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15 Dec 23. Austin Embarks on Multiday Trip to Middle East. This weekend, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III embarks on a multiday trip to the Middle East with stops in Israel, Qatar and Bahrain. The trip also includes a visit to the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is underway now in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
In Israel, Austin will underscore the unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law, and he will also discuss steps Israel is taking to mitigate civilian harm.
The secretary is also expected to discuss with Israeli military leaders what are to be the next steps in the conflict after an eventual cessation of high-intensity ground operations and airstrikes, said a senior defense official at the Pentagon today.
” has been having discussions with his Israeli counterparts the entire time about the different phases of their campaign, how they assess the different phases of their campaign, and what their operational milestones are in order to feel that their population can be secure enough given their stated objective of the military dismantlement of Hamas,” the official said. “He wants to talk to them about how you move through those different phases.”
While the conflict between Israel and Hamas is an Israeli campaign and it will ultimately be Israeli’s decision on how to move to the next phase of operations, Austin is interested in learning more about their plans going forward, the official said.
“It’s for to determine when they assess that Hamas has been sufficiently degraded that they can shift to the next phase of their campaign,” the official said. “We, as the Department of Defense, and Secretary Austin in particular, I think, incredibly valuable perspectives on this and that’s what he wants to consult with them about.”
In Bahrain, Austin is expected to visit U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Part of the discussions there between the U.S. and Bahrain will involve U.S. efforts to convene multilateral coalitions to respond to aggression at sea that threatens shipping and the global economy.
“We will talk with them in a multinational framework about the work we’re doing, particularly in light of increasing Houthi aggression in the Red Sea,” the official said.
Since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, the official said Qatar has played a critical role in helping the U.S. communicate with Hamas. That effort was critical in securing the agreement for the release of some hostages. Qatar was also recently named a “major non-NATO ally” of the U.S. and plays host to U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base. The secretary will visit that installation.
“Secretary Austin will express our gratitude to Qatar’s national leaders for their partnership and their work with us on a range of regional and global objectives,” the official said. He will also discuss with Qataris the upgrades they’re investing in at Al Udeid.
Another part of this trip, the official said, is a visit to the Ford.
“Secretary Austin wants to visit with the troops on that carrier,” the official said. “They are missing the holidays with their families, and they have done an incredible service — not only for our country, but for the region.”
The Ford, like the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, is in the Middle East now as part of the U.S. effort to make it clear that neither state or nonstate actors should hope to escalate the ongoing conflict beyond Gaza.
“What this visit to the Ford is about is an acknowledgment that we demonstrated what the National Defense Strategy means,” the official said. “The Department of Defense retains the capability to dynamically and expeditiously flow force into any theater in response to a crisis or contingency while maintaining our commitments in other theaters. And that is exactly what we’ve done.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
15 Dec 23. Point-of-Need Manufacturing Challenge Demonstrates Technologies for Cold Weather Combat Effectiveness.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program showcased technologies that will keep servicemembers combat effective in extreme temperatures during a technology demonstration Dec. 4 -8 at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, New Hampshire.
The event, which ManTech held with support from the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, featured technologies generated by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Innovation Institute member companies that won the Point-of-Need Manufacturing Challenge held in March by proposing solutions to the Department’s operational constraints in extreme cold temperatures.
The six project demonstrations exhibited systems that could be deployed in a cold weather environment, closing supply chain gaps and enabling warfighters to manufacture and use critical equipment on demand in the harshest environments. The technologies were tested by members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and Army National Guard. The technology featured in the event was manufactured using the following processes:
- Circuit Card Repair and Medical Brace Additive Manufacturing
- Cold Spray Metal Additive Manufacturing
- Metal Additive Manufacturing
- Blood On-Demand
- Therapeutic Agent Delivery System, a system that enables vaccines, medicine, and nutrition delivery to warfighters
- Cybersecurity for manufacturing systems including robotics and AM equipment
Defense officials from partner nations joined senior civilian and military leaders from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, military services, defense agencies, and Army National Guard to observe the event, underscoring the Pentagon’s priority to deliver cutting edge technology to the joint force.
“We don’t fight alone”, said Army Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight, the Vermont National Guard’s Adjutant General. “The partnerships are key.”
