November 29, 2012: Strategy Page

You can tell how combat operations are changing in Afghanistan by simply looking at the trend in the use of air drops. In 2007 3,700 tons were dropped by parachute. That rose to 34,500 tons in 2011 and then fell sharply to 16,800 tons this year. The cause was the reduction in troops to put far out in hostile territory, as well as more areas cleared of Taliban and bandits, thus allowing for the use of trucks to supply outposts.

In the last year U.S. troops strength in Afghanistan has declined from 100,000 to 66,000 and will go down to about 10,000 in two years. The use of GPS parachutes will continue as a safe way to supply troops way out in the bush.

29.11.2012 by David AXE - warisboring.com

The targets were buildings packed with humming computers. A missile streaked overhead and, at preset coordinates, it fired concentrated beams of energy. Computers short-circuited, the lights flickered out and even cameras monitoring the rooms shut off. The missile had turned off all the power in the targeted buildings.

This first successful test of the three-year, $40-million Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) at a Utah test range on Oct. 16 marked a big step forward for technology that has been in development for more than four decades.

The potential of CHAMP and other so-called Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapons is enormous, in theory. They could allow an army to bloodlessly disable select portions of an enemy’s military capabilities, potentially winning a fight without a lethal shot being fired.

But CHAMP itself, a collaboration between the Air Force Research Laboratory, defense giants Boeing and Raytheon plus Ktech, a small company Raytheon acquired last year, does not necessarily herald “a new era in modern-day warfare,” as Keith Coleman, the CHAMP program manager at Boeing Phantom Works, claimed in a press release. Boeing declined to comment for this story.

Experts disagree on the Boeing-Raytheon technology’s capabilities and readiness, and the vulnerability of military targets to its effects. “It’s an interesting program,” Norman Friedman, a respected military author and analyst, tells AOL Defense. But CHAMP “could be PR over reality,” he adds. A truly revolutionary EMP weapon might require more work.

Read the rest at AOL Defense.

photo US Army

Nov 29, 2012 ASDNews Source : SDS International

SDS International (SDS) recently delivered additional AAcuity® PC-IGs to Nova Technologies for delivery on Joint Fires Product Line (JFPL) Joint Terminal Attack Control (JTAC) trainers produced under the direction of the Product Manager for Special Operations Training Systems (PM STS), U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEOSTRI).

SDS’ Advanced Technologies Division, Orlando FL, worked closely with Nova Technologies during the integration of SDS’ AAcuity® IGs with Nova and GOTS host system software/hardware components of JFPL JTAC trainers to ensure delivered systems provide effective indirect fire, close air support and terminal attack control training capabilities to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) customers. Varying JFPL JTAC trainer system configurations use the same core asset software and leverage the same baseline hardware to provide training in portable classroom and immersive environments using large-screen displays, projection-dome displays or helmet-mounted displays. Systems also include a dual-monitor instructor station and use of Simulated Military Equipment (SME) to provide training realism.

AAcuity® IGs are designed to provide low-cost, high-fidelity scene generation for flight, space, ground and sea-based training applications using virtually any OpenFlight, Paging OpenFlight or TerraPage database; and ensure maximum cost effectiveness through reuse of existing databases and commonality with other simulations during Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) activities.  AAcuity® also supports use of SDS’ LIFE-based Artificially-Intelligent (AI)-driven scene content (vehicles, aircraft, humans, animals, and special effects) needed to support realistic tactical training. Applications include effective ground-based simulation training; airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (including ROVER feeds) and weapons employment training using manned and unmanned aircraft simulations in virtually any urban, open-terrain or maritime simulation training environment. AAcuity® PC-IGs are in use today by US/Foreign militaries and commercial customers.

In addition to JFPL JTAC trainers and other third-party host simulations, AAcuity® IGs are included on all SDS LiteFlite® manned-aircraft, ROVATTS™ unmanned vehicle (flight, ground and sea-based), SPIDER™ Small UAS, RASP-reconfigurable airborne sensor platform and Hero-First Person Shooter (FPS) simulators.

Nov. 28, 2012 - By JOHN T. BENNETT  Defense News

U.S. House leaders headed straight for the microphones after closed-door meetings Nov. 28 about the nation’s dire fiscal condition, but neither Republicans nor Democrats indicated they would oppose new Pentagon cuts.

The two House caucuses huddled separately to talk about ongoing congressional-White House talks aimed at avoiding a fiscal cliff. But when they emerged, most of their comments focused on tax rates, domestic entitlement programs and federal spending cuts.

