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Conflict News, World war update Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.comBlogger21398125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-31415228828016098172020-11-13T09:38:00.001-08:002020-11-13T09:38:28.717-08:00France reports killing Al Qaeda commander in Mali<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="512" src="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AgMoussaVehicle-1024x512.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-110667" srcset="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AgMoussaVehicle-1024x512.jpeg 1024w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AgMoussaVehicle-300x150.jpeg 300w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AgMoussaVehicle-768x384.jpeg 768w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AgMoussaVehicle-1536x768.jpeg 1536w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AgMoussaVehicle-2048x1024.jpeg 2048w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AgMoussaVehicle.jpeg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<figcaption>The reported aftermath of Bah Ag Moussa’s vehicle in Mali’s northern Menaka region. (Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/Walid_Leberbere/status/1326460353371398144">Walid Le Berbere</a>)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Florence Parly, France’s Minister for the Armed Forces, reported today that French forces in Mali killed Bah Ag Moussa, a senior leader within al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).</p>
<p>JNIM itself has not yet officially confirmed this information as of the time of publishing.</p>
<p>In her statement, Parly <a href="https://twitter.com/florence_parly/status/1327143872829542400">notes</a> Ag Moussa’s storied history within Mali’s jihadist movements, adding he was “one of the principal deputies” to JNIM’s emir Iyad Ag Ghaly. She also stated that Ag Moussa was currently “in charge of training new recruits” at the time of his purported death.</p>
<p>Parly did not state where the operation took place, but confirmed that it occurred on Nov. 10 and involved “significant intelligence assets” while Ag Moussa was intercepted with “helicopters and ground troops.”</p>
<p>French outlet <em>Le Monde</em> provided <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2020/11/13/la-france-annonce-la-mort-d-un-haut-responsable-djihadiste-lie-a-al-qaida-au-mali_6059568_3212.html">additional reporting</a>, adding that at least “15 commandos” were involved in the raid. According to the outlet, the soldiers stopped the vehicle before its occupants opened fire and were then subsequently killed by the military.</p>
<p>Local reporting has indicated that the <a href="https://malijet.co/crise-malienne/raid-aerien-de-loperation-barkhane-pres-de-menaka-le-colonel-bamoussa-diarra-cite-parmi-les-trois-personnes-eliminees">operation took place</a> in the Tidermene area of Mali’s northern Menaka region. Malian media <a href="https://bamada.net/coup-dur-pour-iyag-ag-ghali-et-le-gsim-le-colonel-bamoussa-diarra-serait-tue-suite-a-une-frappe-attribuee-a-barkhane">also reported</a> that two other individuals were reportedly killed alongside Ag Moussa, but these individuals have not been named.</p>
<p>Photos <a href="https://twitter.com/Idarfa/status/1326533928560201729">released shortly</a> after the incident appear to show a <a href="https://twitter.com/Walid_Leberbere/status/1326460353371398144">burned out vehicle</a> in a remote area of Mali’s north.</p>
<p>If Ag Moussa’s death is confirmed, this represents another serious blow to al Qaeda’s efforts in the Sahel. Since <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20190318-mali-attaque-dioura-portrait-bamoussa">defecting</a> from the Malian army in 2012, Ag Moussa has been intimately involved in the jihadist cause against the state.</p>
<p><strong>Background on Bah Ag Moussa</strong></p>
<p>Close to Iyad Ag Ghaly, Ag Moussa <a href="https://www.dw.com/fr/mali-ba-ag-moussa-neutralis%C3%A9-par-lop%C3%A9ration-barkhane/a-55584953">was an early member</a> of Ansar Dine, the local Tuareg jihadist group that emerged <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2013/0124/With-France-bearing-down-key-rebel-in-Mali-splits-from-Islamists">in late 2011</a> and was <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/02/al_qaeda_in_mali_sou.php">subsequently utilized</a> as a front for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).</p>
<p>Following the French intervention in Mali in early 2013, Ag Moussa remained in the fold and increasingly took on a litany of more important roles.</p>
<p>For instance, he <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20190318-mali-attaque-dioura-portrait-bamoussa">was likely responsible</a> for several major attacks against Malian bases in central Mali since 2016.</p>
<p>In July 2019, Ag Moussa <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/07/us-sanctions-leaders-of-al-qaeda-in-mali.php">was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department</a>. In its designation, Treasury noted that the jihadist commander “led a terrorist operation against a Malian Armed Forces base in Dioura, Mali that killed at least 21 Malian soldiers” <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/03/military-base-overran-in-central-mali.php">earlier in the year</a>.</p>
<p>Like Treasury’s statement, local reporting <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/03/jnim-claims-military-base-assault-in-central-mali.php">insisted that Moussa led the charge</a> on the base. However, JNIM released its own statement <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/03/jnim-claims-military-base-assault-in-central-mali.php">alleging that Amadou Kouffa</a>, the leader of JNIM’s Katibat Macina in central Mali, led the assault.</p>
<p>JNIM’s contention that Kouffa led the attack came at a time when it <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/03/jihadist-leader-in-mali-denies-reports-of-his-death.php">was refuting allegations</a> made by Parly that French forces had also killed the Fulani commander.</p>
<p>That said, Treasury <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm730">also noted</a> that Moussa was “responsible for leading attacks in several other localities in northern Mali.”</p>
<p>A month after Treasury’s designation, the United Nations Security Council added Ag Moussa to <a href="https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13924.doc.htm">its own list</a> stating he was the “operational leader” of JNIM.</p>
<p>Other UN documents have further described Ag Moussa’s various roles. For instance, a report from Panel of Experts on Mali from Aug. 2018 <a href="https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_2018_581.pdf">noted</a> Ag Moussa was “very active…in the areas of the <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/07/military-base-targeted-in-southern-mali.php">Wagadou forest</a> and Nampala, on the border with Mauritania, and in Niafounke” and planned military operations in those regions.</p>
<p>The same document added that Ag Moussa <a href="https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_2018_581.pdf">was the liaison</a> and in charge of coordinating operations between JNIM’s leadership in northern Mali and Katibat Macina in the country’s central regions. It also stated that he was acting in a recruitment role in central Mali, as well.</p>
<p>A year later, the Panel of Experts <a href="https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3823562">reported</a> that Ag Moussa took over the reigns of JNIM’s Katibat Gourma, which the UN referred to as “Katibat AAA” after the units founder, Almansour Ag Alkassoum, who <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/12/aqim-emir-confirms-death-of-jihadist-commander-in-mali.php">was killed</a> in late 2018.</p>
<p>In this role, the UN states that Ag Moussa <a href="https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3823562">was directed</a> by Ag Ghaly to coordinate actions with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) near Hombori and Gossi, both in Mali’s center, against the pro-Bamako <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/gatia">Imghad and Allies Self Defense Movement</a> (GATIA).</p>
<p>These coordinated campaigns, in which Ag Moussa reportedly played a large role, were part of wider efforts of coordination between JNIM and ISGS before that <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/the-end-of-the-sahelian-anomaly-how-the-global-conflict-between-the-islamic-state-and-al-qaida-finally-came-to-west-africa/">relationship broke down</a> late last year.</p>
<p>While this year, the UN <a href="https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3856981">reiterated</a> Ag Moussa’s role as a liaison between JNIM’s leadership in northern and central Mali. It is unclear if he has retained the leadership of Katibat Gourma given his new training role as described by Parly.</p>
<p>While Ag Moussa’s death has not yet been confirmed by JNIM, France has killed <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/02/french-military-claims-senior-jnim-leader-killed.php">several important al Qaeda leaders</a> in the Sahel over the <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/11/senior-jnim-leader-reported-killed-by-france.php">past few years</a>. And earlier this year, AQIM’s overall emir, Abdelmalek Droukdel, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/06/aqim-confirms-leaders-death.php">was also killed</a> by French forces in Mali.</p>
<p>Despite these deaths, however, JNIM continues to be a serious threat to security not only in Mali but in the wider Sahel region overall.</p>
<p class="author">Caleb Weiss is a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal.</p>
<p><em><b>Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal?</b> Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! <a href="https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/TheLongWarJournal/donate.html">You can make a tax-deductible donation here.</a></em></p>
<p class="tags"><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/ba-ag-moussa" rel="tag">Ba Ag Moussa</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/bah-ag-moussa" rel="tag">Bah Ag Moussa</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/group-for-support-of-islam-and-muslims" rel="tag">Group for Support of Islam and Muslims</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/iyad-ag-ghaly" rel="tag">Iyad Ag Ghaly</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/jnim" rel="tag">JNIM</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/katibat-gourma" rel="tag">Katibat Gourma</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/katibat-macina" rel="tag">Katibat Macina</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/mali" rel="tag">Mali</a></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-75890082243972783922020-11-13T07:38:00.001-08:002020-11-13T07:38:15.341-08:00Analysis: Islamic State official critiques Al Qaeda in the Sahel<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="302" src="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-11.18.51-PM-1024x302.png" alt="" class="wp-image-110653" srcset="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-11.18.51-PM-1024x302.png 1024w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-11.18.51-PM-300x89.png 300w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-11.18.51-PM-768x227.png 768w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-11.18.51-PM-1536x454.png 1536w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-11.18.51-PM-2048x605.png 2048w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-11.18.51-PM.png 1528w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<figcaption>“Discussion with Sheikh Abu al-Walid al-Sahrawi, emir of the Caliphate’s soldiers in the Greater Sahara region,” as seen in the Al-Naba issue.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the emir of the Islamic State’s Saharan branch, heavily critiqued al Qaeda’s operations in the region <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%94-260.pdf">in an interview</a> as part of this week’s issue of the Islamic State’s Al-Naba newsletter. </p>
<p>It is unclear when the interview took place, but the publication comes several months after <a href="https://twitter.com/SimNasr/status/1327000228864675840">unconfirmed rumors</a> circulated that Abu Walid’s deputy, Abdul Hakim al-Sahrawi, took over the helms of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).</p>
<p>Seemingly putting those rumors to bed, the newsletter refers to Abu Walid as the group’s current emir. </p>
<p>In the interview, the jihadist <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%94-260.pdf">leader offers his take</a> on al Qaeda’s history in the Sahara, its inner workings there, and its rivalry with the Islamic State following its emergence from the al Qaeda milieu in the region. </p>
<p>While some information is more self-serving and not aligned with other evidence, the interview is meant to convey that unlike al Qaeda, the Islamic State has offered a real sense of unity for Sahelian jihadists that is removed from internal squabbles. </p>
<p>As such, much of the interview is focused on al Qaeda’s history inside Mali, with Abu Walid specifically focusing on the movement’s emergence in the area and its operations during the 2012 takeover of northern Mali. </p>
<p>Sahrawi links much of the events during these periods, as well as the emergence of the Islamic State in the region, to the creation of the current Sahelian al Qaeda wing, the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). </p>
<p>For instance, in the first question the editors of the newsletter ask Abu Walid how al Qaeda got its start in the Sahara. Abu Walid uses this space to document al Qaeda’s history of internal rivalries in the region.</p>
<p>He starts with that al Qaeda first became involved in the Sahara “more than two decades ago” when fighters from the former Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) moved into northern Mali in order to use it as a rear base in its fight against Algeria. </p>
<p>According to Sahrawi, as the GSPC began to create distinct fighting units in the Sahara this began a series of problems for the group. In his retelling, the main problem was that the GSPC failed to create a unified command structure in the region.</p>
<p>Instead, the various units operated independently of each other with each only answering to GSPC’s leadership in Algeria. </p>
<p>And when the GSPC became al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in early 2007, Sahrawi states, these same problems carried over to the new organization.</p>
<p>As a result, he contends that this “only increased the competition between the emirs of the battalions and increased the disagreements and accusations among them.” </p>
<p>Sahrawi then states that eventually AQIM did attempt to create a unified structure when the group’s leadership in Algeria dispatched <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/167651/politique/visuel-interactif-le-nouvel-organigramme-d-aqmi/">Nabil Makhloufi</a> (also known as <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/174378/societe/nord-mali-nabil-makloufi-un-chef-d-aqmi-se-tue-au-volant-de-sa-voiture/">Nabil Abu alQama</a>) to the region and promoted him as the deputy emir of the group’s Saharan wing over <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/167651/politique/visuel-interactif-le-nouvel-organigramme-d-aqmi/">Yahya Djouadi</a>. </p>
<p>However, Sahrawi notes that not every fighting unit agreed to Makhloufi’s ascension and the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26295965">continued competition</a> between two regional leaders, Mokhtar Belmokhtar and Abdelhamid Abu Zeid, prevented actual unity from happening.</p>
<p>Abu Walid then argues that Makhloufi’s promotion was made moot following the outbreak of the civil war in Libya when some of AQIM’s Saharan units, including Belmokhtar’s, went to Libya to fight there.</p>
<p>He adds that more disunity was then cemented when another group split from AQIM to form the <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/mujao">Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa</a> (MUJAO) – a group Sahrawi himself would later join.</p>
