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Fenrir
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Blue Angel #5's Near-Supersonic Sneak Pass Sent Beach Umbrellas Flying
A beloved part of any Blue Angel’s demonstration is #5’s sneak pass at near supersonic speeds. Because Blue Angel #6 is distracting you, you don’t see it coming, and you definitely don’t hear it... Until it’s too late!
Here you can see the Hornet’s wing vortices at work as it creates a mini tornado that kicks up sand and lifts all types of beach gear into the air above Pensacola Beach.
A beloved part of any Blue Angel’s demonstration is #5’s sneak pass at near supersonic speeds. Because Blue Angel #6 is distracting you, you don’t see it coming, and you definitely don’t hear it... Until it’s too late!
Here you can see the Hornet’s wing vortices at work as it creates a mini tornado that kicks up sand and lifts all types of beach gear into the air above Pensacola Beach.
Fenrir
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America's Capitol Is Guarded By Norwegian Surface-To-Air Missiles
Every few years the Kremlin pounds their chest about their latest and greatest in surface to air missile (SAM) system, and how it's ready to protect Moscow. Yet even after the terrible events of 9/11 we really don't hear much about America's domestic surface to air missile-based air defense capabilities. That's because we mostly don't have any. But what about in Washington DC? Well, that's another story…
Over the last decade, a Hummer-mounted point air defense system that uses FIM-92 Stinger missiles and a 50 caliber machine gun, known as the Army's "Avenger" system, has become a common place fixture in and around Washington DC. This is true especially during times when the country is on high alert and they're hard to miss.
Look a little closer and you'll see the Avenger system is actually hard-mounted to the tops of buildings in key strategic areas around the city. This includes at least one Avenger turret overlooking the White House at a nearby building. Still, these are infrared guided, short range, "last line of defense" systems that pack fairly light warheads. What is there to counter heavier threats and those that are identified further out from Capitol Hill?
The Flight Restricted Zone, extending some 15 miles out from the center of Washington DC, along with Area51, are probably the two most famous airspace restrictions in the entire US, and maybe even the world. Multiple assets are used to monitor and enforce this sanitized bubble around the Capitol, from Quick Reaction Alert F-16s sitting "cocked and locked" at Andrews AFB, to Homeland Security helicopters with digital reader boards hanging out of their cabin doors (along with 50 caliber rifles for good measure).
This dynamic air interception capability has been tested many times, and it seems to be incredibly effective in almost all regards. Still, air defense systems are usually built in layers, from the outer rung, usually consisting of airborne intercept capable assets, to the final last ditch defense, such as the mobile and fixed Stinger positions around the Mall and the Pentagon.
To most people, these are the full extent of America's air defenses around Washington DC, but this leaves out a key middle layer in air defense capability that covers the vast majority of the restricted zone regardless of the vector of the target, its physical size or its force in numbers. This layer is quietly provided for by the National Advanced Surface To Air Missile System, or NASAMS for short, a product produced by Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace of Norway.
NASAMS is a very scaleable and capable intermediate range air defense system, developed directly from the AIM-120 AMRAAM series of radar guided air to air missiles. The missiles themselves are called SLAMRAAMS (Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile), or at least they were when the program was in active development in the US before it was cancelled. Although the SLAMRAAM is based directly on the hugely successful AIM-120 medium range air to air missile, it loses an incredible amount of range via its potential energy disadvantage in comparison with its fighter jet launched cousin. Range estimates are anywhere from 8-20 miles depending on what direction, speed and altitude the target is at in relation to the missile's launch location. Additionally, these figures are usually downgraded publicly to protect the missile's true range capabilities.
Although the SLAMRAAM did not find a customer for widespread US military use, it did find customers in Europe. Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, the once passed over weapon system became the perfect solution to persistently "patrol" the skies (from the ground) around the FRZ. The NASAMS "sixpack" SLAMRRAAM box-launchers, and their semi-permanent surrounding infrastructure. began to pop up around the Washington DC area 2005. These systems were in no way hidden from view, with multiple sites being located in suburban areas or directly off major roadways, and always close to major targets that the terror-lunatics would love to hit.
NASAMS is actually built as its own modular integrated air defense system (IADS), with multiple sensors, including radar and electro-optical, placed in multiple locations around a region. These sensors feed a command and control suite via data link with a high-fidelity overall picture of the airspace around the NASAMS network. From here the launchers, also distributed around a region, can be activated against enemy targets. Additionally, being modular by design, NASAMS can also integrate itself seamlessly into a larger integrated air defense system, of which Washington DC has one of the best in the world. In other words, NASAMS does not just rely on its own radar system or electro-optical targeting capabilities, it can also use external "feeds" from other radar and electronic service measure type systems to target and engage hostile aircraft, including accessing a MIDS/Link16 data link environment. NASAMS' ability to integrate itself info a common "fused" multiple sensor "picture" of the airspace around it also allows for a more redundant and higher resolution capability to detect and engage targets under even the most challenging of circumstances.
The Norwegian version of NASAMS has been widely deployed with great success, and the system is already in its second generational iteration, with a third, based on the Navy's very deadly and compact Evolved Sea Sparrow, right around the corner. NASAMS brings a radar guided weapon system to the menu of air defense options ringing our capitol, which could be highly beneficial when defending it against advanced enemy trespassers, or a possible (but hopefully unlikely) scenario where multiple aircraft of various flight profiles are involved in a single attack.
These missiles have caused some concern in the neighborhoods where they are installed, yet even in a country where "not in my backyard" is increasingly becoming a national slogan, it seems that most of the people living and working around these suburban guardians understand that although having armed rockets in your area may be unsettling, their obvious utility seems to outweigh most people's superficial concerns. Still, it is hard for some people to really accept the fact that their own government may have to choose to shoot down an airliner full of their own countrymen in the interest of the greater good.
Often times we read stories about Noble Eagle pilots, those who fly air sovereignty missions in defense of our air space after 9/11, and how they deal with the possibility of having to one day use their potent weapon system to do the unthinkable. Yet, it is a good thing for Americans to understand that this daunting task is not just in the hands of our "flying knights" of modern day, but it also sits in the hands of those who operate the NASAMS surface to air missile systems, and the integrated air defense system that supports its targeting.
These silent warriors have a huge and necessary responsibility, from protecting Air Force 1 on the ground to our major intelligence installations, and they could get called upon in an instant to "neutralize" an incoming threat, at which point the grim task of firing would be clear. If an airplane, possibly filled with Americans, was on a hijacked route heading directly to CIA headquarters, or any other strategic installation, the choice to fire is obvious as either way the plane will most likely end up destroyed, while NASAMS could potentially save the lives of many living and working in and around the targeted facility.
