JIEDDO's Keesee to speak on anti-IED technology at Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum
By John McHale
SAN DIEGO 27 Feb. 2008. Dr. Robin Keesee, deputy director for the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) will discuss a "Roadmap for COTS Technology/Electronics in a Fast-moving Threat Environment such as IEDs" at 2 pm on March 11 at the Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum at the San Diego Convention Center.
Keesee was appointed as Deputy Director of JIEDDO in July 2006. He previously served as Deputy to the Commander, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), from May 2004 to May 2006. In that capacity, Dr. Keesee directed the Army's intensified research, development and acquisition process for fielding technologies that sustained America's Army.
His talk is part of the COTS Acquisition and Procurement Challenges session, which is moderated by Ross Smith, president and chief executive officer for Quantum 3D.
The first presentation is at 1 pm from Howard Pace, Deputy Joint Program Executive Officer, for the Joint Tactical Radio System (DJPEO JTRS) program. Pace's presentation will be on "Software Defined Radio (SDR) Technology and the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Program."
Following Pace at 1:30 pm, Vance Anderson, program manager/senior engineer for the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA), will discuss the effect of lead-free regulations on the COTS Procurement Process.
The European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment directive prohibits the sale of new electronic equipment containing certain hazardous substances such as lead, requiring the electronics industry to reduce nearly to zero-the amount of lead in products, including component finishes and solder. Solder with lead is softer and useful in military and aerospace applications. The market pressure on commercial suppliers of these lead products may cause significant ripples in military procurement. This session will discuss challenges and procedures for compliance with lead-free regulations regarding electronic assemblies in military and aerospace applications.
Mr. Anderson is also leading a workshop the day before – March 10 – on Lead – Free Issues For Defense Applications and Programs.
Speaking at 2:30 pm is Col. Timothy Kokinda (ret.) U.S. Army Signal Corps with a presentation titled "C4ISR Lessons Learned from Iraq."
Today's C4ISR (command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) technology has improved the capability of forces in the field, but the Iraqi conflict revealed integration challenges that need to be addressed. This presentation will discuss some of those lessons learned and how government and industry can be an advocate for the warfighter and apply solutions.
Closing out the session is a presentation will be a talk on COTS Acquisition Reform from Dr. Sally Baron of the Defense Commercial Vendors Coalition.
Dr. Sally Baron will discuss methods for reforming electronics acquisition within the U.S. defense industry to require that off-the-shelf equipment and technology receive more consideration when procurement dollars are spent. She and the organization she works with – the Defense Commercial Vendors Coalition (DCVC) – believe that federal acquisition reform will foster the development of a more competitive marketplace.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for C3, Space, and Spectrum, Dr. Ronald Jost, will give the keynote address. Dr. Jost, who serves in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration, will be discussing "the Global Information Grid (GIG) and Network Architectures," a presentation describing the GIG and the importance of network architectures in addressing major portfolio issues.
The forum theme is under the COTS Umbrella and content will touch on how innovation in COTS electronics affects defense applications today especially for urgent warfighter needs such as counter- IED (improvised explosive device) technology. These programs put immense pressure on suppliers and integrators to get technology deployed as fast as possible, creating new challenges when it comes to integrating COTS technology.
DOD and industry leaders will discuss how to meet these challenges and more throughout the conference program.
Other session topics include: COTS integration and use, COTS lessons learned from Iraq, IPv6, and its affect on military systems, ITAR and other export issues; information assurance, software security standards, and software defined radio technology within the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program .
The Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum is brought to you by Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine and targets innovation in electronics solutions for defense applications. Presentations are geared specifically for program managers, engineering managers, and engineers at first- second- and third-tier defense contractors who need to understand the programs, opportunities, and latest innovations in defense electronics.
The event, formerly called the Military Technologies Conference, was renamed to better align it with the magazine and to provide readers a live forum to discuss the technological issues and applications covered in the publication. The forum moved to San Diego because Southern California is where many of the magazine's readers are located.
The content will reflect the hottest topics from Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine such as network-centric communications, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) procurement issues, software defined radio technology, and power management.
In addition to the conference, there will be an exhibition that is a collaborative environment conducive to productive discussions, exchanging ideas, meeting new business partners, and reconnecting with current customers.
For more information on registering for the event please visit the forum website at http://www.milaeroforum.com. To find out more about exhibiting or sponsoring the Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum, contact Jeff Gallagher at 603.891.9147 or email [email protected].