<p>More bad luck would continue to strike AQIM, as Makhloufi <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20120910-mali-al-qaeda-branch-leader-killed-car-crash-nabil-makhloufi-algerian-olqoma">would later die in a car accident</a> in Sept. 2012. And Sahrawi then notes that when Belmokhtar returned from Libya <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10085716/Al-Qaedas-scathing-letter-to-troublesome-employee-Mokhtar-Belmokhtar-reveals-inner-workings-of-terrorist-group.html">he refused to listen to AQIM’s leadership</a>, further compounding the al Qaeda branch’s problems.</p>
<p>Some of Sahrawi’s narrative does contain kernels of truth, while other tidbits are either half-truths or not supported by other sources and evidence.</p>
<p>For instance, while the <a href="https://www.hudson.org/research/10031-the-fractured-jihadi-movement-in-the-sahara">rivalries between Belmokhtar and Abu Zeid</a> and other AQIM leaders has been <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26295965">written about extensively</a>, AQIM had already created a Saharan leadership hierarchy before Makhloufi’s appointment to the region.</p>
<p>Moreover, the networks that would eventually form both the GSPC and AQIM had units in the Sahara long before the GSPC officially began <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/guns-money-and-prayers-aqims-blueprint-for-securing-control-of-northern-mali/">operating in the region</a> in 1998. For instance, Belmokhtar himself <a href="https://thelineofsteel.weebly.com/sahelian-jihad/translation-of-a-may-2006-interview-of-mokhtar-belmokhtar">stated he was active</a> in the Sahara as part of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) around 1994.</p>
<p><strong>Takeover of northern Mali and the emergence of the Islamic State</strong></p>
<p>Sahrawi then turns his focus to the 2012 takeover of northern Mali, in which the various al Qaeda groups worked with Tuareg separatists to evict Malian troops from the region.</p>
<p>Following the successful capture of various northern cities, the jihadists then turned on their former Tuareg allies and implemented Shari’a in cities such as Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal. </p>
<p>The Islamic State leader concedes that the various al Qaeda groups did attempt to promote some form of unity during this period. For instance, Sahrawi says that AQIM’s leadership directed <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/02/al_qaeda_in_mali_sou.php">its local units to operate under Ansar Dine</a>, the local jihadist group that <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2013/0124/With-France-bearing-down-key-rebel-in-Mali-splits-from-Islamists">emerged in late 2011</a>. </p>
<p>Additionally, he notes that Ansar Dine, MUJAO, and AQIM’s Saharan wing coordinated its ruling over northern Mali while <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/01/belmokhtar_claims_al.php">Belmokhtar’s independent unit</a> helped <a href="https://observers.france24.com/en/20120629-mali-backed-popular-support-islamists-drive-tuareg-separatists-north-city-gao">MUJAO conquer Gao</a>.</p>
<p>And when MUJAO and Belmokhtar’s group later merged to <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/08/al_qaeda_groups_lead_by_belmok.php">form Al-Murabitoon</a>, this was another instance of unity. </p>
<p>However, these acts were not enough according to Sahrawi. Though these groups were all part of al Qaeda’s web in the Sahel, they did not operate as a cohesive unit while they each had competing agendas.</p>
<p>In particular, Sahrawi chastises the willingness of AQIM and Ansar Dine to negotiate and work with Tuareg groups in northern Mali as he blames these groups for bringing the French intervention against the jihadists. </p>
<p>Sahrawi adds that the continued lack of unity in the Sahel made it difficult to combat the French. As such, Al-Murabitoon was forced to look elsewhere for guidance and support following the death of its second emir, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/12/us_wanted_malian_jih.php">Ahmed el-Tilemsi</a>.</p>
<p>Sahrawi contends that following the <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/12/us_wanted_malian_jih.php">death of Tilemsi</a> in late 2014, the group’s shura council then made the decision to pledge allegiance to the then-Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. </p>
<p>This retelling, however, has been contradicted by Al-Murabitoon itself. Shortly after Sahrawi publicly pledged allegiance to Baghdadi <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/05/confusion-surrounds-west-african-jihadists-loyalty-to-islamic-state.php">in early 2015</a> on behalf of Al-Murabitoon, a statement attributed to Mokhtar Belmokhtar <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/05/alleged-statement-from-mokhtar-belmokhtar-denies-his-group-swore-allegiance-to-the-islamic-state.php">refuted</a> that the entirety of the group defected and that the decision was not actually made by the group’s shura council. </p>
<p>Abu Walid then states that the emergence of the Islamic State in the Sahara forced al Qaeda’s hand into combatting it and was forced to finally merge its franchises in the region into one cohesive entity, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/?s=JNIM">JNIM</a>. </p>
<p>Though this too has been contradicted by al Qaeda leaders.</p>
<p>In JNIM’s inaugural video, its emir, Iyad Ag Ghaly, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/03/analysis-al-qaeda-groups-reorganize-in-west-africa.php">offered his own justification</a> for the creation of the united group. According to Ghaly, the various al Qaeda branches united “into one group” operating under “one emir,” so they could “stand united against the occupier Crusader enemy.”</p>
<p>Moreover, Ag Ghaly contended that the move was in accordance to al Qaeda’s reading of sharia law, drawing lessons from the life of Mohammed, such as “distinguishing between” times of “vulnerability and empowerment.”</p>
<p>By this, Ghaly likely meant that al Qaeda concluded that the full implementation of sharia law is not possible in areas where the jihadists do not have a firm grip on power. The unification was therefore, according to Ghaly, needed to both effectively fight the French and work towards its goals of controlling and governing territory.</p>
<p><strong>Current War Between JNIM and ISGS</strong></p>
<p>Finally, Sahrawi turns to the current battles between his organization and JNIM. However, much of his account repeats what the Islamic State has said previously about the conflict. </p>
<p>For example, the Islamic State leader boasts that over the years since its creation, ISGS has poached members from JNIM’s official constituent groups, and <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/ansaroul-islam">Ansaroul Islam</a>, a local Burkinabe jihadist group <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/ansaroul-islam-growing-terrorist-insurgency-burkina-faso/">founded with the help</a> of al Qaeda’s men in Mali. </p>
<p>As a result, al Qaeda then started a war with the Islamic State in the Sahel as it “could no longer bear the continuous bleeding from its factions.”</p>
<p>These themes were previously expressed in an <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/05/analysis-islamic-state-claims-al-qaeda-started-a-war-in-west-africa.php">earlier release of Al-Naba</a> and <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/the-end-of-the-sahelian-anomaly-how-the-global-conflict-between-the-islamic-state-and-al-qaida-finally-came-to-west-africa/">in a speech</a> from Islamic State’s spokesman Abu Hamza al-Quraishi that were both released in May.</p>
<p>Sahrawi also specifically calls out <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/11/us-designates-senior-jnim-leader-as-global-terrorist.php">Amadou Kouffa</a>, whom he accuses of leading offensives against ISGS in central Mali, and <a href="https://twitter.com/MENASTREAM/status/1311342995627745280">one of JNIM’s top</a> religious scholars, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/02/analysis-jnim-addresses-detractors-sends-message-of-unity.php">Qutaybah Abu Numan al-Shinqiti</a>, whom Sahrawi accuses of also being involved in jihadist battles against the Islamic State in Libya. </p>
<p>Kouffa has become a <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/the-end-of-the-sahelian-anomaly-how-the-global-conflict-between-the-islamic-state-and-al-qaida-finally-came-to-west-africa/">common target</a> among Islamic State publications against al Qaeda in the Sahel.</p>
<p>Again echoing prior complaints, Sahrawi ends his interview by chastising JNIM’s openness to work with non-jihadist groups and <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1052437/societe/mali-dans-la-region-de-mopti-une-paix-precaire-avec-les-jihadistes/">negotiate settlements</a> with various communities in central Mali. </p>
<p>Despite Sahrawi’s instance that al Qaeda’s men have always combatted his group, al Qaeda leaders and independent reporting has also contradicted this narrative.</p>
<p>In February 2016, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/02/french-military-claims-senior-jnim-leader-killed.php">Yahya Abu al-Hammam</a>, who was at that time the leader of AQIM’s Saharan branch, <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/the-end-of-the-sahelian-anomaly-how-the-global-conflict-between-the-islamic-state-and-al-qaida-finally-came-to-west-africa/">publicly told a Mauritanian outlet</a> that his group still retained ties and communications with Sahrawi’s ISGS. </p>
<p>The United Nations <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/the-end-of-the-sahelian-anomaly-how-the-global-conflict-between-the-islamic-state-and-al-qaida-finally-came-to-west-africa/">has also identified</a> several jihadist leaders on both sides of the divide who acted as liaisons to facilitate a working relationship between the jihadist rivals.</p>
<p>Members of ISGS and JNIM <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/the-end-of-the-sahelian-anomaly-how-the-global-conflict-between-the-islamic-state-and-al-qaida-finally-came-to-west-africa/">have also participated</a> in joint raids and coordinated selected operations together, as confirmed by the United Nations and local reporting.</p>
<p>Abu Walid’s short interview clearly falls into the wider propaganda war the Islamic State has been waging against JNIM since the beginning of the year.</p>
<p>By painting JNIM as a group with a troubled history rife with internal struggles and disunity, Sahrawi and the Islamic State are likely hoping this will discredit JNIM’s reputation as a well-organized entity comprised of various groups made from the Sahel’s various ethnic groups.</p>
<p class="author">Caleb Weiss is a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal.</p>
<p><em><b>Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal?</b> Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! <a href="https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/TheLongWarJournal/donate.html">You can make a tax-deductible donation here.</a></em></p>
<p class="tags"><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/al-qaeda-in-the-islamic-maghreb" rel="tag">Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/aqim" rel="tag">AQIM</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/burkina-faso" rel="tag">Burkina Faso</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/group-for-support-of-islam-and-muslims" rel="tag">Group for Support of Islam and Muslims</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/isgs" rel="tag">ISGS</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/islamic-state" rel="tag">Islamic State</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/islamic-state-in-the-greater-sahara" rel="tag">Islamic State in the Greater Sahara</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/jnim" rel="tag">JNIM</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/mali" rel="tag">Mali</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/niger" rel="tag">Niger</a></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-63198718234469372852020-11-13T05:43:00.005-08:002020-11-13T05:43:42.581-08:00MBDA to Develop Future Tactical Air-to-Surface Missile for Tiger Helicopter<p>(Source: MBDA; issued Nov. 13, 2020)</p>
<p>MBDA was selected to develop the next-generation anti-tank missile for the French Army’s Tiger attack helicopter; the new weapon, designated Future Tactical Air-to-Surface Missile (MAST-F), will build on the technologies of MBDA’s mid-range MMP missile. (MBDA image)</p>
<div readability="88">BOURGES, France --- French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly has announced that MBDA is to develop the Future Tactical Air-to-Surface Missile (MAST-F) program as the main French Army air to ground armament for the Tiger combat helicopter.
<p>MBDA was selected after proposing to the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA - French Procurement Agency) its MHT/MLP concept (Missile Haut de Trame / Missile Longue Portée - high tier missile / long-range mobile missile) that builds on the technologies of the mid-range MMP, the first 5th generation land combat missile to enter service around the world. Its modular architecture enables easy integration of the MHT/MLP onto a variety of land or air combat platforms in addition to the Tiger.</p>
<p>The MHT/MLP is characterised by its high operational effectiveness. Weighing 20% less than other missiles in its category provides a weight saving of nearly 100 kg for the Tiger helicopter, which can carry up to eight missiles in combat configuration. Exploiting this weight saving increases the Tiger's fuel capacity and so its combat endurance, with a significant gain in "Playtime".</p>
<p>The MHT/MLP has a range of over 8 km, even when fired from a stationary platform at low altitude. Its multi-effect warhead can handle a wide variety of targets, from modern battle tanks to hardened combat infrastructure. The MHT/MLP performs day or night, including in beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) mode, with a two-way data link that sends images from the missile's high-resolution visible and infrared optronic seeker back to the operator. The crew of the Tiger can use this imagery to choose the missile's point of impact or to select a new target in flight, making the weapon suitable for fluid battlefield situations.</p>
<p>Commenting on the launch of the programme, MBDA CEO Eric Béranger declared: "The MHT/MLP missile combines new technologies, developed with the support of the DGA, with the tried and tested components of the MMP, making it an effector at the forefront of today's tactical land combat missiles. It offers a flexibility of use unmatched in today's armed forces, while minimising development risks. And with its all-European design authority, the MHT/MLP programme will fully contribute to the strategic autonomy objectives set by France and the European Union."</p>
<p>"With nearly 350 jobs per year over the next five years and, ultimately, around 250 annual jobs in France during the first 10 years of its production, the development and production of this new missile will help maintain of the national industrial and technological base, and in particular in the Centre region", he added.</p>
<p>MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, in 2018 MBDA achieved revenue of 3.2 billion euros with an order book of 17.4 billion euros. MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus (37.5 %), BAE Systems (37.5 %), and Leonardo (25 %).</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-87654009819358693512020-11-13T05:43:00.003-08:002020-11-13T05:43:40.858-08:00‘Debilitating Lack of Clarity’ Threatens Royal Navy Carrier Force<p>“Debilitating” Lack of Funded Plan for Carrier Strike Threatens UK Military Power</p>
<p>(Source: House of Commons Public Accounts Committee; issued Nov. 13, 2020)</p>
<p>The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has flagged shortcomings in the Royal Navy carriers’ support vessels and small number of F-35 aircraft, and said that their capabilities are compromised by lack of a funding plan. (RN photo)</p>
<div readability="91.878587924777">In a report published today, Friday 13 November 2020, the Public Accounts Committee commends the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for delivering two aircraft carriers that form the bases for Carrier Strike, the largest ever built for the Royal Navy, into service on time - but says this success risks being undermined by failure to provide the capabilities essential for the carriers to do their job.
