Recently added articles from National Defense:

Non-government aid crucial to disaster relief operations.(PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE)

Jun 01, 2008; Farrell, Lawrence, Jr. ... * We have seen in recent weeks some extraordinary efforts by international aid organizations and governments around the world to assist the victims of the devastating cyclone in Myanmar as well as the powerful earthquake in China. The U.S. military is now an active participant ...

Despite SecDef pleas, Pentagon is losing the innovation war.(DEFENSE WATCH)(Defense Secretary Robert Gates)

Jun 01, 2008; Erwin, Sandra I. ... * Defense Secretary Robert Gates briefly grabbed the headlines last month when he challenged the Pentagon to "find more innovative and bold ways to help those whose lives are on the line." He might just as well have asked for the moon. For reasons that are hard to ...

Unexpected reception: navy aviation industry competes for attention.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)(Brief article)

Jun 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Times are tough for carrier aviation. The Navy is struggling with an aging fleet and rising costs--in addition to the possibility that the fleet may temporarily drop from 11 to 10 aircraft carriers in a couple of years. Naval aviation's industry boosters ...

Air force asking contractors for 'data rights'.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)

Jun 01, 2008 ... * When the Air Force buys a new weapon system, typically it allows the manufacturer to retain ownership of the blueprints, designs and technical data. Companies prefer it that way because it guarantees them lucrative aftermarket work such as repairs, upgrades and training simulators. ...

Industry unscathed by Iraq drawdown, says report.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)

Jun 01, 2008 ... * Investors have speculated for some time about a downturn in the defense industry following a U.S. pullback from Iraq. Not to worry, say analysts from the Spade Defense Index. Regardless of who wins the November elections, "Trends over the next few years show that a significant decline in ...

Troops don't always benefit from 'virtual reality' training.(WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY)

Jun 01, 2008 ... * Virtual reality is not always the best choice for military training, according to a recent government study. "VR simulators are usually located in comfortable environments, with air conditioning to cool computer equipment, so the operators never get tired from running with a large ...

Direct-to-target: DHS wants to vet small aircraft before they enter U.S. airspace.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)(Department of Homeland Security)

Jun 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * About 400 general aviation flights--ranging in size from small Cessnas to 747s--enter U.S. airspace each day. Despite long-time fears that these non-commercial flights may come beating a weapon of mass destruction, the federal government still knows ...

Jihadists not lacking for plot ideas, terrorist watchdog says.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)

Jun 01, 2008 ... * Senior al-Qaida leaders through a password protected Internet message board periodically ask their loyal readers to send in their best ideas for attacking their enemies. One such request for proposals posted last year received thousands of responses, said Rita Katz, executive ...

Technical glitches keep coast guard satellite grounded.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)

Jun 01, 2008 ... * An experimental Coast Guard surveillance payload that was scheduled for launch aboard a commercial satellite at the End of 2007 has been delayed twice because of several technical problems, the Coast Guard said. The demonstration payload, which was built and scheduled to be ...

Edicts from on high irk local, state homeland security leaders.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS)(Brief article)

Jun 01, 2008 ... * When it comes to sharing information and promulgating rules and regulations that can protect the homeland, communication from the federal government to state and local agencies is still a one-way street, said a consortium of 21 national organizations. "Federal dialogue with ...

Cutting through the radar clutter.(INSIDE SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY)

Jun 01, 2008; Jean, Grace V. ... * The same technology that allows fighter pilots to detect enemy planes in the skies may one day help ground troops peer around buildings in cities to track down insurgents. At least, that is what scientists are hoping as they progress on research to make radar more effective in ...

Chokepoints: more eyes in the sky may not generate better intelligence.(IN FOCUS: DEFENSE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS)

Jun 01, 2008; Erwin, Sandra I. ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Under orders from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the military services are moving to accelerate the production and deployment of surveillance aircraft. This mad rush to deploy more spy planes over Iraq and Afghanistan is meant to help U.S ....

Aviation wish-lists send mixed signals.(ANALYSIS)

Jun 01, 2008; Erwin, Sandra I. ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At least on paper, the Air Force and Navy have staked the future of their tactical aviation on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. But the services' ongoing pleas for more money to fill what they describe as short-term "gaps" in their fighter ...

Failing grades: waning education standards threaten U.S. competitiveness.(Industry Study)

Jun 01, 2008; Gropman, Alan L. ... High-quality education is absolutely critical to national security, and the United States must soon address a number of challenges in its educational system if it wants to maintain a competitive edge in the global economy and in key technologies. Of concern is that U.S. student ...

Binding ties: Air Force wants Latin America to be less dependent on U.S. military.(Southern Command)

Jun 01, 2008; Jean, Grace V. ... SANTIAGO, Chile -- The Air Force is requesting more than $300 million to help modernize the aircraft fleets of four Latin American nations that assist the United States in the war on drugs and in humanitarian missions. The project also is part of a broader effort to make these ...

U.S. must rethink military power, says Southern command chief.(Southern Command)

Jun 01, 2008; Jean, Grace V. ... * The security challenges of Latin America--drug trafficking, narco-terrorism and crime--are best tackled with diplomatic engagement and partnerships, not with massive military force, says the top U.S. military officer overseeing Latin America. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Rescue bots: first responders slow to take up robot technology.(Robot Technology)

Jun 01, 2008; Magnuson, Stew ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PITTSBURGH -- Bomb squads in the United States are taking notice of what's happening in the streets of Iraq. Robots are keeping explosive ordnance disposal personnel out of harm's way. Robot manufacturers are finding more customers among first ...

Students hope robot snakes slither out of lab.(Robot Technology)

Jun 01, 2008; Magnuson, Stew ... * Students at Carnegie Mellon University laboratory are working on a family of robots that mimic the movement of snakes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Students and teachers at the biorobotics laboratory at CMU Robotics Institute see several applications for robots that that ...

Panic attack: public still in the dark when it comes to dirty bomb threat.(Chem-Bio Defense)(radiological dispersal device)

Jun 01, 2008; Magnuson, Stew ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When convicted terrorist Jose Padilla showed up at the Chicago airport in May 2002 allegedly with plans to carry out a dirty bomb attack, few people had ever heard of such a weapon. The federal government since then has taken steps to prevent ...

In the hot zone: nation has few WMD response teams in place.(Chem-Bio Defense)

Jun 01, 2008; Magnuson, Stew ... GALLAGHER, W. Va. -- The training scenario the Marines encountered on a crisp spring morning was this: Terrorists traveling in a van through a highway tunnel sprayed nerve gas into the air. Motorists behind them, suffering from the effects, lost control of their vehicles and created two ...