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TopEngineer.com Job Of the Week!

Job – Senior Systems Engineer in Newport

Location: Newport, UK

Salary: £400 – £480 Per day

Job type: Contract

Category: Defence Engineering

Job Reference: 11470971

Posted on: 22 Nov 2018

About the Role:

Senior systems engineer required to contribute to the specification, design and development, validation of solutions for the hosting of applications and services.

Typical activities will include:

* Decomposition of higher level customer requirements into capabilities, features and high level designs to be developed into working solutions.

* Develop and maintain roadmap for system capabilities.

* Guide agile teams through development ensuring working systems meet the solution intent.

The successful candidate will have the below skills/experience:

* Subject matter expertise in User Applications and Services, including specification, selection or development, system integration, deployment, provisioning and support.

* Competence and developed skillset in engineering methods and tools for requirements management, architecture definition, design elaboration, verification & validation.

* Demonstrable understanding of the system engineering lifecycle and phases, and challenges associated with system engineering in a delivery focused, commercially organisation.

* Experienced in the use of one or more the following engineering tools: DOORs, PTC Integrity Modeller, IBM Rational Rhapsody, RTC, RQM.

Candidates must be willing to undergo the security vetting procedure.

Modis International Ltd acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and an employment business for the supply of temporary workers.

LOCATIONS

LAND

22 Nov 18. Chinook Mk 6 synthetic training facility opens at UK RAF Odiham. A new synthetic training facility for the British Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Chinook Mk 6 heavy-lift helicopter has been officially opened at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, UK. Equipped with the latest technology and advanced simulators, the purpose-built facility replicates real-life operations to train pilots and crewmembers of the Chinook helicopter fleet. In addition, the Lockheed Martin-built training site features classrooms, mission planning and briefing rooms for training.

The £53m contract for the design, development and management of the facility, in addition to the introduction of the Chinook training system, was awarded to Lockheed Martin by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2015.

UK Armed Forces State Minister Mark Lancaster said: “The Chinook force has continuously proven itself by supporting humanitarian efforts, strengthening counter-terror operations and providing essential support to our armed forces. Our ability to put it to use will be bolstered by this multi-million-pound new training facility. Chinooks are the backbone of our battlefield helicopter capability so it’s crucial this capability and its crews are receiving this support into the next decade.”

Advanced technology integrated at the facility includes two flight deck device simulators, a rear crew device and a suite of computer-based training equipment. New systems will help train Chinook Mk 6 crew members on how to work in collaboration in specific flying, emergency and mission capabilities of the aircraft such as relocating troops and equipment around the battlefield or evacuating citizens from dangerous conditions. The synthetic training facility will deliver approximately 4,000 simulator hours each year for a period of ten years, ensuring pilots are always ready to be deployed. The RAF Chinook is the UK’s only military heavy-lift helicopter that can be used to transport up to 54 troops or 10t of supplies in support of varied operations.  (Source: airforce-technology.com)

MARITIME

22 Nov 18. RoKN receives fourth and final LST-2-class tank landing ship. South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has handed over the fourth and final Cheonwangbong (LST-2)-class tank landing ship to the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN). The service received the ship, which has been named Nojeokbong (pennant number 689), in a ceremony held on 21 November at HHI’s dockyard in Ulsan, according to a statement by South Korea’s Defense Administration Program Agency (DAPA). The 127m-long vessel was launched in November 2017 and is expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2019. Third-of-class Ilchulbong was launched in October 2016 and handed over to the service in April 2018. The first two ships of the class, Cheonwangbong and Cheonjabong , entered service with the RoKN in November 2014 and August 2017 respectively. According to specifications provided by HHI, the LST-2 class has a standard displacement of 4,900 tonnes, an overall beam of 19.4m, a hull draught of 5.4m, and a crew complement of 120. Each of the vessels can carry three landing craft, two tanks, eight amphibious assault vehicles, and up to 300 fully equipped soldiers. The ships also feature a flight deck that can take two helicopters, including the UH-60A. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

20 Nov 18. Second Bahraini corvette upgraded. The upgrade of the second of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force’s (RBNF) two MGB 62-class corvettes has been completed, Leonardo announced on 16 November. The company said Al-Muharraq was officially handed over during a ceremony at the RBNF’s Mina Salman base. It said the upgrade included a new weapon control system, training services, and logistics. The completion of the upgrade of Al-Manama, the other MGB 62, was announced in January. Selex ES (now part of Leonardo) announced in September 2015 that it had won a contract worth more than EUR50m (USD57m) to upgrade six RBNF ships within five years, but did not disclose the vessels or the systems involved. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

