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The Royal Dutch Marines: A Way of Life

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany – It is a commitment not to be taken lightly. The choice to become a Royal Dutch Marine is more than committing oneself to a new job – it’s committing to a new way of life.

“It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” admitted Marine 2nd class Collins. Collins, born to a Dutch mother and an American father, followed in the footsteps of his father who served in the United States Army. “I was looking for the biggest challenge I could find, and I was looking for an exciting job, and I found both.”

Collins said that waking up early, not always getting enough food or sleep, combined with the rigors of physical training, initially made adjustment to military life a challenge.

“The Dutch Marines are known for their arduous training programs, which are primarily focused around hardship,” said 1LTC van Haaren. Enlisted Marines must complete two phases to become a Royal Dutch Marine. Part of the second phase takes place at Grafenwoehr, Germany, because according to van Haaren, the Netherlands lacks live-fire ranges. This phase is initial tactical training, and consists of 15 weeks of rigorous training, which is demanding both physically and mentally.

At the completion first phase, only half of the enlisted hopefuls will pass.

The speed march is an example of one of the more challenging physical and mental events for prospective Royal Dutch Marines. The Marines ran carrying rucksacks weighing approximately 40 pounds, in addition to weapons (the Colt C7 and switching off the general-purpose machine gun FM MAG 7.62). The speed march was five miles long and completed in under just 50 minutes.

The reason for the demanding nature of training is simple – to fashion the Marines into their most strong and capable selves, and to ensure only the most resolute of them make it to the Royal Dutch Marine Corps.

“Once you’re in, it’s usually for life,” said van Haaren, who himself plans to make a career of the Royal Dutch Marines.

According to van Haaren, the Royal Dutch Marine Corps specializes in carrying out special maritime operations, amphibious landings, and expeditionary land operations with light infantry units. They can be deployed for long periods of time, under all climatological and geographical circumstances. As sea soldiers, they deploy from Royal Netherlands Navy ships to carry out amphibious landings. On the ground, the Royal Dutch Marines must be capable of sustaining their own survival for up to 72 hours with zero support.

For that reason, both phases of training must be intense.

On the ranges of Grafenwoehr Training Area, equipped with Colt C7s, the Marines practice fire and movement drills which consist of individual and platoon movements. The Marines also work in pairs to train on their general-purpose machine gun, the 7.62 FN MAG, with one Marine reloading and signaling to the firer when to shoot. The ability to do this requires a great deal of teamwork, discipline, and situational awareness.

The practice of live fire could be potentially unnerving for some, but for the right few, the process can be invigorating.

“I really enjoyed the shooting drills,” said Collins, with a grin. “Probably one of my favorite things to do.” Collins had never shot prior to enlisting.

After their time in Grafenwoehr, the Marines will return to the Netherlands and continue their second phase of training. It takes place at the Mariniers Opleidings Centrum at the Van Ghentkazerne in Rotterdam. During this time, the Marines execute multiple land and amphibious validation operations. Fresh challenges will await them, with more demands on their bodies and minds.

For Collins, these demands are worth it. He motivates himself by thinking of his father, who he wants to make proud, and by avowing to himself to finish what he started.

“Being a Marine, to me, means to keep going where others might quit,” said Collins. “To always help the guy to the left and right of you, and to help the less fortunate around the world.”

Once both phases of training are successfully completed, van Haaren said the Marines will receive their “dark blue beret”. From there, they will be assigned at last to the operational units of the Royal Dutch Marine Corps. Their training will be complete, but their real journey and the rest of their lives, will have just begun.

Learn more about the Grafenwoehr Training Area at: www.7atc.army.mil

By SPC Elizabeth MacPherson

Posted in Army, Guest Post, International | 2 Comments »

U.S. Army Special Operations Command Troops Test RA-1 Ram Air Parachute Automatic Activation Device

Wednesday, April 6th, 2022

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina – Airborne equipment testers here are busy with Special Operations Soldiers testing the Army’s newest Enhanced Electronic Automatic Activation Device (EEAAD).

The Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate (ABNSOTD) is gathering data from the operational user to support an Army-wide fielding decision to replace the aging reserve automatic activation device currently fielded to military free-fall (MFF) units.

“The EEAAD provides the capability of the rigger shop to download the data instantly, which is not provided by the currently fielded automated activation device,” said a Parachute Rigger with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

The ABNSOTD first completed risk reduction efforts for the EEAAD using only ABNSOTD test jumpers to ensure that the intended test item did not impose additional and unforeseen risks or hazards to the jumper before operational test jumps.

Operational testing started in the vertical wind tunnel.

