Defense Articles

The Department of Defense has released details on major defense acquisition program cost, schedule, and performance changes since the September 2005 reporting period. This information is based on the Selected Acquisition Reports (SARs) submitted to the Congress for the December 2005 reporting period.

SARs summarize the latest estimates of cost, schedule, and technical status. These reports are prepared annually in conjunction with the president’s budget. Subsequent quarterly exception reports are required only for those programs experiencing unit cost increases of at least 15 percent or schedule delays of at least six months. Quarterly SARs are also submitted for initial reports, final reports, and for programs that are rebaselined at major milestone decisions.

The total program cost estimates provided in the SARs include research and development, procurement, military construction, and acquisition-related operation and maintenance (except for pre-Milestone B programs, which are limited to development costs pursuant to 10 U.S.C. [section]432). Total program costs reflect actual costs to date as well as future anticipated costs. All estimates include anticipated inflation allowances.

The following current estimate of program acquisition costs for programs covered by SARs for the prior reporting period (September 2005) was $1,539,048.8 million. After adding the costs for two new programs–ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) and JLENS (Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System)–and subtracting the costs for final reports on a completed program (LHD 1 Amphibious Assault Ship), a restructured program (TSAT (Transformational Satellite Communications System)), the completed Fire Unit portion of Patriot PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability), and the completed MK 1 portion of SSDS (Ship Self Defense System) from the September 2005 reporting period, the adjusted current estimate of program acquisition costs was $1,517,182.4 million.

For the December 2005 reporting period, there was a net cost increase of $39,723.0 million billion or + 2.6 % for programs that have reported previously, resulting in a new current estimate of $1,584,718.7 million. The net cost increase was due primarily to the application of higher escalation rates (+ $21,194.6 million), an increase in support requirements (+ $7,521.9 million), a net stretch-out of development and procurement schedules (+ $5,627.0 million), higher program cost estimates (+ $2,589.5 million), additional engineering changes (hardware/software) (+ $2,325.6 million), and a net increase of planned quantities to be purchased (+ $446.6 billion). Details of the most significant changes follow, summarized by program.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2006 made changes to the Nunn-McCurdy unit cost reporting statute for DoD major defense acquisition programs (10 USC [section]2433). The primary change was the addition of 30percent and 50percent unit cost thresholds against the original baseline estimate approved at System Development and Demonstration (Milestone B). The existing 15percent and 25 percent unit cost thresholds were retained against the current baseline estimate. For the December 2005 reporting period:

DoD has one program with a Nunn-McCurdy unit cost breach of more than 15 percent but less than 25 percent to the current baseline estimate. Notification and unit cost breach information will be provided to the Congress for this program.

* GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System)

DoD has three programs with Nunn-McCurdy unit cost breaches of more than 25 percent to the current baseline estimate. Notification and unit cost breach information will be provided to the Congress for these programs, and the USD(AT & L) will consider whether to certify that the programs should continue.

* ASDS (Advanced SEAL Delivery System) (no certification–program cancelled)

* Global Hawk

* NPOESS (National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System).

DoD has 11 programs with Nunn-McCurdy unit cost breaches of more than 30 percent but less than 50 percent to their original baseline estimate. Notification and unit cost breach information will be provided to the Congress for these programs.

* ATIRCM/CMWS (Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasure/Common Missile Warning System)

* C-130 AMP (Avionics Modernization Program)

* Chem Demil (Chemical Demilitarization) CMA (Chemical Materials Agency)

* Chem Demil CMA Newport

* EFV (Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle)

* F/A-18

* JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile)

* JPATS (Joint Primary Aircraft Training System)

* JSF (Joint Strike Fighter)

* MH-60S

* SSN 774 (Virginia Class)

DoD has 25 programs with Nunn-McCurdy unit cost increases of more than 50 percent to their original baseline estimate. However, these increases are not Nunn-McCurdy breaches since NDAA permits the original baseline estimate to be revised to the current baseline estimate as of Jan. 6, 2006.

