Thursday, August 30, 2007

Northrop Grumman: DEW, DOD Sim news, + Drills




Northrop Grumman: DEW




Directed-energy weapons keep on truckin'
http://news.com.com/8300-10784_3-7-0.html?keyword=heat+ray
A solid-state laser does its thing under the watchful eye of a Northrop Grumman engineer. At its new Directed Energy Production Facility in Redondo Beach, Calif., the defense contractor aims to build a 100-kW device that can be used on the battlefield.
In its quest to develop laser weapons, the Pentagon is aiming both high and low.

The sky-high plans for the Airborne Laser call for a squadron of 747s that would train chemically generated laser beams on ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) to knock out those missiles long before they become a threat to targets in the United States. A "lethality" test of that system is scheduled for 2009, though if past delays are any indication of future performance...
For a more down-to-earth system, look no further than a truck-mounted solid-state laser now in the early stages of development. Rather than intercontinental missiles, this system would protect ground troops from smaller projectiles including rockets, artillery rounds and mortar shells. Advantages that solid-state lasers have over their COIL (chemical oxygen iodine laser) counterparts include smaller size and lighter weight--there's a reason that the Airborne Laser requires a 747--and the avoidance of big doses of toxic materials. COIL systems pack a bigger punch, however.
The
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Commandhas enlisted two defense sector heavyweights to vie with each other to produce the ruggedized beam control system, a key component of what will become the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD). Northrop Grumman this week said it received an $8 million, one-year contract to do that work, followed in about a month by Boeing's receipt of a $7 million deal to do the same. For both contractors, options could extend the programs to about $50 million.
The Space and Missile Defense Command is the lead agency for the Army's high-energy solid-state laser program, the next phase of which is to boost the power capability from 25 kW to 100 kW. (According to a report from the BBC earlier this year, a solid-state laser in a lab set a record by reaching 67 kW.) (Cont..)

Management changes under way for DOD modeling and simulation
http://www.fcw.com/article103640-08-30-07-Web


Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has ordered the creation of an executive-level panel to spearhead modeling and simulation (M&S) efforts departmentwide, according to an Aug. 8 DOD directive.The undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics will lead the new M&S Steering Committee. John Young, who currently fills that position in an acting capacity until confirmed by the Senate, has voiced strong support for modeling efforts, particularly those projects striving to predict sentiments among foreign populations in response to U.S. military actions.Other key Defense Department officials to be represented on the panel include the undersecretary of Defense for policy, the undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, the director of program analysis and evaluation, and the director of operational test and evaluation, according to England’s directive. The services, the combatant commanders, the Joint Staff and U.S. Joint Forces Command also will send delegates. (Cont..)
Lockheed Martin Chosen for Jet Propulsion Lab Contract
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NETH07430082007-1.htm

Bio-Terror Drill
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/9455146.html

A bio-terrorism lab, dangerous chemicals, and officials trying to figure it all out before they run out of time. It sounds like the script from a movie, but it was all a drill that took place in Harrisonburg this week.
The drill, led by JMU faculty members, was to help officials learn how to react to such a situation. So if a real incident like this one does occur, they'll know what to do because they've been through it before.

NJ


COLTS NECK — In conjunction with the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management, Naval Weapons Station Earle will conduct a mass-casualty drill from approximately 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 6.
The drill will take place along Normandy Road (Navy Road), near the West Front Street intersection in Middletown. Residents living or traveling in the vicinity should take note that there will be a large number of emergency-response vehicles in the area.
The drill is designed to assess the naval station and the county OEM's preparedness.

China's "Snow Leopard Commando" to drill with Russian commandoes
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6250873.html

The Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP) has granted the title of "Snow Leopard Commando" to a detachment that will participate in an anti-terror exercise in Russia next month.At the title-granting ceremony on Wednesday, the Commando received its flag and emblem. Afterwards, Qu Liangfeng, the brigade leader, led his commandoes, wearing camouflage, helmet and boot, to swear to the nation and the people.The Snow Leopard Commando, namely the 13th Special Brigade of the PAP Beijing Corps, is scheduled to join in the Cooperation 2007 Joint Exercise with Russia's domestic security force in early September.The brigade, a first-class anti-terror force guarding China's national capital, was established in December of 2002. So far, it has handled over 90 major urgent cases and took part in a dozen military drills and performances.As an international practice, an anti-terror commando would have its unique name, according to the PAP Headquarters.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

2D3+MOD, Sandia WWIV Prep?, Drills...









AUGUST 29, 2007--The 2d3 division of OMG plc, Oxford Metrics Group (Oxford, UK; 1. www.omg3d.com), has signed a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence. The division develops advanced image-processing software for defense and visual effects. Its technology will be assessed for its utility in the monitoring of video processed on-board or relayed from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)--in particular, for automatically recognizing and locating specified targets such as vehicles moving on the ground. The software also has the potential to be used to monitor given locations and to issue alerts whenever there is activity, such as people entering or leaving a building.
To date, 2d3's automatic camera-tracking software has been used primarily by the movie industry. In 2005 OMG decided to apply its technology to UAVs, and in December 2005 the group announced an initial project with QinetiQ to recover 3-D information from airborne video imagery, which was completed in September 2006. (cont..)

Russian Generals’ Intentions of Stationing Nuclear weapons in Belarus
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/08/29/weapon



Russia should deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus in return to deployment of the US antimissile system components in the Czech Republic and Poland, president of the Geopolitical Academy Colonel General Leonid Ivashov considers.

“The necessity of such actions results from the threats caused to Russia and Belarus by the NATO countries. Belarus also needs the new Russian military facilities to be deployed on its territory as it was mentioned several times by president Alyaksandr Lukashenka” ,Ivashov declared to the Interfax-ABN. (cont..0

Sandia opens resilient electronics center
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Briefing/2007/08/24/sandia_opens_resilient_electronics_center/4570/



ALBUQUERQUE, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Sandia National Laboratories has opened a new complex in Albuquerque to develop radiation resilient electronics for national security.

U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell, National Nuclear Security Administration head Tom D’Agostino and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., Thursday attended the opening of the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications complex.

"The eight-year, $516 million project was the largest in the history of the lab and was finished three years ahead of schedule and $40 million below budget," the NNSA said in a statement. The NNSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy.

