Defense Systems

DOD to boost funding for battlefield ISR

Vowing to find a permanent home in the Defense Department’s budget for programs that directly support soldiers on the battlefront in Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the department is adding $2 billion to the department’s fiscal 2010 budget to boost intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts.

Defense Systems

Army gets help with FCS collaboration

The Army has awarded a $4.35 million task order to Alion Science and Technology Corp. to assist it with developing future combat systems.

Defense Systems

Gates wants to restructure Army FCS program

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says his department should eliminate the Army’s Future Combat Systems armored vehicles program in favor of a competition to supply new vehicles, Defense News reports.

Defense Systems

Gates: Larger workforce crucial to acquisition reform

The Defense Department will convert thousands of contractor employees to full-time government employees and hire a large number of additional acquisition professionals to improve the way it purchases military products and systems, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today.

Defense Systems

DNI, DOD launch secret spy satellite program

Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Defense Secretary Robert Gates signed a classified memo March 30 that would establish a program to build a multi-billion dollar, next-generation spy satellite network, DOD Buzz reports.

Defense Systems

Senate panel approves Carter as DOD acquisition chief

The Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1 approved three Obama administration nominees to assume top posts at the Defense Department, according to media reports.

Defense Systems

March to consolidation

A decade of Army IT backroom network consolidation comes to fruition in the Global Network Enterprise Construct.

Defense Systems

Defense Security Services gets program assistance

CACI International will provide program management and support services to the Defense Department's Defense Security Services agency.

Defense Systems

Navy awards contract for energy harvesters

The Navy has awarded a small-business innovation research contract to MicroStrain to develop a technology that can power wireless sensors on its aircraft.

Defense Systems

Army hires contractor for global ISR support

The Army has awarded a $22 million contract to CACI International Inc. to furnish support services for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

Defense Systems

Industry Recon

Raytheon unveils a troposcatter system, Lockheed Martin demonstrates a soldier exoskeleton, and General Dynamics introduces an all-weather laptop.

Defense Systems

JTRS: Networking the last tactical mile

Dennis Bauman, joint program executive officer for DOD’s Joint Tactical Radio System, discusses how the system will provide a powerful network for warfighters on the tactical edge of the battlefield.

Defense Systems

Tomorrow's network

The Air Force's vision for NetCents-2 is to establish a standards-based network infrastructure.

Defense Systems

Rifleman Radio offers combat lifeline

The first Rifleman Radios are scheduled to roll off the assembly line this July in a low rate of initial production, General Dynamics officials said.

Defense Systems

Soldier notebook serves as intelligence tool

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is continuing to push the development of the Tactical Ground Reporting system.

Defense Systems

The third collaboration button

Defense Information Systems Agency officials are laying the groundwork to develop a third collaboration platform that will incorporate and advance the most successful features of existing collaboration tools.

Defense Systems

DISA's path to enterprise services begins with e-mail

Defense Information Systems Agency officials think the path to ubiquitous network support for warfighters is in cloud computing.

Defense Systems

Unmanned vehicles break ranks

The new era of unmanned vehicles is redefining the nature of warfighting.

Defense Systems

Data packets

In a report, the Government Accountability Office outlines four key technology areas of the Army’s Future Combat Systems program that are still too immature to assure that they would be successful in the program’s current schedule.

Defense Systems

Unmanned aircraft get smarter

The refinement of unmanned aircraft used for surveillance and attack missions is resulting in systems that are faster, stealthier and smarter than their predecessors.