It is encouraging to see NASAMS on American soil, as it shows that the DoD is making sure that an attack like what happened to the Pentagon well over a decade ago never happens again. Such a system deters our would-be enemies from attempting to use an airliner full of innocent Americans as means of attacking our most sacred and important facilities, and it also shows residents around Washington DC that the DoD are ready and waiting should a real aerial threat rear its ugly head again.
Although the NASAMS may have a very limited place in America's vast military inventory, it is clearly a relevant, flexible, affordable and capable system for the incredibly high stakes job of protecting our most sensitive and cherished installations, landmarks and personnel.
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AMDR
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Navy adds $155M contract for electronic warfare systems
Navy adds $155M contract for electronic warfare systems -- Defense Systems
The Navy is continuing to expand its upgrades of electronic warfare systems aboard the fleet’s ships, most recently with a $154.9 millioncontract modification awarded to Lockheed Martin.
The modification, announced July 10, is to a maximum $158.8 million contract awarded in September 2014 to Lockheed for low-rate initial production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 2 systems. The award follows another contract given in late June to Lockheed under the SEWIP program, that one for $8 million, with options that could take its value to $59 million.
SEWIP was started in 2002 to provide a series of refreshes to upgrade and replace the Navy’s AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare systems, which date to the 1970s and currently are out of production. The upgrades come in blocks that, in addition to replacing the AN/SQL-32, add capabilities. Each block has different designations within it, depending on its capabilities.
SEWIP Block 2, for example, provides improved electronic support receivers and combat system interface and upgrades the systems’ receiver/antenna group. The contract awarded in June was for systems under Block 1—developed by General Dynamics, which also produced the AN/SQ-32—which boosts anti-ship missile defense, counter targeting and counter surveillance, and is in full-rate production.
Block 3, being developed jointly by Lockheed and Raytheon, will add an electronic attack capability and ensure that all ships have the same attack capability. Eventually Block 4 will add advanced electro-optical and infrared capabilities.
Navy adds $155M contract for electronic warfare systems -- Defense Systems
The Navy is continuing to expand its upgrades of electronic warfare systems aboard the fleet’s ships, most recently with a $154.9 millioncontract modification awarded to Lockheed Martin.
The modification, announced July 10, is to a maximum $158.8 million contract awarded in September 2014 to Lockheed for low-rate initial production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 2 systems. The award follows another contract given in late June to Lockheed under the SEWIP program, that one for $8 million, with options that could take its value to $59 million.
SEWIP was started in 2002 to provide a series of refreshes to upgrade and replace the Navy’s AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare systems, which date to the 1970s and currently are out of production. The upgrades come in blocks that, in addition to replacing the AN/SQL-32, add capabilities. Each block has different designations within it, depending on its capabilities.
SEWIP Block 2, for example, provides improved electronic support receivers and combat system interface and upgrades the systems’ receiver/antenna group. The contract awarded in June was for systems under Block 1—developed by General Dynamics, which also produced the AN/SQ-32—which boosts anti-ship missile defense, counter targeting and counter surveillance, and is in full-rate production.
Block 3, being developed jointly by Lockheed and Raytheon, will add an electronic attack capability and ensure that all ships have the same attack capability. Eventually Block 4 will add advanced electro-optical and infrared capabilities.
Fenrir
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Think An Osprey Is A Transformer In The Air? Check It Out On The Ground!
The Osprey really is a transformer in more ways than one. It may dazzle at air shows by being able to land and take off like a helicopter and cruise like a turboprop fixed wing plane, but folding and unfolding for storage is the real show stopper.
Seeing an aircraft’s entire wing, engine nacelles, flaps and even the propellers swivel and fold may seem insane in its complexity, but it really it’s not. The V-22 was built for the USMC primarily and as such it has to be easily stored in a similar footprint as its tandem-rotor predecessor, the CH-46 Phrog. As such, the half plane, half helicopter has to turn into a very tight package at the push of a button.
The truth is, the MV-22 is a more inefficient and complex machine than it would need to be if it didn’t have to operate off of amphibious assault ships.
Even the aircraft’s propellers are not nearly as efficient as the could be because of the space limitations associated with operating aboard an Landing Helicopter Dock or other class of amphibious assault ship. This is something Bell wants to make right with its V-280 Valor envisioned for the U.S. Army.
The Osprey really is a transformer in more ways than one. It may dazzle at air shows by being able to land and take off like a helicopter and cruise like a turboprop fixed wing plane, but folding and unfolding for storage is the real show stopper.
Seeing an aircraft’s entire wing, engine nacelles, flaps and even the propellers swivel and fold may seem insane in its complexity, but it really it’s not. The V-22 was built for the USMC primarily and as such it has to be easily stored in a similar footprint as its tandem-rotor predecessor, the CH-46 Phrog. As such, the half plane, half helicopter has to turn into a very tight package at the push of a button.
The truth is, the MV-22 is a more inefficient and complex machine than it would need to be if it didn’t have to operate off of amphibious assault ships.
Even the aircraft’s propellers are not nearly as efficient as the could be because of the space limitations associated with operating aboard an Landing Helicopter Dock or other class of amphibious assault ship. This is something Bell wants to make right with its V-280 Valor envisioned for the U.S. Army.
F-22Raptor
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Norge beste måten
America's Capitol Is Guarded By Norwegian Surface-To-Air Missiles
Every few years the Kremlin pounds their chest about their latest and greatest in surface to air missile (SAM) system, and how it's ready to protect Moscow. Yet even after the terrible events of 9/11 we really don't hear much about America's domestic surface to air missile-based air defense capabilities. That's because we mostly don't have any. But what about in Washington DC? Well, that's another story…
Over the last decade, a Hummer-mounted point air defense system that uses FIM-92 Stinger missiles and a 50 caliber machine gun, known as the Army's "Avenger" system, has become a common place fixture in and around Washington DC. This is true especially during times when the country is on high alert and they're hard to miss.
Look a little closer and you'll see the Avenger system is actually hard-mounted to the tops of buildings in key strategic areas around the city. This includes at least one Avenger turret overlooking the White House at a nearby building. Still, these are infrared guided, short range, "last line of defense" systems that pack fairly light warheads. What is there to counter heavier threats and those that are identified further out from Capitol Hill?
The Flight Restricted Zone, extending some 15 miles out from the center of Washington DC, along with Area51, are probably the two most famous airspace restrictions in the entire US, and maybe even the world. Multiple assets are used to monitor and enforce this sanitized bubble around the Capitol, from Quick Reaction Alert F-16s sitting "cocked and locked" at Andrews AFB, to Homeland Security helicopters with digital reader boards hanging out of their cabin doors (along with 50 caliber rifles for good measure).
