Industry News
BP Appoints Tony Hayward as Chief Executive
Following a decision taken Tuesday by Lord Browne to step down as the company's chief executive officer, the board of BP p.l.c. has appointed his designated successor, Dr Tony Hayward, as new CEO with immediate effect.
Lord Browne tendered his resignation after the lifting by the UK courts of a legal injunction preventing a newspaper group from publishing details of his private life.
Lord Browne said: "In my 41 years with BP I have kept my private life separate from my business life. I have always regarded my sexuality as a personal matter, to be kept private. It is a matter of deep disappointment that a newspaper group has now decided that allegations about my personal life should be made public.
"Concerning the court documents disclosed today, I wish to acknowledge that I did have a four-year relationship with Jeff Chevalier who has now chosen to tell his story to Associated Newspapers, publishers of The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Evening Standard.
"These allegations are full of misleading and erroneous claims. In particular, I deny categorically any allegations of improper conduct relating to BP."
BP chairman Peter Sutherland said that Lord Browne had informed the company of allegations relating to the limited use by Jeff Chevalier of BP computer and staff resources.
Sutherland said: "At John's explicit request, the board instigated a review of the evidence. That review concluded that the allegations of misuse of company assets and resources were unfounded or insubstantive.
"John has made it clear to the BP Board that he has decided to step down with immediate effect because he does not want this public focus on his private life to detract from the paramount task of running the BP group.
"The Board of BP has accepted John's resignation with the deepest regret. For a chief executive who has made such an enormous contribution to this great company, it is a tragedy that he should be compelled by his sense of honour to resign in these painful circumstances."
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General Dynamics to Provide Services to U. S. Citizenship & Immigration Agency
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded General Dynamics a task order to provide Technology Operations and Maintenance Infrastructure Support (TOMIS) services for the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The initial award is valued at approximately $24 million; the task order has a total potential value of approximately $227 million over a 77-month period if all options are exercised.
General Dynamics will support the USCIS information technology (IT) infrastructure by providing TOMIS services to approximately 16,000 Federal and contractor employees at more than 280 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) locations nationally through the implementation of an IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) set of best practices. These services include program management, service desk operations, hardware maintenance, infrastructure operations server and PC management, mainframe computer operations and problem management.
The General Dynamics-led team includes IBM, SRA International, Inc., 3H Technology, and National Network Solutions (Atlanta, Ga.).
The task order was competed and awarded under the DHS Enterprise Acquisitions Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions (EAGLE) contract.
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Raytheon Awarded $14.5 Million for Global Broadcast Service
Raytheon Company has been awarded a $14.5 million contract for the Global Broadcasting Service (GBS) from the U.S. Air Force's Electronic System Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
Raytheon will build 59 Army receive suites and 69 Air Force Internet protocol receiver suites that will provide theater commanders the ability to receive theater-specific command and control information in a timely manner.
GBS is a high bandwidth data broadcast system designed to carry heavy multimedia files to users worldwide, freeing up local networks from bandwidth intensive files. The receive suites can efficiently facilitate the availability of information to computer network operators, command centers and field users, expediting the process and share of mission critical information. These systems, which provide classified and unclassified data in a secure manner, are vital to in-theater commanders .
Based in Garland, Texas, Raytheon IIS is a leading provider of information and intelligence solutions to the government. Raytheon IIS has annual revenues of approximately $2.6 billion and employs more than 8,000 engineering and technical professionals worldwide. Raytheon IIS recently achieved a strategic milestone in earning CMMI(R) (Capability Maturity Model Integration) Maturity Level 3 accreditation for the full model scope (System Engineering, Software Engineering, Integrated Product and Process Development, and Supplier Sourcing) across its enterprise.
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Lockheed Martin Unveils Production Facility
On Monday, Lockheed Martin officially unveiled its state-of-the-art production facility for the Non-Line-of-Sight Launch System (NLOS-LS) on its Baltimore campus. The new $3.7 million facility will produce the Container Launch Unit (CLU) subsystem of the NLOS-LS and continues the company's legacy of providing U.S. and allied forces with the latest missile launcher technology.
The NLOS-LS Precision Attack Missile (PAM), produced by Raytheon Missile Systems, is capable of targeting visually-obscured or over-the-horizon adversaries as part of the U.S. Army's Modular and Future Combat Force, as well as Special Operations Forces. The self-contained system, which can operate either vehicle-mounted or deployed independently in the field, is capable of autonomous or manned operations. Raytheon Missile Systems will also produce components of the CLU at their facility in Tucson, AZ.
The new NLOS-LS production facility incorporates the Baltimore-based business' years of experience with the MK 41 Vertical Launcher missile system, which is either in service or on order for 186 ships in 19 different ship classes in 12 navies around the world. With potential applications for all military services, NLOS-LS is currently planned as a mission module aboard the U.S. Navy's new fleet of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). It could also be used on an Unmanned Surface Vehicle weapon mission module.
Built in 22,000 square feet of renovated space, the new facility combines lean advanced manufacturing technologies that include paperless and wireless systems. The production facility is arranged to accommodate mechanical and electronics assembly, automatic test equipment and environmental stress screening. The facility will feature Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) that electronically tracks parts, sub-assemblies and completed units, as well as the product's progress. Provided by Savi Technology, a Lockheed Martin Company, the RFID technology will analyze the data to identify real time bottlenecks in the manufacturing process.
