Senate denies SEAL Commander RAdm. Losey second star - ending his career

Navy SEAL admiral’s rare, public punishment | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com
The career death of Rear Adm. Brian Losey, [Brian Losey | LinkedIn] the Navy SEAL leader being forced to retire after his promotion was blocked in the Senate, marks the most public punishment ever at the top rank of the elite SEALs, who are known for running below the radar with their combat missions and internal business.

Even more tension between Congress and the SEALs may be looming. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, said this week that he will oppose the nomination of Losey’s replacement, Rear Adm. Tim Szymanski.

Hunter told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he has concerns about the incoming SEAL commander’s past performance on contracting, training and acquisitions. He didn’t elaborate on the alleged problems.

Szymanski couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.

Losey, who leads the Coronado-based Naval Special Warfare Command, was nominated for a second star in 2011. Then the Pentagon’s inspector general spent multiple years investigating him on complaints of retaliation when he was serving in Europe -- and eventually found wrongdoing. But Navy leaders disagreed with that conclusion and were set to give Losey his long-delayed promotion before the Senate intervened.

Related/Background:

• Navy SEAL admiral's promotion denied after review 
• Punish leaders who retaliate: Military Times editorial 
• Promotion denied for Navy admiral accused of punishing whistleblowers - The Washington Post 
• Navy SEAL Admiral's Rare, Public Punishment | Military.com

Navy wants to mothball Tico Cruisers to fund new ships

Navy Matters: Idled Cruiser Update
The Navy has been trying for several years, now, to early retire the Ticonderoga class Aegis cruisers. Presumably, the reason is to eliminate any potential competition with the Flt III Burkes that might threaten their funding. Ironically, the Spruance class destroyers were retired and sunk to eliminate them as competition with the Ticonderogas! The wheel turns full circle, I guess.

Randy Forbes: Navy Has ‘No Credibility’ On Cruisers « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary

WASHINGTON: The cruiser war continues. With House seapower subcommittee chairman Randy Forbes declaring the Navy has “no credibility” when they promise to modernize aging Ticonderoga-class cruisers, House Republicans and Navy leaders are accelerating towards a public collision.

“They really don’t want to do the modernization,” Forbes told me. “What the Navy really wants to do is what they did from day one: They want to take seven of these cruisers out of commission and destroy them.” When Congress rejected that proposal, he said, “then they came back with this Disney type of fairy tale[:] ‘What we meant to say is we don’t want to kill them, we just want to put them in a deep sleep.'”

Forbes thought the Navy’s 11-year modernization plan was a backdoor attempt to decommission the ships. He thinks the current four years-per-ship plan is still too slow and leaves the Navy too much room to slow-roll Congress. That’s why he wants the acceleration to two years per ship: It will force the Navy to get started.

The Navy argues that going from four years to two doesn’t give the shipyards enough leeway to manage their workflow, resulting in lower efficiency and higher costs. Forbes doesn’t agree and says the shipyards don’t either: “The shipyards are not buying what they’re trying to sell there,” he told me, “[but] they [the Navy] right now are putting pressure on these yards not to say what they can do with these cruisers.” If the Navy opens the bidding to yards on both coasts, there should be someone somewhere who can do it efficiently and inexpensively.

“If you want to just do away with the cruisers, we will save money,” Forbes said. “But strategically you pay an enormous price.”
Information Dissemination: What to Do With Those 11 Cruisers
 Speculation on the fate of the 11 Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers that have been slated for “reduced operating status” in response to budget shortfalls continues to mount.  The plan would seem to involve long periods of inactivity in virtual “mothball” status for the ships as facilities and funding become available for modernization work. The age and hard use of the CG 47 class cruisers (the newest was commissioned in 1994) have raised questions on whether the class can continue on much past its estimated 35-year life span. Some experts have raised doubts as to whether a 1980’s era ship designed in the 1970’s can or should be part of the Navy’s front line defense against ballistic and cruise missiles in the 2040’s. The U.S. Navy would appear to have chosen to keep a minimum of 11 ships constantly in commission for the next 20+ years. There is still time however for the Navy to “hedge its bets” by partially preserving some of the Ticonderoga’s in a non-deploying reserve condition in the hope that future funding for a cruiser replacement becomes available. Mr. Putin’s recent shenanigans aside, the drawdown in ground wars in Southwest Asia, and mounting concern over Chinese intentions in the Indo-Pacific basin may yet convince lawmakers to fund large, dedicated air defense ships like the cancelled CG(X) class as a replacement for the aging Tico’s. They have performed in a magnificent manner in both the Cold War and the period of violent peace that followed, but they should not be expected to shoulder on to 50 years of active service.

