Von Braun Complex parking lot at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama were the focus of a group of young engineers involved in an experiment with the first Army-built satellite launched in more than 50 years.

Those engineers weren't spying on employees. Nor were they looking for fodder for gossip or to start rumors. They were simply using the physical movements through the parking lot to test the capabilities of a 10-inch long, 10-pound satellite in orbit 200 miles above ground.

The Space and Missile Defense Command-Operational Nanosatellite Effect, known as SMDC-ONE, was launched Dec. 8, as a secondary payload on a Falcon 9 two-stage booster flown commercially by Space Exploration Technologies.

The nanosatellite remained in orbit 35 days, providing data on its operations, and proving its ability to receive text and images from a ground sensor and then to relay that data to a ground station. The Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command is the Army lead for the SMDC-ONE nanosatellite program.

"The Army is the largest user of data from space than any of the other services," said John London, nanosatellite technology program manager for SMDC/ARSTRAT's Technology Center at Redstone Arsenal. "The Army has been dependent mainly on the Air Force and the Navy for satellites they can use. There are some specific things that the Army needs from a satellite that are not being addressed today in terms of capability for Soldiers on the ground."

"This opens up a new opportunity for the Army to do communications (via satellite) that are more efficient and cost effective, and that can make it safer for Soldiers on the ground in very remote locations. Satellites could give them a communications lifeline," London explained.

The nanosatellite, similar in size to a bread box, launched from Cape Canaveral as one of several satellites that "hitchhiked" or "piggybacked" with the Falcon 9's primary payload, which was going to the same orbit as the International Space Station. Because of that, SMDC-ONE flew in an orbit lower than the 300-mile orbit it is designed for.

"The satellite's performance, the ground station's performance and the team here exceeded our expectations significantly," London said. "Our goal was to develop a satellite this size that could provide relevant capabilities to the war fighter."

In its low circular orbit, the satellite passed over Redstone Arsenal four to five times in every eight-hour period, each time giving engineers about five minutes to download image and text data. Those engineers, many recent college graduates and some still attending college, worked in teams of two to ensure they took advantage of the satellite passes.

The teams worked in a ground station, a simulated Forward Operating Base, at SMDC/ARSTRAT headquarters, using computers to monitor the satellite and to download information. "We wanted to make sure with this mission to demonstrate the direct readiness to the war fighter," London said.

Toward that end, three passive infrared and seismic motion sensors were placed in the shrubbery around the Von Braun Complex, where SMDC/ARSTRAT is located.

"We needed to simulate unattended ground sensor data," Dave Weeks, SMDC/ARSTRAT chief engineer, said. "We simulated monitoring trail activities with a seismic sensor that measured (the movement of) trucks and footsteps. The unattended ground sensors, known as UGS by Soldiers, were triggered just as they are while deployed in theater now."

In a real war environment, infrared and seismic sensors are placed by Soldiers along the parameters of Forward Operating Bases and in remote locations to provide data on enemy movements. UGS can transmit information to the headquarters of a forward operating base, but in remote locations Soldiers often have to get within close proximity to the sensors to retrieve data due to terrain and the area's horizon.

"They have to give up the covert aspect of taking data out of the sensors. If satellites are passing overhead they can't be seen by the enemy," London said. "You can take information out without the enemy knowing it and you don't have to expose troops to getting information in a hostile environment."

The nanosatellite covers a 1,200-mile radius, roughly the distance between the ground station at SMDC/ARSTRAT headquarters and a second ground station at the SMDC/ARSTRAT battle lab in Colorado Springs. The nanonsatellite requested data from the sensors, accepted data from the ground stations and provided data to the ground stations.

The two ground stations communicated with each other via the nanosatellite, a situation that became a point of interest to SMDC/ARSTRAT commander Lt. Gen. Richard Formica.

Antennas on the nanosatellite allowed engineers to track its progress as it orbited the earth, and to determine the times of day when the nanosatellite would pass over the Pacific Ocean, Colorado Springs and Redstone Arsenal. Because of that, engineers scheduled a demonstration time during which Formica would be able to communicate with the ground station in Colorado Springs via the nanosatellite.

The recently appointed commander visited a conference room where the nanosatellite's progress in orbit and the information it was relaying to the ground station could be monitored. The engineers set up an exchange where Colorado Springs sent a welcome message to Formica via the satellite. The Arsenal ground station was able to retrieve and display the message on the conference room monitor.

"We had a tentative schedule and it was nerve-wracking to make sure everything worked like it was planned," said engineer Josh Martin, a recent Auburn University electrical engineering graduate.

The nanosatellite first passed over Colorado Springs before passing over the Arsenal.