Economists say the U.S. economy would tumble off a steep cliff if a slew of tax cuts expire and deep cuts to planned federal spending, including for the military, are allowed to kick in.

Lawmakers and President Barack Obama can avoid such a scenario by agreeing to cuts of at least $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit by Dec. 31. If they fail to pass that kind of bill, or one that delays the defense cuts, twin $500 billion reductions to planned domestic and defense spending would be triggered.

The absence of talk about the defense cuts is a sign that further Pentagon budget reductions, at some level below $500 billion, are on the table.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson of Connecticut urged Republicans to support Obama’s proposal to extend middle-class tax cuts in coming weeks, and leave the question of whether to raise new federal revenue in the lower chamber.

“We have clear agreement among Democrats and Republicans that we have near unanimous support on making sure the middle class is not impacted by the Dec. 31 deadline,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra of California, vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

“Where we disagree, let us push that off,” Larson said, “and where we agree, let us embrace.”

The Democratic leaders signaled they remain skeptical about major changes to Medicare and Medicaid.

House Republicans have raised hopes in recent weeks for a “grand bargain” deal that avoids across-the-board Pentagon spending cuts by stating they would support raising new federal revenues. For nearly two years, congressional Republicans and presidential candidates had held firm against new revenues.

But in a series of interviews this week on Capitol Hill, Republicans have said they now want Democrats to come to the table with savings from domestic entitlement programs. GOP leaders are pressing Obama, and congressional Democrats also are looking for federal spending cuts.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters, “It’s time for the president and Democrats to get serious about the spending problem that we have.”

Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican, said, “We have not seen any good faith effort to talk about the real problem we’re trying to fix.”

Cantor said Erskine Bowles, the Clinton-era White House chief of staff who was the co-chair of Obama’s 2010 fiscal commission, told Republicans, “There has been no serious discussion by the White House on Medicare and Medicaid.”

The Republican leaders made clear they oppose raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and want entitlement program changes.

Neither party listed the Pentagon budget on their list of can’t-touch areas of the federal budget.

While Becerra and Boehner expressed confidence that Congress and Obama can strike some kind of deal by Dec. 31 that avoids the fiscal cliff, their comments show deep divides between the parties still exist.

Nov. 28, 2012 - By ZACHARY FRYER-BIGGS Defense News

Despite a sluggish global economy and spending cuts for key defense powers, the export market is doing well, deal approval time is falling, and the Department of State has taken an unprecedented position of authority on national security issues, a senior agency official said Nov. 28.

In something of a state of the union address, Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, described increases in both direct commercial sales and foreign military sales (FMS) to a meeting of the Defense Trade Advisory Group.

“The growth of the U.S. defense trade has been truly remarkable,” Shapiro said. “Despite the tough global economy over the last four years, demand for U.S. defense sales abroad remains robust. There has been significant growth both in direct commercial sales and in foreign military sales.”

Shapiro said that direct commercial sale license requests were up roughly 3 percent thus far in 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, and that the agency anticipates a total of 85,000 requests this year, which would be a record.

Shapiro also said that Congress was notified of $62 billion in potential FMS deals thus far in 2012.

Those sales are critical to national security, Shapiro said.

“If countries view the United States unfavorably, they will be less willing to cooperate on security matters,” he said. “This is why the current U.S. administration has sought to revitalize U.S. diplomatic engagement, especially relating to security assistance and defense trade.”

While the approval process for sales has been the source of much criticism in the past, viewed as cumbersome and potentially costing U.S. companies opportunities, Shapiro said that approval time has been cut considerably under his watch.

Part of the improvement has been a better internal process, while early congressional notification has yielded some of the most dramatic results. Congressional staff review time has been cut by 35 percent for direct commercial sales and 40 percent for FMS deals, Shapiro said.

Efforts to reduce review time have been met with resistance from the Senate, which has oversight of foreign military sales.

Sen. Richard Lugar, R. Ind., was one of the more vocal critics accusing the Obama administration in an April Washington Times editorial of seeking “power to ram through weapons transfers without fully answering congressional questions and concerns.”

Shapiro said that a reformed system is working, while still allowing proper review.

“Nothing about Congress and the administration’s legal authority has changed under the reformed new system,” he said. “Under the new process, if a committee staffer thinks that an arms sale should be delayed, that staffer must escalate that concern to their representative or senator to convey to the [State] Department. The department has a strong history of being responsive to member concerns, and this will not change.”