The Department of Defense announced today the winners of the 2005 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards. A panel of judges representing federal and state agencies and public members selected the following installations and teams as the winners of the fiscal 2005 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards:

* Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif.

Installation — Cultural Resources Management

* Fort Campbell, Ky.

Non-Industrial Installation — Environmental Quality

* Dyess Air Force Base, Texas

Team — Environmental Quality

* Fort Lewis, Wash.

Installation — Environmental Restoration

* Pyramid Lake Torpedo and Bombing Range Remediation Project Team, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District

Team — Environmental Restoration

* Marine Corps Base Hawaii

Small Installation — Natural Resources Conservation

* Camp Ripley, Minn.

Team — Natural Resources Conservation
Advertisement

* Tinker Air Force Base Pollution Prevention Team, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

Installation — Pollution Prevention

* C-17 Pollution Prevention Integrated Product Team, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Team — Weapon System Acquisition

* Defense Logistics Agency Environmental Management Systems

Team — Special Recognition for Environmental Management Systems Implementation

Every year since 1962, the secretary of defense recognizes installations, teams, and individuals for outstanding achievement in environmental management, at both domestic and overseas bases, to sustain military readiness, and training and operational capabilities.

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Kenneth Krieg officiated at a ceremony honoring the winners May 3, 2006, in the Pentagon Auditorium. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock delivered the keynote address.

The Department of Defense recently released its fiscal 2005 Defense Environmental Programs Annual Report to Congress.

The report details DoD spending and performance in four major environmental program areas: conservation, environmental restoration, compliance, and pollution prevention. It is through these four programs that DoD manages its natural and cultural resources, restores contaminated lands, administers its regulatory compliance activities, and prevents hazardous materials from reaching communities on the approximately 30 million acres of land under DoD stewardship.

The annual report shows that DoD is making significant progress in several areas.

Conservation — By the end of fiscal 2005, DoD had completed approximately 86 percent of biological inventories and 88 percent of wetlands inventories, and updated 93 percent of the natural resource management plans and 68 percent of the cultural resource management plans. A biological inventory, used for management of natural resources, is an inventory of any plants and animals located on the installation to identify high-priority resources in order to develop conservation measures and guide land management practices. Wetlands inventories identify the characteristics, extent, and status of wetlands, deepwater habitats, and other wildlife habitats located on an installation.

Environmental Restoration — DoD has had a large-scale environmental restoration effort underway for nearly two decades and has met required cleanup standards at approximately 72 percent of its current and former defense properties impacted from past defense activities. In fiscal 2005 alone, DoD completed cleanup efforts at 269 sites.

Compliance — Under federal environmental laws, DoD must comply with the same federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations that apply to state and local governments and the private sector. For DoD, fiscal 2005 saw a 9 percent decline in open enforcement actions and an 8 percent decline in new enforcement actions over the same period in fiscal 2004.

Pollution Prevention — Efforts in pollution prevention are a central focus of DoD management efforts at the installation level. In fiscal 2005, DoD realized a cost savings of $159.9 million by employing integrated solid waste management practices and diverting over 55 percent of solid waste from ever entering landfills.

“DoD strives to continuously improve its environmental performance by proving itself to be a strategic environmental leader by exceeding compliance standards, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing partnerships to identify new and innovative opportunities,” said Alex Beehler, assistant deputy under secretary of defense for environment, safety, and occupational health. “Together, DoD and the components ensure the safety of human health and secure the environmental future of defense properties to maintain a safer America.”

The Department of Defense honored 12 corporate partnerships with the prestigious Nunn-Perry Award during the 2006 Mentor-Protege Conference held in Atlanta, Ga., March 6-9.

The award is named in honor of former Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia and former Secretary of Defense William Perry, whose sponsorship and commitment were instrumental in creating and implementing the DoD Mentor-Protege program.

Frank Ramos, director of DoD’s Office of Small Business Programs, said, “The technologies and products benefiting today’s warfighter in the field are, in part, the result of bringing small businesses into the forefront. We recognize these Mentor-Protege teams whose extraordinary efforts have exceeded their developmental plans and helped transform the DoD acquisition process.”

