BATTLESPACE Updates

   +44 (0)77689 54766
   

MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE

by

Sponsored by

TopEngineer.com

www.topengineer.com is the world’s largest specialist engineering jobs search engine, hosting thousands of job opportunities worldwide at any one time.

————————————————————————-

TopEngineer.com Job Of the Week!

Job – Nuclear Safety Engineer in Bristol

Location: Bristol, UK

Salary: £33000 – £380000 Per year

Job type: Permanent

Category: Defence Engineering

Job Reference: 1024742

Posted on: 26 Oct 2018

About the Role:

NRL are currently recruiting for a Nuclear Safety Engineer to work in Bristol for an industry leading client.

Overview:

This role is a member of a large integrated team seconded into Client team focused on providing high quality design, engineering knowledge & expertise.

Assignment Scope:

The Nuclear Safety Engineer is responsible to ensure the conformity of a nuclear new build design to nuclear safety requirements.

Main Accountabilities:

As a member of the Client’s UK Nuclear Safety & Quality (NSQ) Section (a small team of 3 people: Manager, Nuclear Safety Engineer, Quality Engineer), act as the local knowledge-base for nuclear safety and British nuclear regulations, providing support services including:

  • Independent review of identified engineering deliverables
  • Provision of advice to engineering personnel on nuclear safety, nuclear regulatory issues and design change safety categorisation
  • Draft, review, revise and issuing relevant NSQ procedures and guidance
  • Routine reporting of NSQ activities as required
  • Preparing relevant KPI data as required
  • Provision of nuclear safety-related awareness training
  • Contributing to the development of Nuclear Professionalism
  • Development of nuclear safety messages, and communicating nuclear safety-related information
  • Identifying ways of improving the level of nuclear safety awareness and staff engagement
  • Monitor and advise on international developments in nuclear safety
  • Occasional business travel to Paris may be required

Key Relationships:

Reporting to the NSQ Manager; working closely with DACI (Independent Control Authority Directorate) colleagues in Paris and Engineering and UK Project teams in UK, Bristol.

Engineering Level:

Accepting candidates – Junior Engineer 2-4 years’ experience / Engineer with 4 to 8 years’ experience

Security Clearance Level:

BPSS level security required

Qualifications:

Essential:

  • Engineering or science degree, with relevant industry experience
  • Knowledge of nuclear safety codes, standards and practices
  • Experience in the application of nuclear safety principles and regulations in nuclear facility design and/or operation
  • Knowledge and understanding of relevant Health and Safety regulations
  • Proficient user MS Office & Outlook
  • Concise, conscientious, organised with good writing skills
  • Good communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work in a team as well as on own initiative
  • Results focused with the ability to meet commitments & deadlines
  • Highly organised with excellent attention to detail
  • Fluent English – written & verbal

Desirable:

  • Knowledge and experience of PWR/EPR design/operation/safety
  • Safety categorisation/modifications
  • Experience within a Design Authority or Safety Assurance group
  • Training delivery
  • Experience in previous EPR or other nuclear projects
  • French Language skills – written & verbal

LOCATIONS

LAND

01 Nov 18. Hewetson Hall inducted. In a ceremony at the Royal Military College, Shrivenham, the Hewetson Hall was inducted in memory of Lt. Co. Michael Hewetson, the driving force for 20 years behind Symposia at Shrivenham, with whom the Editor had great pleasure in working with.

01 Nov 18. Boeing opens aircraft production site in England. Boeing [NYSE: BA] has announced the opening of its new fabrication factory in Sheffield in the UK, the company said. The new factory, the company´s first manufacturing site in Europe, makes actuation system components for the 737 and 767 jets from raw materials sourced in the UK. At full capacity, Boeing Sheffield will produce thousands of parts each month, which will be shipped for assembly in Boeing´s Portland plant in Oregon, United States. Boeing Sheffield manufactures more than 100 different high-tech actuation components for the 737 and 767 wing trailing edge. Actuation systems move the flaps at the back of the wing to provide extra lift at low speeds during takeoff and landing. The 6,200-square-metre facility represents a Boeing investment of more than £40m, placing the world´s largest aerospace company at the heart of Sheffield City Region´s growing Global Innovation Corridor. A total of 52 employees, including experienced mechanics, engineers and more than 20 apprentices, make up the current Boeing Sheffield team. Among the suppliers that have partnered with Boeing on this UK expansion are Aeromet International Ltd, a Worcester-based supplier of advanced aluminium and magnesium cast parts, and Maher Ltd, a first-time supplier to Boeing, which will supply bespoke steel bar and pre-machined components made of UK-sourced steel from Liberty Speciality Steels, Boeing is the world´s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. Boeing employs more than 2,200 people across the UK at numerous sites, from Glasgow to Gosport, and contracts with more than 250 UK suppliers. (Source: News Now/http://www.financial-news.co.uk)

