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High Quality AA and AF
Our high quality tests let us separate the men from the boys and the ladies from the girls. If the cards weren't struggling before they will start to now.
AA performance hasn't really changed with everything pretty much sitting the same.
Half Life 2 (Episode One HDR)
Real world AA performance seems to have dropped off.
OpenGL AA performance seems to have remained the same.


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Woodland Stroll Cape by Wanett
New silk fabric, woolen fabric, cotton fabric, buttons, lace trims, and more...each month brings new temptations!
The latest updates and gatherings involving the Britex Community. Stay up to date and make sure to mark your calendars.
Information and tutorials for folks interested in antique Italian lacework, nouveau fashion, sewing techniques and much much more!
[…] I stopped squealing and jumping around when the good peeps at Britex asked me to join their team, I zoned in on the project I wanted to start with. Almost immediately the […]
[…] using that scrumptious plaid for my last project, The Woodland Stroll Cape, I wanted to KISS (keep it simple, Seamstress!!) the next effort. When keeping it simple, you need […]

subset: commoncrawl


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JERSEYVILLE, Ill. - Roger Blake White, 35, formerly of Dexter, Mo., died Sept. 3, 2002, at the Arbor Place Residential Care Center in Dexter.
Born Sept. 3, 1967, at Columbus, Ga., he was the son of Linda Faye Tilley White of Dexter and the late Roger Dale White.
On June 15, 1996, at Dexter, he married Winona Sue Butler who survives of the home.
Survivors in addition to his wife and mother include: one stepson, Bobby Landen Stevanus of Jerseyville; two stepdaughters, Natalie Stevanus of Jerseyville and Alicia Schofield of Rochester; three brothers, Eddie White and Richard White of Dexter and Tony White of Granite City; his maternal grandmother, Nina Foster of Bernie, Mo.; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter, where services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Thursday with Stan Dauck, officiating.
Burial will follow in the Bernie Cemetery.


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Wide area network (WAN), a computer communications network that spans cities, countries, and the globe, generally using telephone lines and satellite links. The Internet connects multiple WANs; as its name suggests, it is a network of networks. Its success stems from early support by the U.S. Department of Defense, which developed its precursor, ARPANET (see DARPA), to let researchers communicate readily and share computer resources. Its success is also due to its flexible communication technique. The emergence of the Internet in the 1990s as not only a communication medium but also one of the principal focuses of computer use may be the most significant development in computing since its invention. See also local area network (LAN).
Similar Topics


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I've been getting into Gettysburg and researching it after a long hiatus. I feel that the HPS game system, with optional rules has potential for realistic Civil War gaming.
I've played the good ole SPI TSS and TS Gettysburg. The HPS Gettysburg map appears to be too bland, and this is not just a graphics comment, comparing it to the beautiful TS map.
I've walked the battlefield twice, in summer.
Is The Wheatfield of Sickle's Salient fame really the only field on the battlefield? Certainly not! Where are the fences and stone walls I read about in battle accounts?


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AP-Tim Tebow accounted for four touchdowns, A.J. Jones had two huge interceptions and top-ranked Florida beat the Bulldogs 41-17 Saturday for its 17th win in the last 20 meetings between the Southeastern Conference rivals.
The Gators (8-0, 6-0) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 18 games and clinched at least a share of the SEC East title.


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Seaman Kendahl Chmara, left, signals to the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) and Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew Michela gives commands to riggers, while an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Sea Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 picks up cargo in the background during a replenishment-at-sea aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Sept. 13, 2013. Harry S. Truman,is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, supporting theater security cooperation efforts and supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Karl Anderson/Released)
Worth A Thousand Words: Replenishment Signals
This entry was posted in Rotator, Worth A Thousand Words and tagged MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, Operation Enduring Freedom, Replenishment-at-sea, Sea Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22, U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, U.S. Navy, USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75), WATW, Worth a Thousand Words. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Explore paradise on Lord Howe Island
This World Heritage-listed paradise, 600km off the coast of Port Macquarie on the NSW North Coast, is a crescent shaped island measuring less than 11km, end to end, and barely 3km across. You'll be one of only 400 visitors at any time. Flight time from Sydney is less than two hours.
About Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is a World Heritage-listed paradise with year-round scheduled services offered by QantasLink. A seasonal weekly flight direct from Port Macquarie operates from February to June and September to December.
A holiday here is relaxing and unhurried, where getting around by bike or on foot fits the idyllic pace.
Lord Howe Island's famous twin peaks, breathtaking views and natural forest make it ideal for walkers and hikers to discover the island on foot.
Challenge yourself on a one-day, guided climb of Mount Gower, at 875m, considered one of the world's best hikes, or take a more leisurely walk under lush forest canopies in the Valley of Shadows.
The crystal clear waters of Lord Howe Island are also perfect for swimming, snorkelling, diving, kayaking and surfing.
The island is an idyllic location for fishing enthusiasts as well as snorkellers and scuba divers.
Cast off at Blinky Beach for Australian salmon or snorkel straight off the sand at Neds Beach where you can also hand-feed fish. Enjoy a wide range of other watersports including surfing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, kite surfing and windsurfing.
Lord Howe is also one of Australia's premier birdwatching destinations. There's no better way to seek out Lord Howe's 130 permanent and migratory bird species or 64 species of flowering plants than on well marked walking tracks.
A wide range of accommodation styles, sumptuous spa treatments, beautiful hotels and great restaurants make Lord Howe Island the perfect getaway.