Related/Background:

• spendergast: Congress limits Navy course on Ford Carriers, UCLASS, & LCS 
• spendergast: RAND - Funding Ship Maintenance a Big Problem 
• spendergast: Should Burke Flight III DDG move out?
• Guided Missile Cruiser USS Cowpens Ceremonially Enters Modernization Period, USS Gettysburg to Follow This Week - USNI News 
• CG-47 Ticonderoga-class
• Navy Continues Advocating Cruiser Modernization Plan Despite Previous Rejections in Congress - USNI News 
• Elements Of Power: Cost Cutting Via Retirement of CG-47 Class Cruisers 

Japan opens radar station to close surveillance gap, watch East China Sea

An aerial view of the Yonaguni island, the location of the new Self Defence Force base, at the western extreme of a string of Japanese islands in the East .

Radar towers stand on Yonaguni island in Okinawa Prefecture in this March 13 photo. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

GSDF Coastal Surveillance Radar Station

Japan opens radar station close to disputed isles, drawing angry China response | Reuters

YONAGUNI, Japan (Reuters) - Japan on Monday switched on a radar station in the East China Sea, giving it a permanent intelligence gathering post close to Taiwan and a group of islands disputed by Japan and China, drawing an angry response from Beijing.
The new Self Defence Force base on the island of Yonaguni is at the western extreme of a string of Japanese islands in the East China Sea, 150 km (90 miles) south of the disputed islands known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has a comprehensive architecture of ocean surveillance systems for monitoring the disparate challenges it faces in supporting its defensive activities, including SOSUS (sound surveillance system)-type submarine detection and tracking systems, high frequency direction finding (HF DF) facilities, ocean surveillance ships, and maritime surveillance aircraft. Information from all of these systems is integrated into the JMSDF’s Ocean Surveillance Information System (JOSIS), the current version of which is officially called the JMSDF OSIS Evolutionary Development (JOED) system, at the JMSDF’s Fleet HQ at Yokosuka, in Kanagawa Prefecture, on the western side of Tokyo Bay.

Related/ Background

• Japan opens SDF radar station on Yonaguni, near disputed islands - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
  
• With China in mind, Japan defense focus heads south- Nikkei Asian Review
• The Tools of Owatatsumi: Japan’s Ocean Surveillance and Coastal Defence Capabilities on JSTOR 
• Yonaguni - The Japan Times 
• Islanders seek injunction against GSDF deployment to remote Yonaguni | The Japan Times 
• Japan building radar near islands claimed by China | i24news - See beyond
• Japan demands China halt oil exploration in part of East China Sea - 92 News HD 

Wreck of USS Conestoga off Farallones Official

USS Conestoga (AT 54) | at San Diego, circa January 1921
(Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 71299)

Navy tugboat lost for a century found off California coast | The Tribune

With the Discovery of the USS Conestoga, Researchers Have Solved a Mystery That Was Nearly 100 Years Old | History | Smithsonian

NOAA discovered remains of the tugboat about 2,000 miles away from where it was originally presumed to have been lost, in California’s Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The Conestoga first appeared in 2009 on a sonar survey that the agency was conducting to document historical shipwrecks in the San Francisco area. At the time, investigators weren’t even sure a wreck was there. Conducting dives in 2014 and 2015, investigators used video cameras mounted on remote-operated vehicles to examine the underwater site more closely. “We went back three times because it just kept calling to us,” says James Delgado, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ Maritime Heritage Program. “There was something about it that spoke to mystery.”
Delgado and Robert Schwemmer, the office’s West Coast regional coordinator, first suspected that the ship might be the Conestoga in the fall of 2014 and confirmed its identity during their October 2015 expedition.

After 95 years, a Navy ship lost at sea with all hands is finally discovered - The Washington Post

Wednesday, 95 years after the USS Conestoga disappeared, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the Navy announced that the wreck has been found a few miles from Southeast Farallon Island, just off the California coast.

The announcement came at a morning ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, attended by relatives of the lost sailors.

The wreck site, in NOAA’s Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, was imaged during a sonar survey in 2009, and examined by underwater robots in 2014 and 2015, said James P. Delgado, director of maritime heritage with the Office of the National Marine Sanctuaries.