This dynamic air interception capability has been tested many times, and it seems to be incredibly effective in almost all regards. Still, air defense systems are usually built in layers, from the outer rung, usually consisting of airborne intercept capable assets, to the final last ditch defense, such as the mobile and fixed Stinger positions around the Mall and the Pentagon.
To most people, these are the full extent of America's air defenses around Washington DC, but this leaves out a key middle layer in air defense capability that covers the vast majority of the restricted zone regardless of the vector of the target, its physical size or its force in numbers. This layer is quietly provided for by the National Advanced Surface To Air Missile System, or NASAMS for short, a product produced by Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace of Norway.
NASAMS is a very scaleable and capable intermediate range air defense system, developed directly from the AIM-120 AMRAAM series of radar guided air to air missiles. The missiles themselves are called SLAMRAAMS (Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile), or at least they were when the program was in active development in the US before it was cancelled. Although the SLAMRAAM is based directly on the hugely successful AIM-120 medium range air to air missile, it loses an incredible amount of range via its potential energy disadvantage in comparison with its fighter jet launched cousin. Range estimates are anywhere from 8-20 miles depending on what direction, speed and altitude the target is at in relation to the missile's launch location. Additionally, these figures are usually downgraded publicly to protect the missile's true range capabilities.
Although the SLAMRAAM did not find a customer for widespread US military use, it did find customers in Europe. Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, the once passed over weapon system became the perfect solution to persistently "patrol" the skies (from the ground) around the FRZ. The NASAMS "sixpack" SLAMRRAAM box-launchers, and their semi-permanent surrounding infrastructure. began to pop up around the Washington DC area 2005. These systems were in no way hidden from view, with multiple sites being located in suburban areas or directly off major roadways, and always close to major targets that the terror-lunatics would love to hit.
NASAMS is actually built as its own modular integrated air defense system (IADS), with multiple sensors, including radar and electro-optical, placed in multiple locations around a region. These sensors feed a command and control suite via data link with a high-fidelity overall picture of the airspace around the NASAMS network. From here the launchers, also distributed around a region, can be activated against enemy targets. Additionally, being modular by design, NASAMS can also integrate itself seamlessly into a larger integrated air defense system, of which Washington DC has one of the best in the world. In other words, NASAMS does not just rely on its own radar system or electro-optical targeting capabilities, it can also use external "feeds" from other radar and electronic service measure type systems to target and engage hostile aircraft, including accessing a MIDS/Link16 data link environment. NASAMS' ability to integrate itself info a common "fused" multiple sensor "picture" of the airspace around it also allows for a more redundant and higher resolution capability to detect and engage targets under even the most challenging of circumstances.
The Norwegian version of NASAMS has been widely deployed with great success, and the system is already in its second generational iteration, with a third, based on the Navy's very deadly and compact Evolved Sea Sparrow, right around the corner. NASAMS brings a radar guided weapon system to the menu of air defense options ringing our capitol, which could be highly beneficial when defending it against advanced enemy trespassers, or a possible (but hopefully unlikely) scenario where multiple aircraft of various flight profiles are involved in a single attack.
These missiles have caused some concern in the neighborhoods where they are installed, yet even in a country where "not in my backyard" is increasingly becoming a national slogan, it seems that most of the people living and working around these suburban guardians understand that although having armed rockets in your area may be unsettling, their obvious utility seems to outweigh most people's superficial concerns. Still, it is hard for some people to really accept the fact that their own government may have to choose to shoot down an airliner full of their own countrymen in the interest of the greater good.
Often times we read stories about Noble Eagle pilots, those who fly air sovereignty missions in defense of our air space after 9/11, and how they deal with the possibility of having to one day use their potent weapon system to do the unthinkable. Yet, it is a good thing for Americans to understand that this daunting task is not just in the hands of our "flying knights" of modern day, but it also sits in the hands of those who operate the NASAMS surface to air missile systems, and the integrated air defense system that supports its targeting.
These silent warriors have a huge and necessary responsibility, from protecting Air Force 1 on the ground to our major intelligence installations, and they could get called upon in an instant to "neutralize" an incoming threat, at which point the grim task of firing would be clear. If an airplane, possibly filled with Americans, was on a hijacked route heading directly to CIA headquarters, or any other strategic installation, the choice to fire is obvious as either way the plane will most likely end up destroyed, while NASAMS could potentially save the lives of many living and working in and around the targeted facility.
It is encouraging to see NASAMS on American soil, as it shows that the DoD is making sure that an attack like what happened to the Pentagon well over a decade ago never happens again. Such a system deters our would-be enemies from attempting to use an airliner full of innocent Americans as means of attacking our most sacred and important facilities, and it also shows residents around Washington DC that the DoD are ready and waiting should a real aerial threat rear its ugly head again.
Although the NASAMS may have a very limited place in America's vast military inventory, it is clearly a relevant, flexible, affordable and capable system for the incredibly high stakes job of protecting our most sensitive and cherished installations, landmarks and personnel.
Excellent article! Welcome back BTW!
AMDR
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LCS: Production Surges, Price Drops
LCS-9, the future USS Little Rock, awaits launch.
Once, the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship was a nightmare of cost overruns, schedule slips, and design flaws. That was especially true of Lockheed Martin’s LCS-1, the Freedom, with its hull cracks and electrical failures. Eight ships later, the design is fixed and the price has dropped by a third .
Production is moving at such a pace and has become so routine that Lockheed’s vice-president for LCS, Joe North, sometimes forgets which ship comes next.
“We’re up here this week [for] the launch of LCS-11, which is the future USS Sioux City — I’m sorry, LCS-9, which is the USS Little Rock,” North said, chagrined, in a conference call from Marinette. “Later this year, we will be launching LCS-11, which is Sioux City.”
Losing track is understandable. “We currently have seven ships in production up here,” North told reporters. LCS-9 will launch this Saturday and LCS-11 later this year. Work is well underway on LCS-13 and -15, while it has just started on LCS-17 is under production. LCS-19 and -21 are under contract, and Lockheed expects a contract for LCS-23 soon. (Even-numbered LCS are built by Austal in Alabama, which uses a completely different design).
The cost is currently about $358 million for the Freedom version and headed down to a low of $348.5 million. (Note these figures are for the ship itself and don’t include military equipment, such as weapons, that the government purchases separately, which can add over $100 million). The price has dropped steeply since the mismanaged early days of the program, when the Navy changed the design of LCS-1 and -2 midway through construction. Now the price is starting to level out. Costs will eventually climb back up slightly: After years of making LCS manufacture more efficient, the shipyard is reaching diminishing returns, while inflation in labor and materials is beginning to catch up.
