March 2023 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for March, 2023

Australian Soldiers Use Brainwaves to Control Ghost Robotics Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicle 60

Monday, March 13th, 2023

During our coverage of last year’s Land Forces exhibition in Brisbane, Australia we mentioned the Australian Defence Force’s Robotic & Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office (RICO) which they are using to shape their ground robotics requirements.

Working in concert with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Defence Science and Technology Group, the RICO team has sent $1.2 million in research funding through the Defence Innovation Hub.

The investment is oaying off. One of their efforts is the exploration of brain-computer interfaces and their tactical applications. The result is a demonstration of using the operator’s brainwave to issue commands to a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 QUGV rather than through a control console.

The operator wears a HoloLens to view waypoints in Augmented Reality. They use a biosensor at the back of the operator’s head to detect corresponding brainwaves from the visual cortex which signals an amplification circuit. An artificial intelligence decoder then translates the signal into commands which are sent to the Vision 60 Quadruped.

The HoloLens also allows the operator to view the Vision 60’s cameras.

To watch a video demomstrating the capability, go here.

ADF photo by Sergeant Matthew Bickerton

Posted in Advertiser, International, Research, Robotics | Comments Off on Australian Soldiers Use Brainwaves to Control Ghost Robotics Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicle 60

New Training Course Offers Medics, Nurses Hands-on Experience in Austere Environment

Monday, March 13th, 2023

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (AFNS) —

Army and Air Force personnel from Brooke Army Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine recently established a simulation training platform to increase readiness and meet Joint Commission requirements for staff development and training.

The Tactical Trauma Reaction and Evacuation Crossover Course, or TTREX, is designed to test and validate Individual Critical Task Lists and the Comprehensive Medical Readiness Program for military medical personnel.

“The TTREX course was developed to familiarize military and civilian personnel with critical trauma skills relevant to both the hospital and the austere environment and to maintain mission readiness,” said Army 1st Lt. Jackson Goddard, registered nurse.

The eight-hour course at the Torch Training Site at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland incorporates battlefield trauma simulations, evacuation procedures, and trauma care in a Role 2 environment. Role 2, also known as forward resuscitative care, has the capability to manage more advanced trauma patients and continue more advanced resuscitative measures in an austere environment such as a combat support hospital.

“We have combined the point of injury with the Role 2 environment,” said Air Force 1st Lt. Marissa Vasek, registered nurse. “Our goal is to get people to understand the deployment setting and the challenges they might face while deployed including limitations with supplies, manpower or experience.”

Additionally, participants experience what it’s like to be on a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft during a critical care air transport mission to see how a patient is transported to a higher echelon of care.

Army Spc. Wade Wolf, a combat medic, said he feels the training is beneficial because participants get to see how a patient moves from the point of injury to a stateside hospital.

“We’ve had more than 40 participants over the two-day exercise,” Wolf said. “I would say about half of them have never been deployed.”

Emergency nurse Army Capt. Megan Gross agreed.

“This has been one of my favorite courses I have attended in my 14 years in the military,” Gross said. “The course allows nurses and medics to test their trauma knowledge in a tactical environment and provides a realistic peek into the deployed setting. The teamwork and camaraderie among the attendees and the instructors are unique and foster a real esprit de corps.

“My favorite part was the Role 2 trauma lane and having the opportunity to work in a small team to assess, perform interventions, and prepare our patient for transport,” she added. “The autonomy aspect provided a unique learning opportunity we often do not get in the hospital setting. The instructors provided a learning environment that was challenging but collaborative at the same time. I loved it!”

The TTREX course will be offered quarterly and is open to service members, civilians, and contractors.

“The course is geared to medics and nurses, but it’s open to anyone who’s willing to learn or just wants to observe,” Vasek said. “We have even had a few physicians come through.”

“A part of creating this exercise was to help military nurses and medics gain the confidence they need to perform under high stress while downrange,” added Army Capt. Brianna Barkley, a registered nurse who helped create the course. “We have seen camaraderie built amongst BAMC teammates while also checking off required readiness skills. What made our exercise successful is the fact that it is a learning environment. Participants feel comfortable making mistakes and learning from those mistakes to build confidence during deployments.”