01 Nov 18. Major leap forward for Australia’s sovereign naval shipbuilding workforce. Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has officially kicked off the next stage in developing Australia’s sovereign naval shipbuilding industry in Adelaide.  Minister Pyne launched the transformative Naval Shipbuilding College, which will deliver a co-ordinated, national approach to workforce development and skilling for Australia’s naval shipbuilding enterprise.

Minister Pyne said it’s an integral interface with the shipbuilding industry to identify workforce requirements throughout all phases of construction and sustainment. “Today is an exciting day for the future of shipbuilding in this country,” Minister Pyne said.

Under the management of the Naval Shipbuilding Institute, the college will also link up with education providers, as part of a hub and spoke model, to ensure courses are offered across Australia that produce workers who are job-ready.

Minister Pyne said, “The college is a critical enabler of the continuous naval shipbuilding program, which will build and sustain Australia’s naval capabilities, create economic growth and secure Australian jobs for decades to come.”

The Australian government released the Naval Shipbuilding Plan in May 2017, which outlined a long-term vision to establish Australian sovereign capability in naval shipbuilding.

“I’m particularly excited to launch the naval shipbuilding workforce register. The workforce register will help connect people with potential employers or education providers and I encourage anyone interested in working on some of the most technologically advanced, cutting-edge projects anywhere in the world to register,” Minister Pyne said.

The government is investing $90bn into the continuous shipbuilding program, which is expected to create 5,200 shipbuilding jobs within 10 years, with additional jobs created in the sustainment and supply chain.

The Naval Shipbuilding College, established by the Australian government will identify and close gaps between the educational and training courses currently offered in Australia and the required skills and expertise needed by the growing Australian shipbuilding industry. Critical to this great national endeavour is a skilled workforce made up of thousands of Australians with the right skills to build Australia’s new fleet of 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels, nine Hunter Class anti-submarine frigates, 12 Future submarines, and 21 Pacific Patrol boats, as part of the government’s $90bn commitment to modernise and strengthen Australia’s naval forces. Based in Osborne, South Australia, the college is a national organisation with reach right across the country, developing partnerships with industry, universities, TAFEs and training institutions in all states and territories. (Source: Shephard)

30 Oct 18. COSEL announces new R&D Innovation center in Toyama Japan. COSEL Co, Ltd (6905: Tokyo) has today announced the opening of a new R&D and innovation center in Toyama, Japan. In a brand new, purpose built building with a floor space of 8,200 square meters, 250 R&D employees will have access to the most advanced equipment and technologies to design high quality power solutions with a reduced time-to-market. Looking towards future requirements and in order to respond rapidly to market demands, the 1.7bn Japanese Yen investment (13m Euro) will make it possible to host 100 more R&D employees, making COSEL one of the largest power technology forces serving demanding customers in the world today. The new R&D and Innovation center features no less than five EMC anechoic chambers, including one complying with the stringent three meters requirement for radio emissions and susceptibility testing. Having the capability to test many products simultaneously within the R&D department significantly reduces the verification and qualification process times in a market where regulation and compliance is evolving rapidly.

The center comprises five departments, On board power solutions, AC/DC standard units and configurations, Intelligent power supplies, Custom service for modifications/adaptation, and EMI filters. The departments will share the new facility, increasing synergy levels within the COSEL R&D community. With a strong focus on quality and energy saving, the research team is conducting a number of projects aiming to increase power conversion efficiency such as Wide Bandgap (GaN, SiC) semiconductors, digital power control and energy management, and a close relationship within the five departments is key to success.

