The WGS program is actually a set of 13 kilowatt spacecraft based upon Boeing's model 702 commercial satellite. These satellites will support the USA's warfighting bandwidth requirements, supporting tactical C4ISR; battle management; and combat support needs. The program name has been changed for some reason from "Wideband Gapfiller Satellite" to "Wideband Global SATCOM," presumably to avoid correct suggestion that it fills an emerging gab. Readers should be aware that references to either title in documents, archives, or the media denote the same program.
Upon its first launch into geosynchronous orbit, WGS Flight 1 became the U.S. Department of Defense's highest capacity communication satellite. Each satellite can route 2.4 to 3.6 Gbps of data - providing more than 10 times the communications capacity of the predecessor DSCS 3 satellite. Indeed, One WGS satellite will provide more throughput than the entire Defense Service Communications Satellite(DSCS) constellation currently on station. Using reconfigurable antennas and a digital channelizer, WGS also offers added flexibility to tailor its coverage areas, and to connect X-band and Ka-band users anywhere within the satellite's field of view. Unlike programs like AEHF or T-SAT, however, WGS offers wideband communications that are "unprotected" against jamming and nuclear effects.
Vice President Joe Biden brushed aside recent criticism by predecessor Dick Cheney that moves by the Obama administration had put the United States at risk, telling CNN on Tuesday that the former vice president was "dead wrong."
"I don't think Cheney is out of line, but he is dead wrong." he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "This administration - the last administration left us in a weaker posture than we've been anytime since World War 2: less regarded in the world, stretched more thinly than we ever have been in the past, two wars under way, virtually no respect in entire parts of the world.
"... I guarantee you we are safer today, our interests more secure today than they were anytime during the eight years" of the Bush administration.
In an interview with CNN's John King last month, Cheney said President Obama had been "making some choices that in my mind raise the risk to the American people of another attack."
Biden said former President Bush had not been fully aware of the country's position in the world. "I remember President Bush saying to me on time in the Oval Office, and he was a great guy, enjoyed being with him. He said to me, he said, "Well, Joe," he said, "I'm a leader." and I said, "Mr. President, turn around and look behind you. No one's following. People are beginning to follow the United States again as a consequence of our administration."
"... I think the biggest thing we're doing is, I'm operating in concert with the president," he said, "There are not - there are - look, everybody talks about how powerful Cheney was. His power weakened America, in my view."
But he did not deny reports of disagreement within the Obama administration as well, over the president's plan to widen involvement in Afghanistan. A report last week said Biden had warned about the possibility getting into a quagmire, while military advisers pushed for more troops.
"Well, look. Without commenting specifically on who took what position, there was a healthy debate. There is a healthy debate within our administration."
The vice president said that he condemned a new Afghan law that would allow men to rape their wives, but that those issues were not the focus of the U.S. presence in that nation. "I am not prepared to send American troops to die for that." he said.
As the president made an unannounced visit to Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday, Biden said that he had no concerns that a recent uptick in violence in Iraq might affect plans to withdraw most U.S. troops from that country by the summer of 2010.
"I'm not worried about that at all. We will draw down along the timeline we suggested." the vice president said.
Also not a concern for Biden: the possibility of Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. The vice president said he was not worried that Israel's new government, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would order such an attck.
"I don't believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu would do that. I think he would be ill-advised to do that. And so my level of my concern is no different that it was a year ago."
A day after North Korea's rocket test sparked alarm from world leader, Biden called for a tougher response from Moscow and Beijing.
"What I'd like to see is a strong condemnation and a united effort on the part of the Chinese, Russians in the six-party talks to say, "enough is enough, there will be greater sanctions, we will squeeze down even harder on North Korea." he said.
He added that China could "do a great deal more," although he was uncertain it would. "I think this puts the onus on China and Russia and South Korea and Japan, et cetera, along with us, to be bolder in our condemnation."
On the domestic front, Biden said that the administration's economic plan would prevent up to 4 million jobs from being lost and stabilize the economy, but that "it will take at least another year before you start to see employment," and in the meantime, jobs will continue to disapear.
"There will be an additional job loss. ... You're not going to see reports this calendar year saying there was no job losses the remainder of this year. The question is will they continually go down before they begin to rebound, and employment - we go down to zero job loss and back to employment."
He said it was "too premature" to begin discussing another stimulus package, though he has no ruled one out.
Afghanistan has forced a number of participating countries to upgrade their UAV fleets through purchase or rental, and Dutch forces are no exception. They have bought Aladin and Raven mini UAVs, and a recent announcement indicates that they're about to retire their old, limited Sperwer-A UAVs as of March 1/09. Instead of buying replacements, they will join the rent-a-UAV trend.