“This allowed the test team to observe the approach load system under simulated free-fall conditions being employed by a MFF qualified test jumper,” said James Cochran (JC), a seasoned Military Test Plans Analyst with the ABNSOTD.

“The ABNSOTD employed a host of risk reduction measures to ensure the potential test item was safe and effective from the intended user’s standpoint,” he said.

Operational Soldiers from USASOC finished testing with the RA-1 main parachute and reserve with the EEAAD installed by conducting MFF test jumps into the Laurinburg, North Carolina drop zone.

“The EEAAD will not only provide MFF operators with a next-generation reserve parachute activation device but will also facilitate after action reviews,” said Lt. Col Derek Johnson, Chief of ABNSOTD’s test division.

“The EEAAD will also support jump incident investigations by providing the ability to download and analyze flight data at the unit level,” he added.

The operational testing consisted of new user training and military free fall jumps followed by data collection of jump data, downloaded from the EEAAD.

“The simplicity of the menus and setting provides more confidence to the jumper that the device will work as expected,” said one USASOC Operator.

By Mr. Richard Hedgecock, Military Test Plans Analyst, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Parachuting, SOF | Comments Off on U.S. Army Special Operations Command Troops Test RA-1 Ram Air Parachute Automatic Activation Device

US Army’s Precision Fires Software Upgrade Delivers Enhanced Operational Picture, Usability

Saturday, April 2nd, 2022

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Thanks to a key software upgrade, dismounted Soldiers are receiving the most up-to-date common operational picture of fires assets across the battlefield as they submit calls for fires to artillery battalions.

Earlier this month, personnel from Product Manager Fire Support Command and Control conducted new equipment training and new equipment fielding to the 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, rolling out an upgraded version of Precision Fires-Dismounted software known as PF-D Block 2.

PF-D is a software program residing on Nett Warrior End User Devices used by forward observers and fire support teams to transmit and receive fire support messages over standard military line-of-sight, high-frequency and satellite communications radios.

“Since transitioning to a software only program, PF-D has modernized mission command for Field Artillery forward observers,” said Lt. Col. Jason Carney, Product Manager for FSC2. “The Block 2 upgrade is ensuring those warfighters have the right information at the point of need to enable mission success for fire support teams.”

This fielding upgrades the legacy PF-D Block 1 software with a newer version that aligns with the Mobile Handheld Computing Environment and incorporates updates directly based on input from Soldiers.

“The PF-D Block 2 software was developed with Soldier-centered design in mind, which is why their feedback and input is so critical to the design of a well-accepted user interface that caters to the next generation of Soldiers that grew up on smart devices,” said Maj. Jonathan Hardin, assistant product manager for PF-D.

Additional improvements over PF-D Block 1 include adopting the Android Tactical Assault Kit infrastructure to run PF-D as an ATAK plugin, enabling maneuver and fires data on a single map. Resource utilization has been reduced since NW and PF-D are operating in one application rather than separate instances, resulting in a reduced memory footprint, reduced application overhead, and faster response times to user interaction. The PF-D Block 2 system also runs on the most current NW Samsung Galaxy S20 EUD hardware, so interaction with the unit is faster and more efficient than the previous generation of hardware.

Product Manager Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit, assigned to Project Manager Tactical Radios, participated in a follow-on practical exercise to test capability and interoperability with newly fielded tactical radios — Two-Channel Leader Radios — and waveforms — Mobile User Objective System and TrellisWare Scalable Mobile. PdM FSC2 also collected usability and training feedback from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, which will deploy to the Joint Readiness Training Center later this month and exercise PF-D Block 2 in a near-combat environment.

As part of Block 2 development, PdM FSC2 conducted developmental operations with the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii last year, inviting representatives from the Army Capability Manager Fires Cell-Targeting and the Fires community at-large. DevOps and a focus on user-centered design have led to key improvements to the PF-D user interface and workflow optimization for sending free text messages between echelons.

“To meet Soldiers’ evolving battlefield needs, we include them in our development efforts early, often and throughout the entire life cycle process,” said Dr. Pam Savage-Knepshield, Human Systems Integration research psychologist for PdM FSC2, adding that the HSI team will continue to gather feedback post-fielding to incorporate lessons learned from real-world system use in operational environments.

The initial PF-D Block 2 baseline is fielding as part of Capability Set 21 and is being coordinated across various network stakeholders.

“We are working closely with PEO Soldier to identify where we can align with the Nett Warrior fielding schedule,” said Hardin. “As a software-only Program of Record, PF-D is dependent on the hardware and coordination is important to align fielding priorities.” Subsequent fielding in FY22 and FY23 are aligned to the Army’s Integrated Tactical Network fielding schedule.

