31 Aug 05. A local office of a General Dynamics subsidiary wants to add more than a dozen software developers, engineers and designers. The South Side location of C4 Systems, a maker of communications hardware and software for military and corporate clients, is set to expand by 30 percent, or 15 people, to meet growing customer demand, the company said.
25 Aug 05. 2,600 New Jobs for Florida In Base Shuffle. Florida is gaining about 2,600 jobs, new airplanes and new ships as a result of proposals approved by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, and the panel also took action that could reopen Jacksonville’s Cecil Field Naval Air Station. Jacksonville was the biggest winner. The commission voted to send 1,900 new jobs and five P-3 Orion squadrons to Jacksonville Naval Air Station and two ships and 400 sailors to Mayport Naval Station. (Source: Miami Herald,)
27 Aug 05. The base-closing commission voted Friday to keep open Air Force bases in South Dakota and New Mexico — rejecting the Pentagon’s
plans to close them — in a politically delicate task that has brought alternating sighs of relief and exasperation in communities across America. The panel also decided to keep Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station open and most of its personnel in place, while sending eight Stratotanker aircraft elsewhere. The commission wrapped up its review of the Defense Department’s plan to close and consolidate domestic military bases Saturday, having made changes that it acknowledged would save billions less than the Pentagon’s nearly $50bn estimated savings. (Source: AP)
30 Aug 05. Clyde jobs secured by investment. The Govan yard, where the investment will help secure jobs. More than £22.5m is to be invested to create 401 new jobs and safeguard 205 existing ones on the Clyde. The money from BAE Systems and government Regional Selective Assistance will be ploughed into BAE’s Govan and Scotstoun yards in Glasgow. The plans were announced by Enterprise Minister Nicol Stephen. He said the investment was designed to improve the longer term competitive position of the yards across a range of naval work. (Source: BBC)
24 Aug 05. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted today to shut down the Army base in Fort Monmouth, N.J.— home to many of the Army’s command and control and research and development programs. Fort Monmouth’s Communications Electronics Life Cycle Management Command; headquarters and elements of Program Executive Offices for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical and PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensor; and the Joint Network Management System Program Office are among the IT offices slated to relocate to the Aberdeen Proving Ground or to Fort Meade, both in Maryland. During a press conference today, Col. Ricki L. Sullivan, Fort Monmouth’s garrison commander, acknowledged it was a disheartening day for employees. But Sullivan stressed that the decision by the nine-member commission did not reflect a lack of appreciation for the work performed by personnel, but was based on transforming the Defense Department “into a more effective organization and to best serve our national defense, our warfighters and our taxpayers.” “For now, Fort Monmouth remains open. We continue to support the warfighter, and we continue to innovate and develop technologies to respond to warfighter needs,” Sullivan added.
Although seven commission members voted in favor of closing Fort Monmouth, they stipulated that the closing should not affect the programs that are supporting warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan.
31 Aug 05. On 26th August, as part of Thales UK’s ongoing commitment to in-country investment, Thales UK’s new towed sonar array manufacturing facility was officially opened by Rear Admiral Ric Cheadle CB, Director of Land & Maritime and Controller of the Navy. A number of important guests were in attendance including David Heath MP, Robert Walter MP, Colin Winder, Mayor of Wincanton, and senior representa