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Chesapeake Innovation Center struggles
Interim director resigns as CIC confronts looming budget problems; calls mount to take the center under private management; new leadership reaches out to Northrop Grumman and others; loss of NSA contract a major blow
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Air Force closes all seven battle labs
With budget pressures mounting, Air Force can no longer afford the investment; Air Force Space Battlelab, Command and Control Battlelab, and Air Warfare Battlelab among those receiving the axe
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Army breaks ground on New Jersey R&D park
Picatinny Arsenal to be transformed into a public-private research and development park; one million square feet of office space planned, including 100,000 for high security work; planners look for companies working on technology with both commercial and military applications
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Lockheed bullish on rise in defense and homeland security spending
The world’s largest defense contractor is confident Congress will respond to an “uncertain security market” by maintaining a robust defense budget, and the company’s CEO points to his company’s increased focus on homeland security and law enforcement work in addition to its core aircraft, ship, and missiles business as a source of increasing revenue
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U.S. military testing heat-generating non-leahtal weapon
Some non-lethal weapons are already in use 9for example, taser guns and rubber bullets), while others are still being debating (for example, troop-blinding laser weapons); the U.S. military is testing another non-lethal system: A beam which engulfs enemy sodiers wiht a 130-degree heat blast
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Guidelines released for DARPA's Urban Challenge
Track B teams required video submissions and site visits in order to continue in DARPA search for autonomous ground vehicle
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DHS to push for seamless emergency communication in top 75 U.S. cities
A DHS survey released this week gives low grades to most U.S. urban centers for emergency communication; DHS says it aims to achieve major imporvements in emergency interoprability by 2009
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Mantech in $159 million mine-clearing contract
Land mines is the curse that keeps on killing and maiming the innocent long after wars end; Mantech receive large contract to help clear mines in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait
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Direct brain control of umanoid robot demonstrated
In a move with implications for first responders and military alike, researchers show that robots may be controlled by their “master’s” human brain waves
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Sandia develops an imporved sensor network
The future — well, a part of it at least — belongs to sensor networks; rsearchers at Sandia Natioal Lab have developed the unattended ground sensor (UGS), and system whcih combines off-the-shelf components with in-house developed elements to create a better andre useful network; investors and manufacturers may want to make the lab an offer for the technology
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Textron completes acquisition of Overwatch Systems
A subsidiary of a mutli-industry heavy-weight Textron acquires a New Jersey company specializing in gathering and presenting actionable intelligence; acqusition will strengthen Textron’s already-strong line of offerings
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Industry questions U.S. RFID technology choice for new passport
Smart Card Alliance urges U.S. to reconsider selection of “vicinity” over “proximity” RFID technology for proposed passport card
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Researchers show that hydrogen can form multicenter bonds
Hydrogen is the simplest of elements, typically forming a single bond to just one other atom; it is thus big news that hydrogen can form multicenter bonds, in which one hydrogen atom simultaneously bonds to as many as four or six other atoms
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IAF to develop UAVs as unmanned refueling plane
UAVs are being used for more and more missions; the Israeli Air Force has a new mission for them as unmanned refueling planes
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The long view
Lack of evidence-based terrorism research hobbles counterterrorism strategies
The Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland estimates that groups connected with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State committed almost 200 attacks per year between 2007 and 2010. That number has increased to about 600 attacks in 2013. As terrorism becomes more prevalent, the study of terrorism has also increased, which, in theory, should lead to more effective antiterrorism policies, and thus to less terrorism. The opposite is happening, however, and this could be partly due to the sort of studies which are being conducted. The problem: few of these studies are rooted in empirical analysis, and there is an “almost complete absence of evaluation research” concerning anti-terrorism strategies, in the words of a review of such studies.
Coastal communities can lower flood insurance rates by addressing sea-level rise
City leaders and property developers in Tampa Bay are urging coastal communities to prepare today for sea-level rise and future floods in order to keep flood insurance rates low in the future. FEMA, which administers the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP), is increasing flood insurance premiums across the country, partly to offset losses from recent disasters such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Cities can reduce insurance premiums for nearly all residents who carry flood coverage by improving storm-water drainage, updating building codes to reflect projected rise in sea-levels, moving homes out of potentially hazardous areas, and effectively informing residents about storm danger and evacuation routes.
Changing human behavior key to tackling California drought: Expert
California is experiencing a drought that has gone far beyond a “dry spell,” and the state has imposed the first water restriction in state history, aiming to cut back on water consumption by 25 percent. One expert says that strict water conservation measures are long overdue, and that “what is happening is a realization that you can’t simply transplant another ecosystem onto a California desert system or arid southwestern system. In a sense, California and much of the U.S. southwest are living beyond their ecological means. Certain lifestyles have been adopted and crops are being grown that are not endemic or sustainable for this particular bioregion.” He adds: “This is a moment for not just cutting off personal water use and turning the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth, as important as that is. This is a moment of reflection, invitation and, I hope, legislation that will cause people to think about water use in the industrial sector too. This is for the long-term prosperity of the state and sustainability of the ecosystem.”