Other leaders who attended the event included Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology Dr. Steven Wax, DEVCOM deputy commanding general, Brig. Gen. David Trybula, and DOD ManTech Director Tracy Frost, who congratulated the developers on their accomplishments advancing defense technologies to meet the warfighters needs.
“Material performance in the cold is different,” said Wax. “We must understand this to adapt to support current operations.”
The Point of Need challenge winners have proven to be champions of research and innovation and are helping to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Ensuring the security of our nation requires providing the warfighter with a robust toolset in all environments.
“We don’t want ‘home games,’ which is why we prepare to operate in all environments,” Trybula said.
The members of the MIIs demonstrated rapid innovative solutions to challenging warfighter requirements. ManTech is investing nearly $2.5 million, while industry partners are contributing close to $700,000 in cost share. The technologies showcased at the event included:
Portable Manufacturing Station for a Self-Administrable Injectable Applicator
- MII: BioFabUSA; Manchester, N.H.
- Prime: DEKA Integrated Solutions; Manchester, N.H.
DEKA has developed a novel, hollow-microneedle-based intradermal delivery applicator for self-administering therapeutic agents. Through the DOD grant, DEKA will further the development of a portable, rugged manufacturing station that can fill the required therapeutic agent at a forward-operating base and then send the applicator forward to warfighters to administer vaccines and other needed therapeutic agents. This portable manufacturing station enables the low-cost, quick, and effective administration of needed therapeutic agents for viruses, allergens, and emerging threats without the need for skilled medical personnel in the field. A less-rugged version of this same manufacturing station can be used in a just-in-time manufactured hub-and-spoke distribution system to serve civilian needs across the United States.
Austere nField Repair
- MII: NextFlex; San Jose, Calif.
- Prime: nScrypt; Orando, Fla.
Using the nRugged™ tool, an integrated and rugged “factory in a box,” the project employs additive electronics and mechanical part manufacturing to replace and repair damaged hardware at austere points of need. Ultimately, nScrypt will demonstrate four stages of functionality: fabricating a replacement electronic printed circuit board, repairing a damaged printed circuit board, 3D printing a replacement mechanical part, and manufacturing a customized biomedical brace.
Intrepid Expeditionary 3D Printer
- MII: America Makes; Youngstown, Ohio
- Prime: Craitor; San Diego, Calif.
The Intrepid Expeditionary 3D Printer can print critical parts in the field. This project, led by Craitor, will utilize current capabilities as the foundation to de-risk manufacturing at the point of need through established standards and procedures and to form a framework for future manufacturing ecosystems. The project will occur over five phases with the objective of improving the confidence of operators, reducing the risk for prime manufacturers, and increasing the investment in the digital ecosystem by existing original equipment manufacturers.
Securing the Digital Backbone with Corsha’s Zero-Trust Platform for Machines
- MII: ARM; Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Prime: Corsha; Vienna, Va.
The Corsha platform manages cybersecurity challenges by addressing security limitations and providing zero-trust network access, even to legacy manufacturing equipment, thereby mitigating the risk of a security breach by implementing an additional, out-of-band layer of access control.
Demonstration of Use of Sciperio Austere Bioreactor to Produce Blood in a Forward Environment from CONUS Cryopreserved Starting Material
- MII: BioFabUSA; Manchester, N.H.
- Prime: Safi Biotherapeutics; Cambridge, Mass.
The ability to “manufacture” blood on demand and near the point of conflict eliminates both source and logistics concerns. This program leverages the current On-Demand Blood Program awarded to Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and demonstrates the ability to deliver cryopreserved blood precursor cells that transport in a fraction of the volume of blood bags (think 1,000 units in an ammo box), and expansion and manufacture of blood on-site in an austere-capable bioreactor.
Expeditionary Manufacturing Unit for Battlefield Repair and Readiness
- MII: LIFT; Detroit, Mich.
- Prime: SPEE3D; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and Wilmington, Del.
SPEE3D’s 3D Metal Printing Technology is an industry proven, military tested, expeditionary, all-in-one solution. The system uses existing cold spray technology to create complex 3D parts quickly. SPEE3D’s technology has been demonstrated in operations in hot and hot-humid environments, including work with the United Kingdom and Australian militaries, the U.S. Navy Repair Technology Exercise 2022, and the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence 2022. The project goal is to successfully 3D-print metal parts in a sub-freezing environment that is equivalent in quality to the same parts printed, on the same technology, in a lab environment.
