Cobham will upgrade and support key air traffic control systems and operations for the UK Ministry of Defence through to at least 2015, after being awarded three contracts totalling GBP12 million. The contracts include the Watchman Radar Viewing Unit and Airfield Radar Integration projects, where Cobham will continue to support existing installed equipment and the [...]
Archive | April, 2010
US DHS Critical Infrastructure: Chemical Security Update
The chemical security laws and regulations (click to download) information has been updated to reflect compliance activities related to the paperwork reduction act for the Chemical-Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS). In particular, the Infrastructure Security Compliance Division (ISCD) has provided a link to a notice soliciting comments for 30 days of an information collection request that will enable [...]
Cuban Aliens Rescued from Monito Island
Federal authorities rescued a group of approximately twelve Cubans left by migrant smugglers on the inhospitable Monito Island. The migrants were allegedly smuggled into Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic aboard an unidentified boat. A Park Ranger from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources called the Ramey Sector of the U.S. Border [...]
About the need for increased rail security
Report of the hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, chaired by senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), to examine the security of our nation’s railroads and other surface transportation networks. In light of a bombing on a commuter train in Russia that left 40 dead last month, Lautenberg called the hearing to [...]
DoD Proposes Conflicts-of-Interest Rule for Procurements
The U.S. Defense Department on April 22 released a long-anticipated proposed rule outlining how it will police conflicts of interest in procurement. The proposed rule on organizational conflicts of interest is part of the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, made law in May 2009. The act directed DoD to create consistent guidance on conflicts resulting [...]
SSI: KRONOS Radars will equip Peruvian “Aguirre” class frigates
SELEX Sistemi Integrati, a Finmeccanica company, has been awarded a contract with the Military Navy of Peru to supply two multifunctional surveillance radars KRONOS NV to be installed on board of the “Aguirre” class frigates (former-Lupo), once belonging to the Italian Navy. The system refers to a multifunctional radar, KRONOS NV, which can interface a [...]
French navy (EU NAVAL FORCE) captures six pirates
Six pirates have been arrested after they launched an attack on a French military supply ship by mistake off the coast of Somalia, the EU’s naval force said Wednesday. Pirates in two skiffs attacked the Somme ship overnight on Monday, about 300 kilometres off the coast of Somalia. The French fired back and the speedboats [...]
100421 AOS Newsletter
to read a news go to Atlantic Organization for Security http://aofs.org/ NEWS Arming Commercial Vessels to Combat Piracy ? : Navy Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa and of NATO’s Allied Joint Task Force Command Naples, told Pentagon reporters that the scope of the piracy problem is [...]
Arming Commercial Vessels to Combat Piracy ?
Navy Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa and of NATO’s Allied Joint Task Force Command Naples, told Pentagon reporters that the scope of the piracy problem is too great to be policed by military vessels alone and suggested that commercial vessels should arm themselves when traveling through pirate-infested [...]
DRS system for Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier
DRS Consolidated Controls Inc., a DRS Defense Solutions LLC business unitn a Finmeccanica Company, announced that it has been awarded a contract by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to design, qualify and manufacture the Gate Valve Actuator Controllers (GVAC) for the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). These controllers will operate gate valves used in the United States Navy’s [...]
Sikorsky, Lockheed team to bid for US presidential helicopter
Lockheed sees possible US Navy award in 2011 or 2012 Lockheed still negotiating termination of VH-71 (AgustaWestland/Finmeccanica) with Navy Former rivals Sikorsky Aircraft and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) said they would join forces in a follow-on U.S. Navy presidential helicopter competition even as Lockheed continued to negotiate a settlement over termination of the previous program. Under [...]
Dutch ATC Systems integrated COMSOFT’s ARTAS, RMD and RRR into their Air Operation Control Station (AOCS
Last month the Royal Air Force of The Netherlands (RNLAF) integrated further innovative COMSOFT equipment into their existing topology. The replacement of the affected predecessor systems are part of the customer’s drive to modernise their two ATC systems primarily used for monitoring and coordinating military flight operations of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. All new [...]
DHS: Improved Standards to Protect Federal Facilities
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced two enhancements to federal facility security—initiatives that further strengthen the Department’s ability to protect thousands of government buildings across the United States one week prior to the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. The DHS-led Interagency Security Committee (ISC) released new standards establishing baseline physical [...]
Joint Maritime Enforcement Efforts Stops Smuggling Attempt
U.S. Border Patrol agents, with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Air and Marine and U.S. Coast Guard assets, stopped a maritime human smuggling attempt at a North County beach resulting in 20 arrests. A panga boat carrying 18 undocumented aliens and two smugglers was stopped off the coast of Southern California. [...]
FEMA: Appointment of Andrew Velasquez III as Regional Administrator for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today applauded President Obama’s appointment of Andrew Velasquez III as FEMA Regional Administrator for Region V, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. “Regional Administrators are crucial to our ability to respond effectively to emergencies based on the needs of the communities we serve,” said [...]
