Army | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for the ‘Army’ Category

First Basic Training Class Graduates Wearing Army Green Service Uniform

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020

FORT SILL, Okla. — The first class of basic combat trainees to graduate wearing the new Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) showed off their threads Nov. 16, during a ceremony at Fort Sill.

Almost 200 Soldiers from A Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery completed their 10-week basic combat training. The 434th Field Artillery command team and many of the drill sergeants also wore the AGSU.

Guest speaker Lt. Col. Jason Carter, Fires Center and Fort Sill Commanding General’s Planning Group director, highlighted the historical significance of the uniform.

“The Army’s greatest generation wore the iconic greens uniform when America was in the throes of World War II. Men like (generals of the Army Dwight) Eisenhower, (Omar) Bradley, and (George) Marshall wore it,” Carter said. “Now you, as our next great generation, are among one of the first in our United States Army to wear one of the most admired and recognizable uniforms in our history as it is being reinstituted to honor our heritage.

“While the Army Green Service Uniform invokes a feeling of nostalgia, it’s what’s under the uniform that counts,” Carter said. “The heart, the character, the grit, and the resolve of the American Soldier.”

Drill Sergeant (Staff Sgt.) Hayon Ju, A/1-79th FA, said the uniform links the greatest generation to millennials. She said she loved the practicality of the new dress uniforms.

“They’re a lot easier for females to set up our ribbons and badges,” Ju said. “We just go off our pocket flaps.”

Senior Drill Sergeant (Sgt. 1st Class) Antrell Bender, A/1-79th FA, said the trainees received the AGSU Oct. 14. They learned about the historical significance of the uniform. And, last week they were shown how to properly wear the uniform with adornments.

“On Saturday morning (Nov. 14), a final inspection was given to identify any deficiencies,” Bender said.

He noted that since it was the trainees’ first dress uniform they don’t have anything to compare it to, but for him, it’s the third dress uniform he has worn in his career.

“I’ve been in since we had the green dress uniform, then we switched over to the ASUs (Army Service Uniform),” Bender said.

Graduate Pvt. Rebeca Beaird, age 19, from Houston, recalled what she and some of her fellow trainees thought when they were first issued their AGSUs.

“A lot of us were thinking: Oh, Captain America, Like yea! We get to be there,” said Beaird, who will go on for further training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to become a behavioral health technician.

She said the AGSU is about building on the women’s legacy in the Army.

“Soldiers who wear this uniform are going to be honored to wear them,” she said. “Veterans who wore them will be happy to see us bring it back.”

Graduate Pfc. Tyree Smith, 20, of Indianapolis, said he was honored to be in the first class to graduate with the AGSUs. He said the uniform makes him feel like a man, ready to achieve.

Smith moves on to training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Col. Daniel Blackmon, 434th FA Brigade commander, said the AGSU is special for him because his father and grandfather served in the Army and wore similar uniforms.

He said he’s heard a lot of positive comments when wearing his AGSU. “One, the history, and two, just the way it looks.”

By Jeff Crawley, Fort Sill Tribune

Posted in Army, Clothing, Guest Post | 15 Comments »

Next-Generation Headset Preps Soldiers for Future Battlefield

Tuesday, November 24th, 2020

FORT PICKETT, Va. – The third Capability Set of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) was tested at Fort Pickett by 82nd Airborne Soldiers and 25th Marines during October 2020.

The project uses Soldier Centered Design (SCD) to evaluate the IVAS military fighting goggle through operational evaluations. Soldier involvement and engagement at every stage of prototype development has allowed the fast-paced rapid prototype effort to ensure that the final product will positively increase the situational awareness, lethality, mobility, and performance of the close combat force.

“When I look through the IVAS I see how we’re going to fight on the battlefield of the future,” said Staff Sgt. Kester, Weapons Squad Leader.

The Army is developing IVAS as a single platform that allows the Warfighter to Fight, Rehearse, and Train. It integrates next generation 24/7 situational awareness tools and high-resolution simulations to deliver a single platform that improves Soldier sensing, decision making, target acquisition, and target engagement. The visibility that it gives to higher command and control is unparalleled.

“With IVAS you now have the ability to paint a picture for higher ups, almost instantaneously,” said Sgt. Black, Combat Medic. “So now you have a Colonel who’s watching the battlefield like never before. That’s phenomenal, and that has the potential to increase our lethality in a way that we’ve never seen.”

