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Germany is building public-private partnerships and is utilizing nongovernmental organizations to establish good working relationships between industry and the military. Direct links between uniformed forces and the commercial sector are sharply restricted by statute, but all parties are working within the law to improve the quality of services and technologies the military receives from industry.

Eurocopter has received a £5 million capital grant from the United Kingdom government for the purchase of six new pol

International defense acquisition reform finally may come from a NATO industrial group traditionally known for generating studies rather than initiating innovative reorganization. The NATO Industrial Advisory Group, known as NIAG, is striving to redefine the relationship between industry and the 26 nations that constitute its parent alliance.

NATO is exploring the benefits that telepresence capabilities offer military commanders and military families. The organization established a high-capacity communications link between several sites in Europe and Kabul to provide an immersive, face-to-face virtual meeting capability, far beyond that provided by today’s videoconferencing capabilities.

A U.S. Army aerial reconnaissance support team successfully assisting warfighters in Iraq is expanding its reach to protect ground forces in Afghanistan. Comprising members of the active and reserve forces, as well as a sizeable number of defense contractors, the task force currently is using technological elements of the future modular force in a cavalry role to assist U.S. theater commanders and their subordinates in Iraq. Some of the capabilities already have been moved into Afghanistan, and during the next 12 months a similar task force will be in place to improve the sensor-to-shooter cycle and provide intelligence while conducting operations.

The Stryker is a rarity in the military world—an item that satisfies the top commanders and warfighters seeing action in battle. While support from the top does not always translate into success on the ground, in the case of the Stryker the troops in combat, including those using it for communications missions, are basically as pleased with the vehicle as are the planners and decision makers in the United States. The numbers and uses of Strykers show no signs of decreasing as the vehicles mark half a decade in theater, and the U.S. Army is adding additional capabilities to the next round that is expected to deploy even as the eight-wheeled automotives see daily action now. A few changes could enhance the value of this vehicle to signal troops, but overall the reviews from those using the vehicle in combat are positive.

Italy is moving toward a defense transformation that involves nonmilitary governmental organizations as well as traditional forces. Recognizing that many defense and homeland security activities are cross-functional, the Mediterranean nation is building a network-centric architecture that will connect all of its military elements along with civil security equivalents.

A new virtual training facility is helping British troops hone their command and control skills before they deploy to Afghanistan. The center creates geographically accurate simulations that allow headquarters personnel to become familiar with managing intelligence data from manned and unmanned platforms during a series of operational scenarios. The networked battlefield simulator can be rapidly modified to include new lessons learned from units returning from overseas missions.

Iraq’s technological telecommunications leap into the 21st century has left the country short on experts available to work in traditional communications areas. The success of reconstruction efforts in the country demonstrates that citizens are hungry to embrace mobile communications devices. But ushering a nation with little to no technology toward state-of-the-art telecommunications also revealed that introducing modern communications is about more than just raising a few cell towers and sticking cell phones in citizens’ hands. It can be a misstep that winds up costing the United States millions of dollars.