"The MESA complex will produce electronic circuits and computer chips designed to withstand high levels of radiation. These 'hardened' electronics are critical to national security needs," the statement said.

The 400,000-square-foot MESA complex has a micro-fabrication facility, a micro-systems laboratory and a new weapons integration facility, "which will contain laser, electrical, visualization, and computer laboratories as well as office workspace for nearly 375 scientists and engineers. To an unprecedented degree, it will combine electronic and optoelectronics fabrication facilities with Sandia’s supercomputing simulations," the NNSA said.

"In opening the MESA complex at Sandia National Laboratories, we are increasing our non-proliferation capabilities and applying next-generation microelectronics technology to advancing our national security,” Sell said.

"The complex’s combination of high-performance computing simulations, scientific research, and production capabilities in electronics and optics at the micro- and nano-level will make it a world leader in a new type of simulation-led engineering that will ultimately improve the quality of consumer goods," the NNSA said.

“The MESA complex provides NNSA with a capability you can’t find anywhere else,” said D’Agostino. “With the technology developed here, anything from our country’s nuclear weapons to communications satellites will be able to withstand the worst of conditions.”

Sandia is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corp., a Lockheed Martin company, for the NNSA.

Officials practice disaster response
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.communicate29aug29,0,5205306.story

Yesterday's event was the first of four that will take place over the next year, with scenarios that include an Inner Harbor dirty bomb exercise in Baltimore City, a truck bomb drill at the National Security Agency in Howard County and a hazardous-material train derailment situation in Baltimore County.

GA

The U.S. Army Held Counter-Terrorism Drills in Clarkesville
http://www.wneg32.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WNEG/MGArticle/NEG_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352558512&path=

A highly specialized unit of the U.S. Army held a counter-terrorism drill in Habersham County today. The 4th Civil Support Team conducted the internal exercise to better prepare for possible missions.

Sydney Harbour is the focus of APEC security preparations today, with a bomb threat training exercise being carried out on a ferry.
40 ferry staff, of the first fleet class vessel Friendship, will be involved.
Transport Minister John Watkins says it will not disrupt peak services.
“You may see some unusual goings on involving that Sydney Ferry and some other defence force personnel and vessels,” he said.
“But it’s a normal training exercise to make sure APEC is as safe as it possibly can be.”


Very Highly Recommended Viewing:

Video: Nico Haupt/Dean Loren (MNN) on "Exotic Weaponry & 9/11" pt 1, 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGPqjfPvrUA





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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Nano Weapons, TOPOFF4, SAIC/DHS EAGLE ,etc..








Early Products in the Nanotech Revolution
http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=106

(Excerpt:)
"Advanced military technology may have an immense impact on our future. It seems clear that even a modest effort at developing nano-built weapon systems will create systems that will be able to totally overwhelm today's systems and soldiers. Even something as simple as multi-scale semi-automated aircraft could be utterly lethal to exposed soldiers and devastating to most equipment. With the ability to build as many weapons as desired, and with motors, sensors, and materials that far outclass biological equivalents, there would be no need to put soldiers on the battlefield at all. Any military operation that required humans to accompany its machines would quickly be overcome. Conventional aircraft could also be out-flown and destroyed with ease. In addition to offensive weapons, sensing and communications networks with millions if not billions of distributed components could be built and deployed. Software design for such things would be far from trivial, however.It is less clear that a modest military development effort would be able to create an effective defense against today's high-tech attack systems. Nuclear explosives would have to be stopped before the explosion, and intercepting or destroying missiles in flight is not easy even with large quantities of excellent equipment. Hypersonic aircraft and battle lasers are only now being developed, and may be difficult to counter or to develop independently without expert physics knowledge and experience. However, even a near parity of technology level would give the side with molecular manufacturing a decisive edge in a non-nuclear exchange, because they could quickly build so many more weapons.It is also uncertain what would happen in an arms race between opponents that both possessed molecular manufacturing. Weapons would be developed very rapidly up to a certain point. Beyond that, new classes of weapons would have to be invented. It is not yet known whether offensive weapons will in general be able to penetrate shields, especially if the weapons of both sides are unfamiliar to their opponents. If shields win, then development of defensive technologies may proceed rapidly until all sides feel secure. If offense wins, then a balance of terror may result. However, because sufficient information may allow any particular weapon system to be shielded against, there may be an incentive to continually develop new weapons.This overview has focused on the earliest applications of molecular manufacturing. Later developments will benefit from previous experience, as well as from new software tools such as genetic algorithms and partially automated design. But even a cursory look at the things we can plan for today and the problems that will be most limiting early in the technology's history shows that molecular manufacturing will rapidly revolutionize many important areas of human endeavor"

FCS

Assad: DOD not keen on more integrator-led programs
http://www.fcw.com/article103613-08-28-07-Web

A senior Defense Department procurement official said this week the Pentagon has little appetite for new contracts involving a lead system integrator approach, but he stopped short of saying department officials will never use the concept again. The Pentagon is using lead system integrators for a small number of large, complex and expensive programs. Companies designated as lead system integrators have a high degree of influence over program decisions, performing duties traditionally reserved for government employees. In the future, DOD officials will use the construct sparingly, if at all, said Shay Assad, director of procurement policy in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. "We can effectively accomplish the work that we need to get accomplished with the mechanisms we already have," he said in an Aug. 28 interview with Federal Computer Week. The military’s most notable example of a lead system integrator-led program is the Future Combat System, in which Boeing and Science Applications International Corp. act as lead system integrators. The program has come under fire from lawmakers for cost overruns and schedule slips. (cont..)

U.S. will spend $1.7B on military robots
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Briefing/2007/08/28/us_will_spend_17b_on_military_robots/2738/





WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. military will spend about $1.7 billion on ground-based robots in the next five years, according to figures reported by a defense analyst.The figures, covering the 2006-12 period, come from the National Center for Defense Robotics, a congressionally funded consortium of 160 companies, and were reported by analyst David Isenberg in the Asia Times Tuesday. (Cont..)