The concept of renting front-line military equipment would have seemed outlandish a very short time ago. Now, UAVs like Boeing's ScanEagle are rented and operated by contractors on the front lines battle, Britain has rented Elbit Systems' mid-size Hermes 450 UAVs for use in Afghanistan. P.W. Singer's recent book Wired for War even discusses examples of human rights groups inquiring about renting or buying UAVs to monitor key conflict zones. Private surveillance UAVs are already operating along the US-Mexican border, and additional examples around the globe seem to be just a matter of time. The times, they are a' changing.
The Dutch have picked Aeronautics Defense System' Aerostar UAV, and that firm has just confirmed the contract ...
The Sperwers have been taken out of service by Canada and Denmark, so their retirement by the Dutch is not a surprise. According to background materials released by the Dutch MvD, the MvD had initially identified a need for 2 'air-ground reconnaissance capacities', one at the tactical level for commanders on the ground, and another at the "operational level" for theater command intelligence. At first, both types of UAV requirements were handled and evaluated separately, and were estimated at less than EUR 25 million each.
Further investigation led to a Novemver 2008 decision that both requirements could be fulfilled in a single platform, under a EUR 25 - 50 million program, if the high-echelon requirements were relaxed slightly. In truth, finding a system that could meet all of the MvD's needs is not challenging. Finding a solution that would meet most of these needs provide enough UAVs to supply adequate coverage, and fit within the budget was the challenge.
After issuing an international solicitation through the EU's European Defense Agency online marketplace, the Dutch concluded that the Israeli firm Aeronautics Defense System Ltd. in Yavneh, Israel was the only option that could fit their requirments, which include operating and maintaining the UAVs on the Netherlands' behalf. This is considered an urgent operational buy, and the MvD intends to sign a contract by the end of January 2009, so that it can begin deployment in March 2009.
The proliferation of micro-satellites is just the start. USAF journals like High Frontier are already talking about nano-satellites, or in civilian parlance "CubeSats." Their effects could be profound, and will be felt in many ways. San Jose's Good Morning Silicon Valley covers an Institute for the Future project called The Signtific Lab. The premise, which you're invited to discuss and build on, is: "...in 2019, cubesats - space satellites smaller than a shoebox - have become very cheap and very popular. For $100, anyone can put a cutomized personal satellites into low-earth orbit. And space data tranfer protocols developed by the Interstellar Internet Project provide a basic relay backbone linking low-powered cubesats with ground stations, and with each other. Space is open... . What will you do when space is as cheap and accessible as the Web is today?" ......
THE PRESIDENT: Earlier this week, I signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- the most sweeping economic recovery plan in history. Because of this plan, 3.5 million Americans will now go to work doing the work that America needs done.
I'm grateful to Congress, governors and mayors across the country, and to all of you whose support made this critical step possible.
Because of what we did together, there will now be shovels in the ground, cranes in the air, and workers rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, and repairing our faulty levees and dams.
Because of what we did, companies -- large and small -- that produce renewable energy can now apply for loan guarantees and tax credits and find ways to grow, instead of laying people off; and families can lower their energy bills by weatherizing their homes.
Because of what we did, our children can now graduate from 21st century schools and millions more can do what was unaffordable just last week -- and get their college degree.
Because of what we did, lives will be saved and health care costs will be cut with new computerized medical records.
Because of what we did, there will now be police on the beat, firefighters on the job, and teachers preparing lesson plans who thought they would not be able to continue pursuing their critical missions. And ensure that all of this is done with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, I have assigned a team of managers to make sure that precious tax dollars are invested wisely and well.
Because of what we did, 95 percent of all working families will get a tax cut -- in keeping with a promise I made on the campaign. And I'm pleased to announce that this morning, the Treasury Department began directing employers to reduce the amount of taxes withheld from paychecks -- meaning that by April 1st, a typical family will begin taking home at least $65 more every month. Never before in our history has a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking Americans.
But as important as it was that I was able to sign this plan into law, it is only a first step on the road to economic recovery. And we can't fail to complete the journey. That will require stemming the spread of foreclosures and falling home values, and doing all we can to help responsible homeowners stay in their homes, which is exactly what the housing plan I announced last week will help us do.
It will require stabilizing and repairing our banking system, and getting credit flowing again to families and businesses. It will require reforming the broken regulatory system that made this crisis possible, and recognizing that it's only by setting and enforcing 21st century rules of the road that we can build a thriving economy.
And it will require doing all we can to get exploding deficits under control as our economy begins to recover. That work begins on Monday, when I will convene a fiscal summit of independent experts and unions, advocacy groups and members of Congress, to discuss how we can cut the trillion-dollar deficit that we've inherited. On Tuesday, I will speak to the nation about our urgent national priorities. And on Thursday, I'll release a budget that's sober in its assessments, honest in its accounting, and lays out in detail my strategy for investing in what we need, cutting what we don't, and restoring fiscal discipline.