After exhaustive research, which was complicated by the Navy’s assessment that the ship had sunk 2,000 miles away, the wreck was confirmed in October as the Conestoga.

US buys DJI T600 Inspire Unmanned Aerials Systems for Kosovo Police

KOSOVO Unmanned Aerials System - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities

Title:             KOSOVO Unmanned Aerials System
Sol. #:            SINLEC16Q0044
Agency:            Department of State
Office:            Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
Location:          Grants, Acquisitions, Procurement and Policy Division (INL/RM/GAPP)
Posted On:         Mar 21, 2016 9:42 am
Base Type:         Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
Link:              https://www.fbo.gov/spg/State/INL/INL-RM-MS/SINLEC16Q0044/listing.html

Related/Background:

Drones for Sale with 4k Cameras | Best Quadcopter Reviews

A German military Mikado quadcopter flies through the air during a unmanned aircraft system demonstration held Oct. 14, 2015, at Camp Marechal de Lattre de Tassigny in Kosovo. During the event, Multinational Battle Group-East soldiers welcomed representatives from the Kosovo Police tactical and training units, the Kosovo Border Police and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program for the capabilities briefing and demonstration. These institutions are considered MNBG-E's partners in ensuring a safe and secure environment, and freedom of movement, in Kosovo. (Photo courtesy Spc. Stephanie Jewell, MNBG-E Southern Command Post) Comments

German and Hungarian soldiers deployed in support of NATO's Kosovo Force mission watch the live camera feed from an RQ-20 Puma unmanned aircraft system during a demonstration held Oct. 14, 2015, at Camp Marechal de Lattre de Tassigny in Kosovo. During the event, Multinational Battle Group-East soldiers welcomed representatives from the Kosovo Police tactical and training units, the Kosovo Border Police and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program for the capabilities briefing and demonstration. These institutions are considered MNBG-E's partners in ensuring a safe and secure environment, and freedom of movement, in Kosovo. (Photo courtesy Spc. Stephanie Jewell, MNBG-E Southern Command Post)

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Quick QUASR Test Lights up disease-carrying mosquitoes

Red means a disease is present to Sandia National Laboratories’ researchers Cameron Ball and Robert Meagher as they test their QUASR, for quenching of unincorporated amplification signal reporters, technique to detect the presence of malaria and viruses like West Nile. Simple enough for field labs and handheld devices, QUASR’s positive signal is 10 times brighter than a negative signal. (Photo by Dino Vournas)

Sandia National Laboratories: News Releases : Lighting up disease-carrying mosquitoes
Robert Meagher, a chemical engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, has developed a simple technique for simultaneously detecting RNA from West Nile and chikungunya virus in samples from mosquitoes. He is now working to add the ability to screen for Zika virus. “Our ultimate goal is to develop an autonomous device to passively monitor for mosquito-borne diseases,” Meagher explained. “But first you need an assay that is more robust than the gold standard in a laboratory and that has a very low false-positive rate.”

The technique is described in a paper published online in Analytical Chemistry,
Quenching of unincorporated amplification signal reporters (QUASR) in RT-LAMP enables bright, single-step, closed-tube, and multiplexed detection of RNA viruses

Cameron S. Ball, Yooli K. Light, Chung-Yan Koh, Sarah S. Wheeler, Lark L. Coffey, and Robert J. Meagher

Anal. Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b04054

Publication Date (Web): March 16, 2016

Copyright © 2016 American Chemical Society

Abstract

Reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) has frequently been proposed as an enabling technology for simplified diagnostic tests for RNA viruses. However, common detection techniques used for LAMP and RT-LAMP have drawbacks, including: poor discrimination capability, inability to multiplex targets, high rates of false positives, and (in some cases) the requirement of opening reaction tubes post-amplification. Here, we present a simple technique that allows closed-tube, target-specific detection, based on inclusion of a dye-labeled primer that is incorporated into a target-specific amplicon if the target is present. A short, complementary quencher hybridizes to unincorporated primer upon cooling down at the end of the reaction, thereby quenching fluorescence of any unincorporated primer. Our technique, which we term QUASR (for Quenching of Unincorporated Amplification Signal Reporters, read “quasar”), does not significantly reduce the amplification efficiency or sensitivity of RT-LAMP. Equipped with a simple LED excitation source and a colored plastic gel filter, the naked eye or a camera can easily discriminate between positive and negative QUASR reactions, which produce a difference in signal of approximately 10:1 without background subtraction. We demonstrate that QUASR detection is compatible with complex sample matrices such as human blood, using a novel LAMP primer set for bacteriophage MS2 (a model RNA virus particle). Furthermore, we demonstrate single-tube duplex detection of West Nile virus (WNV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) RNA.