“Combining the resources and technologies of the new COSEL R&D Innovation center in Japan with the recently acquired Powerbox, and having three R&D centers in Europe and a high level of expertise in custom power solutions for demanding applications positions COSEL as an undoubted market leader.” says Tatsuo Yamamoto, COSEL’s EU & USA Sales Director. “From board power to very specialized power solutions such as in high magnetic fields in MRI equipment, we have solutions to support our customers and we foresee a high potential from our latest research to reduce energy consumption, benefiting society as a whole.”

For developing products for industrial and harsh environments, COSEL’s R&D Innovation Lab includes climatic chambers able to reproduce various onerous conditions such as salt laden atmospheres and oil bath immersion.

The new facility has been designed using the latest energy management and energy saving technologies such as air to air exchangers to regulate building and test room temperatures. A centralized computer permanently controls the environment and energy distributed within the building. Even the parking lot is equipped with the latest technology chargers for electrical vehicles. In designing and building its new R&D Innovation Lab, COSEL has endeavored not only to comply all the requirements of ISO 9001-2015 and ISO 14001-2015, but whenever possible to exceed them in order to produce a true, world leading, state of the art innovation center.

26 Oct 18. Lagan Aviation wins DIO contract to upgrade RAF Northolt runway. The UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) operating arm Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has awarded a contract to Lagan Aviation & Infrastructure to resurface the runway at the Royal Air Force (RAF) Northolt. The £23m contract involves resurfacing the existing runway, improving drainage and installing new arrestor beds in order to enhance safety.

DIO project manager Clement Adekoyejo said: “We are pleased to have successfully awarded the contract for this vital project for military capability to Lagan Aviation & Infrastructure as the main contractor, and Mott MacDonald as our principal support provider.

“DIO plays a crucial role in maintaining infrastructure to allow the armed forces to live, work and train. We appreciate the public support for the station and will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum.”

The upgrade work will help extend the life of the runway by ten to 15 years.

RAF Northolt station commander group captain Mike Carver said: “RAF Northolt is home to the last remaining military airfield within the M25 and the flying operations that take place here provide a vital contribution for defence, wider government and the UK.

“The runway resurfacing works will assure those flying operations for decades to come.”

Work on the airfield is expected to be carried out for a period of six months, while the runway will remain closed for resurfacing in mid-2019. During the renovation, military aircraft will operate from RAF Benson in South Oxfordshire and civilian aircraft will operate from other civilian airports. Located in London, UK, RAF Northolt serves as home to 33 supported units from all three armed services of the country, as well as the government. The Royal Air Force’s No 32 Squadron is the resident flying squadron at the unit committed to providing air transport to the UK government and military leaders on official business. (Source: airforce-technology.com)

MARITIME

01 Nov 18. Images emerge of new Chinese submarine. Photographs have emerged on online forums showing that a new design of submarine has been built at China’s Jiangnan Changxingdao shipyard. Although the images do not allow accurate estimates of the size of the boat to be made, it appears that the submarine is about 50 m long with a pressure hull diameter of about 5 m. The most significant feature evident from the photographs is the absence of a fin (sail). The images were taken looking upwards and show no detail of the casing and the fairing, which appears to be in the position where the fin would normally be constructed. No official information has been released about the boat but online posts suggest that it is an experimental submarine. The images give no indication of how many torpedo or missile tubes it has, if any. Satellite imagery of the Wuchang shipyard in Wuhan taken in October 2014 showed a small submarine alongside the fitting-out pontoon. It was estimated to be 35 m long with a beam of about 3.5 m. However, no further photographs have emerged either from satellites or from observers on the ground, notwithstanding that the vessel would have had a river transit of over 800km to reach the sea. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

01 Nov 18. Malaysia lays keel for fourth Maharaja Lela class as concerns over delays emerge. Key Points:

  • Malaysia’s Boustead Naval Shipyard has laid down the country’s fourth Maharaja Lela-class Littoral Combat Ship
  • The shipyard’s plan to handover the first-of-class by 2019 may be at risk of delays