The DOD ManTech Program comprises investment programs operated out of the U.S. Military Services, Defense Logistics Agency, Missile Defense Agency, and OSD.
The OSD ManTech office is responsible for administering the DOD ManTech Program and manages two investment portfolios: the Manufacturing Science and Technology Program, and the DOD MIIs. The charter of these public-private partnerships is to advance research and development to promote innovation while modernizing U.S. military capabilities; grow manufacturing ecosystems to enhance the Nation’s competitiveness; and further education and workforce development for the jobs of the future. (Source: U.S. DoD)
15 Dec 23. Seal of approval: US Congress authorises Virginia Class submarine transfer to Australia.
The US Congress has passed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and authorised the transfer of three Virginia Class submarines to Australia for the first time in US history.
The NDAA will establish a national exemption for Australia and the United Kingdom from US defence export control licensing and adds Australia and the United Kingdom to the US Defense Production Act.
Specifically, the NDAA authorises two in-service and one off the production line Virginia Class submarine to Australia to ensure there is no gap in Australia’s critical submarine capability in the lead-up to delivering Australian-built SSN-AUKUS from the early 2040s. Australia will retain the option to seek congressional approval for the purchase of up to two more Virginia Class submarines.
The act authorises the maintenance of US submarines by Australians in Australia to coincide with increased port visits by UK and US nuclear-powered submarines and a rotational presence from as early as 2027 under Submarine Rotational Force West. The most complex maintenance activity on a US nuclear-powered submarine in Australia to date is planned at HMAS Stirling in the second half of 2024.
Hours after the initial US Senate approval, the US House of Representatives also reportedly approved the transfer of submarines to Australia.
The federal government welcomes the significant and tangible steps the US Congress and the Biden administration have taken to deliver on its commitment to both Pillar I and Pillar II of AUKUS, said Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
“The US Congress has provided unprecedented support to Australia in passing the National Defense Authorization Act, which will see the transfer of submarines and streamlined export control provisions, symbolising the strength of our alliance and our shared commitment to the AUKUS partnership,” he said.
“We are on the precipice of historic reform that will transform our ability to effectively deter, innovate, and operate together.
“AUKUS is a game changer for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States – the legislation passed by US Congress will enhance our individual and collective capacity to support security, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
“I thank the United States Congress for their support for AUKUS.”
In addition, Australian contractors are authorised to train in US shipyards to support the development of Australia’s submarine industrial base.
A mechanism will be established for the US to accept funds from Australia to lift the capacity of the submarine industrial base, allowing US capacity to meet demand to deliver Virginia Class submarines to Australia as soon as possible.
A national exemption from US export control licencing requirements is authorised and complemented by the Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2023, introduced into the Australian Parliament by the Australian federal government on 30 November 2023, and will allow the transfer of controlled goods and technology between Australia, the UK, and the US without the need for an export licence.
Directs expedited decision making for foreign military sales and exports not covered by the national exemption. This includes a pre-clearance list and expedited decision process for foreign military sales and a maximum of 45 days for a decision on exports not covered by the national exemption. This will expedite the delivery of critical defence capability.
The act adds Australia and the United Kingdom to Title III of the US Defense Production Act. This act allows the US government to incentivise its industrial base to expand the production and supply of critical materials and goods. Australia’s addition will open new opportunities for Australia-based industry to directly compete for business with the US government.
Earlier this weekend, senior US Defense leaders met with Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy at the Pentagon on 13 December.
Department of Defense leaders Dr William LaPlante, Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, and performing the duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Dr Mara Karlin, hosted Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry to discuss the global security environment and opportunities for further collaboration.
Officials also discussed US support for Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance Enterprise (GWEO).
“Australia’s alliance with the United States is unprecedented in scale, scope and significance, underscored by this momentous day for the AUKUS partnership, which demonstrates the historic AUKUS agreement is being implemented at pace,” according to Minister Conroy.
