Next week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hundreds of the military’s smartest minds will come together for the biggest annual gathering in the world of military medicine. In past years, the Military Health System Research Symposium has led to the expansion of revolutionary new practices in combat care – many of which have made their way into the civilian sector. Col.Todd Rasmussen directs the Army’s Combat Casualty Care Research Program, and Rear Adm. Bruce Doll directs research and development at the Defense Health Agency. They talked with Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu about what they expect from next week’s conference.
Steven W. Zander leads the Air Force Community Partnership, which helps bases and local communities reach mutually beneficial agreements on services and facilities.
The Defense Department has a new agency. It's the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency , or JIDA. The new combat support agency is built from what had been the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization. Army Maj. Gen. Julie Benz is the Acting Director of JIDA. She joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the agency and its refreshed mission.
As part of the standup of four new Navy warfighting development centers, the Office of Naval Research seeks to insert the testing and prototyping of new technologies into the Navy’s regular training exercises.
The Navy says it’s setting up what it hopes will be repeatable, regular processes for testing new technologies that seem like good candidates for fielding throughout its fleet. The objective is to turn the Navy’s existing training exercises into regular proving grounds for new innovations. Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu has details.
The Defense Department’s program to let employees use smartphones on the secret network is becoming rather popular. After moving from the pilot to its full production stage in June, the Defense Mobile Classified Capability–Secret is in demand not just in the military, but across the government. Federal News Radio’s executive editor Jason Miller joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with details on why DoD’s program is so popular.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the departing Army chief, said he’s worried about the service because most U.S. forces are underprepared for some of the circumstances they might face, such as “hybrid” warfare against Russian proxies.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno gives his last news conference as Chief today. He'll retire and hand off to incoming Chief — Gen. Mark Milley — on Friday. One of his areas of focus has been building the next generation of Army leaders. Retired Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody is the author of "A Higher Standard: Leadership Strategies from America's First Female Four-Star General". She tells In Depth with Francis Rose about the explains the principles of leadership that she lays out in her book.
The aircraft carrier Gerald R Ford will be the first ship of the Navy's new carrier design. The Defense Department will use the Ford for shock tests instead of waiting for the second ship in the series — the John F. Kennedy — to be complete in about five years. Bryan Clark is senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and former Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose what the Pentagon's decision means for the ship and for the whole carrier fleet.
Outgoing Army chief of staff Gen. Ray Odierno warns today, as he leaves his uniform behind, the military is risking its long-term viability to meet short-term demands. He’s worried about the Army’s readiness to engage in complex fights — its overall size — and a continuing squeeze on acquisition funding. More from Federal News Radio’s DoD reporter Jared Serbu.
The Air Force is forming partnerships with the communities surrounding its bases to share support services and facilities. It's called the Air Force Community Partnership Program, and it's proving valuable for both the service and the local communities. Steve Zander is the program's director. For his work, he's been named one of the 33 finalists for this year's Service to America Medals. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to share more about the program.
The Navy believes it finally has the major structural problems of the Littoral Combat Ship behind it. The program executive officer for LCS Mission Modules -- Captain Casey Moton -- says the program is making strides. Retired US Navy Captain Jerry Hendrix is senior fellow and director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose where the program stands and what the obstacles may be.
GSA and the Naval Sea Systems Command released a blanket purchase agreement and the first task order under that contract vehicle to provide a host of credit monitoring and identity protection services for those affected by the OPM data breach. The number of potential victims increased to 28 million.
The Army Reserve wants to make sure its soldiers aren’t relegated to the military’s B-team – called on only in case of emergency. But to do that, it needs to make sure its servicemembers are constantly training in their specialties, something that’s increasingly difficult under constrained budgets. As Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu reports, the Reserve is looking to dramatically lower its training costs through public-private partnerships.
President Obama wants to build one of the fastest supercomputers ever in the next 15 years. The exascale computer would run about 30 times faster than today's fastest supercomputer. It's part of the National Strategic Computing Initiative in collaboration with the Energy Department, Pentagon, and National Science Foundation. Simon Szykman is the chief technology officer for Attain's federal services division and former chief information officer at the Commerce Department. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that the project might not live up to all the hype.