<p>The radar system for Carrier Strike has been delayed by poor contractor performance and inadequate departmental oversight, the MoD lacks the support ships it needs to supply the carriers, and it cannot yet move people and goods to and from a carrier group.</p>
<p>There also remains a lack of clarity about the costs associated with purchasing and supporting the [F-35B] Lightning II jets that will operate from the carriers, as well as about how many more the UK will need - or can afford - in the future.</p>
<p>These issues remain unresolved after many years and there has been “little discernible progress” since the Committee’s 2018 report on the programme, despite it being a “vital component of the UK’s military power”.</p>
<p>PAC says the MoD must translate its ambitions into a clear, funded plan – and deliver it. The link between funding and delivering the major projects necessary for future capability is clear. Decisions are needed to deliver the UK’s defence capability and to avoid yet more additional costs because of delays and uncertainty.</p>
<p><b>Chair's comment</b></p>
<p>Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “As things stand the UK has two world-class aircraft carriers with limited capability because the wider debate about the UK’s strategic defence capability - and funding - has been repeatedly delayed.</p>
<p>“This debilitating lack of clarity threatens our national defences yet it’s not likely to be resolved when the strategic defence review and the comprehensive spending review look likely to be out of step with each other once again.</p>
<p>“The MoD and the nation it’s responsible for defending cannot afford for this rare beacon of success, in delivering the two carriers, to descend into yet another failure to deliver defence capability. The MoD must recognise that is a real risk, a real risk to a vital part of our national defences, and it must demonstrate now a clear plan to capitalise on the massive investment the UK has already made - and deliver Carrier Strike.”</p>
<p><i>Click <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmselect/cmpubacc/684/684.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> for the full report (21 PDF pages), on the UK Parliament website.</i></p>
<p><i>(<b>EDITOR’S NOTE:</b> The real problem, which this report only mentions in passing, is the very low availability and higher than expected operating cost of the Lockheed F-35B fighters that are to operate from the two carriers.<br />
During the recent exercise, HMS Queen Elisabeth sailed with only four – later five – F-35Bs out of the 18 received to date by the Royal Air Force, as no more were available.<br />
The bulk of the ship’s air wing – another 11 aircraft – was in fact constituted by F-35Bs of the US Marine Corps VFMA-211 squadron.)</i></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-48038619258525711122020-11-13T05:43:00.001-08:002020-11-13T05:43:39.788-08:00AgustaWestland Wins $171M US Navy Order for 36 Additional TH-73A Helicopters<p>(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Nov. 12, 2020)</p>
<div readability="58">AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $171,047,763 modification (P00006) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61340-20-C-0007.
<p>This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of 36 TH-73A aircraft in support of the Advanced Helicopter Training System program.</p>
<p>Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (87%); Mineral Wells, Texas (5%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (8%), and is expected to be completed in December 2022.</p>
<p>Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $171,047,763 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.</p>
<p>The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-90291291927290380302020-11-13T00:50:00.005-08:002020-11-13T00:50:22.076-08:00Doubling down on space safety<p>Recently, the Air Force Safety Center transferred the Space Safety Division to the United States Space Force as one of the first blended organizations in the Department. Already charged with supporting both services, this transfer serves to leverage the Center's expertise doubling down on space safety for both services.</p>
<p>The Safety Center's Space Safety Division will continue to call Kirtland Air Force Base home, while remaining steadfast in their commitment to promote and enhance space mishap prevention and a risk management culture in the USSF.</p>
<p>Air Force Chief of Safety Maj. Gen. John T. Rauch Jr., who stands charged with the oversight of Air Force mishap prevention programs and command of the Air Force Safety Center, oversees the Space Safety Division's efforts to develop, execute and evaluate space mishap prevention programs.</p>
<p>"When standing up any new organization, it is important to ensure safety remains an integral part of the culture - who we are and how we do business," said Rauch. "This reorganization capitalizes on best practices derived from an already proven Safety Management System ensuring mishap prevention efforts are built into the Space Force America needs."</p>
<p>Rauch added, "Our safety professionals are steadfast in their support to enable the Air and Space Forces mission execution safely and effectively."</p>
<p>The Space Safety Division's key tasks include the development, execution, and evaluation of Air and Space Force space mishap prevention programs, along with execution of several Department of Defense responsibilities; Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Board, DoD Executive Agent for Nuclear Space Safety, and co-chair to the quad-agency working group with the FAA, NASA, and NTSB. Additionally, they oversee mishap investigations, program evaluations, and ensure application of corrective actions and mishap inclusion through the Air Force Safety Automated System.</p>
<p>"Space Safety's alignment under USSF ensures unity of effort," said Dr. Mark Glissman, Chief of Space Safety Division. "This construct allows us to work directly with applicable major and field commands on all space safety matters."</p>
<p>The division's force structure will be made up of a mixture of civilian, military and contractors.</p>
<p>Glissman added, "Additionally, being a part of a blended organization aligns Space Safety closely with all Department of the Air Force safety disciplines to provide unparalleled support to both services reducing duplication of effort."</p>
<p>Mishaps may occur during any stage of space operations - a satellite could fall over during manufacturing; a rocket possibly veers off course during launch; a chance satellite collision with debris in space; crash during re-entry operations; or unsafe conditions at a ground-based radar site. These are all possible mishap scenarios across the spectrum of space activities Space Safety may work to avoid.</p>
<p>Outside of space operations, Space Professionals may also be susceptible to hazards in the occupational, weapons and aviation disciplines on their installations.</p>
<p>"Mishap prevention is essential to the readiness of every service," Rauch said "As each echelon of the Space Force stands up, elements of safety will be woven in to safeguard personnel, protect resources and preserve combat capability."</p>
<p><br />
<span class="BL"><b>Related Links</b><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="http://www.spaceforce.mil/" class="highlight">by Keith Wright, Air Force Safety Center</a><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/" class="highlight">Military Space News at SpaceWar.com</a><br /></span><br /></p>
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<span class="BHB"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Putin_Russia_prioritising_increasing_space_satellite_group_and_building_advanced_satellites_999.html" class="fullstory">Putin: Russia prioritising increasing space satellite group and building advanced satellites</a><br /></span> <span class="BDL">Moscow (Sputnik) Nov 03, 2020<br /></span> <span class="BNTX">A meeting on the development of the space industry is taking place in Moscow on 2 November, with one of the key areas under discussion being the country's space missions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Russia's priorities in the space industry are to increase the orbital satellite group, build advanced satellites, and more innovative rockets, President Vladimir Putin has said at a meeting on financing and development of the space industry. According to Putin, the country's main priori ... <a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Putin_Russia_prioritising_increasing_space_satellite_group_and_building_advanced_satellites_999.html" class="fullstory">read more</a><br clear="all" /></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-66275098254256232682020-11-13T00:50:00.003-08:002020-11-13T00:50:20.621-08:00Elbit Systems launches E-LynX-Sat - a portable tactical SATCOM system<p>Elbit Systems has launched E-LynX-Sat, a compact satellite communications (SATCOM) add-on system. The new system utilizes a lightweight less than 1 Kg terminal that interfaces with Elbit Systems' E-LynXTM Software Defined Radio (SDR) solution.</p>
<p>E-LynX-Sat enables Infantry and maneuvering forces to maintain robust and secured, on-the-walk and on-the-move, voice and data communication services, over ranges of hundreds of kilometers. The operational benefits of the newly launched E-LynX-Sat system were successfully demonstrated during the British Army's recent Warfighting Experiment 2020.</p>
<p>"The access to robust long-range voice and data communications is a critical operational capability for Infantry and maneuvering forces. Until now this capability required the use of costly and heavy SATCOM equipment that did not interface smoothly with their tactical radio or command and control systems, limiting their adoption and effectiveness", commented Oren Sabag, a Senior Vice President at Elbit Systems C4I and Cyber Division.</p>
<p>E-LynX-Sat integrates miniature phased-array antennas, unique satellite communication modem, beam steering and error correction software as well as data compression protocols.</p>
<p>Using standard Ka and Ku-band Geostationary satellites, it features automatic electronic satellite tracking and direct sequence spread spectrum, enabling continuous over the horizon operations on-the-walk and on-the-move. E-LynX-Sat comprises of compact portable terminals and a Hub base station that is installed in satellite ground stations.</p>
<p>"Overcoming major challenges in military networking, including size and weight reduction as well as automatic tracking, this SATCOM add-on solution offers a significant improvement of the operational effectiveness to the growing customer base of the E-LynX SDR solution", added Mr. Sabag.</p>
<p><span class="BDL">Watch a video of the <a href="https://youtu.be/T8cUsjXt2N0">E-LynX-Sat</a></span></p>
<p><br />
<span class="BL"><b>Related Links</b><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="https://elbitsystems.com/" class="highlight">Elbit Systems</a><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/communications.html" class="highlight">Read the latest in Military Space Communications Technology at SpaceWar.com</a><br /></span><br /></p>
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<span class="BHB"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/NXTCOMM_Defense_Division_formed_to_support_military_communications_imperative_999.html" class="fullstory">NXTCOMM Defense Division formed to support military communications imperative</a><br /></span> <span class="BDL">Washington DC (SPX) Nov 12, 2020<br /></span> <span class="BNTX">NXT Communications Corporation (NXTCOMM) has announced the formation NXTCOMM Defense, a new division focused on serving the military mobile Communications On-the-Move (COTM) market. NXTCOMM is developing scalable, highly conformal Electronically Steered Antenna (ESA) technology to support the U.S. Defense imperative to leverage next-generation Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites - Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). NXTCOMM's Defense Divisi ... <a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/NXTCOMM_Defense_Division_formed_to_support_military_communications_imperative_999.html" class="fullstory">read more</a><br clear="all" /></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-22846634655324963732020-11-13T00:50:00.001-08:002020-11-13T00:50:19.627-08:00Colombian Air Force initiates its 2nd Nanosatellite mission with GomSpace<p>GomSpace has signed a contract with CODALTEC / Colombian Air Force ("FAC") to initiate the FACSAT-2 satellite mission and associated intensive virtual technology transfer program. The contract is worth 6.9 MSEK (770KUSD) and will be delivered over the next 6-8 months.</p>
<p>The FACSAT-2 project comprises design, manufacture, test and operation of an advanced 6U remote sensing spacecraft. The program will build on the successful collaboration established and local capability built during the FACSAT-1 program under which a Colombian 3U satellites was launched in 2018 and is today in continued operation by FAC.</p>
<p>This is the second step to develop a small satellite capability in Colombia with the Colombian Air Force directly involved in all phases of implementing the program. The present contract covers preliminary design activities and continued capacity building to be performed with close collaboration between GomSpace experts and FAC personnel.</p>
<p>"This new contract with the Colombian Air Force shows the value GomSpace is providing to customers seeking to gain technological competence while building their own space capacity. We are very pleased to have the Colombian Air Force as a returning customer." - says Niels Buus, CEO of GomSpace.</p>
<p>Nanosatellite Technology is in continuous development unlocking increasing potential for national states to build operational space-based capabilities at much reduced cost compared to traditional space programs.</p>
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<span class="BHB"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Putin_Russia_prioritising_increasing_space_satellite_group_and_building_advanced_satellites_999.html" class="fullstory">Putin: Russia prioritising increasing space satellite group and building advanced satellites</a><br /></span> <span class="BDL">Moscow (Sputnik) Nov 03, 2020<br /></span> <span class="BNTX">A meeting on the development of the space industry is taking place in Moscow on 2 November, with one of the key areas under discussion being the country's space missions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Russia's priorities in the space industry are to increase the orbital satellite group, build advanced satellites, and more innovative rockets, President Vladimir Putin has said at a meeting on financing and development of the space industry. According to Putin, the country's main priori ... <a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Putin_Russia_prioritising_increasing_space_satellite_group_and_building_advanced_satellites_999.html" class="fullstory">read more</a><br clear="all" /></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-32146523065363045782020-11-12T14:55:00.001-08:002020-11-12T14:55:18.521-08:00Telework capabilities set stage for truly mobile DOD workforce<img src="https://defensesystems.com/articles/2020/11/12/-/media/GIG/EDIT_SHARED/Workforce/teleworker.jpg" alt="teleworker at desk (elenabsl/Shutterstock.com)" class="storyimage" />