16 Nov 18. Ecuadorian Navy receives two modernised Corvettes. The Ecuadorian Navy received corvettes Manabi (CM 12) and Loja (CM 16) from the state-run shipyard Astilleros Navales Ecuatorianos (ASTINAVE) on 15 November, following extensive modernisation of the ships. ASTINAVE’s Project Jupiter included upgrades to three Esmeralda-class corvettes. The first one, Los Rios (CM 13), was delivered in July 2018, and afterward the vessel took part in the multinational exercise ‘UNITAS’ in Colombian waters during September.

All three corvettes have received the domestically manufactured Orion combat system, the navy said. The navy estimated the total cost for the project, which commenced in 2014, at USD71m for all three ships. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

15 Nov 18. Australia names Sea 1180 patrol vessel as Arafura class. Key Points:

• Australia has marked further progress in its Sea 1180 programme with the naming of its new OPV class and the start of steel welding on the first of class
• The programme’s first of class is expected to be delivered by 2021

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has named the offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) that have been acquired under the country’s Sea 1180 Phase 1 programme as the Arafura class.

The name was revealed on 15 November by the service’s chief, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan. Named after a sea in the northern approach to Australia, the Arafura class has been acquired to replace the RAN’s fleet of Armidale- and Cape-class patrol boats, Huon-class minehunters, and Leeuwin- and Paluma-class survey vessels.

The vessel has a standard displacement of 1,640 tonnes, with an overall length of 80m, an overall beam of 13m, and a hull draught of 4m. It can take a crew complement of 40, with accommodation for up to 60 personnel.

Powered by two 8,500kW diesel engines, the OPV can attain a maximum speed of 20kt and a standard range of 4,000n miles at 12 kt. It has been equipped with a flight deck for unmanned aerial system (UAS) operations, and can carry two 8.5m and one 10.5m rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) for maritime interdiction operations.

Each OPV will be armed with a 40 mm naval gun in the primary position and two 12.7 mm machine guns, while the suite of sensors includes the Scanter 6002 air and surface surveillance radar system from Terma, which will be incorporated with the EOS 500 electro-optical fire-control director.

The vessel will also be equipped with a 9LV-based Situational Awareness System (SAS) from Saab Australia. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

16 Nov 18. Austal delivers Expeditionary Fast Transport ship to US Navy. Austal has announced that its American subsidiary, Austal USA, has delivered the Expeditionary Fast Transport ship USNS Burlington (EPF 10) to the US Navy. It is the 10th ship delivered by Austal as part of a US$1.9bn contract for 12 vessels, and the fourth delivered to the US Navy this year.

“Austal takes great pride in sending another EPF to join the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet. The success of this milestone achievement is a result of the dedication and hard work of the Austal team,” Austal chief executive David Singleton said.

The USNS Burlington is a 103-metre aluminium catamaran that has the capability to transport 600 tons, 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots, and is designed to operate in areas too shallow or narrow for larger ships in the US Navy fleet. The vessel’s flight deck can also support flight operations for a wide variety of manned and unmanned aircraft.

Construction for the Spearhead Class vessel began just over a year ago, and was officially launched in March 2018.

Upon delivery of the USNS Burlington, two additional Spearhead Class EPFs are being constructed at Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard. The Puerto Rico (EPF 11) has recently been launched and is being prepared for sea trials, while Newport (EPF 12) is being erected in final assembly.

Austal also recently received instruction from the Navy to order long lead-time materials for EPF 13, and are also contracted to build the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) for the US Navy. Nine LCS have been delivered while six are in various stages of construction.

Austal is an Australian shipbuilder and global defence prime contractor that designs, constructs and sustains some of the world’s most advanced commercial and defence vessels. 2018 signalled 30 years of business for the company, which is Australia’s largest defence exporter. Austal is the only ASX-listed shipbuilder and has shipyards in Australia, the US and the Philippines. (Source: Defence Connect)

AIR

21 Nov 18. Sea Lion passes milestones on road to deliveries to German Navy.  The Sea Lion variant of the NHIndustries NH90 helicopter has passed two important milestones towards first delivery to the German Navy at the end of 2019, Airbus announced on 21 November. The German Navy version of the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) recently completed its service qualification trials, as well as the first electrical power-on of the first production-standard aircraft.

