Tac Air 'Problem
The Defense Department today has a "horrible problem," said Michael
M. Sears, president of Boeing's military aircraft division. That problem is
"tac-air force structure and affordability," he told a large audience
gathered for the unveiling of the company's prototypes in Palmdale, Calif. The
department is under heavy attack for planning to build three hugely expensive
jet fighters--the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-22 Raptor and the F-18 E/F Super
Hornet--at the same time.
Time to Fly!
Within weeks, the Pentagon's newest combat aircraft--the Joint Strike Fighter
(JSF)--finally will cease to be a computer model and will try to prove it really
can fly. Competing contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin plan to conduct flight
demonstrations this spring and summer for their JSF prototypes. One will be
a conventional take-off version, and the other will be a short take-off and
vertical-landing variant. Assuming both companies can produce high-performance
machines, the winner will be the one who can do it for less money.
Drive-Off, Shoot-Off
Earlier this month, 35 armored vehicles landed at Fort Knox, Ky., for a drive-off,
shoot-off event aimed to help the Army decide what platform will be purchased
for its planned medium brigades. These units are being set up at Fort Lewis,
Wash. in response to the chief of staff's mandate to turn the Army into a faster,
more deployable, but lethal force. Of the 35 vehicles, 13 came from non-U.S.
contractors. According to an Army officer involved in planning the new brigades,
this is "unprecedented."
"I have never seen this happen before," said Col. Michael Mehaffey,
director of Army battle lab integration, technology and concepts. He was referring
to the fact that five nations loaned their combat vehicles for the U.S. Army
to evaluate for potential use. Canada's General Motors sent six versions of
the LAV platform. Germany's Henschel offered its Fox. Singapore's Technology
Automotive sent two versions of the tracked, armored Bionix. Giat Industries
of France contributed the wheeled APC. And Turkey's FNSS provided three versions
of its armored infantry fighting vehicle.
More Affairs with States
The Defense Department is looking for additional help from state governments
in dealing with its growing pollution prevention problems, according to Bruce
C. de Grazia, the department's environmental quality chief.
Since 1992, the department has reduced hazardous waste by 44 percent and solid
waste by 33 percent, de Grazia told a recent conference in San Antonio, but
it has only just begun to come to terms with its inefficient use of resources,
expiring metrics, and new executive order policies. The department needs to
forge more environmental partnerships between military installations and state
agencies in order to generate cost savings, de Grazia said. The department currently
has such partnerships with 10 states, he told the conference, adding: "We
should set a goal of adding 10 more."
Hands Off, Slobodan!
Forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)--arrayed in Bosnia,
Kosovo and the surrounding region--are keeping a close eye on developments in
nearby Montenegro, which is trying to increase its independence from Yugoslavia.
Montenegro and Serbia are the last two parts of the original Yugoslavia, and
Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic--a Serb--is determined to keep the
two together. "We know that there are pressures and intimidations coming
from Serbia and Mr. Milosevic," said NATO Commander Gen. Wesley K. Clark.
"It's been made clear to Mr. Milosevic that he should not--and must not--interfere
in the Montenegrin processes."
No-Nonsense Attitude Pays Off
Army Col. Stephanie Hoehne, the no-nonsense public affairs officer for NATO's
commander, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, has been tagged to handle public relations
for the 2001 presidential inauguration. Hoehne gets high marks from some members
of the Pentagon press corps for her performance during the air war against Yugoslavia.
"I'd rather follow her into combat than some male officers I know,"
said one reporter.
A Niche for Italy's Navy
Italy has one of the best shallow water navies in the world, and--if it wanted--it
could make an important contribution to NATO operations, according to one executive
in the U.S. defense industry. "That's a niche where the Italians could
work out very well," he observed. "But they don't want to give up
their self-defense independence by cutting other programs in order to beef up
their navy," just because it might fit in well with NATO strategy.
The Cost of Chechnya
The Russians are fighting hard to put down Islamic rebels in Chechnya--and
to prove to the world that they still possess formidable military power--but
they are expending scarce resources to get the job done. One knowledgeable source
said that the Russian military has used up 60 percent of its available aviation
fuel "in this simple operation."
Don't Embarrass the Russians
As part of the START I Treaty, signed nearly a decade ago by the United States
and the now-defunct Soviet Union, U.S. technicians are in the midst of a sensitive
mission--helping Russia dismantle 31 nuclear submarines by 2003. So far, U.S.
specialists have helped disassemble one Yankee- and six Delta-class submarines.
The Russians have destroyed another five subs on their own using American equipment.
Next on the chopping block: Russia plans to destroy five of its six Typhoon-class
submarines--the world's largest. Says Jay Davis, director of the Defense Threat
Reduction Agency, which is in charge of the U.S. effort: "One of the important
parts of this program is for us not to gloat."