The Pentagon's acquisition chief has approved a move to disband the Joint Tactical Radio System program office and transition oversight of all radio hardware to the services, according to an internal Defense Department memo obtained by Inside the Army. 666 words

A plan to provide more combat capability to Army reconnaissance forces is beginning to emerge as the expectation that U.S. forces will have to "fight for information" in future conflicts takes hold in service doctrine and a key inter-service warfighting concept unveiled earlier this year.876 words

The Army and members of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee are discussing what level of funding the service needs to keep its restructured Joint Air-to-Ground Missile program afloat, according to panel Chairman C.W. "Bill" Young (R-FL).352 words

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno and other senior-level service leaders were scheduled to convene at the Pentagon on Friday to discuss a path forward for a proposal to shift funding away from a key network program to pay war-related bills, according to Army sources.594 words

Zachary Lemnios, the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering, has been designated as the Defense Department's senior official for airship programs -- a new position DOD had to create in response to a congressional mandate, an Army spokeswoman told Inside the Army last week. Due to a perceived lack of coordination in the growing airship sector, the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act directed DOD to designate an official to oversee all programs. DOD had 180 days following the law's Dec. 31, 2011, enactment to pick somebody for the job.93 words

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The Pentagon's acquisition chief cleared the way last week for the Army to purchase an additional 13,000 Joint Tactical Radio System Rifleman radios for low-rate initial production, according to an internal Defense Department memo.481 words

BAE Systems is set to execute a plan this week to furlough more than 200 employees working on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle at a plant in York, PA, for approximately one month, according to a company spokeswoman.559 words

A radar the Army has developed to track people and vehicles through dense foliage remains shelved because platforms capable of carrying the radar need further development, according to the chief engineer for the service's Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate radar and combat division.873 words

The Army has awarded AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems a $358 million contract to upgrade Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles with encrypted data links that were demonstrated at the fall 2011 Manned-Unmanned Systems Integration Capability exercise, according to AAI's general manager.692 words

The Army is still working on a plan to reduce personnel in the headquarters of large service organizations, including service components of the combatant commands, putting more stock in the Middle East and Pacific regions while envisioning leaner Army bureaucracies supporting the other COCOMS, according to sources and documents.457 words

The Army wants to shift its focus from the Land-based Phalanx Weapon System to the development and testing of the Accelerated Improved Intercept Initiative, according to a service spokesman.334 words

A roadside bomb in Afghanistan that recently tore through the hull of an armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, killing six American soldiers, has been called "considerably larger" than bombs previously seen in the country, leading some defense analysts to worry about the potential beginning of a trend toward bigger and deadlier improvised explosive devices.749 words

The commanding general of the Army's Special Operations Aviation Command will take over as commanding general of the Aviation Center of Excellence and Ft. Rucker, AL, according to a July 9 Defense Department announcement.422 words

The Army no longer needs $7.6 million in fiscal year 2012 funding for its Sense-Through-the-Wall sensor system due to delays attributed to program performance issues, according to a Defense Department omnibus reprogramming request sent to lawmakers earlier this month.202 words

The Army and Navy will buy 653 H-60 Black Hawks and Seahawks for $8.5 billion over five years, according to a July 12 Army statement.292 words

The Army has released a pre-solicitation for a joint logistics integrator to manage Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle facilities in Afghanistan, Kuwait and the United States, according to a recent government notice.210 words

The Pentagon is drafting a directive that will update key policies for acquiring capabilities to fulfill "urgent" requests from combatant commanders, according to the deputy defense secretary.802 words

Program managers and defense contractors will gain a better, shared understanding of cost and schedule problems affecting the development of major weapons due to new guidance that went into effect this month, according to a Pentagon official spearheading the effort.331 words

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has notified Congress the Pentagon plans to spend roughly $64 million on vehicles, communications gear, unmanned aircraft and other equipment to provide counterterrorism assistance to African security forces.630 words

A recent report by the Reserve Forces Policy Board has rekindled a potentially divisive debate in the Army and the Defense Department about the cost of reserve forces as compared to active-duty troops in the military's inventory, according to officials and observers.738 words

A Pentagon assessment of energy use by troops in Afghanistan finds "significant economic and operational benefits" are derived from outfitting small- and medium-sized expeditionary forces with power derived from renewable sources -- particularly systems that convert sunlight into electricity.636 words