SAIC gets Eagle task from ICE
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/31312-1.html

Science Applications International Corp. has won a task order worth as much as $85 million over three years to provide information technology operations and maintenance support to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau.
SAIC won the task order through the Homeland Security Department’s Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions program, a government wide acquisition contract launched a year ago.
Under the task order, SAIC will support more than 19,000 agents at 550 sites for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau.
The new task order will provide ICE with comprehensive IT support services that include local area network administration, hardware and software maintenance, help desk, directory and messaging services and network and security operations, SAIC said.
"This key award provides an additional SAIC service offering to ICE, and will allow us to expand our Integrated Services Management Center capabilities to DHS," said Randy Cash, SAIC senior vice president and manager of the enterprise solutions business unit.

South Africa: Navy, Nato Ships to Conduct Training Drill
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708280778.html

The South African Navy is to engage in a training exercise early next week, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) naval marine group.
Six NATO ships from the navies of Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United States arrived in Cape Town, Tuesday.

South Africa's four new frigates and new submarines would be taking part in the exercise.
As part of the exercise, the South African Navy will stage mock attacks on the NATO group.
According to Lieutenant Commander Greyling van den Berg of the South African Navy the ships will be in the country until the end of the exercise next week.
"The ships will be opened for members of the public to view over the weekend," said Lieutenant Commander van den Berg.
The officer said this would be the first time that South Africa engages its newly acquired frigates as well as its submarines in a training exercise with foreign forces in local waters.
"The exercise will help to sharpen our skills and we also hope to learn from each other."
South Africa's new warships were acquired from a German company.
The first corvette, Amatola, was received in 2001. The SAS Isandlwana was the second corvette which was received in Durban last year, followed by Spioenkop early this year.
SAS Mendi is the fourth corvette acquired as part of government's multi-billion rand strategic arms procurement package approved by Cabinet in 2001.
All four corvettes, were named after the battles fought in South Africa, in order to honour and commemorate the bravery of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

TopOff 4 Homeland Sec Exercise (update)
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=48025

Taking place October 15-24, 2007, the TOPOFF 4 Full-Scale Exercise (T4 FSE) will feature thousands of Federal, State, territorial, and local officials. These officials will engage in various activities as part of a robust, full-scale simulated response to a multi-faceted threat. The exercise will address policy and strategic issues that mobilize prevention and response systems, require participants to make difficult decisions, carry out essential functions, and challenge their ability to maintain a common operating picture during an incident of national significance. As in a real-world response, agencies and organizations will deploy staff into the field and will face realistic incident-specific challenges, including the allocation of limited response resources and exercise actions needed to effectively manage conditions as they emerge. Planning and preparation for the exercise will also help strengthen working relationships between departments and agencies that are critical to successful prevention and response in real emergencies.

There's an interesting piece in
Time magazine about developments in laser weapons. As well as describing the usual anti-missile systems – like the famous multi-billion-dollar Airborne Laser - there's a smaller one I hadn't seen before. This sounds as though it might have some useful tactical applications:
…more down-to-earth military uses of the laser may be much closer at hand. TRW Systems in Redondo Beach, Calif., for instance, is working on a portable chemical laser (which produces a beam from the energy released in the reaction of two or more chemicals) that could be carried into battle by a unit of only three men. Aimed like a rifle, it would silently burn a fatal, quarter-inch-wide hole in the body of an enemy soldier up to five miles away. "Once you've got him in your sights," says a TRW engineer, "you've got him. There are no misses." (cont..)

Central Fla. Anti-Terrorism Facility Opens
http://www.local6.com/news/13992700/detail.html

An anti-terrorism facility opened on Monday in Orange County, one of only a few regional buildings of its kind in the United States.
The Central Florida Intelligence Exchange, called CFIX, will fuse together nine counties -- from Lake to Martin -- and analyze data and intelligence from local, state and federal law enforcement with the goal of intercepting possible terrorist threats to the community.

"There is a lot of data that is coming in from all different sources," FDLE Special Agent Joyce Dawley said. "They take all that data in. They look at it. They correlate it. They link it to other data that they have."
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Monday, August 27, 2007

OEM NYC, NVision, BA,LMT+ GD News, Iran & Air Strikes?





OEM Holds Multi-Agency Emergency Drill At Penn Station

The Office of Emergency Management held a multi-agency field exercise at Penn Station Sunday between midnight and 4 a.m. Swarms of the city's police, firefighters, and emergency vehicles flooded the commuter hub and the surrounding area. The Office of Emergency Management wanted to assess just how well the city would respond to terrorist activity within the train station. Response crews used environmental monitoring equipment in the simulations. Some entrances into Penn Station were blocked off for the drill, but train service was not affected.

NVision Unveils New Homeland Security Tool for Counter-Terrorism Exercise August 27, 2007



Kent, WA – NVision Solutions Inc., The Boeing Company, and NAVTEQ recently demonstrated a prototype emergency management “common operating picture” at the 2007 Pacific Northwest Asymmetric Warfare Initiative.
The federally-funded Center for Asymmetric Warfare (CAW) designed the annual regional emergency-management drill to increase protection against terrorism and provide shared working experience for thousands of first responders, military and other homeland defense professionals responding to a crisis.
On July 24th NVision, Boeing, and NAVTEQ streamed real-time emergency notifications from observers around the Port of Tacoma onto a high-resolution map depicting aerial photography as well as NAVTEQ® map data, enhanced GIS attributes, and NAVTEQ Parcel Boundaries™ in the Exercise Control Center. Boeing employees acting as mock first responders logged simulated terrorist attacks using wireless, GPS-enabled, handheld computers. Simulated terrorist attacks involved live actors, pyrotechnics, and boats.
"Working with Boeing and NVision to build and participate in CAW efforts to demonstrate multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional collaboration is another example of NAVTEQ's dedication in supporting Homeland Security initiatives," stated Roy Kolstad, Vice President and General Manager – Enterprise, NAVTEQ.“NVision is very excited this technology has matured to address critical issues such as counter-terrorism, emergency management and recovery, and homeland defense issues such as border security,” said NVision CIO Craig Harvey. “Portions of this technology have been under development with NASA’s Stennis Space Center for over three years.”
# # #
NVision Solutions, Inc. is a small, disadvantaged, minority, woman-owned certified 8(a) firm specializing in advanced geospatial solutions. NVision, an active member of Mississippi's EIGS geospatial industry cluster, is headquartered at the NASA Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi. For more information about NVision Solutions, Inc., visit http://www.nvisionsolutions.com/
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.
NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has over 3,000 employees located in 168 offices in 30 countries


