A sea of mortar rounds wait to be wired for explosion by the 704th Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team at the Besmiyah Range Complex, just outside of Baghdad.
Handling live grenades, directing your team’s movement, prepping blast caps and wiring up a detonator, all while standing a few feet from one ton of un-exploded ordinance and 300 pounds of plastic explosive. Hundreds of mortar shells lay about a sea of mortar tubes, rocket propelled grenades, Russian made anti-tank grenades to form a piece of abstract art made waiting for destruction.”Number one, less [improvised explosives devices],” said Bartley. “The terrorist will use anything to hurt us; if it can explode they will find a way to use against us. That’s why getting out here and putting a charge through it is important and, lucky for me, that means we get to blow something up.”Blowing it up is the collective goal of every Soldier present on Besmiayah Range Complex, and with the ordinance stacked and organized, Bartley and his team call for the placement of C-4 charges to cover the bed of ordinance.
Credit: Multi-National Division Baghdad, 10/26/09
Special Feature – Alabama Governor Riley on the Future of Aerospace and Defense in the South
For the Governor of Alabama, the aerospace and defense role of the state goes deep into history. “We have invested in the capability to train the personnel needed by the Army, Navy or Air Force for any mission that might be asked of us (…). We feel that we not only talk a good game, but we have stepped up and delivered on every obligation that we have been asked to do for the military”, he notes.
Read More >>—General George Patton Jr.
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platforms, and the political impact of operations, what is often lost are
the nuts and bolts of creating, sustaining the right military capability
and deliver it at the right time to the warfighter. Second Line of Defense
(SLD) not only refers to the crucial role of the support community in a
broad sense (military logistics community; industrial players; civilian
contractors; etc) in doing so, but also to evolving public-private
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What's New
Meeting the Logistics and Sustainment Challenge: Towards a New Bargain Between Industry and Government
In a recent interview, Lou Kratz, Vice President, Logistics and Sustainment, Lockheed Martin Corporation, laid out an approach towards shaping a new convenant between industry and government in forging a success-based sustainment model. Today, “logistics and sustainment is not an afterthought. It is central to our core activities and central to our future in working with our customers”, he stresses.
Read More >>The President’s Asian Journey
As President Obama began his Asian journey, his White House aides said he viewed China as “America’s most vital partner in tackling the globe’s most intractable issues.” The President himself said “We meet at a time when the relationship between the United States and China has never been more important to our collective future.” His words suggest that Asia is the new focus of US economic and security policy.
Read More >>European Air Transport Fleet: Fleet or Framework?
On 17 November 2009, the European Defence Agency’s Ministerial Steering Board noted a Letter of Intent (LOI) on the establishment of a European Air Transport Fleet (EATF). EDA’s Former Deputy Chief Executive Dr. Himar Linnenkamp, analyses the status of such initiative balancing the good and the bad news…
Read More >>Exclusive Feature – Going to Afghanistan:The Osprey Squadron Prepares
In an interview just prior to the deployment of the Osprey squadron from North Carolina to Afghanistan, several members of the squadron talked with sldinfo.com about their upcoming deployment. The Osprey team discussed their preparation, some of their expectations and some of their thinking about how the Osprey could be used to benefit the MAGTF and the joint and allied forces.
Read More >>For more information about each publication, click on one of the following thumbnails
Vertical Lift Industry:Shaping a Way Ahead on R&D
The Administration proposes a new model for the Vertical Lift Industry.The initiative is designed to re-organize the scattered Research and Development money within the DOD budget for vertical lift platforms, and to provide a central clearing point for shaping the way forward for the industry and the government.
Read More >>Leveraging Naval Technologies: The Case of the DDG-1000
Ninety years ago, British strategist and inventor Major General J.F.C. Fuller understood that “Tools, or weapons, if only the right ones can be discovered, form 99 percent of victory….
Read More >>Richard McCormick on US Dependency on China: China’s Complete Control Of Global High-Tech Magnet Industry Raises U.S. National Security Alarms
Richard McCormick, editor of Manufacturing News, has focused frequently on the challenges of the supply chain for manufacturing in the United States, including for the defense sector. He discusses the role of the Chinese in providing for rare earth minerals to US industry.