So what’s unique about LCS-9? The future Little Rock is the first Lockheed LCS to be built entirely in Marinette’s revamped facilities. When Marinette was bought in 2008 by Fincantieri — on whose civilian designs the Lockheed LCS is based — the Italian company committed to a $73.5 million investment in the shipyard, parts of which dated to World War II. The more streamlined manufactured process reduces the distance ship components travel through the yard by eight miles, North said.
LCS-5 and LCS-7 were built as the yard was renovated around them, which some work done in the old facilities and some in the new. LCS-9 was built entirely in the new.
“The one thing we will not to do is…break production,” said North, “because we’ve already bid these ships and we already have contracts in place for them.” That means keeping the design the same — and resisting any urges to “improve” it that might increase cost or impose delay.
That said, the Navy is looking at an upgunned, upgraded, and more expensive variant of the LCS, designated a frigate. The current plan is for 32 of the existing LCS designs and 20 LCS frigates, but there’s considerable interest in cherry-picking some of the frigate’s improvements and adding them to the original-model LCS.
North made clear, however, that such upgrades would not be allowed to interfere with ongoing production: They “would probably be [done] in a backfit mode once we’re done and delivered here,” he said.
Lockheed is already looking at how to modify its LCS into the frigate design — but the details of what weapons and other equipment it has to carry are still being decided by the Navy. “We’re working…on cost and weight reductions to account for the fact that you’re going to get rid of large open module areas and fill them in” with new systems, North said. “They’re supposed to have final definition later this year [and] tell us what their final selection of systems is.”
US Army is Considering Hollow-Point Bullets to Go with New Pistol
US Army is Considering Hollow-Point Bullets to Go with New Pistol | Military.com
The U.S. Army's plan to replace the M9 9mm pistol could result in the large-scale adoption of hollow-point pistol ammunition -- a move the U.S. military has refused to even consider for more than 100 years.
The Pentagon's devotion to full-metal jacket, or ball ammunition, is the result of a 116-year-old guideline in the 1899 Hague Convention that prohibits combat units from using bullets that "expand or flatten easily" inside the human body.
The declaration was ratified by all major powers, except the United States, but the Pentagon has used it as the legal standard to rule out any ammunition other than ball for use in sidearms.
This mindset is changing, however, since the recent release of the Army's draft solicitation for the Modular Handgun System cites a new Defense Department policy that allows for the use of "special purpose ammunition."
"Federal, state, local and military law enforcement elements routinely use expanding and fragmenting ammunition in their handguns due to the increased capability it provides against threats," Program Executive Office Soldier spokeswoman Debi Dawson told Military.com.
The policy was discussed at the fourth MHS industry day held recently at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., according to Dawson in a news release.
"Expanding the XM-17 Modular Handgun competition to include special purpose ammunition will provide the warfighter with a more accurate and lethal handgun," Richard Jackson, Special Assistant to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General for Law of War, told attendees according to the release.
In the past, specialized ammunition approval has been granted only if the requirement passes a legal review. This means that the military has had to get creative at times when it describes what it needs.
Tier-1, special-mission units under U.S. Special Operations Command are authorized to use jacketed hollow-point bullets instead of standard ball. To do this, these elite units had to be classified as counterterrorism forces, a legal distinction that allows them to use the same hollow-point ammo used by all law enforcement agencies.
Army weapons officials plan to open the official competition next year with the goal of awarding a contract to a single gun maker for nearly 300,000 new pistols by 2018.
One of the major goals of the MHS effort is to adopt a pistol chambered for a more potent round than the current 9mm, weapons officials said. The U.S. military replaced the .45 caliber 1911 pistol with the M9 in 1985 and began using the 9mm NATO round at that time.
LCS-9, the future USS Little Rock, awaits launch.
Once, the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship was a nightmare of cost overruns, schedule slips, and design flaws. That was especially true of Lockheed Martin’s LCS-1, the Freedom, with its hull cracks and electrical failures. Eight ships later, the design is fixed and the price has dropped by a third .
Production is moving at such a pace and has become so routine that Lockheed’s vice-president for LCS, Joe North, sometimes forgets which ship comes next.
“We’re up here this week [for] the launch of LCS-11, which is the future USS Sioux City — I’m sorry, LCS-9, which is the USS Little Rock,” North said, chagrined, in a conference call from Marinette. “Later this year, we will be launching LCS-11, which is Sioux City.”
Losing track is understandable. “We currently have seven ships in production up here,” North told reporters. LCS-9 will launch this Saturday and LCS-11 later this year. Work is well underway on LCS-13 and -15, while it has just started on LCS-17 is under production. LCS-19 and -21 are under contract, and Lockheed expects a contract for LCS-23 soon. (Even-numbered LCS are built by Austal in Alabama, which uses a completely different design).
The cost is currently about $358 million for the Freedom version and headed down to a low of $348.5 million. (Note these figures are for the ship itself and don’t include military equipment, such as weapons, that the government purchases separately, which can add over $100 million). The price has dropped steeply since the mismanaged early days of the program, when the Navy changed the design of LCS-1 and -2 midway through construction. Now the price is starting to level out. Costs will eventually climb back up slightly: After years of making LCS manufacture more efficient, the shipyard is reaching diminishing returns, while inflation in labor and materials is beginning to catch up.
So what’s unique about LCS-9? The future Little Rock is the first Lockheed LCS to be built entirely in Marinette’s revamped facilities. When Marinette was bought in 2008 by Fincantieri — on whose civilian designs the Lockheed LCS is based — the Italian company committed to a $73.5 million investment in the shipyard, parts of which dated to World War II. The more streamlined manufactured process reduces the distance ship components travel through the yard by eight miles, North said.
LCS-5 and LCS-7 were built as the yard was renovated around them, which some work done in the old facilities and some in the new. LCS-9 was built entirely in the new.
“The one thing we will not to do is…break production,” said North, “because we’ve already bid these ships and we already have contracts in place for them.” That means keeping the design the same — and resisting any urges to “improve” it that might increase cost or impose delay.
That said, the Navy is looking at an upgunned, upgraded, and more expensive variant of the LCS, designated a frigate. The current plan is for 32 of the existing LCS designs and 20 LCS frigates, but there’s considerable interest in cherry-picking some of the frigate’s improvements and adding them to the original-model LCS.
North made clear, however, that such upgrades would not be allowed to interfere with ongoing production: They “would probably be [done] in a backfit mode once we’re done and delivered here,” he said.
