The INSIDER - August 23, 2012

Editor's Note: Updated August 24 at 10:35 a.m. Up in the Air. Today's front-pagers: Air Force's FY-14 POM Complicated By Budget Uncertainty, Prior-Year CRs The Air Force has submitted its budgetary proposal for fiscal year 2014 to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and is in communication with OSD about its details, but the process of putting that proposal together was complicated this spring by a number of factors, among them the buildup of unobligated balances caused by continuing resolutions in previous years. USAF Spokeswoman Says LAS CDI Results Show A Need For Improvement Air Force investigators found no criminal wrongdoing when they looked at separate source selections done by Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Space Command in an attempt to assess the quality and consistency of the source selection procedure used in awarding the Light Air Support contract, but did note the service had room for improvement. USAF Taps Lockheed, Raytheon And Northrop For 3DELRR Pre-EMD Work The Air Force this week announced its intent to carry three contractors through the next design phase of its Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar program, keeping alive the possibility that the derivative of a system already funded by the Marine Corps could fill both services' deployable radar requirements. With MOA In Hand, Army-Air Force Helicopter Trade Terms Nearly Done The Air Force and Army are working out the details of providing the Air Force with 18 re-configured HH-60G search-and-rescue helicopters -- with a contract expected to be put in place by the end of September for the remainder of the HH-60 Operational Loss Replacement program -- after agreeing to an unusual process for swapping aircraft, according to the Air Force's top military acquisition official. Grab Bag. More news of note before the weekend: Amos: Marines Reviewing ACV Requirements Before Moving Forward Although the Marine Corps has finished an analysis of alternatives for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, the head of the service told reporters at the Pentagon today that it is taking a second look at the results before taking the requirements to Navy leadership and eventually the Office of the Secretary of Defense. With Fixes Identified, Amos Now Meets With JSF Office Quarterly Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos told reporters at the Pentagon today that he is meeting with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program office less frequently than last year because the most pressing issues for the program have been solved. Amos: No Plans For Deeper Cuts To Marine Corps Force Structure Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos today defended plans to cut his service's force from 202,000 to 182,100 troops by 2016, noting the prospect of more defense-spending cuts has not prompted the service to draft plans for an even smaller force. Three JLTV Winners Announced; Losing Companies Still May Have A Shot The Army and Marines may have awarded three contracts for the next phase of development for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, but that doesn't mean the losing bidders are left out in the cold just yet, according to terms set by the government. War Gaming. Inside the Pentagon leads today with a report on the Marines and anti-access/area-denial threats: Marine Corps War Game On A2/AD Threats Uncovers 'Numerous Gaps' A Marine Corps war game uncovered "numerous gaps" in the doctrine, concepts, capabilities and capacity needed to support joint military operations against anti-access and area-denial threats, according to an internal report. The July 23 final report on the Expeditionary Warrior 2012 war game held in March notes that "in many cases, the potential solutions are as complex as the problems themselves, involving myriad organizations that must coordinate and integrate their respective capabilities to create unity of effort within the current and future operating environment." Inside the Pentagon obtained a copy of the report. With the aim of informing upcoming experiments, exercises and war games, the report lays out key observations and recommendations to shape the Marine Corps into the force required for future operations. DOCUMENT ALERT: Marine Corps Report On Expeditionary Warrior 2012 The July 23, 2012, report outlines the lessons learned from the 2012 Expeditionary Warrior exercise. On the Way Out. Inside the Pentagon obtained another must-read report this week, this one on U.S. military relations with Pakistan: Smaller Role Urged For DOD's Top Brass In U.S.-Pakistan Relations The Defense Department's top brass should play a much smaller role in U.S. relations with Pakistan as American forces withdraw from Afghanistan, according to a draft report prepared for the State Department. The report by the International Security Advisory Board argues civilian-to-civilian contacts should be the principal and most visible conduit for U.S.-Pakistan relations. For the United States, in most cases, that means the State Department and embassy team, but at times it might include the president, the vice president and the White House's national security adviser, the panel writes. "With the impending end of the NATO combat role in Afghanistan, the highly visible role played by the chairman of the [Joint Chiefs of Staff] and the [U.S. Central Command] commander in U.S.-Pakistan relations should sharply decrease," states the report, which was drafted in May based on a study led by former diplomat Robert Gallucci and overseen by former Defense Secretary William Perry. DOCUMENT ALERT: Draft ISAB Report On 'Pakistan And U.S. Security Strategy' The draft May 24, 2012, International Security Advisory Board report "looks at the U.S.