DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 27, 2012: U.S. and Japanese officials announced yesterday the two nations have agreed on a plan to relocate U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

The joint statement of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee spells out unit moves, land and facilities on Okinawa the United States will return to the Japanese government, and the costs each government will pay for the relocation.

The joint statement is the latest result of negotiations between the two countries dating to the 2006 Realignment Roadmap and the 2009 Guam International Agreement.

 

The two nations issued a joint defense posture statement in February that “delinked” the two agreements so parts of the relocation plan could move forward more quickly.

“I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a statement yesterday. He praised Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka for “spearheading discussions” leading to the joint statement.

“We will work closely with our partners in the Japanese Self Defense Force to implement these decisions and to further improve this vital alliance of ours,” the secretary added.

Panetta said he looks forward to strengthening the two nations’ partnership “as, together, we address security challenges in the region.”

During a Pentagon background briefing to reporters yesterday, senior State and Defense Department officials outlined the agreement.

About 9,000 Marines will relocate from Okinawa, with about 5,000 moving to Guam and the rest transferring to other locations in the Pacific such as Hawaii and Australia, the defense official said.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-us-japan-agree-on.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Unveil Revised Plan For Okinawa

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Unveil Revised Plan For Okinawa

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 27, 2012: The United States and Japan announced on Thursday a revised agreement on streamlining the U.S. military presence on Okinawa that will shift 9,000 Marines from the southern Japanese island to Guam and other Asia-Pacific sites.

The new plan, unveiled days before Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda meets President Barack Obama in Washington, helps the allies work around the central but still-unresolved dispute over moving the Futenma air base from a crowded part of Okinawa to a new site that has vexed relations for years.

"I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action. I applaud the hard work and effort that went into crafting it," U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement.

"Japan is not just a close ally, but also a close friend."

Under the agreement, 9,000 U.S. Marines will be relocated. Five thousand will go to Guam and the rest to other sites such as Hawaii and Australia, a joint U.S.-Japanese statement said.

The updated version of a long-delayed 2006 plan was needed to achieve "a U.S. force posture in the Asia-Pacific region that is more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable," the statement said.

Snags over Okinawa had raised questions about the viability of the Obama administration's strategy of shifting U.S. forces from other regions to the Asia-Pacific to deal with nuclear saber-rattling by North Korea, the rapid military buildup of China and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Friction over U.S. bases intensified after the 1995 gang rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by U.S. servicemen. The case sparked widespread protests by Okinawans, who had long resented the American presence due to crime, noise and deadly accidents.

There are about 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan under a 1960 bilateral security treaty.

Okinawa, occupied by the United States from 1945-72, accounts for less than 1 percent of Japan's total land but hosts three-quarters of the U.S. military facilities in the country in terms of land area.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-us-japan-unveil.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract $31,073,677 To General Dynamics Land Systems Related To U.S. Army For The Procurement Of 46 Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package V2 Vehicles

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  U.S. DoD Awarded Contract $31,073,677 To General Dynamics Land Systems Related To U.S. Army For The Procurement Of 46 Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package V2 Vehicles

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 26, 2012: General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded a $31,073,677 firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for the procurement of 46 Abrams M1A2 system enhancement package V2 vehicles. 

Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio, Scranton, Pa., Anniston, Ala., and Tallahassee, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2014. 

One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-12-C-0198).

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-us-dod-awarded.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Walbridge Aldinger Co., Detroit Contract Of Gearbox Repair And Details As Stated For H-1Y/Z Helicopters

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Walbridge Aldinger Co., Detroit Contract Of Gearbox Repair And Details As Stated For H-1Y/Z Helicopters

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 20, 2012:  Walbridge Aldinger Co., Detroit, Mich., is being awarded $11,515,000 for firm-fixed-price task order 0003 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-10-D-5331) for construction of an H-1Y/Z helicopter gearbox repair and test facility at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point.  

This single-story high bay building facility will include a disassembly area, parts kitting area, production/control clean parts area, assembly area for the main rotor gearbox, assembly area for the immediate and tailor rotor gearboxes, flushing room and integrated quality team area, main rotor gearbox test cell and intermediate/tail rotor gearbox test cell.  

