Rapid Fire: 2010-04-01

* US GAO releases 2010 Assessments of Selected Weapons Programs – about 70. The summary is finally up, and there is a lot of reading after that. Note that the GAO sets the bar higher for system development readiness – TRL(Technology Readiness Level) 7, not the Pentagon’s TRL 6. * Newsweek calls Afghanistan’s police force a “$6 billion fiasco” that could cost us the war. * EADS Defense and Security unit has war chest to expand abroad, invest in Talarion UAV development. Reuters | Dow Jones * President Obama nominates California CIO Takai to head Pentagon’s IT operations. InformationWeek | National Journal | Government Technology | Computer World * The USAF now has an “operationally significant quantity” of MALD air-launched decoys. * The Pentagon is mulling sending surveillance UAVs and other military support to the Somali government for offensive against al-Qaida-linked insurgents, the Associated Press reports. * Britain’s Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol planes end their service, though Nimrod MRA4 replacements aren’t yet ready. * AeroVironment, maker of the Raven, Dragon Eye, Puma AE, and Wasp [pdf] small UAVs, says CFO has resigned to “pursue other business interests.” AeroVironment release | Associated Press * You don’t have to speak Na’vi to […]