-Pakistan relationship with respect to four potential future outcomes -- three negative and one positive." The Unmanned. Observed: Navy Awaits FAA Approval To Fly Drones Without Visual Observers The Navy is awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for its first-ever effort to fly drones in the national airspace without using visual observers or chase planes, according to officials working on the effort. The goal is to obtain a certificate of authorization (COA) for Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, in late September or early October in order to fly Shadow unmanned aircraft systems using a ground-based, sense-and-avoid system, said Stephen Chadwick, who directs the development of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned system's advanced technologies for the Navy's Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems program office. If approved, this effort will help boost efficiency for drone missions and reduce manpower requirements, Chadwick told Inside the Pentagon in an Aug. 21 interview. Bird Watch. We've obtained and posted a larger, more complete version of the report on the V-22 crash in Morocco earlier this year: Marine Corps Report On V-22 Crash In Morocco The July 26, 2012, Marine Corps report finds that a fatal MV-22 Osprey crash in Morocco on April 11, 2012, was due largely to pilots' mistakes, but wind was also a key factor. The report recommends no disciplinary action against the pilots and concludes the aircraft's flight manual had inadequate guidance for the circumstances involved. Includes both a 407-page report as well as a 27-page redacted version. Our coverage: V-22 Crash Report Cites Pilot Error, Wind And Flight Manual A fatal MV-22 Osprey crash in Morocco this past spring was due largely to mistakes made by the pilots, but wind was also a key factor, according to a Marine Corps investigation report. The report recommends no disciplinary action against the pilots and concludes the aircraft's flight manual had inadequate guidance for the circumstances involved. Down Under. News on Australia and the Poseidon program: DOD Plans To Sign $1.2B Project Arrangement With Australia For P-8A The Defense Department plans to sign a $1.2 billion deal with Australia to jointly develop new capabilities for P-8A Poseidon aircraft in response to evolving threats. The Pentagon's acting director of international cooperation, Frank Kenlon, described plans for the project arrangement with Australia's defense ministry in a July 18 letter to lawmakers. The aim is to "jointly research, develop, test, evaluate, integrate and establish production capacity of the P-8 increment 3 capabilities, in order to provide more affordable, supportable, maintainable and operationally effective P-8 weapon systems for both participants," Kenlon writes. The P-8A is a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. "The increment 3 follow-on development effort will allow the P-8A to keep pace with ever-present threats to the security of the United States and is a step in the P-8A evolutionary acquisition strategy that consists of sequential improvement upgrades," Kenlon notes. Truck Stop. The big news on JLTV, out a couple days earlier than expected: Army Statement On JLTV Contract Awards On Aug. 23, 2012, the Army announced it had awarded Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contracts to AM General, Lockheed Martin and Oshkosh Corp. More to come, naturally. Going Nuclear. Back to Inside the Pentagon: Report Urges Talks With Russia On Missile Defense, Nuclear Weapons The United States should conduct strategic stability talks with Russia concerning force structure, posture and doctrine to avoid strategic surprises and misunderstandings, according to a report issued by the State Department's International Security Advisory Board. The report on "mutual assured stability" -- prepared based on a study led by Graham Allison of Harvard University and overseen by former Defense Secretary William Perry -- states the talks with Russia should develop a common understanding of the components deemed essential for mutual assured stability, and a plan for building these components and achieving this new relationship. The board calls for a "joint U.S.-Russia review of the requirements for national and multinational missile defense in the coming years as missile technology continues to spread, with the goal of achieving a shared understanding of each nation's requirements for effective missile defense." DOCUMENT ALERT: Draft ISAB Report On 'Transparency Measures' The draft May 25, 2012, International Security Advisory Board report "highlights what has been achieved bilaterally [between the United States and Russia] so far in research on nuclear weapons monitoring and verification technology." More: Transparency Measures Proposed For U.S.-Russian Strategic Issues The United States and Russia could take four key "transparency" steps in the near term to promote the transformation of the bilateral nuclear relationship toward "mutual assured stability," according to a draft report by the State Department's International Security Advisory Board. Main Event. Coming soon: DGA's Joint Force Integration and Projection Summit Enhancing Joint Air-Sea-Land Battle Concept Technologies and Platforms September 12-14, 2012 - Venue to be Confirmed, Washington, District of Columbia, United States Battlefields have never been as complex as they are today. Whether the threat is land, air, or sea-based, our forces must be ready to counter threats with fast, lethal and deployable weapons systems. These systems can be used for anti-access/area-denial, counter-strike, close air support or defensive operations, and they must always meet specific operational needs to give our forces a lethal battlefield advantage. With this in mind, IDGA’s Joint Force Integration and Projection Summit will offer delegates vital knowledge on the latest requirements, advancements and tactics as well as lessons learned from recent combat operations. It will uncover the gaps that military forces and combatant commands face that prevent them from achieving battle superiority in Anti-Access/Area Denial, Counter Strike, Close Air Support of Defensive/Offensive Operations and many other areas so you can help keep our troops out of harm's way. -- Dan Dupont