Volcanic ash drifts over Europe – Monitoring of flights via ADS-B
All flights into and out of the UK have been suspended because of a cloud of volcanic ash high up in the atmosphere. And Mike Butcher at Tech Crunch Europe has written a little piece about it that graphically illustrates the situation. FlightRadar24 has a network of 100 ADS-B receivers around the world that picks [...]
DEFENSE AND NON-PROLIFERATION : U.S.-EU HIGHLIGHTS
Global Leaders Endorse Securing of All Nuclear Material by 2014 – Following two days of meetings in Washington, leaders from around the world agreed to take tangible and meaningful steps to secure the world’s nuclear materials. President Obama, who initiated the global effort in a speech in Prague in April 2009, called the collective agreement [...]
LCS: proposal from Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin-led industry team submitted its proposal for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fiscal year 2010-2014 contract to the U.S. Navy today. Lockheed Martin is one of two industry teams competing for the contract. The Navy will award the winning team a fixed-price incentive fee contract to provide up to 10 ships as well [...]
Lessons Learned: 8.8M$ to ManTech Co.
ManTech Awarded $8.8M from NATO to Support Analysis of Worldwide Operations Will Support the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre in Monsanto, Portugal and Worldwide. They received a five-year contract from NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Transformation to support their Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC). The JALLC is NATO’s lead agency for the analysis of [...]
Secretary Michael Chertoff, BAE Systems and the Whole-Body Scanners affair: $3 billion over the next eight years
Secretary Michael Chertoff Joins BAE Systems, Inc. Board of Directors The Honorable Michael Chertoff has joined the BAE Systems, Inc. Board of Directors. As a member of the Board, Secretary Chertoff will provide oversight and strategic counsel, further ensuring that BAE Systems, Inc. is well positioned to meet current and future customer requirements in the [...]
Aptima’s Software to Support U.S. Navy’s Distributed, Multi-simulator Training
As net centric warfare changes the nature of air and combat operations, the U.S. Navy is modernizing its aviation training, combining its various simulators into a unified platform to better replicate these complex missions. To improve the training value of these networked exercises, Aptima, the R&D firm specializing in human-centered engineering, is providing the Navy [...]
Taliban Pushes France for Detainee Swap
France’s Foreign Ministry said Monday it was consulting with the families of two French TV journalists taken hostage in Afghanistan, after the Taliban demanded that France lean on Afghan and U.S. officials for a prisoner-hostage exchange. In a statement e-mailed to news organizations, the Taliban said they submitted a list of “ordinary detainees” – meaning [...]
SAIC: 84M$ to Support Naval Air Systems Command
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has been awarded a contract by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to support the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Corporate Operations and Comptroller Offices with a full range of organizational and business services. The multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a one-year base period of performance, four one-year options [...]
USS Ashland Captures Pirates
Three events over the past ten days have allowed the U.S. Navy to capture a total of 21 suspected pirates At approximately 5:00 a.m. local time, the USS Ashland (LSD 48), was fired upon by a skiff manned by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 330 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti. [...]
HAITI: OAS Assistant Secretary General leads mission to Haiti
Assistant Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, will lead a six-member mission to Haiti at the request of the Rene Préval government. (see also in the full story ”the five lessons” 091201 Chertoff) The two-day visit which begins on Thursday, will allow the mission to engage the local authorities and other [...]
FEMA: Appointment Of Robin Finegan As Regional Administrator for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today applauded President Obama’s appointment of Robin Finegan as FEMA Regional Administrator for Region VIII, which encompasses Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. “Regional Administrators are crucial to our ability to respond effectively to emergencies based on the needs of the communities we serve,” [...]
Half of New York City’s subway cameras do not work
There are 4,313 subway security cameras on platforms and in the tunnels of the New York City’s subway system; trouble is, only 2,270 work; the other 2,043 cameras do not; the problem of missing video came to light after two men were stabbed to death on the subway early Sunday — and there was no [...]
CG Rescues, Repatriates 119 Haitians
The Boston-based Coast Guard Cutter Seneca repatriated 119 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti Friday, after they were interdicted at sea. While on a routine patrol, Coast Guard Cutters Tornado and Key Biscayne crewmembers located a grossly overloaded 65-foot Haitian sail freighter northeast of Matanzas, Cuba. The crew of two Coast Guard cutters arrived on [...]
EADS NA and Infoterra: 85M$ contract to supply radar satellite data for intelligence, military and homeland security
EADS North America has received a five-year contract to provide commercial radar satellite data to the U.S. government’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for use in intelligence, military and homeland security applications. The data will be provided by the geo-information service provider, Infoterra GmbH, an EADS Astrium subsidiary that holds the commercial exploitation rights for the [...]
Danish tanker escaped a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden
A Danish tanker escaped a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden after a French patrolling aircraft forced the Somali attackers to flee, the multi-national anti-piracy force said Monday. The tanker MV Torm Ragnhild sent a distress call after pirates on two skiffs fired rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at it along an “internationally recommended transit [...]