<p id="ph_pcontent2_0_KickerText" class="kicker">COMMENTARY</p>
<h3 id="ph_pcontent2_0_MainHeading" class="title">Telework capabilities set stage for truly mobile DOD workforce</h3>
<ul id="ph_pcontent2_0_ByAuthor" class="byline">
<li class="author">By Jerry Dotson</li>
<li class="date">Nov 12, 2020</li>
</ul>
<p>The Pentagon and military services have made huge strides in expanding the Defense Department’s network and telework capabilities to accommodate the requirements of millions of employees working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>By mid-April, 4 million DOD and military workers were working remotely. That included 60% of the staff at the Pentagon, and a significant portion of the Air Force’s approximately 685,000-person workforce, Air Force Lt. Gen. B.J. Shwedo, the Joint Staff’s CIO and director for command, control, communications, computers and cyber, said at the time.</p>
<p>Some of the infrastructure and tools put in place to support the rise of telework will remain intact long after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, according to DOD CIO Dana Deasy. Now, it appears the department will continue to maximize teleworking as the DOD and military services move through a phased approach for reopening.</p>
<p>Not all of the DOD and military components were prepared for a sudden transition to mass telework, and the pace, speed and scale at which the DOD and industry partners ramped up network capacity and deployed collaboration solutions for the workforce is commendable. Such network and infrastructure upgrades can take months, and in some cases, years to complete.</p>
<p>Some military components had to deal with laptop shortages and an inability to secure network connections at scale as IT infrastructure teams worked to spin up telework capacity. Many civilian and defense agencies did not have enough virtual private network (VPN) capacity to allow hundreds of thousands of remote workers to securely access agency networks and IT resources.</p>
<p>In addition to network capacity, defense agencies needed collaboration solutions for voice, video and content sharing services to allow the large, worldwide defense workforce to communicate wherever they might be located. A unified communications (UC) solution powered by a hybrid cloud could seamlessly integrate hundreds of desktop apps and legacy systems across diverse agencies to improve mission readiness.</p>
<p><strong>Overcoming voice and video challenges</strong></p>
<p>Voice capability has been difficult for some military services to provide remote workers. Part of the challenge over the past decade is cultural as the workforce transitions from using desktop telephone systems to soft-client phones. Moreover, layering voice and video services on VPNs with connectivity issues can cause performance degradation. Slow email response and file download are frustrating, but adding voice and video services can cause even more latency that mars the customer experience.</p>
<p>However, there are viable ways to extend voice and collaboration services to workers at home, using modern UC and voice-over-internet protocol platforms. The build-up of telework capacity should be seen from the wider lenses of digital transformation, which is critical to maintaining military readiness. With that perspective in mind, the DOD must invest in UC modernization to ensure that its operations – from military leaders on foreign battlefields and doctors in military hospitals to vendors who deliver supplies and services to military bases around the globe, and now the remote worker – can effectively and securely communicate and collaborate on any device, from any place, at any time.</p>
<p>To accomplish those goals, DOD leaders should:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Focus on both employee productivity and customer experience.</strong> Improve productivity and efficiency by optimizing the use of communications technologies, expanding digital communications alternatives and training employees on the tools.</li>
<li><strong>Help employees use UC effectively.</strong> Embed communications directly into business processes for improving both employee efficiency and customer experience.</li>
<li><strong>Keep the human touch</strong>. Design technology-enhanced customer experiences by using automation as an enabler, not an obstacle, to connect with a live specialist when needed.</li>
<li><strong>Integrate the back office with the front office.</strong> Transform customer interactions by connecting internal and external processes and eliminating service silos.</li>
<li><strong>Do not forget about the basics when transforming the customer experience.</strong> Leverage technology to facilitate an exceptional customer experience delivering on fundamental satisfaction drivers such as quick issue resolution and connection to knowledgeable, empowered service personnel.</li>
</ol>
<p>The stage is now set for DOD to build a true mobile workforce. Teleworking is an intermediate step to a fully mobile workforce where employees perform their tasks on the go from cellular phones or laptops on a carrier network, 5G or otherwise. To maintain readiness, the military requires modern communications environments to connect joint and coalition forces, as well as support internal organizations and service providers for effective collaboration.</p>
<br />
<div class="aboutAuthor" readability="9">
<p id="ph_pcontent2_0_AuthorInfo_AboutAuthor" class="author">About the Author</p>
<p>Jerry Dotson is vice president, public sector, with Avaya.<br /></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-42846101592905461762020-11-12T04:43:00.005-08:002020-11-12T04:43:41.408-08:00Eurofighter Awarded Contract for 38 Tranche 4 ‘Quadriga’ Aircraft for Germany<p>Eurofighter and NETMA Sign Quadriga Contract for New Eurofighter Typhoons</p>
<p>(Source: Eurofighter GmbH; issued Nov. 11, 2020)</p>
<div class="article-content" readability="66">Eurofighter GmbH and NETMA today signed the Quadriga contracts that will support the continued modernization of the German Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.
<p>The contract is for the delivery of 38 new Typhoon Quadriga aircraft to replace Tranche 1 versions currently in service. The new aircraft will be equipped with the world's latest electronic radar, future-proof hardware, software, and an even broader multi-role capability for engaging air and ground targets. With a service life well beyond 2060, its technical capabilities will allow full integration into the Europe’s future air combat environment.</p>
<p>The renewed order from Germany comes at a strategically important time for the programme as future campaign decisions are expected to be made throughout 2021 in Spain, Switzerland and Finland.</p>
<p>Miguel Ángel Martín Pérez, General Manager, NETMA, said: 3Quadriga comes at a strategic moment for everyone involved. First of all, it will reinforce the air defence not only of the German Air Force but also within the NATO environment and secondly, it underpins the possibilities of the programme to succeed in further export opportunities. Finally, it will also support the European aerospace industry and it is a very important step towards building a bridge to the future fighter programmes of our core nations.”</p>
<p>Herman Claesen, Chief Executive Officer, Eurofighter GmbH, said: “Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. The product of the teamwork that has taken place over the past year is what we see here today.’ ‘With ESCAN and Quadriga contracts secured, we are significantly enhancing the operational capabilities of Typhoon for decades to come.”</p>
<p>(ends)</p>
</div>
<p>Airbus Signs Contract for 38 Eurofighters with Germany</p>
<p>(Source: Airbus Defence and Space; issued Nov. 11, 2020)</p>
<div class="article-content" readability="65">TAUFKIRCHEN, Germany --- Airbus has signed a contract to deliver 38 new Eurofighter aircraft to the German Air Force. This makes Germany the largest ordering nation in Europe's biggest defence programme.
<p>The order, also known by its project name Quadriga, covers the delivery of 30 single-seater and 8 twin-seater Eurofighters. Three of the aircraft will be equipped with additional test installations as Instrumented Test Aircraft for the further development of the Eurofighter programme.</p>
<p>Dirk Hoke, CEO Airbus Defence and Space, said: "The new Tranche 4 Eurofighter is currently the most modern European-built combat aircraft with a service life well beyond 2060. Its technical capabilities will allow full integration into the European Future Combat Air System FCAS".</p>
<p>The renewed order from Germany secures production until 2030 and comes at a strategically important time for the programme. In addition to an expected Eurofighter order from Spain to replace its legacy F-18s, procurement decisions in Switzerland and Finland are imminent in 2021.</p>
<p>The variant offered in Switzerland corresponds to the configuration of the German Quadriga order. The equipment includes the world's latest electronic radar, future-proof hardware and software and unlimited multi-role capability for engaging air and ground targets.</p>
<p>Eurofighter is Europe's largest defence programme, in which the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy are involved alongside Germany. In addition to technological capabilities, it secures more than 100,000 jobs in Europe.</p>
<p>(ends)</p>
</div>
<p>Typhoon Delivers A Further Boost to the UK Economy</p>
<p>(Source: BAE Systems; issued Nov. 12, 2020)</p>
<div class="article-content" readability="92">BAE Systems has been awarded a £1.3bn order to support the production of 38 Eurofighter aircraft for the German Air Force.
<p>Work will commence in 2021 at BAE Systems’ sites in Lancashire, maintaining continuity of Typhoon production through to the mid-2020s and sustaining high-value engineering roles in the North of England. These critical jobs are a key element of securing the UK’s sovereign skills and capabilities which are central to realising the Government’s future combat air ambitions.</p>
<p>More than 5,000 BAE Systems employees directly support the Typhoon programme in the UK, supporting a further 10,000 jobs in the UK economy as a whole.</p>
<p>The Eurofighter Typhoon is the most advanced multi-role combat aircraft in operation, supporting European security and defence objectives. BAE Systems will deliver more than a third of the components for each of the new Typhoons ordered by the German Air Force including the aircraft’s front fuselage and tail. Final assembly will be undertaken by Airbus in Manching, Germany.</p>
<p>The new aircraft will join the existing German Air Force Typhoon fleet from the mid-2020s and will be equipped with the latest technology, including an advanced electronically-scanning radar.</p>
<p>“Germany’s decision to purchase additional Typhoons reinforces the aircraft’s position as one of the world’s most successful combat military aircraft. The Typhoon programme makes a significant contribution to the UK economy, generating billions of pounds through exports and supporting more than 15,000 jobs across the UK including thousands of highly skilled roles in the North of England,” said Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive BAE Systems.</p>
<p>The combat air sector delivers £6 billion of revenue to the UK every year and is responsible for 87% of the nation’s defence exports, a significant proportion of which comes from Typhoon. Few areas of Government spending deliver such impactful economic returns – export sales of Typhoon have already returned more than double the UK Government’s £12 billion investment in the programme to the UK economy.</p>
<p>The Typhoon programme will also help to drive innovation as the Company develops the technology required to deliver the next generation of combat air capabilities. For example, BAE Systems engineers are now producing 3D printed components for Typhoon, including the Environmental Cooling System which will be used to cool the next generation radar.</p>
<p>The order was awarded to BAE Systems by Eurofighter, the consortium which represents the core nations’ industrial partners comprising Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.</p>
<p>Eurofighter Typhoon underpins the UK’s strategically important international relationships and is in operational service with seven nations – Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Austria, Oman and Saudi Arabia – with production orders underway for Kuwait and Qatar.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-6432413833913383472020-11-12T04:43:00.003-08:002020-11-12T04:43:40.321-08:00Croatia Begins Evaluating US, French and Swedish Fighter Bids<p>(Source: Croatian Ministry of Defence; issued Nov. 11, 2020)</p>
<div readability="67">In the process of procuring a multi-role fighter aircraft, bidders had the opportunity to submit the best and final bid (BAFO) by November 11, 2020.
<p>As of today, November 11, 2020, the validation process has been completed and the process of evaluating the received bids for the procurement of a multi-role fighter aircraft has begun.</p>
<p>In the process of procuring a multi-role fighter aircraft, bidders had the opportunity to submit the best and final bid (BAFO) no later than November 11, 2020, which was made possible on November 10 and 11, 2020.</p>
<p>The best and final offer (BAFO) was submitted by the USA on November 10, 2020 for the new F-16 Block 70 aircraft and the used Israeli F-16 Block 30 aircraft and the French Republic for the used Rafale aircraft, while the Kingdom of Sweden submitted its best and final offer for new JAS-39 C / D Gripen aircraft was delivered on 11 November 2020.</p>
<p>The decision-making process at the state level will begin in early 2021, and includes the opinion of the Defense Committee of the Croatian Parliament and the Defense Council and the decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the most favorable offer for a multi-role fighter aircraft.</p>
<p>The data are classified both by us and by the bidders. During the process of evaluation and selection of the best offer, we cannot go public with detailed data.</p>
<p>You will be informed about everything in a timely manner.</p>
<p>-ends-</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-28155302304595335762020-11-12T04:43:00.001-08:002020-11-12T04:43:39.181-08:00Austrian Court Confirms End of Eurofighter Fraud Investigation<p>(Source: Deutsche Welle German radio; posted Nov. 12, 2020)</p>
<div readability="88.152092548486">Vienna prosecutors upheld a decision to end a criminal probe into alleged fraud by aviation and defense group Airbus and Eurofighter in connection with a two billion-dollar (€1.7 billion) fighter jet purchase in 2003, the counsel for Austria said Wednesday evening.
