tagged w/ Raytheon
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"Sadly I agree, we are no longer worthwhile Americans, we are simply a commodity!!!"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101726198
"So how do we turn this around??? Any Suggestions Folks???""Sadly I agree, we are no longer worthwhile Americans, we are simply a... more
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“Egypt gets the most U.S. foreign aid of any country except for Israel.”
“The other group that benefits from this aid arrangement is U.S. defense contractors. As we reported with Sunlight Foundation, contractors including BAE Systems, General Dynamics, General Electric, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have all done business with the Egyptian government through relationships facilitated by high-powered DC lobbyists.”“Egypt gets the most U.S. foreign aid of any country except for Israel.”... more
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Raytheon’s second-generation exoskeleton (XOS 2), essentially a wearable robotics suit, was unveiled for the first time recently during an event at the company’s Salt Lake City research facility. XOS 2 is lighter, stronger and faster than its predecessor, yet it uses 50 percent less power, and its new design makes it more resistant to the environment.Raytheon’s second-generation exoskeleton (XOS 2), essentially a wearable... more
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The secret $100 Million Raytheon developed clandestine surveillance program for the NSA watches big companies and keeps tem safe from digital attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal.The secret $100 Million Raytheon developed clandestine surveillance program for the... more
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More than half of the panel members appointed to review the Pentagon's latest four-year strategy blueprint have financial ties to military contractors with a stake in the planning process.More than half of the panel members appointed to review the Pentagon's latest... more
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The US Army's lax supervision was cited in a Senate investigation of controversial private security firm Blackwater, which allowed employees to use weapons without authorization in Afghanistan.
At the outset of a months-long probe, the Senate Armed Service Committee found several cases of "reckless" use of weapons by personnel from Paravant, a subsidiary of Blackwater, itself now renamed Xe Services. What's more, it documents that the firm was so desperate to procure weapons that it even used a South Park character as an alias. Notes the Washington Independent's Spencer Ackerman:
Blackwater personnel appear to have gone to exceptional lengths to obtain weapons from U.S. military weapons storehouses intended for use by the Afghan police. According to the committee, at the behest of the company's Afghanistan country manager, Ricky Chambers, Blackwater on at least two occasions acquired hundreds of rifles and pistols from a U.S. military facility near Kabul called 22 Bunkers by the military and Pol-e Charki by the Afghans. Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of all U.S. military forces in the Middle East and South Asia, wrote to the committee to explain that "there is no current or past written policy, order, directive, or instruction that allows U.S. Military contractors or subcontractors in Afghanistan to use weapons stored at 22 Bunkers."
On one of those occasions, in September 2008, Chief Warrant Officer Greg Sailer, who worked at 22 Bunkers and is a friend of a Blackwater officer working in Afghanistan, signed over more than 200 AK-47s to an individual identified as "Eric Cartman" or possibly "Carjman" from Blackwater's Counter Narcotics Training Unit. A Blackwater lawyer told committee staff that no one by those names has ever been employed by the company. Eric Cartman is the name of a character from Comedy Central's popular "South Park" cartoon.
The panel pointed to a hiring process lacking rigor, with some employees having criminal records.
It also found that several rules on the acquisition and use of arms in Afghanistan were violated, while US military officials turned a blind eye.
"Why is the issue of armed contractors in Afghanistan so important?" asked Democratic Senator Carl Levin, who chairs the committee.
"I guess the bottom line is that in the fight against the Taliban, the perception that the Afghans have of us is critical."
He was speaking on the eve of a hearing before the panel on the case about the military contractor. US Army contracting officials and representatives of the company are expected to testify.
In fall 2008, Paravant became a subcontractor of defense contractor Raytheon to fulfill a mission to train Afghan security forces.
On May 5, 2009, two Paravant employees in Afghanistan -- Justin Cannon and Christopher Drotleff -- opened fire during a traffic incident in Kabul, killing two unarmed Afghan civilians and wounding three others. The pair have since been arraigned on murder and weapons violations charges.
The Justice Department said the incident created diplomatic problems for the United States in Afghanistan, with consequences for US security interests, according to the panel.
In December 2008, Paravant employees were seen perusing a street sitting atop a rolling vehicle, with AK-47 assault rifles in hand. A bump in the road made one of the arms unload a volley of bullets, seriously wounding one employee in the head.
According to the committee, it was not until the May 2009 incident that military officials began looking into Paravant.
"Hopefully, the army is going to be much more... careful (about) who we contract with," Levin told reporters.
The panel noted that Paravant instructors were not authorized to bear arms. Investigators found that Blackwater-Paravant obtained weapons from a warehouse reserved for Afghan security forces.
The facility, known as Bunker 22, was under US military control.
According to Levin, only several of the "hundreds" of weapons unlawfully held by the subsidiary have been returned so far.
Meanwhile, two Democratic lawmakers proposed a bill to ban the federal government and the US military from using subcontractors in combat zones, namely in Iraq and Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of troops are deployed.
The secretive Blackwater was thrown into the spotlight after five of its guards were accused of killing 14 unarmed Iraqis in a gun and grenade attack, and wounding 18 others during a September 2007 incident at the busy Nisur Square in Baghdad.