The task order also contains one unexercised option, which, if exercised, would increase cumulative task order value to $12,005,506.  Work will be performed in Havelock, N.C., and is expected to be completed by August 2013.  

Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  Five proposals were received for this task order.  

The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity. 

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/03/dtn-news-defense-news-us-dod-awarded_9059.html 

DTN News - OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Bin Laden Was 'Betrayed By One Of His Jealous Wives' Who Revealed Location Of His Secret Pakistan Compound

DTN News - OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Bin Laden Was 'Betrayed By One Of His Jealous Wives' Who Revealed Location Of His Secret Pakistan Compound

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 11, 2012: Oldest wife wanted revenge because aging terrorist was 'bedding' his youngest spouse, investigator claims.

Betrayed: Osama Bin Laden may have been outed by one of his jealous wives, a retired Pakistani Brigadier has claimed.

Osama Bin Laden was betrayed by one of his wives who revealed the location of his Pakistan hideaway because she was jealous of the Al-Qaeda leader's youngest spouse, it was claimed today.

Khairiah Saber, the oldest of his five wives, was motivated by revenge because the aging terrorist was 'bedding' Amal Ahmed Abdel-Fatah al-Sada while she slept in abedroom on the floor below, according to a Pakistani official.

Retired brigadier Shaukat Qadir, who has investigated the U.S. operation which killed Bin Laden in May last year, also controversially claims that Saber may have been working with Al-Qaeda itself.

He believes word that 'someone very important' was living in Abbottabad got out to the Taliban, Pakistan’s ISI military intelligence service and ultimately the CIA.

 

Qadir suggests that Al-Qaeda was looking to cash in on the $25m (£16m) bounty on his head. But he said he has no proof.

Pakistan claims it had not been warned about the raid, but Qadir's claims suggest elements in the intelligence service may have been aware.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-osama-bin-laden-news-bin-laden.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Helps New Stealth Fighter Cheat On Key Performance Test

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Helps New Stealth Fighter Cheat On Key Performance Test

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 7, 2012: It seemed like a promising step for America’s next stealth fighter: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter passed a key Pentagon test of its combat capability. But it turns out that the family of jets cleared the mid-February exam only because its proctor agreed to inflate its grade. In essence, the military helped the F-35 cheat on its midterms.

The collusion between the Pentagon testing body, known as the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), and the F-35 program — first reported by Inside Defense – confirmed that the US’ most expensive warplane met previously established performance criteria. Specifically, the review was meant to show that the jet can fly as far and take off as quickly as combat commanders say they need it to.

But the review council, which includes the vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, eased the standard flying profile of the Air Force’s F-35A model — thereby giving it a range boost of 30 miles. And it tacked an additional 15m onto the required takeoff distance for the Marines’ F-35B version, which US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta just took off budgetary probation.

The grade inflation comes at a critical time for the new warplane. The military’s new five-year budgeting blueprint, also released in February, cut more than 100 existing Air Force fighters while leaving intact plans to produce nearly 2500 F-35s — essentially doubling down on the new plane despite a recent report listing13 serious design flaws. The total cost to buy and fly the full fleet of F-35s over 50 years is estimated at around $US1 trillion, once inflation is factored in, making it the costliest defence program in

human history.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-defense-news-pentagon-helps.html

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Fitzgerald Enjoying Happy Moments In Laghman Province Afghanistan

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR  NEWS: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Fitzgerald Enjoying Happy Moments In Laghman Province Afghanistan

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 19, 2012: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Fitzgerald, right foreground, congratulates an Afghan man who beat him at arm wrestling at the Mehtar Lam hospital in Laghman province, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2011.

Fitzgerald is a medic assigned to the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team. 

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Russell On Inspection Patrol In Zabul Province Afghanistan

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR  NEWS:  U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Russell On Inspection Patrol In Zabul Province Afghanistan

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 19, 2012: U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Russell uses his weapon's scope to secure an area during a bridge inspection in Zabul province, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2011. 

Russell is a platoon sergeant assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul's security force. 