As noted by Airbus, with all ground and flight tests for the qualification of the Sea Lion having been concluded in early November, the formal closure of the qualification phase is expected in the first quarter of 2019. This will be followed by the military type certification by the German authorities in the second quarter of 2019 ahead of delivery to the navy in the fourth quarter of the year. The qualification aircraft, the second Sea Lion prototype, is now entering the lay-up phase for upgrading the helicopter to serial configuration and preparing it for delivery to the Bundeswehr, Airbus said.

Separately, on 24 October the first production-standard Sea Lion helicopter successfully completed the first power-on of all electrical systems in the final assembly line at Airbus Helicopters’ production facility in Donauwörth, southern Germany.

Launched at the ILA Airshow in Berlin in May 2014, the Sea Lion is largely similar in scope to the baseline NFH-variant helicopter but features some German-specific equipment such as radios and other communications systems. The Sea Lions are intended to provide continued anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface vessel warfare (ASuW), maritime surveillance, search and rescue (SAR), vertical replenishment, and transport capabilities for the German Navy’s F124 Sachsen-class frigates, the planned F125 Baden-Württemberg-class frigates, and the Berlin-class (Type 702) combat support vessels. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

PLANT CLOSURES, JOB LOSSES AND STRIKES

21 Nov 18. Bombardier cuts 490 jobs at Belfast plant. Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) is to cut 490 jobs at its Belfast operations, the Canadian company announced on Wednesday. The company, the biggest high-tech manufacturer in Northern Ireland and one of the region’s most important foreign investors, currently employs just under 4,000 people there, most at a wing-making plant in Belfast. The cuts are part of a previously announced plan to reduce its global workforce by 5,000. (Source: Reuters)

16 Nov 18. Portugal retires NRP Jacinto Candido. The Portuguese Navy officially withdrew its João Coutinho-class corvette NRP Jacinto Candido (F 476) from service on 15 November. The decommissioning leaves just two remaining corvettes in service: the Baptista de Andrade-class ship NRP João Roby (F 487) and João Coutinho-class corvette NRPAntónio Enes (F 471). The 1970s-vintage João Coutinho- and Baptista de Andrade-class corvettes are being progressively replaced by locally built Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). Three OPVs have entered service since 2011 – NRP Viana do Castelo (P 360), NRP Figueira da Foz (P 361), and NRP Sines (P 362), while a fourth, NRP Setúbal(P363), is scheduled to commission in January. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT

PERSONNEL

20 Nov 18. Kenya launches coast guard. The new Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) was officially launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta during a 19 November ceremony that saw the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Doria commissioned as its first vessel. The OPV was built by Bangladesh’s Western Marine Shipyard and handed over to Kenya’s Ministry of Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture in August 2017. It is 55m long, has a helicopter landing deck and has three davits for launching boats. It was seen during the ceremony armed with a 20 mm Oerlikon gun. Based at the Liwatoni Fisheries Complex in Mombasa, where the ceremony was held, the KCGS is tasked with protecting fisheries, enforcing maritime security and safety, preventing smuggling, protecting the maritime ecosystems, search and rescue, and supporting the military in times of war. (Source: IHS Jane’s)

16 Nov 18. Department of Defense Announces Fiscal Year 2018 Recruiting and Retention Numbers — End of Year Report. The Department of Defense today announced recruiting and retention statistics for the Active and Reserve Components for fiscal year 2018.

• Active Component.

o Recruiting. The data below represents the services’ cumulative monthly goals and monthly accessions/gains for FY 2018.

• Army Accessions: Goal 76,500; Attained 69,972 (91.47 percent/-6,528).
• Navy Accessions: Goal 39,000; Attained 39,018 (100.05 percent/+18).
• Marine Corps Accessions: Goal 31,556; Attained 31,567 (100.03 percent/+11).
• Air Force Accessions: Goal 29,450; Attained 30,343 (103.03 percent/+893).

o Quality. All components met their quality goals.

o Retention. All services exhibited strong retention for FY 2018.