Publications Authored by Robert J Meagher

MBDA pushes Reaper to carry Brimstone

Brimstone integration on Reaper success, MBDA says - News - Shephard

Brimstone Reaper integration still in the pipeline
MBDA is still hopeful its dual-mode Brimstone air-to-surface missile will be carried on General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles, as it awaits requirements that will lead to the next round of testing.
An initial test campaign concluded in January 2014 at the US Navy’s China Lake weapons range in California included nine live firings against moving ground vehicles, all of which resulted in direct hits.

Related/Background:

• MBDA Plans Brimstone 2 Missile Trial on AH-64 Apache | Defense News: Aviation International News 
• Reaper and Mr Dual Mode Brimstone - Think Defence 
• The Aviationist » This is the effect of a Brimstone missile launched by a Reaper drone on a SUV

Army sets ‘Big Eight’ Modernization Priorities

US Army unveils its 'Big 8' initiatives
U.S. Army Unveils Its 'Big 8' Initiatives | RealClearDefense 
TRADOC Unveils ‘Big Eight’ Modernization Priorities - Blog
“Our intention is … to focus force modernization on the Army’s most critical gaps,” said Maj. Gen. Robert “Bo” Dyess, deputy director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center at TRADOC.

The “Big Eight” are: 

1. future vertical lift; 
2. advanced protection; 
3. cross-domain fires; 
4. combat vehicles; 
5. robotics and autonomous systems; 
6. expeditionary mission command; 
7. cyber and electromagnetic warfare; and 
8. “soldier / team performance and overmatch.”

“Unlike the ‘Big Five’ of the ‘80s, which focused on specific systems, we believe that to cope with the complex challenges of the future … no single system or small numbers of systems will deliver the overmatch that we require,” he said. “Focusing on systems alone might doom the Army to always shooting behind the target.”

Investing in the Big Eight will enhance the Army’s ability to conduct joint combined arms maneuver warfare, wide area security, and air and ground reconnaissance operations against advanced adversaries, Dyess said.

The Future Of Conflict And The U.S. Army's Big 8 Initiative | RealClearDefense

One of the Army’s main planning challenges is uncertainty regarding where, when and against whom they will fight. Another is that it has too many identified capabilities gaps with some stakeholder clamoring for attention to each one. A third is a relative scarcity of modernization funds. It is hoped that by developing a Big 8 Initiative and associated management process, the Army leadership can more effectively focus its modernization efforts and resources on the most critical of those gaps.

The Army leadership could enhance the value, credibility and relevance of the Big 8 Initiative by pursuing in the near-term what I would call a “small 8” initiative. The reality is that the Army lacks the resources to push a new set of major platforms as it did in the 1970s. Moreover, it is not clear in a number of the areas what would be the next “big thing.” Finally, even where there are major programs currently underway such as in advanced protection and future vertical lift (FVL), it will be years before they bear any fruit. And the Army may not have that kind of time.

Related/Background:

• TRADOC Overview Concept to Requirements to Capabilities for Procuring Affordable Tactical Missiles 

• Facebook - Adapting the Army
• US Army Seeks Faster Innovation, Capabilities For the Future

Prescribe Patient participation in health care games

Idea to retire: Patients as passive recipients of health care

Managing health care in today’s turbulent economic environment has become a critical issue for all health care stakeholders. Health care is facing the challenge of modernizing and at the same time economizing. The increasing dominance of economic reasoning in health care demands cost-containment and emphasizes self-responsibility, financial stakes, and participation of health care users. Under the logic of health care consumerism, the autonomy of patients has forced medical organizations to be more customer-focused. At the same time, health care consumers assume greater responsibility for their own health care and are being asked to make more decisions—and more complex decisions—than ever before.

Apps that motivate people to live healthier lifestyles are driving the rising demand for health care gamification. The commercial potential for health related services and products are attracting several industry players to invest in gamified apps. For example, gamification can be effectively used in the delivery of health and wellness programs in organizations, including corporations, educational institutions, and public sector organizations. Some examples that help you keep track of your daily activities come from companies like

• Striiv, 
• FitBit, and 
• Nike, with Nike+ and the Nike+ FuelBand . 