Emphasizing his pleasure with the three and a half years he has helmed the political-military affairs office, Shapiro said that the agency has increased its role in national security decision making.

“The collaboration between State and DoD is truly unprecedented,” Shapiro said. And the collaboration is allowing the State Department “to provide important diplomatic insight into the Pentagon’s planning process.”

State has also reclaimed responsibility in several areas, Shapiro said.

“Through the work of PM’s Policy and Plans Office, the State Department has reasserted its authority over security assistance and has developed innovative mechanisms to respond to today’s urgent national security priorities,” he said.

The net effect is that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s vision of an improved agency has come to fruition, Shapiro said.

“One of the major points of emphasis for the secretary when she came to office was the need for an integrated approach to foreign policy — one that would leverage all the tools at our disposal,” he said. “The Political-Military Affairs Bureau has played a fundamental role in turning the Secretary’s vision of ‘smart power’ into reality. The collaboration between State and DoD is truly unprecedented.”

Nov. 28, 2012 by Dave Majumdar – FG

Washington DC - The US Department of Defense (DOD) will be investing in new prototype aircraft in order to preserve the country's engineering design talents, the Pentagon's top procurement official says.

"Helicopters is one of the areas that I'm concerned about preserving our capacity to do new designs," says Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. "I sent a letter out to the services recently on starting a prototyping programme that DARPA [Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency] will lead that I'd like the services to be involved in."

Kendall, speaking at a Credit Suisse conference in New York, says the Pentagon first plans to undertake a concept definition phase, but subsequently it will proceed with an "X-plane" programme. The idea, Kendall says, is to preserve the United States' engineering design talents, which if allowed to atrophy, would be extremely difficult to rebuild.

"High performance aircraft are one area where I'm starting something in that lane, helicopters is another possibility," Kendall says. "We haven't done a new attack helicopter, for example, in quite a long time."

The ill-fated Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche stealthy light attack and reconnaissance helicopter, which was cancelled in 2004, was the last US effort to develop such a new gunship. As such, Kendall says that the Pentagon could embark upon a prototype attack helicopter development programme in "a year or two down the road."

The benefits would be to preserve engineering design talent and shore up the industrial base. It would also mature cutting edge technologies so that they could be readily applied to a next generation operational aircraft, Kendall says. But most importantly, it preserves the ability to create an integrated design and fly it, which would build confidence in the technology.

Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group, applauds the Pentagon's new initiative. "It shows that they're responsive to what people are telling them," he says. "Prototype fabrication is a huge leap forward from concept drawings."

November 28, 2012: Strategy Page

The U.S. Army is seeking to establish a line of combat smart phones (CSPs) that can be as flexible and up-to-date as their civilian counterparts. To that end, the army wants CSP designs that are rugged, cheap and provide critical stuff like encryption via software, not custom hardware. Since even the smart phone hardware is a rapidly moving item, CSPs should cost the army less than $300 each and be built to get replaced every two years, or less. This price is about what current cell phones sell (wholesale, to dealers). There would be a similar, but slower, replacement schedule for the battlefield cell towers, routers and other gear. Not surprisingly, the army is allowing several different families of smart phones and supporting gear to be developed and tested.

One thing the military is trying to avoid is slow network speeds. Using mesh networks (CSPs automatically setting themselves up as nodes of a network) is seen as one solution. Mesh networks are discouraged for commercial cell phones because there is no advantage to the cell phone companies. But for the military, all their users are one customer so mesh makes a lot of sense.

Testing “ruggedized” versions of commercial smart phones for combat use has been going on for several years now. There have also been efforts to ensure these phones address crucial military needs. For example, a year ago the NSA (National Security Agency) created a version of the cell phone/tablet Android operating system suitable for combat use. SE (Security Enhanced) Android is based on a SE Linux that NSA developed 13 years ago. NSA has been active for decades in "hardening" PC operating systems. Since Android is based on Linux NSA had a head start in creating SE Android.

SE Android is the last key element the U.S. Army needed to move commercial smart phones and tablets onto the battlefield. The troops have been clamoring for a combat smart phone, and last year the army began field testing the Atrix smart phone and Galaxy tablet. Both use Android and are designated as NWEUD (Nett Warrior End-User Device) by the military. The army has since gone on to test several more types of Android smart phone and tablet designs. Troops are testing this hardware in training and a few SOCOM (Special Operations Command) operators have apparently used some of this stuff in combat. SE Android provides the security (from enemy eavesdropping, hacking, and such) needed and which commercial cell phones and tablets could not provide. Apparently SE Android works pretty well, especially when worn on the forearm, and usable with one hand.

