[LINK] Pacific defence .. and green IT

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Tom writes, <http://tomw.net.au/moodle/course/view.php?id=11>.

Looks good Tom .. having ties with the Aussie Defence Forces, and with 
all things IT-green, perhaps these two IT-news items may be of interest?

It appears in terms of Pacific-area defence, and IT, that Team Ventura in
Hawaii will now be at the centre?  For eg, they will, "provide the common
IT user services in support of all Army entities in the Pacific" 

It seems important our Army Land-War-Net and theirs are on the same page,
maybe even mash-up (handy).. even if this virtual landscape is NOT green? 

--
Military & Aerospace Electronics Online Article (2nd Jan 2009) 

Ventura Technology and STG team win Army IT Service contract
 
Ventura Technology Enterprises Ltd. and STG Inc. win a 5-year contract to 
provide IT services to U.S. Army's Pacific-Theater Network Operations and 
Security Center (PAC-TNOSC).
 
PAC-TNOSC's mission is to operate, manage, and defend the U.S. Army 
portion of the Pacific Theater Information Grid (Pacific LandWarNet) to 
ensure the delivery of network operations (NETOPS) to support the diverse 
mission set of the Pacific area warfighter. 

Team Ventura will provide timely, secure, and responsive 24x7x365 IT 
services to users in the Pacific area of responsibility (AOR). 

PAC-TNOSC mission functions cover 20 task areas, including NETOPS, 
computing, enterprise management, and internal services, to deliver 
seamless command, control, communications, computers, and information 
management (C4IM) common user services in support of all Army entities in 
the Pacific AOR.

http://mae.pennnet.com/display_article/348597/32/NEWS/none/none/1/Ventura-
Technology,-STG-team-win-$29-million-Army-Enterprise-IT-Service-contract/
--


But, the US military-industrial-complex IT push is definitely NOT green. 

--
Military & Aerospace Electronics Online Article  (Nov 2008)

Advanced electronics are increasingly finding their way onto today’s 
digital battlefield. 

These electronic devices, as well as their associated power systems, 
carry a great many requirements not only to survive the rigors of combat, 
but also to meet the needs of warfighters. 

Soldiers are carrying significantly more weight—much of which consists of 
advanced electronics and the power supplies that fuel them—than in years 
past.  

The mission demand for wearable power per soldier averages 1 watt per 
hour, or 24 watts per day. (VanZwol).  A one-day mission, then, requires
up to 10 pounds of battery weight,

Combat vehicles are increasingly packed with a widening selection of 
electronics, delivering a combination of command-and-control, mission-
rehearsal, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance 
capabilities. 

The size and weight of military electronics, whether soldier-borne or 
vehicle-mounted, are shrinking out of necessity. Current and future 
electronics systems must be designed with reduced size, weight, and power 
(SWaP) attributes, to deliver as much functionality as possible in as 
small and light a form factor as is realistic...

“Size and weight are critical for the manageability of the equipment,” 
says Ken O’Neill, director of high-reliability product marketing at Actel 
Corp. in Mountain View, Calif. 

End users care about size, weight, and reliability, O’Neill says. 

In fact, the need for reliability oftentimes precludes the use of lead-
free solders, components, and component finishes, despite directives that 
require their adoption (see “RoHS and RoHS-like legislation,” ). 

“Our defense-oriented customers do not want RoHS [Restrictions on 
Hazardous Substances]-compliant products, especially those that are lead-
free,” says Mike A. Innab, president of Martek Power Inc. in Torrance, 
Calif. “There is still a large concern about the reliability issues on 
the defense side with lead-free components and solder.” 

Many contractors and programs have not qualified lead-free solder, and do 
not intend to use lead-free solder for many years to come, O’Neill 
reports. “Availability of non-RoHS parts is a concern, and it’s an area 
where companies can add value; we are committed to continue to supply 
traditional leaded solders as long as there is demand.” .. (snip)


RoHS and RoHS-like legislation 

The Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive 2002/95/EC of 
the European Parliament and of the Council prohibits the sale of new 
electronic equipment containing substances considered to be hazardous, 
including lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated 
biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenylethers in the European Union. 

RoHS-like, environmental legislation with regard to producing and 
recycling electronics is a global trend. Thirty U.S. states (have)
regulations modeled after the EU RoHS directive in action or pending.
 
Japan’s Green Procurement Practices, referred to as JPSSI, is said to be 
more restrictive than RoHS, and, Korea, China, Canada, Taiwan, and 
Australia have similar legislation in effect or pending. 

For more, read “The cost of compliance: A RoHS retrospective,” Military & 
Aerospace Electronics, August 2007, and online at www.milaero.com. 

http://mae.pennnet.com/display_article/342409/32/ARTCL/none/none/1/Power-
to-the-people/
--

Cheers Tom
Stephen Loosley
Victoria Australia