France's Sarkozy raises prospect of Iran airstrikes http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3442638,00.html


In his first major foreign policy speech, French president says diplomatic push by world's powers to rein in Tehran's nuclear program is only alternative to 'Iranian bomb or bombing of Iran' French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday a diplomatic push by the world's powers to rein in Tehran's nuclear program was the only alternative to "an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran." In his first major foreign policy speech, Sarkozy emphasized his existing foreign policy priorities, such as opposing Turkish membership of the European Union and pushing for a new Mediterranean He also presented some new ideas, such as possibly renewing high-level dialogue with 1. Syria and expanding the Group of Eight industrialized nations to include the biggest developing states.Sarkozy said a nuclear-armed Iran would be unacceptable and that major powers should continue their policy of incrementally increasing sanctions against Tehran while being open to talks if Iran suspended nuclear activities."This initiative is the only one that can enable us to escape an alternative that I say is catastrophic: the Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran," he said, adding that it was the worst crisis currently facing the world.

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Boeing has signed a three-year research agreement with the U.S. Joint Forces Command.
The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement will "analyze current, emerging and future joint war fighting concepts and capabilities in concert with USJFCOM's Suffolk, Va.-based Joint Innovation and Experimentation Directorate," Boeing said in a statement Monday.
"Using constructive modeling, simulation and analysis, Boeing and USJFCOM will augment virtual and live experiments to examine the U.S. Department of Defense's family of joint concepts and their enabling capabilities," the company said.
"CRADAs are agreements between a federal government entity and industry to partner on specific research and development activities. Participants share resources to accomplish common objectives. This CRADA is expected to result in new and improved concepts, processes, organizational designs and system capabilities," it said.
"JFCOM looks forward to this collaboration of expertise with Boeing. This CRADA will enable us to further the development of our modeling and simulation tools to conduct capabilities based assessments," said Lt. Gen. Robert Wood, deputy commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command.
"In today's highly dynamic world, the opportunity to collaborate with our nations' defense forces is exceptionally important," said Guy Higgins, vice president, Analysis, Modeling, Simulation and Experimentation for Boeing Advanced Systems. "We look forward to working with JFCOM to identify solutions to challenging problems."
Boeing said the agreement came within the parameters of USJFCOM's research and development mission and transformation objectives.
"Boeing has a long history of performing analytical studies using a variety of constructive warfare simulations and operates an extensive network of experimentation facilities that can link to other real and virtual assets to optimize experiment effectiveness. Boeing Advanced Systems' AMSE division will lead the company's efforts under the CRADA," the company said.
"USJFCOM's Joint Innovation and Experimentation Directorate coordinates Department of Defense concept development and experimentation efforts and leads the development, exploration and assessment of new joint concepts, organizational structures and emerging technologies," the statement said

General Dynamics Land Systems Inc.

General Dynamics Land Systems Inc. in Sterling Heights, MI received a $56.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract to upgrade 18 1. Fox Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance System (NBC-RS) Vehicles from M93 (14) and M93A1 (4) Configurations to M93A1P1. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI; Anniston, AL; Lima, OH; and Germany and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 24, 2007 by the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (DAAM01-96-C-0028). General Dynamics release.

Mayor: Smoking caused WTC tower fire (.and kerosene did 9/11 :)....)

U.S. and Romania begin 3-month joint training exercise


Military Exercises “Georgian Express 2007” Opened In Vaziani

Lockheed Martin Team Tests Propulsion System for Missile Defense Agency's Multiple Kill Vehicle
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQM17027082007-1.htm

US suspends vast ADVISE data-sifting system
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0828/p01s02-usju.html











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Sunday, August 26, 2007

"Fuerzas Aliades", Drills, Russia Tu-22 +LandWarNet Conf..









Exercise "Fuerzas Aliadas"

Second Fleet Commander to lead joint training exercise
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/norfolk/dp-now-militarytraining.0824,0,3128832.story

Representatives -- both civilian and military -- from 20 countries will head to the waters off the coast of Panama and Honduras to participate in Fuerzas Aliadas, a joint military and international training exercise.The exercise, headed up by the U.S. Southern Command, runs from Aug. 29 to Sept. 7 and will bring together 30 vessels and 7,000 people.It's "focused on ensuring the security of the Panama Canal from both the Caribbean and Pacific approaches," according to the U.S. Navy. (Cont..)


AL





The September exercise window is scheduled for Sept. 11 through 13.
A terrorist’s use of biological agent, and the 42nd Medical Group’s casualty management and use of the portable decontamination unit, dominated the August exercise. Gary Looney, base Exercise Evaluation Team chief, said the exercise went well in several areas (cont..)









OH

Emergency responders train for terrorist threat (update)
Licking, Fairfield, Perry agencies at Buckeye Lake
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070826/NEWS01/708260307/1002


MILLERSPORT -- Hundreds of police, fire, medical and other emergency personnel from Licking, Fairfield and Perry counties responded Saturday to terrorist threats around Buckeye Lake.
It was a not a real emergency, but rather a training exercise to prepare emergency responders from various agencies and jurisdictions for a major threat. Funding for the exercise comes though the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

Russia conducts Tu-22 strategic bomber drills in the south
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070824/74204305.html

MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers successfully conducted a series of tactical exercises in the south of the country and in Kazakhstan this week, an Air Force spokesman said Friday.
The Tu-22M3 Backfire-C is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber that Russia uses mainly to patrol the skies over its southern borders, Central Asia and the Black Sea region.
"We held a series of strategic bomber exercises [involving Tu-22M3 bombers] Tuesday and Friday to practice penetrating the air defenses of a potential adversary," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said.



Secretary of the Army Pete Geren speaks at the LandWarNet Conference at the Grand Floridian Ball Room in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., August 21.