text: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan, focusing on the cost and benefits of DOD'S consolidation plans for open air ranges, hardware-in-the-loop facilities, and installed system test facilities used in electronic combat testing. GAO noted that: (1) implementation of the Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan will result in less effective electronic combat testing capabilities; (2) the planned relocation of the Electro-Magnetic Test Environment will eliminate DOD's current capability to test electronic combat systems in conditions that typify many potential threat locations; (3) DOD will be left with two open air ranges with very similar environmental characteristics and will no longer have the ability to test in diverse conditions needed to understand environmental effects on electronic combat systems; (4) the planned Real-time Electronic Digitally Controlled Analyzer Processor relocation will mean replacing existing hardware simulation capability with digital computer models, thus reducing DOD'S current capability to simulate realistic aircraft strike scenarios with high confidence and fidelity; (5) the Master Plan did not contain any cost analysis and did not identify any savings expected from the consolidations; (6) estimates used to support 1995 Base Closure and Realignment Commission deliberations, as well as data provided by users indicate that the consolidation may increase DOD's electronic combat testing costs; (7) in addition, the Master Plan does not contain any analysis or recommendations regarding consolidation of installed system test facility workloads across the services although the Navy and the Air Force are spending $512 million for construction of another anechoic chamber to provide a controlled electromagnetic environment, and other upgrades to their current primary installed system test facilities; (8) consequently, the Master Plan, if implemented, may not achieve the most cost-effective DOD-wide infrastructure; (9) the root cause of this was DOD officials' inability to overcome service parochialism during the Master Plan's development; (10) this parochialism resulted in a gentleman's agreement between the Air Force and the Navy to focus on intraservice rather than interservice consolidations; (11) prior joint service studies performed on an interservice basis had identified alternatives for more cost-effective consolidations; (12) however, the recommendations of these studies were never implemented; and (13) if this continues, service rivalry could adversely affect DOD's ongoing, congressionally mandated Section 277/Vision 21 consolidation effort, wh* --------------------------- Indexing Terms ----------------------------- REPORTNUM: NSIAD-97-10 TITLE: Electronic Combat: Consolidation Master Plan Does Not Appear To Be Cost-Effective DATE: 07/10/97 SUBJECT: Test facilities Electronic warfare Military downsizing Military cost control Combat readiness Advanced weapons systems Computer modeling Weapons research Base closures Military aircraft IDENTIFIER: Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator Air Force Real-Time Electromagnetic Digitally Controlled Analyzer and Processor Air Force Electro-Magnetic Test Environment DOD Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan P-3 Aircraft C-5 Aircraft F-22 Aircraft E-6 Aircraft Orion Aircraft Galaxy Aircraft DOD Vision 21 Plan ****************************************************************** ** This file contains an ASCII representation of the text of a ** ** GAO report. Delineations within the text indicating chapter ** ** titles, headings, and bullets are preserved. Major ** ** divisions and subdivisions of the text, such as Chapters, ** ** Sections, and Appendixes, are identified by double and ** ** single lines. The numbers on the right end of these lines ** ** indicate the position of each of the subsections in the ** ** document outline. These numbers do NOT correspond with the ** ** page numbers of the printed product. ** ** ** ** No attempt has been made to display graphic images, although ** ** figure captions are reproduced. Tables are included, but ** ** may not resemble those in the printed version. ** ** ** ** Please see the PDF (Portable Document Format) file, when ** ** available, for a complete electronic file of the printed ** ** document's contents. ** ** ** ** A printed copy of this report may be obtained from the GAO ** ** Document Distribution Center. For further details, please ** ** send an e-mail message to: ** ** ** ** <[email protected]> ** ** ** ** with the message 'info' in the body. ** ****************************************************************** Cover ================================================================ COVER Report to Congressional Requesters July 1997 ELECTRONIC COMBAT - CONSOLIDATION MASTER PLAN DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE COST-EFFECTIVE GAO/NSIAD-97-10 Electronic Combat Test Consolidation (707149) Abbreviations =============================================================== ABBREV AFEWES - Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator BRAC - Base Closure and Realignment Commission DOD - Department of Defense EMTE - Electro-Magnetic Test Environment REDCAP - Real-time Electronic Digitally Controlled Analyzer Processor Letter =============================================================== LETTER B-272629 July 10, 1997 The Honorable Connie Mack The Honorable Bob Graham United States Senate The Honorable Joe Scarborough House of Representatives In response to your request, we have reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan. As agreed with your office, our objective was to assess the costs and benefits of DOD's consolidation plans for open air ranges, hardware-in-the-loop facilities, and installed system test facilities used in electronic combat testing. BACKGROUND ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :1 In its report on the Fiscal Year 1996 National Defense Authorization Act, the Senate Armed Services Committee criticized DOD for not having a clear approach to consolidating test infrastructure and recommended reductions in DOD's Test and Evaluation support accounts. The Senate Appropriations Committee agreed with the authorizing committee, recommended reductions to the fiscal year 1996 Test and Evaluation support accounts, and acknowledged the need to constrain spending in this area. Subsequently, in the Fiscal Year 1996 National Defense Appropriations Act, the Congress limited the obligation of specified funds until DOD provided the defense authorizing and appropriating committees with an Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan to establish a DOD-wide infrastructure for electronic combat testing. In March 1996, DOD published its Master Plan. In transmitting the Master Plan to the Congress, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology stated that DOD would revisit the Plan in the broader context of section 277 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996, and adjust the Plan as appropriate. Section 277 directs DOD to develop a consolidation and restructure plan for its laboratories and test and evaluation centers for the 21st century. This effort is not yet complete. According to the Master Plan, DOD considered 17 of the services' electronic combat test facilities for consolidation. The Army controls 4 of the 17 facilities, the Navy controls 6, and the Air Force controls 7. The conclusion of the Master Plan is that the assets of three of the seven facilities managed by the Air Force will be moved to other Air Force locations. No interservice consolidations and no intraservice consolidation of the four Army or six Navy facilities are proposed in the Plan. The three facilities to be relocated are -- the Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator (AFEWES) in Fort Worth, Texas; -- the Real-time Electronic Digitally Controlled Analyzer Processor (REDCAP) in Buffalo, New York; and -- the Electro-Magnetic Test Environment (EMTE) at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. AFEWES is a specialized hardware-in-the-loop facility that simulates individual radar and missile threats to aircraft and electronic combat hardware. REDCAP is a specialized hardware-in-the-loop facility that simulates an integrated air defense system with command, control, and communications networks. EMTE is an open air range providing radar and simulated missile threats to aircraft in flight; it is collocated at Eglin Air Force Base with the Air Force's development and test and evaluation activities for armaments. Installed system test facility consolidation was not proposed in the Master Plan. For purposes of this review, we focused on three open air ranges, two hardware-in-the-loop facilities, and two installed system test facilities. The remaining 10 are other kinds of electronic combat test facilities, such as research laboratories or radar cross-section measurement facilities or are service unique capabilities. DOD's electronic combat test process and the role the various kinds of facilities play in that process are explained briefly in appendix I. RESULTS IN BRIEF ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :2 Implementation of the Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan will result in less effective electronic combat testing capabilities. -- The planned relocation of EMTE will eliminate DOD's current capability to test electronic combat systems in conditions that typify many potential threat locations. DOD will be left with two open air ranges with very similar environmental characteristics and will no longer have the ability to test in diverse conditions needed to understand environmental effects on electronic combat systems. -- The planned REDCAP relocation will mean replacing existing hardware simulation capability with digital computer models, thus reducing DOD's current capability to simulate realistic aircraft strike scenarios with high confidence and fidelity. The Master Plan did not contain any cost analysis and did not identify any savings expected from the consolidations. Estimates used to support 1995 Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) deliberations, as well as data provided by users indicate that the consolidation may increase DOD's electronic combat testing costs. In addition, the Master Plan does not contain any analysis or recommendations regarding consolidation of installed system test facility workloads across the services although the Navy and the Air Force are spending $512 million for construction of another anechoic chamber to provide a controlled electromagnetic environment at Patuxent River, Maryland, and other upgrades to their current primary installed system test facilities at Patuxent River and Edwards Air Force Base, California. Consequently, the Master Plan, if implemented, may not achieve the most cost-effective DOD-wide infrastructure. The root cause of this was DOD officials' inability to overcome service parochialism during the Master Plan's development. This parochialism resulted in a "gentlemen's agreement" between the Air Force and the Navy to focus on intraservice rather than interservice consolidations. Prior joint service studies performed on an interservice basis had identified alternatives for more cost-effective consolidations. However, the recommendations of these studies were never implemented. If this continues, service rivalry could adversely affect DOD's ongoing, congressionally mandated section 277/vision 21 consolidation effort, which is considering the broader issue of DOD's testing and laboratory facilities. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :3 PLANNED CONSOLIDATION OF OPEN AIR RANGES WILL REDUCE EFFECTIVENESS ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :3.1 The proposal in the Master Plan to relocate EMTE would eliminate a test facility that provides unique advantages and keep two testing facilities with overlapping capabilities. DOD's acquisition regulations require systems to be evaluated in operationally realistic environments, including the expected range of natural environmental conditions. Currently, its electronic combat open air ranges replicate diverse threat environments where the services must be prepared to conduct operations. TESTING EQUIPMENT IN DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS IS CRITICAL ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :3.2 DOD's 5000.2R acquisition regulations require testing in natural environmental conditions representative of intended areas of operations (e.g. temperature, pressure, humidity, fog, precipitation, clouds, blowing dust and sand, steep terrain, storm surge and tides, etc.). Testing in diverse conditions provides performance data needed to understand environmental effects on electronic combat systems. This information is critical to making informed acquisition and mission planning decisions, thereby reducing the risk of buying ineffective equipment and the potential for casualties during wartime. DOD studies also document the importance of testing electronic combat equipment in diverse environments. For example, a 1994 joint service study of electronic combat open air ranges expressed the need for electronic combat testing in the correct natural environment. Test results for electronic combat systems demonstrate that performance can differ significantly in differing environments. Testing in diverse environments is also important for collecting data to support development of realistic computer models. DOD believes modeling and simulation can be used to reduce the cost of live tests, but to improve levels of confidence in models they must be built on high fidelity data collected from diverse environments. PLAN WOULD ELIMINATE DIVERSITY FOUND IN CURRENT OPEN AIR RANGES ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :3.3 DOD's proposed open air range consolidation as described in the Master Plan would eliminate diversity by keeping only desert ranges and thereby reduce electronic combat open air range testing effectiveness. The Air Force and the Navy control three primary open air ranges for testing electronic combat systems. These include two western ranges, one at China Lake, California, and one managed by Edwards Air Force Base, California. Both feature dry, desert climates with steep, rocky terrain. The third range, EMTE, at Eglin Air Force Base on the Florida panhandle, features a land/sea interface, high humidity, and a subtropical, forested environment, and an over water test range. The Master Plan states that preservation of militarily unique electronic combat test facilities was an important criterion for deciding which facilities to close. However, EMTE is unique among DOD's open air ranges, and the 1994 joint service study noted that one of the primary disadvantages of closing EMTE would be the loss of terrain and geographical diversity, since both remaining ranges would be located in the desert. CURRENT OPEN AIR RANGES REPRESENT POTENTIAL THREAT ENVIRONMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :3.4 Both western ranges provide a capability for conducting essential electronic combat testing over terrain representative of projected middle eastern threat environments. Conversely, EMTE provides DOD with an environment more typical of most of the other projected U.S. threat locations, including North Korea and the Balkans. Table 1 identifies the terrain of countries that are representative of possible locations for future conflicts that are of concern to the United States. In comparison, table 2 demonstrates that the unique environmental characteristics of EMTE--over water, land/sea interface, and foliage--are prevalent in most of the potential threat locations identified in table 1. Table 1 Potential Threat Locations and Terrain Correlation Sea/ land Over interfac Location water e Desert Foliage Mountain -------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Iraq X X Iran X X X X X N. Korea X X X X China X X X X X Libya X X X X Cuba X X X X Balkans X X X X ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2 Open Air Ranges and Terrain Correlation Sea/ land Over interfac Location water e Desert Foliage Mountain -------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- EMTE X X X China Lake X X Air Force Western X X Test Range ---------------------------------------------------------------------- REDCAP AT NEW LOCATION WILL BE LESS CAPABLE ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :4 The Master Plan proposal to move the REDCAP facility from Buffalo and colocate it with the Air Force's installed system test facility at Edwards Air Force Base will reduce electronic combat testing effectiveness. The intent is to reestablish what the Air Force calls a "core" REDCAP capability at the new location by developing a computer model to simulate REDCAP hardware. However, the model will not simulate all of the current REDCAP testing features. Establishing a core REDCAP capability means not utilizing much of the REDCAP hardware, and its associated functions, even though the Air Force completed upgrading this hardware in 1996 at a cost of $75 million over the past 8 years. The core REDCAP at the proposed new location will be less capable than the complete REDCAP at its current location. Some of the REDCAP hardware functions that the Air Force does not plan to make available in core REDCAP do not exist anywhere else in DOD. According to DOD and Air Force officials, the REDCAP facility in Buffalo is unique. For instance, REDCAP can currently simulate a realistic scenario of a strike package of multiple aircraft approaching targets protected by multiple threat radars and threat aircraft incorporated into an integrated air defense system. The proposed core REDCAP will not be able to simulate this scenario. Simulating many aircraft versus many threat systems is important because integrated air defense systems exist in a number of potential threat locations and integrated defenses are projected by DOD to be a growth area among potential threat nations. PLANNED CONSOLIDATIONS MAY INCREASE COSTS ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :5 The Master Plan did not contain any cost analysis or identify the savings expected from the consolidations. Our analysis of prior estimates used to support the 1995 BRAC deliberations and other data provided by users indicates the consolidations may increase DOD's testing costs. More specifically (1) BRAC-related data indicates that a complete EMTE relocation would not be cost- effective, (2) cost estimates provided to BRAC regarding the relocation of REDCAP and AFEWES were understated, and (3) increased costs that will be incurred by user organizations were not considered in Air Force cost estimates. MASTER PLAN INCLUDES NO EVIDENCE OF SAVINGS ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.1 Senior Air Force test officials told us that the Air Force selected EMTE, REDCAP, and AFEWES for consolidation because they believed they would ultimately save money by relocating them. The Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan, however, includes no evidence that any savings will result and, in fact, contains no cost data at all. The Secretary of Defense recommended the relocation of REDCAP and AFEWES and the partial relocation of EMTE to the 1995 BRAC. BRAC approved the REDCAP relocation, rejected the AFEWES proposal, and significantly scaled back the partial relocation of EMTE. The Master Plan, however, incorrectly states that selecting EMTE for relocation reflects decisions of the 1995 BRAC. BRAC FOUND NO SAVINGS IN RELOCATING EMTE IN TOTAL ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.2 The 1995 BRAC scaled back the Secretary's recommendation to realign the EMTE open air range at Eglin Air Force Base. DOD proposed transferring 17 systems designed to simulate various threat radars and missiles, but BRAC determined that was too costly and would "never net a return on investment." Ultimately, however, BRAC did approve the movement of 10 systems (for which the BRAC account was eventually charged $6.1 million), but required DOD to leave limited capability systems at Eglin to support the Air Force's Special Operations Forces, Armaments Division, and Air Warfare Center, which are also at Eglin. Nevertheless, the 1996 Master Plan says the Air Force plans to "relocate" EMTE, not move just 10 systems. According to Air Force officials, "relocate" means 17 systems will be moved. Ten will be operated at the new location and 7 will be cannibalized for parts. Air Force test officials maintain that the Special Operations Forces, Air Warfare Center and Armaments Division do not need these 17 systems at Eglin, and they will leave behind some systems to meet the customers' needs. EMTE users, such as the Special Operations Forces and the 53rd Test Wing and the Army Aviation Test Directorate, told us that the systems the Air Force plans to leave will not meet their needs for accomplishing realistic testing because they do not have the capability to receive and process testing data for subsequent analysis. Air Force test officials told us users can travel to the Air Force's western test range to meet their test requirements. REDCAP RELOCATION COSTS NOT FULLY DISCLOSED ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.3 To mitigate the impact of the reduction in REDCAP effectiveness described earlier in this report, the Air Force has awarded a $6.2-million contract to design and build a digital computer model of REDCAP that it intends to use instead of the REDCAP hardware that will be stored. This additional cost, however, was not included in the Air Force cost estimate that BRAC used in deciding to relocate REDCAP. The Air Force had recommended to the 1995 BRAC that the REDCAP facility be relocated to Edwards Air Force Base. The 1995 BRAC found that Air Force cost estimates to relocate were understated, but decided to accept the recommendation as they believed it would still result in overall savings. As a result, the BRAC account makes available to the Air Force $3.7 million to relocate REDCAP. Using Air Force cost figures, BRAC projected the operating cost to the government of REDCAP at the new location will be $100,000 compared to $1 million annually at the current location, BRAC anticipated a 4-year return on investment (4 x $0.9 million). (The remainder of REDCAP's operations are funded by customer receipts.) Since the cost of the new computer model was not taken into account, the Air Force will not achieve a relatively quick return on investment. The additional $6.2 million means it will take an additional 7 years to recoup costs based on Air Force projected savings of $0.9 million per year. This 11-year (4 + 7) return is well beyond the 1995 BRAC norm of seeking a 6-year or less return on investment. AFEWES MOVE DELAYED ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.4 The Air Force recommended to the 1995 BRAC that the AFEWES facility in Fort Worth be relocated to Edwards Air Force Base. The Air Force had estimated a cost of $8.9 million to close AFEWES and move it. BRAC did not accept the recommendation though because BRAC estimated it would cost $34.9 million to close the facility and would be over 100 years before a return on investment was realized. Nevertheless, the Air Force included the AFEWES relocation in the 1996 Master Plan. Air Force officials told us they are now attempting to modify their outyear budgets so they can move the AFEWES facility sometime in the year 2000 time frame. USER COSTS WILL INCREASE WITH EMTE CLOSURE ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.5 Special Operations Forces based at Hurlburt Field, Florida, adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, are users of EMTE. After the EMTE relocation, however, Special Operations Forces' electronic combat testing will be conducted at the Air Force's western test range. As a result, Special Operations Forces officials estimate that their electronic combat testing will cost $23 million over the next 5 years, whereas they have spent only $4 million for electronic combat testing over the last 4 years. We reviewed the analysis supporting this estimate and found it to be realistic. The $19 million in additional cost results from sending aircraft, their crews, and support personnel temporarily to the western test range more often than in the past. In contrast, there are no temporary duty costs associated with testing Special Operations Forces aircraft at EMTE. In addition to the Special Operations Forces, another user organization based at Eglin, the 53rd Test Wing, estimates that the proposed EMTE relocation may cost them as much as an additional $1 million per year. This additional cost would provide for an estimated 20 additional trips to the Air Force's western test range to perform electronic combat testing that in the past has been performed at Eglin Air Force Base. INSTALLED SYSTEM TEST FACILITY CONSOLIDATION NOT PRACTICAL ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :6 DOD's Master Plan does not contain any analysis or recommendations regarding consolidation of installed system test facility workloads across the services. The Navy and the Air Force are spending $512 million for construction of a new anechoic chamber to provide a controlled electromagnetic environment at Patuxent River, Maryland, and other upgrades to their current primary installed system test facilities at Patuxent River and Edwards Air Force Base, California. These projects have progressed too far to make any interservice consolidation practical at this time, however. The Navy has a fighter-sized anechoic chamber, has already spent $227 million, and has plans to spend an additional $101 million, to (1) add a new, medium- sized anechoic chamber and (2) upgrade the electronic combat test laboratory shared by both the fighter and medium-sized chambers. The Navy is planning to have the medium-sized chamber completed in fiscal year 1999. Completion of this work is timed to conduct testing on the Navy's E-6 and P-3 aircraft. (These specialized aircraft are too large to fit into the fighter sized facility.) Meanwhile, the Air Force has plans to spend over $184 million through fiscal year 2002 to make the same electronic combat test upgrades to its Edwards Air Force Base installed system test facility as the Navy is making at Patuxent River. The Edwards Air Force Base facility is large enough to accommodate any military aircraft except a C-5 transport. Navy officials agreed that the Edwards facility is large enough to accommodate their medium-sized E-6 and P-3 aircraft; however, they maintain that the Edwards facility is not advanced enough right now to conduct the testing on these aircraft. Navy officials also insist they cannot postpone their testing until fiscal year 2002 when the Edwards facility upgrade is scheduled to be completed. Furthermore, they say, the Air Force has blocked out most of the available test time at the Edwards facility for its future F-22 fighter, an aircraft that would fit in the Patuxent River chamber. MORE COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES TO PLANNED RELOCATIONS IGNORED ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :7 In the past 3 years, DOD has conducted two joint service studies of possible consolidation of electronic combat test facilities. One study done in 1994 is referred to as the Board of Directors study and is cited as justification for the conclusions in the Master Plan.\1 The other study is known as the 1995 Joint Cross Service Group study, which was done in support of the 1995 BRAC process.\2 These studies identified a more cost- effective interservice electronic combat consolidation as compared to the intraservice approach reflected in the Master Plan. However, the lack of interservice cooperation undermined the more cost-effective efforts. -------------------- \1 The Board of Directors is made up of the Service Vice Chiefs in their role as the Test and Evaluation Executive Agent. Board of Directors study team members were drawn from each of the services. \2 The Joint Cross Service Group was led by representatives of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and included team members from each of the services. The group examined potential consolidations for airframe and armaments testing, as well as electronic combat testing. OPEN AIR RANGE CONSOLIDATION DOES NOT REFLECT A MORE EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :7.1 To reduce excess capacity, the Master Plan recommends relocating test assets from EMTE to the western test range managed by Edwards Air Force Base and cites the 1994 Board of Directors Study as justification. According to the study, DOD's open air range workload capacity is 6,000 test hours per year, while actual workload in fiscal year 1993 was 4,867 test hours, and actual workload is projected to decline to 4,000 hours per year. Based on this workload data, DOD determined it will only need two of the three current open air range facilities in the future. However, that 1994 study, as well as the 1995 Joint Cross Service Group study done in support of the BRAC process, ranked EMTE as a more valuable electronic combat test capability than the Navy's China Lake open air range. The 1994 study also projected that relocating test assets from China Lake to EMTE and the Air Force's western test range would produce about $47 million more in savings over 5 years than relocating EMTE. DOD and Air Force officials with knowledge of the studies told us that the Navy participated fully in both studies, but once it became apparent that EMTE would rank higher than China Lake, the Navy would not cooperate in implementing the study's conclusions. ELECTRONIC LINKING OF REDCAP AND AFEWES A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :7.2 In addition to comparing the EMTE and China Lake open air ranges, the 1994 Board of Directors Study considered the possibility of achieving "synergy" between hardware-in-the-loop facilities, like AFEWES or REDCAP, by colocating them with installed system test facilities, like those maintained by the Air Force at Edwards, or the Navy at Patuxent River, Maryland. However, the Board of Directors study concluded that relocation would require 200 years to net a return on investment. Instead, according to a 1995 study conducted for the Air Force, electronic linking of REDCAP and AFEWES to an installed system test facility was far more cost-effective than relocating them. Despite the findings of these studies, the Air Force plans to relocate AFEWES and REDCAP. At the same time, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Navy are undertaking the High Level Architecture Project to electronically link REDCAP and AFEWES' hardware with the Navy's installed system test facility at Patuxent River. This link will allow DOD to test electronic combat systems on an aircraft in an installed system test facility and do hardware-in-the-loop testing without having to physically move the systems to REDCAP or AFEWES. This approach is consistent with the 1995 study commissioned by the Air Force. MASTER PLAN PROCESS STIFLED BY INTRASERVICE FOCUS ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :8 The failure of the Master Plan effort to achieve any DOD-wide electronic combat testing consolidations despite direction from the Congress to do so is due to service parochialism. This resulted in focusing on intraservice rather than interservice consolidations. "GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT" PREVENTED INTERSERVICE OPEN AIR RANGE CONSOLIDATION EFFORT ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :8.1 According to officials involved in the development of the Master Plan, because no DOD-wide consolidations could be agreed upon, Air Force and Navy representatives responsible for writing the Master Plan reached a "gentlemen's agreement." The agreement was that there would be no interservice consolidation until all intraservice consolidations were complete. The impact of this agreement was that the Master Plan consolidation effort for open air ranges focused only on whether to relocate EMTE or the western test range since they are both Air Force facilities, instead of focusing on all three open air ranges to ensure that the two kept would represent what was in the best interest of all of DOD. INTRASERVICE FOCUS COULD INTERFERE WITH BROADER CONSOLIDATION EFFORT ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :9 In a memorandum transmitting the Master Plan to the Congress in March 1996, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology stated that DOD would revisit the Master Plan in the broader context of section 277 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996, and adjust the Plan as appropriate. Section 277 directs DOD to develop a consolidation and restructure plan for its laboratories and test and evaluation centers for the 21st century. This plan, which DOD calls vision 21, will be based on the requirements to support the test and evaluation of future weapon systems and identify the critical test facilities needed to support them. DOD maintains that vision 21 will include both intraservice and interservice restructuring. However, based on the inability of DOD to implement proposed interservice consolidations originating from its prior studies of electronic combat test consolidation, we are concerned that the intraservice focus that interfered with development of a DOD-wide Electronic Combat Master Plan will undermine the vision 21 effort. RECOMMENDATION ----------------------------------------------------------- Letter :10 Because (1) the loss of electronic combat effectiveness was not given adequate consideration in the development of DOD's Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan, (2) the Master Plan contained no costs or evidence of savings, and (3) service parochialism was allowed to interfere with development of the Master Plan, we recommend that the Secretary of Defense take steps to make sure that the methodology for the ongoing section 277/vision 21 effort include the following criteria: (1) accurate, comparable, and reliable data on the true cost of operating the services' test and evaluation infrastructure; (2) the needs of and costs to test facility customers; (3) the maintenance of geographical and topographical diversity in the test facility base; (4) the requirement that proposed consolidations be cost-effective for DOD as a whole; and (5) measures to ensure that implementation of cost-effective decisions cannot be constrained or avoided. MATTER FOR CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION ----------------------------------------------------------- Letter :11 Because DOD's Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan may not provide for the most cost-effective DOD-wide infrastructure for electronic combat testing as directed by the Congress, the Congress may wish to consider directing the Secretary of Defense to defer the transferring of electronic combat test assets until DOD completes its vision 21 plan for restructuring its laboratories and test and evaluation centers. AGENCY COMMENTS AND OUR EVALUATION ----------------------------------------------------------- Letter :12 In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD indicated that it did not agree with our findings, recommendation, or matter for congressional consideration. According to DOD's response, the consolidations proposed in the Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan and addressed in our report are in keeping with the intent of the Congress to reduce the test infrastructure. We disagree. The Congress directed DOD to develop a DOD-wide infrastructure for electronic combat testing. DOD's Master Plan did not consider any of the Army and the Navy electronic combat test facilities as possibilities for consolidation and merely transfers Air Force test functions to other Air Force locations. DOD's response indicated that the services made decisions to consolidate in areas that would have the least impact on DOD's ability to perform effective test and evaluation. This response is not supported by the facts. For instance, the plan to close the EMTE electronic combat open air range at Eglin Air Force Base will leave DOD with no non-desert electronic combat test range for tactical fighters and two desert test ranges--one each for the Navy and the Air Force. This is not consistent with DOD's testing policy that calls for testing to be conducted in a range of natural environments. DOD commented that its planned consolidations reflect the 1995 BRAC legislation and the services' plans to implement congressional direction. Our review showed that the planned actions will go beyond, not "reflect," the 1995 BRAC legislation as the Air Force intends to relocate the entire EMTE function from Eglin Air Force Base, not limit itself to the BRAC-directed realignment of 10 systems (8 threat and 2 podded systems.) The Air Force intends to move AFEWES, as well. This planned move is inconsistent with direction from the 1995 BRAC. DOD believes diversity in the testing environments is desirable, but inconsequential, so long as DOD maintains the capability to replicate geographical and topographical characteristics through modeling