Follow-on enhancements to PF-D are aligned to Capability Set 23 and will offer additional capabilities such as sharing position location information/situational awareness data with maneuver units over the new Secret-and-below TSM radio network.

PdM FSC2 also plans to retouch units previously fielded with PF-D Block 1 who do not appear on the ITN fielding schedule, including field artillery battalions of the 10th Mountain Division.

By Justin Eimers

Posted in Army, Comms, Guest Post | Comments Off on US Army’s Precision Fires Software Upgrade Delivers Enhanced Operational Picture, Usability

Army Prototype Uses Windshield Washer Fluid to Power Soldier Electronic Devices

Friday, April 1st, 2022

AUSTIN, Texas – The Army recognizes the need to provide future Soldiers with more durable and reliable energy sources, and is experimenting with a variety of new and creative solutions to deliver the power required for tech-supported warfighting.

One such innovation uses commonly available, filtered windshield washer fluid — which contains the key ingredient methanol — to recharge Soldiers’ mission-critical electronic devices – such as radios and situational awareness aides – while on the go.

The tool, referred to as the Soldier Wearable Power Generator (SWPG), is a small and mobile fuel cell capable of rendering power through innovative thermal energy technology.

Developed in partnership with UltraCell, the SWPG weighs 5 pounds, is designed to be Soldier-worn on a back plate or carried in a backpack, and can run off either filtered windshield washer fluid or a commercial methanol/water mix.

When filtered properly, 1 pound of windshield washer fluid can provide enough energy to charge the equivalent of three Conformable Wearable Batteries that weigh 7.8 pounds; the SWPG’s refillable cartridges can be as small as 1 pound or as large as 24 pounds, depending on charging needs.

Beyond charging individual batteries, the SWPG is equipped to directly support tactical, software-based systems such as Nett Warrior. It can also feed battery-charging power scavengers, such as the Universal Battery Charger-Lite and hubs like the Integrated Soldier Power and Data System-Core. While the SWPG provides a 50-watt base load on its own, it can be paired with rechargeable lithium ion batteries to help fuel hybrid charging systems that offer increased power surges.

The apparatus, which does not get excessively hot or cause ventilation issues for the Soldiers wearing it, seeks to address the Army’s small unit power requirement of providing on-the-move recharging capabilities that extend battery life and minimize the need for frequent battery exchange or reliance on heavy generators.

The Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center leads the service’s applied research and development in energy storage and power generation component technologies.

“Army researchers are continually working on solutions to meet Soldiers’ anticipated needs during this time of rapid modernization,” said Marnie Bailey, C5ISR Center’s Power Division Chief. “The SWPG is the latest example of using our in-house expertise to enable greater Soldier lethality.”

In addition to being compact, lightweight and more efficient than traditional recharging methods, the SWPG is also significantly quieter than conventional gasoline or diesel-powered generators — an important consideration in combat settings. The reception to the device has been positive, with Soldiers saying that the system does not interfere with their ability to conduct their operations.

The SWPG is just one of the unique technologies undergoing field assessment during this month’s Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The experiment, which is hosted annually by the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, takes a closer look how small unit innovations — those geared toward advancing capabilities at the Soldier and squad levels — can have powerful impacts on Soldier maneuver, lethality and survivability.

Insights gathered during AEWE inform the development of priority warfighting capabilities and support the ongoing modernization work of Army Futures Command Cross-Functional Teams. For example, previous AEWE events helped to shape iterative SWPG prototypes by incorporating valuable Soldier feedback, which was then used to tailor and improve the new device.

“AEWE serves as an innovation engine, providing collaboration opportunities and Soldier touchpoints that enable capability developers to rapidly iterate tactical solutions,” said Col. Christopher Budihas, Director of the Army’s Maneuver Battle Lab, adding that “the SWPG is a great example of what this innovation engine can produce.”

By Maureena Thompson, Army Futures Command

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Power | 6 Comments »

Project Director Soldier & Squad Integration Helps Forge Relationship Between PEO Soldier and USASOC

Thursday, March 31st, 2022

FORT BELVOIR, VA – Project Director Soldier & Squad Integration (PD S&SI) hosted a side-by-side gear comparison between Project Executive Office (PEO) Soldier and U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) on Fort Belvoir, March 8-10.

PD S&SI held an event at the Soldier Integration Facility on Fort Belvoir, designed to provide a familiarization of selected items from Project Manager Soldier Survivability (PM SSV) and USASOC’s respective portfolios.