Malaysia’s Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) has laid down the fourth Maharaja Lela (Gowind)-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) on order for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). Keel for the vessel was laid down on 31 October at BNS’ facility in Lumut, Perak. The 111 m warship is part of a MYR9bn (USD2.1bn) contract for six vessels awarded to BNS in 2014. The Malaysian LCS derives its design from the Gowind 2500 corvette produced by French shipbuilder Naval Group, which is providing technical assistance to BNS for the programme under a technology transfer agreement. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

29 Oct 18. Australia commissions second Hobart-class destroyer. Key Points:

  • The Royal Australia Navy has commissioned its second Hobart-class air warfare destroyer
  • Vessel bolsters the service’s collaborative defence capabilities against hostile aircraft, and precision-guided munitions

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has taken another step towards bolstering its multi-layered system of at-sea defences against aircraft and missiles by commissioning its second Hobart-class air warfare destroyer (AWD).

The vessel, HMAS Brisbane (41), was officially inducted on 27 October in a commissioning ceremony at Garden Island Naval Base, Sydney.

Brisbane is part of a three-ship programme to replace the RAN’s fleet of Adelaide-class (US Oliver Hazard Perry design) guided-missile frigates that have been in service since the early 1990s. First-of-class AWD, HMAS Hobart (39), was commissioned in September 2017.

The Hobart class is derived from Navantia’s F-100 Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate design, and incorporates the Aegis combat system. The vessel’s suite of sensors includes the Lockheed Martin and Raytheon AN/SPY 1D(V) phased array radar, and the Northrop Grumman AN/SPQ-9B surface search radar. The 6,350-tonne class has an overall length of 146.7 m, an overall beam of 18.6 m, and a hull draught of 4.9m. It is powered by two General Electric LM2500 gas turbine, and two Caterpillar diesel engines in a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) configuration, and can attain a top speed of 28kt, and a standard range of 5,000n miles at 18kt. The vessel is armed with the 48-cell MK 41 vertical launch system (VLS) that can deploy Standard Missile-2 medium-range Block IIIA (SM-2MR Block IIIA), and SM-2MR Block IIIB long-range surface-to-air missiles. This VLS can also launch the Raytheon RIM-162B Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM), which has a maximum range of about 30 n miles, further augmenting the class’ fleet-area air defence capabilities. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

26 Oct 18. Bahamas to receive Modernised Vessel from Damen. HMBS Bahamas (P-60) is expected to dock in the Bahamas at the end of October after undergoing a modernisation process at the Maaskant Shipyard, operated by Damen Shipyards, in the Netherlands. The Bahama-class corvette and flagship of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) docked in Portugal on 10 October, according to a RBDF press release. Bahamas, manufactured in 1999, “underwent a first-ever refit of bridge, machinery, and equipment”, which lasted 20 months, the RBDF said. Bahamas’ sister ship, HMBSNassau (P-61), has already been modernised by Damen. Additionally, Nassau has expanded the RBDF’s fleet via the Sandy Bottom Project, which included the acquisition of nine Damen vessels – models Stan Patrol 3007, Stan Patrol 4207, and Stan Lander 5612 – since 2014. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

AIR

01 Nov 18. France officially joins the global KC-30 family. The French Air Force has officially welcomed its first A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) into service, joining a growing number of countries, including launch customer Australia, to operate the versatile aircraft.  With the French Air Force now receiving the first of its 15 expected A330 MRTT Phénix, as they are to be known in French service, the number of countries flying the aircraft has increased to six, including:

  • Australia;
  • Saudi Arabia;
  • Singapore;
  • United Arab Emirates; and
  • The UK.

Germany has four aircraft on order, which will be owned by NATO as part of the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF), and the Netherlands also has two aircraft on order to be owned by NATO as part of the MMF. Both Belgium and Norway have an aircraft on order to be owned by NATO as part of the MMF.