and simulation and other work arounds. Our review indicated that DOD does not need to rely in large measure on computer models and work arounds. Instead, DOD could have considered keeping its non-desert range at Eglin, and could have considered consolidating the Air Force's and the Navy's desert ranges into one to keep the diverse test environments required by its regulations and still reduce from three ranges to two. We have modified the language from our draft report concerning our matter for congressional consideration to ensure that it is not misconstrued and to help focus attention on the desirability of considering a more cost-effective alternative. DOD's comments are reprinted as appendix II, along with our detailed evaluation of them. SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY ----------------------------------------------------------- Letter :13 To accomplish our objective, we examined DOD's March 1996 Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan and DOD studies of potential electronic combat test facility consolidations. Because the Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan did not include any cost data, we gathered cost data from affected sites, as well as the Air Force Materiel Command, and other DOD studies of electronic combat test consolidation. We interviewed officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force responsible for or involved in the electronic combat test process. We also interviewed contractor personnel involved in the electronic combat test process. We visited open air ranges, hardware-in-the-loop facilities, installed system test facilities, and observed electronic combat tests in progress. We reviewed DOD policy and guidance on testing and evaluation, as well. We performed our work at the Offices of the Secretaries of Defense, the Navy, and the Air Force; the Offices of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Air Force Chief of Staff; the Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Hurlburt Field, Florida; Army Aviation and Technical Test Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama; Army Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama; Naval Air Warfare Centers at Patuxent River, Maryland, China Lake, California, and Point Mugu, California; and REDCAP at Buffalo, New York. We performed our review from March 1996 to March 1997 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. --------------------------------------------------------- Letter :13.1 We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional committees; the Secretaries of Defense, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force; the Director, Office of Management and Budget; and other interested parties. We will make copies available to others upon request. If you have any questions about this report, I may be reached at (202) 512-4841. Major contributors to this report are listed in appendix III Louis J. Rodrigues Director, Defense Acquisitions Issues THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S ELECTRONIC COMBAT TEST PROCESS =========================================================== Appendix I PREDICT-TEST-COMPARE REPLACES FLY-FIX-FLY --------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:1 Electronic combat systems, such as radar jammers and warning receivers, are most often associated with tactical fighter aircraft because of the threat posed to them by modern surface-to-air missiles. However, electronic combat systems are found today on all types of platforms. These include ground vehicles, surface and subsurface naval vessels, missiles, helicopters, and other fixed-wing aircraft besides tactical fighters. Hence, wherever the services and their contractors develop or test platforms and major subsystems for those platforms, electronic combat test facilities have been established as necessary support functions. In the past 10 years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has spent more than $300 million to build and upgrade electronic combat test capabilities. The vast majority of this new investment has gone into hardware-in-the-loop and installed system test facilities, which are highly scientific, laboratory type facilities, and open air ranges that try to replicate real world environments. These new and upgraded facilities were designed and built to accommodate DOD's revised electronic combat test process. DOD's revised electronic combat test process utilizing hardware-in-the-loop, installed system test facilities, and finally, open air ranges fits into a broader test philosophy referred to as "Predict-Test-Compare." According to a former test official, Predict-Test-Compare was implemented to ensure more rigorous testing was done before fielding because of a general belief in DOD that its electronic combat systems did not work very well. According to the Air Force, past electronic warfare programs have displayed a pattern of latent deficiencies manifesting themselves in operational test and evalution, necessitating expensive fixes and retesting. Predict-Test-Compare replaced DOD's "fly-fix-fly" model that emphasized open air range testing as the primary test method. Fly-fix-fly relied too much on trial and error at open air ranges to find and correct problems. Often the systems were concurrently built and tested and already fielded before successful fixes were identified. Typical outcomes of a fly-fix-fly philosophy are the costly, repeated, and continuing attempts to fix the ALQ-161 electronic warfare suite on the Air Force's B-1 Bombers, and the SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite on the Navy's surface combatants. In contrast to trial and error, Predict-Test-Compare is based on the scientific method of interplay between inductive and deductive reasoning. After subjecting systems to testing on the ground under tightly controlled conditions, testers compare the test outcomes to their predictions to induce hypotheses that explain the outcomes. The inductive hypotheses, in turn, are analyzed by developers and testers to deduce what hypothetical fixes are necessary to produce more desirable outcomes in subsequent tests. Thus, Predict-Test- Compare is an iterative process in which understanding why a system behaves as it does is essential to successfully predicting how the system will behave when it is modified. HARDWARE-IN-THE-LOOP FACILITIES PROVIDE CONTROLLED CONDITIONS FOR TEST --------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:2 Controlling for the conditions of a test is the number one requirement for ensuring that test outcomes are explainable. Hardware-in-the-loop facilities provide this capability in the electronic combat test process. In their laboratory type environments, testers can control for external variables found in realistic environments such as terrain effects and background noise that might influence test outcomes. Hardware-in-the-loop testing provides the capability to provide repeatable measurements and verification of protection techniques and system effectiveness. The hardware-in-the-loop facility is the first place a new or modified piece of electronic combat equipment faces an actual or simulated threat radar. Prior to hardware-in-the-loop testing, a developer begins with a concept for electronic combat equipment to fill a requirement, say an ability to deceive a new threat radar. The developer typically will design a computer model representative of the concept. The electronic combat tester will then subject the conceptual model to an increasingly rigorous test against validated computer models of threat radars. Once a computer model that works against the threat models is developed, real electronic combat hardware that tries to replicate the model's behaviour is built. The electronic combat hardware is then subjected to the hardware-in-the-loop testing, that is, it is tested against actual or simulated threat radar hardware. If testers cannot demonstrate that the hardware will work as predicted within the controlled conditions of the hardware-in-the-loop facility, a system should not proceed to the next phases of the test process. Success at installed system test facilities or open air ranges after failure in the hardware-in-the-loop facility might be evidence of a positive effect from environmental influences, for example, electronic signals bouncing uncontrollably off of terrain features to confuse a threat radar, a factor that will not always be present in every wartime environment. In addition, systems that have failed in the real world can be brought back to the hardware-in-the-loop facility to evaluate and improve their performance. According to test officials, serious problems with the ALQ-99 system used on the EA-6B and EF-111 stand-off jamming aircraft were unraveled and solutions identified in the Real-time Electronic Digitally Controlled Analyzer Processor (REDCAP) hardware-in-the-loop facility before the ALQ-99 went on to successful testing at the open air range. In a more recent example, the Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator (AFEWES) hardware-in-the-loop facility was able to recreate and simulate the conditions that led to the shootdown of Captain Scott O'Grady's F-16 over Bosnia in 1995. The AFEWES results were subsequently proven in real aircraft testing at the Electro-Magnetic Test Environment (EMTE) Open Air Range at Eglin Air Force Base. EFFECTS OF ELECTRONIC COMBAT SYSTEM ON PLATFORM DETERMINED IN INSTALLED SYSTEM TEST FACILITY --------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:3 After the hardware is tested in the hardware-in-the-loop facility, it is then placed on the platform intended to eventually carry the hardware for installed system testing. Installed system test facilities consist of anechoic chambers in which simultaneous operation of electronic warfare systems and host platform avionics and munitions can be conducted. It is in the installed system test facility that systems and subsystems are tested together for electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility, both of which have been major problems in the past. For instance, a number of U.S. aircraft have had radar jammers, radars, and radar warning receivers in the past that conflicted with each other. By identifying the conflicts before flying at the open air range, testers can more quickly isolate and solve problems. Once the Air Force and the Navy complete their ongoing upgrades to their installed system test facilities, they will be able to test systems for effectiveness under a wide range of realistic threat and operational conditions while still on the ground. OPEN AIR RANGE PROVIDES REAL-WORLD TEST SCENARIOS --------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:4 Finally, when the hardware has been proven successful in each of the earlier steps, the electronic combat test process ends with open air testing against actual or simulated threat radars in real-world environments. Real-world phenomena encountered during open air testing can include terrain effects, multi-path propagation, electromagnetic interference from commercial systems, and other conditions that affect the atmospheric propagation of electronic signals. While often thought of as the place for a "final exam," probably because of the association open air ranges have with operational testing, open air ranges also can have a developmental role. According to DOD officials, a properly managed and operated open air range can provide the proper mix of scientific accuracy and real-world effects to allow electronic combat system developers to know if what they have observed in the hardware-in-the-loop facility and installed system test facility will hold true in the real world. The example cited above, in which the AFEWES hardware-in-the-loop and EMTE open air range facilities together unraveled, recreated, and demonstrated how the F-16 was shot down in 1995 over Bosnia provides evidence of this. (See figure in printed edition.)Appendix II COMMENTS FROM THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE =========================================================== Appendix I (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) The following are GAO's comments on DOD's letter dated March 10, 1997. GAO COMMENTS 1. The Congress directed DOD to develop a plan "to establish a DOD-wide infrastructure for electronic combat testing." DOD's proposed plan fails to establish a DOD-wide infrastructure. Instead, DOD's plan did not consider any of the 10 Army and Navy electronic combat test facilities as possibilities for consolidation or the results of DOD studies that identified consolidations that would result in a more cost-effective DOD-wide infrastructure. Our report does not conflict with the report entitled Defense Infrastructure (GAO/HR-97-7, Feb. 1997). In fact, this report substantiates its conclusions. The prior report stated that: ". . . breaking down cultural resistance to change, overcoming service parochialism, and setting forth a clear framework for a reduced defense infrastructure are key to avoiding waste and inefficiency. To do this, the Secretary of Defense and the Service Secretaries need to give greater structure to their efforts by developing an overall strategic plan." In this report, we point out that the process used by the services in developing the Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan did not overcome parochialism, as evidenced by the lack of effort to consolidate across service lines. The Master Plan does not reflect a DOD-wide strategic plan, but rather merely an Air Force plan to move Air Force functions to other Air Force locations. DOD's comment that ". . . the Services made decisions to consolidate in areas where they would have the least impact on the Department to perform effective T&E" is not supported by the facts. For instance, the plan to close the EMTE electronic combat open air range at Eglin Air Force Base will leave DOD with no non-desert electronic combat test range for tactical fighters, and two desert test ranges--one for the Navy and one for the Air Force. This is contrary to DOD's testing policy that requires testing to be conducted in a range of natural environments. As an alternative, DOD could have considered, but decided to forego, the option of consolidating the test assets of the two desert ranges into one, and keep its only non-desert electronic combat open air range. As our report shows, the Air Force intends to "relocate" the EMTE function from Eglin Air Force Base, not limit itself to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) directed realignment. If the Air Force transfers more than eight threat systems and two podded threat systems out of Eglin, its actions will go beyond, not "reflect," the 1995 BRAC recommendation. The 1995 BRAC recommendation involves the movement of only 8 threat systems and 2 podded threat systems, but DOD's Master Plan states that EMTE consists of 65 highly instrumented threat systems and high fidelity validated simulators. 2. How funding for upgrades was authorized and appropriated is not relevant to the issue of whether a facility should have been considered for consolidation or whether more cost-effective consolidation alternatives exist. 3. According to Air Force test policy, modeling and simulation is not an adequate replacement for actual hardware testing because it cannot predict absolute performance and effectiveness with high confidence or achieve the same degree of fidelity for complex functions as testing of the hardware itself. The ongoing vision 21 consolidation effort gives DOD the opportunity to consider how it will maintain geographical and topographical diversity, among other things, and still achieve "as few [facilities] as is practicable and possible." For instance, DOD could consider keeping its non-desert range at Eglin, and consolidate the Air Force's and the Navy's desert ranges into one to keep the diverse test environments required by its regulations and still reduce from three ranges to two. 4. There may be no significant loss of capabilities if the Air Force limits the movement from EMTE to the eight systems and two pods that are described in the BRAC decision and keeps the other residual test assets available for testing at Eglin. However, if the Air Force carries out the Master Plan proposal to "relocate" the EMTE function to accomplish a reduction from three to two electronic combat ranges, there will be a loss in DOD's current ability to test with high fidelity and confidence. Testing only in dry, desert air over rocky, mountainous terrain will limit DOD's real-world testing to one environment and one set of operating conditions. Moreover, the desert ranges are not representative of most places in which DOD must be prepared to fight. 5. Although the Air Force maintains there is no question of affordability in the proposed move of AFEWES, the 1995 BRAC found that such a move would cost $34.9 million and take over 100 years to achieve a return on that investment. The Air Force's refusal to consider electronic linking, despite an independent Air Force contractor's conclusion that linking would be far more cost-effective, demonstrates that the Air Force is not in step with the rest of DOD, which is demonstrating electronic linking of AFEWES, REDCAP, and the Navy's anechoic facilities at Patuxent River, Maryland. 6. We agree that the Air Force should keep REDCAP and AFEWES test capabilities for which there are test requirements. These test requirements are outlined in Air Force Manual 99-112, Electronic Warfare Test and Evaluation Process--Direction and Methodology for EW Testing. According to the manual, hardware-in-the-loop facilities (such as AFEWES and REDCAP) are an important test category because they represent the first opportunity to test components against simulations of hostile weapon system hardware or actual hostile weapon system hardware. That is why we question the Air Force's plan to put REDCAP hardware in storage in favor of an unproven digital computer model. 7. We continue to believe that the transfer of test assets should be deferred until the ongoing vision 21 consolidation effort is complete because this would provide DOD with an opportunity to create a plan for a future DOD-wide infrastructure for its testing, instead of an infrastructure that preserves each service's ability to maintain its own set of separate facilities across the test spectrum. The 1995 BRAC decisions have a 6-year implementation period. The planned transfers do not have to be made immediately to satisfy BRAC. We have modified the words in the matter for congressional consideration to more clearly articulate our position. Also see comments 1, 2, and 3. 