The 75th Ranger Regiment Human Performance Wellness Team in conjunction with the 1/75 Human Performance Team, has produced this information on how to “Un-Ruck Yourself” to mitigate injuries associated with spinal injuries which top the charts at #1.
These simple and effective movements are one important strategy to keep you in the fight and ready for anything that gets thrown your way.
AUSTIN, Texas — The U.S. Army Futures Command Air and Missile Defense Cross-Functional Team, or AMD CFT, based in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, is coordinating and accelerating Army efforts to outpace strategic competitors who have invested heavily in indirect fire and missile capabilities.
The Army’s development of new air and missile defense technologies, which is the largest modernization undertaking of its kind since the Cold War, will serve to defend ground forces against air attacks, as well as protect the infrastructure of U.S. and allied forces against a host of adversary air and missile threats.
While a number of stakeholders are involved in the development, testing and eventual fielding of new air and missile defense systems, the AMD CFT’s specific focus is on strengthening the integration and synchronization of requirements and acquisition processes and resources.
“I’m honored and humbled for this opportunity, and really, to continue this momentum on the modernization path we’ve taken,” said incoming AMD CFT Director Col. Patrick M. Costello.
“The Army transformation that we’re undergoing right now is the biggest in many, many years — bigger than any of us have witnessed during our careers. And the capabilities that we’re bringing forward right now will fundamentally change the way that we are designed, and employ these capabilities, in support of the warfighters out there. So, an exciting time to be here at the CFT and an exciting time to be part of the air defense modernization efforts,” Costello said.
The AMD CFT is currently working on multiple projects that harness leading-edge technologies to protect military personnel and resources, as well as civilian populations.
These efforts include Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense — AIAMD — and its materiel solution, the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System — IBCS; Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense — M-SHORAD; Integrated Fire Protection Capabilities — IFPC; and the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor — LTAMDS.
AIAMD is a command-and-control program that integrates sensors, weapons and a common mission command capability across an integrated fire control network to provide a single air picture — bringing together many essential layers and systems that are currently functioning disparately.
AIAMD will be enabled by the development of IBCS, a keystone system that will provide a decisive battlefield advantage through weapon and sensor integration and a common mission-command system across all domains.
Once developed, IBCS will deliver integrated fires capability to the warfighter while improving battle space awareness, decision timing and protection against threats in complex integrated attack scenarios.
In December 2021, the U.S. Army’s Integrated Fires Mission Command Project Office awarded a competitive, best-value contract for the low-rate initial production and full rate production of IBCS over the next five years.
The contracted organization, Northrop Grumman, will deliver up to 160 systems to support air and missile defense modernization for the Army and foreign partners. Following a full rate production decision in FY 2023, the contract will enable the program to seamlessly ramp up production to meet fielding priorities.
M-SHORAD, which is on track to be fielded to four battalions by fiscal year 2024, is designed to provide Soldiers with a more nimble, safe, survivable and durable mobile air defense system.
The system expertly integrates guns, missiles, rockets and sensors onto a Stryker A1 vehicle to defend maneuvering forces against unmanned aircraft systems and rotary-wing and residual fixed-wing threats.
Initial field assessments of M-SHORAD prototypes enabled by the AMD CFT and its partners have informed improvements, hardware modifications and system upgrades.
IFPC is a mobile, ground-based weapon system that is capable of defending against fixed and semi-fixed assets, sub-sonic cruise missiles and unmanned aerial threats, in addition to fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.
IFPC fills a crucial gap by bridging the space in between short-range and high-altitude air defense, providing the Army with additional options for sensing, targeting and destroying threats.
In September 2021, the Army announced an other transaction agreement award of approximately $237 million to Dynetics for the development of 16 launchers and 60 interceptors as part of an IFPC Increment 2 Prototype.
Also included in the IFPC category is the Army’s Iron Dome Defense System, an interim cruise missile defense capability. Iron Dome was tested during a live-fire exercise in June 2021 and will undergo further testing during a missile flight test scheduled to take place by the end of 2022.
LTAMDS is an expeditionary, networked radar developed to be compatible with AIAMD. It provides network sensing, interrogation and uplinking to interceptors in the lower-tier portion of the air and missile defense battlespace in support of IBCS tactical functions.