This year’s Nunn-Perry Award recipients are:

* AMEC Earth and Environmental Inc., Chantilly, Va., and Echota Technologies Corp., Maryville, Tenn.

* The Boeing Co., Integrated Defense Systems, St. Louis, Mo., and Kemco Manufacturing, St. Louis, Mo.

* The Boeing Co., Integrated Defense Systems, St. Louis, Mo., and Precision Machine & Manufacturing, Grove, Okla.

* Earth Tech Inc., Richmond, Va., and ETI Professionals Inc., Lakewood, Colo.

* Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors-Undersea Systems, Manassas, Va., and M & M Technical Services Inc., Woodbridge, Va.

* Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach, Calif., and KW Microwave Corp., Carlsbad, Calif..

* Raytheon Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan., and Product Manufacturing Co., Wichita, Kan.

* Science Applications International Corp., Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Arrowhead Contracting Inc., Overland Park, Kan.

* Science Applications International Corp., Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Ellis Environmental Group, L.C., Newberry, Fla.

* Shaw Environmental Inc., Concord, Calif., and Engineering/Remediation Resources Group, Inc., Concord, Calif.

* Tetra Tech EC Inc., San Diego, Calif., and T N & Associates, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis.

* General Dynamics C4 Systems, Taunton, Mass., and CDP Fastener Group Inc., Brockton, Mass.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — Increased logistics information sharing across the Department of Defense, improved reliability and responsiveness for data exchange needs, and enhanced materiel visibility are among the benefits customers can expect from a new program management partnership recently announced by U.S. Transportation Command and the Defense Logistics Agency. The partnership will integrate defense supply chain-, logistics-, transportation-, and distribution-related data and information technology services.

A new program office has been established to unify logistics/distribution/transportation visibility efforts between DLA’s Integrated Data Environment (IDE) initiative and USTRANSCOM’s Global Transportation Network (GTN) program, with the goal of eliminating redundancy, streamlining access to data, and optimizing resources.

The convergence of the two programs will provide common integrated data services to assist development of applications that will give combatant commands, the Services, DoD, and other federal agencies a cohesive solution to manage supply chain, distribution, and logistics information. Convergence will provide a single point of systems data integration within and between DLA and USTRANSCOM and other systems; ensure consistent access to common, authoritative logistics data and business rules; and provide reliable information for DLA and USTRANSCOM and their customers.

To smooth the integration process, both programs have been placed under a single program executive officer, David Falvey, at DLA. The program manager is Army Lt. Col. Pat Flanders at USTRANSCOM. Flanders is currently leading a 90-day technical analysis to evaluate and recommend the best approach to deliver these capabilities. After the analysis, the DLA/USTRANSCOM team will jointly develop the strategy for delivering the necessary data sharing and systems to provide this needed end-to-end capability.

New Basket Air Filters, developed by Universal Air Filter Co., enhance cooling capability in fiber-optic electronics equipment enclosures by significantly expanding air filter surface area.

Basket Air Filter’s unique design can more than double surface area, extending either inside or outside the enclosure. A one-piece fabricated frame and grid design assures sturdiness in standing up to the fiber-optic equipment enclosure’s high airflow requirements. Hexagon, square, rectangle, and diamond grid patterns, all achieving approximately 85 percent openness, may be selected.

A variety of foam media options are available for integration in Basket Air Filters, including Quadrafoam. Quadrafoam offers high dust arrestance and low resistance where permanent, cleanable filters are most desirable. NEBS-compliant Quadrafoam air filters are flame retardant and meet UL 94 HF-1 standards for electronics.

Universal Air Filter provides customized solutions and engineering support during the design phase of product development. Universal’s air filter products meet the following standards and classifications: UL 94 HF-1; UL 900 Class 2, CE; Telcordia NEBS GR-78-CORE and GR-63-CORE; and FMVSS 302.

