Gen. Odierno says a landpower office is being set up, but it's not clear yet whether all are signed on:
No Official Decision Yet On Odierno's Proposed Joint Landpower Office
The Army, the Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command remain undecided on whether to jointly establish a permanent strategic landpower office pushed by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno.
"We've established the Office of Strategic Landpower," Odierno told reporters last week at a breakfast in Washington. Odierno, who had previously urged the Marine Corps and SOCOM to support creating a joint office by that name, said all three parties had signed an agreement. "We're going to open an office here in DC and another one probably down at [the Army's Training and Doctrine Command]," he added. "We're going to put an office together and start looking toward the future." He also said the Air Force would be involved.
Odierno's remarks triggered media reports that the proposed joint office had become a reality. But the Army, the Marine Corps and SOCOM have not yet decided whether to create a joint office, officials confirmed this week. And, as InsideDefense.com reported earlier this year, the pact that Odierno cited created a task force to develop a landpower concept, but did not endorse a joint office. Further, officials said this week the Marine Corps still questions whether a joint office is needed.
For now, the Army is standing up its own office with the same name as the proposed joint office, Army officials confirmed. In time, the Army hopes to morph its office into a joint one.
Some background:
Army, Marines, SOCOM: War Is Likely, And Victory Depends On Ground Troops
The United States is likely to fight another war in the next two decades, and victory will be impossible without the use of "capable" American ground forces, argues a new white paper issued by the Army, the Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command.
Document: Army, USMC, SOCOM White Paper On 'Strategic Landpower'
Just posted yesterday:
DOD's First FY-14 Legislative Proposals Package
On April 26, 2013, the Defense Department forwarded to Congress its first package of legislative proposals to be considered along with the Pentagon's fiscal year 2014 spending request.
DOD's Second FY-14 Legislative Proposals Package
On May 7, 2013, the Defense Department forwarded to Congress a second package of legislative proposals, including a request to extend the Defense Exportability Features (DEF) pilot program -- which began in FY-12 and is set to terminate at the end of FY-14 -- from FY-15 to FY-20.
Speaking of which . . .
Our initial coverage of the second batch of proposals:
DOD Seeks Expansion Of Pilot Program To Facilitate Foreign Weapons Sales
The Pentagon is asking Congress for a five-year extension of a pilot program that allows the government to match defense industry investments in the tamper-proof features of critical weapon system components, and aims to facilitate foreign sales and additional revenue for U.S. companies.
On May 7, the Defense Department forwarded to Congress a second package of legislative proposals to be considered along with the Pentagon's fiscal year 2014 spending request. The package includes a request to extend the Defense Exportability Features (DEF) pilot program -- which began in FY-12 and is set to terminate at the end of FY-14 -- from FY-15 to FY-20.
The goal behind the pilot program is to identify major weapon programs with foreign military sales potential, and then take steps to develop and incorporate technology-protection devices, dial back select capabilities, and factor in system and software assurance during research and development to prepare variants of the system for use by non-U.S. forces.
A sneak preview from tomorrow's Inside the Pentagon:
DT&E Issues Cybersecurity Guidance To Boost Pre-Production Resilience
In a bid to help improve the resilience of military systems before they are produced and deployed, the Pentagon has issued new guidelines to enable the developmental testing community to better develop a "robust cybersecurity" strategy.
"Early discovery of system vulnerabilities can facilitate remediation to reduce impact on cost, schedule and performance," Steven Hutchison, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for developmental test and evaluation, states in an April 19 guidance memo.
As the military grows ever more networked, the potential for cyber vulnerabilities abound. Pentagon efforts like the DOD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) are evolving, but as Hutchison notes, such certifications "are not sufficient to protect systems in the operational environment from the cyber threat."
Accordingly, Hutchison says, the Pentagon wants all major defense acquisition programs, major automated information system programs and special interest programs to be assessed in testing for cyber vulnerabilities, with cybersecurity evaluations to become part of high-level program reviews conducted at "major decision points."
Document: DOD's Developmental Testing Cybersecurity Guidance
WIN-T on the Hill:
Lawmakers Ask Hagel To Halt Planned WIN-T Cuts
More than 70 members of Congress have signed a letter in support of Army networking modernization and the heavily funded Warfighter Information Network Tactical system, a program that has been targeted for a $128 million funding transfer.
In the letter, sent on May 10 to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, 71 members of Congress back both WIN-T and the Joint Tactical Radio System's Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit radio, claiming neither program can afford cuts.
"We understand the significant pressure being placed on the budget of the U.S. Army," the letter states. "Nonetheless, WIN-T and HMS cannot sustain additional cuts -- including cuts from reprogramming. As Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno made clear on August 7, 2012 ' . . . The network remains [The Army's No. 1] modernization priority . . . giving our commanders and soldiers vastly increased ability to communicate and share information on the battlefield . . . while on the move and in the midst of ongoing operations.'"
WIN-T is slated for a $128 million hit due to an Army decision to reduce fiscal year 2013 procurement numbers from six brigade combat teams to four, according to a draft Defense Department reprogramming document first reported earlier this month by InsideDefense.com.
Document: Lawmakers' Letter To DOD On WIN-T
In a May 10, 2013, letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, 71 members of Congress voice their support of Army networking modernization and the heavily funded Warfighter Information Network Tactical system, a program that has been targeted for a $128 million funding transfer.
Related, from earlier this week:
NIE 13.2 May Shed Light On WIN-T Improvements, Cost-Saving Measures
As the Army kicked off Network Integration Evaluation 13.2 last week, attention quickly turned to the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical System, the center of the service's network modernization effort and the recent target of possible reprogramming cuts.
The latest on JSF:
Lightning Protection Compliance In Store For JSF By LRIP 7, Lockheed Says
A fix for a longstanding Joint Strike Fighter deficiency related to lightning protection should be installed on all future F-35 aircraft beginning with the seventh lot of low-rate production, according to a Lockheed Martin executive.
Speaking to reporters at a company media day Tuesday, Lockheed Vice President of F-35 Integration and Business Development Steve O'Bryan said the company's lightning protection modification recently went through a successful critical design review. That design will be completed and a fix implemented as part of low-rate initial production (LRIP) lot 7, now under negotiation with the government. The goal is to deliver aircraft in 2015.
Contracts for LRIP 6 and LRIP 7 are being negotiated together and should be completed this summer, Defense Department and Lockheed Martin officials have said.
Finally today, some new documents you should know about:
Carter Memo On DARPA
The May 7, 2013, memo signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter updates the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's "mission, organization and management, responsibilities and functions, relationships, authorities, and administration."
Hagel Memo On DOD Furloughs
In a May 14, 2013, memo to senior leadership marked "for official use only" but publicly released by the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directs his managers to prepare to furlough most DOD civilians for up to 11 days. Also includes a town hall meeting Hagel held with DOD employees as well as reactions from a variety of lawmakers.
GAO Report On BRAC
The May 14, 2013, Government Accountability Office report finds that "communities need additional guidance and information to improve their ability to adjust to DOD installation closure or growth."
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