Uniform patches hint at secret U.S. military programs
Clockwise from top left: Ghost Squadron. For search and rescue; National Reconnaissance Office. Dragon is code for infrared imaging on advanced KH-11 satellites; Desert Prowler. May represent Groom Lake, Nev., a k a Area 51; Special Projects Office. Oversaw F-117A stealth fighter support; 4451st Test Squadron. Stealth fighters; 413th Flight Test Squadron. Possibly referring to simulated or real electronic threats against aircraft.Excerpt: "Military officials and experts said that the patches were real, if often unofficial, efforts at building team spirit.
The classified budget of the Defense Department, concealed from the public in all but outline, has nearly doubled in the Bush years, to $32 billion. That is more than the combined budgets of the Food and Drug Administration, the National Science Foundation and NASA.
Those billions have expanded a secret world of advanced science and technology in which military units and federal contractors push back the frontiers of warfare. In the past, such handiwork has produced some of the most advanced jets, weapons and spy satellites, as well as some notorious boondoggles.
Budget documents tell little. This year, for instance, the Pentagon says Program Element 0603891c is receiving $196 million but will disclose nothing about what the project does. Private analysts say it apparently is meant for developing space weapons."
The classified budget of the Defense Department, concealed from the public in all but outline, has nearly doubled in the Bush years, to $32 billion. That is more than the combined budgets of the Food and Drug Administration, the National Science Foundation and NASA.
Those billions have expanded a secret world of advanced science and technology in which military units and federal contractors push back the frontiers of warfare. In the past, such handiwork has produced some of the most advanced jets, weapons and spy satellites, as well as some notorious boondoggles.
Budget documents tell little. This year, for instance, the Pentagon says Program Element 0603891c is receiving $196 million but will disclose nothing about what the project does. Private analysts say it apparently is meant for developing space weapons."
Phoenix Express 2008
Libya, France to join US naval exercises: Greece
ATHENS (AFP) - Libyan ships will join those of 11 other nations in naval exercises with the US Sixth Fleet this month as part of joint efforts to enhance security in the Mediterranean, the Greek navy said Tuesday.The operation will link the United States and other NATO nations in exercises with the states of the so-called "Mediterranean Dialogue," an enterprise thought up 14 years ago to combine forces to fight terrorism but never yet properly implemented.
In addition to the United States, countries participating in the April 8-22 manoeuvres will include France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Greece, Malta, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya.
The operation, codenamed Phoenix Express 2008, aims at joint training in procedures for surveillance of cargo vessels, patrolling and rescue work, said a statement by the Greek naval command in Athens...
In addition to the United States, countries participating in the April 8-22 manoeuvres will include France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Greece, Malta, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya.
The operation, codenamed Phoenix Express 2008, aims at joint training in procedures for surveillance of cargo vessels, patrolling and rescue work, said a statement by the Greek naval command in Athens...
CACI Awarded $26.8 Million Task Order With U.S. Army C4ISR On-The-Move Product Management Office (FCS)
ARLINGTON, Va., April 1, 2008, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- CACI International Inc (NYSE: CAI: 47.03, +1.48, +3.24%) announced today that it has been awarded a $26.8 million task order contract by the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command to provide engineering support for the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) On-The-Move Product Management Office. CACI competed for this four- year award (one base year, three option years) through the Strategic Services Sourcing (S3) contract vehicle the company holds with the U.S. Army. With the award, CACI continues growing its core business in C4ISR solutions.
The C4ISR On-The-Move Product Management Office provides a relevant environment/venue to assess emerging C4ISR technologies in a network-centric environment in order to reduce and mitigate risk for Future Combat Systems (FCS: 12.29, +0.37, +3.10%) concepts and to accelerate technology insertion into the current force.....
Future Combat Systems, the massive Boeing-led Army transformation project, is costing more and taking longer than originally expected, according to a report issued today by the Government Accountability Office.
The project, which involves building and networking an array of weapons and battlefield sensors, is now projected to cost $128.5 billion, 45.5 percent more than was expected when it began development in 2003. The program’s timeline has also lept by 59 percent, from a 91-month acquisition cycle in 2003 to 145 months today.
The project, which involves building and networking an array of weapons and battlefield sensors, is now projected to cost $128.5 billion, 45.5 percent more than was expected when it began development in 2003. The program’s timeline has also lept by 59 percent, from a 91-month acquisition cycle in 2003 to 145 months today.
Terrorism Attack and Pandemic Exercise at ESS EXPO.08 Spotlights Strategies and Tools to Safeguard U.S. Chemical Plants
TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ESS, the leading provider of Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) and Crisis Management software for enterprise sustainability, today announced that it will sponsor a major chemical facility anti-terrorism exercise during ESS EXPO.08, where organizations will demonstrate the latest information technology tools for crisis management. ESS EXPO.08 will be held April 13-17, 2008 at the Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix
The exercise begins with a simulation titled Green Scorpion, in which terrorists gain access to a large chemical processing facility. Emergency teams will implement response strategies that are designed to stop the terrorists, free hostages, and prevent or mitigate damage to the facility and surrounding area. In addition, the exercise will also look at how the incident might be complicated by the simultaneous outbreak of a pandemic. Providing a multi-hazard scenario will demonstrate why public and private organizations need a comprehensive emergency response strategy and the latest integrated information management tools.
SAIC Delivers Infrared Sensor For Risk Reduction - Alternative Infrared Satellite System http://www.spacewar.com/reports/SAIC_Delivers_Infrared_Sensor_For_Risk_Reduction___Alternative_Infrared_Satellite_System_999.html
Science Applications International announced that it has delivered its infrared sensor for the Risk Reduction - Alternative Infrared Satellite System (RR-AIRSS) program ahead of schedule. RR-AIRSS is sponsored by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center and executed by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The program aims to prove that sensors can maintain persistent full-earth surveillance for missile warning....
Boeing: Black's the new black for black-helicopter projects
Weaponizing the Pentagon's Cyborg Insects
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=25148
Imagine a world in which any insect fluttering past your window may be a remote-controlled spy, packed with surveillance equipment. Even more frightening is the prospect that such creatures could be weaponized, and the possibility, according to one scientist intimately familiar with the US project, that these cyborg insects might be armed with ‘bio weapons’, notes Nick Turse.....
Imagine a world in which any insect fluttering past your window may be a remote-controlled spy, packed with surveillance equipment. Even more frightening is the prospect that such creatures could be weaponized, and the possibility, according to one scientist intimately familiar with the US project, that these cyborg insects might be armed with ‘bio weapons’, notes Nick Turse.....
* Non-Fiction Dystopian read of the week:
Global Gridlock: How the US Military-Industrial Complex Seeks to Contain and Control the Earth and it’s Eco-System http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8499
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