Conference is being hosted by NDIA member Missouri University of Science and Technology.  More information and registration is available at this site.

MISSION
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project® is to honor and empower wounded warriors.

PURPOSE
To raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.

HISTORY
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) began when several veterans and friends, moved by stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, took action to help others in need. What started as a program to provide comfort items to wounded service members has grown into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors as they recover and transition back to civilian life. Thousands of wounded warriors and caregivers receive support each year through WWP programs designed to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment.

Wounded Warrior Project® is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

For more information on WWP, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

I’m writing to offer you the opportunity to nominate candidates for a project sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A).

The goal of the project is to establish collaborative partnerships between select subject matter experts in the private sector and intelligence community analysts.  The following topic areas have priority national security interest for this year’s program:
• Global Maritime Shipping
• International Banking & Finance – New and Developing E-Commerce Technologies
• Application and Use of Social Media – Charting Cultural Topography, Modeling Human Behavior, Patterns and Applications of Usage
• Nanotechnology, Robotics and Automation – New and Developing Technologies and Uses
• Drug Flow Modeling – Legitimate North and Southbound Shipping Routes and Vulnerabilities along the SW Border

NDIA has been asked to solicit member companies that may have Subject Matter Experts (SME) in the above topic areas to nominate SMEs as appropriate.  It is recommended that no more than two SMEs be nominated for any single topic area.

Nominees must meet the following requirements:
• US Citizen
• Mid- or senior-level subject matter expert in one of the above industries or topic areas
• Specific expertise in industry operations, trends and possible security threats and response
• No business developers
(A security clearance is not required for participation in the program.)

The following information is required for all nominees…..we cannot forward nominees without the full data set:
• Full Name
• Job Title & Company
• Bio or CV
• Qualifications in the subject area
• Statement:  Why do you want to participate in this project?
• Statement:  What do you expect to get out of this project?

The teams will be composed of at least two private sector members and up to six Intelligence Community (IC) analysts.  The analysts will be nominated by all components of IC and will be selected for their subject matter expertise and experience.  In 2010 and 2011, both private sector participants and intelligence community analysts found the project well worth their time.

The level and frequency of interaction will be determined by the teams.  Meetings are primarily in the Washington DC area and done virtually, with some site visits possibly done in the United States.  The government will provide access to a secure collaboration website to facilitate communication between team members.  Private sector participants will not be compensated or reimbursed for any expenses and government agencies will fund any expenses for their employees.  The project will run six months with a final meeting or summit to be held in November 2012 to assess the benefits of the program and identify lessons learned.

Please provide nominations to me at bbates@ndia.org by 5 p.m. on February 6, 2012 so we can forward NDIA nominees to DHS by Feb 7 to ensure their consideration.  The teams will be selected by DHS in order to officially begin the program in April 2012.  A description of the program with complete details is attached.

Feel free to contact Jonathan Tobey, Director, Private Sector Partnerships, Office of Intelligence & Analysis, Department of Homeland Security, (202) 282-9881 (W) (202) 286-6061 (BB), jonathan.n.tobey@hq.dhs.gov with any questions regarding program features or guidelines.

Regards,

Barry Bates
Major General, US Army (Ret)
Vice President, Operations
National Defense Industrial Association
Office:  703.247.2559 // Cell: 703.819.9526
Fax: 703.527.3248
http://www.ndia.org

Event A:

What: Tour of Fort Leonard Wood for university and industry

When: Thursday, January 26 2012 from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm

Who: hosted by the St Louis chapter of NDIA (National Defense Industry Association) see http://www.ndiastl.org; contact Steve Tupper {S H Tupper * 573-329-8515 * tuppers@mst.edu} and open to all but specifically intended for those in Missouri from academia and industry with interests in the military, Fort Leonard Wood and business development

Where: meet at the Pulaski County Tourism Center; park in Comfort Inn lot behind the Tourism Center due to sidewalk construction.  137 St Robert Boulevard St Robert, MO 65584 (573) 336-6355

Cost:  none

Description:  (1) Participants register ahead with Steve Tupper. (2) Arrive at the meeting spot parking as indicated before 8:30 am. (3) Board an Army bus for tour that is conducted by the Fort’s Plans, Analysis and Integration Office. Bus portion of the tour will emphasize key items of interest to industry: battle lab; capabilities development integration; the tech park; the Leonard Wood Institute; major utility infrastructure; construction development and key items of interest to academia: education center; experimentation; military science and technology; training facilities; and simulations.  (4) Attend briefing and Q&A session with the Fort’s leadership at their headquarters facility. (5) Take an in depth look at one of the Army’s premier teaching/training facilities, the Prime Power School. (6) Return to the start point at the tourism center about 12:30 pm.

Advice: Dress comfortably for being in a heated bus or indoors. The only outdoor portions anticipated are walking from the bus to the buildings. I will be in a jacket and tie but less formal casual wear should be fine. There will not be refreshments or coffee available on the tour. There are a number of good eating places near the start point for both before and after the tour.  The Fort is a joint training facility with many soldiers from new trainee (boot camp) through general. It also has a large population of US Marines, US Airmen and Navy Seabees. It is open to the public and you should look at this as an introductory visit allowing you to visit it individually later at your leisure.