"Their pass came five minutes before ours," Martin said. "We set up a text file. When it flew over here we could communicate with the satellite and pull down and display on a laptop a welcome message that Lt. Gen. Formica could see on the screen" in a conference room.

Martin was among a team of young engineers, and University of Alabama-Huntsville math and engineering students who were eager to be in on the "ground floor" of a nanosatellite program.

They are described by SMDC/ARSTRAT officials as "the new core of engineers coming in" to SMDC.

Besides Martin, those engineers included Jacqueline Nelson, a graduate of the University of Central Florida; and Ryan Wolff, a graduate of the University of Louisville; and Kenya McLin, a graduate of Tuskegee University. UAH students included Iris Lin, a sophomore mechanical engineering student; Stephanie Cleveland, a senior electrical engineering student; Amanda Mahan, a sophomore computer science student; and Jenny Horton, a master's student studying math.

"This really is a great opportunity for us," Martin said.

As opportunities go, data gathering from ground stations and sensors was also a major feat for the nanosatellite. The nanosatellite program's initial goal was only to demonstrate its ability to communicate, not to gather data.

"Involving sensors with the satellite was not even on the drawing board for the first mission," Weeks said. "But we decided at the last minute to have it folded in in real time. We had some outside hopes it would be successful. We said 'Let's go for it and see if it works.'"

By so doing, the nanosatellite demonstrated its "relevance to actual fielded hardware," London said.

When it did pass over Redstone, engineers collected temperature and sensor data as well as data on the nanosatellite's position, power generation, battery voltage and signal strength. They would also gather information from the satellite regarding images and sensor data, said Mark Ray, an engineering lead for the nanosatellite program.

Eventually, the nanosatellite lost all its battery voltage. On Jan. 10 and 11, its signal strength was very weak. On Jan. 12, it burned up as it fell out of orbit over southeast Indonesia.

"It died on Wednesday morning," Ray said. "We had met all our objectives before its last two days."

While the one nanosatellite covers 1,200 miles, to get the type of continual coverage of a traditional satellite, the Army would need a constellation of 30 to 40 nanosatellites. But, at a cost of $300,000 to $400,000 each, the nanosatellite is much more affordable than one traditional military or communication satellite that costs in excess of a billion dollars, London said.

The number of satellites needed to fully cover an area varies depending on where that area is in relation to the equator. The closer to the equator, the fewer satellites are needed to provide coverage.

"A traditional military satellite may be more capable than a nanosatellite. But for niche capabilities, for text messages and for reaching remote troops, these nanosatellites could be a lifesaving resource for the Army," London said. "The technology world has allowed us to put a lot more capabilities in a small package."

In addition, the size of traditional military satellites make them an easy target for an enemy while nanosatellites are more covert, he said. Nanosatellites can also be built much faster.

"When a nanosatellite is in orbit, they are hard to detect, hard to track by the enemy," he said.

Currently, there are plans to fly three satellites in the 2012 time frame. The goal is to have regular launches of the inexpensive satellites as secondary payloads aboard other rockets, or put them in orbit by a smaller booster rocket known as the Multipurpose NanoMissile System.

"The next step in testing is to use fielded Army radios to communicate text and image data to and from the satellites," London said.

Engineers would like to test the nanosatellites in an orbit 300 miles above the earth, rather than the 200-mile orbit they were required to use for the first test.

"At 300 miles, the satellite can stay up longer. There is less atmospheric drag and the orbiting circle is bigger," London said. The full operational life of the nanosatellite is more than 12 months when launched in the 300-mile orbit.

While this nanosatellite is a communications satellite charged with retrieving and relaying information from ground sensors, plans call for also developing imaging nanosatellites that can actually take pictures of the ground.

Developing, testing and demonstrating the abilities of the nanosatellite is easy compared to funding issues facing the program, said Steve Casson, deputy director for SMDC/ARSTRAT's Space and Cyberspace Directorate.

"These engineers have done a lot with a little. But there is still a lot of work to be done. In the culture of the Army, we're challenged to get the amount of funding we need to accomplish what we want to do," he said.

