The Army recently acquired a set of "Rock Phones" that can communicate through 100 meters of solid rock using magnetic induction -- a technology manufacturers say could be used to ferret out enemies hiding in caves and tunnels or assist in search and rescue missions.

The Navy will add "government oversight of over 300 personnel" as it begins to take control of the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet from contractor HPES, according to David Weddel, the assistant deputy chief of naval operations for information dominance.

The Navy's information technology requirements, development and testing process should be reviewed to find ways the pace of development can be accelerated, the service's No. 2 IT official told Inside the Navy last week.

A 2008 attack against Defense Department classified computer networks helped create U.S. CYBERCOM, according to the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance David Weddel, whose office handles both IT and intelligence matters for the Navy. The counter attack, dubbed Operation Buckshot Yankee, raised "the implications of network security to the highest levels," Weddel said in a Sept 1. interview with Inside the Navy.

Contractors Lockheed Martin and ATK have delivered three prototypes each of what the Office of the Secretary of Defense says will be the helicopter missile warning systems of the future, according to Capt. Paul Overstreet, program manager for advanced tactical aircraft protection systems.

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command is hoping to carry the concept of the Common Submarine Radio Room installed on guided missile, ballistic missile and attack submarines over to the surface ship fleet, according to a broad agency announcement.

The Navy recently completed a major operational evaluation for the Portable Undersea Training Range -- an up to 100-square-mile range that can be picked up and moved anywhere the fleet needs it -- and the service may buy two or three more in the coming years, the program manager said last week.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren is asking industry for information about towing sensor arrays via helicopter.

The Navy is hoping to find a system that is better at tracking moving targets in complex or "cluttered" environments than the service's existing laser-targeting systems.

The Air Force's top intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance outfit has drafted a comprehensive implementation plan designed to codify the major tenets of the service's long-term blueprint for future ISR capabilities, according to service documents released this week.

Global Strike Command's recently released guidance on B-52 intelligence operations is the first of many the command plans to issue in the coming months, which will act as a gapfiller until the Air Staff issues permanent instruction for those operations, Inside the Air Force has learned.

The Air Force anticipates at least a seven month delay in the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite reaching its full operational capability after problems with the satellite's propulsion system, according to a service official.

Air Force officials are making progress toward a spring 2011 launch of the first Space-Based Infrared System geosynchronous orbit spacecraft but have not targeted a specific date, according to a senior service official.

The Pentagon is launching a new Cyber Insider Threat (CINDER) program -- with a well-known hacker at the helm -- to respond to insider threats to government and military networks.

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the Army's ground-based sense-and-avoid system's "safety case," effectively expanding the service's available airspace for unmanned aerial system training, according to service officials.

Despite claims to the contrary on previous Pentagon reprogramming requests, the first launch of a Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite is scheduled for the summer of 2011, not December of that year, and Congress' recent denial of funds to deal with technical issues will not affect that launch date, a Navy spokesman said last week.

The Navy has postponed a large interagency maritime domain awareness technology demonstration exercise until next spring due to difficulties in coordinating the event, according to an Aug. 23 Federal Business Opportunities notice and a source familiar with the exercise.

The Air Force has awarded Boeing a $182 million contract for the advanced procurement of Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite 7, according to Boeing officials.

The Air Force plans to procure 221 advanced active electronically scanned array radars for the F-15E Strike Eagle in an effort to push back a date for grounding portions of the fleet, according to a service spokesman.

A group of Army advisers is urging the service to improve its biometrics capabilities, calling on officials to focus on improved ways for collecting biometric information from uncooperative subjects and utilizing "intent"-based systems.