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CHARLOTTE, North Carolina--The Army took delivery of its new robotic mule--known as the Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport, or S-MET--in late 2022. Less than 18 months later, it has started the [...]

Over the last few years, we have been sounding the alarm over what we have perceived as a potential threat to U.S. defense--the very real possibility of a critical shortage [...]

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia--NATO nations have provided billions of dollars' worth of military equipment and systems to Ukraine, and while that support has been critical to the country's defense against Russia's invasion, [...]

PARIS--Ukraine has a message it wants to convey to the U.S. defense industrial base and the government. The war-torn nation desperately needs artillery and artillery rounds, but what can truly [...]

As experienced operators in the U.S. defense industry are keenly aware, the U.S. government has taken several actions in recent years to counter the threat posed by adoption of Chinese [...]

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Army is preparing to launch a competition for the second increment of the Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport, or SMET, better known as its 'robotic mule.' The [...]

Army Robotic Combat Vehicle Advances BY SEAN CARBERRY NOVI, Michigan--The Army's effort to field the Robotic Combat Vehicle has completed a major soldier experimentation phase, and the team behind the [...]

To project and sustain power overseas, the U.S. military must maintain a robust strategic sealift capability, to include the Merchant Marine. The Defense Department and civilian agencies are now teaming [...]

Anyone who tried to buy a car or dishwasher--or perhaps an F-35 fighter--since the COVID-19 pandemic began most likely learned there is a semiconductor shortage. Growing demand for high-tech devices [...]

* The pandemic-fueled supply chain crisis that has clobbered industries across the nation is also affecting a key Pentagon office tasked with countering biological threats, limiting its ability to surge [...]

Additive manufacturing has come to the forefront of the Army's attention as the service looks for ways to quickly reproduce parts without needing to continuously rely on industry. In 2019, [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the military to put a renewed emphasis on cyber training as servicemembers increase their use of teleworking. The expansion of remote work has raised concerns [...]

* The Pentagon is contracting with industry to develop a 'mass-wearable' device for U.S. troops that will better protect them from chemical and biological threats on the battlefield. In June, [...]

* Soldiers are testing new tactical gear in support of the Army's efforts to modernize its network capabilities. The service has been embarking on a series of capability sets as [...]

There is a new administration and a new Congress. But will it be a new day for the way the Department of Homeland Security acquires technology? The past five years [...]

* Dismounted troops know that they will always have an adequate supply of food and water in any operation. The Army spends billions of dollars to ensure that's the case. [...]

THE ARMY'S RAPID EQUIPPING Force--which began in 2002 as an ad hoc effort to speed equipment to soldiers--is taking root and growing, according to its director, Col. Gregory Tubbs. After [...]

They scour caves in Afghanistan, drawing gasps of admiration from military and civilians alike. They scout enemy streets, keeping foot soldiers out of harm's way as much as possible. Years [...]

Whereas the Defense Department is expected to cut back on purchases of new weapons, nations such as China, India, Brazil, South Korea and Australia are increasing spending on defense equipment. [...]

* As countries face constrained defense budgets and escalating equipment costs, we are likely to see a significant rise in government-to-government transfers of used defense systems. This trend may affect [...]

Coming soon to a theater of operations: Troops who use storytelling and role-play to defeat roadside bombs. Improvised explosive devices are the number one killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, [...]

Brain injuries caused by improvised explosive devices are being called the 'signature wounds' of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Blasts from roadside bombs are capable of sending shockwaves through the [...]

* FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla -- Army Lt. Gen. Michael Oates, the new director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, wants contractors, small businesses, or inventors working in their [...]

* As the United States enters a new era of defense cooperation with Japan, it will have to cope with pushback from the Japanese public, businesses and lawmakers. In 1967 [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Army's antiquated ways of buying new equipment are depriving soldiers of the latest technology and making it more difficult for them to do their jobs, says Vice [...]

The news appears good on the surface. The Defense Department has doubled its investment in chemical and biological defense since 9/11, and proposes a 20 percent increase during the next [...]