"This is low cost and low infrastructure. Its millions of dollars versus billions of dollars for traditional satellites. The challenge is not the technology. We've got the capability and the talent to do the job. The challenges have to do more with internal, with how the Army will adapt to this technology."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Pentagon faces 'severe problems' without defense spending bill - TheHill.com

Pentagon faces 'severe problems' without defense spending bill - TheHill.com: "A senior Pentagon official on Wednesday pleaded with lawmakers to pass a 2011 defense appropriations measure, saying failure to do so would “cause severe problems.”
Congress last year failed to pass a Pentagon appropriations bill, managing only to approve a continuing resolution (CR) for the entire federal government that runs through March 4. That means, for at least a few more weeks, the Defense Department is operating at its fiscal 2010 budget level of around $530 billion.
“Unfortunately, if the Congress leaves the [Defense] Department on a year-long continuing resolution for FY-2011 at reduced funding levels, we will likely see a drop in both effectiveness and efficiency this year,” Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn told the House Armed Services Committee."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

'Desert Storm' anniversary begins in Kuwait

'Desert Storm' anniversary begins in Kuwait: "A re-enactment of the liberation of Qaruh Island in Kuwait, Jan. 24, kicked off a month of festivities marking 50 years of Kuwait's independence and 20 years of Kuwait's liberation from Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces.

Qaruh Island was the first piece of land liberated by Kuwait and U.S. Forces, and was the first action of Operation Desert Storm.

"We have a long-term commitment to this region, and for the past 20 years we have proved that it is a commitment of deeds and not just words," said Lt. Gen. William G. Webster, Third Army commanding general. "The events over the course of the next few weeks will further illustrate that our partnership is that of equals, who are committed to peace, prosperity and freedom throughout the region."

Throughout February, Kuwait, U.S. and coalition partners will participate in a number of events culminating with a parade Feb. 26, which will be attended by Desert Storm veterans from Kuwait and all partner nations.

**************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

BBC News - Russian parliament approves Start nuclear arms treaty

BBC News - Russian parliament approves Start nuclear arms treaty: "Russia's parliament has given its backing to the Start nuclear arms disarmament treaty.
The Federation Council (upper house) unanimously approved the deal signed by US President Barack Obama and Russia's Dmitry Medvedev in April 2010.
Under the agreement, the number of nuclear warheads deployed by each country will be cut to 1,550.
The US Senate approved the treaty by 71 votes to 26 last year, after months of wrangling.
Wednesday's vote by the Federation Council comes a day after the treaty was ratified by the Duma, or lower house, and represents the final step in its passage through parliament."

**********

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

US ends India tech restrictions | World | DAWN.COM

US ends India tech restrictions | World | DAWN.COM: "The United States said it was ending export restrictions for India’s defense and space industries, eyeing trade with a nation shunned for more than a decade over its nuclear weapons program.

President Barack Obama’s administration also said it would welcome India into the club of nations that regulate export controls, bringing New Delhi full circle from an outcast to a member of international weapons controls.

The United States took major groups off a blacklist, including the Indian Space Research Organization, which leads India’s space program, and the weapon-designing Defense Research and Development Organization.

Previously, the United States barred exports to the organizations of material and technology that could have military use.

“These actions will open important new opportunities for our companies and governments on cooperating in the defense and space areas,” said Robert Blake, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia.

Blake, speaking Tuesday at Syracuse University in New York, said the United States would also support India’s full membership in four groups that control exports including the Nuclear Suppliers Group."

**************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

RAND Says Alternative Fuels Don’t Benefit Military - NYTimes.com

RAND Says Alternative Fuels Don’t Benefit Military - NYTimes.com: "The United States would derive no meaningful military benefit from increased use of alternative fuels to power its jets, ships and other weapons systems, according to a government-commissioned study by the RAND Corporation scheduled for release Tuesday.

The report also argued that most alternative-fuel technologies were unproven, too expensive or too far from commercial scale to meet the military’s needs over the next decade.

In particular, the report argued that the Defense Department was spending too much time and money exploring experimental biofuels derived from sources like algae or the flowering plant camelina, and that more focus should be placed on energy efficiency as a way of combating greenhouse gas emissions.

The report urged Congress to reconsider the military’s budget for alternative-fuel projects. But if such fuels are to be pursued, the report concluded, the most economic, environmentally sound and near-term candidate would be a liquid fuel produced using a combination of coal and biomass, as well as some method for capturing and storing carbon emissions released during production.

"

Monday, January 24, 2011

Army Chief of Staff discusses future training for soldiers | chief, staff, discusses - Desert Dispatch

Army Chief of Staff discusses future training for soldiers | chief, staff, discusses - Desert Dispatch: "After five years of training soldiers for missions exclusively in Iraq and Afghanistan, Fort Irwin may be preparing them for conflicts in other regions by August of this year, the U.S. Army’s most senior officer said during a visit to the training center Saturday.
Gen. George W. Casey also said that by October, soldiers will be able to deploy with the expectation of spending two years at home when they return to the U.S. The U.S. Army chief of staff spoke with Fort Irwin commanders on how the National Training Center is preparing itself for future missions.
Casey will retire from his position in April. Defense Secretary Robert Gates nominated Gen. Martin E. Dempsey as Casey’s replacement earlier this month.
After saying in 2007 that demand for the Army’s forces exceeded its resources, the number of soldiers have grown by 100,000, Casey said. Meanwhile in Iraq, forces have dwindled to 50,000 soldiers from 150,000. The draw down in troops from Iraq will allow soldiers to spend more time at home with their families, he said.
As the U.S. prepares for missions outside Iraq and Afghanistan, the National Training Center and others are developing more versatile training exercises. The Combat Training Center at Fort Polk recently began training soldiers for combat in other areas, Casey said. The NTC will do the same later in 2011."