Earlier this month, Iraq expelled 250 former employees of the security firm. The North Carolina-based firm lost its contract to provide security for US embassy diplomats in Baghdad in May 2009 after Iraqis and critics repeatedly accused it of adopting a cowboy mentality to duties in the country.The US Army's lax supervision was cited in a Senate investigation of... more
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A Senate investigation accuses the Army of turning a blind eye when a Blackwater subsidiary hired violent drug users to help train the Afghan army and declared "sidearms for everyone" even though employees weren't authorized to carry weapons.
The inquiry by the Senate Armed Services Committee found that contractors for Paravant, the Blackwater subsidiary under investigation, also took hundreds of weapons intended for the Afghan National Police. On at least one occasion, someone signing for a weapons shipment used the name "Eric Cartman." The Washington Independent
http://washingtonindependent.com/77476/blackwater-the-senate-and-south-parkA Senate investigation accuses the Army of turning a blind eye when a Blackwater... more
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In the debate surrounding Barack Obama’s decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, one detail has slipped through without much attention: Barack Obama was the top recipient of military industry money in the 2008 election cycle. His haul of over a million dollars far surpassed that of Republican contender Sen. John McCain's, which was just under $700,000.In the debate surrounding Barack Obama’s decision to send an additional 30,000... more
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As it evolves, Emerson believes this next generation telecommunications system, dubbed IronPipe™, will have huge implications for national security as well as tremendous new revenue opportunities for the carriers and supply chains which serve them.As it evolves, Emerson believes this next generation telecommunications system, dubbed... more
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Why cyber defense? How is this different than “security”? The difference is in motivation, purpose, and risks. Announcing the birth of Cyber Defense Weekly, a newsletter created to give participants in this new category a comprehensive summary of the week’s news, product announcements, and escalations in cyber threats.Why cyber defense? How is this different than “security”? The difference... more
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The malware logs the magnetic-stripe data and personal identification number of cards used at an infected machine and provides an intuitive interface for retrieving the information using the ATM’s receipt printer, according to analysts from Spider Labs, the research arm of security firm Trustwave. Since late 2007 or so, there have been at least 16 updates to the software, an indication that the authors are working hard to perfect their tool.The malware logs the magnetic-stripe data and personal identification number of cards... more
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“Protecting our nation’s computing systems that control critical cyberinfrastructure is crucial,” Fred Chang, lead investigator and director of the CIAS, said in a statement.“Protecting our nation’s computing systems that control critical... more
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The American defence contractor Raytheon which has just won a huge contract to build a military training base in Wales, has announced that it is now going to use video game technology to control unmanned aerial vehicles in combat.
Instead of the standard joysticks being used to remotely fly the aircraft over the Middle East from as far a field as Arizona, more conventional input devices similar to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 controllers may be used. With such a powerful simulation system available for £200-£300 it is thought that this move could save plenty of money by training pilots in ultra realistic simulations but at a much discounted price. The newly trained pilots will then fly the UAV's for real with an identical set up to playing a standard Xbox!
Doesn't this mean that soon enough killing people will be as easy as killing people in Grand Theft Auto 4? A scary thought...
The American defence contractor Raytheon which has just won a huge contract to build a... more
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From the device level through signal sources and integrated assemblies, suppliers of RF/microwave components continue to contribute to advances in military electronic systems.
Military electronics systems generally leverage the latest technologies in order to achieve performance or even tactical advantages. Although systems, such as radar and electronicwarfare (EW) platforms, are comprehensive collections of analog, digital, and RF circuits and devices, it is often the technology in a part as small as a transistor that can have an enormous impact on the overall performance of a military electronics system. From the device level through signal sources and integrated assemblies, suppliers of... more
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Yes, folks, originally designed to protect military personnel against small-arms fire without the use of lethal force, Silent Guardian, ADS, the Pain Ray, call it what you will, (Raytheon would prefer you not to use the latter however), will finally soon be here!
Transmitted at the speed of light over a 700 yard distance, the Pain Ray is a millimeter-wave beam that penetrates 1/64th of an inch beneath the skin, causing the water molecules there to bubble, producing an intense burning sensation, said to feel like being burnt by molten lava or a hot iron. Its delivery system attached to a Humvee and aimed right, the Pain Ray makes people run away -- fast.
Deployment of the system is slated to begin in Iraq in 2010, but there are rumors that it has already been tested there.
Raytheon congratulates itself on having developed a non-lethal weapon which has been described as "Holy Grail of crowd control," but their Silent Guardian also has its critics. One, author Richard Hunter asks:
"But what happens if the people faced with such a weapon can't just run away? What happens if they're trapped in a crowd, and the crowd can't move? How much pain must that crowd endure? How long can any member of the crowd be exposed to that weapon before his or her skin -- or their eyes -- simply cook off? What happens if the devices are used deliberately in a manner designed to cause maximum harm -- say, by training the device on prisoners trapped in prison cells until they literally go mad with pain?
What happens if the system operator turns up the power? A little bit works well, why not try a lot? What happens if the scientists didn't test the devices thoroughly, and they turn out to render anyone touched by them blind, or impotent, or sterile?" And the National Lawyers Guild of the US has accused Raytheon of being "implicated in the commission of war crime."Yes, folks, originally designed to protect military personnel against small-arms fire... more
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Hala and J.C. (of Dubizzle fame) venture to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, to check out IDEX 2007: one of the biggest defense exhibitions on Earth, Interviews with Lockheed Martin and Kalishnikov. (stats from www.sipri.org)Hala and J.C. (of Dubizzle fame) venture to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab... more
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