MD


OC to hold homeland security drill
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/WCT01/70824022/1002/NEWS01

OCEAN CITY - The town will hold a homeland security preparedness exercise Monday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Emergency Services Director Joseph Theobald announced.
The exercise aims to improve Ocean City’s method to better coordinate and integrate public safety in order to prepare for and respond to acts of domestic terrorism, and to protect the citizens and the town’s infrastructure
The drill will assess Ocean City’s capability to mitigate, minimize and recover from incidents that could occur


Multilateral Naval Drill Not A Military Alignment: Antony
http://newspostindia.com/report-12575

India Saturday sought to allay apprehensions that an upcoming multilateral naval drill, also involving the US navy, in the Bay of Bengal had military overtones, saying it was a pointer to the country's growing importance on the world stage.'There is no question of confrontation. There is no military alignment. It's only an exercise,' Defence Minister A.K. Antony told reporters here of Malabar-2007, the five nation drill Sep 4-9 involving the navies of India, the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore.'It (the exercise) will only help enhance the capabilities of our armed forces to deal with natural calamities (like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami) and other eventualities,' the minister said on the sidelines of an Indian Air Force (IAF) exposition of its multifaceted capabilities at this sprawling air base in central India. (Cont..)

Special military group looks ahead to fight America's future wars
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/26/BU5ORKEUK.DTL

Envision an aircraft carrier in the sky. Drugs that can immediately prepare soldiers for duty at high altitudes. Prosthetic limbs with something approaching real sensitivity.
The Pentagon has.
For half a century, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - a low-profile but vital division of the Defense Department - has developed technologies to confound America's foes and comfort its friends. The agency has been the force behind dozens of weapons, from the M-16 rifle and night-vision goggles to smart bombs and stealth aircraft.
Now, DARPA is planning for a long war in which U.S. troops will be expected to face guerrilla adversaries. And just as during the Cold War, DARPA is counting on high-tech Silicon Valley to give U.S. forces the edge.
"We need to anticipate all of the challenges and discover the technical means to conquer those challenges," Anthony Tether, DARPA director, told more than 3,000 scientists, entrepreneurs and military leaders who gathered in Anaheim earlier this month for the agency's 50th anniversary conference. (Cont..)

Is China preparing for war with U.S.?
http://www.tribune-democrat.com/editorials/local_story_236133107.html

In hiring surge, Uncle Sam wants you, you and you
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003853422_unclesamhires26.html

Uncle Sam, the nation's largest employer, is gearing up for a major hiring effort.
Over the next two years, federal agencies expect to hire nearly 193,000 new workers in almost every occupational field, according to a report from the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit group that urges young Americans to consider careers in government.
More than 83,000 of the jobs are expected to be filled at Defense and Homeland Security as part of the continuing effort to protect and secure the nation from terrorism. (Cont..)

REGIONAL: HOMELAND SECURITY STUDYING SILICON VALLEY EMERGENCY INFORMATION SYSTEM
http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2007/08/24/n/HeadlineNews/EMERGENCY-INFORMATION/resources_bcn_html


FCS






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Thursday, August 23, 2007

Exercises, Drills + SBI, DHS, ....








Exercise Koa Lightning
http://www.strategypage.com/military_photos/20078222234.aspx
B-52 Stratofortress takes off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to participate in an exercise scenario Aug. 22. The aircraft, aircrew and maintainers are deployed from Barksdale AFB, La., as part of the continuous bomber presence in the Pacific region. During their deployment to Guam, the bomber squadron's participation in exercises will emphasize the U.S. bomber presence, demonstrating U.S. commitment to the Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. Mahmoud Rasouliyan)





Science Daily — Peanut butter and jelly. Wine and cheese. Dinner and a movie. Some things just naturally go together. But national security and video games? At first glance, those two aren’t exactly a soft brie and a glass of Merlot in terms of compatibility.

Players of the game can view the action from several vantage points. Here, fire trucks and police cars can be seen from building level. The exclamation points in red depict 9-1-1 calls that may offer valuable information to players, such as medical symptoms that citizens may be experiencing. Other icons re identified in the legend in the left-hand corner. (Credit: Image courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories)

If Sandia computer scientist and software engineer Donna Djordjevich has her way, however, perhaps today’s video game-loving youth will become our next generation’s terrorist-fighting scientist, especially if a prototype project she now has under development with the University of Southern California’s GamePipe Laboratory fulfills its promise. And a recent demonstration of the prototype for real-world emergency responders indicates she is on track.
Djordjevich is the principal investigator of a Sandia-funded project titled “Game Technology-Enhanced Simulation for Homeland Security.” Its mission is to create an interactive gaming platform specifically designed to prepare decision makers and first responders for weapons of mass destruction/weapons of mass effect (WMD/WME) attacks in metropolitan areas. The first version of this platform, more commonly known as “Ground Truth,” provides a virtual environment where users can play through such a scenario to see the effects of their decisions under the constraints of time and resources. The project was funded and started in FY07, with development beginning last October. (Cont..)


Boeing Co. has changed the management of an electronic-surveillance project along the U.S.-Mexican border after falling more than two months behind schedule, marking the complications involved in setting up a new generation of border security.
The project, part of a larger Department of Homeland Security program called SBInet, is a critical link in the plan to use technology to monitor the borders for illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and possible terrorists. Towers set up along a stretch of the border near Nogales, Ariz., are supposed to use motion sensors, cameras and radar to keep track of wide areas. According to the government, Boeing has had trouble getting the different components to work together without glitches.
The government's plans for monitoring as much as 6,000 miles of the Canadian and Mexican borders hinge on towers such as these working properly. If they prove ineffective, officials could be forced to spend billions of dollars for more traditional security measures, such as fences and more officers. The Homeland Security Department currently estimates that the virtual fence will cost about $8 billion through 2013, although the agency's inspector general wrote last November that the cost could balloon to $30 billion.
In recent days, Boeing named Daniel Korte, a veteran executive in the company's Integrated Defense Systems unit, to head the SBInet program. Mr. Korte was previously vice president of supplier management and procurement for the defense unit and has also worked on the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Jerry McElwee, who had been overseeing SBInet, is working with Mr. Korte during the transition and remains at the advanced systems group. Mr. McElwee's next assignment hasn't been announced.
Boeing characterized the changes in management as part of a planned transition of the SBInet program to the network and space-systems group from its previous home in the advanced-systems group, which handles competitions and project development. The network and space-systems group oversees key programs, such as Future Combat Systems, which is supposed to use high-tech vehicles, communications and sensors to tie together all parts of the battlefield.
(Cont..)