These European orders are joined by a four plane order from South Korea and a five plane order from Singapore (one has been delivered), bringing the total projected global fleet to 62 aircraft. (Source: Defence Connect)

25 Oct 18. RAF looks to Typhoon-Lightning-Tempest Force in 2030s. Senior UK Royal Air Force (RAF) officers are envisaging operating a mixed fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning, and BAE Systems Tempest combat aircraft during the 2030s. The ideas are surfacing as part of work to finalise the UK’s Combat Air Strategy business case by the end of the year, according to senior RAF officers involved in the work. A senior RAF officer told Jane’s that the service “hoped to get the first Tempest aircraft into service in the early 2030s to begin replacing the first Tranche 1 Typhoons when they near the end of their 25-year service life”. The first Tranche 1 Typhoons entered RAF service in December 2003 and the first frontline UK squadron became operational in March 2006, which indicates RAF fighter numbers will start to drop off unless new aircraft begin to be brought into service after 2030. There had been speculation that the RAF would not be able to fund building a new UK-manufactured combat aircraft under the banner of Project Tempest and continue with previously announced plans to buy 138 F-35 aircraft. Senior RAF officers said the service still expects to buy a new UK-manufactured multirole combat aircraft and the full order of F-35s to operate in the shore-based strike role, beyond the 48 F-35Bs currently on order to serve on the Royal Navy’s two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Jane’s was told that once the last Tranche 3 Typhoons are retired around 2040-43 then the F-35s and UK-made Tempest-based aircraft would be the core of the RAF combat force. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

PLANT CLOSURES, JOB LOSSES AND STRIKES

01 Nov 18. Babcock International (Babcock), the highly-skilled engineering services company, has today announced it has taken the difficult decision to exit operations at its Appledore facility in Devon, ending its site lease in March 2019. Babcock’s focus is now firmly on its workforce and its determination to protect their employment within the business. To that end, the company will offer relocation opportunities for all 199 Appledore employees at other Babcock facilities, 140 of whom are already on short-term redeployment to its Devonport operations. Babcock very much regrets having to take this course of action and recognises the impact it will have on its dedicated and professional workforce. The company will now engage in a consultation period, working closely with its employees and their Trade Unions representatives during this difficult time. In 2017/18 Appledore generated around £24m of the Group’s total underlying revenue of £5.4bn.

 

31 Oct 18. USAF Fires 3 Commanders at Texas Base Amid Reports of ‘Dangerous Behavior.’ Three commanders at one of the Air Force’s lead pilot training wings were relieved of command Wednesday after incidents of dangerous behavior and fostering a threatening environment at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, were reported up the chain of command.

Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, commander of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), relieved Col. Charles Velino, commander of the 47th Flying Training Wing, along with the operations group commander and the flying training squadron commander, the service said in a release.

“The prior command team chronically failed to appropriately care for people and the mission,” Kwast said in the release. “They failed to correct an evolving situation that led to an environment where some airmen did not feel safe or respected.”

The firings follow command-directed investigations that revealed multiple leadership failures, the release said.

“By failing to address incidents of dangerous behavior and a threatening environment, irresponsible alcohol consumption, and disrespectful treatment of some students, these leaders did not establish and enforce a culture that upheld our Air Force core values,” Kwast said.

While not named in the announcement, Col. Robert Pekarek had assumed command of the 47th Operations Group at Laughlin in June 2017, according to an Air Force release. The service confirmed he was relieved of command this week.

AETC spokeswoman Jennifer Gonzalez told Military.com that officials would not release the name of the training commander because of privacy concerns.

The 47th Flying Training Wing is a major unit that oversees T-1A Jayhawk, T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon pilot training under the 19th Air Force, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

Kwast determined the team did not take “appropriate actions to respond to, correct and report incidents of officer misconduct,” the release said.

Maj. Gen. Patrick Doherty, commander of the 19th Air Force, directed a preliminary inquiry “immediately when he became aware of allegations of misconduct at the wing,” it continued. A timeframe for the incidents, as well as the scope of the investigations, was not given.

While multiple investigations were conducted, AETC said it had not found a trend of unhealthy command environments within the 19th Air Force. The investigations have concluded, but the reports will not be released publicly for some time, Gonzalez said.