“We put the event together and facilitated bringing everyone in at the same time,” said Christopher Baker, survivability and power lead for the operational synchronization team for PD S&SI. “USASOC’s chain of command believed that they could realize some cost savings by leveraging the work that PEO Soldier is doing and what they’re fielding. The most interest and discussion were around the protective equipment, helmets and body armor, and the differences between what PEO Soldier fields and what USASOC has right now.”

Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment (PdM SPE) displayed the modular scalable vest (MSV), the blast pelvic protector (BPP) and the ballistic combat shirt (BCS). SPE personnel went over the capability and functions of the MSV, BPP, BCS, their threat levels and the differences between the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts (ESAPI) plates and the legacy ESAPI plates. The SPE presentation highlighted the Army’s focus on increasing protection but slimming down on weight.

“A lot of the questions we received were predominantly on sizing and the kinds of threats our plates stopped,” said Capt. Kim Pierre-Zamora, assistant product manager for PdM SPE. “For us, the key message we want to convey to our audience, especially the Special Forces community, is that not only are we scaling back on these extra areas of redundant coverage or parasitic weight, but we’re also able to scale up the coverage depending on what they’re doing, where they are, and their commander’s intent.”

“Not only are we looking to make Soldiers lighter and more mobile, but also more lethal. Because if they can move enough to avoid a threat, they can engage that much better.”

The gear comparison not only presented an opportunity for USASOC personnel to get their first hands-on look with gear currently fielded by PEO Soldier, but it allowed for in-depth discussion of what goes into developing and producing that equipment.

“From my perspective, especially working in Future Capabilities, it’s good to see where the Army is with their equipment,” said Lt. Col. Rachel Cepis, S8 Future Capabilities Director, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade. “At the tactical level, you hear Soldiers sometimes complain and say, ‘why is this like this?’ or ‘when are we going to get this?’ Therefore, it is good to be able to see what is out there and being developed. It’s going to be helpful for me to be able to pass that message on to other Soldiers.”

The gear comparison event was the first step in developing the relationship between PEO Soldier and USASOC, with the future collaboration already in the works. Within the next six months, a future follow-on event, hosted by USASOC, will be scheduled.

Story by Jason Amadi, PEO Soldier

Posted in Army, Guest Post, PEO-Soldier, SOF | 5 Comments »

L3Harris Equips US Army With Another 1,500 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binoculars

Wednesday, March 30th, 2022

LONDONDERRY, N.H. — L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has delivered more than 1,500 combat-ready Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B) systems to the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division unit, improving the soldiers’ situational awareness, mobility and protection.

The ENVG-B provides enhanced capability to the entire force by delivering imagery and data from the battlefield directly to the soldier’s eye. The system includes a new, high-resolution display and an embedded soldier wireless personal area network, rapid target acquisition and augmented reality algorithms to interface with the Army’s Nett Warrior.

The complete system will interface with the Army’s family of weapon sights, while enhancing interoperability and data sharing. The system also integrates with L3Harris’ AN/PRC-163 two channel leader radio which further extends the network across the battlefield.

“The ENVG-B continues to be the most advanced night vision goggle ever developed for and fielded by the US Army,” said Lynn Bollengier, President Integrated Vision Solutions, L3Harris. “With this delivery, the US Army has received more than 9,000 combat-ready L3Harris systems, which are directly supporting operational needs and real-time threats facing our close combat forces.”

Posted in Army, Contracts, Optics, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Pennsylvania Guard First Guard to Field New SIGINT System

Tuesday, March 29th, 2022

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. — The Pennsylvania National Guard is the first National Guard in the country to field the new Tactical Dismounted Electronic Warfare and Signals Intelligence (TDEWS) system.

Eight Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers trained at Fort Indiantown Gap March 13-17 on the TDEWS, which filled a significant gap in the training of Soldiers in the intelligence Military Occupational Specialties. Signals Intelligence advisers from the Army National Guard Technical Control and Analysis Element and the Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Program of the Mission Training Complex facilitated the training.

“This system adds a huge amount of value to our intelligence capabilities,” said Warrant Officer Trevor Burgess, a signals intelligence analysis technician with 28th Infantry Division, the Pennsylvania Guard’s senior SIGINT technician. “Soldiers train for six months to acquire the MOS, then when they get to their units here in Pennsylvania, they didn’t have this equipment to train on and the support of full-time subject matter experts that the Army National Guard G2 provides, so this does improve our intelligence capability.”

The TDEWS is a dedicated, all-weather, tactical electronic warfare system providing force protection and situational awareness to commanders at any echelon.

“We went from classroom instruction to hands-on setting up and tearing down the system over and over, to using it in a controlled dismounted environment, and then in the past two days, we’ve been able to pack it up in our special man packs we were issued for the system and actually come out here and work with trainers who built situational training exercise lanes for us to train on,” said Sgt. Emily Rivas, a cryptologic linguist with the 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.

