September 2020 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for September, 2020

Thyrm Introduces the CellVault-18

Monday, September 14th, 2020

Sunnyvale, CA — Not long ago, the best tactical lights were fueled by CR123 batteries. We were all generally happy with 600 lumens and an extra budget line item for disposable cells. But in the last couple years that has changed completely. Enter the latest 18650 and 18350 rechargeable batteries, generating huge lumen and candela numbers in SureFire, Modlite, & Streamlight flashlights. To keep up with these lights, Thyrm has developed a next-generation CellVault that can protect 18-series spare batteries while keeping them immediately accessible.

From Andrew Frazier, CEO of Thyrm: “The new CellVault-18 includes features we know our customers are going to love, like side windows that help them verify gear status, a metal locking latch, and fully waterproof double-layer construction. We’re really proud of how the design came together and can’t wait to get them in the hands of first-responders and outdoor enthusiasts alike.”

Features:
• Holds One 18650 or Two 18350 Rechargeable Batteries
• Waterproof O-ring seal rated to IPX8 at 2 meters for 30+ minutes
• Folding metal latch for simple installation and positive attachment
• Silicone foam shock absorber/noise silencer
• Clear side windows allow for gear status checks
• Slim profile: less than 1 MOLLE/PALS column wide for easy integration into existing gear configurations.
• Designed and manufactured in the USA

thyrm.com/product/cellvault-18-battery-storage

Posted in Advertiser, Load Carrying, Power, Press Release | 6 Comments »

Becoming More Agile

Monday, September 14th, 2020

Military leaders are asking their components to become more agile.

What does that mean? To be agile means adopting and accepting the agile principles, moving away from a top-down hierarchy filled with bureaucracy and individual silos, Agile promotes a ‘guiding’ leadership model surrounded by teams that are flexible and accountable.

Where did Agile come from? Agile was born out of necessity in software engineering to provide faster updates and build upon user feedback. Prior to the modern agile movement, development teams would identify the problem, create a solution, develop a product, then bring it to market, all without extensively engaging the customer. This is known as the ‘waterfall approach’. This method has proven to be slow, cumbersome, and often times, brings a product to market which does not meet the true need of the customer. In early 2000, software developers met to discuss their challenges, and later in 2001, developed what is known today as the ‘Agile Manifesto’. The key values of which being: people over process, working product over comprehensive documentation, end user collaboration over contracts, and responding to change over following a plan. Agile is now in use by every Fortune 500 company and is utilized by more than 97% of mid-market commercial companies worldwide. Adopters of Platinum Edge’s suite of services have enjoyed a 30-40% increase in time to market with a cost savings from 30-70%. Although the original idea was for use in the technology world, the values and principles remain true for any type of program management.

The U.S. military has a long history of being the focal point of excellence when it comes to planning and execution. Utilizing the JOPES and MDMP process is a long-proven method of planning and conducting military operations. As the Military shifts to a more business-like model, there is a need to adopt the proven agile approaches to accomplish our goals.

So, how and where does the Military adopt Agile? Like many businesses and organizations, the Military has to be open to change, both in culture and structure. In military planning, there is a hierarchy and clear chain of command. With Agile however, you must allow for the team to take ownership while leaders should act as a guide. Think in the terms of staff functions from company level, to corps, and above. The staff directorates from your S-1’s, G-2’s, J-3’s, etc., work within the confines of their ‘stove pipes’ and report to a Chief of Staff or Commander on individual efforts. In an organization using Agile, you create cross-functional teams based on products. These teams are developed based on the talent needed to complete the end product, not just with whoever is available, i.e. ‘people over process’. This lightweight team concentrates on a goal while incrementally chopping away at the deliverables. The team holds each other accountable along the way and communicates as much as possible in order to facilitate success. This model allows for self-correction and keeps the ‘customer’ involved along the way.

How does an individual, a team, a unit become more Agile? To become agile is not just a declaration or a command. To be agile means a formal adoption of principles while putting faith in the system and processes. Training is available from the basics of agile, Certified Scrum Masters of multiple levels, as well as coaching, mentoring, objective audits, and more. Each of the courses are credentialed, and are free to the soldier via IgnitED (the Army’s new Credentialing Assistance platform). Being credentialed in agile frameworks provide opportunities for future employment as well as tools for the current scope of work. Companies like Platinum Edge provide these opportunities both virtually as well as in-person and can scale to meet the need of the individual, the team, or the unit.