This turn towards mass produced ruggedized (water and drop resistant) consumer designs has produced lots of responses from manufacturers. Sales of several hundred thousand CSPs a year to one customer is an attractive piece of business. There is also a small commercial market for “ruggedized” smart phones and it would be easier to sell one that was “combat proven.”

Earlier attempts to create smart phone capabilities for combat troops produced a 2.3 kg (5 pound) wearable (and networked) computer with an eyepiece for the display and a handheld (or worn on the arm) input device (keyboard). This integrated radio, GPS, and 16 GB of storage for maps, pictures, or whatever. Troops found the system too heavy and not as easy to use as a smart phone or tablet. Soldiers and marines know that most smart phones can do the same job and now the army agrees and deciding which commercial designs should be used for combat testing. The older NWEUD prototypes underwent combat testing, and failed. But the CSP prototypes have received a much more enthusiastic response in troop tests. Combat experienced troops are eager to try this stuff out on the battlefield, especially if the new CSP systems are a bit more reliable than current radios. This reliability issue is something most civilians don’t appreciate. Since radios got their first wide-scale workout during World War II (1939-45) traditional radio gear, despite decades of improvements, has always suffered reliability problems (hardware, atmospheric, geographical). This rarely gets featured in movies, as it slows things down. But in the real world of combat, screwed up comms is a regular fact-of-life. Cell phone tech is not perfect, but it is a step up from traditional battlefield communications gear.

Over half a century of studies have discovered what an infantryman needs to be more effective. They need to know where they are, quickly. Having a poor idea of where you are has long been one of the main shortcomings of armored vehicles. Armored vehicle crews tend to be cut off from this while inside their vehicle where they are even more easily disoriented. When the shooting starts even the vehicle commander, instead of standing up with his head outside the turret, often ducks back inside to stay alive. Infantry aren't much better off. Although they can see their surroundings they are often crouching behind something. When getting shot at standing up to look around is not much of an option.

CSPs give Team Leaders and Squad Leaders (and eventually each infantryman) a smart phone, and the smart phone/tablet touch screen to control the thing. GPS puts the soldier's location on the map and the soldier knows where he is. Earlier in Iraq, infantry officers and NCOs, equipped with map equipped GPS receivers (at first, then smart phones) found the map/GPS combo a tremendous aid to getting around and getting the job done. CSP also provides a wireless networking capability, so troops not only saw where they were but could receive new maps and other information. Another goal is to use a vidcam to transmit images to headquarters, their immediate commander, or simply to the other guys in their squad. Perhaps most importantly the CSP gear provides the same capability as the 2003 "Blue Force Tracker" and shows Team Leaders and Squad Leaders where all the other guys in his unit are. When fighting inside a building this can be a life saver.

CSP type capabilities are already changing the way troops fight. Everyone is now able to move around more quickly, confidently, and effectively. This has already been demonstrated with the Stryker units equipped with CSP type gear. Captured enemy gunmen often complained of how the Strykers came out of nowhere and skillfully maneuvered to surround and destroy their targets. This was often done at night, with no lights (using night vision gear). When you have infantry using CSPs to do the same thing on foot you demoralize the enemy.

Troops in combat have some unique problems keeping smart phones operational. For one thing, there’s the problem of providing a reliable signal. But that’s long been a problem and there are a lot of new solutions that will work with a smart phone. Then there’s the need for encryption. Again, that’s another problem handled by SE Android. If the smart phone manufacturers and the NSA (SE Android) deliver the troops will use it. They most certainly want it.

November 28, 2012 defense-unmanned.com

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued November 27, 2012)

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates New Ground-Based Laser System In Tests Against Rockets and Unmanned Aerial System

SUNNYVALE, Calif. --- Lockheed Martin today announced that it has successfully demonstrated a portable, ground-based military laser system in a series of tests against representative airborne targets. Lockheed Martin developed the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system to provide a defense against short-range threats, such as rockets and unmanned aerial systems.

Since August, the ADAM system has successfully engaged an unmanned aerial system target in flight at a range of approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) and has destroyed four small-caliber rocket targets in simulated flight at a range of approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles).

