Emergency Communications: A $100 Billion Problem?
The 9/11 Commission apparently did not do its homework when it graded the U.S. government’s performance in its final report card, says a Department of Homeland Security official. The bipartisan panel blasted the administration, among other things, for failing to ensure that federal, state and local first responders can communicate during a national emergency.
The commission never sought any input from DHS or asked for data concerning inter-agency communications, charges David G. Boyd, director of the DHS office for interoperability and compatibility.
“Nobody talked to us,” Boyd told an industry conference in Washington. The commission focused on one problem -- the shortage of radio frequency spectrum dedicated to public safety -- and failed to address the bigger picture, he said.
The spectrum is an issue that is relatively easy to fix, once Congress passes new legislation to mandate the transfer of the 700-megahertz spectrum of radio frequencies from TV stations to emergency services.
The solution requires far more than a radio-frequency allocation, said Boyd. “We don’t know what interoperability is at the national level.”
Boyd’s office estimated that it would cost between $60 billion and $100 billion to achieve full interoperability between federal, state and local authorities. Over 90 percent of the communications infrastructure of the United States for public safety is owned and operated by localities. DHS plans to set technology standards so that all agencies can plug into a national network.
Despite $15B Windfall, Army Could Cut Programs
When the Army cancelled the pricey Comanche helicopter last year, service officials appeared rather ebullient by the prospect of shifting the $15 billion they would have spent to buy that aircraft to several other aviation programs.
It now appears that even Comanche’s hefty allowance may not be enough to save some of the Army’s key aircraft acquisitions. As a result of recent budget drills at the Defense Department, “there will be pressure on aircraft procurement,” says James McAleese, a defense industry attorney who closely follows the Pentagon’s budget. He foresees a “strong commitment” to the new armed reconnaissance and light utility helicopters. But either cutbacks or delays are likely for the aerial common sensor, the future cargo aircraft and the extended-range unmanned air vehicle, says McAleese.
We Need More Cargo … No, We Don’t
An about-face in the Pentagon’s plan to expand its fleet of heavy cargo aircraft is not necessarily an acknowledgement that military operations in Iraq will wind down, but rather a budget-driven choice, said the U.S. military’s top transportation official.
A previous Pentagon study that had concluded the military has a severe shortage of airlift capacity is now being overruled by a new study that says the exact opposite.
“We have the right capacity,” says Air Force Gen. Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, head of the U.S. Transportation Command. His predecessor, Gen. John Handy, was a strong advocate of increasing the fleet of C-17 transports from 180 to 222. That is not going to happen, Schwartz said.
That decision is not based on predictions of diminishing transportation needs, but reflects increasingly tighter budgets. “I don’t see this as optimism; I see it as pragmatism,” Schwartz asserted.
A.P. Hill Could be Home to ‘IED Training Center’
A specialized training facility where soldiers will practice tactics for countering roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices, is expected to open at one of the Army’s largest training bases, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. According to one industry source, this “IED Training Center” could begin operations as early as March 2006.
Fort A.P. Hill is located roughly midway between Richmond and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. A base spokesman declined to comment on the IED training center.
Last month, the Defense Department announced it would open a “training center of excellence” at Fort Irwin, Calif.
-- Sandra I. Erwin
QUOTES
“For a military force, for our Navy, that is basically a death sentence.”
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael G. Mullen, speaking at an equal-employment opportunity ceremony, about the need for racial and gender diversity in the military services. In its senior officer ranks, the Navy has 16 flag officers who are minorities, and 12 female flag officers. Mullen said that is roughly 40 percent of what it should be.
“If the Defense Department cannot discipline itself now to execute programs within fiscal realities, then draconian, budget-driven decisions may have to be made later.”
Katherine V. Schinasi, managing director for acquisition and sourcing management at the Government Accountability Office, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“The supply chain is causing us headaches.”
Marine Col. John Bryant, program manager for the light armored vehicle, describing the difficulties that units in Iraq experience getting spare parts, some of which can take up to 24 months. Unless a vehicle is blown up in combat, he said, “Nothing stays broke for more than a day if our mechanics can get the parts.”