Do We Have a Winner? Gamification in Healthcare | HealthBiz Decoded

One of the trends sweeping the healthcare app world is gamification, using game-thinking and game-mechanics to change behavior.
The basic idea is to reward players for accomplishing desired tasks. It may also take advantage of natural competitive tendencies, pitting players against each other or a standard metric.
“Gamification is fundamentally a tool for motivation. In healthcare, it’s primarily useful for behavior change – helping people commit to and stick with activities they know they want to do,” professor Kevin Werbach told HealthBiz Decoded.
“That could be exercising more, taking your medication regularly, or, in the case of the app SuperBetter, taking a series of steps associated with better recovery from serious illnesses,” said Werbach, author of For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business.

Top Ten Gamified Healthcare Games that will extend your Life
In the spirit of helping to make the world a better place, healthcare games are growing to meet real needs. And with the help of gamification, it is now possible to experience fun and joy in developing a healthy lifestyle, while preventing diseases and disorders before its too late.

1.  Ayogo has designed an app called Empower to help patients develop new behavioral habits specific to their condition.
2. Mango Health has designed an app which patients can actually earn monetary rewards simply for taking their medication.
3. Reflexion Health aims to “reimagine the physical therapy experience.”
4. Respond Well’s technology is also aimed at helping physical therapy patients consistently perform their rehab exercise routines.
5. thanks to Cohero Health, there is now an app called Asthma Hero to help young patients stay on schedule.
6. Pact is an app funded by the founder of Guitar Hero. Users literally make pacts with themselves to consistently exercise and eat healthy. And they can get paid real dollars to do so.
7. HubBub’s tagline is “Play Well Together.” It is designed to help companies improve the health of their employees and overall productivity.  
8. Cog Cubed develops applications which target a wide range of cognitive processes.
9. Akili has designed an assessment game called Evo mainly targeted for the purpose of detecting Alzheimer’s disease.
10. Synandus offers “simulation learning technology” for patients and students. Currently, one of their applications is for patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), a progressive disorder where breathing becomes increasingly difficult.

Related/Background

• Health Archives - Gamification Co
• 16 Healthcare Gamification Startups to Watch in 2014 - HIT Consultant
• Gamification in healthcare isn't just about playing games 
• Gamification comes to clinicians | Healthcare IT News
• spendergast: Smartphone and Future of Medicine 

San Diego Air & Space Museum acquires Vought Aircraft collection

San Diego Air & Space Museum - Balboa Park, San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Air & Space Museum recently acquired the Vought archive collection from the Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation in Arlington, Texas. [Triumph Aerostructures - Vought Aircraft Division - Heritage Museum]
The recently acquired collection is the largest component of the surviving archive of the Vought Aircraft companies, according to museum officials.

It’ll take more than a year to catalog, digitize and present the collection. The library includes virtually every aircraft designed or built around the world, from gliders, helicopters, missiles, spacecraft and satellites.
The F4U Corsair was restored by the museum. The name added to the cockpit is Marine Corp Pilot Jerry Coleman.
This now elevates the San Diego Air and Space Museum, to the number one, private collection archive library in the nation.

 Related/background

• spendergast: San Diego Air & Space Museum - Balboa Park, San Diego 
• spendergast: San Diego Air & Space Museum - World War II Gallery
• San Diego museum to preserve legacy of Vought Aircraft | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com
• San Diego Air & Space Museum acquires Vought Aircraft collection — General Aviation News 
• Texas Trust Credit Union gift to help Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation transport replica plane - CUInsight 
•  Major World War II collection coming to San Diego - CW6 San Diego

Boeing’s Echo Voyager UUV operates for months with hybrid power system

Echo Voyager is the newest member to join Boeing’s unmanned undersea vehicle family. The 51-foot vehicle is designed to stay underwater for months at a time. Boeing has designed and operated manned and unmanned deep sea systems since the 1960s.

Unmanned undersea vehicle employs hybrid power system to operate for months - Military Embedded Systems

Echo Voyager, Boeing's latest unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV), can operate autonomously for months at a time thanks to a hybrid rechargeable power system and modular payload bay. The 51-foot-long vehicle is the latest innovation in Boeing’s UUV family, joining the 32-foot Echo Seeker and the 18-foot Echo Ranger.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. Echo Voyager – Boeing’s unmanned, undersea vehicle (UUV) – is slated to undergo sea trials later this summer. Due to its hybrid rechargeable propulsion power system and modular payload bay, the vehicle can operate autonomously for months at a time, officials say.