Read More >>Meeting the Logistics and Sustainment Challenge: Towards a New Bargain Between Industry and Government
In a recent interview, Lou Kratz, Vice President, Logistics and Sustainment, Lockheed Martin Corporation, laid out an approach towards shaping a new convenant between industry and government in forging a success-based sustainment model. Today, “logistics and sustainment is not an afterthought. It is central to our core activities and central to our future in working with our customers”, he stresses.
Read MoreEuropean Air Transport Fleet: Fleet or Framework?
On 17 November 2009, the European Defence Agency’s Ministerial Steering Board noted a Letter of Intent (LOI) on the establishment of a European Air Transport Fleet (EATF). EDA’s Former Deputy Chief Executive Dr. Himar Linnenkamp, analyses the status of such initiative balancing the good and the bad news…
Read MoreFrench Land Forces Support:Looking For the Best Business Models
A Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) approach is in effect being implemented in France, whereby the industry is now welcome to offer customized approaches and solutions to a variety of maintenance and support challenges (…)The Army Chief of Staff (EMAT) is still refining its approach as far as the degree of outsourcing/partnership being considered in the long-term is concerned, but a general rule of thumb is starting to emerge.
Read MoreExclusive Feature – Going to Afghanistan:The Osprey Squadron Prepares
In an interview just prior to the deployment of the Osprey squadron from North Carolina to Afghanistan, several members of the squadron talked with sldinfo.com about their upcoming deployment. The Osprey team discussed their preparation, some of their expectations and some of their thinking about how the Osprey could be used to benefit the MAGTF and the joint and allied forces.
Read MoreCon-ops, Competition and Capability
Ed Timperlake comments on Air Power Australia Assessments of AESA Radar Competitions (…): “Two mutually supporting papers published in Air Power Australia one by WGCDR Chris Mills and the other by Dr Carlo Kopp perfectly capture the action/reaction dynamic cycle of fighter aircraft design features.”
Read MoreOsprey Training Video
The video shows the MV-22 being used during combat training for urban operations.
Read MoreThe Connectivity Opportunity and Multi-Mission Similitude: the TTNT Example
With a significant shortfall in spending for new power projection platforms, the U.S. faces a core challenge of how to most effectively build forces for the years ahead…
Read MoreProviding Connectivity on the Go: The Role of Mobile Routers
A key transformation of the US military associated with the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan has been the use of the Internet …
Read MoreThe Evolving U.S. Military Space Paradigm: Lynchpin for a Global C4ISRD Enterprise
The more than 40 year history of US military space has entered a new phase. The US military space system was built as a unique overlay for the US intelligence community and the US military to provide for strategic deterrence of the Soviet Union. It has evolved over time into a global enabler for the transformation of the US military into a truly global force. It is now the lynchpin for what is emerging as a global C4ISRD enterprise enabling the global security and defense capabilities of the United States.
Read MoreSpecial Feature – Alabama Governor Riley on the Future of Aerospace and Defense in the South
For the Governor of Alabama, the aerospace and defense role of the state goes deep into history. “We have invested in the capability to train the personnel needed by the Army, Navy or Air Force for any mission that might be asked of us (…). We feel that we not only talk a good game, but we have stepped up and delivered on every obligation that we have been asked to do for the military”, he notes.
Read MoreThe President’s Asian Journey
As President Obama began his Asian journey, his White House aides said he viewed China as “America’s most vital partner in tackling the globe’s most intractable issues.” The President himself said “We meet at a time when the relationship between the United States and China has never been more important to our collective future.” His words suggest that Asia is the new focus of US economic and security policy.
Read MoreThe Challenge of Maritime Security in a Globalized World: The Case of Securing the Suez Canal
Rupert Herbert-Burns, a senior analyst with the Danish firm “Risk Intelligence”, provides an assessment of the challenges of securing the Suez Canal in the evolving maritime security environment…
Read More