PLGR & DAGR(DAGR is on the right)(click to view full) Out in the field, one of the most important questions is also one of the simplest: where am I? Map-reading and orienteering remain critical soldiering skills, but the explosive growth of the GPS receiver market...
* US House and Senate leaders agreed to consider a 6-month resolution in September to keep the federal government funded through the election period. It means the work of appropriations committees won't see the light for a while since a Continuing Resolution (CR),...
Japan issued its 2012 defense white paper expressing its concern with China's mix of assertiveness and lack of transparency: "[I]n the Asia-Pacific region, where a lack of transparency and elements of uncertainty still exist, the presence of the U.S. forces remains...
Rescue me...(click to view full) Australia may be an NH90 customer, but they also fly quite a few Sikorsky helicopters. Their 35 S-70A-9 Black Hawks began service in 1986, and have been used domestically and in a number of international deployments. Their lack of full...
* The US Labor Department issued guidance [PDF] on the application of the WARN Act in advance of sequestration. They are saying defense contractors with contracts at stake should not send WARN Act notices, contrarily to the position held by Lockheed Martin and others....
* Though the primes are staying clear of commenting on the Pentagon's acquisition workforce, smaller IT firms are complaining about mistakes and lack of visibility that they attribute to the lack of experience of an increasing part of contracting officers. Recent...
UH-60 Blackhawk According to Sikorsky, Colombia's Air Force, Army, and national police forces make that country the 3rd largest fleet operator of its S-70/UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters. Ongoing defense modernization, and a continuing operation against...
* Acting US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management Frederick Vollrath testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee on the timeline of announcements leading to the reduction of the Pentagon's civilian workforce to comply with...
Spending above the waterline The CBO(Congressional Budget Office) analyzed [PDF] the latest long-term shipbuilding plans of the US Navy and thinks that despite lowering the number of ships they intend to procure, the DoN is significantly underestimating how much their...