• Reserve Component.
• Recruiting. The service data below represents the Reserve Components’ cumulative monthly goals and monthly gains for FY 2018. Two of the six Reserve Components met or exceeded their accession goals for FY 2018.
• Army NG Gains: Goal 44,342; Attained 34,629 (78.10 percent/-9,713).
• Army Reserve Gains: Goal 15,600; Attained 11,327 (72.61 percent/-4,273).
• Navy Reserve Gains: Goal 7,518; Attained 7,097 (94.40 percent/-421).
• Marine Corps Reserve Gains: Goal 8,990; 8,990 (100.00/+ 0).
• Air NG Gains: Goal 10,529; Attained 9,659 (91.74 percent/-870).
• Air Force Reserve Gains: Goal 5,282; Attained 7,193 (136.18 percent/+1,911).
• Quality. All Reserve Components met or exceeded the DOD quality benchmarks.
• Attrition. The Army National Guard and Army Reserves experienced lower attrition rates than projected while the Navy Reserves experienced higher than projected attrition rates for the eleventh month (August) of fiscal year (FY) 2018. The Army National Guard, Army Reserves and Navy Reserves may finish the FY below 2018 end strength authorizations. These data lag by one month. (Source: US DoD)

14 Nov 18. House leaders appoint new members to AI commission. The United States National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence is beginning to take shape as leaders from the House Armed Services Committee recently announced two new appointments to the new panel.

Rep. Mac Thornberry, R.-Texas, the committee’s chairman, and Rep. Adam Smith, D.-Wash., the committee’s ranking member, appointed Eric Schmidt and Eric Horvitz, respectively, to the bipartisan commission Nov. 14.

The commission was created by National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019 to “review advances in artificial intelligence, related machine learning developments, and associated technologies.”

Schmidt is the chairman of the Defense Innovation Board and a technical adviser to the board of Alphabet, where he was formerly the executive chairman. Alphabet, which is the parent company of Google and several former Google subsidiaries, is known for its heavy investments in the AI and machine learning domain. Prior to the establishment of Alphabet, Schmidt served as the chairman and chief executive officer of Google Inc. and was a member of President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisers on Science from 2009-2017.

Horvitz is a technical fellow and director of Microsoft Research Labs, and served as president of the Association for the Advancement of AI. Horvitz has also served on advisory committees for DARPA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Allen Institute for AI. Horvitz is the co-founder and board chair of the Partnership on AI to Support People and Society, where he has focused on ethical, legal, and safety issues related to the influences of AI advances on people and society.

The commission will ultimately be comprised of 15 members, appointed by the chairmen and ranking members of relevant congressional committees and by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Commerce. No other appointments to the committee have been announced. The committee’s initial report on its findings is due in February 2019. The report is expected to make recommendations for congress and the executive branch regarding artificial intelligence, machine learning, and associated technologies, including how to more effectively organize the federal government around them. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)

15 Nov 18. Pentagon Announces Force Optimization. The Department of Defense announced today the realignment of Counter-Violent Extremist Organization personnel operating in U.S. Africa Command to support priorities outlined in the National Defense Strategy. Over the next several years, the realignment projects a reduction of less than 10 percent of the 7,200 military forces serving in Africa Command.  Optimization preserves the majority of U.S. security cooperation partnerships and programs in Africa to strengthen partner networks, enhance partner capability and support ongoing programs.  C-VEO activities in several areas, including Somalia, Djibouti and Libya largely remain the same. In other regions, such as West Africa, emphasis shifts from tactical assistance to advising, assisting, liaising, and sharing intelligence. Overall, optimization efforts retain the flexibility to adjust, as required, to maintain a competitive posture in a dynamic, global environment. (Source: US DoD)

U.S. APPOINTMENTS

14 Nov 18. The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) announced Karin Soyster Fitzgerald as the foundation’s new chief operating officer, filling a senior leadership position that oversees all of the non-profit organization’s internal operations. Her first day is expected to be Nov. 28. USGIF is a nonprofit non-lobbying educational foundation dedicated to supporting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and works frequently with employees from the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. It describes its mission at being to “develop a stronger community of interest between government, industry, academia, professional organizations and individuals who share a mission focused around the development and application of geospatial intelligence to address national security objectives.” In her new role, Fitzgerald will provide day-to-day leadership and “contribute to the development of USGIF’s strategic goals,” according to a USGIF press release. Fitzgerald most recently served as the chief operations officer and deputy executive director of the International Association of Fire Chiefs from 2012 to 2017. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)