"Lockheed Martin has invested in the development of the ADAM system because of the enormous potential effectiveness of high-energy lasers," said Doug Graham, Lockheed Martin's vice president of advanced programs for Strategic and Missile Defense Systems. "We are committed to supporting the transition of directed energy's revolutionary capability to the war fighter."

Designed for short-range defense of high-value areas including forward operating bases, the ADAM system's 10-kilowatt fiber laser is engineered to destroy targets up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away. The system precisely tracks targets in cluttered optical environments and has a tracking range of more than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). The system has been designed to be flexible enough to operate against rockets as a standalone system and to engage unmanned aerial systems with an external radar cue. The ADAM system's modular architecture combines commercial hardware components with the company's proprietary software in an integrated and easy-to-operate system.

"Lockheed Martin has applied its expertise as a laser weapon system integrator to provide a practical and affordable defense against serious threats to military forces and installations," said Paul Shattuck, Lockheed Martin's director of directed energy systems for Strategic and Missile Defense Systems. "In developing the ADAM system, we combined our proven laser beam control architecture with commercial hardware to create a capable, integrated laser weapon system."

Lockheed Martin has been a pioneer in the development and demonstration of high-energy laser capabilities for more than 30 years and has made key advances in areas such as precision pointing and control, line-of-sight stabilization and adaptive optics.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

Nov 28, 2012 ASDNews Source : Harris Corporation

Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has received an $11 million order from the Ministry of Defence of a NATO country for the Falcon III® Secure Personal Radio (SPR). The order is tied to a new framework contract, similar to an IDIQ, with the potential to reach $20 million over the next year.

This nation's armed forces are acquiring the Harris RF-7800S SPR, advanced headsets and other accessories to provide high-performance voice, integrated hearing protection, wideband data and situational awareness capabilities at the team, squad and platoon levels. The soldiers will be able to maintain voice communication in rapidly changing environments and situations, while seamlessly sharing data services and tracking the position of each team member.

"This soldier system program provides important new communication capabilities at the soldier level. The Harris SPR provides the best performance and best overall solution for team-based communications, with maximum range and voice quality. The Harris SPR is a lightweight, secure soldier radio platform deployed to more than 50 nations," said Brendan O’Connell, president, international business, Harris RF Communications. "This radio has rapidly grown to become the international standard for voice and data communications to the individual soldier."

The SPR, a core component of the Harris FalconFighter™ Soldier System, is a lightweight, secure soldier radio platform that offers full-duplex voice, multiple talk-group capabilities and data rates up to 256 Kbps. The SPR allows simultaneous communication for voice, data and even video with unlimited listeners over a range of more than two kilometers, ensuring reliable connectivity between team members and with command-level intelligence. The SPR provides continuous coverage in the 350 to 450 MHz frequency range, as well as high-speed USB connectivity to other C4 devices and provides real-time situational awareness with integrated GPS.

photo US Navy

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire

Raytheon Company was awarded a $422 million contract for its combat-proven Paveway™ II family of precision-guided munitions. The company was awarded the direct commercial sale from an international customer. Paveway™ is a Raytheon-designed kit that transforms "dumb" bombs into precision-guided munitions.

"Paveway™ has revolutionized tactical air-to-ground warfare by providing the warfighter unparalleled accuracy and standoff capability, proving itself in every major conflict in which it has been used," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. "This contract further demonstrates Raytheon's long-standing commitment to its international customers."

Raytheon continues to evolve Paveway™ to meet the needs of the U.S. armed forces as well as allied nations. Newer versions of Paveway™ include Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System guidance capabilities, which combine the precision and flexibility of traditional laser-guided weapons with the all-weather capability of GPS guidance, resulting in a weapon that decreases the required sortie count and weapon inventory while simultaneously increasing the mission success rate.

About Paveway™

The Paveway™ family of laser-guided and GPS and laser-guided bombs has revolutionized tactical air-to-ground warfare by converting "dumb" bombs into precision-guided munitions. Bombs equipped with Paveway™ kits have been put to the test and proved themselves, time and again, as the weapon of choice by 43 customers. Paveway™ laser-guided bomb kits comprised more than half the air-to-ground precision-guided weapons used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Unified Protector.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2011 sales of $25 billion and 71,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 90 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 27, 2012 – Boeing

Boeing will help to modernize the B61 free-fall ballistic munition by designing a new tail kit under a $178 million contract from the U.S. Air Force.