“The congressional approval of the National Defense Authorization Act brings us closer to realising a generational opportunity to ensure Australia is best equipped to not only protect Australians and their interests but to also support stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.
“Crucially, the passage of the NDAA will revolutionise and enable unprecedented levels of collaboration, scientific, technological and industrial cooperation and co-development and paves the way for Australia to continue to build up its sovereign workforce capacity.”
(Source: Defence Connect)
14 Dec 23. CNN reported tonight that the House has passed a sweeping defense policy bill that includes 5.2% pay raise for members of the military. The House voted Thursday to pass a critical defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets the policy agenda and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense annually.
The bill will next be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The Senate passed the bill Wednesday. The House vote was 310 to 118 with 73 Republicans and 45 Democrats opposing the bill.
The final negotiated version of the NDAA for fiscal year 2024 authorizes $886bn in national defense funding, an increase of $28bn over last year.
The sweeping legislation authorizes a 5.2% pay raise for members of the military – the largest raise for service members in more than two decades – as part of a wide range of provisions related to service member pay and benefits, housing and childcare.
In a move that sparked anger from some lawmakers, the bill will also include a short-term extension of a controversial law that permits warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals. Supporters argue it is a critical tool for safeguarding national security, but it has come under criticism from some lawmakers over alleged misuse.
The law, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, enables the US government to obtain intelligence by collecting communications records of foreign persons based overseas who are using US-based communications services.
The searches are governed by a set of internal rules and procedures designed to protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties, but critics say that loopholes allow the FBI to search the data it collects for Americans’ information – as opposed to from foreign adversaries – without proper justification.
Tensions have flared on Capitol Hill over the issue with some conservative Republicans expressing significant frustration over the extension’s inclusion in the defense policy bill. The extension will run through April 19.
Congressional leaders have said that they hope to negotiate consensus legislation to make changes to FISA authorities aimed at preventing abuse that could pass both chambers in the new year.
According to a summary of the bill from the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee, the bill would also put in place a watchdog to oversee US aid to Ukraine in the form of a special inspector general as well as set up a collection at the National Archives of government records on unidentified anomalous phenomena, commonly known as UFOs, that will be accessible to the public.
The legislation does not include two controversial provisions related to abortion and transgender health care access, which were in the House defense policy bill that passed this summer. (Source: CNN)
14 Dec 23. Air Force Global Strike Command Establishes New Directorate. Air Force Global Strike Command recently stood up a new directorate, AFGSC/A10, the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Modernization Directorate, at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
This directorate is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the activities of the Air Force in support of the deployment of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM weapon system and the retirement of the LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM weapon system.
“Section 1638 of the [Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act] directed the establishment of the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Site Activation Task Force within Air Force Global Strike Command,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, AFGSC commander. “Brig. Gen. Colin Connor will lead the ICBM Modernization Directorate [AFGSC/A10], which organizationally consists of a Sentinel Operating Location team, a Sentinel Requirements Division, and a Sentinel Operations Division. I have absolute confidence that he and the entire A10 team will prepare the command for one of the most critical upgrades to our nation’s deterrence capabilities in history.”
Connor stepped into his role in August of this year and says he is excited about his new position, leading the new organization, and the Sentinel project as a whole.
“The Sentinel project is a monumental one for the United States,” Connor said. “It aims to field 400 missiles, modernize 450 silos and more than 600 facilities across almost 40,000 square miles of U.S. territory over six states, three operational wings and a test location, to replace the Minuteman III ICBM weapon system. I am honored to be part of the team that shapes the ICBM enterprise for the future nuclear community.”
The weapon system overhaul will take place in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, California, Colorado, and Nebraska over the next 20 years. All components of the previous weapon system will be replaced, including the motors, interstages, propulsion system rocket engine, and missile guidance set. The number, size, configuration, and design of the nuclear warheads provided by the Department of Energy will remain unchanged.
With nuclear deterrence as the Department of Defense’s top priority mission, the standup of the A10 directorate represents one of the first steps in ensuring the United States’ nuclear capability is strong enough to withstand any threat to the United States and its allies. The work the directorate accomplishes over the coming years will ensure the Sentinel weapon system is the most cost-effective option for maintaining a safe, secure, and effective land-based leg of the nuclear triad and would extend its capabilities through 2075. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Air Force Global Strike Command)
13 Dec 23. GAO: No clear picture for F-35 Block 4 cost growth and delays.
The world’s most sophisticated platform will be far less survivable than anticipated due to the US Government’s Block 4 mismanagement.