“This training is invaluable because it allows service members to maintain combat readiness,” Gross said. “We have Individual Critical Task Lists, which are required training tasks for our jobs. This training opportunity allowed me to complete all of my ICTLS for the year, which maintains my individual combat readiness.”

“I was so impressed with this course as a participant that I volunteered to become an instructor and look forward to being a part of the next TTREX course,” she added.

By Lori Newman, Brooke Army Medical Center Public Affairs

Army photos by Jason W. Edwards

Posted in Air Force, Army, Guest Post, Medical, Training | 4 Comments »

Taylor’s & Company Adds new 10mm to their 1911 Family

Sunday, March 12th, 2023

Winchester, VA – (February 27th, 2023) Taylor’s & Company, the world’s leading marketers and importers of state-of-the-art historical firearms utilizing the latest innovative designs, is pleased to announce the launch of the Full Size (FS) Tactical 1911 10mm pistol to their extremely popular 1911 family.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring this state-of-the-art firearm to the modern gun enthusiast,” said Tammy Loy, Owner/CEO, Taylor’s & Company. “We wanted to offer the 10mm version to broaden our audience in the 1911 market. The new 10mm 1911 FS Tactical is sure to be a very popular firearm with the 1911 crowd.”

The Taylor’s & Company FS Tactical is a beautiful, modern iconic design that’s great for everyday use, target shooting, or duty use. It has a number of innovative additions such as an ambidextrous thumb safety, combat hammer, and skeletonized trigger. For easier control, an extended beavertail grip safety lets you get a high and tight grip without worrying about slide or hammer bite when firing. Additionally, this 1911 is chambered in a much more modern caliber than the original military 1911s. The 10mm auto cartridge packs a lot of punch as this pistol carries 8 rounds in the magazine. With a Parkerized finish and custom G10 grips, the Taylor’s & Company FS Tactical 1911 makes a great all-around pistol for an affordable price. The new FS Tactical 1911 10mm joins the 9mm FS Tactical model launched previously.

Additional features include: steel frame, fixed mounted dovetail rear sight, fixed mounted dovetail fiber optic front sight, ambidextrous safety and a GI slide serration for easy loading and unloading, all backed by a Lifetime Warranty.

To learn more about the new FS Tactical 1911 and all of Taylor’s & Company 1911 pistols and complete product offerings, please visit www.taylorsfirearms.com or follow us socially @taylorsfirearms.

Posted in Firearms, Press Release | Comments Off on Taylor’s & Company Adds new 10mm to their 1911 Family

Ironclad Announces New Podcast Starring Navy SEAL Andy Stumpf

Sunday, March 12th, 2023

SEAL TEAM 6 VETERAN AND ‘CLEARED HOT’ HOST ANDY STUMPF TO FRONT NEW IRONCLAD PODCAST AND FILM SERIES ‘CHANGE AGENTS’ FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JACK CARR

One of the world’s most elite warriors refocuses his mission to find out what it takes to solve the world’s impossible problems.

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA: Former Navy SEAL, wingsuit record holder, and host of the popular podcast Cleared Hot has signed on to host the new podcast from IRONCLAD and executive producer Jack Carr, Change Agents.

In each episode, Stumpf sits down with an “agent of change” who is tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues and global crisis, including cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, gang violence in American cities, human trafficking and child exploitation, disappearances of indigenous women on Native American land, the Rohingya genocide, and more.

Stumpf, a former member of SEAL Team 6, Stumpf is well-known in the military special operations community, and his podcast Cleared Hot is ranked in Apple’s Top 100 in the competitive Society and Culture category. He’s also a frequent guest on podcasts including The Joe Rogan Experience, The Fighter and the Kid, Jocko Podcast, and others.

“When IRONCLAD presented the concept for Change Agents, I knew immediately that it would be a good fit,” Stumpf said. “It’s easy to be focused on negative headlines and stories about everything wrong with the world. But with Change Agents, I not only get to give context to the problems facing communities around the globe, I also get to talk with the people on the frontlines of trying to solve them, and empower the audience with ways that they can make a difference.”

