Rapid Fire 2010-10-06: Trinidad and Tobago Cancels Patrol Vessels

* Changing the Rules: The UK government plans to rewrite the rules governing defense contracts. * Mexico’s “Blog Del Narco” has stepped into a media void as the go-to publication for Cartel War reporting, used as a source – and a tool. Welcome to the blogging dimension of information war. * Going Green: US military turns to renewable energy to reduce vulnerability of fuel supply in Afghanistan. Read DID’s “Frontline Commanders Requesting Renewable Power Options” for more in-depth background. * After a series of construction delays on the GBP 150 million contract, Trinidad and Tobago doesn’t want their 3 BAE OPV patrol vessels any more, even though 2 have finished sea trials. While BAE pursues negotiations with its customer, one observer thinks the US Coast Guard should take a look. * NATO’s theater missile defense systems are slowly coming together, from ALTBMD to CAOC improvements, and could be upgraded for around EUR 200 million/ $268 million. * Strategic Buy: FLIR Systems, a Portland, OR-based thermal imaging equipment maker, completes acquisition of ICx Technologies, a supplier of CBRNE sensing technologies, for $268 million. * Training Wheels: L-3 receives a $91 million USAF contract to provide logistics support for the T-1A Jayhawk […]