US military's tanker deal: a saga without end

US military's tanker deal: a saga without end: "The battle between aerospace giants Boeing and EADS to supply new aerial refueling tankers for the US Air Force could drag on even after the military finally makes a decision on the contract, experts say.

The Pentagon hopes a decision on the $35 billion deal -- expected sometime in February or March -- will settle the issue once and for all. But nothing is guaranteed given the high stakes and "failure is an option," said Richard Aboulafia, a defense analyst with the Teal Group.

"Nothing can ever get done because it is the most partisan defense contract in history," he told AFP."

*****************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

S. Korea, U.S in talks over missiles

S. Korea, U.S in talks over missiles: "South Korea and the United States have been in talks to revise a bilateral pact that could allow for Seoul's bid to make missiles capable of landing anywhere in North Korea.
The revelation was made by a state agency report citing government sources.
The move comes amid swelling calls to increase the country's missile capability to counter North Korean missile threats.
It also comes on the heels of remarks by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressing serious concerns over North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile program."

*********************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Romania wants to finalize talks on US missile shield in 2011

Romania wants to finalize talks on US missile shield in 2011: "Romania wishes to finalize negotiations this year on US plans to deploy elements of a new missile defense shield on its soil, President Traian Basescu said on Thursday.

The Balkan country will host SM3-type medium-range ballistic missile interceptors, which should be operational by 2015.

NATO and the United States want to set up a missile shield to protect Europe against what they perceive is a growing threat of short- and medium-range missiles possibly launched from the Middle East, especially from Iran."

********************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.

Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.

This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

NATO, Russia missile systems to stay separate: NATO chief

NATO, Russia missile systems to stay separate: NATO chief: "NATO wants to cooperate with Russia on a missile defence shield for Europe but the two sides should keep their systems separate, the Western alliance's chief said ahead of a meeting of military brass.
The former Cold War foes agreed at a landmark summit in Lisbon last November to explore the possibility of cooperating in the European missile defence system, but left the complex details of how it would work for later.
'For the first time NATO nations and Russia will be cooperating to defend themselves,' NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a video blog.
'I consider the cooperation on missile defence politically important for the development of the overall security relationship with Russia,' he said."

*****************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

STSS Demonstration Satellites Complete On-Orbit Calibration, Ready For BMDS Tests

STSS Demonstration Satellites Complete On-Orbit Calibration, Ready For BMDS Tests: "The Space Tracking and Surveillance (STSS) Demonstration program satellites are ready to fully participate in Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) tests after on-orbit calibration of the acquisitions and track sensors for both spacecraft was completed Nov. 3 by prime contractor Northrop Grumman, and infrared sensor payload provider Raytheon.
Calibration of those sensors was the last major step during the on-orbit tests of the space vehicles, which were launched Sept. 25, 2009, in tandem configuration from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
'We are confident that upcoming BMDS tests involving STSS will generate the kind and quality of data that will validate our projections of the value of space-based sensors for missile tracking,' said Doug Young, vice president of Missile Defense and Warning Programs for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. He noted the data will validate models used to define an operational system.
'STSS brings unique capabilities to missile defense. It's the only system capable of tracking ballistic missiles through all phases of flight, starting with boost extending through midcourse and terminal phases,' Young added."

******************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Edwards officials developing new parachute system

Edwards officials developing new parachute system: "Officials at Edwards Air Force Base (California) are creating a guardian angel system to help Air Force members who parachute to land safely and softly.

Officials are replacing the Air Force's nearly five-decades-old parachute system with a new one, called the Guardian Angel Advance Parachute System, which is designed for safer landings at higher altitudes.

Officials from the Air Force's official parachute test organization, which falls under the 418th Flight Test Squadron, are creating this new system.

GAAPS is a threefold system, which includes a freefall parachute system, a static-line parachute and a tandem parachute system. The parachute's canopy is made with a special type of fabric designed to allow the user to land at high altitudes.