U.S. Air Force photo by by Senior Airman Grovert Fuentes-Contreras 

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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S. Soldiers Leaving On An Operation In Alingar District In Afghanistan's Laghman Province

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR  NEWS: U.S. Soldiers Leaving On An Operation In Alingar District In Afghanistan's Laghman Province

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 19, 2012:  U.S. Army soldiers watch as the first group of trucks leave during an operation in the Alingar district in Afghanistan's Laghman province, Aug. 20, 2011. 

The troops are assigned to the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team, which participated in searching a village suspected of housing Taliban fighters and other insurgents responsible for making roadside bombs. 

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S. Marines, Afghan Police Patrol In Afghanistan's Garmsir District

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR  NEWS: U.S. Marines, Afghan Police Patrol In Afghanistan's Garmsir District

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 16, 2012:  U.S. Marines and Afghan border police off-load a CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter during Operation Shahem Tofan Eagle Storm in the Garmsir district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2012. The Marines are assigned to Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder

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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Marine Corps To Receive More Than 200 Oshkosh LVSRs

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Marine Corps To Receive More Than 200 Oshkosh LVSRs

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 15, 2012: Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), will deliver more than 140 Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) cargo trucks and nearly 70 LVSR tractors for the U.S. Marine Corps following an order from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command. The LVSR was first fielded in Afghanistan in 2009 and has quickly proven itself as the Marines’ new heavy-payload platform, delivering improvements in mobility, protection and performance.

"Our ongoing commitment to internal innovation at Oshkosh allows us to design, upgrade and sustain highly advanced vehicles like the LVSR and ensure military fleets remain in sync with evolving challenges in theater," said John Bryant, vice president and general manager of Joint and Marine Corps Programs for Oshkosh Defense. "The LVSR’s advanced design allows it to accept protection upgrades and perform missions that are above and beyond what the original vehicle requirements called for."

The LVSR cargo variant is used in even the most challenging terrain to transport a wide range of supplies and materials, including ammunition, fuel containers, bridging equipment, flatracks and ISO containers. The LVSR tractor variant is designed to haul combat vehicles, semi-trailers and other equipment. It has a fifth-wheel vertical-loading capacity of 25.3 tons and a recovery winch with a 30-ton capacity.

The LVSR is produced in three variants – cargo, wrecker and tractor – and is used in tandem with the medium-payload, Oshkosh-built Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR). The LVSR is equipped with the Oshkosh Command Zone™ embedded diagnostics system to provide real-time performance feedback on major vehicle systems, including the engine, transmission and brakes. The vehicle also uses the company’s patented TAK-4® independent suspension system for off-road mobility in severe landscapes.

The order is valued at more than $94 million and work is expected to be completed in September 2013. Oshkosh to date has received orders for more than 2,000 LVSRs.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-us-marine-corps.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin Related To F-35 JSF For Marine Corps

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin Related To F-35 JSF For Marine Corps

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 10, 2012: Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $14,800,000 modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-11-C-0083) to procure long lead items for F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter low rate initial production Lot 6 short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the Marine Corps. 

 Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is necessary to protect the delivery schedules of STOVL aircraft planned for delivery through December 2014.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  

The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-us-dod-awarded_10.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: MEU Marines Seize Airfield During Helicopter Raid

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: MEU Marines Seize Airfield During Helicopter Raid

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada /  IE SHIMA ISLAND, OKINAWA, Japan  - January 16, 2012:  They charged through the turbulent sea of grass under the thunderous rotor wash of a helicopter behind them, clutching their weapons and choosing the proper spots to take cover. Kneeling and steadying their sights on the tree line beyond, they remained aware of the positions of the Marines to their left and right. Once all were in place, the helicopters rose away, leaving the Marines to face one of their many pre-deployment trials: capturing an enemy encampment.

The Marines of Company C, known as “Helo Co.,” Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, successfully executed a helicopter raid exercise here, Jan. 12. The exercise was in support of Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise, a multi-week training exercise conducted before every 31st MEU deployment.

