Defense Systems

DOD addresses urgent operational needs in Afghanistan

The Defense Department has managed to push through development in a short period of time a number of smaller programs designed to provide better protection for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, reports William Matthews of Defense News.

Defense Systems

Military simulation training may lead recruits to view war as a game

Video games used to train recruits for war could also be masking the reality of the battlefield and creating a kind of detachment for those who become involved in the real thing.

Defense Systems

Lawmaker seeks hearing over proposed Joint Forces Command closing

Congressional pressure continues to build over Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan to close the U.S. Joint Forces Command, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., which employs about 6,000.

Defense Systems

Inmarsat addresses expanding military broadband needs

Inmarsat plans to construct a substantially faster broadband service in response to the needs of government and other customers, reports Michael A. Taverna at Aviation Week.

Defense Systems

DISA prepares for new contracts, new responsibilities

The latest contracting activities, including a host-based security system, underscore the agency’s growing portfolio of responsibilities.

Defense Systems

DARPA plans a network of virtual satellites

DARPA revises its program to launch clusters of small, wirelessly connected mini satellites.

Defense Systems

New sensors hunt for fertilizer bombs in Afghanistan

A new military program under way in Afghanistan seeks to track fertilizer-based improvised explosive devices by sniffing them out from the air, reports Spencer Ackerman at Wired's Danger Room blog.

Defense Systems

DOD, Army Corps of Engineers falter on subcontracting metrics

The two agencies fail to find a number of reports on whether prime contractors met their goals for awarding subcontracts.

Defense Systems

Correction: Gates' planned cuts will make only small dent, analysts say

This article was corrected Aug. 18, 2010, to fix the spelling of the names of Daniel Goure and Robert Gates.

Defense Systems

Army accepts first air defense battery operations center

The Army has accepted delivery of the first mobile battery engagement operations center for integrated air and missile defense from Northrop Grumman Corp., company officials said Aug. 17.

Defense Systems

Multisource intelligence empowers battlefield superiority

Dan Allen, of Northrop Grumman Information Systems, makes the case for why multisource intelligence solutions, which include sensors and fused data, should be aligned with winning the war, not just high-value targets.

Defense Systems

GPS devices could put American soldiers at risk

Geotags in smart phones and cameras with GPS receivers, and a malware program that uploads a user's location every 15 minutes, are two examples of the potential, often unseen, threats from compromised devices.

Defense Systems

DLA awards contract for supply chain improvements

SAIC will help the Defense Department improve its supply chain management through a six-year prime contract from the Defense Logistics Agency that could be worth as much as $241 million.

Defense Systems

Bolden comments on employees, contractors at NASA IT Summit

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden spoke at the first-ever NASA IT Summit at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

Defense Systems

Retirement is on Defense secretary's radar

Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells Foreign Policy magazine he is looking at stepping down from the Pentagon helm next year, but avoids exact details.

Defense Systems

How to gain strategic advantage over cyber threats

We need to leap-frog the global state of the security industry and create the next generation of security products to achieve strategic cyber advantage, writes Kevin Coleman of the Technolytics Institute.

Defense Systems

The making of a stealth UAV

The next-generation of unmanned aerial vehicles will have stealth attributes and other capabilities that would give them a higher chance of survivability against ground and air threats on long-range strike missions, reports Colin Clark at DOD Buzz.

Defense Systems

NARA wants you to 'like' the Constitution

The National Archives and Records Administration has started a Facebook fan page for the U.S. Constitution.

Defense Systems

Unions fire back at Gates for insourcing about-face

The American Federation of Government Employees wants answers from Defense Secretary Robert Gates on how his plans to save DOD money will affect insourcing efforts and federal employees.

Defense Systems

Open network helped Haiti relief efforts

An unclassified U.S. government communications network helped coordinate disaster relief efforts after the Haiti earthquake.