The 56th SBCT will be doing a rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, this summer. The training will ensure these Soldiers can employ this new equipment during the brigade’s validation exercise and can execute their mission as they would on the battlefield, Burgess said.

“The thing with this system that makes it so nice for our training is that we’re able to just fire it up and use it whenever we want at any training site,” said Rivas. The previous system required a lot of coordination and approvals, which became cumbersome.

During the recent training at Fort Indiantown Gap, the eight Soldiers were divided into two-person teams to locate trainers posing as enemy forces at a rubble pile. Rivas’ team was the first to locate their target.

“We were able to lock it down really fast, locating the enemy really quickly and let the other teams know where they were and how they were communicating,” she said. “It felt really good to actually be able to see the system working and how it all comes together.”

“As of right now, I’m feeling very good about it,” said Sgt. Joe Falcone, a cryptologic linguist with the 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. “We have a total of eight days so far training on this equipment, just due to the nature of being in the National Guard and that it was only fielded to us at the beginning of January, but every single day I feel leaps and bounds better.”

Falcone said he didn’t feel as comfortable with the device earlier in the week, but this event significantly improved his confidence in advance of the upcoming rotation.

“The NTC rotation will allow the Soldiers to actually utilize the skills that they train hard in, and use that to improve the intelligence footprint, the intelligence picture and make the overall mission a success,” said Burgess.

By SSG Zane Craig, Joint Force Headquarters – Pennsylvania National Guard

Posted in Army, CEMA, Guest Post, Information Warfare, ISR | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Guard First Guard to Field New SIGINT System

$20 Million in APS-2 Materiel Delivered to Armored Brigade in Grafenwoehr

Saturday, March 26th, 2022

MANNHEIM, Germany – What’s easily apparent are the tanks and armored vehicles being prepared, loaded, transported, offloaded, staged and issued. But what’s less obvious are all the supply items, tools and repair parts needed to keep those vehicles and the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, up and running.

And that’s another area where Army Field Support Battalion-Mannheim has once again excelled.

More than 4,700 lines of materiel — some containing over a thousand items per line — were recently accounted, reported, shipped and issued to 1st ABCT, 3rd ID, by a team of about 30 personnel under the command and control of AFSBn-Mannheim and the watchful eye of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade.

Valued at nearly $20 million, tens of thousands of Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 individual repair parts, supply items and tools in more than 40 containers were shipped from Coleman worksite in Mannheim, Germany, to Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, and issued to the U.S.-based armored brigade combat team deployed there from Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Georgie Rodriguez said the mission was a total team effort. Broken down into mostly 2-person teams, logistics supply specialists and contractors assigned to AFSBn-Mannheim, 405th AFSB and 1st ABCT, 3rd ID, completed the mission in just five days.

“It’s a very tedious process,” said Rodriguez, who serves as the Supply Support Activity noncommissioned officer at Support Operations, 405th AFSB. “They have to check everything – every single item – and then re-check and check again. And then they have to post all this information into the Global Combat Systems Support-Army.”

The Global Combat Systems Support-Army, or GCSS-Army, is a web-based automated logistics system that tracks and maintains accountability of repair parts and supply items. It’s capable of managing large volumes of transactions, and it provides current item location updates as well as expected times of arrival. It also interfaces with the General Funds Enterprise Business System, or GFEBS, for financial data tracking and feedback.

Rodriguez said two key individuals who helped lead the process and ensure the mission was a success were Phillip Bosco from AFSBn-Mannheim, who was the accountable officer for the more than 4,700 lines or materiel, and Nixon Pierre-Louis from 405th AFSB Support Operations, who was the materiel manager, planner and operations officer for the mission.

“I commend them and the entire team of Soldiers, Army civilians and contractors – to include Sgt. 1st Class Rodriguez, Mr. Bosco and Mr. Pierre-Louis – for ensuring the process was finished in record time with 100 percent accuracy,” said Lt. Col. Brian Astwood, AFSBn-Mannheim commander. “Thanks for all your hard work.”

Rodriguez said his main responsibility was providing updates on the process to the Support Operations director, who in turn updated the 405th AFSB commander.

“Watching the representatives from the various organizations come together and react so quickly – it was outstanding,” said Rodriguez. “They executed the mission flawlessly – on time and on point.”

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website and the official Facebook site.

Story by Cameron Porter, 405th AFSB Public Affairs Officer

Photos by SFC Georgie Rodriguez

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Logistics | Comments Off on $20 Million in APS-2 Materiel Delivered to Armored Brigade in Grafenwoehr