Lockheed is already looking at how to modify its LCS into the frigate design — but the details of what weapons and other equipment it has to carry are still being decided by the Navy. “We’re working…on cost and weight reductions to account for the fact that you’re going to get rid of large open module areas and fill them in” with new systems, North said. “They’re supposed to have final definition later this year [and] tell us what their final selection of systems is.”
US Army is Considering Hollow-Point Bullets to Go with New Pistol
US Army is Considering Hollow-Point Bullets to Go with New Pistol | Military.com
The U.S. Army's plan to replace the M9 9mm pistol could result in the large-scale adoption of hollow-point pistol ammunition -- a move the U.S. military has refused to even consider for more than 100 years.
The Pentagon's devotion to full-metal jacket, or ball ammunition, is the result of a 116-year-old guideline in the 1899 Hague Convention that prohibits combat units from using bullets that "expand or flatten easily" inside the human body.
The declaration was ratified by all major powers, except the United States, but the Pentagon has used it as the legal standard to rule out any ammunition other than ball for use in sidearms.
This mindset is changing, however, since the recent release of the Army's draft solicitation for the Modular Handgun System cites a new Defense Department policy that allows for the use of "special purpose ammunition."
"Federal, state, local and military law enforcement elements routinely use expanding and fragmenting ammunition in their handguns due to the increased capability it provides against threats," Program Executive Office Soldier spokeswoman Debi Dawson told Military.com.
The policy was discussed at the fourth MHS industry day held recently at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., according to Dawson in a news release.
"Expanding the XM-17 Modular Handgun competition to include special purpose ammunition will provide the warfighter with a more accurate and lethal handgun," Richard Jackson, Special Assistant to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General for Law of War, told attendees according to the release.
In the past, specialized ammunition approval has been granted only if the requirement passes a legal review. This means that the military has had to get creative at times when it describes what it needs.
Tier-1, special-mission units under U.S. Special Operations Command are authorized to use jacketed hollow-point bullets instead of standard ball. To do this, these elite units had to be classified as counterterrorism forces, a legal distinction that allows them to use the same hollow-point ammo used by all law enforcement agencies.
Army weapons officials plan to open the official competition next year with the goal of awarding a contract to a single gun maker for nearly 300,000 new pistols by 2018.
One of the major goals of the MHS effort is to adopt a pistol chambered for a more potent round than the current 9mm, weapons officials said. The U.S. military replaced the .45 caliber 1911 pistol with the M9 in 1985 and began using the 9mm NATO round at that time.
Fenrir
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The Navy's P-8 Poseidon Spotted Packing Mysterious New Pod
The P-8 Poseidon is quickly becoming the Pentagon’s super-adaptable multi-role surveillance platform of choice. We know it can pack one of the most advanced radar systems in the world, slung under its belly in a huge canoe-like enclosure. Now, another previously unknown external ‘plug and play’ capability for the P-8 appears to be in testing.
This new pod was photographed during a P-8 test flight out of Boeing Field in Seattle by aviation photographer Josh Kaiser. As you can see, it is made up of an antenna farm and housing that can be attached and detached from the P-8’s forward underbelly.
It is unclear what this pod’s exact purpose is, but it is worth a guess . It could very well be a modular communications intelligence gathering package that will allow the P-8 to pick up some of the slack for the USAF’s RC-135 and U-2 (in Senior Spear configuration) fleets, as well as the Navy’s own secretive EP-3 Aries cadre among other smaller platforms. Such a capability will allow the P-8 to eavesdrop on potential foes communications in a way in which linguists can translate those intercepts in real-time or in near real-time. Using satellite communications, there is a possibility that those linguists may not be on the jet at all, and could even be halfway around the globe.
Another possibility is that this system is the P-8’s version of a “network gateway” system that will give it similar bolt-on capabilities as other aircraft equipped with Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) suites. BACN is flying on the EQ-4, E-11A and NASA’s WB-57s, even the KC-135 can deploy simpler and less capable ‘roll-on, roll-off’ unit that accomplishes some of BACN’s basic mission. BACN is one of America’s most powerful force multipliers. It creates an active net over the entire battlefield, far over the horizon, and even at ground level. It also allows different weapon systems that carry various types of data-links, which transmit on their own waveform, to have their situational awareness “pictures” fused into one single common shared picture of battlespace. This single, fused picture is then rebroadcast by BACN on all those same waveforms.
BACN can also facilitate satellite communications, even between units on the ground and command and control centers halfway around the globe. Think of it as a universal translator, data-fusion center and broadcasting facilitator that flies high up in the sky. You can read more about BACN here and in relation to the F-22 Raptor here.
Whatever this new pod is or is not, it’s just another example of how adaptable a modern maritime patrol aircraft can be, although it does bring up the question of how crews can be trained to accomplish so many missions with limited flight time.
Performing the majority of the permissive airspace rainbow of reconnaissance missions and having to be well versed in chasing enemy submarines, monitoring sea traffic and attacking ships seems like a lot to put on one crew. In addition, the P-8 may find itself loitering high over the dry battlefield collecting intelligence and providing close air support one day in the future.Hopefully the Navy will provide separate “back-end” crews for these more exotic missions so that maritime patrol crews don’t become so overwhelmed with so many missions that their proficiency in any one of them drops well below optimal.
The P-8 is turning into a very useful tool, one that has just begun its career at that. It has made constant news, from going where others couldn’t in the search for MH370, to challenging the Chinese and their ambiguous air space restrictions. But we have to remember, it is replacing America’s sub-hunting and sea control staple, the P-3 Orion, not augmenting it. Considering the threat from enemy submarines is only growing, as well as the complexity of maritime military affairs abroad, we can’t take our eye off the basic mission set that the aircraft was originally bought for.
The truth of the matter is, you can have the most flexible aerial asset of all time, able to do highly different missions on a whim, but it can only be in one place at a time, and that is usually sitting on the ground. As such, force structure needs to expanded to accomplish all these missions with a common platform, or something will have to give, and that something will be the P-8 community’s bread and butter missions of sea control, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.
Regardless of these issues, it is still awesome to wonder what Boeing and the Navy will bolt onto the their beloved weaponized 737 next.
The P-8 Poseidon is quickly becoming the Pentagon’s super-adaptable multi-role surveillance platform of choice. We know it can pack one of the most advanced radar systems in the world, slung under its belly in a huge canoe-like enclosure. Now, another previously unknown external ‘plug and play’ capability for the P-8 appears to be in testing.
This new pod was photographed during a P-8 test flight out of Boeing Field in Seattle by aviation photographer Josh Kaiser. As you can see, it is made up of an antenna farm and housing that can be attached and detached from the P-8’s forward underbelly.
