MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE
LOCATIONS
02 Feb 09. Motorola, Inc. launched its LTE trial network and testing lab in Swindon, UK. The occasion was marked with a live, over the air, standards compliant LTE call during which high-speed data services were streamed using Motorola’s LTE infrastructure operating in the 2.6GHz spectrum and a prototype LTE device. This latest expansion of Motorola’s LTE trial facilities offers operators the ability to engage in LTE technology field trials and detailed real-world equipment testing at the UK site. Additionally, Motorola can host the core elements of the LTE network for operators that require a hosted LTE trial in EMEA. The network and trial activity is fully supported by Motorola services, giving operators access to Motorola’s expertise in deploying and optimizing OFDM-based mobile broadband networks as well as developing 4G migration strategies. (Source: Business4Media.com)
02 Feb 09. NATO would “regret” any decision by the Kyrgyz authorities to order the closure of a US base that serves as a resupply post for operations in
Afghanistan, a top alliance official said Feb. 2. Kyrgyz officials have repeatedly said that President Kurmanbek Bakiyev is considering ordering the base’s closure, in the hope it will prompt Russia to extend a major loan and invest in the impoverished country’s energy sector. (Source: Defense News)
03 Feb 09. The United States hopes to continue using an airbase in Kyrgyzstan
despite threats to close it, a Pentagon spokesman said Feb. 3, calling it “hugely important” for the resupply of US forces in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was quoted Feb. 3 in Moscow as saying his government had decided to set a deadline for the closure of the base at Manas, a key logistics hub for US forces. “The government of Kyrgyzstan has taken a decision over the ending of the time period for the American base to remain on the territory of Kyrgyzstan,” he said after talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. “The decision will be announced very soon,” he added, quoted by Russian news agencies. Russia has long been irritated by the U.S. military presence deep in former Soviet territory, and numerous reports have suggested the base’s closure would be in exchange for financial aid. Pentagon officials said they hoped to continue to use the base. (Source: Defense News)
29 Jan 09. Saab boosts presence in India with New Delhi office. Saab has opened an office in New Delhi to focus on marketing the group’s military products in India, according to Jan Widerström, vice-president of Saab International. Widerström told Jane’s on 29 January: “The office will be focused on marketing and providing support across a range of defence capabilities. (Source: Jane’s Defence Industry)
PLANT CLOSURES, JOB LOSSES AND STRIKES
03 Feb 09. BAE Systems executive credited with turning around the troubled effort to build a new generation of nuclear submarines is quitting, Europe’s largest defense company announced Feb. 3. Murray Easton, the managing director of BAE Submarine Solutions, will stand down at the end of the month to “pursue other career challenges,” the company told employees. (Source: Defense News)
30 Jan 09. Union leadership at Boeing Co.’s Wichita, Kan., aircraft facility are asking its engineer membership to reject a proposed labor contract. The 700 engineers, represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, have been negotiating a separate contract with the aerospace giant since Nov. 17. If the contract is rejected by the membership, Boeing and the union will return to the table for another round of talks, according to Bob Brewer, the union’s spokesman. Union leadership said they are upset over company plans to terminate its pension plan for new employees, for its rejection of language intended to protect engineering jobs, and for not providing a greater wage increase. (Source: Google)
03 Feb 09. Rockwell Collins Inc., a defen