In its fifth year of the Block 4 modernisation programme for the world’s most advanced platform, the US Department of Defense (DoD) is facing major delays and cost growth as it tries to ensure the systems used in the F-35 Lightning II multi-role aircraft are fully functional.
Originally due to be completed in 2026 and determined to cost $10.6bn, the Block 4 programme has risen to $16.5bn and is now estimated to conclude in 2029, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reiterated, already having voiced concern in May 2023.
Ultimately, Block 4 addresses new threats to the aircraft since the DoD’s original requirements more than two decades ago. These Block 4 capabilities require more power and cooling than anticipated, which has prompted the DoD to modernise the overworked F135 engine.
As a result of new demands in a different technological era, the DoD has added extra capabilities nearly every year since Block 4 began – leading to the aircraft’s capabilities growing from 66 to 80.
Fundamentally, the problem with the modernisation programme is that the DoD has not been able to distinguish its higher-than-expected costs, leaving the US Congress with no clear picture of why demands and costs have spiked.
DoD Block 4 management failure
F-35s are a family of strike fighter aircraft that integrate stealth technology with advanced sensors and networking capabilities.
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The US Government plans to acquire 2,470 F-35s to replace several other aircraft used by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. As of December 2023, the programme has delivered 900 aircraft to the armed forces and foreign military sales customers.
Now due to the government’s mismanagement – largely due to the Department’s inability to implement methods of monitoring the inflating programme – the fleet are far less survivable than anticipated. In that sense, there is no use investing in such a highly sophisticated concept when the platform cannot keep up to operate its next-generation systems.
(Source: airforce-technology.com)
13 Dec 23. F-35 engine upgrade money could run out in months if budget not passed. The Pentagon’s program to upgrade the F-35′s engines could start to run out of money early next year if a budget is not passed in time, officials told lawmakers Tuesday.
The Engine Core Upgrade program, which seeks to give the fighter jet’s current Pratt & Whitney-made F135 engines more power, thrust and cooling ability, has enough money to last through roughly February, F-35 program executive officer Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt said in a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces.
But beyond that, “if we don’t get appropriations, I’m in a rough spot in a couple of months,” Schmidt said.
The Pentagon budgeted $75 m for the Engine Core Upgrade, or ECU, program for fiscal 2023; its proposed budget for fiscal 2024 would increase that to more than $400 m.
But since the new fiscal year began two and a half months ago, the Pentagon has operated under continuing resolutions that keep funding programs at 2023 levels. This has meant the ECU program has not yet received its expected budget increase and is now limited to last year’s funding, Schmidt said.
“We’re supposed to be ramping up [spending in ECU] significantly this year,” Schmidt said. “We’re capped at that level, and then we’re actually at risk of it running out if we don’t have an appropriation soon.”
Pratt & Whitney declined to comment to Defense News on how another continuing resolution would affect the engine program’s timeline or budget.
The engine core upgrade and its greater power and cooling ability is needed to allow future modernizations for the F-35, particularly the upcoming improvements known as Block 4. Those upgrades will allow the jet to carry more weapons, new sensors, and better electronic warfare and target recognition capabilities.
The Pentagon expects to start issuing the first in a series of sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney in the second quarter of fiscal 2024, and continue through the end of 2031. A company executive in December 2022 estimated the cost of ECU’s development at $2.4bn.
Schmidt told reporters after the hearing that running out of money would be “not good at all” for ECU’s ability to stay on schedule, though an exact timeline is not set because the program is in its nascent stage.
Pratt & Whitney said in November it wants to start delivering ECU’s increased power capabilities in 2029. But Schmidt said Tuesday he’s unsure whether that date is feasible, adding that the program has not yet reached the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
“If [my director of propulsion] told me I’m going to field in October of [20]29, I’d be like: ‘You’ve got 1,000 things to prove to me before I’m signing up to that date,’” Schmidt said.
