US Congressman demands investigation into Army acquisition process for Afghanistan; Brazilian Army selects local contractor Embraer Defence and Security for Brazil’s $6B Border Defense Project
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    • According to reports, Republican Duncan Hunter of California has asked Army Secretary John McHugh to launch an investigation into how and why requests from Army units in Afghanistan for intelligence gathering software were ignored in favor of the Army’s preferred system, which some claim is less effective. The issue is in fact, an off-the-shelf software program developed by Palantir, which has had success in bringing intelligence streams together to better anticipate where roadside bombs are placed in Afghanistan. The Army has been developing the Distributed Common Ground System, which is its preferred system for integrating intelligence in the counter-IED fight. In an August 23 letter obtained by Defense News, Hunter wrote that “From the time the Army’s first conventional ground force requested the software in 2008, there have been deliberate efforts on the part of mid-level bureaucrats to deny units this resource despite repeated urgent requests from commanders.” Army Chief of Staff Gen Ray Odierno has already launched an investigation into why requests for the Palantir software were either denied or ignored, and Hunter’s complaints have also spurred Congress to launch their own investigation. 1
    In another development, according to reports, the Brazilian Army has selected local contractor Embraer Defence and Security to build the initial phase of a massive surveillance and protection along the length of its 16,886-kilometer land border. The Tepro consortium, led by Embraer-controlled companies Savis Tecnologica and Orbisat Industria, has been named to undertake contract negotiations on the first part of what could be a $6 billion program known as Sisfron, or Sistema Integrado de Monitoramento de Fronteiras. Sisfron is set to include land radars and other ground sensors, unmanned air vehicles, communications, command and control and other elements. The Brazilian Army hopes to complete Sisfron by the end of 2019, giving surveillance and protection 150 km deep along a border with Brazil’s 11 neighbors. 2

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