SCRUM, it’s not a rugby maneuver… so, what is it? scrum is a transparency framework that helps us identify what is working in reality. It is a self-correcting model in which, even if you are wrong in the beginning, you can be right in the end because scrum gives you multiple opportunities to correct course toward the target. Tactically flexible yet strategically focused, your next move changes but your target is stable. It is also a structured learning cycle that allows you to adapt and change based off of experience. At the core of a scrum is the ‘sprint’. A sprint is the activity that drives the process. The sprint is a time-determined activity in which the major product development tasks are completed. At the end of the sprint, the scrum team conducts a ‘retrospective’ to determine what worked, what didn’t, what can move forward, and what can wait. Every level of a military unit can utilize the scrum framework, whether it’s project management, or conducting operations. It is flexible and adaptable to all situations. Many military leaders are familiar with the F3EAD process, scrum is similar however it does take training to practice scrum correctly. Having a coach or a Certified Scrum Master ensures you are playing correctly.

How does being a ‘Certified Scrum Master’ (CSM) help me?

The Scrum Master is a member of the scrum team, who is charged with making sure everyone on the team is playing scrum correctly. Think of them as a referee in a sport; an objective outside influencer that ensures the game is played correctly. The Scrum Master is a majorly critical piece in the scrum team, and the position is not to be taken lightly nor ignored. If the military is to adopt agile, identification of the right talent and promoting this position is of the utmost importance. By choosing to be a Scrum Master, you are joining a small community of individuals whose expertise can be utilized no matter the type of work. To be an objective outsider means you can walk into any type of business or organization and play scrum, no matter the type of product. As a CSM, you can move easily throughout any organization providing great value, both in the military, and post-career in any one of the 40,000 businesses currently seeking CSMs (most positions offer $100,000/ year).

How can I become a ‘Certified Scrum Master’? Becoming a CSM is easy. Platinum Edge has a 2-day (in-person) or 4-day (virtual) Certified Scrum Master course, during which you will learn the basics of being a CSM. Similar to gaining rank in the military, there are multiple levels of a CSM and you must meet certain training and experience quotas prior to advancing. The more you advance, the better you are, and the more valuable an asset you are to the team. Credentialing Assistance allows for a service member to obtain their CSM credentials as well as follow on courses. Each service member (Enlisted/Warrant) is allowed $4000.00 per year in assistance, which is more than enough to obtain their CSM, as well as propel through the levels during their career. As of August 15th, the Army has transitioned to IgnitED for all credentialing opportunities.

What else should I know? Before you dive in, I encourage you to discover more about Agile and SCRUM. The first recommended read is the Agile Manifesto. This lays out the reasoning and principles of agile and is the basis for all agile techniques. Next, the Scrum Guide, gives you an overview of the terms, definitions, positions, and events of SCRUM. The Agile Method on LinchpinSEO is a great article on traditional vs. Agile approach. You can also get deep into the weeds with the SCRUM for Dummies guide, written by Mark Layton.

Why Platinum Edge? I have mentioned Platinum Edge and Mark Layton throughout this article and for good reason. Mark is the founder of Platinum Edge and is the world’s foremost expert on transforming organizations to the agile methodology. Mark, a veteran of the US Air Force, also holds a secret security clearance and is a published author on the subject of scrum and agile. The 1st Special Warfare Training Group at the US Army Special Warfare Center and School has placed their trust in Platinum Edge to provide CSM training to their instructor corps for individual professional development, as well as to begin their change in culture. If you are an instructor at SWCS or assigned to USASOC at Fort Bragg, reach out to 1st SWTG (Project JANUS) to learn more about your training opportunities. For all others interested in obtaining credentials or information on credentialing assistance, visit your local Education center. As for everyone else, feel free to contact Platinum Edge for more information.

Tom Kerr, a retired Special Forces NCO who attended the Certified Scrum Master Course during his transition from service and now utilizes the agile methodology and practices scrum in his daily program management duties at the Strategic Advisory “Firm”, Armor Corps.

Posted in Guest Post, Profession of Arms | 17 Comments »

Wild Things – Knuckle Roaster Special Pricing

Monday, September 14th, 2020

It has already started to snow in parts of the US and Wild Things is running a special for SSD readers on their Knuckle Roaster.

The Knuckle Roaster hand warmer is designed to provide warmth, comfort and dexterity in the field. Warm fleece lining means you can wear lighter weight gloves, or even no gloves, in cold and wet weather when you’ve got a warm Knuckle Roaster to park your hands. Rugged outer fabric provides excellent durability, wind and water resistance, and FR protection. Reinforced web belt adjusts to various waist sizes with an easy-to-use buckle.

Something you may not know: the Knuckle Roaster is NAVAIR – PMA202 Certified Safe for Use for USN and USMC Flight Deck & Aircraft Maintainer Personnel.