The design, development and qualification phase of the B61 (Mod 12) Life Extension Program is expected to run for three years. The program further expands Boeing's Direct Attack weapons portfolio.

The B61 is a U.S. nuclear weapon that was designed in the early 1960s and went into full production in 1968. B61 (Mod 12) will replace obsolete parts and improve its reliability. Per the contract, Boeing will work with the departments of Defense and Energy on this program.

"Boeing has provided a wide range of reliable and affordable direct attack weapon solutions to the warfighter for more than a decade," said Debbie Rub, Boeing vice president and general manager for Missiles and Unmanned Airborne Systems. "We will apply our proven experience in tail kit production to this platform to effectively upgrade a vital deterrent capability."

Nov. 27, 2012 - By MARCUS WEISGERBER – Defense News

The Pentagon should continue to invest in special operations forces, offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, new manned and unmanned long-range strike aircraft and undersea vessels even as defense spending declines in the coming decade, according to a new think tank report.

The Defense Department should also reduce the buy of Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighters to protect other investments as defense spending declines, the report said.

The study — conducted this summer by Todd Harrison and Mark Gunzinger of the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) — focused on protecting U.S. investments in military capabilities that might be necessary in future conflicts. Researchers announced the study’s findings on Nov. 27.

Defense spending cuts of about $500 billion over the next decade, know as sequestration, were considered while developing DoD spending priorities identified in the CSBA report. However, unlike sequestration, which calls for equal reductions across all defense budget accounts, the study looked implementing only the top level cut.

Organizers of the study created seven bipartisan teams made up of congressional staffers from both chambers, DoD civilians and former military officers from all services, defense experts from industry and thought leaders from other think tanks.

Investing in spec ops forces, cyber, long-range strike and subs were labeled as the “crown jewels” of areas to protect during a budget cuts.

Participants focused on systems that would be beneficial in battlefields with denied access, such as GPS jamming or advanced surface-to-air missile systems. Accordingly, the report recommended no longer maintaining the military’s large inventory of unmanned aircraft that have been heavily used in Afghanistan and Iraq, but are vulnerable when flying in contested airspace.

All of the teams recommended reductions to DoD’s civilian and military end strength, “with the deepest cuts occurring in conventional ground forces.”

“[I]n a declining budget environment, maintaining the status quo mix of forces and capabilities will require significant reductions in the size of the military across all areas,” the report states.

Each team also decreased planned procurement of “tactical fighter aircraft, including the F-35.” One team recommended killing the entire F-35 program, while others wanted to cut procurement by 120 to 360 aircraft over the next 10 years.

At the same time, each team “increased the planned procurement of stealthy, multi-role unmanned systems, and elected to maintain or accelerate procurement of the Air Force’s next generation Long Range Strike-Bomber.”

Nov. 27, 2012 - By MARCUS WEISGERBER  Defense News

The top 2 uniformed U.S. military leaders are experimenting with a grading system that will assist them and other senior-level commanders make wide-ranging decisions from funding recommendations to using military force.

This process — instituted by Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld, the vice chairman — is already assisting Pentagon officials as they develop DoD’s 2014 budget request.

Pentagon officials are currently crafting a 2014 budget request, which will further incorporate elements of a new military strategy DoD unveiled in January.

Dempsey wants to use “national security interests as a sharper decision-driver than just ways and means that are currently in the strategy,” Winnefeld said during a Nov. 27 speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

“As this gets tougher, we’re going to have to rely more on a very careful consideration of ends as we look at ways and means,” he said.

In priority order from “most vital to important,” combatant commanders and service chiefs must characterize decisions against a number of national security factors identified in a document called the “Chairman’s Risk Assessment,” which is Dempsey’s assessment of how DoD should implement the U.S. national security strategy.

Winnefeld characterized this approach an “experiment for us in how we might contribute to the decision-making process as the chairman makes his best military advice recommendations.”

Dempsey and Winnefeld are looking at using this process “as a way to help guide us … in the recommendations that we might make to the secretary and the deputy secretary on what investment decisions we might make,” Winnefeld said.

Congress has not passed a 2013 defense budget, so the federal government is currently operating under a continuing resolution. Further complicating things for Pentagon budget planners is about $500 billion in defense spending cuts slated begin in Jan. 2 and be spread over the next decade unless Congress strikes a deficit reduction deal.

“It’s possible that however this all falls out — and it’s very likely actually — that we have more difficult decisions ahead of us as a department,” Winnefeld said.