An amendment to the Senate's fiscal year 2012 defense authorization bill that would enhance the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization's involvement in countering domestic IED threats did not make it into the final bill at a time when the organization's future is in question.

Banning a fertilizer chemical in Pakistan is not considered a likely option in efforts to curb the proliferation of homemade explosives, so the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization is turning to industry and academia to try to deal with the problem, according to officials.

The greatest intelligence gap the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization faces is understanding how ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer compound that can be used to make improvised explosive devices, gets from two factories in Pakistan into the hands of Afghan insurgents, the JIEDDO director said last week.

The future of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization is less important than the need to continue trying to solve what has become a global concern, the JIEDDO director said today.

The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization is taking yet another crack at finding technologies capable of pre-detonating IEDs in Afghanistan without harming U.S. personnel, as the military's arsenal of jammers does not work against mechanically triggered bombs often placed by Taliban fighters and criminal networks in that country.

The Marine Corps has begun identifying which specific vehicles it will divest from its ground forces as part of a plan to reduce its vehicle inventory by about 10,000 over the next three years.

The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Joint Program Office may receive some additional funding to make upgrades to its MRAP vehicles not currently deployed to combat zones, which had been left out as budget constraints prompted the Pentagon to only make safety and comfort improvements to those being used in Afghanistan.

Senate appropriators have proposed cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from the Pentagon's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization and they want it to stop spearheading niche sensor projects for unmanned aircraft.

The Army intends to issue requests for proposal to two companies for the development of an electronic stability control system for the RG-31 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle to make it safer to drive, according to a recent announcement.

The Army, pressing onward in its fight against the most potent weapon of insurgent forces, has released a solicitation seeking information on existing vehicle solutions to mitigate underbody blasts from roadside bombs.

The Army Rapid Equipping Force is seeking new ideas for countering roadside bombs, protecting small bases and village outposts, and conducting surveillance operations in "inhospitable" environments, according to a May 2 REF notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

Defense Department officials have issued a stop-work to Oshkosh for blast-proof ambulances urgently needed by forces in Afghanistan, with sources saying a Navistar vehicle is likely to be tapped instead.

A scientist credited with bringing the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle to America used a rare public appearance in the Washington region last week to reiterate concerns with the way armored vehicles are tested against explosions, saying he has found a more stringent way to do it.

Despite a recent report to Congress expressing skepticism about recapitalizing Expanded Capacity Vehicle humvees, the Marine Corps has renewed hope that a design feature generated by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency could provide a reasonably priced, lightweight option for providing extra protection on the vehicles, according to a service official.

The Army is formally seeking permission from Congress to launch a new program to modernize a third of its massive humvee fleet through a competitive recapitalization program that assumes a $180,000 price tag for each armored vehicle, 8 percent savings from competition, and possible underbody protection that compares with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

The completion date for the Pentagon's testing of vehicle active-protection systems has slipped by six months into September, with Raytheon -- once believed to be not involved -- now slated to have its APS solution tested this summer, according to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The Defense Department Inspector General's office has announced it will audit the procurement of Vehicle Optics Sensor System anti-mine devices.

Defense officials last week announced a $14 million contract to continue field-testing a technology that can turn ordinary humvees into unmanned vehicles for bomb clearing on Afghan roads.

The Army is struggling to manage, store and rapidly interpret intelligence about improvised explosive devices from the tactical edge in a way that will drive operations in theater, according to a counter-IED official.

The Navy wants to greatly increase the number of expeditionary dogs assisting troops in Afghanistan, but the service is not saying much about what kind of work the dogs will be doing.