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19 Jul 12. Department of Defense Announces Return of U.S. Army Europe Sites. The Department of Defense announced today that it will fully return one U.S. Army Europe site in Italy and partially return one site in Germany to the respective host nations in 2012. The San Gottardo Signal Site near Vicenza, Italy, and eight buildings in the Crestview Housing Area in Wiesbaden, Germany, have been identified for return to the host nations as excess to the needs of the U.S. military in Europe.
17 Jul 12. Olympic and Paralympic Games: Service Accommodation. The Defence Secretary announced (17 Jul 12) that Tobacco Dock in Wapping is to house some 2,500 Armed Forces personnel assisting with Games’ security. Tobacco Dock is a Grade I listed building which has been converted from a 19th century tobacco warehouse. The remaining 1,000 additional personnel are accommodated in existing barrack and training camp locations, including Territorial Army (TA) Centres.
Comment: Including the above 3,500, some 17,000 members of the Armed Forces are now involved with the Olympic security effort. The MoD confirmed (19 Jul 12) that a further 1,200 troops have been placed on standby, “who will only be called on to deploy if needed”. The more extravagant media stories about Service ‘hardships’ in connection with the Games should be ignored (mainly because they are not true).
(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 12/29, 23 July 12)
16 Jul 12. Eurocopter is providing its development personnel with the most modern high-performance infrastructures and resources, all in support of its innovation program, a core feature of the Group’s Vision 2020. Following on from the launch of the Systemhaus project at Donauwörth in Germany, which will reach completion at the end of 2012, Eurocopter today officially unveiled its project for the modernization and expansion of development activities at Marignane in France. These investments will allow Eurocopter to cement its status as a technology leader.
17 Jul 12. SEC Industries and DCNS officially inaugurated new workshop facilities and delivered, after successful Factory Acceptance Tests, the cofferdam doors coamings for the Indian P75 Scorpene submarines. The facilities were inaugurated by Shri M.M. Pallam Raju, the Indian Honbl’e Minister of State for Defence, Government of India. French Ambassador to India, H.E. Mr. François Richier was present at the occasion along with other Indian senior dignitaries and officials. In September 2011, DCNS India signed a contract with SEC Industries for the manufacture of for high technological equipment for the P75 Scorpene submarines. A second contract was signed in May 2012 for additional items. These contracts cover an extensive Transfer of Technology (TOT), today running at full speed. The contract is part of the indigenization programme implemented by DCNS India under the P75 Mazagon Purchased Materials (MPM) contracts.
By helping SEC industries in building new industrial workshops and in delivering cofferdam coamings for Scorpene submarines, DCNS has achieved yet another milestone in its endeavour to manufacture indigenous products and equipments and provide transfer of technology under P75 Scorpene submarine programme.
20 Jul 12. Goodrich Corporation chairman, president and chief executive officer Marshall Larsen joined Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, City of Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, and other officials at a ribbon cutting ceremony today to mark the opening of its expanded high tech manufacturing facility in Burnsville, Minn. The ceremony included a tour of advanced production, design and development areas for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) within the new 46,000 square foot expansion. The facility is part of Goodrich’s Sensors and Integrated Systems business which employs approximately 4,200 people worldwide in high tech disciplines including engineering, manufacturing, and administrative functio