The SIGNAL Blog

Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, admitted that the U.S. Defense Department did not expect sequestration to happen, and he is becoming even less optimistic about the budget now. Department leaders are now “doing the best we can;” the lack of stability and lack of certainty are the primary challenges today.

Kendall shared his thoughts as the Tuesday luncheon keynote speaker at East: Joint Warfighting 2013, taking place at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia, May 14-16. While the directive from the secretary of defense is to find efficiencies wherever possible, Kendall is not willing to sacrifice the future. In fact, he’s taking his cue from former Defense Secretary William Perry, who was a proponent of keeping the future in mind even when the current funding is grim.

Calling it “hedging investments,” Kendall is a believer in investing now in at least some systems that today’s budget quandary would not support in the future. “Even if you don’t think you’ll be able to afford the systems in the future, you should still develop them, because they move technology forward. The work also will reduce the lead time to full development in the future when the money is available, and it keeps the design teams alive because otherwise they will have to go off and do other things,” he said.

Kendall also pointed out that the long-term effects of sequestration are not being considered. Because the funding to maintain technology and infrastructure is not available today, they will continue to erode and end up costing more in the future to repair.

Adm. William E. Gortney, USN, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, opened East: Joint Warfighting 2013 on Tuesday saying that the military and industry are facing a decade of change and choices. As the services are ramping down from combat mode, they are refocusing on the Pacific theater, which is more of an intellectual shift in Washington, D.C., than a military change, Adm. Gortney said. The second major change is economics, as the U.S. Defense Department faces a future where resources have been cut by 10 to 12 percent.

These changes lead to some crucial choices, the admiral said. In the political and cultural realms, the role of government must be determined. Military leaders must reach out to politicians and the public to better explain what the services do, why it is important and what is needed. While the general public has been extremely supportive over the past 12 years, the military cannot take this support for granted, the admiral emphasized.

While resources are on the decline now, Adm. Gortney believes economics is and always has been a sine wave, up at times and down at others. The Defense Department’s budget will increase again, and it must be ready. “The only way we’re going to get through this is to lead our way to the other side,” the admiral said. The department will have to make tough choices, and it will need the governance to make the right choices, he added.

Cybersecurity is one of Adm. Gortney’s greatest concerns. Because 100 percent of the nation’s work force is networked, connectivity is critical and therefore can be the United States’ Achilles' heel, he stated. He is more confident in the security of military networks than commercial ones, and he stressed that it is crucial to national security and the economy to determine who is responsible for keeping networks such as banking and utilities secure.

Budget sequestration has made obtaining government-mandated training more difficult—this despite government requirements that individuals earn continuing education units (CEUs) and certification maintenance units (CMUs)”to keep current in their professions. Many of the opportunities in the past were centered around large-scale, efficient training that could certify more people by bringing groups together. However, travel restrictions have complicated this centralized collaboration.

Many organizations and defense-related associations now are providing the training and education needed in unique ways at low or no cost as part of their missions in support of military and government. By using local conference formats, they can deliver the content needed for CEUs, and industry and government are able to maintain the essential dialogue that eliminates waste and leads to relevant and needed services and programs.

For example, through the Engagement Theater concept at the upcoming AFCEA-USNI East: Joint Warfighting in Virginia Beach, May 14 to 16, individuals can hear from preferred providers and other subject matter experts on topics that qualify for CEUs. The Cyber Theater offers CompTIA CEUs through Cypherpath LLC. Several panels at the conference offer CEUs as well, including one at 10 a.m. on May 14 called, “A Contested Environment: How Do We Provide Effective Command and Control to Operators?” An individual can attend the panel and Engagement Theater without cost.

Woo Woo! All aboard! And first in line! Amtrak offers a 10 percent military discount to active-duty troops and their dependents on the lowest available fare on most trains. Troops in uniform also are welcome to jump to the head of the ticket line.

The rail service also has Veterans Advantage card program for veterans, active duty military personnel, members of the National Guard and Reserve and next of kin family members. The program requires a paid membership and includes discount on Amtrak and with other vendors. If you take advantage of the free 30-day trial period, be aware you must opt out of the program at the end or you will be billed from then on.

With air traffic controllers on furloughs and security lines getting ever longer, now might be the perfect time to try a trip by train.

Homefront Help also has a Facebook page where visitors can gather and share information. If you know of a program that is helping service personnel, veterans or their families please submit that information to Rita Boland, SIGNAL’s senior news editor.