“Echo Voyager can collect data while at sea, rise to the surface, and provide information back to users in a near real-time environment,” says Lance Towers, director, Sea & Land, Boeing Phantom Works. 

Related/Background:

• Next Big Future: Boeing Echo Voyager Unmanned Submarine is similar in length to WW2 German U-boats
• Boeing’s New AUV Operates Autonomously for Months | Industrial Equipment News 
• Long-endurance unmanned undersea vehicle introduced - UPI.com 

U.S. Coast Guard Seeks Sources for C4IT Services

Request for Information for U.S. Coast Guard C4IT Engineering Development, Integration, and Support Services - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities

Sol. #: HSCG44-16-R-RFI0012

Agency: Department of Homeland Security

Office: United States Coast Guard (USCG)

Location: C4IT (C3CEN)

Posted On: Mar 14, 2016 2:43 pm

Current Type: Sources Sought (Modified)

Base Type: Sources Sought
Base Posting Date: Mar 09, 2016 4:24 pm

Link: https://www.fbo.gov/notices/599280f11bc7c540b26800714f29c950


Requirement: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Information Technology (C4IT) Service Center has a requirement to procure acquire C4IT Engineering Development, Integration, and Support Services (CEDISS) for the design, development, integration, testing, and prototyping of new C4IT systems as well as modifications and technology refreshment or upgrades to existing C4IT systems. These services would also include the development and maintenance of engineering change and logistics support documents that enable C4IT system sustainment. These technical engineering development and support services are required by the Coast Guard's C4IT Service Center, and in particular the Command, Control, and Communications Engineering Center (C3CEN) located in Portsmouth, Virginia.

C3CEN's primary mission is to develop, integrate, deploy, maintain, and enhance advanced electronic Command and Control (C2), communications, and navigation systems. C3CEN facilitates continuous
improvement engineering that focuses on the rapid deployment of essential functionality followed by planned improvements based on enhanced or refined requirements. The systems developed and supported at C3CEN have a multi-mission focus on Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Maritime Mobility, Marine Safety, Defense Readiness, Marine Environmental Protection, and Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security. The systems may be as complex as a multi-tiered network of computers, radars, navigation receivers, satellite and radio based communication links installed throughout a Coast Guard Cutter, or a geographic based web-service Information Management System (IMS) that performs real-time correlation of CG and other government agency data feeds to provide maritime domain awareness, integrated vessel targeting, joint mission planning, and operations monitoring capabilities. Alternatively, the system may be as simple as interfacing a commercial maritime radar with an electronic chart plotter on a small boat. In both instances, the system architecture and development activities reflect the Coast Guard system engineering lifecycle process while the system implementation supports the Coast Guard's operational Sense-Assess-Decide-Act cycle performed by hundreds of ashore, afloat, and aviation units nationwide.


The C4ITSC and C3CEN have a continuing need for contractual access to qualified personnel with the required knowledge and experience, equipment, test instrumentation, data collection and analysis, and other technical services to support the design, development, integration, testing, prototyping, modification, upgrade, and technical refresh of  C4IT systems supported by the following seven (7) Product Lines and Core Technologies:

• Communications Area Master Stations (CAMS): The CAMS product line provides reliable and efficient communications to USCG units and the  maritime public. Some services are also key elements of the Global  Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). Command Centers: The Command Centers product line develops and  sustains integrated C2 systems designed to provide the Coast Guard's  Area, District and Sector Commander's with Maritime Domain Awareness  (MDA).
• Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS): The DGPS product line supports the Nationwide and Maritime Differential Global Positioning  Systems that broadcast correction signals on marine radio beacon  frequencies to improve the accuracy of and integrity to GPS-derived  positions. The System provides service for coverage of the continental
  US, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, portions of Alaska and Hawaii, and a  greater part of the Mississippi River Basin.
• Remote Mission Systems: The Remote Mission Systems product line  support remotely operated systems consisting of shore based VHF  communication systems, nationwide automatic identification of vessels in harbors and harbor approaches, and electronic aids to navigation in  support of USCG missions.
• Command and Control Systems: The Command and Control Systems core  technology supports Shipboard C2 systems (SeaWatch), Navy Type Navy Owned, Intelligence and other tactical systems for the U.S. Coast Guard's C4IT, Surface and Aviation Product Lines.
• Communication Systems: The Communications System core technology  supports UHF, VHF, HF and MF radio systems (e.g., commercial satellite,  military satellite and terrestrial radio communication systems) designed to meet established enterprise-wide requirements as well as supporting  ancillary radio system components (e.g. antennas, patch panels, modems)  both afloat and ashore.
• Navigation Systems: The Navigation System core technology supports  electronic navigation systems and navigation sensors installed onboard  all Coast Guard boats and cutters. Electronic navigation systems  comprise both commercial and government systems that serve as Electronic Charting Systems (ECS), Electronic Chart Display and Information  Systems (ECDIS), and Integrated Navigation Systems (INS). Navigation Sensors comprise a variety of electronic nautical sensors, Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS) receivers, radars, depth sounders, Automatic Direction Finders (ADF), Automatic Identification System (AIS)
  transponders, and fixed or handheld electro-optical devices.