It is unclear what this pod’s exact purpose is, but it is worth a guess . It could very well be a modular communications intelligence gathering package that will allow the P-8 to pick up some of the slack for the USAF’s RC-135 and U-2 (in Senior Spear configuration) fleets, as well as the Navy’s own secretive EP-3 Aries cadre among other smaller platforms. Such a capability will allow the P-8 to eavesdrop on potential foes communications in a way in which linguists can translate those intercepts in real-time or in near real-time. Using satellite communications, there is a possibility that those linguists may not be on the jet at all, and could even be halfway around the globe.
Another possibility is that this system is the P-8’s version of a “network gateway” system that will give it similar bolt-on capabilities as other aircraft equipped with Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) suites. BACN is flying on the EQ-4, E-11A and NASA’s WB-57s, even the KC-135 can deploy simpler and less capable ‘roll-on, roll-off’ unit that accomplishes some of BACN’s basic mission. BACN is one of America’s most powerful force multipliers. It creates an active net over the entire battlefield, far over the horizon, and even at ground level. It also allows different weapon systems that carry various types of data-links, which transmit on their own waveform, to have their situational awareness “pictures” fused into one single common shared picture of battlespace. This single, fused picture is then rebroadcast by BACN on all those same waveforms.
BACN can also facilitate satellite communications, even between units on the ground and command and control centers halfway around the globe. Think of it as a universal translator, data-fusion center and broadcasting facilitator that flies high up in the sky. You can read more about BACN here and in relation to the F-22 Raptor here.
Whatever this new pod is or is not, it’s just another example of how adaptable a modern maritime patrol aircraft can be, although it does bring up the question of how crews can be trained to accomplish so many missions with limited flight time.
Performing the majority of the permissive airspace rainbow of reconnaissance missions and having to be well versed in chasing enemy submarines, monitoring sea traffic and attacking ships seems like a lot to put on one crew. In addition, the P-8 may find itself loitering high over the dry battlefield collecting intelligence and providing close air support one day in the future.Hopefully the Navy will provide separate “back-end” crews for these more exotic missions so that maritime patrol crews don’t become so overwhelmed with so many missions that their proficiency in any one of them drops well below optimal.
The P-8 is turning into a very useful tool, one that has just begun its career at that. It has made constant news, from going where others couldn’t in the search for MH370, to challenging the Chinese and their ambiguous air space restrictions. But we have to remember, it is replacing America’s sub-hunting and sea control staple, the P-3 Orion, not augmenting it. Considering the threat from enemy submarines is only growing, as well as the complexity of maritime military affairs abroad, we can’t take our eye off the basic mission set that the aircraft was originally bought for.
The truth of the matter is, you can have the most flexible aerial asset of all time, able to do highly different missions on a whim, but it can only be in one place at a time, and that is usually sitting on the ground. As such, force structure needs to expanded to accomplish all these missions with a common platform, or something will have to give, and that something will be the P-8 community’s bread and butter missions of sea control, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.
Regardless of these issues, it is still awesome to wonder what Boeing and the Navy will bolt onto the their beloved weaponized 737 next.
AMDR
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US Army wants to send small, cheap satellites to space
US Army wants to send small, cheap satellites to space
The military has been conjuring up one idea after another in an effort to improve its personnel's ability to communicate, such as putting LTE on a ship and launching a WiFi router to space. This time, the US Army is in the midst of testing nanosatellites that will provide coverage for soldiers' radios wherever they are. The Army's having trouble providing a means of communication between soldiers in rural areas, and these small satellites called SMDC-ONE (ONE stands for Orbital Nanosatellite Effect) can solve that issue. "It's basically a cellphone tower in space," Dr. Travis Taylor, a senior scientist of the Army's space division said, "except it's not for cellphones, it's for Army radios." His team made sure SMDC-ONEs are tough enough to survive harsh conditions, but since the devices are small, they could still be displaced by space junk or ruined by adverse space weather.
The agency needs around 12 of these small satellites orbiting the Earth to get the coverage it wants, but it's not going to be easy making that happen. Aside from launches being really costly, the scientists can't put a conventional rocket motor on the SMDC-ONEs, because they might explode and take the rest of a rocket's payload with them. Those rocket motors are necessary for the devices to be able to propel themselves to the right orbit -- that's why Taylor and his team designed a new one using a plastic printer (see image below) and filling it with liquid nitric oxide and a sparker. The plastic and propellant combust together once the sparkler's lit, but this design's apparently safe enough to be loaded onto a rocket.
In addition, the Army's also designing an imaging nanosatellite that's a bit larger than the one for communications. It will be able to generate images with a ground resolution of two to three meters, enough to tell if there's a tank on the way. It hasn't been tested yet, though it's scheduled to be launched from the ISS in February next year. As we mentioned, though, the SMDC-ONE has already been tested; in fact, one is orbiting the planet right now. If all goes well, the Army will launch a few more units this year and the next until there are 12 or more out there circling the Earth.
US Army wants to send small, cheap satellites to space
The military has been conjuring up one idea after another in an effort to improve its personnel's ability to communicate, such as putting LTE on a ship and launching a WiFi router to space. This time, the US Army is in the midst of testing nanosatellites that will provide coverage for soldiers' radios wherever they are. The Army's having trouble providing a means of communication between soldiers in rural areas, and these small satellites called SMDC-ONE (ONE stands for Orbital Nanosatellite Effect) can solve that issue. "It's basically a cellphone tower in space," Dr. Travis Taylor, a senior scientist of the Army's space division said, "except it's not for cellphones, it's for Army radios." His team made sure SMDC-ONEs are tough enough to survive harsh conditions, but since the devices are small, they could still be displaced by space junk or ruined by adverse space weather.
The agency needs around 12 of these small satellites orbiting the Earth to get the coverage it wants, but it's not going to be easy making that happen. Aside from launches being really costly, the scientists can't put a conventional rocket motor on the SMDC-ONEs, because they might explode and take the rest of a rocket's payload with them. Those rocket motors are necessary for the devices to be able to propel themselves to the right orbit -- that's why Taylor and his team designed a new one using a plastic printer (see image below) and filling it with liquid nitric oxide and a sparker. The plastic and propellant combust together once the sparkler's lit, but this design's apparently safe enough to be loaded onto a rocket.
In addition, the Army's also designing an imaging nanosatellite that's a bit larger than the one for communications. It will be able to generate images with a ground resolution of two to three meters, enough to tell if there's a tank on the way. It hasn't been tested yet, though it's scheduled to be launched from the ISS in February next year. As we mentioned, though, the SMDC-ONE has already been tested; in fact, one is orbiting the planet right now. If all goes well, the Army will launch a few more units this year and the next until there are 12 or more out there circling the Earth.