8. Open air ranges are used to evaluate electronic combat systems in background, clutter, noise, and dynamic environments. Dynamic environments contain numerous important variables besides those mentioned in DOD's comments. According to the Air Force's electronic combat test manual, an operationally realistic open air test environment includes real-world phenomena such as terrain effects, multi-path propagation, electromagnetic interference from commercial sources, and effects caused by atmospheric propagation factors (i.e., the tendency of atmospheric conditions to enhance or inhibit signal transmission). Providing realistic and diverse representations of threat radar systems in the numbers ("density") and dispersion ("laydown") that the system under test would be expected to defeat in actual electronic combat does not negate the requirement to test in operationally realistic environments. Also see comment 3. 9. The disadvantage of climatic predictability at the desert test ranges is that the effects of various meteorological conditions cannot be observed. 10. The cost of testing at the western test range, the specifics of which the Air Force has classified, far exceed those at EMTE at Eglin. In fact, eliminating EMTE eliminates the Air Force's lower cost range. In addition, allowing foreign customers to utilize the Eglin range generates revenue, but for classified reasons most foreign customers are precluded from using the western range. 11. While it seems clear that moving EMTE's threat systems to the Air Force's western test range could improve the western test range's technical capability, it does not automatically follow that this is the most cost-effective solution for DOD as a whole to pursue. 12. If environmental effects were as well understood and accounted for in electronic combat testing as DOD's response claims, real-world testing at open air ranges would not be required; testing indoors at hardware-in-the-loop and installed system test facilities would be an adequate substitute. Environmental effects on electronic combat system performance can be more accurately determined on open air ranges where the system is exposed to the complexities of different real-world environments. Furthermore, without the ability to test in at least two distinct representative environments (e.g. wet and flat versus dry and mountainous), DOD will be unable to predict with significant assurance how an electronic combat system will perform in any environment other than the one in which it was tested. Hence, because the electronic combat test environment provided by the Eglin range provides DOD with its only alternative to the desert test environment, DOD's response that "the specific electronic combat environment offered at EMTE is not critical to RF [radio frequency] testing . . ." is not supportable. In addition, DOD regulations and the Air Force electronic combat test process require testing under real-world representative environment and operating conditions whether or not DOD believes that a given specific test environment is not critical for a given type of testing. 13. We did not assert that testing conducted in the environment at EMTE is scientifically "of a higher value" than testing done in a desert environment. What we stated was that DOD must prepare to fight in diverse environments; testing conducted in diverse environments is of a higher value than testing limited to a single environment. An operationally realistic test environment allows testers to gain insight into understanding how a system will perform in that environment. Testers cannot assume that the system will perform the same way in different environments. If DOD reduces its testing capability to only a desert environment, it will not be able to prove its systems work in anything other than a desert environment. This is contrary to DOD testing policy that requires testing to be conducted in a range of natural environments. In addition, testing indoors in a contractor's laboratory is not considered an acceptable substitute for real-world testing on the aircraft according to the Air Force's electronic combat test process guide. Neither Point Mugu nor Vandenberg Air Force Base have the necessary threat system test assets to create realistic threat environments for electronic combat testing for tactical aircraft systems. To utilize Point Mugu or Vandenburg for this purpose, DOD would essentially be recreating EMTE on the west coast. Moreover, no naval battle group currently has the capability to create a realistic open air threat density and laydown of hostile land-based surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery systems. Also see comments 2 and 10. 14. If these sites mentioned by DOD "easily support" electronic combat testing of tactical aircraft, they should have been considered for consolidation along with EMTE in the Master Plan process. However, the reality is that none of the places mentioned by DOD has the test assets to create the realistic threat densities and laydowns that DOD earlier in its response said were the most important factors in developing "operational realism and diversity." DOD's statement that once an electronic combat system is operating at airspeeds and altitudes normal for tactical aircraft the environmental conditions at the surface have little or no effect on performance unrealistically assumes no aircraft will ever be called upon to fly at low altitudes (such as flying low to avoid radar detection). Moreover, DOD's statement is counter to its policy statement on the need to operationally test in different environments. 15. In addition to electronic combat testing, Eglin conducts other kinds of testing, including bombing and live missile firings. Moreover, the main civilian air corridor between Los Angeles and destinations further east, including Las Vegas, one of the nation's fastest growing cities, buttresses against the restricted air space available to the Air Force and the Navy at their desert test ranges. Also see comment 1. 16. DOD's comment seems to assume that keeping EMTE would mean that the strengths of the Air Force's western test range, which it delineates here, would have to be sacrificed. We do not suggest that the western test range be closed instead of EMTE. Also see comment 1. 17. Operational testers have been using and continue to use operationally relevant scenarios at EMTE. Test aircraft at EMTE can also fly with live ordnance through simulated hostile airspace and live ordnance can be delivered on a real target. Also see comment 2. 18. Our point is that the body of potential hostile nations contains a variety of environments, not just desert. Testing at EMTE and in the desert allows the operational tester to gain insight into electronic combat system performance in multiple environments. The threat dispersion at EMTE can be changed if necessary, as it has been in the past. In fact, the threat dispersion at all of the ranges should be changed regularly to ensure that testing includes operationally relevant scenarios since many modern threat systems are designed to be mobile. China Lake is a facility with naval surface-to-air missiles located deep in a desert ringed by mountains. Placing naval surface-to-air missiles at EMTE with its flat terrain, humid environment and littoral location could provide a more realistic and operationally relevant scenario for naval aircraft. Despite DOD's assertion that severe operational limitations exist at EMTE, EMTE's annual workload historically has been significantly greater than the two desert test ranges. The Air Force and the Navy both use EMTE for testing despite the presence of the desert ranges. Thus, it appears their past testing behavior indicates they believe the benefits of EMTE outweigh any such limitations. 19. REDCAP at Edwards will be less capable as a hardware-in-the-loop facility because the Air Force intends to put the hardware in storage, replacing it with a digital computer model to simulate actual hardware testing. According to Air Force Manual 99-112, Electronic Warfare Test and Evaluation Process--Direction and Methodology for EW Testing, the Air Force's electronic combat testing policy requires hardware-in-the-loop testing. Also, REDCAP currently has paying customers who do want to use it. Furthermore, hardware-in-the-loop facilities such as REDCAP and AFEWES use "real equipment." It is in digital modeling, such as DOD's comment proposes as a substitute for REDCAP, where actual electronic combat systems are replaced by software representations instead of real equipment. The software-based computer model of REDCAP being developed may cost less to operate than the actual REDCAP hardware-in-the-loop facility, just as flight simulators cost less to operate than actual aircraft. However, modeling and simulation is not hardware-in-the-loop testing. Because they are different kinds of testing with different purposes, they are not directly comparable for purposes of determining which is more cost-effective. DOD's statement that "Currently, REDCAP goes practically unused" is not supported by recent usage data. Reimbursable costs from test customers are up significantly over the past 3 years. Recent customers include a major U.S. Air Force aircraft program that used the REDCAP Mission Level Assessment Tool for several months, as well as a foreign customer having some of its electronic combat hardware tested. See also comment 5. 20. DOD's Master Plan included no cost estimates. We reported (1) the cost estimates that were independently arrived at by BRAC, which do not support relocating AFEWES or all of EMTE; (2) known additional costs that the Air Force will incur by replacing REDCAP with a digital model, which will in turn allow the Air Force to keep down the cost-estimate for the REDCAP move; and (3) additional costs that current EMTE customers report they will incur as a result of the EMTE closing. DOD's comments provide no evidence to suggest that these are wrong. 21. According to the BRAC language, some EMTE assets were specifically directed to be left at Eglin "to support" several customers, including the Special Operations Forces, as well as the Air Force Materiel Command Armaments/Weapons Test and Evaluation activities, and other users. DOD's position that the BRAC legislation prohibits testing and limits customer support to providing training capability is not adressed in the BRAC direction. 22. We agree the cost analysis to support any test facility closure should include additional costs to users associated with the relocation. 23. According to the BRAC recommendation regarding Eglin, BRAC expected DOD to use the Master Plan process to come up with the "optimal" consolidation plan. Closing EMTE (not just relocating those 10 test assets recommended to be moved by BRAC), relocating AFEWES despite BRAC's determination that this would not be cost-effective, and ignoring Army and Navy test facilities completely as possibilities for consolidation, does not support DOD's claim that the Master Plan is "the result of BRAC decisions." Moreover, previous DOD cost-effectiveness studies concluded that the three relocations planned to be relocated by the Air Force will not be cost-effective. 24. The Navy and the Air Force authors of the Master Plan told us they did not consider costs in the Master Plan because there was no requirement to do so. 25. It is not clear why DOD raises the issue of the REDCAP contractor's estimate of the cost of moving REDCAP. We do not use that figure in our report. Our report shows that the Air Force intends to replace REDCAP hardware being moved from its current location with a digital computer model that will simulate REDCAP. The Air Force's contracted cost for the model is $6.2 million. If the Air Force was not replacing the REDCAP hardware with the digital model, it would have to reestablish the REDCAP hardware at some unknown additional cost. Hence, the cost to make REDCAP operational at the new location is either (1) the cost of the move plus the digital model (with current hardware going into storage) or (2) the cost of the move plus set-up costs for the current hardware (with no digital model). Since DOD has selected option number (1), $6.2 million should be added to the cost of the REDCAP move. See also comments 2 and 5. 26. REDCAP does have some outdated systems. But as our report shows, REDCAP also just completed a $75 million upgrade. Also, customer usage and receipts over the past 3 years have increased. 27. We have changed the title of this finding. 28. According to Special Operations Forces test officials, EMTE provides a more cost-effective test capability to meet their needs compared to traveling to the western test range. Also see comment 21. 29. Air Force officials reported to BRAC that they anticipated saving $3.7 million per year after spending $6.1 million to move the threat systems out of EMTE. Even if this savings materializes, it will not offset the additional costs anticipated by the current users of EMTE. Special Operations Forces officials told us they must use operational aircraft from Hurlburt Field, Florida, adjacent to Eglin, to accomplish their testing because they have no dedicated test aircraft at either Edwards or Eglin Air Force Base. 30. DOD has no studies to show that the relocations delineated in the Master Plan are cost-effective, and now claims that its 1994 and 1995 joint studies, which do not support the Master Plan moves, were incomplete and flawed. We spoke with Air Force, Army, and DOD Inspector General officials involved in preparation or oversight of the 1994 and 1995 studies and they do not agree the studies were flawed. They told us what made the recommendations of these studies "unrealistic" was not the content, but the refusal of the Navy to consider closing China Lake while the Air Force retained two open air ranges. Navy officials associated with China Lake do maintain the studies were incomplete and flawed. The specific examples provided to us on 15 August 1996 represent the dissenting position that China Lake's open air range was not given adequate consideration in studies that compared it to the Eglin open air range. This data does not support the alternative position that the Master Plan proposal to relocate EMTE is cost-effective. 31. We agree that the Air Force's cuts in funding for investment at EMTE over the past several years, coupled with the Navy's increased investment funding at the China Lake range, could affect the outcome of a comparison of the two if the 1994 study was redone today. DOD, however, has not done such a study to demonstrate that the outcome would be different. 32. The claim that Eglin has a capacity disadvantage does not appear to be accurate. During the run up to the 1990-91 Gulf War, the Eglin Range conducted the largest share of electronic combat testing of the three open air ranges. During fiscal year 1993, 2,133 hours of testing were conducted at EMTE, while China Lake and the western test range conducted 1,649 and 1,085 hours, respectively. 33. The referenced DOD Inspector General's report compared EMTE with the western test range. We do not assert that EMTE should be kept in lieu of the western test range. The Inspector General's report did not consider the Navy's open air range at China Lake compared to EMTE. 34. The 1995 study conducted for the Air Force by Georgia Tech Research Institute concluded that electronic linking would be far more cost-effective than relocating AFEWES and REDCAP. In addition, a 1994 Board of Directors synergy study concluded that moving the hardware-in-the-loop facilities would not be cost-effective. We know of no study that concludes it is less expensive to relocate and reassemble AFEWES or REDCAP hardware at a new location. DOD's position that successful electronic linking will be impossible due to the laws of physics has not yet materialized. DOD's project to link REDCAP and AFEWES with Patuxent is well underway, and as DOD states, the REDCAP link "shows potential." Additional support for the linking project comes from the Georgia Tech study concluding that linking will be more cost-effective, and the 1994 DOD synergy study concluding that moving the hardware-in-the-loop facilities is less cost-effective. Hence, DOD could have advocated pursuing electronic linking instead of relocation of REDCAP and AFEWES in the Master Plan. 35. The 1994 synergy study conducted for DOD's Test and Evaluation Board of Directors concluded that it would take 200 years to recover the investment to relocate and reassemble the hardware-in-the-loop facilities at the Edwards Air Force Base installed system test facility for "one stop shopping." As a result, the Navy shows no inclination to relocate its hardware-in-the-loop facility from Point Mugu, California, to its installed system test facility at Patuxent River, Maryland. 36. Even taking into account the continued operations and maintenance costs at AFEWES and REDCAP, the 1994 DOD synergy study and the 1995 Georgia Tech Research Institute study concluded that these moves would not be cost-effective. 37. The memoranda cited by DOD were all written in 1992 and referred to another study that concluded that keeping China Lake's open air range was less cost-effective than EMTE. The DOD joint service studies cited in our report were conducted in 1994 and 1995. Although DOD asserts that it is not service parochialism that prevents interservice consolidation from occurring, we note that DOD has now produced three studies with a conclusion that China Lake is less cost-effective to keep, yet the Master Plan calls for assets to be relocated from one Air Force location to another Air Force location. The Director of Air Force Test and Evaluation told us that this is because the Navy would not consider relocating China Lake's test assets. 38. As with the Electronic Combat Consolidation Master Plan, we believe that service parochialism may interfere with the ongoing vision 21 effort. There have been no DOD-wide electronic combat test consolidations in the Major Range Test Facility Base despite a number of studies that have recommended such consolidations. 39. We have modified the language from our draft matter for congressional consideration to ensure that our focus is not misconstrued by others. MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT ========================================================= Appendix III NATIONAL SECURITY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIVISION, WASHINGTON, D.C. Delores Cohen Charles Ward ATLANTA REGIONAL OFFICE Mark Lambert CHICAGO REGIONAL OFFICE Don Springman *** End of document. ***


