Atlantic Organization for Security (AOS)

"Knowledge is wealth that multiplies only if given away."

1107 AOS Jun Brief

31 July, 2011: AOS Brief  is a service featuring some of the most interesting news and articles which highlight transatlantic commonalities in response to Homeland Defense and Security issues, for mutual benefits in sharing approaches, technologies and solutions

Feel free to pass it on to any of your colleagues who might be interested in getting it.

Please note that each item can be read in full by clicking on it. 

 

Categories Acquisition – Air Defence – ATC/ATM – ATM – Border Control – Border Security – Comms – C4ISR – company balance – Contracts – Customs and Border Protection – Cybersecurity  – Export Control  – Homeland Security  – piracy / antipiracy – Policy – sensor – site protection – training  – VTS / VTM  –

Companies / Organizations BAE Systems – BOEING – EU – EDA – DHS – FINMECCANICA GROUP – GENERAL DYNAMICS – LOCKHEED MARTIN – RAYTHEON – SAAB – THALES GROUP – DHS – EUROPEAN UNION – FRANCE – GERMANY – ITA MOD – NATO – TSA – UK – UK MOD – US COAST GUARD – US DOD – USA

Cyber Security

Systems and Technologies

Policy and Trends

HS

Companies & Contracts

July, 2011 AOS Brief

Cyber Security

  • Palisade(tm) : Cyber Security Solution Tailored to Utility and Energy Industry – Utility and energy industry IT analysts will now be able to stay ahead of cyber security threats through intelligence-driven defense with Lockheed Martin’s PalisadeTM. This new cyber security solution is tailored to the complex threat environment facing the energy industry. Palisade provides advanced threat detection and forensic tools that give utility cyber security analysts the actionable […]
  • DoD: Cyber Threat Grows More Destructive – The cyber threat the United States faces is increasing in severity and is accessible to a wide range of enemies, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said in a television interview broadcast. “Most of what we see today is exploitation — that’s theft, stealing secrets, either commercial or military,” Lynn told Ray Suarez on […]
  • DOD Releases First Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace – The Defense Department’s first strategy for operating in cyberspace is a milestone in the fight to protect the nation from potentially devastating network attacks, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said today. (download here: DoD Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace) Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III announces the Defense Department’s Strategy for Operating […]
  • “Internet is a war domain” – The Pentagon released a long-promised cybersecurity plan Thursday that declares the Internet a domain of war. The plan notably does not spell out how the U.S. military would use the Web for offensive strikes, however. The Defense Department’s first-ever plan for cyberspace calls on the department to expand its ability to thwart attacks from other […]
  • Raytheon BBN to Develop a Secure, Attributed Military Network System – Raytheon BBN Technologies has been awarded $16 million in additional funding by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under phase two of the Military Networking Protocol (MNP) program to create architectures, protocols, and network devices that will improve network capabilities and integrity for tactical military units. BBN is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon […]
  • Deputy Defense Secretary Lynn: Cyber Strategy’s Thrust is Defensive – In March, a cyber attack on a defense company’s network captured 24,000 files containing Defense Department information. – Nations typically launch such attacks, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said, but a growing risk of terrorist groups and rogue states developing similar capabilities drives the need to strengthen the nation’s cyber defenses. “All of […]
  • “Anonymous” claims hit on Booz Allen – Hacker group Anonymous on Monday released a trove of military email addresses and passwords it claimed to have plundered from the network of US defense consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. Anonymous made available a file containing more than 90,000 email addresses and other information it said in online messages that it stole from an unprotected […]
  • Eurotech: $5.6M USD Order From Selex Elsag for Aurora HPC for Cyber Security Applications – Eurotech, a leading company in embedded and supercomputing technologies, announces that it has received a $5.6 million USD order from Selex Elsag for supply of a HPC (High-Performance Computing) system of the Aurora family. Delivery is scheduled to take place in some steps during the next 9 months. Selex Elsag, strategic unit of the Finmeccanica […]
  • Micro-Cyber: Future of Signal Regiment – A massive transformation of the Signal Regiment has been cleared to move forward according to the Chief of Signal. During an awards ceremony held June 6, 2011, in Alexander Hall on Fort Gordon, Ga., recognizing individuals at the center of the recommended modifications, Maj. Gen. Alan R. Lynn, commander of the U.S. Army Signal Center […]
  • West Point team wins Cyber Defense title – West Point cadets tested their cyber defense skills against veteran hackers from the National Security Agency and emerged victorious. The three-day 2011 Cyber Defense Exercise concluded April 22, 2011, giving the U.S. Military Academy its sixth win since the competition began in 2001. Thirty-eight Class of 2011 cadets participated in the exercise, along with two […]

