SDFM The Business of Defense
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Vincent Gray D.C. Council Chairman J. David Cox AFGE National Secretary-Treasurer Jane Nygaard AFGE 8th District National Vice President Marilyn Park AFGE Legislative Representative
April 22, 2010 -
Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari pleaded guilty in September to charges of terrorism financing and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Alvin Hellerstein sentenced him to 121 months, plus three years of supervised release. He faced up to 20 years behind bars. The Associated Press reports Alishtari was operating a phony loan investment program when he met the undercover agent. Prosecutors said he accepted an unspecified amount of money from the agent to transfer $152,500 he believed was being sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan to support a terrorist training camp. Alishtari, also known as Michael Mixon, thought the money would be used to buy night vision goggles, medical supplies and other equipment and advised the agent he had to be \"three steps away\" from the money so it could not be traced back to him. Defense attorneys had initially argued that Alishtari was more interested in potential profits from his loan business than in terrorism activity.
April 21, 2010 -
Special Rebroadcast! Richard Haley II Assistant Director and Chief Financial Officer, FBI\'s Financial Division
April 20, 2010 -
The Solar Energy Industries Association reports that 2009 was another year of strong growth in the industry despite the economic recession. They report overall U.S. solar electric capacity, including both photovoltaic and concentrating solar power installations, increased by some 37 percent. This was driven primarily by strong demand in the residential and utility-scale markets, state and federal policy advances, and declining technology prices. As a result, total solar industry revenue reached 4 billion dollars, a 36 percent increase over 2008. Pointing to the importance of the technology to reducing greenhouse gasses while helping to stimulate the economy, the Department of Energy\'s Solar Energy Technology Program accelerates the development of solar technologies as energy sources for the nation and world.
April 19, 2010 -
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\'s GOES-13 spacecraft has become the official GOES-EAST satellite, now perched some 22,300 miles above the equator; a prime location to spot potentially life-threatening weather affecting the eastern half of the nation, including tropical storm activity in the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA officials say, just in time for the 2010 hurricane season, they now have one of the newest and most technologically advanced satellites closely tracking storms - from when they develop to when they dissipate. The GOES-13 satellite replaced GOES-12, which NOAA is shifting to provide coverage for South America, as part of the Global Earth Observation System. GOES-13, launched in May 2006, is the first of three new NOAA geostationary environmental satellites in orbit.
April 19, 2010 -
The U.S. Military\'s unmanned aerial technology is becoming the envy of other nations. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has confirmed several allied nations...including Britain, Canada, Spain, Japan and South Korea... have all expressed interest in drone technology. Each branch of the military has different uses for U-A-V\'s or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Rear Admiral Terry Kraft says the drones capabilities in persistence and covertness are particularly impressive. And, he says, unmanned Systems will be included in the Navy\'s 2011 budget and beyond. They\'re in the process of introducing several new systems now, including the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (or BAMS), the Navy version of the Global Hawk. In 2012, the Navy anticipates a breakthrough development when they land an unmanned tail-less aircraft onboard an aircraft carrier.
April 19, 2010 -
The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said Friday that the coalition depends too much on private-sector contractors, and insisted his forces are keeping close watch on the flow of Taliban fighters who are training in Iran. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, during a four-day visit to France, said the coalition in Afghanistan has become too dependent on private contractors in the effort to stabilize the country.
April 19, 2010 -
Lt. General Ronal Burgess, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency said yesterday Iran could produce enough highly enriched uranium for a single nuclear bomb within a year. But is that their goal? A top Israeli military analyst says the jury is still out on what Iran is going to do with its nuclear program. Some have suggested even Iran doesn\'t know. One thing\'s for sure. The U.S. And Israel both have warned a military strike on Iran is not out of the question. The question is will it happen before Hezbollah and Hamas strike Israel as some experts warn.
April 19, 2010 -
Phase 1 has already begun in expanding telework in the federal government.
April 19, 2010 -
Israel has banned imports of Apple Inc.\'s hottest new product, the iPad, citing concerns the powerful gadget consumes too much capacity on wireless networks and could disrupt other devices. According to the Associated Press, customs officials said Thursday they have already confiscated about 10 of the lightweight tablet computers since Israel announced the new regulations this week. The ban prevents anyone - even tourists - from bringing iPads into Israel until officials certify that they comply with local transmitter standards.
April 16, 2010 -
Beth Moten AFGE Legislative and Political Director Philip Dine Author, \"State of the Unions: How Labor Can Strengthen the Middle Class, Improve our Economy, and Regain Political Influence\"
April 15, 2010 -
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev says he\'s ready to resign. But Only under certain conditions is ready to resign if he and his kin and kith are granted security guarantees. \"I will resign if they will ensure my and my relatives\' security,\" he has told a news conference in Dzhalal-Abad. The interim government has refused to grant him immunity and warns that he would be detained if did not give up his calls for civil war.
April 14, 2010 -
Culminating a decade-long journey to expand the periodic table, an international team of scientists from Russia and the U.S. - including two Department of Energy national labs and two universities - has discovered the newest superheavy element; element 117. The experiment produced six atoms of the element. Element 117 was the only missing element in row seven of the periodic table. Physicists say the discovery of new elements expand our understanding of the universe and provide important tests of nuclear theories. Lawrence Livermore National Lab director George Miller calls it a significant breakthrough for science that will provide new insight into the makeup of the universe. He calls it a \"testimony to the strength of science and technology at the partner institutions. Since 1940, 26 new elements beyond uranium have been added to the periodic table.
April 12, 2010 -
NASA has successfully completed the first science flight of the Global Hawk unpiloted aircraft system over the Pacific Ocean. The flight was the first of five scheduled for this month\'s Global Hawk Pacific, or GloPac, mission to study atmospheric science over the Pacific and Arctic oceans. The Global Hawk is a robotic plane that can fly to altitudes above 60,000 feet, and as far as 11,000 nautical miles. Operators pre-program a flight path, then the plane flies itself for as long as 30 hours. GloPac researchers plan to directly measure and sample greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances, aerosols, and constituents of air quality in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. During its inaugural flight, the plane flew approximately 45-hundred nautical miles. The mission is a joint project with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
April 12, 2010 -
Learn all about this year\'s Public Service Recognition Week. April 16, 2010
April 12, 2010