Now, Wild Things is offering special pricing for SSD readers on the Coyote version: just email sales@wildthingsgear.com and reference “SSD” in your request – for yourself, or for unit pricing.

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Tobyhanna Army Depot Expands NETT Warrior Support, Improves Soldier Experience

Monday, September 14th, 2020

Tobyhanna Army Depot, PA —

Tobyhanna Army Depot now fabricates a new type of cable that furthers its support of a critical Soldier communication system.

The depot recently stood up capability for production of flat cables for the Nett Warrior program. Nett Warrior is a smartphone-based system that provides situational awareness to dismounted Soldiers during combat operations. The program arrived at the depot in 2012 and, since then, engineers have designed more than 70 cables to support the system. Because the system is worn by Soldiers in the battlefield, ergonomics is key.

“The flat design of this cable will make the system more comfortable for Soldiers when they use Nett Warrior,” said Stanley Czock, lead engineer for the program. “The new cables also eliminate the likelihood of snagging in the field by holding more tightly to the vest. Both of these improvements directly benefit Soldiers.”

Production of the flat cables is aided by two new machines, a computer numerical control (CNC) sewing machine and a laser cutting machine. The machines allow for tighter stitching and the fabrication of scalloped tabs, which slide into the MOLLE system on the system’s Modular Scalable Vest and allow for a 90 degree bend in the cable without performance problems – another significant improvement for the end user. The equipment also allows for fabrication of conformal battery pouches and antenna mast holders, items used extensively by Soldiers when wearing Nett Warrior.

Acquisition of the new equipment is part of a larger effort to expand capability in the depot’s Systems Integration and Support directorate. The effort stems from Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic initiative, Toby 2028.

“Modernizing the shops with newer technology allows us to explore previously unreachable opportunities for customer and product support with the added benefit of remaining competitive. Anywhere there is an opportunity to improve our capabilities, we have a Toby 2028 team looking into it and how it will shape our future,” said Michael Vivlemore, Lead for the Toby 2028 line of effort focused on technology impacts.

Depot personnel also worked closely with engineers from the U.S Army Sustainment Command’s Packaging, Storage and Containerization Center to perform extensive testing on the new cable prior to launch. They say this proactive approach is crucial to ensuring project success.

“Upfront testing allows us to ensure our product will meet warfighter requirements. It also allows us to address any potential defects before the product reaches the battlefield,” Czock said. “All in all, we’re thrilled to support a project that helps make life easier for the warfighter.”

Personnel from the Production Management directorate’s Sustainment Planning Division (SPD) say this new capability may also lead to additional workload for the depot.

“The addition of the CNC and laser-cutting machine greatly enhance the depot’s ability to adapt and support evolving Soldier requirements. We have seen interest from customers for new workload as a direct result of this new capability,” said Tracy Kraftchisin, a Logistics Management Specialist (LMS) in SPD. Fellow LMS Michelle Reese agreed.

“Right now, we are working on a Public Private Partnership (P3) with Microsoft in support of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). Under this P3, we have the potential to fabricate different types of cables for IVAS, a workload that falls under the Army Futures Command and represents an exciting opportunity for Team Tobyhanna.”

Depot personnel say the Nett Warrior program is planned through 2025 and will result in more than 200,000 cables for service members.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.

Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.

About 4,000 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.

Story by Ms. Danielle E. Weinschenk

Photos by Thomas Robbins

Posted in Army, Digitization, Guest Post | Comments Off on Tobyhanna Army Depot Expands NETT Warrior Support, Improves Soldier Experience

Carinthia Pro G145 Sleeping Bag

Sunday, September 13th, 2020

Weighing only 850 grams, the Carinthia G145 features two layers of G-LOFT insulation (75g / m²), giving it a minimum comfort of 0.9 °.

In addition to an almost seamless outer shell of water repellant Shelltex Ultra Pro, they’ve added antibacterial features to the G-LOFT liner. Incidentally, the bag has loops to accept Carinthia’s cotton and fleece liners to extend the bag’s comfort range.

www.carinthia.eu/en/g-145-p2768

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SCUBAPRO Sunday – Weights

Sunday, September 13th, 2020

An essential part of preparing for each dive is calculating the amount of weight you’ll need to ascend and descend safely and effectively. By gearing up in the correct amount of weight, you can successfully maintain neutral buoyancy throughout the dive.

Many factors can affect your buoyancy—your body composition, the equipment and clothing worn, the amount of air you’re breathing, and the water you’ll be swimming in (freshwater/saltwater). Being able to add weights to your dive belt or in the pockets of your BCD can help you minimize drag and make your finning more efficient.