No single piece of this broad economic recovery can, by itself, meet the demands that have been placed on us. We can't help people find work or pay their bills unless we unlock credit for families and businesses. We can't solve our housing crisis unless we help people find work so that they can make payments on their homes. We can't produce shared prosperity without firm rules of the road, and we can't generate sustained growth without getting our deficits under control. In short, we cannot successfully address any of our problems without addressing them all. And that is exactly what the strategy we are pursuing is designed to do.
None of this will be easy. The road ahead will be long and full of hazards. But I am confident that we, as a people, have the strength and wisdom to carry out this strategy and overcome this crisis. And if we do, our economy -- and our country -- will be better and stronger for it.
As North Korea prepares for another intercontinental missile test, South Korea continues to modernize its forces and take steps toward full sovereign control of its defenses.
"Raytheon Begins SAM-X/Patriot Missile Work in South Korea" described one new piece of the ROK's defenses. These PAC-2 GEM+ missiles are expected to be operational in 2010, and fully in space by 2012. South Korea doesn't appear to be aiming as high as Japan, with its license-produced Patriot PAC-3s and long-range naval SM-3 systems, but medium range SM-2 IIIA/B missiles fired from ROKN KDX-III destroyers do offer another limited option for the ROK's coastal cities.
As countries like the UAE have been quick to recognize, turning a series of point defenses into a cohesive system that can respond in time requires long-range detection, and strong regional command-and-control systems. Those contracts are reportedly imminent, as South Korea prepares to field its Air and Missile Defense Cell(AMD-Cell) radars and command system...
Feb 15/09
The Korea Times reports that South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is likely to select Israel's EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar systems, buying 2 radar sets by 2010 in a WON 300 billion/$215 million deal. Green Pine radars are an integral component of Israel's own national missiles defense system, where they are used in conjunction with Patriot PAC-2 GEM+ missiles and Boeing/IAI's longer-range Arrow-2 Interceptors. They may also become part of India's emerging ABM system.
Greem Pine radars have a claimed detection range of 500km/300miles, which can be extendted to 800km/480miles in the most modern versions. Just one of those "Super Pine" radars cold cover all of North Korea from a position well behind the armistice's front lines.
The ballistic missile early warning radars are a part of the ROK's planned Air and Missile Defense-Cell (AMD-Cell), a missile defense command-and control center that will play a key role in monitoring, tracking and intercepting incoming cruise and ballistic missles from North Korea. AMD-Cell will reportedly be interoperable with US Forces Korea's own threater missile defense system.
An anonymous source told the paper that the USA's Forward-Based X-Band Radar-Transportable (FBX-T) was denied due to export restrictions, which the French M3R radar failed to meet all requirements. Overall:
"The DAPA concluded negotiations with foreign bidders over the selection of the early-warning radar systems last week and believes the Israeli radar is the most suitable for the country's theater missile shield in terms of price and capabilities."
Israel and South Korea have had limited defense ties over the years, but those ties appear to be growing. South Korea has begun buying Israeli UAVs, and Israelis considering South Korea's T-50 jets as its future advanced flight trainers.
"CENTCOM Looks to Boost ISR Capabilities in 2008-2009" discussed the growth of local US military surveillance/strike capabilities, and SecDef Robert Gates' strong support for more attention to the needs of the counterinsurgency fight. Surveilance is part of that, but it needs to be backed by action. "Mortars from Aircraft? The Shadow Knows..." and "Task Force ODIN: In the Valleys of the Blind..." discussed pending and emerging approaches that tie UAVs, manned propeller planes, artillery, and helicopters into a cohesive, fast, and flexible solution for finding, identifying, and capturing or killing opponents.
Another piece of that puzzle is about to fall into place. The US Army's RQ-7 Shadow UAVs are currently too small to carry weapons, but their surveillance turret's laser rangefinder can designate GPS locations for JDAMs and related bombs, Excalibur 155mm artillery shells, and GMLRS 227mm rockets. That's useful, but maximum unarmed effectiveness requires a lightweight laser designator that would add the ability to actively mark targets for weapons like Helfire missiles, laser-guided 70mm rockets, or Paveway bombs. That way, the small and relatively cheap RQ-7s could mark targets for any component of Task Force ODIN.
The first challenge is making a full laser rangefinder and designator that's powerful enough, but still small enough and light enough to fit on the Shadow UAVs. The second challenge involves making that solution part of Army systems that stretch beyond the Shadow UAVs carring it
Feb 12/09
Texton subsidiary Army Armaments Incorporated(AAI) in Hunt Valley, MD receives a $9.3 million cost plus fixed fee contract modification, exercising options for additional engineering hours re,ated to these Shadow UAV modifications. These servies are related to low-rate initial production of Laser Designators, Tactical Common Data Link(TCDL) interoperability, and integration with the Army's Universal Ground Control Station and Universal Ground Data Termianl.
Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, MD, with an eatimated completion date of April 30/09. One bid was solicited and one bid received by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-08-C-0033)
Sonic booms and st least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for "falling space debris," authorities said.
There were no reports of ground strikes or interference with aircraft in flight, FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said.
Herwig told CNN the FAA received no reports from pilots in the air of any sightings but the agency recived "numerous" calls from people on the ground from Dallas, Texas, south to Austin, Texas.
Video shot by a photographer from News 8 TV in Austin showed what appeared to be a meteor-like white fireball blazing across a clear blue sky Sunday morning. The photographer caught the incident while covering a marathon in Austin.
On Saturday, the FAA told pilots through its routin notification systems that "a potential hazard may occur due to re-entry of satellite debris into the earth's atmosphere." The notice did not specify a time or location.
Herwig said most of the reports the FAA received came in about midday Sunday in an area of Texas from Dallas south to Austin.
He said he was not certain where the information that sparked the FAA notification came from, but it was "probably from NORAD," or the North America Aerospace Defence Command, which tracks man-made objects in space. Calls to NORAD headquarters in Colorado were not immediately returend.
Lisa Block, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said her agency had received calls from residents surprised by sonic booms about 11 a.m. She said calls came from an area from Dallas to Houston.
Last week, the Russian and U.S. space agencies said two satellites, one Russian and one American, collided about 496 miles(800 kilometers) above Siberia, Russia.
The collision on Tuesday produced two large debris clouds, NASA said. The satellites collided at 6.2miles(10kilometers) per second, producing 500 to 600 pieces of space debris, the U.S. Strategic Command said.
When countries export weapons, they frequently set associated conditions. Rules against reselling the gear without permission would be a basic condition for obvious reasons, and more advance restrictions on technology tranfer, sharing of details about the weapon with other countries, and related codicils are also common. Some western countries will also place restrictions on what the purchaser can do with the weapons as part of these "End Use Monitoring"(EUM) agreements.
Indonesia turned to Russia as a supplier, for instance, after Britain created problems when the country moved to use its British=made Scorpion light tanks against a separatist insurgencyin Aceh. Chad encountered trouble from Switzerland after its Pilatus-7 turboprops were reported to have been armed for use aginst Sudanese-backed forces. A problem that the opposing Sudanese forces don't have with their new Chinese and Russian jets.
During the Cold War, regimes always had the option of playing Western suppliers off against the Soviet Union. With the USSR's collapse, that option disappeared for a while, but the re-emergence of Russia's weapons industry, and the development of competitive arms industries in countries like China, South Korea, Brazil, and India, is changing the global equation again.
EUMs are likely to be affected by this trend, as the leverage to apply them declines. The question is which items are deal-breakers that must be retained by western countries, and which will be allowed to quietly fall by the wayside. That decision will be different in different countries, of course. Meanwhile, the strains created in India by standard American EUMs appear likely to provide an early indicator. India is a leading edge case for a number of reason ...
A 2007 US National Intelligence Assessment[redacted NIE summary] believes Iran's nuclear program has stopped, but others, including the United Nations and Israel are more skeptical. Intelligence is always a very uncertain and ambiguous exercise, and occasionally features assessments like the somewhat infamous NIE whose 1962 judgment was that there were no Soviet missiles in Cuba. Uncertainty creates perception of risk, and perception of risk lead to behaviors aimed at reducing that risk. Iraq is no longer a missile/WMD threat, Iran's regular and Revolutionary Guards air forces remain relatively weak, and Iran's ballistic missiles based on North Korean designs lack accuracy. Still, even a lucky conventional missile could create issues in some Gulf states if it hit important oil-related infrastructure, or hit the larger and more nebulous target of business confidence.
Arms spending is an incomplete but very concrete way of tracking a state's real assessment of threats and priorities. It's becoming clear that Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, have stepped up their defence spending in recent years. Those expenditures cover a range of equipment, but anti-ballistic missile capabilities appear to be rising to the top of the priority list.
In June 2008, over $10 billion worth of December 2007 Patriot missile upgrade requests in the UAE and Kuwait shone a spotlight on the region's new defense priorities. The latest news involves additional order requests from the UAE for THAAD theater defense missile systems, and additional Patriot PAC-3 related equipment. the requests dovetail with the UAE's moves to become a command-and-control leader within the [Arabian] Gulf Cooperation Council, and are part of a top to bottom moderniztion of the UAE's air defense systems, which appear to be shifting strongly toward American equipment.
A multi-billion dollar Patriot missile contract seems to be locking in that shift, and recent developments in the UAE underscore the strategic logic at work in the regionl. One of those developments is a major spares and support contract to accompany their December 2008 Patriot missile order
