On DoD
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The Fort Huachuca, Ariz., solar project will provide the Army with renewable energy at no additional cost to the government. The solar panels are expected to provide 18 megawatts of electricity, enough to light a small-sized city.
April 29, 2014 -
Need a syringe or an oil cap? Press "print." The Navy has installed a 3-D printer on an assault ship for just those types of emergencies.The pilot test is aboard the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship. Lt. Ben Kohlmann, a member of the Chief of Naval Operation's Rapid Innovation Cell, is one of the officers responsible for putting the printer in the sailors' hands. He told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp how the 3-D printer got on board.
April 28, 2014 -
The Army breaks ground Friday on a giant solar array at sunny Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Once built, it will provide about a quarter of the energy needed to power the mid-sized base. It will be the largest solar project in the military's portfolio for a while. Amanda Simpson, executive director for the U.S. Army's Energy Initiatives Task Force, described the scope of the project to Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
April 25, 2014 -
Petty Officer Mark A. Mayo will be posthumously awarded the Navy Marine Corps Medal on Friday at Arlington National Cemetery. Mayo, 24, was killed during a shooting incident at Naval Station Norfolk Monday, Mar. 24, where he was assigned to Naval Security Forces. The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the United States Department of the Navy to the members of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Vice Admiral Mark Ferguson, vice chief of naval operations, will present the award to Mayo's family in a private ceremony prior to the burial.
April 24, 2014 -
Members of Congress aren't happy with the Air Force's proposal to cut entire fleets of aircraft out of its inventory. But the service insists it's the only way to comply with the budget caps Congress created, and the alternatives would be far more painful.
April 24, 2014 -
Dennis McGinn, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, says the pursuit of renewable energy is not just about the Navy "going green." It supports the mission.
April 23, 2014 -
Navy says the Defense Production Act and a new partnership with USDA will help it generate several hundred million gallons per year of U.S.-based biofuel. The solicitations it plans to issue over the next year are a key stepping stone to the Navy's goal of getting half its energy from alternative sources by 2020.
April 23, 2014 -
The Navy says it will move forward this year to create two new acquisition vehicles to ensure it has a stable supply of advanced biofuels. And as Federal News Radio's DoD reporter Jared Serbu reports, the service says it won't be any more expensive than petroleum products.
April 22, 2014 -
Renewable energy is a big priority for the Department of the Navy. The ultimate renewable energy source for a ship at sea is of course seawater. Now the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is making big steps toward using seawater for fuel. Dr. Heather Willauer, research chemist at the Naval Research Laboratory, tells In Depth with Francis Rose what they've found on the path to making seawater fuel the Navy's fleet.
April 22, 2014 -
The Army says it must shrink to 490,000 by October 2015, and then to 450,000 two years later. If automatic budget cuts resume, the Army will have to reduce to 420,000. The Associated Press reports while a lot of the reduction may come from voluntary retirements, resignations and decreased enlistments, Army commanders will have to force as many as 3,000 officers to leave by the end of October 2015. Of those, nearly 1,500 are captains, 550 are majors.
April 22, 2014 -
Today's Combat Air Force has the fewest bombers and fighters and the oldest aircraft ever. The Defense Department and Congress are hitting a sweet spot to fix that, according to two experts in military aviation. Mark Gunzinger, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, writes about the future of the Air Force with retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, now a senior scholar at the Air Force Academy. Gunzinger talks to In Depth with Francis Rose about revamping the Air Force for the next fight.
April 21, 2014 -
An independent commission to make recommendations about the restructuring of the Army isn't meeting with much welcome from Army leaders. But it does have some support. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, president of the National Guard Association, is one of the most outspoken advocates for the outside commission. He told In Depth with Francis Rose the Army needs an outside look before it downsizes.
April 21, 2014 -
In a budget environment in which cost overruns are very likely to lead to canceled programs, the Air Force says it's pressing it prime vendors to remove any costs they possibly can from their subcontracted supplier base.
April 17, 2014 -
The Air Force is making a new push to lower the prices of its acquisition programs by asking contractors to scrub their supply chains for unnecessary costs. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports the service thinks it's made some progress, but that it's still paying more than it should.
April 16, 2014 -
The Navy and Marine Corps provided hands-on demonstrations of some of the innovative machines they use to help them do their jobs.
April 11, 2014