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Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Notice Of A Public Meeting (Conference Call).
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a conference call of its Coastal Pelagic Species Advisory Subpanel (CPSAS) that is open to the public.
Table of Contents Back to Top
DATES: Back to Top
The conference call will be held Wednesday, May 11, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Pacific Time.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Back to Top
Kerry Griffin, Staff Officer; telephone: (503) 820-2280.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Back to Top
The primary purpose of the meeting is to develop a report to provide advice to the Pacific Council's Ecosystem Plan Development Team, in advance of the June Council meeting. Other topics may be discussed as time allows, at the discretion of the CPSAS Chair. These topics may include the mackerel Stock Assessment Review (STAR) panel meeting, consideration of the Pacific sardine management, and future meeting planning.
Although non-emergency issues not contained in the meeting agenda may come before the CPSAS for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. CPSAS action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the CPSAS's intent to take final action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations Back to Top
This meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms. Carolyn Porter at (503) 820-2280 at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: April 25, 2011.
William D. Chappell,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-10327 Filed 4-27-11; 8:45 am]


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Definition of floating charge in English:
floating charge
A liability to a creditor which relates to the company's assets as a whole and may become fixed in particular circumstances (such as liquidation). Compare with fixed charge.
Example sentences
- On 12 th August 1988 Wallace entered into cross-guarantees with the other companies in the Prospective Group in favour of Midland and granted to Midland a debenture containing fixed and floating charges to secure its liability.
- The creditor took a general floating charge over the company's assets and a fixed charge over its uncollected book debts.
- The receivers proceeded to realize the assets charged by the fixed and floating charges created by the debentures.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: float|ing charge
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
= trending