Systems and Technologies

  • Cassidian Protects Swedish Soldiers in Transportation Missions – Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, will improve the protection of soldiers of the Swedish Armed Forces in out-of-area missions with two of their proven protected passenger transport systems “TransProtec”. The Swedish Procurement Agency (FMV Forsvarets Materialverk) selected the Cassidian system based on the superior capabilities TransProtec has shown in deployments by the […]
  • NGC and US Army: Major Army Program Acquisition – The U.S. Army and Northrop Grumman Corporation have successfully completed anarchitecture review of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) BattleCommand System (IBCS). IBCS is the first major Army acquisition to proactivelyincorporate the evaluation as part of the procurement. The review assesses theimpact of software architecture decisions on program requirements and businessgoals.The assessment focused on […]
  • Army Fields Next-Gen Blue Force Tracking System – The Army has fielded its next-generation friendly force tracking system to five operational brigade combat teams, equipping Soldiers with a faster satellite network, secure data encryption and advanced mapping kits for improved tactical communications while on the move. The software-enhanced version of Force XXI Battle Command Brigade-and-Below/Blue Force Tracking, or FBCB2/BFT, is known as Joint […]
  • AAI UAS and CERDEC Enter Cooperative R&D Agreement – AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, announced today that it has entered into a five-year cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Communications-Electronic Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC). The CRADA enables AAI UAS and CERDEC to work […]
  • Drones may track migrants – The notice appeared quietly on the website of Frontex, Europe’s agency to fight undocumented migration.It called for expressions of interest in demonstrating “Small UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and Fixed systems for Land border surveillance” at its workshop. “In the domain of land border surveillance, there is a wide spectrum of possible technical means that can […]
  • License plate readers help Mass. police, worry privacy groups – Fueled by federal grants, high-speed cameras that can automatically read up to 30 license plates a second and check them for violations or law enforcement alerts are scanning more streets and highways across Massachusetts this year. Earlier this year, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security doled out $500,000 in federal highway grants to […]
  • Innovative New Chinese UAV Emerges – The latest unmanned aircraft pictures from China show a reconnaissance truck with a joined wing and tail that could considerably increase range and payload and produce better handling at high altitudes. U.S. analysts already are suggesting that the new Chinese UAV design — with its 60,000-ft. cruising altitude, 300-mi. radar surveillance range and low radar […]

Policy and Trends

  • U.K. Rejects Idea of EU Operations HQ – The U.K. has strongly rejected the idea of a European Union operations headquarters for planning and carrying out EU military and civil missions abroad. The proposal was put forward by Catherine Ashton, the EU’s high representative for foreign and security policy, and is being discussed at a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers along with […]
  • U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff: “North Korea Poses ‘Very Real’ Threat” – SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea poses a “very real” threat to peace and is likely to mount fresh attacks on South Korea unless a strong deterrent is in place, the top U.S. military officer said July 14. In comments delivered at a time of high
    cross-border tensions Adm. Mike Mullen said Pyongyang had also […]
  • U.K. To Form Land, Maritime Safety Board – An authority responsible for improving safety across land and maritime forces is to be set up within months by the British Ministry of Defence following the launch last year of a similar organization covering military aviation. A spokesman for the MoD said that although some detailed work remained to be completed, the plan is to […]
  • NATO Russia Joint Missile Defense Center – The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov point of view here – The 29 nations of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) restated their commitment to pursuing cooperation on missile defence as well as cooperation in other security areas of common interest, when they met in Sochi, Russia, on 4th July 2011, at the invitation of the Russian authorities. As […]
  • European Parliament Study Calls for Defense Review – A study commissioned by the Security and Defence Committee of the European Parliament is calling for an European Strategic Defence and Security Review to help countries identify capability improvements and set a target for their cooperative or collective use. “[It] would be a first step to review how member states’ efforts to meet the demands […]