"With the current systems, the descent rate is too fast at high altitudes," said 2nd Lt. Jonathan Sepp, a 418th airdrop engineer. "That's because our current systems were designed in the 1960s for landing at sea level, and that worked (well) for them then, but now we're in Afghanistan, so we have to develop something for the modern warfighter who has to land in austere mountain conditions."

GAAPS is designed to fit a variety of missions for rescue professionals. To accommodate a variety of mission needs, each of the parachute systems fits different situations.

A single pararescueman jumping into adverse terrain with a load of gear would typically use the single free fall system. In other cases, a pararescueman with a load of gear may need to be inserted low and fast, and will not need to steer the parachute. In that case he would use the static-line system. If a pararescueman needed to bring a medic with him, he could put the medic on a second harness connected to him, jumping with the tandem system.

With the team going into its third year of testing, safety is paramount and ensuring that a parachute system is safe requires a lot of scrupulous testing, Lieutenant Sepp said.

"We started testing in 2009. There have been a few road blocks that we ran into because experimental parachutes have a lot of things that have to be worked out before you give it the 100-percent thumbs up," Lieutenant Sepp said.

"We make sure the testing is really thorough and that we've worked out every kink before we even think about approving a system," he said.

The tests begin with functional testing on the ground to ensure that when the user tries to operate it, it will work the way it was intended.

"We started with different ground tests, like seeing how hard it is to pull certain handles and tensile tests on the ground to make sure certain things aren't going to break in the air when you strap a lot of weight to it," the lieutenant said.

"Currently, we're performing dummy tests where we strap the parachute to a dummy that simulates a human being, and push it out of an airplane to see how the system actually works in air," he said. "Then you have a lot of review boards, and that leads to live-jump testing where you actually put it on the test parachutists. After the test parachutists jump with it they review it and tell us how things worked."

While GAAPS is being created primarily for use by Air Force pararescuemen, Lieutenant Sepp said he believes that once this system is implemented it will be the primary system used by every military branch.

"The parachutes are designed for pararescuemen who are going to be landing in austere mountain conditions to rescue personnel," Lieutenant Sepp said. "But GAAPS is also going to take over for a lot of the current parachute systems and potentially be applied across the Air Force and the rest of the military once it's approved.

"The systems the Air Force has now are getting older, out of date and worn out so we need to replace them with new parachute systems and GAAPS is going to do that for us," he said. "It's going to allow people to land in a safer manner, carry more gear and accomplish the mission more effectively than they could've with the parachute systems we currently have."

The GAAPS testing is scheduled to wrap up around the end of February 2011."

**************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Office of Naval Research Achieves Milestone in Free Electron Laser Program

Office of Naval Research Achieves Milestone in Free Electron Laser Program: "NNS"

Scientists at Los Alamos National Lab in Los Alamos, N.M., have achieved a remarkable breakthrough with the Office of Naval Research's (ONR) Free Electron Laser (FEL) program, setting the stage for a preliminary design review scheduled Jan. 20-21 in Virginia.

Researchers demonstrated an injector capable of producing the electrons needed to generate megawatt-class laser beams for the Navy's next-generation weapon system Dec. 20, months ahead of schedule.

"The injector performed as we predicted all along," said Dr. Dinh Nguyen, senior project leader for the FEL program at the lab. "But until now, we didn't have the evidence to support our models. We were so happy to see our design, fabrication and testing efforts finally come to fruition. We're currently working to measure the properties of the continuous electron beams, and hope to set a world record for the average current of electrons."

Quentin Saulter, FEL program manager for ONR, said the implications of the FEL's progress are monumental.

"This is a major leap forward for the program and for FEL technology throughout the Navy," said Saulter. "The fact that the team is nine months ahead of schedule provides us plenty of time to reach our goals by the end of 2011."

The research is a necessary step for the Department of the Navy to one day deploy the megawatt-class FEL weapon system, revolutionizing ship defense.

"The FEL is expected to provide future U.S. naval forces with a near-instantaneous laser ship defense in any maritime environment throughout the world," said Saulter.

ONR's FEL project began as a basic science and technology program in the 1980s and matured into a working 14-kilowatt prototype. In fiscal 2010, it graduated from basic research to an innovative naval prototype, earning the backing needed by senior Navy officials to ensure its evolution to advanced technology and potential acquisition.

The laser works by passing a beam of high-energy electrons generated by an injector, through a series of strong magnetic fields, causing an intense emission of laser light. ONR hopes to test the FEL in a maritime environment as early as 2018.