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Defense Minister Norbert Darabos has called U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in eastern Europe a "provocation" reviving Cold War debates.
"That the United States are installing a defense shield in eastern Europe is a provocation in my view," Darabos was quoted as saying in an interview with daily Die Presse on Thursday.
"The U.S. has chosen the wrong path in my opinion. There is no point in building up a missile defense shield in Europe. That only unnecessarily rekindles old Cold War debates."
The remarks drew a swift reaction from Washington.
"We view the Cold War as being over. Such comments are not helpful and we now face a new strategic environment that requires us to move beyond Cold War thinking," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.
"We've been open and transparent with all E.U. and NATO allies on this, and we'll continue to do so. We're discussing missile defense with the Russians," Gallegos said at a news briefing.
The United States plans to deploy elements of its shield -- designed to intercept and destroy missiles from "rogue states" like Iran and North Korea -- in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Russia sees the initiative near its borders as a threat to its own security. On Tuesday Russia's military chief told the Czech Republic that hosting the shield would be a "big mistake".
Darabos said he saw no danger from Iranian long range missiles and the United States should try for a different solution.

OH

BUCKEYE LAKE — Buckeye Lake will be the target of a fake terrorist attack this weekend.
Licking County first responders will team with Fairfield and Perry county responders in a drill Saturday, said Jeff Walker, director of the Licking County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency ManagementThe drill will start at 7:30 a.m. and wrap up by 3 p.m.

The exercise will be a mock terrorist attack based on the July 4 celebration, in which a terrorist group would plant mock homemade explosives in the area. The agency would then work with other agencies to address the situation. (cont..)

DRPA Performs Emergency Response Drill
http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_235090730.html


CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted an emergency preparedness drill Thursday morning near the Ben Franklin Bridge and Philadelphia Port Authority.

The Port Security Training Exercises Program (PortSTEP) exercise is a means to evaluate preparedness and response to a terror-related incident. Officials believe the drill will help improve current maritime security plans.

"PortSTEP is designed to benefit maritime and surface transportation security communities throughout the U.S. via a suite of training exercises, evaluations and accompanying information technology products," said Noreen Brown, TSA's PortSTEP Project Officer. "This information will prove invaluable as we work to balance freedom of commerce and protection of our nation's transportation system."

Exercise scenarios ranged from an explosion on the Ben Franklin Bridge to terror-related activity around the port. (cont..)

To thwart nuclear terror, US directs trade partners to inspect 11 million cargo containers
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/23/america/NA-GEN-US-Port-Security.php





WASHINGTON: The specter of a nuclear bomb, hidden in a cargo container, detonating in an American port has prompted Congress to require 100 percent screening of U.S.-bound ships at their more than 600 foreign starting points. (Cont..)

Serco Inc. has won a three-year, $62 million contract from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center to design and deploy advanced anti-terrorism systems for ships, Navy ports and other unspecified federal facilities.
The new Naval Electronic Surveillance Systems contract could be worth as much as $115 million if all five of the six-month options are exercised, Serco said (Cont..)

Aerostar UAV Supports USAF Angel Thunder 07 Exercises
http://www.shephard.co.uk/UVOnline/Default.aspx?Action=-187126550&ID=ad2b2acc-150c-466a-af53-390153484956

Aeronautics' Tactical Class, Aerostar Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), operated by the New Mexico State University’s Physical Science Laboratory (NMSU-PSL), successfully participated in the USAF Exercise Angel Thunder 07, from 11 to 18 July at the Playas Training and Research Center (PTRC) of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT). The Air Combat Command (ACC) exercise involved multi-service, tactical air and ground teams in Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions (cont..)

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — U.S. Army Secretary Peter Geren urged Army information technology managers and industry executives to stay focused on technology efforts that deliver the right information to the right people in real time, noting “we cannot afford a modernization holiday.”
Speaking at the LandWarNet conference, Geren stressed the importance of equipping soldiers with information about their situation without overwhelming them.
“We must make sure we don’t replace the fog of war with the fog of information overload,” he said.
He also noted that Army leadership was committing greater attention to LandWarNet and the use of technology with the creation of a new LandWarNet directorate at G3 “to help synchronize the efforts across the force,” he said.
“LandWarNet is central to changing how the Army fights. It seeks to integrate every element of Army modernization,” he said, “and seamlessly connect the leader to the soldier on the battlefield — and connect the soldier to the information he or she needs wherever and whenever he or she needs it.”

That future is taking place now, he said.
“We are spinning out the first of the [Future Combat Systems] technologies, unattended ground sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned ground vehicles,” Geren said. “Instead of line-of-sight radio and up-and-down satellite signals, LandWarNet and FCS will give us a three-dimensional mesh of ground, aerial and satellite platforms and nodes, with the soldier on the ground at the center of the effort.”
Balancing the need for security and proper classification and the urgent needs on the battlefield remain important issues and “will not be easy,” he said. “We’re working on it. We must get it right for the soldier.” (cont..)

IN

SAIC

Is US Army ordering robot spy blimp? (Update)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/23/droid_airship_peeper_purchase/




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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The March to WWIV, Taiwan, Russia +China





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RISING TENSIONS: The secretary-general of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies in Taipei said that the next six months will be critical for cross-strait relations
Over the past six months, China has intensified its military exercises in the Taiwan Strait as a subtle threat to Taiwan in advance of next year's elections and plans for a referendum on UN membership, raising the prospects of heightened cross-strait military tensions through next spring, a leading Taiwan expert said in Washington on Monday.
"The next six months will be a critical period for cross-strait relations," Andrew Yang (???), the secretary-general of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies in Taipei, told a seminar on cross-strait relations sponsored by the Atlantic Council.
"For the past six months or so, the military in Taipei has witnessed `unusual military exercises being conducted' in the coastal regions facing Taiwan," he said.
"The Taiwanese military is concerned that with the exercises, the PLA [People's Liberation Army] is enhancing its readiness for some sort of action against Taiwan. They're really worried about it," he said.
The leadership in Beijing, "is demanding that the military upgrade their readiness to face any political fallout [from next year's presidential election and the UN resolution]," he said.
The military exercises, Yang said, "send a signal to Taipei that Beijing is intensifying its preparations, their readiness to use force ... and their will to use force" if they deem Taiwan to be moving toward independence.
The "tendency toward escalation" over the next six to eight months "could make the Taiwan Strait a potential flashpoint for both sides," Yang said.
He said the exercises detected by the Ministry of National Defense have included an increasing number of air sorties to the middle line of the Taiwan Strait and beyond that line, as well as "naval exercises symbolizing efforts to facilitate the use of force."
They have also involved drills with live fire, "which [the Taiwan military] considers unusual compared to the past."