HS

  • Cubic Receives Strategic Port Security Contract in Panama – Cubic Applications, Inc., a mission support services subsidiary of Cubic Corporation, has received a new, nine-month contract from the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) to provide seaport security assessments and training for six ports in Panama. see also: PANAMAX 2010: defense and security of the Panama Canal Finmeccanica Will Guarantee Security […]
  • Homeland Security: $40.6 bill for 2011 – A $40.6 billion Homeland Security appropriations bill cleared the House Thursday evening, ending two days of debate that saw new limits imposed on funding for airport screeners but strong opposition to conservative demands for a broader 10% across-the-board cut from the department‘s programs. Republicans, including the party leadership, were badly split on the proposed 10% […]
  • New medical helicopter improves safety, travel time – Ottawa is now home to one of the newest, most state-of-the-art rescue helicopters in the province after medical transport company Ornge began transporting injured and critically ill patients in the new AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter on May 7. The helicopter is owned and operated by Ornge, a private company contracted by the Ontario ministry of health […]
  • One DHS Vision: the Maritime Operations Coordination Plan – As part of Secretary Napolitano’s vision for One DHS, the Department today unveiled an cross-component Maritime Operations Coordination (MOC) plan to enhance the Department’s coordination capabilities when responding to threats against the United States. The plan—which will strengthen coordination, planning, information sharing, and intelligence integration for maritime operations among the U.S. Coast Guard (UCSG), U.S. Customs […]
  • EU Frontex boosts presence in Mediterranean – The EU border security agency Frontex will extend its operations in the south Mediterranean to the end of August 2011. In response to the strong inflow of migrants from Tunisia specifically to the Italian island of Lampedusa, the agency is also widening the area of Operation Hermes to include Sardinia. The support of Italian authorities […]
  • EU Demonstrates MARSUR Network Prototype – Over the last five years, 15 Member States, led by Finland, and EDA have been working together to develop a Maritime Surveillance Network in support of CSDP operations and of homeland security based on existing national systems. Six Member States (Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) have volunteered to demonstrate the functioning […]

Companies & Contracts

  • DRS Technologies Delivers the First On-Board Vehicle Power HMMWV to Marine Corps Systems Command, Program Manager of Expeditionary Power Systems – DRS Technologies, Inc., A Finmeccanica Company, announced its Test and Energy Management business unit has delivered the first of its next generation On-Board Vehicle Power (OBVP) equipped HMMWVs to the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, Program Manager of Expeditionary Power Systems. The fifteen OBVP HMMWV’s currently being produced will be sent to the operating forces […]
  • DRS Technologies wins JBC-P contract – DRS Technologies, Inc., A Finmeccanica Company, announced its DRS Tactical Systems business unit received a cost-plus fixed-fee award for the development of an ultra-rugged handheld device for the US Army’s Joint Battle Command – Platform (JBC-P) program. The company received the order from the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, […]
  • Thales To Pay Record Bribes Fine – The French state and defense electronics group Thales will have to pay a record fine of 630 million euros ($920.2 million) for bribes in the 1991 sale of frigates to Taiwan, a court ruled on Thursday. Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said that the government had agreed to a request from Thales that the decision, which […]
  • Thales creates Thales Communications & Security – Thales announces the creation of Thales Communications & Security, a company combining the joint skills of Thales Communications and Thales Security Solutions & Services in the fields of defence, security and ground transportation. This merger reflects the growing convergence of information management issues in these areas. By combining these globally recognised skills, this company offers […]