****************************************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

S. Korea, US mull boosting missile range: reports

S. Korea, US mull boosting missile range: reports: "Seoul and Washington have started talks on extending the range of South Korea's missiles to help deter North Korea, news reports said Wednesday.
The allies have been in negotiations since late last year to revise a defence accord which imposes a maximum range of 300 kilometres (187 miles) on such missiles, Yonhap news agency and the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said.
'The two countries share the view that the range of our missiles should be extended,' Yonhap quoted a government source as saying. 'It's necessary to extend the range to 1,000 km or longer.'
A defence ministry spokesman declined to comment.
Following a North Korean rocket launch in April 2009, the then-South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo told parliament the bilateral missile accord should be amended to extend the agreed maximum range."

*****************************************************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Venezuela missiles worried U.S., says leak

Venezuela missiles worried U.S., says leak: "When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez went on a military shopping spree in Russia -- mostly on extended credit -- he argued in public rhetoric he feared a joint Colombian-U.S. invasion aimed at removing his populist regime.
Leaked diplomatic papers say the United States, far from planning to invade Venezuela, fretted over the missile buying program and tried to dissuade Moscow from going ahead with the deliveries.
U.S. diplomats argued against any Russian deliveries on the missile deal, reached in 2009, because they feared the weapons could end up with FARC rebels in Colombia or even in the organized crime ranks of Mexican drug warlords.
Diplomatic cables given to WikiLeaks, which released them to various media outlets, said Venezuela may have received at least 1,800 of the SA-24 shoulder-fired missiles from Russia. The Washington Post cited U.N. arms control data on the reported delivery."

*************************************************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Iran envoy tells West: no talks with 'knife in the neck'

Iran envoy tells West: no talks with 'knife in the neck': "Iran wants to work with the international powers on nuclear proliferation but will not negotiate with 'a knife in the neck,' its UN envoy said Tuesday.
Ahead of new nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers, Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said his country was not worried about international sanctions.
'We have shown we know how to fight, we know how to overcome sanctions, we know how to overcome our problems,' Khazaee told reporters."

*****************************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Gray Eagle UAS Program Expanding

Gray Eagle UAS Program Expanding: "Despite Defense budget constraints, the Army's Unmanned Aircraft Systems are growing, especially the Gray Eagle program.
'And with the budget movements afoot for the 2012 fiscal year, we will accelerate the Gray Eagle from two companies per year to three companies per year,' said Tim Owens, deputy project manager for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
Owens was among Army leaders speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army Aviation Symposium and Exposition which brought more than 500 military, government and industry professionals to discuss how to best sustain and acquire the required materiel to directly support the aviation warfighter and combatant commander during combat operations."

***********************************************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Israel Nears Completion Of New Missile Alert System

Israel Nears Completion Of New Missile Alert System: "The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command is about to complete the development of a system that would provide the civilians with early warnings of incoming missiles, local news service Walla reported on Monday.
The system seeks to draw on the availability of mobile phones in Israel, one of the world's biggest users of cellular technology relative to the size of the population.
It is jointly developed with the country's leading cellular companies, and is designated to provide instantaneous warning to hundreds of thousands of people via text messages if missiles were to be launched against Israel in a future war.
Army officials said the system will become operational by the end of 2011, according to the report. It will forward warnings to every third-generation mobile phone in an area about to be hit by projectiles."

**********

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

LM Missile Defense Programs Led Ballistic Missile Defense Efforts In 2010

LM Missile Defense Programs Led Ballistic Missile Defense Efforts In 2010: "Aegis BMD capability is now installed on 21 U.S. Aegis Destroyers and Cruiser, as well as four Japanese Destroyers. The additional U.S. ships are in support Phase I of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA).
Lockheed Martin demonstrated the second generation of its Aegis BMD capability in a formal U.S. Navy test event in June and at sea tracking exercises of medium and intermediate range targets during the last quarter of 2010. This configuration, known as Aegis BMD 4.0.1, enables the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Navy to defeat more complex ballistic missile threats and also introduces the BMD signal processor, which improves target identification.
Aegis BMD 4.0.1 capability will be transitioned to the Navy's open architecture - a transition that will be complete with software upgrades, known as Advanced Capability Build 12, scheduled for 2012.
In October, JS Kirishima, Japan's fourth destroyer equipped with Lockheed Martin's Aegis BMD system, successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile target above the atmosphere during an international test event. Two U.S. Navy Aegis BMD ships, the USS Lake Erie (CG 70) and USS Russell (DDG 59) also participated in the test."

********************************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Iron Dome delayed again amid war fears

Iron Dome delayed again amid war fears: "The U.S. Congress has approved President Barack Obama's request to provide $205 million for Israel to buy more Iron Dome batteries, each armed with 20 interceptors and equipped with multi-mission radars built by Israel Aerospace Industries.
The only component of the planned air defense shield in place is the long-range, high-altitude Arrow interceptor missile, which has been deployed since 2000. It is designed to shoot down Iran's ballistic missiles.
The third layer, known as David's Sling, is meant to counter medium-range missiles. It's under development by Rafael and isn't expected to be fielded until next year."