Pakistan to join military exercises under US Central Command
http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=55502

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Islamabad, Aug 22: Pakistan will take part in the multinational biennial military exercises to be conducted jointly by the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) and Egyptian armed forces in the Mediterranean Sea in November 2007, an official statement said Wednesday. At a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan Wednesday allowed the Ministry of Defence to sign a memorandum of understanding between Pakistan and Egypt so as to enable the Pakistan Navy to participate in the military exercises, it said. USCENTCOM is the unified command responsible for US
securityinterests in 25 nations from Egypt in the west to Pakistan in the east, from Kazakhstan in the north to Kenya and the Horn of Africa in the south. (cont..)


Ionatron wins Navy contract for anti-bomb technology
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/197674

Tucson-based Ionatron Inc., a developer of directed-energy weapons, said today it has won a $1 million contract the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., for development of technology to defeat improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
Ionatron shares closed today at $3.61, up 23 percent or nearly 7 percent, in trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The contract represents initial funding for engineering development and testing of Ionatron's Dual Effect Standoff IED Neutralization System. The company said the system employs next generation technology for neutralizing IEDs but has not released detailed information on the technology.
An earlier Ionatron technology was designed to defeat IEDs by a strong electrical pulse.
Funding for the contract is provided by the U.S. military's Joint IED Defeat Organization, Ionatron said. (cont..)

Russia accused of entering Georgian airspace
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/22/nraf222.xml



A Russian fighter jet has violated Georgian airspace for the second time in a month by flying three miles inside its borders, the former Soviet satellite has claimed.

The report comes a day after it was revealed that two RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets were scrambled to intercept Russian nuclear bombers approaching British airspace last week (cont..)

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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Russia/China Rising, DB Psyop? Probe, + DARPA






Russia Builds Highly Effective Pechora Surface-To-Air Missiles





The final stage of the Combat Fraternity 2007 military exercise will be held at the Ashuluk firing range in the Astrakhan Region (southern Russia) on August 22. Defense ministers from ten CIS states will fly to the range after the opening ceremony of the MAKS 2007 aerospace show, which opens in Zhukovsky near Moscow on August 21 (cont..)

Russian Bombers Rehearse Nuclear Attacks Against the United States
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=1048





Calling on Russian pilots to resume "combat duty," Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced Aug. 17 http://www.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2007/08/17/2156_type82912_141822.shtml that his country's strategic nuclear bombers would resume their Cold War-era practice of conducting long-range patrols "on a permanent basis." He told reporters that "our pilots have spent too long on the ground. I know that they are happy to now have this chance to begin a new life and we wish them luck." Although the main function of these aircraft is to conduct nuclear missile strikes against the continental United States, Putin said he hoped that other countries would show "understanding" for the Russian decision.Perhaps to Moscow's surprise, representatives of the Bush administration did precisely that. In Crawford, Texas, where the president was vacationing, White House spokesperson Gordon D. Johndroe told reporters that, "Militaries around the world engage in a variety of different activities." In Washington, State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said that Moscow's action was not threatening since the two countries "certainly are not in the kind of posture we were with what used to be the Soviet Union." Alluding to the age and technological backwardness of the planes, McCormack added that, "If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision."
Some analysts might not be so sanguine. Russia's aging equipment and Russian air crews with less comprehensive training than their American or Soviet-era counterparts make the bombers more vulnerable to mechanical problems. During the Cold War, Soviet and U.S. bombers transporting nuclear weapons sometimes crashed, leading to costly environmental restoration programs and other hazards. At present, it is unclear whether they are carrying nuclear warheads on their patrols, though Putin's use of the term "combat duty" suggests such a possibility.Russia's existing strategic bomber fleet consists almost exclusively of Soviet-manufactured platforms capable of launching long-range air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) armed with nuclear warheads. The Russian Air Force currently deployshttp://en.rian.ru/russia/20070814/71405929.html 40 Tu-95MS Bear-H long-range heavy bombers, 14 Tu-160 Blackjack modern strategic bombers, and 141 Tu-22M3 Backfire-C theater bombers. The planes can also launch nuclear-armed short

RAF jets scrambled to intercept Russian bomber
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2302783.ece

Criminal Probe Of Fatal Ground Zero Fire
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/21/national/main3189019.shtml





Paul Isaac of Brooklyn, an auxiliary fire fighter who worked on 9/11, holds a flag in support of the firefighters at the scene of a seven-alarm fire at the abandoned Deutsche Bank building. The blaze claimed the lives of two New York City firefighters. (Getty Images/Chris Hondros)



City officials have said that the fire started on the 17th floor of a building that was being dismantled floor by floor. (cont...)

"Cooperation 2007"

China, Russia: Joint Police Drill Proposed For September
http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?selected=Situation%20Reports&sitrep=1&id=294345

The first joint counterterrorism exercise for China's armed police and Russia's interior forces, called "Cooperation 2007," is expected to take place in Moscow in September, though an exact date has not yet been determined. According to a source inside China's armed police, the proposed three-day event was developed in accordance with the principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other agreements signed by the two countries.

Australia keen on ties, but not at China's cost
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Australia_keen_on_ties_but_not_at_Chinas_cost/articleshow/2296601.cms

NEW DELHI: Australia might not be in favour of a quadrilateral security dialogue with India, US and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region to avoid antagonising prickly China, but it certainly wants to boost bilateral military cooperation with India. Close on the heels of Australian defence minister Brendan Nelson's visit to India last month for talks on sharing counter-terrorism, maritime security and other "classified" information, his Navy chief is now in town to take the bilateral defence agenda forward. With both India and Australia agreeing that there is "a confluence of interests" between them, especially in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), vice-admiral Russell Edward Shalders held talks with Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Army chief General J J Singh, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal F H Major and defence secretary Vijay Singh on Monday.