<p>A criminal complaint brought by Austria's Defense Ministry in 2017 prompted the investigation.</p>
<p>A lower court ordered an end to the probe in April, which the appeals court supported on the grounds that Austria had not provided enough of its own evidence after spending three and a half years investigating for fraud, the office of Austria's chief legal counsel Wolfgang Peschorn said in a statement.</p>
<p>"With that, all criminal investigations in Austria that were initiated as a result of the criminal complaint in 2017 on suspicion of fraud in connection with the Eurofighter purchase have now been brought to an end, " the statement said of the court ruling dated November 4 and [released] a week later.</p>
<p>While Peschorn said the ruling must be accepted, he disapproved that it runs counter to decisions by German and US legal authorities.<br /></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" readability="6.3969230769231">
<p lang="de" dir="ltr" xml:lang="de">APA: Das OLG Wien hat die Beschwerden wegen des Verdachts des Betrugs bei der Beschaffung der Eurofighter 2003 und beim sogenannten Vergleich 2007 durch das Landesgericht für Strafsachen zurückgewiesen. Damit sind alle strafrechtlichen Ermittlungen beendet. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bundesheer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bundesheer</a></p>
— Michael Bauer (@Bundesheerbauer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bundesheerbauer/status/1326615912921903105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
<br />
<i>Austrian defense ministry spokesman Michael Bauer tweeted that “The Vienna Higher Regional Court has rejected the complaints on suspicion of fraud in the procurement of the Eurofighter 2003 and the so-called settlement 2007 by the regional court for criminal matters. This ends all criminal investigations.</i>
<p>The ruling is a blow to Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, who had threatened a lawsuit against Airbus, which holds a major stake in the Eurofighter company.</p>
<p>Tanner had also threatened to reverse the acquisition of Austria's 15 Eurofighter jets, on suspicions that the government paid €183 million too much — as kickbacks to middlemen were priced into the contract.</p>
<p>Austria's 2017 complaint against Airbus and the Eurofighter consortium alleged they had misled it about the price, deliverability and features of the jets.</p>
<p>In February, Airbus was ordered in Germany to pay $81.25 million in penalties for dubious money flows related to the Austrian aircraft deal.</p>
<p>In January, Airbus announced it had agreed to settle corruption investigations probes in the US, France and the UK, resulting in total penalties of just under €3.6 billion.</p>
<p>The Vienna appeals court has not yet commented on the ruling.</p>
<p><i>(<b>EDITOR’S NOTE:</b> Reuters reported late Wednesday that “When the lower court ordered an end to the investigation in April, a court spokeswoman said that did not affect a broader criminal probe into suspected bribery in connection with the same deal, which has been underway since 2011.”)</i></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-1106214727516474462020-11-11T20:50:00.001-08:002020-11-11T20:50:35.034-08:00NXTCOMM Defense Division formed to support military communications imperative<p>NXT Communications Corporation (NXTCOMM) has announced the formation NXTCOMM Defense, a new division focused on serving the military mobile Communications On-the-Move (COTM) market.</p>
<p>NXTCOMM is developing scalable, highly conformal Electronically Steered Antenna (ESA) technology to support the U.S. Defense imperative to leverage next-generation Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites - Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).</p>
<p>NXTCOMM's Defense Division will serve as a leading manufacturer of antennas and antenna systems for defense applications and will initially target special forces most in need of portability, low-profile stealth, broadband capacity and high-level operational performance.</p>
<p>Huge shifts in military capacity requirements - fueled by the Space Force's new warfighting architecture - can only be unlocked by ESAs that operate over LEO.</p>
<p>NXTCOMM's low-profile electronically steerable flat panel antenna will provide warfighters the ability to track and switch amongst multiple satellites in LEO and other orbits - and deliver secure, resilient communications on the move.</p>
<p>"LEO applications require a fast-tracking antenna capability that can track multiple satellites at once and NXTCOMM delivers with a fully wideband solution scalable up or down depending on the military's specific connectivity requirements," notes Stephen Newell, Chief Commercial Officer for NXTCOMM.</p>
<p>Chris Quilty of Quilty Analytics sees Defense as one of the most promising end-markets for non-GEO broadband constellation investment, which has exceeded $20 billion as of August 2020, according to a recent press release issued by the investment analyst firm.</p>
<p>"Our flat panel antenna technology will deliver rugged, reliable, powerhouse connectivity to military users, particularly the special operators in theater who need flexible solutions that give them the versatility to go from platform to platform - whether it be a vehicle mounted or manpack solution," Newell added.</p>
<p>NXTCOMM Defense is commercializing its technology for aerospace and defense market applications at the company's advanced antenna manufacturing facility in metro Atlanta. In June, the company announced its AeroMaxSM antenna, which is easily scaled for military use cases.</p>
<p>"Our antennas are designed specifically for superior performance under the most demanding and mission-critical conditions possible. For one, we don't require hard wiring different pieces of hardware to our antenna to track LEOs, MEOs and GEOs," says Carl Novello, CTO. "The fragmented aperture technology is already proven in the most demanding military applications and we intend to leverage this technology and heritage to defense markets and applications."</p>
<p>NXTCOMM is on schedule to complete over-the-air tests of its core subarray to prove out its design in Q4. It then will proceed with full prototyping and over-the-air testing in early 2021. NXTCOMM is in active discussions with a host of system providers serving the military sector and looks forward to announcing its first key partnerships before the end of the year.</p>
<p><br />
<span class="BL"><b>Related Links</b><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="http://www.nxtcommdefense.com/" class="highlight">NXTCOMM Defense</a><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/communications.html" class="highlight">Read the latest in Military Space Communications Technology at SpaceWar.com</a><br /></span><br /></p>
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<span class="BHB"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Launch_of_next_3_Russian_Gonets_M_satellites_scheduled_on_Nov_24_999.html" class="fullstory">Launch of next 3 Russian Gonets-M satellites scheduled on Nov 24</a><br /></span> <span class="BDL">Moscow (Sputnik) Nov 02, 2020<br /></span> <span class="BNTX">The next three Gonets-M satellites are scheduled for launch on 24 November, two days ahead of the previous date, a spokesman for satellite operator Gonets told Sputnik on Saturday. "The launch of three Gonets-M satellites is scheduled on 24 November", the spokesman said. In late September, Russia's Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with three Gonets-M communications satellites and 19 small satellites was launched from the Plesetsk spaceport in northern Russia. The launch of the next three satellites ... <a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Launch_of_next_3_Russian_Gonets_M_satellites_scheduled_on_Nov_24_999.html" class="fullstory">read more</a><br clear="all" /></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-21501687111907330182020-11-11T17:50:00.005-08:002020-11-11T17:50:15.670-08:00Iran response over undeclared site 'not credible': UN nuclear agency<p>The UN's nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that Iran's explanations over the presence of nuclear material at an undeclared site in the country were "not credible."</p>
<p>The news comes as observers watch to see whether Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election will lead to detente between Iran and Western powers.</p>
<p>Despite Iranian authorities providing some information about the site, "the agency informed Iran that it continues to consider Iran's response to be not technically credible," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report seen by AFP.</p>
<p>"A full and prompt explanation from Iran regarding the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin... at a location in Iran not declared to the agency is needed," the report said.</p>
<p>While the IAEA has not identified the site in question, diplomatic sources have indicated to AFP that it is in the Turquzabad district of Tehran, previously identified by Israel as an alleged site of secret atomic activity.</p>
<p>A source familiar with the issue said there was no indication the site had been used for processing uranium but that it could have been used for storing it as late as the end of 2018.</p>
<p>Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Kazem Gharib Abadi, wrote on Twitter that "any hasty comments should be avoided".</p>
<p>"Interactions are ongoing with a view to finalize the resolution of the matter," he added.</p>
<p>- 'Sabotage' -</p>
<p>The report did not provide any new information about two separate locations where the IAEA took samples in September and where undeclared nuclear activity may have taken place in the early 2000s.</p>
<p>The analysis of those samples is ongoing.</p>
<p>It however confirmed that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium is now more than 12 times the limit set down in a 2015 deal with world powers, even if the rate at which the stockpile is expanding has slowed since the last report.</p>
<p>The 2015 accord has been progressively unravelling since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and went on to re-introduce crippling economic sanctions on Iran.</p>
<p>In retaliation, Iran has been breaking the limits on its nuclear activity laid down in the deal since May 2019.</p>
<p>As well as breaching limits on the stockpile amount and enrichment level of uranium laid down in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran has been using more advanced centrifuges than permitted under the deal.</p>
<p>Wednesday's report confirmed that, in line with previous statements by Iranian officials, centrifuges had been installed at an underground part of the Natanz nuclear facility after another part of the site was damaged in an explosion in July which Iran blamed on "sabotage".</p>
<p>- 'Maximum pressure' -</p>
<p>The three European powers who are still party to the 2015 deal, namely France, the UK and Germany, have been scrambling to find ways to keep the accord intact.</p>
<p>The election of Trump's Democrat opponent Joe Biden as the next US president has offered some hope the deal could be revived, as Biden has offered Iran a "credible path back to diplomacy".</p>
<p>On Wednesday Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country would take "any opportunity" which could "lift the pressure of sanctions from the shoulders of our people".</p>
<p>However, obstacles remain to any detente.</p>
<p>Iran insists that the US has to lift sanctions imposed by the Trump administration before it will come back into compliance with the JCPOA's limits.</p>
<p>The "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran launched by the Trump administration has seen Tehran's distrust of the Americans intensify and tensions between the two countries have twice brought them to the brink of war since mid-2019.</p>
<p>Biden will face a tight window of opportunity between his inauguration on January 20 and an Iranian presidential election set for June 18 in which reformists and moderates allied to Rouhani may face a tough challenge from conservatives.</p>
<p>On Friday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will start a tour of US allies, including several of Iran's neighbours, during which he is expected to discuss raising further pressure on Tehran in the remaining two months of the Trump administration.</p>
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<span class="BHB"><a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_offers_glimpse_of_rail_based_multiple_launch_system_for_use_at_its_underground_missile_cities_999.html" class="fullstory">Iran offers glimpse of rail-based multiple launch system for use at its 'underground missile cities'</a><br /></span> <span class="BDL">Moscow (Sputnik) Nov 05, 2020<br /></span> <span class="BNTX">The United States and its European allies have repeatedly sought to force Iran to slow or stop the continued modernisation of its missile forces. Tehran insists that its missile arsenal is fully legal under international law, and meant purely for deterrence against Iran's potential foes. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps unveiled a new home-grown automated rapid transport and launch system for its long-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday. The system, featured in an Islamic Republic ... <a href="https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_offers_glimpse_of_rail_based_multiple_launch_system_for_use_at_its_underground_missile_cities_999.html" class="fullstory">read more</a><br clear="all" /></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-21791577913972900532020-11-11T17:50:00.003-08:002020-11-11T17:50:13.818-08:00Philippines extends military pact with US<p>The Philippines will extend a key military pact with the United States for another six months, the foreign minister said Wednesday.</p>
<p>President Rodrigo Duterte had given notice to Washington in February that he planned to axe the Visiting Forces Agreement after accusing the US of interference in his internationally condemned narcotics crackdown.</p>
<p>The plan to break the deal -- central to hundreds of joint military exercises with the US every year and a major component of their nearly 70-year-old alliance -- was suspended in June.</p>
<p>The latest decision -- announced by Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin -- came after Duterte congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden and said he was looking forward to "working closely" with the new administration.</p>
<p>In a statement addressed to US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, Locsin said the decision would "enable us to find a more enhanced, mutually beneficial... and lasting arrangement."</p>
<p>Duterte has repeatedly threatened to break from long-standing security ties with the US, its former colonial master, in favour of closer links with China.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-42773759116124686872020-11-11T17:50:00.001-08:002020-11-11T17:50:12.614-08:00Biden could reverse Germany troop removal<p>US President-elect Joe Biden could reverse course -- at least partially -- on the Trump administration's move to withdraw some 12,000 US troops from Germany, according to Biden's defense advisers.</p>
