Defense Dept.

WASHINGTON, (11/2/09) - The Defense Department has started receiving H1N1 vaccines and will begin distributing doses in the coming weeks.

The Health and Human Services Department is distributing the vaccines, manufactured by four producers, to the department. Because rates of production vary among the manufacturers, supplies are expected to be limited initially, but to increase over time, said Ellen P. Embrey, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.    » read more »

October 30, 2009 -- U. S. ARMY NORTH – As the leaves turn and the country heads into winter U. S. Army North personnel are preparing to exercise and train the one of the Department of Defense’s consequence management response forces at Camp Atterbury, Ind. Nov 1 – 13.

Exercise Vibrant Response 10.1 will put about four thousand members of Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF, 10.1 through a domestic incident response in support of a primary agency for the first time.    » read more »

Nov 02, 2009 -- WASHINGTON — As shipments of some 3.7 million doses of H1N1 vaccine ordered by the Defense Department continue to arrive from the manufacturer, more than enough will be available for all military personnel and their beneficiaries, military medical experts say.

Navy Cmdr. Danny Shiau, division chief for the Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery's force health protection, and Dr. Robert Morrow, the bureau's preventive medicine programs and policy officer, took questions about the military's seasonal flu and H1N1 preparedness efforts during an Oct. 29 "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.

Morrow explained why it has taken the primary manufacturer, Novartis, longer than expected to produce the vaccine.    » read more »

11/3/2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNS) -- The Navy Research Laboratory's Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI)was launched Oct. 18, 2009, offering a first of its kind technique for remote sensing of the ionosphere and thermosphere from space.

The SSULI was developed by NRL's Space Science Division and Spacecraft Engineering Department
and launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle.    » read more »

October 28, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, the Obama administration announced a formal Memorandum of Understanding signed between various agencies involved in the siting of large-scale renewable energy projects and transmission lines, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Council on Environmental Quality, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Department of the Interior.

Statement of Sierra Club Clean Energy Solutions Campaign Director Alex Levinson    » read more »

Fund Would Provide Greater Aid to Military Families Nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 4, 2009 -- Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will endorse a bill that would provide aid to military families in all branches of the armed services at a National Press Club Newsmakers press conference at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. The press conference will be in the Zenger Room on the 13th floor of National Press Building, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20045.    » read more »

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Sea Test Range, Calif., Nov. 2, 2009 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and the U.S. Navy completed the first free-flight demonstration of the Joint Standoff Weapon Extended Range air-to-surface precision guided missile.

The JSOW-ER is a powered variant of the combat-proven glide JSOW. It takes the GPS-inertial navigation system reliability of existing JSOW variants and combines it with the network-enabled maritime-interdiction capabilities currently in development for the JSOW C-1. The JSOW-ER also integrates the Hamilton-Sundstrand TJ-150 engine, currently in production for Raytheon's Miniature Air Launched Decoy.    » read more »

ANAHEIM, Calif., Nov. 3, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has delivered upgraded cryptography devices to Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system. The devices provide additional communications security between the missile system's launch control centers and launch facilities.

The new devices are part of the ICBM Cryptography Upgrade (ICU) program for ICBM missile wings at Air Force bases F.E. Warren in Wyoming, Malmstrom in Montana and Minot in North Dakota. Boeing designed, developed and delivered the replacement units and supporting technical data, trainers, support equipment, and code processing system modifications.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) issued the following statement today on learning that Shaw Air Force Base has been selected as a candidate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

“I was pleased to receive word today from the Secretary of the Air Force that Shaw Air Force Base has been selected as a candidate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) – the Air Force’s new fifth generation fighter designed to replace the F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II.

“In choosing candidates for the F-35, the Air Force evaluated over 200 sites. The process was highly competitive, and Shaw’s selection as a candidate is testament to its strength and value as an Air Force base.    » read more »

October 28, 2009 -- THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please, everybody be seated.

Good afternoon. I have often said that meeting our greatest challenges would require not only changing policies in Washington but changing the way business is done in Washington; that it would require a government that's more efficient and effective and less influenced by lobbyists and parochial politics. And I'm pleased to say that when it comes to the defense bill I'm about to sign into law, we've taken some important steps towards that goal.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Air force is planning to start deploying its new F-35A fighters at 10 locations around the country starting late next year or early in 2011.

And a new study out today of 205 potential locations names the top 10 spots where the planes could be housed for training and military operations – including two locations in the Sunshine State.

The two Florida spots are Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach in the Panhandle, which would be home initially to 59 of the fighters for pilot training; and, the second location is at Jacksonville International Airport, where 18 of the jets would be housed with the Florida Air National Guard.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Mark Begich released the following statement after learning the Department of Defense will not be putting any of the first 250-300 aircraft of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) at any of Alaska's military bases:

"Given Alaska's important geographic and strategic advantages for the overall defense of our country, I am disappointed to learn that none of Alaska's Air Force bases were chosen as one of the preferred locations to base a portion of the Air Force's first 250-300 aircraft in the F-35 JSF. This is particularly disappointing since the Air Force indicated last fall that Eielson was on the "short list."    » read more »

Senator's New Requirements Will Help Returning Soldiers, Prevent Needless Tragedies

October 28, 2009 -- (Washington, D.C.) - Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus joined President Obama today for the signing of his legislation to provide medical screenings to returning combat troops to help identify and treat post-combat related behavioral health issues. Baucus’ measure was included in the final version of the Department of Defense Authorization Bill that the President signed into law.    » read more »

October 27, 2009 -- In response to a decision by the Department of Defense, U.S. Senator Mark Begich commended Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for committing to finish silo construction at Fort Greely's Missile Field 2 over the next two years.

This decision follows a strong and continuing push from Begich to make necessary investments in the ground based mid-course missile defense (GMD) system modernization and infrastructure amidst increasing Iranian missile launches.    » read more »

TOKYO, Oct. 20, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he looks forward to building on the strong U.S.-Japan security relationship during his meetings here with the new Japanese government, but that he plans to urge its leaders to leave intact security arrangements that have been years in the making.

Gates, the first U.S. Cabinet member to visit since the new Japanese Democratic Party government took office last month, told reporters he understands Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s interest in reviewing certain policies. “President [Barack] Obama’s administration has done the same thing,” he said.    » read more »