Proper weighting and buoyancy control are crucial if you want to have a successive dive. Unfortunately,there is no extract formula to help say how much weight you should wear on any giving dive. The reason for this is no one is exactly alike. So, all you can really rely on is knowledge and practice, I will say this a couple times a good log will help more then you will know. This goes for anything you do. Always keep a logbook, for land warfare, over the beach, and as much as you can. This will help when it has been a couple of months in between doing things. To help make it easier, below are a few easy steps you can take, preferably with the assistance of a dive weight calculator. Find a formula that works for you and stick to that, but make sure you test yourself before each dive. Also keep a dive log of all your dives. (See told you I would say this a lot) Write down what you wore, what way was the current going to you have to kick harder, were you carrying anything extra like a ladder or breaching tools, and how you felt. Make sure you have water temp, wetsuit thickness, and other information like that. This will go a long way to helping with future dives.

Weigh Yourself and your Gear

A rough approximation of the weight you’ll need can be figured out quickly by weighing yourself and then using those numbers to figure out the amount of weight you’ll need on you.

In freshwater, most divers need 6 to 8 percent of their body weight in added weight, but in saltwater (which is denser and will add buoyancy), this figure is closer to 8 to 10 percent. This number is a good starting point to calculate your weight amount further.

Part of determining your body weight is weighing your buoyancy compensator (BCD), dive jacket/ Rebreather. It is a significant source of buoyancy as most of them, especially older models, have a lot of padding that will make you float.

To determine the buoyancy of your gear, immerse it in water and release any air that might be trapped inside. Move it around underwater when you float test it, same as when you get into the water make sure you get all the air out so there are no bubbles, halfway thru your dive.

Test Your Weight

Go through a trial run in a swimming pool and wear all of your dive gear. If you can’t wear your full equipment, make sure to put on the closest approximation to what you’ll be wearing for the specific dive. Remember that if your dive is going to be in saltwater, you’ll need a bit more weight compared to a freshwater swimming pool.

Here it is broken down.

1. Before the dive, float motionless in deep water.

2. Deflate all the air out of your BCD/ Rebreather.

3. Take a normal breath and hold it.

4. If you start sinking – you need less weight. If you find yourself bobbing out of the water – you need more weight.

5. Repeat the process until you are floating as close as possible to eye level.

6. If you are floating at eye level with all you gear on, that is what you want. Have weights by the side of the pool so you can add or subtract weight as you check yourself out. They make weights with snap links or have weights with some 550. Have a carabiner so you can hang them on your weight belt or if you have a weight belt with pockets, you can add or subtract weights as you need. Lastly, a good logbook can go a long way to help with what you will need.

Use a Dive Weight Calculator

While manually figuring out the right amount of dive weights to gear up in works for many divers, others find it easier to use an actual calculator. Try using a SCUBA diving weight calculator. You’ll be able to find tons of calculator websites online. Enter the figures for the required fields and check if the suggested amount of weight works for you.

www.divestock.com/calc/weight/weight

Take 10% of your body weight in lead

A common rule of thumb, adhered by many divers, claims that a diver must carry weights equivalent to 10% of his body weight. While that does give you a specific range of the number of weights you need, it does not take many relevant factors into account.

Factors such as muscle, fat, height, gear, and exposure suit are crucial when choosing weights and should be taken into account. For example, muscles sink and fat floats. A muscular man weighing 180lbs would probably need much less than 18 pounds of weight (even with a long 5mm), whereas a short stalky fellow weighing 180lbs might actually need more than 18lbs. This rule has led to many overweighted divers.

Don’t be overweight!

Many newer divers, and even some of the more experienced ones, dive with too much weight, either consciously or without knowing. Being overweight can lead to some bad situations. Sinking too fast is a common cause for ear problems. Now if you are overweight, you will add air to your BCD, now when you head to the surface to take a peek you will be pushed up faster than you want to go. You will also feel like you have to swim fast all the time, to stop yourself from sinking, and you will breath more air then your swim buddy.

Too much weight will also affect your body position, sinking your lower body and causing you to swim up. Even if you do manage to balance yourself properly, you will have much more drag through the water. Swimming downward for half of the dive does not look cool and looking cool is half (or more) the job.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Maritime | Comments Off on SCUBAPRO Sunday – Weights

In Memoriam – SGM(R) Richmond J Nail

Sunday, September 13th, 2020

I first met Sergeant Major Nail in 1991 while attending SERE Level-C at Fort Bragg. He was a grizzled old tough, the kind of guy you immediately respected and wanted to call “Sergeant Major” even though he had long since retired. He started his self-introduction with, “I’m a sky diver, SCUBA diver and muff diver.” You could get away with that kind of stuff back then, especially if you were a retired “Smadge” of the stature of Richmond Nail. I was hooked.