Velino was responsible for more than 2,800 personnel conducting joint specialized undergraduate pilot training for Air Force and allied officers, according to his official biography, along with more than 210 training aircraft. Prior to this assignment, Velino was the 15th Operations Group commander at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. He has more than 3,700 flight hours in the T-37 Tweet, T-1, C-17A Globemaster III and C-40.

Col. Lee Gentile has replaced Velino as the new wing commander, AETC said. He was the former vice commander of the 71st Flying Training Wing at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, which also conducts undergraduate pilot training.

Kwast emphasized the importance of ensuring a safe working environment.

“I take this responsibility seriously, and I want our airmen to know their leaders will be held accountable for failing to enforce a safe and professional environment,” he said. “Our airmen, families and the critical mission of the 47th … deserve engaged and effective leaders of the highest caliber consistent with our core values.

“Ultimately, every commander is responsible for enforcing good order and discipline and holding those accountable who do not live up to the professionalism we expect of our airmen,” Kwast continued. “The command team at Laughlin was not leading a healthy culture of accountability, dignity and respect.” (Source: Military.com)

29 Oct 18. Germany’s Angela Merkel to step down as CDU leader. Chancellor to stay on as head of government but cede party reins after 18 years. Angela Merkel is to stand down as leader of the Christian Democratic Union, a post she has held for 18 years, after a dismal performance by the party in elections in the central German state of Hesse on Sunday badly dented her authority. German media said she told senior party leaders at a meeting on Monday morning that she would not stand as CDU leader at the party conference in Hamburg in December. The move spells the beginning of the end of the Merkel era. The chancellor has ruled Germany for the past 13 years, a period when Berlin’s authority and influence in the EU has steadily grown, and she has risen to Europe’s most powerful politician. Ms Merkel will stay on as chancellor, but her decision to give up the party leadership will set in train a battle for the succession and a potentially bitter struggle for the soul of the CDU, one of Europe’s most successful political parties. Many in the party resent the way Ms Merkel has dragged it to the political centre, and want it to return to its conservative roots. (Source: FT.com)

MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT

29 Oct 18. Russia establishes ‘most powerful’ air division in Central Military District. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the establishment of a new composite aviation division in the Central Military District (CMD), Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye (Independent Military Review, NVO) reported on 23 October. NVO’s MoD sources claim it will be Russia’s ‘most powerful’ air division. The 21st Composite Aviation Division will combine existing units into a larger formation with higher level command and control for missions in the ‘southern and southeastern operational-strategic directions’. NVO concludes the new division could reflect greater Russian concern with threats in Central Asia and China. To cover more distant targets, however, its aircraft would have to redeploy to airfields further east or west. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

30 Oct 18. US Forces Japan sets up new missile defence command. United States Forces Japan (USFJ) has established a new command for the US Army’s ballistic missile defence unit in the Tokyo metropolitan region, a Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesperson told Jane’s on 30 October. He also pointed out that the new command, which began operations on 16 October, belongs to the US military’s 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, which was recently set up at the US Army’s Sagami General Depot in the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. The command will come under the control of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (94th AAMDC), which is based in Hawaii. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

PERSONNEL

U.S. APPOINTMENTS

30 Oct 18. Head of US Army Rapid Capabilities Office to take top civilian job on the F-35 program. Six months into the job, the head of the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities Office is leaving to join the F-35 Joint Program Office as its top civilian. Tanya Skeen is set to take on the role of the F-35 JPO’s executive director early next year, when the current director, Todd Mellon, vacates the position, confirmed F-35 JPO spokesman Joe DellaVedova. As the executive officer, Skeen will work with the two uniformed program heads — Navy Vice Adm. Mat Winter, the program executive officer, and his deputy, Air Force Maj. Gen. Eric Fick — to purchase the Joint Strike Fighter on behalf of the U.S. military and international F-35 customers. (Source: Defense News)