***************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Russian Missile Maker To Build Two Plants, Expand Exports

Russian Missile Maker To Build Two Plants, Expand Exports: "Almaz-Antei conglomerate will receive a government loan to build two new production facilities to expand the export of missile defense systems, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Wednesday.
The conglomerate's core products are the S-300 and S-400 missile defense systems, most of which are procured by the Russian military, he said, adding that exports were limited."

******************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Russia puts brakes on further nuclear cutbacks

Russia puts breaks on further nuclear cutbacks: "The cheer over Russia's approval of a new nuclear disarmament treaty is short-lived as it masks Moscow's reluctance to ensure further cuts, threatening US President Barack Obama's vision of a nuclear-free world.
Russia is going through the final motions of ratifying a new START treaty that reduces old nuclear warhead ceilings by 30 percent and limits each side to 700 deployed long-range missiles and heavy bombers.
The pact will be submitted for a last vote to Russia's lower house of parliament on January 25 and almost certainly be ratified by the upper chamber the following day."

*********************

NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Top Marine: We Love These Budget Cuts! No, Seriously! | Danger Room | Wired.com

Top Marine: We Love These Budget Cuts! No, Seriously! | Danger Room | Wired.com: "There were big winners in the Pentagon’s $100-billion overhaul on Jan. 6. Then there were the Marines. They lost their prized, 40-ton swimming tank, in development since the 1990s. The vertical-landing version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter — meant to replace the Marine Corps’ entire current fighter fleet — was put on a two-year probation. “Marine Corps: big loser,” Politico declared as the budgetary dust settled.
But in the days following the announcement, Gen. James Amos, the Marine commandant, put a surprising spin on the cuts to his branch’s biggest programs. To hear Amos describe them, the cuts have freed up funding for the Marines to buy better weapons, faster — at least as far as ground vehicles go. “The Marine Corps has come out in a pretty good position … even though you’d never know it by reading the newspapers,” Amos said."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Gates May Cut At Least One Army Brigade from Europe | Danger Room | Wired.com

Gates May Cut At Least One Army Brigade from Europe | Danger Room | Wired.com: "But don’t expect the Pentagon to make any dramatic changes to the U.S.’s 60-year old posture in Europe. Defense Secretary Robert Gates thinks it’s too large and too brass-heavy, but Danger Room is hearing that only one Army brigade might actually get shipped back home.
In his Thursday press conference, Gates called out U.S. European Command for hosting way too many cushy billets for senior officers, part of his long-telegraphed effort to get rid of useless jobs for generals and admirals. The services’ top contributing officers in Europe will now be three-stars instead of four-stars, with their large support staffs reduced accordingly. But Gates only hinted about trimming what he called “clear… excess force structure” on a continent at peace.
According to what we’ve been able to learn since, here’s what’s up for review: at least one Army brigade, at most 3500 soldiers. Seem like small beer? The Army has 42,000 soldiers stationed in Germany and Italy (currently scheduled to drop to 32,000 by 2014), including four brigade combat teams. Danger Room was waved off of expecting “major” troop reductions in the ballpark of tens of thousands. That will leave the military way invested in Europe, which doesn’t face any likely threat that U.S. ground forces would be required to deter or repel."

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Pentagon Retools Bio-Effort After $1 Billion Flop | Danger Room | Wired.com

Pentagon Retools Bio-Effort After $1 Billion Flop | Danger Room | Wired.com: "It was supposed to come up with antidotes for pathogens that terrorists might use for a mass-casualty bio-attack. But after spending over $1 billion during the last five years, the Pentagon’s Transformational Medical Technology initiative can barely develop drugs ready for a clinical trial. That’s why the officials tasked with running it are setting their research-subsidy targets much lower.

In a shift, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s science and technology chief tells the Boston Globe that the bio-initiative will now invest money on early detection of new pathogens. That puts about another $1 billion worth of Pentagon cash closer to where science is, rather than throwing money at crash programs for undeveloped antidotes. Ultimately, the Pentagon wants to develop multi-pronged vaccines that can resist a variety of biological agents — what it calls “One Drug, Many Bugs.” But that’s a long way off: step one is understanding how those sicknesses develop.

The Globe reports that the program has hit one snag after another. Out of nearly 50 research programs, only two (unspecified) efforts to neutralize pathogens like Ebola and Marburg have shown promise, and they’re not ready for clinical trial.
"
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.