The enhanced capabilities offered by LTAMDS will improve the Army’s ability to defend against complex integrated attacks and advanced electronic threats.
The Army plans to begin development testing of LTAMDS prototypes at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, in late 2022 and is on track to achieve initial operational capability of LTAMDS by late 2023.
For each of its modernization efforts, the AMD CFT helps identify and resolve potential issues early on in new technology concept drafting and initial development, including by facilitating Soldier touchpoints that illuminate end user needs and concerns well ahead of system fielding.
The CFT also engages with members of industry and congressional/budget staff to ensure the Army’s AMD program is well-resourced and utilizing the most effective technologies available to address future threats.
It is through these activities and various others that the AMD CFT is able to fortify the Army’s ability to protect maneuvering forces and critical Army and Joint Force personnel and assets, as well as converge weapon and sensor awareness and activities to pave the way for transformational warfighting.
“As a senior air defender, it’s incredibly satisfying to see, at this point in my career, the amount of energy and the amount of direction and leadership and resourcing those in the Army and above us have provided for this modernization. It is making a difference and will continue to make a drastic difference for our Army and for our Joint force, and for our partners,” said Maj. Gen. Brian W. Gibson, who served as the AMD CFT Director from 2019 to 2022.
By Maureena Thompson, Army Futures Command
I keep hearing rumors of Yeti clothing coming but the first trickles have been hats and shirts.
I like it if for no other reason than they call it a “boonie” and not a bucket hat. Truth be told, that chinstrap is super long and will probably result in someone hanging themselves. But overall it’s nice. Considering the inflation we are currently experiencing, I hate saying something is pricey.
Aside from this nice frog camo it’s also available in OD and Tan. If you like the camo pattern, they’ve also got sun shirts to match.
www.yeti.com/apparel/hats/21023003380.html
A knife is a very personal item. Even if you are issued one, many people will still buy one more to their liking. There are attachment options for just about every knife, but where is the best place to mount it? Again, that is personal; some people like it on the inside of their leg, some want it on their waste, and others like it mounted on their chest/ shoulder area. Here are my two cents about it. I like my knife high on my waist or left shoulder (because I am a righty, and it keeps my right shoulder pocked free for a weapon). A knife is a tool; if I need to use it, there is a good reason for me to grab it. If it is on my leg, I might not be able to reach it. If it is on my waste or above, no matter what, I should be able to get to it. Basically, you should keep a tourniquet on your waste for the same reason. I like having my knife there also.
Leg-mounted knives, which connect to your lower leg above your ankle and can be a convenient solution to keep your knife out of the way, are the most common on the market. However, keeping your knife far from your hands can make it challenging to locate or even reach an entanglement. If you miss the housing or do not activate the locking mechanism properly, stretching to place a sharp knife back into its housing can be deadly. Mounting your knife on your leg can be a snag hazard.
Some knives also tend to rattle in their sheaths, which can be fixed with a well-placed rubber band. There is also the thought that if it is on one leg, you will focus on that, and it can throw you off when you are navigating by making you focus on that side and push you left or right depending on where it is mounted. Most people tend to put them on the inside of their legs to help avoid snags. Some companies also make neoprene sheaths so knives can be mounted on your legs. Most tend to advertise that they are universal.
Some buoyancy compensator devices (BCD) have holes, especially for attaching your knife. Knife grommets and specialized locations to stick your knife, often under your arm above your pocket, are becoming more common. There are a lot of knife sheaths that are designed around being able to use this hole. They are great because it permanently attaches to your BCD, ensuring that you have it with you on every dive, and you don’t have to put it on and take it off for every dive. These mounts are unobtrusive and unlikely to snag. One bad thing is that because it is always there, some people forget to clean their knives properly after every use. What I like to do is soak my BCD with the knife on it and then take the knife off and dry it by itself with my mask and computer. I like keeping them all together. Another possible downside is you pack your BCD to travel, and when you get to where you are going, they pull you aside and take your knife away from you because you forgot you couldn’t take a knife with you, and yes, you can’t take a knife with you everywhere you go. So, keep that in mind also to never forget it is there.
I have seen divers with dive knives mounted on their right shoulder straps or BCD inflator hoses. These are handy in an emergency. When you keep your knife on your upper body, you’re more likely to be able to reach it in an emergency and safely replace it. I also like to have a hook-type knife on my waistband.