Event B:

What: NDIA (National Defense Industry Association) lunch

When: Thursday January 26 2012 at 1:00 pm

Who: hosted by the St Louis chapter of NDIA (National Defense Industry Association) see http://www.ndiastl.org; contact Steve Tupper {S H Tupper * 573-329-8515 * tuppers@mst.edu} and open to all but specifically intended to solicit from industry and academic researchers their views on how the Army should plan to make a notional “Fort Leonard Wood Industry Day” useful

Where: Luigi’s Restaurant 379 Highway Z, St Robert, MO (573) 336-5550 ‎

Cost:  This is an ala-cart menu; order and pay individually. Very good Italian dishes from sandwiches through entrees for less than $10.

Description: (1) This is meant to allow people to attend both the tour and the lunch. People arrive at Luigi’s as they may and ask to be seated in the room for the NDIA lunch. (2) The wait staff will take individual orders and provide individual bills. (3) During the hub-bub of the meal please introduce yourself around – bring your business cards. (4) As things quiet NDIA, likely me, will lead a guided discussion to get opinions on what would make an ‘industry day’ of value to your business interests. The focus in on the research, development, testing, evaluation and acquisition of new military capabilities: equipment; software; systems more than on the construction, training developments or doctrine writing.  Fort Leonard Wood officials will be there in a ‘listening mode’. (5) Leave as is convenient; I expect things will slow down about 2 pm.

Advice: Participate with your views and be plain about your needs and expectations from a business sense.  The Fort has held a series of conferences (S&T, ENFORCE, Joint CBRN, MP) for many years and have tried to express their ‘needs’ and ‘requirements’ in board terms. But these meetings have not sparked the economic growth that supports and extends the Fort’s impact.

You are welcome to contact me:  S H Tupper * 573-329-8515 * tuppers@mst.edu

DoD Strategic Guidance Jan 12

article_bb049b48-36f2-11e1-869d-0019bb30f31a.html

WICHITA, Kan. – Faced with defense budget reductions, the Boeing Co. announced today it will close its defense plant in Wichita by the end of 2013.

The closure will cost more than 2,160 workers their jobs and end the firm’s presence in a city where it has been a major employer for generations.

The decision was not entirely unexpected. The company said in November it was studying whether to close the Wichita facility, which specializes in modifying commercial aircraft for military or government operations, to address Defense Department budget cuts. The first layoffs are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2012.

The company said it was moving future aircraft maintenance, modification and support to its plant in San Antonio, Texas, and engineering work to Oklahoma City. Work on the Air Force refueling tanker will be performed in Puget Sound, Wash. The company said the 24 Kansas suppliers on that program will continue to provide parts as originally planned.

“In this time of defense budget reductions, as well as shifting customer priorities, Boeing has decided to close its operations in Wichita to reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and drive competitiveness,” said Mark Bass, vice president and general manager for the Boeing Defense, Space & Security facility in Wichita.

The study came even as the Pentagon had been working to prevent $500 billion in automatic, across-the-board defense budget cuts over 10 years in the wake of the failure by a bipartisan congressional supercommittee to agree on $1.2 trillion or more in deficit reductions.

Wichita had hoped the number of jobs at the facility would grow after Boeing won a contract worth at least $35 billion to build 179 Air Force refueling tankers. The modification work on the planes had been expected to be done at Boeing’s Wichita plant – bringing with it 7,500 direct and indirect jobs with an overall economic impact of nearly $390 million.

Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer said the city, which prides itself as being the air capital of the world, has a long history with Boeing in the community. Brewer noted he worked there for 20 years before the company sold off its commercial operations.

“Many people – generations upon generations – have had an opportunity to be employed there and that could very easily be the end of that … They are a very important part of us here,” Brewer said.

But the mayor said the city would move on and take care of those families and continue working to be the “air capital of the world.”

“This is not the first time we have had something of this magnitude. We have had other challenges and we have always managed to work through it and been able to survive,” Brewer said.

Boeing has had a facility in Wichita since it bought the Stearman Aircraft Co. in 1929. During World War II, employment at the plant peaked at more than 40,000 as the company churned out four bombers a day. For decades the company remained the city’s largest employer.

Then in 2005, Boeing spun off its commercial aircraft operations in Kansas and Oklahoma. At that time, the company still had roughly 15,000 employees in Wichita. After the divestiture, Boeing retained 4,500 workers for its defense work in Wichita but layoffs since have slashed that remaining workforce.

The Wichita facility is facing the end of some programs, such as the international tanker program that supplied refueling tankers to other countries. Over the summer, Boeing announced it would cut 225 jobs at its Wichita defense plant through the end of this year.

Even with the loss of the defense plant, Boeing would continue to have an economic impact in this aircraft manufacturing city. Spirit AeroSystems, which took over Boeing’s commercial operations, continues to build parts here for Boeing’s commercial airplanes.

“But it would be different to a certain extent because of the fact that, you know, it is kind of like family that you actually have and a member of the family is moving away,” Brewer said. “So there is a lot of emotional and economic attachment tied to this.”