IRONCLAD is known for its slate of original podcasts, including Mental Performance Daily with Brian Cain, Reborn with Ashley Horner, Oil & Whiskey with Roadster Shop, Success Hotlines with Dr. Rob Gilbert, as well as two hosted by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr: Danger Close and The Terminal List Podcast.

Jack Carr, the executive producer of Change Agents, is the former SEAL behind the popular Terminal List thriller novels which were recently adapted into the hit Amazon Prime Video series starring Chris Pratt. Two more seasons of the show are currently in the works, and Carr’s sixth novel in the series will be released this spring.

“Andy is one of the most unique voices in podcasting,” Jack Carr said. “His unflinching, no-nonsense approach to interviews make him the ideal host for a show that takes a deep dive into issues that are easy to ignore, but impossible to shake once you know the truth of.”

The show premiers on March 27 on the IRONCLAD YouTube Channel and will hit all major podcast platforms on March 28, kicking off with an interview with Glenn Devitt.

An Army veteran, Devitt went on to work with Homeland Security’s H.E.R.O. (Human Exploitation Rescue Operative) Program and was a Homeland Security Investigations Computer Forensic Analyst who is now the CEO of the Sentinel Foundation, a group that works with international law enforcement agencies to bring traffickers to justice. It’s the first time Devitt has told his story of hunting down international sex traffickers publicly.

“I think people will be shocked when they hear the first episode,” Stumpf said. “Not just by the horrific reality of modern-day sex trafficking, but also by how they can make a difference in combating it.”

The first season will run for 25 episodes and is being produced in both audio and video formats.

There are also plans for the show to be developed into a TV / streaming series, where Stumpf can visit areas of crisis around the world, giving audiences a firsthand look at the issues, while also meeting the people making an impact.

“One of the IRONCLAD guiding principles is that, ‘iron sharpens iron,’” IRONCLAD founder and CEO Jeremy Carey said. “With Change Agents, we can challenge and empower our audience to actually do something about issues that are often ignored or swept under the rug. Ultimately, our goal is to make Change Agents a true transmedia franchise, starting with the podcast and web series, but ultimately by developing the show into a globe-hopping adventure series with the right streaming partner. We believe in investing in Andy–and investing in content that gives people a sense of real hope about the state of the world.”

The series trailer drops on March 15, and the first two episodes hit the IRONCLAD YouTube channel and all major podcast platforms on March 28, 2023.

Posted in Media, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Voting Open Now for Department of the Air Force Spark Tank 2023 Finalists

Sunday, March 12th, 2023

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —

The Department of the Air Force’s capstone innovation campaign, Spark Tank, recently concluded submissions — and Airmen and Guardians may now vote for one of the top six selected ideas.

Visit the links in the titles of the selections for more details on each idea. To vote for your favorite, visit the Guardians and Airmen Innovation Network website. First-time users will need to sign up for a free account using their government email addresses and Common Access Cards. Then click “Vote now” next to your favorite idea, limit one idea only. Voting ends March 8.

The semi-final round of Spark Tank completed December 19, with six of 235 ideas advancing to the finals. Finals are scheduled to take place at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium March 8 in Aurora, Colorado. Department of the Air Force senior leaders and two celebrity judges will review the ideas and select the winner in a live event.

Spark Tank 2023 Finalists:

Accelerated Development of Multi-Capable Airmen/Guardians
Maj. Caitlin Harris
351st Special Warfare Training Squadron
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
Air Education and Training Command

The Special Warfare prototype project will provide linkages between human systems and operational tasks across a spectrum of skillsets that will accelerate training, learning, and retention while developing Airmen/Guardians in multiple competencies. This aggressive modernized training focuses on training the Airmen and Guardians in an efficient and dynamic way, preparing them for wartime situations requiring them to step outside their occupational specialty and operate as expert multi-disciplinarians.

Advanced Maintenance and Troubleshooting System
Master Sgt. Aaron Cordroch
1st Special Operations Maintenance Group
Hurlburt Field, Florida
Air Force Special Operations Command

Imagine a world where we leverage cyber threat and intrusion/anomalies hardware detection and diagnostic mapping tools to take a snapshot of clean data and systems to build a picture of maintenance issues that can be monitored for changes.