<p>Michele Flournoy -- former number three at the Pentagon and a favorite to lead the Defense Department under the new administration -- nearly predicted as much during a conference in August.</p>
<p>"If you have a new administration, the first thing they'll do is a posture review globally," she said at the Aspen Security Forum when asked about the withdrawals.</p>
<p>"My hope is that this (withdrawal plan) will not be fully executed because I don't think it's in the strategic interests of the United States and it's very damaging to our alliance relationships," Flournoy said.</p>
<p>The move was announced July 29 by former defense secretary Mark Esper, who was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump Monday.</p>
<p>Some 34,500 troops are currently deployed in the country. Under the Trump administration's plan, about 6,400 would be sent home to the US while 5,600 others would be re-deployed to other NATO countries, especially Belgium and Italy.</p>
<p>- 'Doesn't make sense' -</p>
<p>Esper framed the re-deployment as strategically necessary, especially as part of efforts to counter Russian influence, but Trump immediately contradicted that explanation, saying the maneuver was actually in response to Germany's refusal to "pay the bills."</p>
<p>"We don't want to be the suckers anymore.... We're protecting Germany, so we're reducing the force because they're not paying the bills," Trump said at the time.</p>
<p>"I don't think it makes sense," said Flournoy, who was set to be the first woman to direct the world's most powerful military if Hillary Clinton had won the presidency in 2016.</p>
<p>The removal "was seen as sort of punishing ... and it underscores the narrative in Europe, unfortunately, that the United States cannot be relied upon, that we can't be counted on to sort of stick with them, that we don't value the NATO alliance relationships," she lamented.</p>
<p>Another Biden adviser, Kathleen Hicks, also critiqued the Germany troop removal, writing in the newspaper The Hill in August that the move "benefits our adversaries."</p>
<p>The move "comes at the cost of readiness" and "will be expensive," said Hicks, director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).</p>
<p>- Moving is expensive -</p>
<p>And Hicks was skeptical of the money-saving powers of Esper's assurances that the troops withdrawn from Germany would be replaced with rotations of new units.</p>
<p>"Relocating 11,900 forces, dependents, and equipment, and securing new capacity for living, working, and training take more money," she pointed out.</p>
<p>Hicks was nominated Monday to head the Democrats' team managing the presidential transition at the Department of Defense.</p>
<p>Germany, which hosts more US troops than any other European country -- a legacy of the Allied occupation after World War II -- is ready to turn the page on the Trump years.</p>
<p>But during a September interview with AFP, the German head of transatlantic relations, Peter Beyer, hedged on the removal plan.</p>
<p>"The controversial issues won't go away overnight, but with Biden the transatlantic friendship would become more reasonable, calculable and reliable again," he said.</p>
<p>Flournoy didn't say whether she would be in favor of keeping all of the troops in question in Germany, but she did explain that she foresees a re-deployment of some forces farther east.</p>
<p>"And maybe we need more in the Baltics or in Poland or somewhere else, Romania, but that was not what was driving this (move in Germany)," she said.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-75933426800403867672020-11-11T16:38:00.001-08:002020-11-11T16:38:15.177-08:00Ep. 32 – What Will Biden Do?<p>Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss the decisions awaiting the incoming Biden administration with respect to the ongoing conflicts in several countries. They also discuss the State Department’s decision to delist al Qaeda’s Uighur affiliate. </p>
<p>Powered by <a class="redcircle-link" href="https://redcircle.com/?utm_source=rc_embedded_player&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=embedded_v1">RedCircle</a></p>
<p>Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from West Africa to Southeast Asia. They aren’t the dominant force in all of those areas, or even most of them. But jihadism has mushroomed into a worldwide movement, with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS and other groups waging guerrilla warfare and launching terrorist attacks on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Each week Generation Jihad brings you a new story focusing on jihadism around the globe. These stories will focus not only on Sunni jihadism, but also Shiite extremist groups. We will also host guests who can provide their own unique perspectives on current events.</p>
<p class="author">Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.</p>
<p><em><b>Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal?</b> Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! <a href="https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/TheLongWarJournal/donate.html">You can make a tax-deductible donation here.</a></em></p>
<p class="tags"><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/al-qaeda" rel="tag">Al Qaeda</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/al-qaeda-in-china" rel="tag">Al Qaeda in China</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/china" rel="tag">china</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/joe-biden" rel="tag">Joe Biden</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/uighur" rel="tag">Uighur</a></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-80295820052393765852020-11-11T09:57:00.005-08:002020-11-11T09:57:26.354-08:00How 2020 became Dana Deasy's year of delivery<img src="https://defensesystems.com/articles/2020/11/11/-/media/GIG/EDIT_SHARED/PEOPLE/D/DeasyDana_FCW_Nov2020.jpg" alt="DOD CIO Dana Deasy. 2020. Photo credit: Zaid Hamid" class="storyimage" />
<p id="ph_pcontent2_0_KickerText" class="kicker">Leadership</p>
<h3 id="ph_pcontent2_0_MainHeading" class="title">How 2020 became Dana Deasy's year of delivery</h3>
<ul id="ph_pcontent2_0_ByAuthor" class="byline">
<li class="author">By Lauren C. Williams</li>
<li class="date">Nov 11, 2020</li>
</ul>
<p>Dana Deasy took over as the Defense Department's CIO in May 2018. But he didn't wait until he was officially confirmed in December 2019 to start overseeing pivotal initiatives — including expanding 5G experimentation on military bases and launching DOD's first centralized organization dedicated to artificial intelligence, the Joint AI Center. It's been a busy two-and-a-half years for a newcomer to federal IT.</p>
<p>Deasy's nearly four-decade career has almost entirely been spent in the private sector. Before joining DOD, he was global CIO at JPMorgan Chase and CIO at BP and General Motors North America. The DOD role is his first government job.</p>
<p>"I've always been able to go into an IT leadership…job in my career and kind of know the traditional things you're going to be asked to lead," Deasy told FCW. "Here, I arrived and we're talking about spectrum, satellites, nuclear command and control, and it's very eye-opening in the early days. This definitely does not feel like private-sector IT."</p>
<h3>Strategize, organize and deliver</h3>
<p>DOD has a reputation for lagging behind the technical capabilities that most of us take for granted in our personal lives. Leaders can mobilize troops and materiel across the world, but personnel often struggle to seamlessly message one another and have to change email addresses frequently during their defense careers.</p>
<p>CIOs in government typically have tenures of five years or less, so Deasy had a clear aim for his time in the job, which he borrowed from his private-sector experience: strategize, organize and deliver.</p>
<p>"Year one for me was all about conceiving vision, articulating it and making sure it would resonate all the way out to a combatant command, to a warfighter sitting out wherever they are in the world, to people in the Pentagon, people in Congress, to the people on my own department frankly," he said. "And then from there, it evolved quickly."</p>
<p>He said a central challenge was getting people to understand the connection between the Digital Modernization Strategy, released in 2019, and the National Defense Strategy, released in 2018 by then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.</p>
<p>"Year two was," he added, about asking "how do you change your organizational structure? Do you have the right people? What's going to have to change in the way of processes you run and how you face off to military CIOs [and] combat command CIOs to actually deliver this agenda."</p>
<p>He said 2020 was designed to be the year of delivery, even though the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to derail DOD's modernization plans. "We're not spending any more time talking about a strategy, convincing people to write strategy, organizing for it," Deasy added. "This is the year of execution. This is the year where people have to say, 'I can see how cloud is making a difference. I can see how AI is making a difference.'"</p>
<h3>The JEDI question</h3>
<p>Although he has been involved in several massive initiatives, Deasy's legacy and tenure are almost inextricably linked with the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud contract. Barely two months after he took office, the solicitation for the potentially $10 billion procurement was released. Years of protests, lawsuits, inspector general investigations and allegations of White House bias followed.</p>
<p>Deasy seemed perplexed by the enduring media attention but predicted that no one will remember JEDI in the coming years because it will fade into the background of DOD's technical tapestry.</p>
<p>"There is an unfortunate and yet continued fixation on JEDI the contract," he said. "The simple fact you brought up the question would suggest that the media — and a lot of people beyond the media — just find this to be such a fascinating thing, which is really quite interesting to me." He added that because he has delivered large, complex, transformational technology, he understands that "the cloud is a component, but it is definitely not the overarching key component."</p>
<p>DOD, which had a $733 billion budget in 2020, does everything on a massive scale, Deasy said, and buying a warfighting cloud capability is no exception. "And so when you go to say what we need to do an enterprise cloud, just the simple fact that once you declare that that's going to be an integral part of your strategy, it's large any way you look at it. The acquisition is large, the standing up of it is large and complex."</p>
<p>However, he said, "cloud is not the most interesting thing at the department."</p>
<p>It's true that cloud technology is not interesting until one starts to think about all the things warfighters can do with it, such as send data between weapons systems and operators on the battlefield or use an AI-fueled data aggregation platform to determine what equipment is needed by frontline workers.</p>
<p>Indeed, Deasy stressed that the main goal of digital modernization is to help DOD invest in, develop and field technology to personnel and warfighters as quickly as possible. Five years from now, "how many people are going to remember JEDI? I would argue very few," he said. Instead, people will be asking: "Are we delivering real-time information to the warfighter that is secure, reliable, not compromised or degraded? It's going to make a significant difference on the battlefield of decisions we take. It will even help us to deter conflict because of how we implemented this."</p>
<p>Achieving those goals is about more than technology. "The thing I don't think gets enough attention is the work we've done in creating really strong linkages and partnerships across the DOD," including with the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command and Joint Staff on issues such as Joint All Domain Command and Control.</p>
<p>Part of that alignment starts at the budget level. Congress broadened authorities for DOD's CIO in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act to include five-year budget reviews and certification for DOD's components when it comes to IT investments.</p>
<p>"You can't deliver digital modernization without...really strong linkages to the [military] services and to places like the [undersecretary of defense for research and engineering] when you're talking about things like AI," Deasy said.</p>
<p>He argued that a program's success or failure hinges on the strength of those relationships. "Look at why programs succeed or why programs fail," he said. "I can guarantee you one of the things at the heart of it [was]: Was there a shared vision? Could people find themselves in the strategy and understand the role that they played and their responsibilities in it? Was there a common way of measuring success, and did everybody understand the dependencies they had and where they needed to lean on others to be successful?"</p>
<p>Deasy said one of the biggest transformations inside the CIO office has been creating a "program of work where the linkages between other parts of the department are incredibly hardwired together," along with a "culture where people can see why they are making a huge difference."</p>
<p>The next step is making sure all that work is visible. "That has been no different in my entire career," he said. "If you're working on something and people don't...how it benefits them or how it's going to help them, people go quiet, people go passive aggressive. But if you can make that work [visible], then you have that shared-accountability culture. And for me, that's what I really look for."</p>
<h3>COVID as a catalyst</h3>
<p>Deasy described digital modernization as an enduring effort that builds on itself. But the strategy was only eight months old when COVID-19 forced shutdowns in March, so it was fragile.</p>
<p>"When you have a massive program, a multiyear program like digital modernization, the 'what keeps me up at night' concern is how do you keep the energy level high, how do you keep people focused on it and keep forward momentum going on it," Deasy said.</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-16298594868599149422020-11-11T09:57:00.003-08:002020-11-11T09:57:25.490-08:00Army to evaluate facial recognition in day care centers<img src="https://defensesystems.com/articles/2020/11/11/-/media/GIG/EDIT_SHARED/Workforce/daycare_center.jpg" alt="daycare center ( PhotoMavenStock/Shutterstock.com)" class="storyimage" />
<p id="ph_pcontent2_0_KickerText" class="kicker">AI & Analytics</p>
<h3 id="ph_pcontent2_0_MainHeading" class="title">Army to evaluate facial recognition in day care centers</h3>
<ul id="ph_pcontent2_0_ByAuthor" class="byline">
<li class="author">By Defense Systems Staff</li>
<li class="date">Nov 11, 2020</li>
</ul>
<p>To better monitor the health and safety of children at its Fort Jackson child development center (CDC), the Army is considering adding commercial facial recognition software and other artificial intelligence capabilities to its existing video surveillance systems.</p>