U.S. naval chief tours defense facilities in China
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/21/asia/china.php


BEIJING: Amid repeated calls from the Bush administration for China to be more transparent about its military buildup, a visiting senior U.S. naval commander praised his Chinese counterpart here Tuesday for allowing a revealing tour of defense facilities and exercises.
The U.S. chief of naval operations, Admiral Mike Mullen, said he had organized a comprehensive visit to the United States in April for the Chinese naval chief, Admiral Wu Shengli.
"What I asked in return was for him to do the same thing," Mullen said. "He has done that. What I have seen is actions, not just words, which have met that standard, and I consider that to be very positive."
Mullen, who will become the top U.S. uniformed military commander when he becomes chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1, said that communication and exchanges between the two militaries needed to improve further but that he had reached a better understanding of China's goals during his six-day visit, which ends Wednesday (cont..)

Norway heightens vigilance as Russia sends more bombers to join exercises
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/aug/20/norway_heightens_vigilance_russia_sends_more_bombers_join_exercises.html


Could a computer predict your next move in a game of strategy based only on observations of your past behaviour? The US
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA) certainly hopes so. It has funded a project led by computer scientist H. Van Dyke Parunak to explore the idea.
Artificial intelligence experts normally approach this problem by assuming that the inner state of a person (or an "agent" in AI parlance) can be described in terms of beliefs, desires and goals. Since these goals determine an agent's actions, it should then to be possible to use this knowledge to make predictions about the agent's future actions.
Parunak claims to have used these ideas with some success in making predictions about future behaviour. He says his simulation works in relatively complex environments, making predictions in real-time.
In war-game scenarios, for example, Parunak says his model can successfully detect players' emotions , and then predict future actions accordingly. He believes the technique could one day be applied to predict the behaviour of adversaries in military combat situations, competitive business tactics, and even multiplayer computer games. (cont..)

US intelligence launches 'MySpace for analysts'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20379182/

A rocket-powered bionic arm
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/08/21/robotic_arm/

Homeland Security seeks input on Plum Island disease lab
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-liplum0822,0,2829637.story

*Leave it to fake opposition "NATION" Mag...DHS is ALL PORK and Corp. welfare.


Please see Nico Haupt's updates on FCS, DEW etc:
http://forum.911movement.org/index.php?showtopic=331&st=15
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Monday, August 20, 2007

Terror/Bio+Pandemic Flu Drills +Simulations





Oregon Civil Air Patrol Prepares for Major Exercise
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august202007/cao_eval_82007.php

*Noble Resolve is running through Friday in Portland.

The CAP will conduct aerial and ground operations across the state to respond to numerous fictional incidents that could involve elements of terrorist activities.
PORTLAND, Ore.) - The Oregon U.S. Civil Air Patrol is gearing up for a major USAF graded exercise. Spokesman Thomas Traver says it involves state wide capability of the CAP to conduct multiple emergency operations based on real world potential incidents within Oregon.
It happens August 25th and 26th, Traver said. "A special USAF evaluation team will inspect and grade the CAP wing on it's ability to address numerous scenarios involving Homeland Security, Search and Rescue and Disaster Relief operations."
The Exercise, which happens every two years across the country, is based on real world potential actions that would require the response capabilities of the wing to assist local and federal agencies in time of emergency.
Operating out of the CAP's Incident Command Center located at the Aurora Airport, the CAP will conduct aerial and ground operations across the state to respond to numerous fictional incidents that could involve elements of terrorist activities, air search and rescue as well as potential local natural disasters such as Tsunami's and earthquakes such as the one that hit Peru this week and that local officials expect is imminent for the Pacific Coast (cont..)

CA


Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital will hold a large-scale emergency preparedness drill from 2 to 4 p.m. tomorrow in its Breschini parking lot, at the corner of Wilgart Way and San Jose Street.
Engineers at have already set up a massive isolation tent that would serve as a make-shift hospital in the event of an emergency that damaged the main hospital. Equipped with re-circulating air purification for both positive and negative pressure deployments, the tent would also be used in cases of widespread infectious disease or incidents of bio-terrorism. (cont..)

Registration open for pandemic flu drill
http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/REG/70820027





SIFMA, the Wall Street trade association, today announced open registration for the pandemic flu exercise
From Sept. 24 through Oct. 12, the Financial Banking Information Infrastructure Committee and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council will hold a pandemic flu exercise for the U.S. financial services sector.
SIFMA and the Treasury Department are sponsoring the exercise.
The three-week program will test firms’ pandemic plans against a scenario that would span an entire pandemic wave.
Each Monday at 9 a.m., Eastern daylight time, participating institutions will get a scenario update and a series of multi-choice questions.
They have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday of that week to respond online.
Employees, including internal operations staffers and crisis management teams, are eligible to participate in the exercise.
The program is free of charge and voluntary. More than 1,200 organizations have already signed up (cont..)

Smallpox returns in terrorism simulation
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=smallpox-returns-in-terrorism-simulation&method=full&objectid=19660555&siteid=50082-name_page.html

THE first simulation of how healthcare professionals would cope with a terrorist attack involving smallpox will be carried out in Wales tomorrow.
Students from the University of Glamorgan’s Masters in Disaster Healthcare course will be expected to treat a patient infected with the lethal disease, which none of them have ever experienced before.
The simulation will provide the students – many of whom are front line nurses who would be expected to deal with such an outbreak if it ever occurred – with essential training and experience. (Cont..)

Real Life and Digital Simulation Will Merge by 2011
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,162689.shtml

IRVINE, CA -- 08/20/07 -- Real life and digital simulation will merge by 2011, producing a mixed-reality environment that will change the way consumers communicate, interact and conduct commerce, according to futurist Dan Lejerskar, chairman of EON Reality Inc., the world's leading interactive 3D software provider.
"What once was imagined soon will be experienced," Lejerskar explained. "The technology convergence of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, Web and search, and digital content means that people can experience more in their daily lives by blurring the distinction between their physical existence and digital reality." (Cont..)

SKorea, US begin annual military drill
http://www.onelocalnews.com/pioneertimesjournal/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=154643









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