Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Tweety Bird DOD Recruiter, DEW, WWIV In Asia Prep, + News


War Games: Army Lures Civilians By Letting Them Play Soldier
Recruiters Bring Lifelike Videogame To Amusement Parks, and Kids Love It

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121721198768289035-yJTjsyGU_fRC5RSMDSEmCAP30So_20080828.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top


GURNEE, Ill. -- In the Tweety Bird section of the parking lot at an amusement park here, visitors are trying a new attraction. They jump into Humvees or Black Hawk helicopters and use fake firearms to hunt down "genocidal indigenous forces." They shoot at huge video screens.
"I like that I got to use a gun!" said 13-year-old Spencer Padgett, after trying the "Virtual Army Experience." His dad, Scott, from Laporte, Ind., said he wanted his son to gain an appreciation of the sacrifices being made by the Army.



The Virtual Army Experience -- a traveling exhibit of the U.S. Army -- has been touring the country for the past year and a half, stopping at amusement parks, air shows and county fairs. The Army, which collects information from the thousands of people who play the game, says it's an innovative way to reach a new audience. But critics don't like the idea of the military using giant videogames as a recruiting tool...

See:Virtual World for Future Army Training
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/07/mmog.html

Raytheon's Tactical Directed-Energy Systems http://www.rightsidenews.com/200807291570/homeland-security/raytheon-s-tactical-directed-energy-systems.htmlIDF Begins Using Laser Defense Near GazaRaytheons DES Systems give Homeland Security in Israel and will enhance our own security here in the United StatesWhile Raytheon leads the world in tactical missiles, its revenue from adjacent markets is growing rapidly. One of these key markets is directed-energy systems that can be placed on land, sea or air platforms

'Laser jumbo' testing moves ahead (update)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7531046.stm

A US military plane equipped with a powerful laser has moved a step closer to becoming a viable weapon.
Engineers have started flowing chemical fuel through the laser to test its sequencing and control.
This will set up the first test firing of the weapon aboard the aircraft while it is on the ground.
The US Air Force's Airborne Laser (ABL) is designed to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles in the early stages of their flight.







Massive Military Drills Planned Near Dokdo
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/07/116_28439.html

South Korea's Navy will conduct the first of two training exercises planned for this year near the islets of Dokdo in the East Sea Wednesday, the service said Tuesday. It is the first time that the annual drill, which is to be conducted in a low-key manner, has been made public. The drill is aimed at strengthening the nation's military readiness against any possible attempt by enemies to claim the easternmost islets, it said.This year's exercise will be the largest in scale since the so-called Dokdo Protection Exercise began in 1996, Navy officials said. ..
Japan holds missile shield drill in Tokyo's center
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gJMVIQu4RK7wmB5u_3qd-kNPREoQD927C1881
TOKYO (AP) — Japan tested a ballistic missile defense unit in the center of Tokyo on Tuesday, stepping up preparations to secure the capital from what it sees as an increased threat from neighboring North Korea...


Lockheed Martin to acquire Aculight
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/33222-1.html
Lockheed Martin Corp. is acquiring Aculight Corp., a privately held provider of laser- based systems primarily for national defense and aerospace customers. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. .....

Six to vie for Strategic Command advisory tasks
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/33220-1.html
Six contractors have won the right to compete for $900 million worth of advisory and assistance tasks with the U.S. Strategic Command, the Defense Department announced July 25.
The winners of the Air Force indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract are:
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
CACI International Inc.
Client/Server Software Solutions Inc.
ITT Corp.
MacAulay Brown Inc.
Science Applications International Corp.The Strategic Command plans to issue tasks through the program that will require the contractors to deliver a broad range of services that will include opinions, analyses, evaluations and recommendations for programs and strategies, DOD said. The contract also covers training and engineering services.
The Strategic Command is responsible for managing the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal and providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to the secretary of defense. Its other responsibilities include global command and control, military space operations and weapons of mass destruction deterrence.
The one-year contracts have four option years. The 55th Contracting Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., will oversee the work.

Emergency groups plan ahead for crisis scenarios (KY)
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/29/emergency-groups-plan-ahead-for-crisis-scenarios/

Taiwan official: island needs US weapons
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/29/america/NA-US-Taiwan-Arms-Deal.php

Soon, vaccine against bio weapons
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthSci/Soon_vaccine_against_bio_weapons/articleshow/3299933.cms
Neuroscience, National Security & the "War on Terror"
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9701

Technology changes how battles are fought (UCLA Dept. Of the DOD)
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/jul/28/technology-changes-how-battles-are-fought/
The U.S. military has been taking active steps since the 1900s to downsize its man power and consolidate the use of advanced technologies in the battlefield, said Jason Choi, an assistant professor of military science at UCLA.
In the past, military strategy has relied more on man power than in the present, Choi said. Now the military is moving in a direction where more aspects of war are fought and enhanced by computer systems and other technologies, such as night vision.
UCLA is one university involved in helping the military move toward new technologies.....

DOD Looks To Speed Up Haystack Effort (MIT -DOD "adjunct")
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/HAYSTACK072808.xml&headline=DOD%20Looks%20To%20Speed%20Up%20Haystack%20Effort
U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) is planning to accelerate upgrade work for the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar, providing the Pentagon the ability to characterize microsatellites earlier than previously planned.
The upgrade for the X-band imaging radar in Massachusetts would be complete in fiscal 2012 with the addition of $10 million requested in the FY ‘08 omnibus reprogramming signed July 11 by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England. The added funding would allow for an accelerated critical design review and systems integration work. Additionally, operators will be able to uncap the Haystack’s radome ahead of schedule “mitigating risks of opening the radome during the harsh Massachusetts winter,” according to the request.
The upgrade will add a W-band capability, allowing ground operators to characterize microsatellites, according to Lt. Col. Derek Ho, deputy chief of space situational awareness at Air Force Space Command. “This characterization enables us to determine satellite mission and payload as part of the threat assessment process,” he adds.
The new millimeter-wave radar will improve image resolution tenfold, according to program documents. The upgrade is jointly funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force, with MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory executing the work....

Department of Homeland Security Implements RAPIDGate Program at Facilities in D.C. Area
RAPIDGate Program to Increase Security and Streamline Access for Thousands of Private Vendors
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/department-homeland-security-implements-rapidgate/story.aspx?guid=%7B4A03721D-318D-4930-B8FB-7DB4F281B304%7D&dist=hppr

Careful science can help to fight terrorism (MI5 Bullshit)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0a5579ac-5ca3-11dd-8d38-000077b07658.html

Study urges intelligence against terrorism (DOD Outsource RAND Bullshit)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=65063&sectionid=3510203

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