Tag Archives: Army

U.S. Military Embraces Robots with Greater Autonomy

David Alexander, Reuters. In what is likely the next phase of robotic vehicles, the military and industry are experimenting heavily with autonomous vehicles of varying sizes to allow delivery supplies without human guidance. While true autonomy is likely far off, it is increasingly likely that systems such as convoy vehicles, or the currently being tested Squad Mobile Support System, will see service in coming years. These systems mean there are fewer soldiers and Marines on the road and at risk, while increasing logistics capacity.

With NGEN, Navy Prepares for Move to the Future

Amber Corrin, Federal Computer Week. There are certain contracts that are…

Pentagon’s $525 Billion Budget Takes Most From Lockheed F-35

Tony Capaccio and Gopal Ratnam, Bloomberg. The F-35 loses 13 aircraft in the new budget proposal while other systems also face cuts or slow downs to save costs on the acquisition budget. Capaccio and Ratnam have a good view of the various pieces in the budget that was received with some skepticism on Capitol Hill this week. Of course, the biggest cuts will come in personnel for the Army and Marines tied with raising the fees for current retirees and their healthcare.

Cuts in End Strength, Rise in Medical Fees Appear to have Senate Support

John Grady, ScoutComms. The DoD is…

Exclusive: Pentagon Budget Eyes $178.8 Billion for R&D, Procurement

Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters. Copies of the 2013 defense budget started getting to the press over the weekend and the early reports have a 7.5% drop in the procurement budget and an overall 12.2% drop from last year’s budget with the drop in war funding. Generally aircraft and ship programs fared well while cuts in the medium family of vehicles for the Army went down substantially, and the Humvee upgrade program was killed in favor of the JLTV.

San Antonio Firm Barred from Fed Contracts

Sig Christenson and Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express. The Booz Allen Hamilton office in San Antonio, Texas has…

Major Changes in Store for the Ground Forces in New Defense Budget

John Grady, ScoutComms. The Army and Marine Corps force structures look to be major bill payers in the new defense budget plan as outlined by the department’s leadership on Thursday. The Army will drop down to 490,000 troops and the Marines down to 182,000, and two heavy brigade combat teams will leave Germany to be deactivated. In addition, pay raises will be cut and current retirees will see their insurance premiums rise as future service members see reduced packages vs those serving today. All in all a heavy reliance on the belief you can train new troops faster than…

General Dynamics CEO Sets Sights on Further Growth, Acquisitions

Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters. GD CEO and former Chief-of-Naval-Operations Jay Johnson discusses with Reuters last week his views of the future of General Dynamics and the industry. He offers an insight that most analysts agree with. This is actually a ripe time for major defense manufacturers like GD to acquire other companies to expand their offerings, while leveraging emerging markets like China and South America. While the worries are real about the future of the U.S. defense market, major programs will have to continue and support for most remains strong. 

Obama Administration Urges Flat 2013-2017 Defense Spending Plan

Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg. The White…