IVAS also provides increased situational awareness for the leadership on the ground.

“In the field, a big part of my job is command and control,” said 1st Lt. Christopher, Platoon Leader. “I am basically moving my squads like pieces on a chessboard and maneuvering them into position and making sure that they’re in the right place at the right time. For me not only can I see where they are with IVAS, but I can actually go into the system and put a point here and say ‘Hey, you all need to go here’ or ‘Hey there are enemies over here watch out!’ I can also send messages non-verbally, so it is very, very critical for me for the command and control aspect.”

The first IVAS militarized form factor prototype was put through tactical exercise lanes, advance marksmanship, land navigation and squad reconnaissance, movement to contact with hasty attack, and enter and clear a trench to validate the military utility that the technology brings to the squad both day and night. The Soldiers and Marines spent a week learning the new equipment before using it in the various operational tests.

“It was extremely easy to pick up,” said Christopher. “It’s very simple in its controls, the menus and such are very easy to navigate, and they’re categorized in a way that if I want to do this function, easy over there, bring up the map, one button press away.”

Christopher also noted that the Microsoft data collectors had been receptive to their feedback and had already made progress and developments on the input given throughout the touchpoint event. Cpl. Sweckard, Team Leader, 25th Marines also expressed similar sentiments.

“Anytime we conduct any type of training with the IVAS, we immediately make contact with the [data collectors] from Microsoft and provide them with feedback, things that we’ve identified that could be an issue, things that we liked, and how we fixed the issue if we were faced with one,” he said. “That way they can put together the common things that are happening with the device and identify a resolution.”

Because of the similarities in operational responsibilities and as members of the collective close combat force, Marines were present to test the current IVAS capability set specifically during live fire execution.

“What it does for us mainly is combines a lot of things that we currently utilize, such as global positioning devices, or GPS’s, communication devices, as well as land navigation tools and mission planning tools,” said Sweckard. “Those are things that are commonly individual technologies that are now combined into this one system of IVAS.”

The project was initiated in response to an erosion in close combat capability relative to pacing threats identified in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. These capabilities will provide the increased lethality, mobility, and situational awareness necessary to achieve overmatch against our current and future adversaries in any domain.

“I think if it’s in the right hands it can be an effective tool, like an aid bag. An aid bag without a medic is nothing, but an infantry guy with IVAS is something much more,” said Black.

Though the Army is specifically developing this high priority modernization effort, the Marine Corps may also leverage the technology for their close combat operations.

“It will definitely be a force multiplier on the battlefield,” said Sweckard. “As a team leader I have three Marines that are under my charge and my basic mission is to employ those Marines in combat, make those three Marines look like 30. If I can do that, that’s going to make the Marine Corps more lethal. With the IVAS I can better achieve that mission, without a doubt.”

The integrated system is expected to be fielded to Soldiers next year.

“When Lieutenant Colonel Winn told us we want to field it next year I thought that was crazy. Then I looked and thought through it and I could see it, I can see the possibilities,” said Kester. “Some of my combat experiences made me pause for thought to look at it like Russia and China, they’ve been pushing technology like this for the last decade. And what have we been doing? Not that.”

Kester added that though he did not know about IVAS before coming to the third Soldier Touchpoint, as soon as he did, he was onboard with Team IVAS.

“I would say the only thing that’s going to hurt this program is people not being imaginative enough or trying to push the limits of what they think is possible, or what Soldiers want. I am really excited to see where this will go,” said Kester.

Posted in Army, Digitization, Guest Post, Optics | 6 Comments »

Marne Central Issue Facility Modernizes with Online Appointments, Less Equipment Turn-ins

Monday, November 23rd, 2020

For many Soldiers, the thought of visiting their local Central Issue Facility invokes certain feelings: anxiety and frustration to name a couple. This might change soon for the Soldiers of Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield as the CIF experience is transforming to make the process easier for the warfighter.

Transitioning to appointments

Transitioning to a modern storefront program, Soldiers are now able to schedule appointments online for their CIF turn-in and exchanges.