Army expanding UAS fleet, speeding up delivery

Army expanding UAS fleet, speeding up delivery: "The Army is speeding up delivery of some of its newer Unmanned Aircraft System assets such as the Gray Eagle and expanding the size and range of its overall fleet to include a Family of Small UAS and a Vertical-Take-Off-and-Landing UAS, service officials said.

"We're going to accelerate Gray Eagle yet again. We're accelerating from two systems per year to three systems per year, which will result in seventeen systems being procured by FY 2014," said Tim Owings, deputy project manager for Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

A Defense Acquisition Board in February of this year is expected to confirm the addition of two more Low Rate Initial Production Gray Eagle systems - each consisting of 12 air vehicles, five ground control stations and five additional attrition vehicles, Owings said.

TWO GRAY EAGLES DEPLOYED

The Army has already deployed two Gray Eagle "Quick Reaction Capabilities." One QRC is now flying with Army Soldiers in Iraq and another is with U.S. Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, Owings said.

The 28-foot-long surveillance aircraft has a 56-foot wingspan and is able to beam images from up to 29,000 feet for more than 24 hours at a time.

The QRC Gray Eagle aircraft are equipped with a laser designator, Signals Intelligence capability and an Electro-Optical/Infrared camera designed to survey the ground below, track enemy movements and hone in on targets. They are also equipped to carry HELLFIRE missiles, Owings said.

"We did just complete the weaponization of QRC 1 in Iraq. We now have flown flights in Iraq with the full weapons suite. They will have to go through a safety certification process on a firing range before they are allowed to go live," Owings said.

The QRC concept is designed to bring needed technologies to the battlefield in advance of a formal program of record in order to sharpen requirements and get desired capability in the hands of Soldiers sooner.

The Gray Eagle program will also go through a configuration change which will allow the Army to divide the systems up into three platoon-sized elements, Owings said. This will allow the Army to keep some aircraft back in the United States for training purposes while keeping most of the systems forward-positioned in theater.

HUMMINGBIRD QRC PLANNED

The Army's Program Office for UAS is also planning a QRC for the A160 Hummingbird Vertical-Take-Off-and-Landing, or VTOL UAS. It's a 35-foot-long helicopter-like unmanned system able to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and reconnaissance or ISR missions and move cargo for more than 20 hours at altitude ceilings of up to 30,000 feet.

"We are currently outfitting an A160 with a Wide Area Surveillance payload and a SIGINT package. We intend to deploy a single A160 to Afghanistan later this year with two additional air vehicles now undergoing final integration for fielding in FY 12," Owings said. "The big advantage with the A160 is you get near fixed-wing endurance in a vertical-lift platform. That is something we have not seen before."

The first A160 aircraft was provided by the Defense Advance Research Project Agency. U.S Special Operations Command is providing the next two follow-on aircraft, Owings said.

The Army is also developing a formal requirement for a VTOL UAS designed to work in tandem with the A160 QRC, a process which will result in a formal competition and selection of a new capability, said Col. Rob Sova, capability manger for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

"We are going to be directed to do a VTOL requirements document," Sova said. "A VTOL Capabilities Development Document is the phase prior to the final document. We plan on doing a quick turn. We'll have that document done in the first half of the calendar year."

The A160 QRC will inform the requirements process, however the Army's formal VTOL program, ultimately, may or may not involve the A160, Owings and Sova indicated.

"Even if we wind up picking something different, we are going to learn a tremendous amount with the QRC we are doing with the A160. When you get to the field, you get a chance to vet things out and learn a lot on the materiel side," Owings said.

FAMILY OF SMALL UAS

The Army is also working on requirements for a Family of Small UAS - a process aided by the "Proof of Principle" deployment of several small UAS, including the Raven, Wasp and Puma.

- The Wasp Micro Air Vehicle is a small 1.25-foot, one-pound hand-held UAS able to beam images back to a ground controller from ranges up to five kilometers. The Wasp can fly for up to 45 minutes, Sova said.

- The Puma is a slightly larger UAS with a gimbaled camera. It can fly for 90 minutes. The Puma is 13 pounds and has a length of 4.6 feet and a wingspan of 9.2 feet; it can fly up to 500-feet in the air.

- The Raven, a four-pound, four-foot long UAS, has been used in theater to provide security for convoys and Forward Operating Bases, Sova said.

Much like a QRC, the "Proof of Principle" for the small UAS is designed to get capability in Soldier hands and also sharpen the requirements needed for the formal program of record.

"The requirements document is done. It is called the Rucksack Portable UAS requirements document. It needs to be amended because we got an increase in demand for the numbers so we are working on the total numbers," said Sova.
"

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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.