I ran into him a few times after returning to Group and he remained just as captivating. He never failed to start off anything he was going to say, with a colorful story, which was always a lesson on something.

Unfortunately for all of us, Richmond J Nail passed on late last week, joining his beloved wife Ann who passed away last April.

I am amazed that he didn’t retire from his position with SWC until 2006 considering he was always in a field environment. He was over 70. That’s a long time to serve your country.

Nail was a legend in Special Forces and had been inducted as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment.

Here is his bio:

SGM Richmond J. Nail spent over 50 years serving his nation, both in and out of uniform, leading and training airborne and Special Forces Soldiers. He was born May 3, 1935, in Batesville, Ark. In 1953, at age 18, SGM Nail enlisted for three years of airborne duty. As an enlisted artilleryman, he served in a number of capacities with the 11th Airborne Division in Germany. In 1956, he participated in combat operations in Beirut, Lebanon. In June 1966, while serving as an artillery NCO in the 101st Airborne Division in the Republic of Vietnam, he earned the first of many combat decorations, a Bronze Star with “V” Device.

In 1967, SGM Nail returned to Fort Bragg to begin his long, distinguished career as a Special Forces NCO. He completed the Special Forces Training Course as an 11F in 1967.

In 1969, he returned to the Republic of Vietnam as a member of a Mike Force Team B-55, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), a quick-reaction force composed of a few American advisors and Montagnard tribesmen. On March 17, 1969, while serving as a platoon leader with three other U.S. Soldiers and 200 tribesmen in the 5th Mobile Strike Force Battalion, he earned another Bronze Star during search-and-destroy operations against communist strongholds at Tuk Chup Knoll in the hills of central Vietnam. After being severely wounded during this operation, he went to Japan and then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for an extended period of recovery for severe wounds that eventually claimed an eye and a kidney.

SGM Nail’s long relationship with the JFK Special Warfare Center began in 1969, when he was handpicked to perform duties as an instructor at Camp Mackall in Phase I of the Special Forces basic enlisted division. He served in this capacity until 1975. During that time, he personally wrote every lesson plan for Phase I training and set up a jungle lane and a RECONDO course.

In 1982, Lieutenant Colonel James “Nick” Rowe requested SGM Nail join him in standing up the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Course in the Special Forces School. SGM Nail joined LTC Rowe and lent his expertise to the SERE program. He tailored his Phase I lesson plans to create a SERE course that emphasized the knowledge of poisonous plants, ropes and knots, and infiltration and extraction techniques. He set up strenuous training enhancers that became the hallmark of the SERE Course: barriers, wires, a slide for life and the use of aggressor forces.

In June 2006, SGM Nail retired after 24 years of civilian service to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. He was married to the former Anne R. Reynolds of Summerville, Ga (deceased April 2019). They have one son, Todd.

Posted in Memorial | 15 Comments »

DoD Funds Development of DroneShield’s C2 System

Sunday, September 13th, 2020

DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (“DroneShield” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce it has received funding from the United States Department of Defense (“DoD”) for targeted development of its DroneShieldCompleteTM Command-and-Control (“C2”) system.

The section of the DoD, which has awarded the contract, is a new customer for DroneShied. The funding was awarded through a sole source contract.

DroneShieldCompleteTM is an intuitive and feature rich C2, providing real time alerting, tracking and reporting information for native DroneShield as well as third party sensors. The DoD is working with DroneShield, providing funding for an agreed list of feature enhancements, for a project expected to span over several months. Importantly, following that period, the DoD is expected to make multiple purchases of DroneShield’s C-UAS equipment, which would run on the enhanced DroneShieldCompleteTM C2.

Oleg Vornik, DroneShield’s CEO, has commented, “We are proud to be working with the United States Department of Defense, one of most demanding defence customers globally, on this project to ensure our DroneShieldCompleteTM C2 stays at the cutting edge of customer requirements. Further, this project underscores our leadership not only as a product/sensor manufacturer, but also as an integrator of fixed site and mobile C-UAS systems. This contract is a material milestone in cementing our close working relationship with the largest defence customer globally. In addition to expected purchases associated with this paid development contract, further orders for other DroneShield solutions are expected as part of developing a trusted supplier relationship with this customer.”

Whilst the Company is unable to precisely quantify the follow up orders, it expects the orders to be material and will in due course provide an update on the dollar amounts to the market, when available.

Posted in Contracts, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on DoD Funds Development of DroneShield’s C2 System