Fenrir
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A good idea, but I wonder why a cheap, high volume launch platform isn't being developed in conjunction with smaller satellites? In the event of a counter-satellite activity during war, the US will need to replace its comms sats quickly and cheaply, but with existing rockets such as Arteries and Minotaur that can't be done.
This use to be the realm of Blue Scout (I, II, and junior), and to be fair I don't know the current standard, but a cheap, expendable, high-volume of launch system should be developed for mass launches during times of crisis.
Rockets and Missiles
AMDR
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Fenrir
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Watch The USS Little Rock Take The Plunge Of Her Life
Lockheed Martin officially launched the Navy’s 9th Littoral Combat Ship, the USS Little Rock (LCS-9). The almost violent side-launching affair took place yesterday at Marionette Marine’s ship-building facility along the Menominee River in Wisconsin. The occasion included all the typical ship launching fanfare, including broken bottles of champagne and politician’s speeches.
The name USS Little Rock is fairly well known in naval circles. Its predecessor, the USS Little Rock (CL-92), was a valiant ship with multiple lives. It was born a light cruiser towards the end of WWII and then decommissioned in 1949. It was later brought back into service and converted into a guided missile cruiser in 1960, after which the Little Rock served till 1976, often times as the Sixth Fleet Flagship. Today, that USS Little Rock is a museum ship in Buffalo. You can bet that there is a meeting of the Little Rocks of old and of new in the works.
The LCS-9 still has the better part of a year’s work left to be done and testing to complete before she becomes an active player for the U.S. Navy, at which time she will be deployed for long periods to Singapore. Eventually, four Littoral Combat Ships will be continuously deployed there as part of the Department of Defense’s “pivot toward the Pacific” and to monitor and attempt to counter balance China’s growing claims on the South China Sea.
Lockheed Martin officially launched the Navy’s 9th Littoral Combat Ship, the USS Little Rock (LCS-9). The almost violent side-launching affair took place yesterday at Marionette Marine’s ship-building facility along the Menominee River in Wisconsin. The occasion included all the typical ship launching fanfare, including broken bottles of champagne and politician’s speeches.
The name USS Little Rock is fairly well known in naval circles. Its predecessor, the USS Little Rock (CL-92), was a valiant ship with multiple lives. It was born a light cruiser towards the end of WWII and then decommissioned in 1949. It was later brought back into service and converted into a guided missile cruiser in 1960, after which the Little Rock served till 1976, often times as the Sixth Fleet Flagship. Today, that USS Little Rock is a museum ship in Buffalo. You can bet that there is a meeting of the Little Rocks of old and of new in the works.
The LCS-9 still has the better part of a year’s work left to be done and testing to complete before she becomes an active player for the U.S. Navy, at which time she will be deployed for long periods to Singapore. Eventually, four Littoral Combat Ships will be continuously deployed there as part of the Department of Defense’s “pivot toward the Pacific” and to monitor and attempt to counter balance China’s growing claims on the South China Sea.
AMDR
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New 'cyber college' to train airmen on cyber challenges
New 'cyber college' to train airmen on cyber challenges
Airmen may soon take cybersecurity classes as part of a new school designed to bring the Air Force's digital abilities to the cutting edge.
"Ultimately, when we're fully capable, every airmen will have access to content on cyber education that makes them aware of the world around them and their goal of being problem solvers," said Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, who's heading up the endeavor.
On June 2, Kwast, commander of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, made public the plans to create a "cyber college" to expand the education and training available to airmen.
A few days later, the federal government announced it was the victim of one of the largest data breaches in history, with hackers getting personal information on millions of Americans.
"It just reinforces the fact that we as a society, and really we as a world, have grown dependent on cyber," Kwast told Air Force Times. "Those dependencies can create vulnerabilities that we have to be able to defend against."
Kwast hopes the new cyber college will help lead the Air Force's answer to that growing cyber threat.
"The purpose of Air University is to help educate airmen for the defense of this nation," he said. "As we move from an Industrial Age world to a Digital Age world, educating the workforce on how to integrate, respond rapidly, find solutions in the cyber realm is critical."
Professor Anthony Skjellum of nearby Auburn University said "there can't be enough smart cyber people and folks working directly for the armed services."
"They need to be the leaders because it's a constant threat," said Skjellum, Auburn's lead cyber scientist and a professor of computer science and engineering.
It's important for every single member of the military to have a grasp of cyber threats, he added.
"Your weakest link is what gets you," Skjellum said. "It goes all the way down to the secretary's computer -- that can be a vector for attack."
As the world becomes increasingly digital, so too does the training.
"When people hear 'cyber college,' they're thinking how many students, how many teachers, how many classrooms," Kwast said.
The idea, however, is to have a range of educational options available – including online courses airmen can access from around the world.
Plus, rather than having a set program where everyone in a classroom is studying the same thing, Kwast said each airman will be able to study the things that are relevant to his or her job and mission.
"We live in a world where we can tailor-make the curriculum for the individual needs of that specific airman," Kwast said. "The new airmen that comes in, if they're going to be a cyber-expert, their education is going to be very different then someone who's going to be a pilot…The curriculum will be as flexible as cyber is diverse."
That education, Kwast hopes, will change some of the current mindset about cybersecurity issues.
"Whenever a problem is new on the horizon, people try to use their current existing technology to solve that problem," he said. ""After they throw all the current tools at it, they realize they don't understand the problem."
Some cyber solutions might not require action on a computer at all, but rather a change in policy or procedure, Kwast said, adding that people often need to fully understand the problem before taking action.
"Not a lot of people step back and say 'what is the nature of this problem and how might we solve it?'"
But Kwast said it's critical that airmen understand cybersecurity issues, since the topic is so important to Air Force operations.
"All airpower missions have to work with, on, or through cyber in some form or function," he said.
Due to the unique missions of each military branch, the services need to have their own education on cybersecurity, Kwast said.
"The problem in cyber that is experienced by a satellite or a plane in flight is slightly different then the cyber problem that is encountered by a soldier on the ground," Kwast said. "When you have an airman thinking about the problems of aerospace and the problem of needing to have that reach anywhere in the world in a timely matter, the cybersecurity challenges of that are different."
Skjellum said the advanced computer systems carried on modern aircraft pose a unique threat to the Air Force.
"When you're driving at 30, 40 mph and driving a Jeep, you can stop," he said. "When a plane is flying, you don't have the option to reboot. If you leave a Jeep for half an hour, OK, someone has to walk; but you lose a plane for a half an hour, it's not in the air [carrying out missions]."