YOUR MX-991, NSN 6230-00-264-8261, OR MX-992, NSN 6230-00-269-3034, FLASHLIGHTS CAN WORK WITH ANY OF SIX DIFFERENT FILTERS.

IF YOU NEED REPLACEMENT FILTERS, THE FIRST SOURCE OF SUPPLY IS A BUM FLASHLIGHTS.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

“IF YOU CAN’T FIND THEM THERE, THEN ORDER FILTERS WITH THESES NSNS …”

Filter         NSN 6230-00-

Red                   111-0190
Opaque (blackout)Â Â Â Â Â 128-2464
Green                 504-8341
Amber                 504-8342
Diffusion             356-4825

ORDER BLUE FILTERS WITH NSN 6230-01-189-1480. BE AWARE, HOWEVER, THAT THEY COME 100 TO A BOX.

“NSN 6240-00-155-8675 GETS YOU BULBS FOR YOUR FLASHLIGHT. IF YOU HAVE THE LONG, 3-CELL, EXPLOSION-PROOF FLASHLIGHT, NSN 6230-00-270-5417, WITH NSN 6240-00-155-7916.”

Complete Guide to Filters for Digital Photography

By Joseph Meehan New York: Lark Books/Sterling [c] 2004 168 pages, color, illus, $29.95 (Canada $44.95) ISBN #1-57990-447-5

Today’s photographer is faced with an overwhelming number of choices when it comes to using digital camera and computer-based filtration. Meehan presents a comprehensive overview, providing instruction on how digital cameras respond to traditional photographic filters and which filters are the most useful to own. Photoshop filters and third-party plugins are explored showing the best techniques in learning to improve color rendition and to create traditional filter effects. Filters have always been the most important tools in a photographer’s creative arsenal, and here is all the information needed to master the use of photographic filters in the digital age.

Most of the time, mechanics, when you read PS, it’s always some component or item that needs a little T-L-C, extra maintenance or attention to detail.

Well, this time it’s changing or cleaning the APU intake barrier air filters, NSN 2945-01-328-9679. You’ll need to inspect it more often than the 10 hour/14 day inspection requirements when in a desert environment to solve the problem of a clogged APU.

The APU intake barrier air filter does its job of collecting dust and sand in the desert so well the filter eventually fills and collapses. Then sand and dirt get around the filter and clog the APU.

So take extra filters with you and after every flight make sure you clean them or change them if they’re clogged.

Constructed of 304 stainless steel, Balston Filters remove 99.99% of oil, water, rust, and pipescale particles measuring 0.01 micron and larger from compressed air and other gases. Units are suited for environments that are frequently exposed to aggressive chemical vapors, saltwater vapors of offshore platforms and coastal environments, and oil patch installations. Offered in 1/4-1 in. line sizes, filters provide flow capacities of more than 700 scfm.

********************

HOUSTON, APRIL 30, 2007 - Parker’s new line of Balston Stainless Steel Filters is designed for harsh environments that are frequently exposed to aggressive chemical vapors, saltwater vapors of offshore platforms and coastal environments and oil patch installations.

Proven to be the best performing coalescing filters, the new filters remove

99.99 percent of oil, water, rust and pipescale particles measuring 0.01 micron and larger from compressed air and other gases.

The filters are available in 1/4″ to 1″ line sizes with flow capacities of more than 700 SCFM. Constructed of 304 Stainless, the filters withstand the harshest oil and gas application environments. The product line comes with auto drains and a high-efficiency filter cartridge installed.

For additional information, contact Parker Filtration and Separation Division, at 800-343-4048 or 978-858-0505. Fax: 978-858-0625. Parker Hannifin Corporation, 242 Neck Road, P.O. Box 8223, Haverhill, MA 01835-0723.

With annual sales exceeding $9 billion, Parker Hannifin is the world’s leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of commercial, mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs more than 57,000 people in 46 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 50 consecutive years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit the company’s web site at http://www.parker.com, or its investor information site at http://www.phstock.com.