SDFM The Business of Defense
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August 16th and 18th Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
August 11, 2010 -
August 9th and 11th His ability to lead collaborative operational teams and program staff has contributed to the successful implementation of HRA\'s Model Office
August 11, 2010 -
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is recommending the elimination of the U.S. Joint Forces Command. That command is one of DoD\'s ten combatant commands and recently believed to play a key role in transforming the U.S. military\'s capabilities. Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., the command oversees a force of more than 1.16 million men and women. The command is comprised of active and reserve personnel from each branch of the armed forces, civil servants and contract employees. The commander oversees the command\'s four major mission areas: Joint Concept Development and Experimentation, Joint Training, Joint Capabilities Development, and Joint Force Provider.
August 10, 2010 -
The Department of Energy has entered into an agreement with the Department of Defense to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies while enhancing national energy security. A Memorandum of Understanding between the agencies now covers energy efficiency and renewable energy. It calls for their collaboration on the use of alternative fuels, efficient transportation technologies and fueling infrastructure, grid security, use of the smart grid, energy storage, basic science research, and mobile/deployable power sources. It builds on existing cooperation between the Departments, and will broaden collaboration on clean energy technology research, development, and demonstration. The Defense Department aims to speed up the transfer of innovative energy and conservation technologies from the lab to use in the field. To that end, military installations are used as testing sites before such energy technologies are actually brought to the marketplace.
August 09, 2010 -
A new report predicts that more than 22 million additional cataract cases will be avoided for Americans born between 1985 and the year 2100 - due to the reduction and eventual elimination of ozone depleting substances. UV radiation increases the risk for skin cancer, but also increases the risk for cataracts -- that affects more than 20 million Americans age 40 and older. For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency has been able to include data on cataract risk by gender and skin type. The ozone layer is predicted to recover to pre-1980 levels after the year 2065. In the meantime, under a compromised ozone layer, more UV radiation still reaches the Earth\'s surface. While treatment for cataracts is widely available in the U.S., the costs are high, with direct medical costs estimated to be $6.8 billion per year.
August 09, 2010 -
Using a cutting edge process to form new joints inside the body, a team of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health has successfully regenerated rabbit joints. The experiment demonstrates that it\'s possible to grow dissimilar tissues, like cartilage and bone, taken entirely from the host\'s own cells. The regenerative procedure is performed by stimulating previously irreparable organs or tissues to heal themselves. Three-dimensional structures made of biocompatible and biodegradable materials in the shape of the tissue, are infused with a protein to promote the joint\'s growth. The approach sidesteps several problems that are typically encountered in trying to transplant cells that are grown externally, such as tissue rejection. Future work could replace arthritic joints in animals and ultimately in arthritis patients who need total joint replacement.
August 09, 2010 -
A new public website has been launched by the Department of Energy designed to promote a better understanding of gasification technology - an increasingly popular alternative to converting feedstocks like coal and biomass into useful products such as electricity or fuels. Officials say gasification is anticipated to be the technology of choice for future near zero-emissions, coal-based plants that produce power, fuels, and chemicals. The process uses heat, pressure, and steam to convert ANY carbon-based raw material into synthesized gas, which can then be refined into pure hydrogen, transformed into liquid transportation fuels, or used to create electricity. The website - dubbed Gasifipedia - contains both introductory and in-depth information. You\'ll find the new Gasifipedia through the department\'s Energy Lab website at www.netl.doe.gov.
August 09, 2010 -
The Department of Energy and Natural Resources Canada will spend a total of $5.2 million dollars to bring a benchmark carbon dioxide injection project to a successful conclusion next year. The two governments will renew funding for the a CO2 Monitoring and Storage project. Under the project, carbon dioxide taken from a Gasification synfuels plant in North Dakota is delivered - via a 200-mile pipeline - to Canadian oil fields where the gas is injected roughly five-thousand feet underground. The gas forces oil into wells where it can be harvested, nearly tripling oil production. The project reduces greenhouse gas emissions while also demonstrating clean energy innovation. A projected total of 40 million tons of CO2 will be stored - and over 200 million additional barrels of oil are expected to be recovered - through the project by the year 2035.
August 09, 2010 -
More than 150 technology experts in technology - as well as stakeholders in education from across 26 states - recently took part in an effort to increase access to learning in rural schools across America. They attended the National Rural Education Technology Summit in Washington D.C. Federal leaders offered examples of where technology has been leveraged to overcome distance, such as providing access to college-level course work online. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the formation of an Online Learning Registry to provide access to priceless historical materials, like those found at the national Smithsonian Institute. More than half of the nation\'s school districts are located in rural areas and one-fifth of all public school children (about 10 million) are enrolled in rural schools.
August 09, 2010 -
It\'s a saying many of us have grown to hate, but Apple\'s iPad really is being tested to see if it\'s \"good enough for government work.\"
August 09, 2010 -
The Pentagon is demanding that online whistle-blower WikiLeaks return its trove of tens of thousands of leaked U.S. government documents and delete them from its website and records. The Associated Press reports Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell didn\'t say what efforts the Defense Department might be able to take to compel Wikileaks to comply. He told a Pentagon press conference that, at this point, the Pentagon is asking Wikileaks \"to do the right thing.\" Wikileaks posted nearly 77,000 classified military and other documents, mostly raw intelligence reports from Afghanistan, on its website July 25.
August 05, 2010 -
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) Arianna Huffington Co-Founder, The Huffington Post Danielle Brian Executive Director, Project on Government Oversight (POGO)
August 05, 2010 -
Gen. John D. Lavelle has been vindicated 30 years after he died. He was an Air Force General who was stripped of two stars and removed from his command from his command in 1972 because of allegations that he ordered unauthorized bombings in North Vietnam and keep them secret. The Pentagon now says tapes from the Nixon Administration reveal he had permission to do so.
August 05, 2010 -
1500 people are dead in Pakistan because of flooding. The Pentagon is dispatching several helicopters from Afghanistan to help transport relief supplies and refugees in flood-ravaged Pakistan. Four CH-47 Chinooks Two UH-60 Black Hawks will be sent over. Bad weather hindered their arrival yesterday, but they are expected to begin their missions today. Pakistan has repeatedly rejected, at least publicly as U.S. military presence in Pakistan, but in cases like this the government has proven to be very receptive.
August 05, 2010 -
Is the program to kill or capture terrorists working? A New York Times report seems to show some evidence it is. According to the NYT, American intelligence reporting has recently revealed growing examples of Taliban fighters who are fearful of moving into higher-level command positions because of these lethal operations.
August 02, 2010