Infrastructure in an Augmented Reality World
Tech. Sgt. Sarah Hubert and Tech. Sgt. Raymond Zgoda
353rd Special Operations Wing and 374th Civil Engineer Squadron
Yokota Air Base, Japan
Pacific Air Forces

Realizing the potential of augmented reality enables precise determination of what and where our underground infrastructure is located without digging it up. Scanning installations and using Augmented Reality drastically reduces resources to repair after attack or natural disaster.

Project Kinetic Cargo Sustainment
Capt. Andrew Armor, Master Sgt. Brandon Allensworth, Master Sgt.
Peter Salinas, Master Sgt. Jet Nesle and Tech. Sgt. Justin Sprinkel
18th Logistics Readiness Squadron
Kadena AB, Japan
Pacific Air Forces

Dramatically accelerate mobility cargo processing capacity and throughput by means of operating outside of analog mobility processes and tools for port operations.

Real-Time Asset Management System
Michael Dolan
Space Base Delta 3
Los Angeles AFB, California
Space Systems Command

Imagine leaders and employees optimizing office space, minimizing modernization construction costs and enable tracking and evolution continuity of every location and asset from unclassified to Special Access Programs. This Space Management tool provides real-time assessment and data mining capability for every square foot of buildings and every office space to include IT configurations down to the chip level.

Project Oregon Trail
Staff Sgt. Michael Sturtevant
353th Special Operations Support Squadron
Kadena Air Base, Japan
Air Force Special Operations Command

Reimagined and reduced Time-Phased Force and Deployment Data are afforded because there are smaller, lighter, and faster-to-deploy mechanisms to move cargo and equipment wherever needed, on the spot without the need for pallet jacks or forklifts.

By Crystal Ortiz, Secretary of the Air Force Management and Business

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post | Comments Off on Voting Open Now for Department of the Air Force Spark Tank 2023 Finalists

Elistair Introduces ORION HL, A Tethered Drone Designed For Tactical Communications

Saturday, March 11th, 2023

Lyon, France / Wilmington, North Carolina, March 8th, 2023 – Elistair is pleased to announce the launch of Orion Heavy Lift (HL), to support growing demand for variable height antennas from military, public safety and homeland security customers.

As tactical communications evolve to match the rapidly changing needs of operators on the ground, tethered drones offer significant benefits when flexibility and mobility are critical. With the need of highly effective ground units to have increased mobility, tethered drones are enabling the establishment and extension of secured mobile networks, thanks to their rapid deployment time and persistence in the air.

Leveraging the original Orion platform used by military forces and security forces in over 30 countries for ISR missions, the Orion HL benefits from the same level of automation, ruggedization and safety architecture as its parent. Able to carry payloads of 4 kgs at 90 meters and 5 kgs at 50 meters height, for flight durations of 50 hours, Orion HL is deployable in minutes and easily transportable.

“We have put the Orion 2 tethered UAV system, provided by Elistairs’ Norwegian partner Northcom, through several tests during the last years experiment to test its limits. During these tests, the system has proven to be a flexible and reliable solution capable of handling the challenging operational environment and conditions above the Arctic Circle in Norway. The introduction of the Heavy Lift version also provides us with a very useful tool for lifting communication equipment to create temporary communication coverage in challenging areas of operation.” Experiment Manager “Tor” from the Norwegian Army Combined Arms Battle Laboratory.

Along with Elistair’s new Payload Development Kit, partners can now seamlessly integrate their payloads and sensors to widen the capabilities of the platform for the end-users. A beta-testing program with selected partners allowed the successful integration of a CORDIS Array II from Radionor, a 5G relay and a SIGINT payload.

First deliveries are planned for end of May 2023.

elistair.com

Posted in Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on Elistair Introduces ORION HL, A Tethered Drone Designed For Tactical Communications

Helikon-Tex 2023 Preview

Saturday, March 11th, 2023

The Helikon-Tex booth at IWA was festooned with new gear. We’ve already shown you a few items, and here is the balance.

First up is the Guardian Plate Carrier System, a modular and scalable armor carrier system which Helikon-Tex tells me will be a flagship product going forward.