Pratt & Whitney expects to finish ECU’s preliminary design in December 2023, and noted the government’s review will take place about a month later.
Schmidt also raised concerns about the effect on Pratt & Whitney’s workforce of 600 that it assigned to the engine upgrade project. If the firm lost engineers due to a lack of funds, Schmidt said, it would be difficult to replace those employees.
“Especially in the environment that we’re in today, engineers are a premium” skill set, Schmidt said. “We have to make sure we keep them — not just at Pratt, I’m talking across the board. These [continuing resolutions] are a significant impact to the [Defense Department]. When we lose people … whether it’s in the government or in industry, getting them back is really, really hard.”
Bill LaPlante, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told lawmakers that the Pentagon may have to rethink its funding strategy for ECU if money starts to run out early next year.
A related effort to upgrade the F-35′s power thermal management system, which would allow future improvements to the aircraft, is also sorely in need of increased funding to begin, Schmidt said. That technology uses the “bleed air” from the F-35′s engines to cool systems such as weapons and radar.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., questioned the Pentagon’s decision to upgrade the F-35′s current engines instead choosing a new, so-called adaptive engine for the jet. GE Aerospace created such an engine, the XA100, under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program, which the Pentagon seriously considered for the F-35.
“If I’m in the jet and I’m the fighter pilot, I want the engine that takes me faster and takes me longer,” Gimenez said.
While LaPlante noted the Adaptive Engine Transition Program’s technology successfully delivered a 30% improvement in engine efficiency, and that he hopes developments continue, the department could not afford to fund an engine that it was only certain could work in the Air Force’s F-35A variant.
The Pentagon concluded GE’s engine would not fit in the Marine Corps’ F-35Bs and may not fit in the Navy’s F-35Cs, thus the department chose the F135 upgrade.
Logistics in jeopardy
The Pentagon has also paused negotiations with F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin on a performance-based logistics deal for the aircraft, after costs came in higher than expected and time started to run out on extending a standard sustainment contract.
Lockheed Martin has for years pushed for such a performance-based logistics deal, or PBL, saying it would save the government money, quicken repairs and increase the availability of spare parts. PBL deals mean contractors are paid on expected performance outcomes, not for discrete parts and services, as occurs under a typical transactional contract.
But before the Pentagon can enter into such a contract, lawmakers in 2022 required it to first show a PBL would either lower costs or improve aircraft readiness over the current annual sustainment contract for the F-35.
This current contract, which covers 2021 to 2023 and was originally worth up to $6.6bn, has already been extended through March 2024, LaPlante said, and another extension to bring the contract through next June is in the works.
LaPlante added that the PBL proposal Lockheed submitted in June 2023, and then updated in October, didn’t hit the desired cost or performance targets. He also said tabletop exercises on sustainment in the Pacific region have shown that a PBL deal would need to be able to surge capability to the region in an emergency.
In a statement to Defense News, Lockheed said it is “disappointed” with the Pentagon’s decision, but pledged to keep working with the government and other F-35 customers to deliver the sustainment support and mission readiness they need.
“We continue to view performance-based logistics contracting as the primary way to increase part availability, readiness and affordability for the long term as the F-35 fleet scales,” Lockheed added.
Lockheed said it is still talking to the Pentagon about a potential PBL contract. But in case a deal can’t be reached, the company noted, it is working on an alternate deal that would take effect beginning July 2024.
When asked if that might be an updated version of the standard sustainment contract, Lockheed said it could not offer further details, but it is working with the JPO to figure out what the alternate contract solution would look like.
In his testimony, LaPlante did not close the door on striking a PBL deal with Lockheed, but noted his negotiations team had to shift focus and concentrate on extending the current contract to keep sustainment activities going.
“About a month ago, it was clear we were not going to get a [satisfactory] cost proposal with the performance that we’d feel comfortable with,” LaPlante said. “Simply, we were not going to approve a PBL that did not perform well and didn’t get the cost savings.”
“We have not given up on it, but we’ve got a lot of work to do there with industry,” he added.
For a PBL to work, LaPlante explained, it must last at least five years. Finding ways to measure how well a contractor is living up to its end of the bargain can also be tricky, he noted.