I know a lot of people that always must have that pointy knife. I have never really been that guy that thinks he will get a knife kill, whether it is of something or someone underwater or not. Point knives do more harm than good on a boat, especially a Zodiac/ Wing or an RHIB. I have seen my share of people cut their hands, head, or boat when they are just trying to cut the zip-tie off the front of a boat. So, be careful when using your knife. I will leave talking about knives to another time as I am sure there are some great opinions about what brand is best and why all other knives suck.
If you own an Opinel No 8 (I mean who doesn’t?) you can get a kit which consists of a fork, spoon and napkin to accompany your meals in the woods.
Oh yeah, if you don’t already own an Opinel knife, you can get this set as a stand alone.
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. —
The B-2 Spirit cadre of highly skilled pilots are a part of an exclusive community, which is highlighted by the way the Air Force catalogs these impressive men and women in the history books.
Every B-2 pilot goes through Initial Qualification Training at Whiteman Air Force Base to learn how to fly the most technologically-advanced strategic bomber in the world. Once the IQT students have gone through hundreds of hours of academics and training in the B-2 simulators, they are finally able to put their skills to the test and take-off for their first flight. Following their first flight, each pilot receives a Spirit Number, which cements their place in history.
Former B-2 pilot and Spirit Number 78, Frank Cavuoti, explains a Spirit Number is a sequential number that is assigned only to a person who has flown in the B-2 Spirit. This tradition of using a numbering system originated with the first stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk, which used the Bandit Number.
“Each program realized there would be a very limited number of assigned pilots and sensed a need to catalogue that history and legacy,” said Cavuoti, now Detachment 5, 29 Training Systems Squadron, B-2 senior program analyst. “These are one-of-a-kind numbers, like a numerical fingerprint that are unique and will only be assigned once and never reused.”
After 33 years, there are only 550 B-2 pilots who have been assigned a Spirit Number. The tradition began on July 17, 1989, when two B-2 test pilots, Bruce Hinds, Spirit Number 1, and Col. Rick Couch, Spirit Number 2, piloted the first B-2 flight from Plant 42 in Palmdale, CA to Edwards Air Force Base.
Spirit Numbers are not only assigned to pilots, however. Others who are given the rare opportunity to fly in the B-2 Spirit are also awarded their own number. This catalog of numbers features an impressive line-up, including cabinet-level secretaries, senior military leaders, members of Congress, as well as award-winning enlisted military members.
Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Lambert, 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, received an incentive flight in the B-2 Spirit and Spirit Number 760 after being awarded the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Thomas N. Barnes Award and 509th Bomb Wing Crew Chief of the Year.
“It’s an honor to be one of the few, still less than 800 people, to receive a Spirit Number,” said Tech. Sgt. Lambert. “This is a once in a life time opportunity and I love that I get to be a part of history. Being the first female enlisted crew chief to fly in the B-2 was incredible.”
Throughout history, there have been many unique ways pilots distinguish themselves, from unit patches to call signs; however, the Spirit Number brings a whole new level of connection to something bigger.
“To a B-2 pilot, the Spirit Number represents a shared sense of connection to a very special program and signifies the spirit, pride, tradition, heritage and esprit de corps shared among the very few fellow B-2 Spirit pilots,” said Cavuoti. “They all know the awesome responsibility and privilege of flying a national asset of unspeakable power and being ready anytime, anywhere. They all know they are not just pilots who fly the B-2 … but that they are B-2 Pilots.”
Story by Chelsea Ecklebe, 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Photos by SrA Christina Carter
New webstore and products launching soon.
The addition of an Alpen Design Works webstore can be summed up by those three words. Mostly slow. Steadily slow.
ADW has delayed the launch of their own product several times to meet client needs, but they’re almost there.
Visit the website and sign up for the email list to get all the details.
Sam Lerman is well known in industry and is asking for your help in supporting an Afghan he befriended while serving in OEF. Wazir Gul, grew up under brutal Taliban rule to serve the US Army and US Air Force for five years at war. Wazir has been here for quite awhile but his family was stuck in Afghanistan. They are now out of Afghanistan and safe in a third country. The work now is to reunite the family.
Sam and his wife have expended a great deal of funds assisting Wazir and his family and now they’re asking for some help.
Read the whole story here.
