Carter Encouraged by Developing NATO Capabilities

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, February 11, 2016 — During meetings in Brussels today, NATO defense ministers discussed deterring and defending against high-end threats emanating from Russia and the threat that the Islamic State poses to southern allies, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said.

Defense leaders from the 28-nation alliance have gathered at its headquarters for two days of talks on NATO’s continued adaptation in the face of growing security challenges.

Carter said he briefed ministers on the details of the U.S. $3.4 billion European Reassurance Initiative that is in the fiscal year 2017 defense budget request.

“Among other things, it invests in forces and capabilities to operationalize our strong and balanced strategic approach to Russia,” he said during a news conference.

If approved, the funds will support more U.S. rotational forces in Europe, Carter said, “including heel-to-toe rotations that maintain the persistent presence of an armored brigade combat team throughout the year.”

Funding More Training, Exercises

The proposal would fund more training and exercises with allies and base pre-positioned equipment to outfit an additional armored brigade combat team, a division headquarters, a field artillery brigade and air defense units. It would also fund infrastructure improvements to airfields, training centers and ranges throughout Europe.

“It will expand military capability and allow for the quick deployment to the region,” Carter said.

All of these efforts will allow the United States to rapidly form a highly capable combined arms force that could respond theater-wide, if necessary, the defense secretary noted.

Carter told his counterparts that the U.S. defense budget also funds capabilities to deter high-end adversaries.

Readiness Plan Progress

The defense secretary said he is pleased to see progress by allies on the NATO Readiness Action Plan. He specifically praised Turkey and Denmark, who are providing forces that will make the alliance’s very high readiness task force operationally capable.

Still more must happen, Carter said. “NATO must further strengthen its posture to deter and, if necessary, defeat any aggressor across the spectrum of threats,” he said.

“Whether it comes to hybrid, cyber or information operations, Russian actions speak volumes,” the defense secretary said. “They make clear why all allies must continue to invest in and modernize their capabilities -- not only to respond to current challenges, but to stay ahead of potential threats.”

Flexibility and agility will be vital to NATO in the future. “We must demonstrate to potential foes that, if they start a war, we have the capability to win on our terms,” Carter said. “Because for a force to deter conflict, it must show it can dominate a conflict. This is a responsibility we all share.”

The allies also explored ways the alliance can make contributions to the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Later today, Carter will meet with NATO and partner nations that are part of the counter-ISIL coalition to discuss ways to accelerate progress against the terrorist group.

F-35 Program Moving Forward, Addressing Challenges, Official Says

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, February 10, 2016 — The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program is moving forward while addressing various challenges, the program's executive officer said today.

"In the big picture, I would tell you that the program right now is accelerating, growing and changing," Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan said at a media roundtable in Arlington, Virginia.

He detailed a number of challenges in the program, including incorporating fixes to address the current flight restrictions on lightweight pilots.

"The mark of a good program is you find the problems, you solve the problems and you keep the program moving forward without derailing it," he said.

The development program, he said, is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2017.

"What we're trying to do right now is work toward that very large $50-plus-billion contract and turn that into a modernization program," he said, adding that the program will have to be more efficient than has been the case in the last 15 or more years.

Addressing Issues, Moving Forward

The program currently has 419 deficiencies to be corrected, Bogdan said, explaining that the figure is "not that many." Despite the challenges, he added, the program is advancing.

"We are making progress,” the general said. “Sometimes it's not as fast as we want. Sometimes it's messy. Sometimes we have setbacks.”

The problems include issues with software, hardware, and the Autonomic Logistics Information System, or ALIS. He noted that 700 to 800 deficiencies already have been addressed.

Possible Dangers for Lightweight Pilots

Due to a possible risk of neck injury should ejection be necessary, lightweight pilots are restricted from flying the F-35s. For a pilot weighing between 103 and 136 pounds, Bogdan said, the odds of that person having to eject and then being injured in the ejection are one in 50,000.

The changes being implemented include a "heavy/light" weight switch, the general said. When in the "light" position, the seat would delay the parachute's extraction by milliseconds if the pilot had to eject, so the shock and stress on the neck would be reduced, he explained.

A restraining device also was sewn into the risers behind the parachute so that if a lightweight pilot were to eject at a "weird angle" it would stop the pilot's head from going backward, he added.

The head restraint and the seat switch have been tested, and they work, he said, adding that those fixes are ready to go into the field and in production by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Bogdan said, the helmet's weight has to be reduced from 5.1 pounds to between 4.6 and 4.8 pounds. That change is lagging behind the other fixes by at least eight or nine months.

"I don't like that," he added, noting that all three solutions must be in place before the restriction on lightweight pilots can be lifted.

Air Force Deferring Orders

Bogdan said the Air Force's announcement yesterday that it intends to buy 43, rather than 48, F-35s in fiscal year 2017 is "almost a non-news event." The Air Force is deferring purchases, not cutting airplanes, he explained.

The Navy kept its fiscal 2017 “C” models of the jet at four, and the Marine Corps went from 14 to 16 airplanes for the “B” model, he said, noting that amounts to a net loss of three airplanes for the U.S. services.

The program plans to deliver more than 870 airplanes over the next six years, Bogdan said, adding that one can "barely measure" the reduction from the Air Force in that timeframe, he said.

The general said he is looking at the program "holistically," taking into account international partners as well as possible future customers.

New Navy Postal Directory System to Improve Mail Service for Sailors

By Tom Kreidel, NAVSUP FLC Norfolk Office of Corporate Communication

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Personnel from Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk visited USS George Washington (CVN 73) Feb. 9 in part of its current effort to assist area mail facilities with the installation and implementation of a new system to process transferring Sailors' mail quickly.

According to the Regional Navy Mail Center (RNMC) Division Director Jeffrey Gibbs, the Navy Postal Directory System will be on line for all ships as of March 1 and all shore based facilities and mail rooms by March 31.

He says NPDS is a Microsoft Access program that automates the mail processing and record keeping for a command. It stores individual personal address data for current personnel assigned to a command and also stores new data for personnel when they transfer so that mail received by the command may be readdressed and forwarded.

NPDS also prepares and prints address labels for readdressing mail and automatically purges files for transferred personnel.

Gibbs explained that with the old program a command had to be able to receive an Authority to Operate (ATO) to be used on ship and shore computer systems. When unable to obtain an ATO for old system, the command would have to manually keep the data in a card filing system. New addresses would then have to be manually placed on a mail piece for forwarding.

"This will simplify mail redirect services for all Navy commands, which depending on size of command can be a significant manpower savings in time taken to process redirect mail," he added.

Gibbs added that training is a major portion of the support from the mail center.

"The RNMC team has prepared step by step processes for use by all fleet and shore commands for implementation of the new NPDS program," he said. "RNMC provides hands on training and guidance with actual ship and shore command visits, along with training sessions in the RNMC Classroom on the NPDS program for all supported customers."

NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Norfolk, one of eight fleet logistics centers under NAVSUP Global Logistics Support (GLS), provides operational logistics, business and support services to fleet, shore and industrial commands of the Navy, Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command and other Joint and Allied Forces. Services include contracting, regional transportation, fuel, material management, household goods movement support, postal and consolidated mail, warehousing, global logistics and husbanding, hazardous material management and integrated logistics support.

NAVSUP GLS provides global logistics for a global Navy. The organization is made up of more than 6,300 military and civilian logistics professionals operating from 105 locations worldwide providing an extensive array of integrated global logistics and contracting services to Navy, Marine Corps, joint operational units and allied forces across all warfare enterprises.