The Army may have flown its giant, hybrid airship -- the Long-Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle -- in August, but the plan to deploy the airship in Afghanistan has become uncertain, according to Brig. Gen. Robert "Bo" Dyess, force development director in the G-8 directorate.637 words

Two economists who penned a controversial study claiming the Defense Department's $45 billion Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle program was a waste are doubling down on their assertion even though their work, which was sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, has drawn fire from top Pentagon officials. 1048 words

The Defense Department is bullish about securing multiyear procurement authority for big-ticket weapons programs -- which could save $2.7 billion -- despite the ban on such deals enacted by Congress in the stopgap spending law that governs military spending through March.578 words

The Army is pushing back against allegations that service officials tried to prevent a unit at Ft. Stewart, GA, from using Palantir Technologies' intelligence software, designed to track improvised explosive devices, for pre-deployment training.1019 words

Army attendees of the annual AUSA convention this week aren't the only ones having to deal with tighter controls of conference-related government spending. There is a bit of a downsizing in the works for the Defense Department's corrosion conference next year as well, according to a recent announcement on DOD's www.corrdefense.org website. Originally planned as a five-day "forum" at the Sheraton Waikiki hotel in Honolulu in September 2013, the event is now on the calendar as a one-day affair to be conducted via web-based video-conference, according to the website.92 words

While opportunities for large military vehicle contracts (and their lucrative sustainment contracts) are expected to begin dwindling, U.S. Special Operations Command's next-generation Ground Mobility Vehicle remains an attractive program for industry players gearing up to compete.356 words

Changes to the Army's force structure will begin manifesting themselves in the fiscal year 2015 program objective memorandum budget cycle, according to the G-8 force development director. 458 words

With some lawmakers alarmed over what they believe is murky planning by the Army for modernizing the Patriot air and missile defense system, the G-8 force development director last week shed some light on what the service deems important for the effort.1005 words

The Army must figure out how it can continue to deliver capability quickly once funding for overseas contingency operations, which allows for rapid acquisition, decreases as the war winds down in Afghanistan, according to the G-8 force development director.366 words

Two major helicopter manufacturers are jockeying for position in a race to build the Army's next armed scout helicopter, a competition that some officials say the ground service may be unable to afford.1048 words

An Army test of Raytheon's Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor system showed the weapon is capable of detecting and tracking a wide variety of threats and communicating information to commands in real time, according to Raytheon's JLENS program manager. 432 words

The Army has converted the first flat-bottomed Stryker into a double-V hull configuration, kicking off its pilot exchange program, the service announced last week.414 words

The Pentagon's weapons testing chief is pushing back against assertions made by an Army radio contractor who has claimed his product wasn't properly evaluated at the service's biannual Network Integration Evaluation, according to a memo being circulated on Capitol Hill.1070 words

Defense business systems found to be non-compliant with business process re-engineering requirements have until year's end to develop a plan of action to get up to speed, according to a new memo from the Defense Department's deputy chief management officer.656 words

The Pentagon wants industry input on ways to securely enable mobile devices to access military networks without storing government data on the device.847 words

A new Pentagon office is spearheading efforts to cultivate cutting-edge technological concepts that could give U.S. forces new advantages against sophisticated military adversaries.407 words

Productivity at Pentagon laboratories is hindered by "many minor impediments," the Defense Department told Congress in a briefing earlier this month.901 words

The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle joint program office will plan an in-theater evaluation in early-to-mid-2013 before transitioning the program to the services, according to an Army spokesman.487 words

Pentagon missile defense efforts and the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship are among the most wasteful of federal programs, according to a report released last week by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK).323 words

Given that the presence of American troops "can be controversial" within countries receiving U.S. security assistance, a draft State Department report urges using fewer military personnel and more career diplomats and civil servants from other agencies to accomplish the missions.724 words

Polaris Defense, known for its fleet of ultra-light, all-terrain vehicles, plans to offer what it is billing as a revolutionary solution to lightweight vehicle armor at the annual Association of the United States Army conference in Washington this week.947 words