29 Oct 18. Army announces new director of operations at NGA. Maj. Gen. Charles H. Cleveland has been assigned as the next director of operations at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, according to an Oct. 29 release from the Army’s chief of staff.  In the new role, Cleveland will oversee the NGA’s worldwide operational support and the execution of the agency’s mission across the Intelligence community and the Department of Defense. The NGA is a national security agency that specializes in analyzing and distributing geospatial intelligence for the United States government. Cleveland is currently the vice director for intelligence at the Directorate of Intelligence, where he assists the director for intelligence in providing the Joint Chiefs, Combatant Commands, and the office of the Secretary of Defense with “crisis and current intelligence” that informs warfighting assessments for military operations. Before serving at the Joint Special Operations Command, Cleveland was the Deputy Chief of Staff of Communications on Operation Resolute Support in Kabul, Afghanistan. Cleveland deployed on multiple operational tours earlier in his career, including for the 82nd Airborne Division, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and the U.S. Army Office of Military Support. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)

29 Oct 18. MG James E. Kraft Jr. to director of operations, U.N. Command/Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea, Republic of Korea.  He most recently served as deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

29 Oct 18. MG Robert L. Marion, deputy for acquisition and systems management, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), Washington, District of Columbia, to deputy commander, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Afghanistan.

29 Oct 18. BG Michele H. Bredenkamp, deputy director, program analysis and evaluation, G-8, U.S. Army, Washington, District of Columbia, to vice director for intelligence, J-2, Joint Staff (Defense Intelligence Agency), Washington, District of Columbia.

29 Oct 18. BG Michael R. Fenzel to military assistant to the special envoy to Afghanistan, Department of State, Washington, District of Columbia.  He most recently served as director, CJ-5, Resolute Support Mission, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Afghanistan.

29 Oct 18. Col. (Promotable) Kevin C. Leahy to deputy commander, Special Operations Command Central, U.S. Central Command, Tampa, Florida.  He most recently served as director, Commander’s Action Group, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

INDUSTRY

PERSONNEL

EUROPE APPOINTMENTS

31 Oct 18. Drone Major Group Limited, launched in September 2017 as the world’s first global commercial organisation dedicated to connecting, supporting and trading with all stakeholders in the drone industry, today announced the appointment of Jonothan Davey as Director of Strategy, a new position which reflects the transformational impact that drone technology is beginning to have globally. Jonothan Davey has over 18 years’ experience in Management Consulting, working at Deloitte in Frankfurt, New York and London, as well as The Mitchell Madison Group, KPMG and most recently at PA Consulting, where he was the Financial Services Sector Lead for outsourcing.  He has in-depth knowledge of working with large scale organisations to implement programmes of important transformation, helping them to optimise significant investments, and to manage change within organisations which impact ‘people’ (requiring motivation, training, engagement, buy-in), ‘process’ (identifying and implementing new ways of working) and ‘technology’ (understanding how disruptive new technology integrates into an organisation).

REST OF THE WORLD APPOINTMENTS

30 Oct 18. Barrett Communications appoints new CEO. Barrett Communications has announced the appointment of Mr. Andrew Burt as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Andrew has been with Barrett Communications for the past 22 years and most recently in the role of General Manager – European and America’s Office, which he has held for the past 10 years. In addition to Andrew’s appointment, Barrett have recently appointed two new Business Development Managers across the Asia Pacific and African regions and an Operations Manager in the Latin American region.

02 Nov 18. JFD Australia has announced the appointment of a new non-executive Australian chairman to oversee the company’s future growth and direction in Australia’s growing defence industry sector. JFD, part of James Fisher and Sons, announced that Harry Dunstall, a previous acting chief executive of the then Defence Materiel Organisation in the Department of Defence and currently the managing director of Canberra-based strategic advisory firm Ngamuru Advisory, will assume the position on 1 November 2018. (Source: Defence Connect)

———————————————————————

TopEngineer was founded by serial digital recruitment entrepreneurs, the Potts brothers, the founders and former owners of Jobsite and the Evenbase digital recruitment group. They have used all of their knowledge and experience of digital recruitment and candidate attraction to deliver this global platform. TopEngineer was launched in 2015 to help organisations drive down the cost of engineering recruitment and to provide engineers with a one-stop-shop for all of their job hunting needs as well as career advice, news and events.

If you would like to know how TopEngineer can help your organisation, please contact the team on 03300 555850 or visit the site: www.topengineer.com Alternatively, if you are looking for a job, feel free to visit the site and apply for relevant roles.

————————————————————————-