15 Nov 18. USAF Maj. Gen. David W. Allvin for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as director for strategy, plans, and policy, J-5, Joint Staff; and for appointment as a senior member of the Military Staff Committee of the United Nations, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia. Allvin is currently serving as vice director for strategy, plans, and policy, J-5, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Vito E. Addabbo has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Addabbo is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, USAF Global Strike Command, Barksdale USAF Base, Louisiana.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Maureen G. Banavige has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Banavige is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, USAF Sustainment Center, USAF Materiel Command, Tinker USAF Base, Oklahoma.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Brian K. Borgen has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Borgen is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the director of operations, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. John P. Healy has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Healy is currently serving as the director of assessments and analysis; and advisor on Reserve Component Affairs, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. John A. Hickok has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Hickok is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support, Headquarters USAF, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Jay D. Jensen has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Jensen is currently serving as the director of plans, programs and requirements, Office of the USAF Reserve, Headquarters U.S. USAF, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Linda M. Marsh has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Marsh is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, USAF Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson USAF Base, Ohio.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Todd J. McCubbin has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. McCubbin is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, Third USAF, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Tyler D. Otten has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Otten is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, Seventh USAF, Pacific USAFs, Osan Air Base, South Korea.

15 Nov 18. USAF Brig. Gen. Boyd C. L. Parker IV has been nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. Parker is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, Eighteenth USAF, Air Mobility Command, Scott USAF Base, Illinois.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Elizabeth E. Arledge has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Arledge is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the assistant chief of staff, strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, Headquarters U.S. USAF, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. John J. Bartrum has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Bartrum is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, USAF Medical Operations Agency, Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, Texas.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Matthew J. Burger has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Burger is currently serving as the commander, 452d Air Mobility Wing, USAF Reserve Command, March Air Reserve Base, California.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Kenneth R. Council Jr. has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Council is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), Air Mobility Command, Scott USAF Base, Illinois.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Derin S. Durham has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Durham is currently serving as the commander, 439th Airlift Wing, USAF Reserve Command, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Anita L. Fligge has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Fligge is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the Chief of the Nurse Corps, Office of the Surgeon General, Headquarters U.S. USAF, Falls Church, Virginia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Paul R. Fast has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Fast is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, U.S. USAFs Japan and Fifth USAF, U.S. Pacific USAFs, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Christopher A. Freeman has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Freeman is currently serving as the reserve deputy director of operations (J-3), U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Florida.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Constance L. Jenkins has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Jenkins is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, USAF Materiel Command, Hill USAF Base, Utah.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Paul E. Knapp has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Knapp is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the director of operations, Headquarters USAF Global Strike Command, Barksdale USAF Base, Louisiana.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Douglas S. Martin has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Martin is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, USAF Research Laboratory, USAF Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson USAF Base, Ohio.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Jody A. Merritt has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Merritt is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, USAF Space Command, Los Angeles USAF Base, California.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. John M. Olson has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Olson is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, USAF Nuclear Weapons Center, USAF Materiel Command, Kirtland USAF Base, New Mexico.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Stacey L. Scarisbrick has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Scarisbrick is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the associate director of logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. USAF, The Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. David W. Smith has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Smith is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the director, operational capability requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. USAF, Washington, District of Columbia.

15 Nov 18. USAF Col. Roger P. Suro has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Suro is currently serving as the commander, 442d Fighter Wing, USAF Reserve Command, Whiteman USAF Base, Missouri.

INDUSTRY

INDUSTRY TEAMINGS

21 Nov 18. Cobham Welcomes QinetiQ to their ASDOT Team. Cobham, with its unique pedigree as the MoD’s partner for operational readiness training for the last 30 years, today announced that QinetiQ will join Draken International and 3SDL as a member of the Cobham team to develop solutions for the delivery of operational readiness training under the UK MoD’s Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) programme. The introduction of QinetiQ to the Cobham team will bring additional innovative synthetic and aerial target technology further balancing the Cobham team’s capability across the Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) domains. QinetiQ’s clear pedigree in test, evaluation and certification will add increased assurance and safety expertise to the ASDOT programme, by de-risking the introduction of complex new platforms to meet the MoD’s requirements. The addition of QinetiQ, combined with Draken International’s capability to provide world-leading 5th generational adversary air services and 3SDL as the UK’s leading provider of close air support and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance experimentation and emulation, presents a Cobham team, which is not only able to fully meet the MoD requirements under the ASDOT programme, but also has the strength and depth to be able to adapt to the MoD’s future LVC requirements as they evolve.