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"The first time I shaved my legs, I wanted it to be perfect. So I shaved in the bath and when I got out, I dry-shaved them again because I missed some spots. The next day I had horrific razor burn all over my legs. It hurt so much that I had to sit out of my school's dance class."
—Kirsten H.
"My mom repeatedly told me that there was no reason to ever shave above the knee. I didn't go use a razor on my thighs for a month or so, until mean girls in my school pointed out that I looked like a palm tree—smooth on the bottom and fuzzy on top." —Jen M.


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This show features the Unstoppable Frankie Picasso, author , host and Master Coach who interviews authors and individuals who are Unstoppable in their drive to overcome the challenges that life presents to them. Each show is very different yet the overall theme is to go on a Mission Unstoppable with a new guest/author each week. Shows topics have included: Murder, rape, prosititution, mountain climbing, business building, Musicians, scientists, terrorism, racism, religeon, no topic is tabue
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By Produced by Pokya
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Catch up with the latest Breakfast fun with Chris Evans. Hear the best stories and the biggest guests, every day.
By BBC Radio 2


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How much will butt augmentation injections cost me and how many treatments are there?
Doctor Answers 4
How Much Does Butt Enhancement Injections Cost?
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Butt Enhancement Cost
It is important to have several consultations with board certified plastic surgeons. Also make sure that your surgery is being performed in an accredited surgery center or hospital.
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2.Does your surgeon commonly perform this procedure?
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a.Is an anesthesiologist performing the anesthesia?
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You might also like...
Buttock augmentation can be achieved with buttock implants or fat transfer
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These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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Two of Britain's most historic cathedral cities are at odds after one accused the other of trying to "steal" its Christmas shoppers. Traders in Salisbury, Wiltshire, were furious when a billboard went up in the city advertising a festive market in Winchester, Hampshire, 30 miles away. They feared that the poster, describing Winchester as "England's Christmas Capital", would lose them business.
Now they have retaliated with their own market and poster, placed at Winchester train station, to try to attract some of the 400,000 people visiting Winchester's German-style market each year. Ian Newman, of Salisbury City Centre Management, said: "If