“Sometimes at the system level, performance-based logistics is very hard to do … if the contractor themselves or the program office doesn’t have control over the metric” used to evaluate performance, LaPlante said.
He added that the government plans to push for more of the F-35′s data from Lockheed Martin as part of its PBL negotiations.
Schmidt also said the F-35 program is closing in on a milestone C decision on full-rate production on the jet, now that a series of Joint Simulation Environment tests are finished. Those trials aimed to replicate complex, real-world scenarios the F-35 is likely to encounter in combat. The data will help LaPlante make the official decision on full-rate production, which he expects in March 2024.
However, Lockheed is already building F-35s near full capacity, meaning the effect of a full-rate production decision is likely to be muted. (Source: Defense News)
11 Dec 23. Congress poised to let Pentagon start programs before budget passes. The Defense Department would get limited authority to start working on urgent new programs before they are officially funded under a provision in the proposed fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
This legislative proposal, which the Air Force has strongly backed and refers to as “quickstart,” would allow services to start new programs or speed up existing efforts without Congress formally approving them. It’s meant to address the lengthy periods of time lost while services wait for lawmakers to pass their budgets — times during which the military can’t get started on new programs.
The final version of the NDAA, which House and Senate lawmakers hashed out in conference last week, would cap at $100m the spending allowed under this proposal. That is a combined total for all of the military services and comes in lower than the $300m included in the original proposal Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall backed earlier this year.
Before a service can use some of these funds to start a program, it will have to spell out to the defense secretary what the urgent or emergency national security need is, the cost, and why the program can’t wait until the budget is finished.
But while the slimmed-down quickstart provision is reduced from what the Air Force sought, service officials have indicated it would be welcome — particularly because House lawmakers originally didn’t include any form of it in their NDAA.
Andrew Hunter, the service’s acquisition chief, told Defense News in September the Senate’s inclusion of the quickstart provision was “wonderful,” calling the $100m it would authorize “a good start.”
However, Hunter noted the $100m would be divided among multiple services. If the competition for the money is “really intense,” he said, the Pentagon may want to revisit the proposal.
Hunter said at the time the quickstart proposal would let the service move forward with initial contract work and early-stage program activities, even if a budget has not yet passed. Kendall also told reporters in April the preliminary work the proposal would allow would include early requirements studies, risk reduction and design activities.
Hunter said this kind of early funding could help the Air Force with Project Venom, which would upgrade six F-16 fighters with autonomous software so the service can experiment with self-flying jets. Quickstart funding would allow the Air Force to start buying parts to modify the F-16s and pay for design and software work, he said.
Kendall said during a November discussion at the Center for a New American Security the quickstart provision wasn’t only designed for continuing resolutions — in which a fiscal year begins without a passed budget, forcing a department to operate under the previous year’s funding levels — but also the regular budget process.
Even the normal budgeting process costs the Air Force a year to 18 months in lost time on new programs, Kendall said, and CRs worsen that.
“All that time is time we’re ceding to China,” Kendall said. “We need to move quickly, and just giving away time that we could use doesn’t make any sense to me.” (Source: Defense News)
11 Dec 23. Minister for Defence Industry to visit USA for industry talks and annual Ministerial Development Dialogue. Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, will travel to the USA this week for industry and government-to-government talks on defence industry expansion and also on deeper cooperation on international development and the Pacific. Conroy is also Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
The strong relationship between the Australian and US defence industrial bases is vitally important to deliver a genuine capability edge, Conroy said in a statement. “During this visit, I will meet officials and industry leaders to discuss how we can further deepen this relationship.
“I look forward to discussing tangible next steps on Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO), and building on productive discussions at the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in July,” added Conroy. A key recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review, published earlier this year, was to accelerate and expand long-range strike and guided weapons stocks and to establish domestic missile manufacturing in Australia, said Conroy.
“This visit provides an opportunity to progress our shared commitment to co-produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) in our respective countries.”
The Minister will also meet key US counterparts in the US Administration and Congress, the World Bank and think tanks to further progress Australia-US cooperation on development and in the Pacific.
“I look forward to holding the annual Australia-United States Development Dialogue with USAID and making sure our two countries deliver effective, targeted and complementary aid.” (Source: https://www.ex2.com.au/news/)
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Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need. A CNIM Group Company
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