<p>The Engineer Research and Development Center – Construction Engineering Research Laboratory is looking for a small business to design and demonstrate a state-of-the-art facial recognition and analytics system that can address specific use cases. The video surveillance system must integrate with existing CDC systems and cameras, according to a Nov. 6 <a href="https://beta.sam.gov/opp/946c7232927847babebaa80888f867cc/view">presolicitation notice</a>.</p>
<p>Through the demonstration, the Army expects to gain enough information to evaluate whether facial recognition technologies can improve family quality of life, reduce base costs and enhance mission readiness. </p>
<p>ERDC-CERL intends to issue its solicitation in early December, with the year-long contract starting in February 2021.</p>
<p><em>This <a href="https://gcn.com/articles/2020/11/10/facial-recognition-daycare.aspx">article</a> first appeared on GCN, a Defense Systems partner site. </em></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-42412658734699576362020-11-11T09:57:00.001-08:002020-11-11T09:57:24.615-08:00Esper out at DOD<img src="https://defensesystems.com/articles/2020/11/11/-/media/GIG/EDIT_SHARED/PEOPLE/E/esperaug28presser.jpg" alt="Defense Secretary Mark Esper listens to a reporter question at an Aug 28, 2019 press conference - photo via video stream" class="storyimage" />
<p id="ph_pcontent2_0_KickerText" class="kicker">Leadership</p>
<h3 id="ph_pcontent2_0_MainHeading" class="title">Esper out at DOD</h3>
<ul id="ph_pcontent2_0_ByAuthor" class="byline">
<li class="author">By Adam Mazmanian</li>
<li class="date">Nov 11, 2020</li>
</ul>
<p>President Donald Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1325859406349799424?s=20">announced on Twitter</a> that he had fired his secretary of defense, with Christopher C. Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), taking over on an acting basis.</p>
<p>Rumors of Mark Esper's ouster had been brewing for months, in part because of his statements opposing the use of the military to quell protests in U.S. cities that erupted over the summer after the police killing of George Floyd. Trump also took issue with Esper's support of a plan to rename military bases that honor Confederate generals.</p>
<p>NBC reported last week that Esper had <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/long-odds-trump-defense-secretary-esper-has-prepared-resignation-letter-n1245846">drafted a resignation letter</a>.</p>
<p>The designation of Miller, already confirmed by the Senate in his current role, sidesteps DOD's number 2 official David Norquist, the deputy secretary. Miller was confirmed to the NCTC post in August. He's also served the Trump administration as special assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism and transnational threats on the National Security Council.</p>
<p>The move is the first major exercise of presidential power by Trump since losing the election to challenger Joe Biden. Trump has not conceded in the race, which was called by the Associated Press and the major television networks, and is challenging the legitimacy of the result.</p>
<p><em>This <a href="https://fcw.com/articles/2020/11/09/esper-out-dod-trump-fires.aspx">article</a> first appeared on FCW, a Defense Systems partner site. </em></p>
<div class="aboutAuthor" readability="22">
<p id="ph_pcontent2_0_AuthorInfo_AboutAuthor" class="author">About the Author</p>
<p>Adam Mazmanian is executive editor of FCW.</p>
<p>Before joining the editing team, Mazmanian was an FCW staff writer covering Congress, government-wide technology policy, health IT and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to joining FCW, Mr. Mazmanian was technology correspondent for National Journal and served in a variety of editorial at B2B news service SmartBrief. Mazmanian started his career as an arts reporter and critic, and has contributed reviews and articles to the Washington Post, the Washington City Paper, Newsday, Architect magazine, and other publications. He was an editorial assistant and staff writer at the now-defunct New York Press and arts editor at the About.com online network in the 1990s, and was a weekly contributor of music and film reviews to the Washington Times from 2007 to 2014.<br /></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-39330841580032575532020-11-11T08:40:00.001-08:002020-11-11T08:40:48.558-08:00Veteran Al Qaeda leader killed in western Afghanistan<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1023" height="312" src="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Screen-Shot-2017-04-26-at-11.01.24-AM-e1493219472395-1023x312.png" alt="" class="wp-image-85594" srcset="https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Screen-Shot-2017-04-26-at-11.01.24-AM-e1493219472395-1023x312.png 1023w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Screen-Shot-2017-04-26-at-11.01.24-AM-e1493219472395-300x91.png 300w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Screen-Shot-2017-04-26-at-11.01.24-AM-e1493219472395-768x234.png 768w, https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Screen-Shot-2017-04-26-at-11.01.24-AM-e1493219472395.png 850w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" /></figure>
<p>A veteran Pakistani jihadist who rose to the highest levels of leadership within Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent was killed by Afghan security forces in a recent raid in Farah province. The Al Qaeda leader, known as Mohammad Hanif, was involved in the 2002 assassination attempt on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and the suicide attack on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi that same year.</p>
<p>Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security announced Hanif’s death in a tweet on Nov. 10. The exact date of the raid, which took place in Bakwa district in Farah province, was not disclosed. <em>FDD’s Long War Journal</em> has assessed Bakwa as contested by the Taliban, meaning the Taliban control areas of the district and are battling the Afghan government for control.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="rve" data-content-width="640" readability="9.4736842105263">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="12.315789473684">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr" xml:lang="en">Mohammad Hanif aka Abdullah,a senior leader of AQIS, was killed during an NDS operation in Bakwa,Farah where he was given a safe haven and protection by TB. Hanif, from Karachi, Pakistan, was a very close aide to Asim Omar He also was deputy Amir for AQIS for a period</p>
— NDS Afghanistan (@NDSAfghanistan) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDSAfghanistan/status/1326125949067423744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</figure>
<p>Hanif was “given a safe haven and protection” by the Taliban at the time he was killed, according tot the NDS. He was “a very close aide to Asim Omar,” the presumptive emir of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent before he was killed in Helmand province in Dec. 2019. The NDS also claimed that Hanif served as the deputy leader “for a period” of time.</p>
<p>The NDS also said that Hanif was “operating in the nearby provinces of Helmand and Nimruz, providing bomb-making training to Taliban insurgents,” <a href="https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/key-al-qaida-leader-killed-western-afghanistan"><em>Voice of America</em> reported</a>.</p>
<p>The Taliban somehow continues to claim that Al Qaeda does not have a presence in Afghanistan, despite the recent killings of Hanif and Husam Abd-al-Ra’uf (a.k.a. Abu Muhsin al-Masri), a senior Al Qaeda leader who was killed by Afghan forces during a raid in Ghazni province last month. As part of its agreement with the U.S., the Taliban has said it would not allow Al Qaeda to plot attacks against the U.S. and its allies.</p>
<p>Al Qaeda had also made this same promise prior to 9/11.</p>
<p><strong>A jihadi veteran</strong></p>
<p>Hanif rose through the ranks of Harakat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM), a Pakistani jihadist group that operates in Indian Kashmir and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>HUM receives support from the Pakistani state despite the fact that its leader, Fazl-ur-Rahman Khalil, was an original signatory to Osama bin Laden’s 1998 fatwa that declared war on the West. Khalil also was close to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks on the US. <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2011/06/Harakat-ul-Mujahideen_chief_liv.php">Khalil lives openly in Islamabad</a> and enjoys the support of the Pakistani military. HUM supports Al Qaeda’s mission of establishing a global caliphate and is known to have sent its fighters to other theaters of jihad, such as Chechnya, Bosnia, and Somalia.</p>
<p>HUM is known to operate training camps <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/08/harakat-ul-mujahidee.php">inside Afghanistan</a>, and senior HUM commanders, such as Badr Mansoor – who was <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/02/commander_killed_in.php">killed by the U.S.</a> in a drone strike in 2012 – have served as Al Qaeda military leaders. (Osama bin Laden describe Mansoor as <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/05/bin_laden_docs_hint.php">a commander of an Al Qaeda “company.”</a>)</p>
<p>Hanif first gained to public attention in July 2002 when he was arrested by Pakistani rangers in Karachi for his involvement in the April 26, 2002 assassination attempt on then-President Pervez Musharraf, and the June 14, 2002 car bombing at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi that resulted in the death of 12 Pakistanis.</p>
<p>Pakistan officials identified Hanif as the deputy leader of the Harakat ul Mujahideen al Alami (HUMA), a purported offshoot of HUM. However, it is likely that HUMA merely is a creation by HUM to provide plausible deniability in order for it to support Al Qaeda and attack the Pakistani state, all while continuing to receive support from the Pakistani state. [For more information on HuMA and its ties with Al Qaeda, see FDD’s <em>Long War Journal</em> report, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/10/us_drone_strike_kill_32.php">US drone strike kills veteran jihadist turned senior AQIS official</a>.]</p>
<p>The leader of HUMA was <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/10/us_drone_strike_kill_32.php">Sheikh Imran Ali Siddiqi</a> (a.k.a. Haji Shaikh Waliullah), who became a senior AQIS leader and member of the group’s executive council. Imran was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2015.</p>
<p>Imran and Hanif confessed to their involvement the Musharraf assassination attempt and the Karachi consulate attack during a press conference and in front of a judge. While Pakistani officials could not directly link the two to Al Qaeda at the time, it was noted then that Hanif indeed had “links with some Arabs.”</p>
<p>The two HUMA leaders and the group’s treasurer were tried and convicted of both attacks during separate trials, and ultimately sentenced to life in prison. The convictions were overturned by Pakistani courts. By 2010, the Sindh High Court set aside the last conviction related to the Musharraf plot and they were released from custody.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Hanif and Imran rejoined the jihad.</p>
<p>By 2015, Karachi’s Counter-Terrorism Department identified HUMA leaders as directing Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent’s branch in Karachi. AQIS was <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/09/al_qaeda_opens_branc.php">formed by Ayman al Zawahiri</a> in 2014 as part of an effort to formalize the working relationship between Al Qaeda and the numerous Pakistan, Afghan, Indian and other jihadist groups operating in the region. AQIS <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/09/analysis_al_qaeda_in.php">incorporated elements</a> from elements from the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, Harakat-ul-Muhajideen, Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and Brigade 313, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the Indian Mujahideen (a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Turkistan Islamic Party, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/08/baloch_jihadist_grou.php">Junood al Fida</a>, and other groups.</p>
<p>AQIS Karachi has been involved in several high-profile attacks, including the <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/09/al_qaeda_in_the_indi_1.php">attempt to hijack two Pakistani warships</a> and use them to attack the U.S. and Indian navies in the summer of 2014. In 2016, counterterrorism officials in Pakistan estimated the number of AQIS operative in Karachi alone at “at least a few thousand,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/an-offshoot-of-al-qaeda-is-regrouping-in-pakistan/2016/06/03/4d0995bc-2752-11e6-8329-6104954928d2_story.html"><em>The Washington Post</em> reported</a>.</p>
<p>AQIS continues to wage jihad in Afghanistan despite the Taliban’s claims to the contrary. Hanif’s death is the latest example but far from the only proof.</p>
<p class="author">Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.</p>
<p><em><b>Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal?</b> Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! <a href="https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/TheLongWarJournal/donate.html">You can make a tax-deductible donation here.</a></em></p>
<p class="tags"><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/afghanistan" rel="tag">Afghanistan</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/al-qaeda" rel="tag">Al Qaeda</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/al-qaeda-in-the-indian-subcontinent" rel="tag">Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/harakat-ul-mujahideen" rel="tag">Harakat-ul-Mujahideen</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/pakistan" rel="tag">Pakistan</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/taliban" rel="tag">Taliban</a>, <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/withdrawal-deal" rel="tag">Withdrawal Deal</a></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-87180116345913341642020-11-11T05:43:00.005-08:002020-11-11T05:43:49.302-08:00US Approves $23Bn Arms Package for UAE with 50 F-35s, 18 MQ-9Bs<p>Press Statement by Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo</p>
<p>(Source: US State Department; issued Nov. 10, 2020)</p>
<div class="article-content" readability="66">The United Arab Emirates is a longtime vital U.S. security partner. Today, I directed the Department to formally notify Congress of our intent to authorize the UAE’s proposed purchase of several advanced capabilities that are worth $23.37 billion, for<br />
-- up to 50 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, valued at $10.4 billion;<br />
-- up to 18 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Systems, valued at $2.97 billion; and<br />
-- a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, valued at $10 billion.
