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| Current Topic: Military Technology |
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DOD mulls network coordination |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
11:48 pm EDT, May 31, 2005 |
General Shea said a joint acquisition command could be responsible for developing and fielding all the components of the Global Information Grid (GIG), which consists of systems ranging from tactical vehicle and manpack radios to global high-speed data circuits. Army Lt. Gen. Steven Boutelle, the service's chief information officer, said he supports JACN and believes DOD officials need to dramatically change the way they acquire and deploy network systems. DOD mulls network coordination |
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Study warns of ground-based RF threat to satellites |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
2:21 pm EDT, May 29, 2005 |
Ground-based RF jammers and laser "dazzlers" might pose a more immediate threat to satellites than deployments of systems formally defined as space weapons, warns a study published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The issue has particular resonance as speculation has mounted in recent weeks that the Bush administration is weighing a pullback of some aspects of a 1996 Clinton administration directive on space policy to allow for placement of the first weapons in space. "We may think our intentions are good and peaceful, and that other nations should respect our benign hegemony but that's not the way the rest of the world views it." Study warns of ground-based RF threat to satellites |
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Swarming and the Future of Warfare |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
11:13 pm EDT, May 28, 2005 |
Swarming occurs when several military units conduct a convergent attack on a target from multiple axes. The author derives a simple theory that explains the phenomenology of swarming. He considers command and control, communications, home field advantage, surprise, fratricide, and training and identifies the primary variables most important to successful swarming. Swarming and the Future of Warfare |
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Star-crossed | IEEE Spectrum |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
9:09 am EDT, May 24, 2005 |
From orbiting lasers to metal rods that strike from the heavens, the potential to wage war from space raises startling possibilities -- and serious problems. Our analysis suggests that the military advantages that might be gained from space-based weapons are outweighed by their political and economic costs. Star-crossed | IEEE Spectrum |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
9:04 am EDT, May 24, 2005 |
The Air Force is pressing hard to develop defensive and offensive space weapons. It is not clear whether Air Force aspirations for these weapons are mostly technological fantasy or have some real hope of success. This all sounds similar to the technological hubris shown by missile defense planners, who started out with grandiose Star Wars designs two decades ago. Nobody knows how well the new weapons might work. IEEE needs to give the NYT editorial board a complimentary subscription to Spectrum. Weapons in Space |
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GAO Assessments of Selected Major Weapon Programs [PDF] |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
2:19 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
GAO assessed 54 programs, which represent an investment of over $800 billion, ranging from the Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser to the Army's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical. GAO's assessments are anchored in a knowledge-based approach to product development that reflects best practices of successful programs. The majority of programs GAO assessed are costing more and taking longer to develop than planned. Most of the programs proceeded with less knowledge at critical junctures than suggested by best practices. GAO Assessments of Selected Major Weapon Programs [PDF] |
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Workshop on Ground and Air Military Robots |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
12:45 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
U.S. Army Goal: To build intelligent autonomous systems as combat multipliers. Future combat systems will require operators to control and monitor aerial and ground robotic systems and to act as part of larger teams coordinating diverse robotic systems over multiple echelons. The major goal of the workshop was to identify the most important human-related research and design issues from both the engineering and human factors perspectives and to develop a list of lessons learned and fruitful research directions. You can download this book in PDF for free. Workshop on Ground and Air Military Robots |
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The New York Times | Editorial: A Science-Fiction Army |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
8:40 am EST, Mar 31, 2005 |
FCS is starting to take some serious heat. Mr. Rumsfeld needs to recognize that the Future Combat Systems must be radically scaled back. That will provoke howls from the Army brass and companies like Boeing. If Mr. Rumsfeld is reluctant to take them on, Congress needs to stiffen his spine. The New York Times | Editorial: A Science-Fiction Army |
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An Army Program to Build a High-Tech Force Hits Cost Snags |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
9:05 am EST, Mar 28, 2005 |
The bridge to the future remains a blueprint. Army officials issued a stop-work order in January for the network that would link Future Combat weapons, citing its failure to progress. Future Combat is a network of 53 crucial technologies, he said, and 52 are unproven. If JTRS does not work, Future Combat will fail, General Cartwright said. The Army halted production on the first set of JTRS radios in January, saying they were not progressing as planned. "The principle of replacing mass with information is threatened." These are not the droids you're looking for. An Army Program to Build a High-Tech Force Hits Cost Snags |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
9:30 am EST, Dec 17, 2004 |
The items being purchased are 10,000 New International Version (NIV) Bibles with a custom-designed cover. The Bibles include Army-designed color photographs and text inserts. War may be hell, but infowar is making a bid for heaven. SOCOM wants Bibles |
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