“Today we were conducting an amphibious and airborne assault against an enemy insurgent camp,” said 2nd Lt. Joshua Elliott, platoon commander and assault element leader with Company C. “They were harassing the local Ryukyu government, and our mission was to come in, cordon off the objectives. As the assault element, we would come in, breach any objectives, kill or capture the bad guys, conduct tactical site exploitation and extract with all our personnel.”

For the better part of a day, Marines armed with M249 squad automatic weapons and M16-A4 service rifles overtook various enemy-held positions throughout the training area. Although the day’s operation was one in a long line of training scenarios, the Marines acted with a sense of urgency that is seen in actual combat conditions.

“This training prepares us for any action we might see on the MEU,” said Elliott. “We are America’s expeditionary force-in-readiness, ready to conduct those amphibious assaults, knock the door in and lead the way for follow-on forces. When we deploy with the MEU, we are ready for real-time objectives.”

Sgt. Rafael Navarrete, a squad leader with 2nd platoon, Company C., knows that while the training may be repetitive, it is still worthwhile in the end.

“You can rehearse a million times, but the plan is always going to change,” said Navarrete. “We always have to be prepared to make those adjustments on the move. Nothing’s going to go according to plan.”

To further enhance the training these Marines receive, role players are used as the enemy resistance rather than static targets. Having a retaliatory enemy adds to the quick reaction experience these Marines are expected to have.

“Having an opposition force adds that force-on-force realism,” said Navarrete. “Targets won’t allow you to see how the enemy might act. Role players make the training more realistic.”

As the events of the day drew to a close, not only were the people of the Ryukyu government safe from radicals, but the Marines of Company C., BLT 1/4, 31st MEU, further honed their skills before boarding ship.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-defense-news-meu-marines-seize.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: MEU Marines Seize Airfield During Helicopter Raid

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: MEU Marines Seize Airfield During Helicopter Raid


 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada /  IE SHIMA ISLAND, OKINAWA, Japan  - January 16, 2012:  They charged through the turbulent sea of grass under the thunderous rotor wash of a helicopter behind them, clutching their weapons and choosing the proper spots to take cover. Kneeling and steadying their sights on the tree line beyond, they remained aware of the positions of the Marines to their left and right. Once all were in place, the helicopters rose away, leaving the Marines to face one of their many pre-deployment trials: capturing an enemy encampment.


The Marines of Company C, known as “Helo Co.,” Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, successfully executed a helicopter raid exercise here, Jan. 12. The exercise was in support of Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise, a multi-week training exercise conducted before every 31st MEU deployment.


“Today we were conducting an amphibious and airborne assault against an enemy insurgent camp,” said 2nd Lt. Joshua Elliott, platoon commander and assault element leader with Company C. “They were harassing the local Ryukyu government, and our mission was to come in, cordon off the objectives. As the assault element, we would come in, breach any objectives, kill or capture the bad guys, conduct tactical site exploitation and extract with all our personnel.”


For the better part of a day, Marines armed with M249 squad automatic weapons and M16-A4 service rifles overtook various enemy-held positions throughout the training area. Although the day’s operation was one in a long line of training scenarios, the Marines acted with a sense of urgency that is seen in actual combat conditions.


“This training prepares us for any action we might see on the MEU,” said Elliott. “We are America’s expeditionary force-in-readiness, ready to conduct those amphibious assaults, knock the door in and lead the way for follow-on forces. When we deploy with the MEU, we are ready for real-time objectives.”


Sgt. Rafael Navarrete, a squad leader with 2nd platoon, Company C., knows that while the training may be repetitive, it is still worthwhile in the end.


“You can rehearse a million times, but the plan is always going to change,” said Navarrete. “We always have to be prepared to make those adjustments on the move. Nothing’s going to go according to plan.”


To further enhance the training these Marines receive, role players are used as the enemy resistance rather than static targets. Having a retaliatory enemy adds to the quick reaction experience these Marines are expected to have.


“Having an opposition force adds that force-on-force realism,” said Navarrete. “Targets won’t allow you to see how the enemy might act. Role players make the training more realistic.”


As the events of the day drew to a close, not only were the people of the Ryukyu government safe from radicals, but the Marines of Company C., BLT 1/4, 31st MEU, further honed their skills before boarding ship.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-defense-news-meu-marines-seize.html