In an Army that heavily depends on battery-operated devices to do its job, the complaints are well documented: Batteries are too heavy, too bulky and not very user-friendly. All that [...]

In the scramble to deliver equipment requested by commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army often bypassed its own procurement bureaucracy. That is good news for troops in the field. [...]

Devices that replicate Iraq's roadside bombs are in such high demand at U.S. military training ranges that the Army recently doubled its orders for so-called 'IED simulators.' Improvised explosive devices [...]

Companies in the defense supply chain know well the threat of counterfeit parts. Clark Silcox wrote about this threat in his June National Defense article, 'New Strategies to Combat Counterfeit [...]

The article discusses the need of the U.S. military for technological advances. The U.S. military still clamors for more technological advances that can help them combat their battles. These new gadgets should be flexible to adapt to the changing needs dictated by an unpredictable enemy. Troops need technologies to ensure a persistent presence on the border as well as devices that can help them identify people crossing the border. INSETS: U.K. Defense Procurement Entirely 'Joint.';Equipment 'Quick Fixes' Are the Order of the Day.

* An array of sensors have over the years been developed for helicopters, but these systems don't always work well together. And they often do not transmit information to commanders [...]

There are currently 1,340 separate counter-improvised explosive device programs being funded across the Defense Department and the four services, but no one seems to he keeping track of them, a [...]

U.S. military suppliers are fretting over looming budget cuts that could slice more than $50 billion from next year's Pentagon budget, and are carefully studying ways to reposition themselves in [...]

New laws are taking a tough stance on counterfeit parts, requiring defense contractors to establish ways to detect them and keep them out of the military supply chain. For the [...]

* Soldiers in Afghanistan want their own personal robots to scan the insides of buildings and find homemade bombs. The Army is granting those wishes. The U.S. military paid $5.8 [...]

Members of Navy explosive ordnance disposal teams are used to lugging around 50 pounds of batteries and chargers, but scientists are working on a system that weighs just 9 pounds [...]

The Army is considering taking over much of the grunt work that in recent years has been performed by contractors, such as maintaining helicopters and fixing trucks. 'Part of this [...]

The past decade has been a period of unprecedented growth in U.S. arms sales overseas. Foreign military sales could reach a record $50 billion by the end of fiscal year [...]

Many countries, including the United States, have their own programs for developing soldier devices. But they can take two or three years to come to fruition, and the cost goes [...]

EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL AGE * It's been several years since the Army started buying the iPod Touch for use by soldiers in combat. Troops have used the Touch, [...]

* To boost the capabilities of unmanned aircraft, the Army identified three key areas where improved technology is needed: interoperability, sense-and-avoid devices and sensors that measure equipment deterioration. Army leaders [...]

A four-star general selected to run a newly created Pentagon agency wanted the organization to have a catchy name that everyone would remember. Instead, he got JIEDDO. 'We tried to [...]

* The Pentagon began a major expansion of U.S. special operations forces two years ago in order to boost military capabilities in unconventional warfare. Contractors may wonder whether the upsurge [...]

* The Navy plans to issue biometric-capable handheld computers that can help sailors quickly identify a terrorist suspect when they are searching enemy ships. Some biometric systems already exist in [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * A shortage of Arab-speaking interpreters has been a huge hindrance for U.S. troops in the Middle East. The Army tested several translation devices, but none was as [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Navy explosive ordnance disposal divers will soon be getting the next generation underwater breathing apparatus, or NUBA. The self contained re-breather rig features modernized electronic controls that offer [...]

BALTIMORE -- With Marines scattered around dozens of outposts in Iraq and Afghanistan, delivering essential supplies and equipment in a timely fashion has stressed the capacity of the service's logistics [...]

* A tactical sling bag that allows soldiers to keep their packs on in vehicles and permits ready access to their equipment is being perfected by the U.S. Army Soldier [...]

BEL AIR, Md. -- Explosive ordnance disposal robots have proven their worth in Iraq and Afghanistan by reducing their operators' exposure to improvised bombs. An Army program hopes to do [...]