<p>This is in recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran.</p>
<p>The UAE’s historic agreement to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to positively transform the region’s strategic landscape. Our adversaries, especially those in Iran, know this and will stop at nothing to disrupt this shared success.</p>
<p>The proposed sale will make the UAE even more capable and interoperable with U.S. partners in a manner fully consistent with America’s longstanding commitment to ensuring Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge.</p>
<p>Security cooperation and defense trade are powerful tools of American diplomacy. Today’s announcement echoes the enhanced defense cooperation we embarked upon with Egypt in the wake of the 1979 Camp David Accords, as well as our closer security relationship with Jordan following its normalization of ties with Israel in 1994. Together, we are committed to securing the success of the Abraham Accords.</p>
<p>(ends)<br /></p>
</div>
<p>United Arab Emirates – F-35 Joint Strike Fighter</p>
<p>(Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency; issued Nov. 10, 2020)</p>
<div class="article-content" readability="98">WASHINGTON --- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Arab Emirates of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and related equipment for an estimated cost of $10.4 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
<p>The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to buy up to fifty (50) F-35A Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft and fifty-four (54) Pratt & Whitney F-135 Engines (up to 50 installed and 4 spares).</p>
<p>Also included are<br />
-- Electronic Warfare Systems;<br />
-- Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence/Communications, Navigational, and Identification (C4I/CNI);<br />
-- Autonomic Logistics Global Support System (ALGS);<br />
-- Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN);<br />
-- Air System Training Devices;<br />
-- Weapons Employment Capability and other Subsystems, Features, and Capabilities;<br />
-- F-35 unique chaff and infrared flares;<br />
-- reprogramming center access;<br />
-- F-35 Performance Based Logistics;<br />
-- software development/integration;<br />
-- aircraft ferry and tanker support;<br />
-- aircraft and munitions support and test equipment;<br />
-- communications equipment;<br />
-- provisioning, spares and repair parts;<br />
-- weapons repair and return support;<br />
-- personnel training and training equipment;<br />
-- weapon systems software, publications and technical documents;<br />
-- U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and<br />
-- other related elements of logistical and program support.</p>
<p>The total estimated cost is $10.4 billion.</p>
<p>This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner. The UAE has been, and continues to be, a vital U.S. partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.</p>
<p>The proposed sale of F-35s will provide the Government of the UAE with a credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces. The UAE has demonstrated a commitment to modernizing its military and will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into their armed forces.</p>
<p>The proposed sale of this equipment and support represents a significant increase in capability and will alter the regional military balance.</p>
<p>The prime contractors will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, TX; and Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, CT. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. However, the purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreements will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor(s). Implementation of this proposed sale may require the assignment of U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the UAE.</p>
<p>Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to the UAE involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews/support, program management, and training over the life of the program. U.S. contractor representatives will be required in the UAE to conduct Contractor Engineering Technical Services (CETS) and Autonomic Logistics and Global Support (ALGS) for after-aircraft delivery.</p>
<p>There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.</p>
<p>This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value is for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.</p>
<p>(ends)</p>
</div>
<p>United Arab Emirates – MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft</p>
<p>(Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency; issued Nov. 10, 2020)</p>
<div class="article-content" readability="102">WASHINGTON --- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Arab Emirates of MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.97 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
<p>The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to buy:<br />
-- up to eighteen (18) Weapons-Ready MQ-9B, Remotely Piloted Aircraft;<br />
-- twenty-five (25) Raytheon Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems-D (MTS-D) EO/IR Sensors;<br />
-- nineteen (19) Lynx AN/APY-8 Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) with Ground Moving Target Indicator (GTMI);<br />
-- eighteen (18) RIOTM Communication Intelligence Systems;<br />
-- sixty-six (66) Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigations Systems (EGI) with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Modules (SAASMs);<br />
-- five hundred fifteen (515) AGM-114R Hellfire Missiles;<br />
-- twelve (12) KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) Tail Kits for 500LB Bombs;<br />
-- four (4) MXU-650 Airfoil Groups for 500LB Paveway II GBU-12;<br />
-- seven (7) MXU-1006 Airfoil Groups for 250LB Paveway II GBU-58;<br />
-- eleven (11) MAU-169 or MAU-209 Computer Control Groups (CCGs) for 250LB/500LB Paveway II GBU-58/GBU-12;<br />
-- six (6) FMU-139 Fuse Systems;<br />
-- twelve (12) MK-82 General Purpose 500LB Inert Bombs; and<br />
-- four (4) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) Guided Test Vehicle (GTV) Inert Practice Munitions (T-1) with Fuse.</p>
<p>Also included are Honeywell TPE-331 turboprop engines; Certifiable Ground Control Stations (CGCS); mobile Satellite Communication Ground Data Terminals (SGDTs); Link-16 KOR-24A Small Tactical Terminals; Automatic Information System (AIS); Rohde & Schwartz UHF/VHF radios; AN/DPX-7 IFF Transponders; Satellite Communication (SATCOM) antennas and modems with USG encryption; Secure SATCOM systems; SeaSpray 7500 maritime radars; SAGE 750 Electronic Surveillance Measures System; KY-100M security voice terminals; KIV-77 Mode 5 IFF cryptographic appliques; U.S. Government Certified Encryption Solution; Rover 6i compatible systems; MQ-9B training simulator; Due Regard Radars (DRR); Electronic Warfare (EW) in-country threat library programming capability; BRU-71A bomb racks; BRU-78/A bomb racks; Hellfire missile rail kits; AN/AWM-103/B Station Stores Test Sets; Common Munitions Built-in-Test Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE) Plus Block II; Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission kits, receivers, and acoustic processors; AN/SSQ-36B thermometric sonobuoys; AN/SSQ-53G passive sonobuoys; AN-SSQ-62F active sonobuoys; ASW acoustic operator workstations; weapons loading equipment; initial spare and repair parts; hard points, power, and data connections for weapons integration; DSU-38 Laser Illuminated Target Detector for GBU-54; AN/PYQ-10C Simple Key Loaders; Electronic Intelligence System; weapons integration; support and test equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support.</p>
<p>The overall total estimated value is $2.97 billion.</p>
<p>This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner. The UAE has been, and continues to be, a vital U.S. partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.</p>
<p>The proposed sale will improve the UAE’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing timely Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), target acquisition, locate submarines and counter-land and counter-surface sea capabilities for its security and defense. The capability is a deterrent to regional threats and strengthens its self-defense. The UAE has demonstrated a commitment to modernizing its military and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles into its armed forces.</p>
<p>The proposed sale of this equipment and support will alter the basic military balance in the Arabian Gulf region by expanding the release of a weapons ready Remotely Piloted Aircraft to the region.</p>
<p>The principal contractors will be General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, San Diego, CA; Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, MD; Raytheon, Waltham, MA; L3Harris, Inc., Melbourne, FL; and Leonardo SpA, Rome, Italy. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. However, the purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreements will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor(s).</p>
<p>Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives outside the United States.</p>
<p>There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.</p>
<p>This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value is for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.</p>
<p>(ends)</p>
</div>
<p>United Arab Emirates – Munitions, Sustainment and Support</p>
<p>(Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency; issued Nov. 10, 2020)</p>
<div class="article-content" readability="112">WASHINGTON --- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Arab Emirates of Munitions, Sustainment and Support, and related equipment for an estimated cost of $10.0 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
<p>The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to buy:<br />
-- eight hundred two (802) AIM-120C8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM);<br />
-- sixteen (16) AIM-120C8 AMRAAM guidance sections spares;<br />
-- two thousand four (2,004) MK-82 500LB General Purpose (GP) Bombs;<br />
-- seventy-two (72) MK-82 Inert 500LB GP Bombs;<br />
-- one thousand (1,000) MK-84 2,000LB GP Bombs;<br />
-- one thousand two (1,002) MK-83 1,000LB GP Bombs;<br />
-- two thousand five hundred (2,500) Small Diameter Bomb Increment 1 (SDB-1), GBU-39/B, with CNU-659/E Container;<br />
-- eight (8) GBU-39 SDB-1 Guided Test Vehicles;<br />
-- two thousand (2,000) KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Tail Kit for 500LB Bombs;<br />
-- one thousand (1,000) KMU-556 JDAM Tail Kit for 2,000LB Bombs;<br />
-- one thousand (1,000) KMU-559 JDAM Tail Kit for 1,000LB Bombs;<br />
-- four thousand (4,000) FMU-139 Fuze systems;<br />
-- six hundred fifty (650) AGM-154C Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOWs);<br />
-- fifty (50) AGM-154E Joint Stand Off Weapons – Extended Range (JSOW-ER);<br />
-- one hundred fifty (150) AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) Tactical Missiles;<br />
-- six (6) CATM-88 AARGM CATMs.</p>
<p>Also included are six (6) JSOW-C AGM-154C Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs); six (6) JSOW-ER AGM-154E CATMs; ARD 446-1B and ARD 863-1A1W Impulse Cartridges; JSOW-C Dummy Air Training Missiles (DATM); JSOW-C Captive Flight Vehicles (CFVs); JSOW-ER DATMs; JSOW-ER CFVs; PGU-23/U training ammunition, encryption devices and keying equipment for test missiles (not for export); Laser Illuminated Target Detector, DSU-38A/B; software delivery and support; AIM-120C Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM) and Airborne Instrumented Units (AIU) Telemetry Sections; missile containers; munitions components; aircraft test and integration support; containers; mission planning; munitions security, storage and training; facility design, construction and quality standards; weapon operational flight program software development; transportation; tools and test equipment; support equipment; spare and repair parts; weapons and aircraft integration support and test equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment, devices and software; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; site surveys; and other related elements of logistics and program support.</p>
<p>The total estimated cost is $10.0 billion.</p>
<p>This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner. The UAE has been, and continues to be, a vital U.S. partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.</p>
<p>The proposed sale will improve the UAE’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing enhanced capabilities to various aircraft platforms in effective defense of air, land, and sea. The proposed sale of the missiles/munitions and support will increase interoperability with the U.S. and align the UAE Air Force’s capabilities with existing regional baselines. Further, the UAE continues to provide host-nation support of vital U.S. forces stationed in the UAE and plays a vital role in supporting U.S. regional interests. The UAE will have no difficulty absorbing these weapons into its armed forces.</p>
<p>The proposed sale of this equipment and support represents a significant increase in capability and will alter the regional military balance.</p>
<p>The principal contractors will be Raytheon, Tucson, AZ; and Northrop Grumman Information Systems, Ridgecrest, CA. If requested, F-16 integration will be completed via Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) between Lockheed Martin and the purchaser. The munitions will be sourced through procurement and the contractor determined during contract negotiations. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. However, the purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreements will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor(s).</p>
<p>Implementation of this proposed sale will require annual trips to the UAE involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews, support, and oversight.</p>
<p>There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.</p>
<p>This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value is for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.</p>
<p>-ends-</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-72100257589140990622020-11-11T05:43:00.003-08:002020-11-11T05:43:48.368-08:00Boeing Wins $9.8Bn to Support Saudi F-15 Fighters<p>(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Nov. 10, 2020)</p>
<div readability="70">The Boeing Co., Defense, Space & Security, St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $9,800,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for F-15 support for Saudi Arabia.
<p>This contract provides for modernization and sustainment of the F-15 Saudi fleet to include such efforts as hardware, software, and interface design, development, integration, test, subsystem and structural component production and installation of future modifications and enhancements to the F-15 Saudi weapon system as well as product support.</p>
<p>Work will be performed in St. Louis and as separately specified in individual task and delivery orders and is expected to be completed by November 2025.</p>
<p>The ordering period for this contract is five years from the date of contract award plus an option for an additional five-year ordering period.</p>
<p>This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Initial delivery order FA8634-21-F-0015 will be awarded concurrently in the amount of $1,032,649 using FMS modification and development type 4F funds.</p>
<p>The F‐15 Division Contracts Branch, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8634‐21‐D‐2703).</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-66707515338539457752020-11-11T05:43:00.001-08:002020-11-11T05:43:47.058-08:00Final Bids for $9Bn Swiss Fighter and Air Defense Competitions Due Next Week<p>Bids for $9Bn Swiss Air2030 Competition Due Nov. 18</p>
<p>(Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; posted Nov. 11, 2020)</p>
<div readability="97">PARIS --- The Swiss defense ministry expects that all six companies competing for its $9 billion Air2030 air defense program will file their best and final offers by Nov. 18, allowing a final report with recommendations to be submitted to the Federal Council during the first quarter of 2021. Originally set for mid-August, the deadline was moved to Nov. 18 because of the Covid pandemic.
<p>Peter Winter, the official in charge of the Air2030 program, says that, once the bids are received, the project teams will use the information from the second bid and the results of the 2019 in-flight evaluations to determine the pros and cons of each competitor, summarize the results and their risk analysis in the assessment reports and submit them to the Federal Council.</p>
<p>The Air2030 program, for which the Swiss government has earmarked 8 billion Swiss francs, consists of two separate components. One is the procurement of a combat aircraft to replace the Swiss Air Force’s F-18 Hornet fighters; competing for this contract are Airbus, with the Eurofighter; Boeing (F/A-18 Super Hornet), Dassault (Rafale) and Lockheed Martin (F-35A), which will cost up to 6 billion francs. Saab pulled out of the competition in June 2019, after the Swiss defense procurement agency said it would be a waste of time and money to bring its Gripen E to Switzerland for an in-flight evaluation.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8ktG8s9gG84" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4637LMn674w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/emAr8H-Cohc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/72nPZYJkk7I" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<p>The second part of the competition is the procurement of a ground-based air defense system, for which Raytheon (Patriot) is competing against Eurosam (SAMP/T), and which will cost up to 2 billion francs.</p>
<p><b>Timeline unchanged</b></p>
<p>Apart from the three-month postponement of the BAFO deadline, the Air2030 is unchanged.</p>
<p>The Swiss defense procurement agency, armasuisse, will submit its final reports and its recommendations to the Federal Council during the first quarter of 2021. The reports “will contain all the information that we have gathered and evaluated over the past three years,” Winter says, after which armasuisse will focus on supporting the political process.</p>
<p>The Federal Council is scheduled to proceed with the selection of the combat aircraft and GBAD system during the second quarter of 2021.</p>
<p>By the end of 2021, armasuisse will prepare the Armaments Message 2022 to Parliament, which means that all negotiations must be concluded, and the contracts finalized, by then.</p>
<p>“At the same time, we must continue to demonstrate that the evaluation process is open, transparent and fair, especially once the winners have been selected,” says Winter, “because where there are winners, there are also losers. We will need to explain to the unsuccessful applicants why their system was not selected.”</p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03902825289197862543noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918537747697361965.post-69328780107041409102020-11-11T01:50:00.003-08:002020-11-11T01:50:24.168-08:00Draper signs agreement to provide support for Stratolaunch's hypersonic vehicle<p>Precision guidance and navigation is critical to success and safety in spaceflight. Today, as Stratolaunch builds its next generation vehicle for hypersonic flight test, it will be guided by flight software developed by Draper.</p>
<p>"As with Draper's past contributions to the U.S. space program, Draper's engineers are proud to develop a key component of Stratolaunch's hypersonic vehicle- guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) software," said Neil Adams, Draper's director of space systems.</p>
<p>"Stratolaunch's vehicles will travel through the Earth's atmosphere at speeds of more than 3,800 miles per hour. Stratolaunch presents an opportunity to put Draper's flight software into a hypersonic flight envelope-one with a slender, low-drag form that can enable sustained maneuvering flight in the atmosphere."</p>
<p>Stratolaunch builds, tests and operates hypersonic vehicles-those that can travel at least five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5. Draper's flight software will be used on Talon-A, a fully reusable, autonomous, liquid rocket-powered Mach 6-class hypersonic vehicle.</p>
<p>Under the multi-year contract, Draper will design, develop and deliver a guidance, navigation and control system for the Stratolaunch reusable hypersonic vehicle. The vehicle is designed for use by government, including the Department of Defense, the commercial sector and academia, which will contract for payload capacity for space or earth applications.</p>
<p>Draper's work on the Stratolaunch vehicle builds on its legacy of support to NASA, which began with Draper's design of the Apollo Guidance Computer, and has continued with programs including the International Space Station (ISS) and the Space Shuttle.</p>
<p>Draper has been a leader in hypersonics for decades, and has provided system evaluations, capabilities including guidance, navigation and control and hypersonic flight test support for its U.S. government customers.</p>
<p><br />
<span class="BL"><b>Related Links</b><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="http://www.draper.com/" class="highlight">Draper</a><br /></span> <span class="NL"><a href="https://www.space-travel.com/Rocket_Science.html" class="highlight">Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com</a><br /></span><br /></p>
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