The following eight (8) functional areas are required to support the Product Lines/Core Technologies identified above:

1. System Requirements Analysis and Development
2. System Design, Development, Implementation, and Enhancement
3. Information Security and Certification and Accreditation Documentation and Support 
4. Integrated Logistics Support Planning and Execution
5. Training Support
6. Field Engineering Support
7. System Life-cycle Support, Manufacturing and Assembly Services
8. System Performance Data Analysis

ExoMars: joint Euro-Russian probe lifts off for Red Planet

ExoMars: joint Euro-Russian mission blasts off for Red Planet - CSMonitor.com


The European Space Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency on Monday launched a probe in a joint mission to explore Mars. The mission, dubbed ExoMars, aims to bring humanity another step closer to setting foot on the Red Planet and perhaps discovering extraterrestrial life.

The spacecraft was blasted into space atop a Proton rocket from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan Monday at 5:31 a.m. Eastern time.

Proton's payload consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a lander called Schiaparelli - See more at: http://www.space.com/32182-exomars-mars-mission-launch-preview.html#sthash.CaKdKRG7.dpuf

Artist's concept of Europe's Trace Gas Orbiter releasing the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator near Mars.

Credit: ESA - See more at: http://www.space.com/32182-exomars-mars-mission-launch-preview.html#sthash.CaKdKRG7.dpuf

Proton's payload consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a lander called Schiaparelli - See more at: http://www.space.com/32182-exomars-mars-mission-launch-preview.html#sthash.CaKdKRG7.dpuf

 ExoMars payload Trace Gas Orbiter launches
Schiaparelli lander to Mars

the ‘team of teams’ comprising the flight engineers and specialists
at ESA’s ESOC control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, who
will fly the ExoMars orbiter, performed a dress rehearsal.

Related/Background:

• ExoMars on its Way to Solve the Red Planet's Mysteries 
• European-Russian Mars Mission Launches Next Week 
• Euro-Russian Mission to Mars Blasts Off From Baikonur Cosmodrome 
• Mission control ready for Mars launch

Artist's concept of Europe's Trace Gas Orbiter releasing the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator near Mars. - See more at: http://www.space.com/32182-exomars-mars-mission-launch-preview.html#sthash.CaKdKRG7.dpuf

Proton's payload consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a lander called Schiaparelli - See more at: http://www.space.com/32182-exomars-mars-mission-launch-preview.html#sthash.CaKdKRG7.dpuf

Proton's payload consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a lander called Schiaparelli - See more at: http://www.space.com/32182-exomars-mars-mission-launch-preview.html#sthash.CaKdKRG7.dpuf

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5 Streaming Sites That Are Alternatives to Netflix - Consumer Reports

Acorn.tv

• British TV fare For only $5 a month, 
• available on Roku, some Samsung smart TVs, and Apple TV boxes that run tvOS. You can also watch it on iPhones, iPads and computers, ideally those using the Chrome browser, according to the site's FAQ. 
• For those with an Amazon Prime membership, Acorn can be ordered as part of Amazon's streaming partners program.

Mubi.com

• Mubi.com for indie, cult and classic films, too at $5 a month, 
• Available in the U.S. on a PC or a Mac; an Android or Apple mobile device; and some Samsung smart TVs.
  

Crunchyroll.com

• for anime, manga, and other Asian TV fare 
• Available to paid subscribers on Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku streaming boxes; Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation game consoles; Android and iOS mobile devices; and Windows phones.
  