PERSONNEL

EUROPE APPOINTMENTS

21 Nov 18. Airbus names finance, operations chiefs amid major overhaul. Airbus (AIR.PA) on Wednesday named new financial and operations chiefs as part of a complete leadership overhaul as it emerges from months of internal strife caused by legal problems and delays in meeting record output goals. The European planemaker appointed Dominik Asam, finance director of German chipmaker Infineon Technologies (IFXGn.DE), as its next chief financial officer to replace fellow German Harald Wilhelm. Airbus is in the midst of a two-year management overhaul driven by a combination of high-level retirements and concerns over the impact of ongoing bribery investigations, which have overshadowed years of succession planning and damaged sales. Asam, an engineer and former Siemens executive who began his career at Goldman Sachs, will join Airbus on April 1. Wilhelm will stay in his role until the annual shareholder meeting 10 days later, the company said. (Source: Reuters)

21 Nov 18. Security & Counter Terror Expo (SCTX) 2019, the UK’s leading national security event for private and public sector security professionals, will return to Olympia, London from 5-6 March with the backing of a top-brass advisory board. Having garnered support from a plethora of industry associations, experts and policy makers including the National Police Chiefs Council and the Cabinet Office, the show organiser has announced the introduction of some of the industry’s leading security experts – who will join the 2019 SCTX advisory board to act as special advisors and advocates for the show in March.

Joining the advisory board for the 11th edition of SCTX, former Metropolitan Police Commander – Mak Chishty; Alistair Bunkall – Sky News’ Defence & Security Correspondent; Terri Nicholson, a former senior leadership team-member of the National Crime Squad and SOCA and current VP for International Security at Viacom.; and Scott Wilson, former UK National Co-ordinator for Protect and Prepare at National Counter Terrorism HQ Scotland Yard and a SO15 Senior Investigation Officer, all join the seven-strong board to offer top-level insights from the world of security and counter-terror.

Speaking about SCTX 2019, Scott Wilson said: “As the threats from domestic terrorism continue to pose new questions about the best way to react to and deal with them, we must not forget the importance of integrating our best trained professionals to deal with crisis situations. SCTX is a great place for industry and government to do this, and I hope by being part of the advisory board, it gives me the platform to promote the importance of connectivity, skills and information sharing”

Returning to the panel, former head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command – Richard Walton, will provide top-level insights from the world of counter-terror. Walton will be joined by Richard Barrett, one of the leading experts on terrorism and lead of the Al-Qaeda and Taliban Monitoring Team at the United Nations (UN) from 2004 to 2012. In his tenure with the UN, he established the UN Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force, through an initial working group.

Speaking about his experience on the 2018 board, Barrett – Director of The Global Strategy Network, a group of policy makers and practitioners working to increase social cohesion and community resilience against violent extremism – said: “At SCTX 2018, I had the great pleasure and honour to introduce and moderate a fantastic line up of security practitioners and policy makers from Europe and North America. They provided a rarely available and frank inside look at the challenges and requirements of the government sector dealing with counter terrorism. It is only through listening and talking to top level practitioners and policy makers at SCTX that we can be sure that our proposals are relevant to the problem and within the resources and policy parameters of our clients.”

Finishing the line-up for the advisory board, Commander Robert James Broadhurst, OBE, QPM, former Olympic Gold Command in the 2012 London Olympics, returns to offer his invaluable insights into crowd control and crisis management. Bob Broadhurst said: “SCTX has grown and developed every year, it’s always looking at the big picture. It attracts some of the world’s most prolific experts to share their insights. SCTX, in line with the agenda of the UK police force, has moved towards an all-inclusive ‘whole society’ approach”.

For the 11th edition, SCTX will bring together over 10,000 senior security professionals from 100+ countries to learn, network and debate the latest challenges in national security, SCTX 2019 will offer a world-class showcase of the capabilities, strategies and intelligence to keep nations, infrastructure, business and people safe.

Tracy Bebbington, Event Director – Clarion Defence & Security, said: “SCTX provides an invaluable platform where security professionals can discover the latest tactics and technologies to prepare for and prevent future attacks. In the face of increasing threats and terrorism, we’re honoured to welcome our new advisory board members who will provide valuable insight throughout the 2019 show campaign, building on the show’s position as an essential facet of the security and counter terror community.”

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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.

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