Officials need to make sure the training is deep and complete enough to equip America's next generation of cyber warriors, Skjellum said.
"It's not enough to have one course on how to change your password or run an anti-virus. There's a lot more that goes into cyber," he said. "The opponent is sometimes very smart, and sometimes we're letting in opponents that are not that smart because we're not organized and not prepared."
The Air Force is partnering with local universities, like Auburn, as well as reaching out to private companies and other educational institutions to form partnerships to aid in the cybersecurity training, said Joe Greene, the military liaison for the Montgomery, Alabama, Chamber of Commerce.
"The whole river region [around Maxwell] is fully behind this effort," he said. "We've got a number of universities not only in the local area but within the state which are doing a number of very significant things in cyber."
The universities are all studying different aspects of cybersecurity as well, Greene said, such as digital forensics or open source capabilities.
"The synergies associated with all of those collaborations collectively is greater than what each institution is doing singularly," he said.
The group is working in a "virtual sandbox," Greene said, where they can solve real-life cyber solutions in a controlled environment.
Kwast said partnerships with universities and companies will allow the Air Force "to stay at the leading edge of creative innovation in civil society," and take advantage of the progress made by those private institutions.
"The innovation that will happen in cyberspace is going to be so rapid, and most of that innovation is going to be in civil society," he said.
But the partnership cuts both ways, and the military's efforts to better understand and respond to cybersecurity threats "benefits all of society, it adds to the collective security of society," Kwast said.
"When the power system is benefiting from ideas that are floated around, that then they can import into ways of being more resilient, then our entire society is safer," he said. "This is national security at its heart."
New 'cyber college' to train airmen on cyber challenges
Airmen may soon take cybersecurity classes as part of a new school designed to bring the Air Force's digital abilities to the cutting edge.
"Ultimately, when we're fully capable, every airmen will have access to content on cyber education that makes them aware of the world around them and their goal of being problem solvers," said Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, who's heading up the endeavor.
On June 2, Kwast, commander of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, made public the plans to create a "cyber college" to expand the education and training available to airmen.
A few days later, the federal government announced it was the victim of one of the largest data breaches in history, with hackers getting personal information on millions of Americans.
"It just reinforces the fact that we as a society, and really we as a world, have grown dependent on cyber," Kwast told Air Force Times. "Those dependencies can create vulnerabilities that we have to be able to defend against."
Kwast hopes the new cyber college will help lead the Air Force's answer to that growing cyber threat.
"The purpose of Air University is to help educate airmen for the defense of this nation," he said. "As we move from an Industrial Age world to a Digital Age world, educating the workforce on how to integrate, respond rapidly, find solutions in the cyber realm is critical."
Professor Anthony Skjellum of nearby Auburn University said "there can't be enough smart cyber people and folks working directly for the armed services."
"They need to be the leaders because it's a constant threat," said Skjellum, Auburn's lead cyber scientist and a professor of computer science and engineering.
It's important for every single member of the military to have a grasp of cyber threats, he added.
"Your weakest link is what gets you," Skjellum said. "It goes all the way down to the secretary's computer -- that can be a vector for attack."
As the world becomes increasingly digital, so too does the training.
"When people hear 'cyber college,' they're thinking how many students, how many teachers, how many classrooms," Kwast said.
The idea, however, is to have a range of educational options available – including online courses airmen can access from around the world.
Plus, rather than having a set program where everyone in a classroom is studying the same thing, Kwast said each airman will be able to study the things that are relevant to his or her job and mission.
"We live in a world where we can tailor-make the curriculum for the individual needs of that specific airman," Kwast said. "The new airmen that comes in, if they're going to be a cyber-expert, their education is going to be very different then someone who's going to be a pilot…The curriculum will be as flexible as cyber is diverse."
That education, Kwast hopes, will change some of the current mindset about cybersecurity issues.
"Whenever a problem is new on the horizon, people try to use their current existing technology to solve that problem," he said. ""After they throw all the current tools at it, they realize they don't understand the problem."
Some cyber solutions might not require action on a computer at all, but rather a change in policy or procedure, Kwast said, adding that people often need to fully understand the problem before taking action.
"Not a lot of people step back and say 'what is the nature of this problem and how might we solve it?'"
But Kwast said it's critical that airmen understand cybersecurity issues, since the topic is so important to Air Force operations.
"All airpower missions have to work with, on, or through cyber in some form or function," he said.
Due to the unique missions of each military branch, the services need to have their own education on cybersecurity, Kwast said.
"The problem in cyber that is experienced by a satellite or a plane in flight is slightly different then the cyber problem that is encountered by a soldier on the ground," Kwast said. "When you have an airman thinking about the problems of aerospace and the problem of needing to have that reach anywhere in the world in a timely matter, the cybersecurity challenges of that are different."
Skjellum said the advanced computer systems carried on modern aircraft pose a unique threat to the Air Force.
"When you're driving at 30, 40 mph and driving a Jeep, you can stop," he said. "When a plane is flying, you don't have the option to reboot. If you leave a Jeep for half an hour, OK, someone has to walk; but you lose a plane for a half an hour, it's not in the air [carrying out missions]."
Officials need to make sure the training is deep and complete enough to equip America's next generation of cyber warriors, Skjellum said.
"It's not enough to have one course on how to change your password or run an anti-virus. There's a lot more that goes into cyber," he said. "The opponent is sometimes very smart, and sometimes we're letting in opponents that are not that smart because we're not organized and not prepared."
The Air Force is partnering with local universities, like Auburn, as well as reaching out to private companies and other educational institutions to form partnerships to aid in the cybersecurity training, said Joe Greene, the military liaison for the Montgomery, Alabama, Chamber of Commerce.
"The whole river region [around Maxwell] is fully behind this effort," he said. "We've got a number of universities not only in the local area but within the state which are doing a number of very significant things in cyber."
The universities are all studying different aspects of cybersecurity as well, Greene said, such as digital forensics or open source capabilities.
"The synergies associated with all of those collaborations collectively is greater than what each institution is doing singularly," he said.
The group is working in a "virtual sandbox," Greene said, where they can solve real-life cyber solutions in a controlled environment.
Kwast said partnerships with universities and companies will allow the Air Force "to stay at the leading edge of creative innovation in civil society," and take advantage of the progress made by those private institutions.
"The innovation that will happen in cyberspace is going to be so rapid, and most of that innovation is going to be in civil society," he said.
But the partnership cuts both ways, and the military's efforts to better understand and respond to cybersecurity threats "benefits all of society, it adds to the collective security of society," Kwast said.
"When the power system is benefiting from ideas that are floated around, that then they can import into ways of being more resilient, then our entire society is safer," he said. "This is national security at its heart."