Fandor

• offers films handpicked for hard-core movie buffs.  It also has some Criterion Collection gems, thanks to a deal with Hulu.
• Available to subscribers on a PC or a Mac computer; Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku streaming players; and some iOS and Android mobile devices.

Tubitv.com

• for 40,000 titles, including selections from the libraries of MGM, Lionsgate, and Paramount Pictures.
• Available on PC or Mac computers; Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku players; some Samsung smart TVs; and many iOS and Android mobile devices.

A Few More Options

• Crackle.com
• Sony's Crackle.com, a free, ad-supported service
• Available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku; Android and iOS mobile devices; LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio smart TVs; and game consoles.
• Shudder.com
• a horror-film-focused service that costs either $5 a month or $50 a year. 
• Available on some Android and iOS mobile devices.
• Spuul.com
• basically a ticket to Bollywood films.
• Available on Apple TV or Chromecast; and some LG, Panasonic, and Samsung smart TVs.

Even More Options:

• Top 25 Sites for Free Movies & TV Streaming Without Downloading ~ Watch Free Movies TV Shows Online Streaming Sites and Best Websites for Free Movies 
• Best Streaming Video 2015 | The Webby Awards 
• Top 7+ Best Free Live Video Streaming Websites – Sites 2016 
• Best Streaming Services - Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and More 
• TOP 10 FREE MOVIE STREAMING SITES 
• Top 35 Best Free Movie Streaming Sites 2016 To Watch Movies Online Free - Tricks Forums 
• Best TV and movie streaming sites and services | Digital Trends

Sandia wants to test your Counter Unmanned Aerial System

DVIDS - White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs

Partnership Opportunity for Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities

Title: Partnership Opportunity for Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems

Sol. #: 16_455

Agency: Department of Energy Office: Sandia Corp. (DOE Contractor)

Location: Sandia National Laboratories
Posted On: Mar 01, 2016 11:58 am

Base Type: Special Notice

Link: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOE/SNL/SN/16_455/listing.html


Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has an ongoing effort to objectively test and evaluate (T&E) counter unmanned aerial system (CUAS) technologies for use in physical security systems. SNL is seeking CUAS vendors to loan their equipment for T&E against baseline parameters. The testing goal is to determine potential suitability for CUAS use at various security installations and, to a limited extent, assist vendors in determining their system’s capabilities and limitations.

Opportunity Description

SNL is seeking vendors to loan their CUAS equipment for T&E purposes. The near-term objective is to investigate CUAS features and limitations with the goal of determining suitability and readiness for potential deployment at various sites. CUASs that are eligible for T&E consideration must meet the baseline parameters and criteria listed below and in Appendix A. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) used for testing will have similar characteristics to that of Department of Defense (DoD) UAS Groups 1 and 2. Per DoD, Chairman of  the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction, Groups 1 and 2 are defined as follows:

·         Group 1 UA. Typically weighs less than 20 pounds. It normally operates VFR in Class E, G, and Restricted or Uncontrolled airspace below 1,200 feet AGL at speeds less than 100 knots under a JMQ A mission. The JUMTS for Group 1 UAS is BUQ I and JMQ A.

·         Group 2 UA. Typically weighs 21–55 pounds. It normally operates VFR in Class D, E, G, and Restricted airspace below 3,500 feet AGL at speeds less than 250 knots under a JMQ A mission. The JUMTS for Group 2 UAS is BUQ II and JMQ A. 

CUAS performance will be evaluated in the following areas: detection, target assessment, tracking, and neutralization. Down-selected CUASs from qualified respondents will have an opportunity to undergo T&E by SNL. These vendors must provide SNL with a technology briefing within 2 weeks once selected.  Systems that perform well will have the further potential to be procured and
deployed into security applications. Some data may be provided to the vendor. Non-disclosure agreements may be established, if required.

Related/Background:

• Uncle Sam Wants Your Ideas For Stopping Drones: Black Dart Tests « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary 
• Army steps up search for anti-drone technology -- Defense Systems 
• spendergast: Saab adds Counter-UAS Capabilities to Giraffe AMB Radar Family 
• spendergast: Directed-energy UAS Countermeasure | Battelle DroneDefender™ |
• NATO Drones Brochüre english_FINAL 11122013.pdfx
• Counter-UAS Systems | SRC, Inc.
• Exclusive: U.S. government, police working on counter-drone system - sources | Reuters 
• UAS Detection Classification and Neutralization: Market Survey 2015 - 156365.pdf 
• Counter – Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) Radar