text:
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God Race Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #13
Daisy is walking a drum tune. You can almost hear it by looking at the way she walks. She is black and she knows that white clothes look good on her, so she wears them for dress up. She's got those big black eyes with plenty shiny white in them that makes them shine like brand new money and she knows what God gave women eyelashes for, too. Her hair is not what you might call straight. It's negro hair, but it's got a kind of white flavor. Like the piece of string out of a ham. It's not ham at all, but it's been around ham and got the flavor. It was spread down thick and heavy over her shoulders and looked just right under a big white hat. (6.147)
Up until now in the book, the only attractive woman we've been introduced to is Janie, and she seems to be depicted as attractive because of her Caucasian features – and especially her hair and fair skin. This kind of makes you wonder about Hurston's message about beauty. This passage is interesting because Daisy has more classically African American features and is clearly attractive. However, Hurston does comment on Daisy's hair being reminiscent of Caucasian hair. What does all of this mean about how Hurston views beauty and race?
Quote #14
But Mrs. Turner's shape and features were entirely approved by Mrs. Turner. Her nose was slightly pointed and she was proud. Her thin lips were an ever delight to her eyes. Even her buttocks in bas-relief were a source of pride. To her way of thinking all these things set her aside from Negroes. That was why she sought out Janie to friend with. Janie's coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields. She didn't forgive her for marrying a man as dark as Tea Cake, but she felt that she could remedy that…her disfavorite subject was Negroes. (16.5)
Mrs. Turner seems like a perverted version of Janie. Like Janie, she is part white and has Caucasian features. Unlike Janie, Mrs. Turner takes an inordinate amount of pride in her appearance, despite having sharp, unappealing features and a totally flat butt. Every feature that dissimilates her from her black peers becomes a source of pride for her. This is because she buys into idea of racial hierarchy with white people as more valuable than blacks. For Mrs. Turner, race is more important than other classical determinants of social hierarchy, such as wealth (Janie works in the fields and could be assumed to be poor) or physical attractiveness (Mrs. Turner overlooks her own bad figure).
Quote #15
[Mrs. Turner]: "You got mo' nerve than me. Ah jus' couldn't see mahself married to no black man. It's too many black folks already. We oughta lighten up de race." (16.10)
Mrs. Turner's hatred for the black race runs so deep that she refuses to marry a black man and she even goes so far as to say that black people should be eliminated. Though she does not state it so bluntly, such is her implication when she suggests that she and Janie should "lighten up de race" by marrying only white men. Doesn't this make you think of Nazi Germany?


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Blues Sign David Rundblad
Defenseman was Blues' first round pick at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
Thursday, 06.10.2010 / 12:35 PM CT / St Louis Blues - News
St. Louis Blues
|David Rundblad
"By signing David and adding him to the fold, we continue to keep our blueline depth strong," said Davidson. "We have been impressed with the progress he's made since we drafted him last year and are looking forward to watching his development towards the NHL."
Rundblad, 19, has spent the past three seasons with Skelleftea HC of the Swedish Elite League (SEL).
In 2009-10, the Lycksele, Sweden native played in 47 games for Skelleftea posting 13 points on a goal and 12 assists to go along with 14 penalty minutes. In total, the 6'2", 189-pound defenseman has made 98 appearances for the Swedish side accumulating 23 points including a goal, 22 assists and 24 penalty minutes.
In addition, Rundblad represented Sweden in both the 2009 and 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships, helping the team capture the Silver Medal in 2009 and Bronze in 2010. At the 2009 Championship, he posted a goal and an assist to go along with a plus-3 rating in six games while in 2010 he increased production to a goal, four assists and a plus-9 mark in six appearances.