Marines Need More Reliable Vehicles
One of the lessons that the Marines have learned so far from the
war in Afghanistan is that they need combat vehicles that are more
reliable and consume less fuel than current light-armored vehicles,
or LAVs.
Members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, for example, had
to conduct a 120-kilometer, 19-hour surveillance mission around
Camp Rhino, in Afghanistan. Four of the LAVs broke down, and some
ran out of fuel, said Marine Col. Philip Exner.
Exner is the director of studies and analysis at the Marine Corps
Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va. The office is analyzing
all of the operations Marines conducted in Afghanistan.
The capabilities to refuel vehicles in the field were so limited,
Exner said, that the Corps needs to find ways to reduce fuel consumption.
“Even a minor reduction in fuel consumption can have an enormous
impact on the utility of combat vehicles,” he said. Having
more efficient power sources would make a difference in the battlefield,
he added. Batteries don’t last or store very well. If they
are stored for a long time, they can become highly toxic, he noted.
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Navy Prepared to ‘Flow Every Ship’ To War
The Navy is capable of continuing its operations in the war on terrorism
as long as required, said Adm. Robert J. Natter, commander in chief
of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. “We are prepared to flow every
ship, every aircraft, every pilot, every sailor we have, if necessary,”
Natter told reporters. The Navy, he noted, has had two carrier battle
groups and two amphibious ready groups deployed in the Arabian Sea
since the early days of the war.
“Our people are willing to go … There is no complaining,”
he said. “We’ve had to extend deployments past six months.
Everyone is very supportive of that, as long as we are doing something
that is good for the country.”
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Congressman Offers Advice on “Military Commissions”
At the request of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Rep.
Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), joined a working group of eight lawyers to
discuss the details regarding the operation of the military “commissions”
of terrorist suspects held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The word
“commissions,” is a replacement for “tribunals,”
and a Pentagon source said the name was changed so as to remove
any association with the post-World War II Nuremberg tribunals,
in Germany.
Buyer, who served as counsel to the Western Enemy Prisoner of War
camp during the Gulf War, said, “The accused will be afforded
similar due process that was given to World War II saboteurs—such
as a right to an attorney and the right to view evidence against
them. But because the very security of this nation rests in these
trials, prosecutors will have a freer hand than they would in a
civilian criminal court. In addition, the suspects’ right
to appeal will be extremely limited.”
According to Buyer’s web site, viewing of the proceedings
should be limited, and television cameras should be barred. “If
prosecutors wish to present classified material, then the courtroom
would be closed. Conviction of any crime would require a two-thirds
majority of the tribunal,” Buyer said. Only a unanimous panel
of seven members could impose death sentences, and there will be
a review panel for any conviction.
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Army Space Programs in Enduring Freedom
Maj. Gen. Joseph Cosumano, head of Army Space and Missile Defense
Command, said that joint tactical air-ground stations deployed throughout
the world have helped provide early warning capabilities to U.S.
forces in Afghanistan. The warning is sent “directly into
theater, in case there is a hostile missile launch at our friends,
allies and our own forces,” he said. “We didn’t
have that capability in Desert Storm.”
In Desert Storm, Cosumano explained, “we had our early-warning
satellites providing information to Cheyenne Mountain [in Colorado]
and then into theater. Oftentimes, there were time delays and communication
problems. But now, in this current war on terrorism, we do have
these joint tactical air-ground stations deployed throughout the
world, allowing our commanders in theaters of operation to get direct
downlinks from these satellites.”
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Admiral: Postponing Ship Repairs Has a Price
The Navy has “a huge backlog” of ships needing repair,
said Adm. Robert J. Natter. A good example, he said, is the three-decade-old
USS John F. Kennedy, the Navy’s last non-nuclear aircraft
carrier. The Kennedy’s skipper was relieved in February, after
the ship failed safety inspections.
“For eight years, we underfunded the maintenance of that
ship,” Natter said. “In our great wisdom, we figured
that we could keep that ship and use it back here as a training
carrier. Because the world was such a peaceful place, we wouldn’t
have to deploy her. Therefore, we wouldn’t have to do a service-life
extension on her. So we short-changed her about $300 million worth
of maintenance over the years.”
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Switzerland Strengthens Homeland Security
Homeland security is the biggest concern for the Swiss army today,
said Army Maj. Gen. André Calcio-Gandino, Switzerland’s
defense attaché to the United States.
“In five to 10 years, Switzerland will have the best transportation
system in Europe. Transportation systems—road, railway—will
be very sophisticated, but perhaps very vulnerable, too. We are
not just building that system for us, but for Europe. My idea is
that we have to protect that. That will be a reason to have a big
protection force,” he said.
He defended his country’s oft-controversial neutrality posture,
explaining that this posture does not mean Switzerland skimps on
military readiness. “Neutrality is a very important part of
our domestic and foreign policy,” said Calcio-Gandino,
Military service in the Swiss army is compulsory for men and voluntary
for women. Every adult male must serve a minimum of 330 days in
service. A force of 360,000 can be called to active duty at any
time. The army employs a small number of professional soldiers,
he said.
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Zackheim: Program ‘Lowballing’ Must Stop
The Defense Department’s controller, Dov Zackheim, told industry
executives that the current administration plans to crack down on
the practice of “lowballing” program cost estimates,
which assumes that Congress will provide a supplemental later to
cover the shortfalls.
From now on, he said, the Pentagon will assess program costs based
on the estimates of the Cost Accounting Improvement Group, or CAIG.
The estimates from the military services are not reliable, Zackheim
said. In a survey of defense programs conducted recently, the CAIG
“was right 90 percent of the time,” and the services
were wrong.
One way to keep the costs of weapon systems down is through industry
competition. Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology
and Logistics Edward ‘Pete’ Aldridge, he added, “is
concerned about having a steady stream of suppliers.”
To have a healthy industrial base, three competitors would be desirable.
“You have to have two U.S. competitors for every major kind
of defense activity, plus one competitor overseas,” said Zackheim.
Having U.S. industrial capabilities for every system is necessary,
he added. “You can’t rely [solely] on European suppliers,
because the European Community keeps issuing new directives.”
However, he noted that cooperation between U.S. and European industries
is important, in order to have “interoperability” in
weapon systems.
— • — • —
Export Licenses for U.S. Allies in 24 Hours?
Export licenses for U.S. technologies are notoriously difficult
to obtain. Not only do three government agencies, the State, Defense
and Commerce Departments, have varying levels of control over the
licenses, but they also take a long time to process and require
mountains of supporting documentation.
However, a senior-level Pentagon official said that so far, during
Operation Enduring Freedom, export licenses for systems sold to
U.S. allies have been processed in as little as 24 hours. “There
is evidence that the system can respond when necessary,” the
official said. “This is not where we were during the Kosovo
air campaign, so this is proof that you can teach an old dog new
tricks.”