“After a few weeks of testing the system with the Marne Reception Center, the appointment system is now live. It lets Soldiers coordinate directly with the local CIF for times that work for them, and then the facility will get a daily report of how many Soldiers are coming in,” said Lt. Col. Chad Moniz, the battalion commander of the 406th Army Field Support Battalion-Stewart who is responsible for the Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield CIF.

“The system will enable a better experience for the Soldier, while maintaining a forecastable schedule for the CIF staff who still need to be ready to respond to real-world surge requirements,” he said.

“We still have the ability with the appointment system to keep Soldiers informed,” Moniz continued. “If we were planning to support a real-world deployment surge, massive plate exchange or inventories, we can change it in the system so those times will show as unavailable in live time. This will reduce lines or Soldiers having to find out in person.”

Appointments will be made in 15-minute increments. The AFSBn team recommends Soldiers arrive 10 minutes early to allow for accountability. The system is set up to accommodate eight people every 15 minutes.

For now, the new program has focused times targeting different needs. Soldiers from the Marne Reception Center will be accommodated daily until 10:00 a.m. From 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., CIF has open appointments for any service. From 2:30 -3:30 p.m., the CIF will continue to have walk-in open time to enable Soldiers that do not have appointments or who may not have access to common access card-enabled computers to make the appointments. Appointments can be made up to two weeks prior to the requested date.

Moniz explained that the appointment program will send Soldiers an email once the appointment is booked. It will also notify the CIF of what services Soldiers are requesting, whether it is for exchanging equipment, receiving new issue, or turning in old equipment.

Overhauls to adjust to transformation

While the modernization will result in welcomed improvements, the transition caused some delays for CIF customers in August and September. Completing a 100% inventory of the multi-million-dollar property book between the two installations was required because of a key personnel change occurring at the same time as the modernization transition, which was further exacerbated by impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are a very customer focused organization, with the majority of our employees being retired military,” said Nia Landry, deputy commander of the 406th AFSBn. “They take great pride in providing services for the Soldiers, but we did run into somewhat of a perfect storm.”

Landry said that an accountable officer unexpectedly retired during the key implementation of several phases of the modernization process, forcing the CIF to conduct a 100% accountability inventory of both sites. This, combined with a large surge of Soldiers with PCS orders, caused backups in the system.

“It was not our intent in any way to inconvenience Soldiers and their families,” Landry said. “Moving forward, we have several things in place that will improve your experience at CIF, and we always welcome suggestions as we strive to get better.”

Throughout the inventories, the average throughput did not decrease. The facility on average services 100 Soldiers in the morning, and 100 in the afternoon. As a result of an uptick in approved PCS orders following a long pause with COVID-19, the Fort Stewart and HAAF facilities surged to support more than 300 customers a day.

While the inventory took place, CIF also reorganized the entire warehouse and corrected internal processing issues. The facility also divested a large amount of inventory by moving equipment down to the unit level.

“Just like a company [executive officer] might prepare for their commander’s inventory layout several months in advance, inventory prep and accountability takes time,” said Moniz.

“Now expand that to a property book going through reduction from $98 million on hand and getting it down to $72 million,” he said. “We also packed and readied for shipment another $30 million just at Fort Stewart. HAAF is expected to reduce from $14 to only $1.5 million.”

The two CIFs support missions for not only the 3rd Infantry Division, but also a Ranger battalion, and other unique tenant units across both installations. They will continue to reduce stock by another half over the next few months as they send items to locations as directed by disposition instructions.

“We were sacrificing the time now to better support Soldiers later by improving our processes,” said Kevin Lewis, the supply and services division chief for the CIF facilities.

He explained tenant units like those in Special Forces will eventually go to systems managed by their supply sergeants to do more direct ordering. This process will solve more problems at the unit level and save Soldiers a trip across the base while also reducing strain on CIF.

Soldiers can also expect to get more of their equipment issued by their own supply rooms as fewer items are kept on hand at CIF. The facility will still handle exchanges and turn-ins. However, if units are exchanging something that is not typically stocked in the facility, it will have to be ordered.

Planning for future CIF visits, PCS moves

As thousands of 3rd ID Soldiers redeploy from Europe and South Korea in 2021 along with traditional PCS moves, it’s important to relearn what most career Soldiers already know: always try to clear CIF first.

While the experiences this summer were unprecedented, it was a good reminder for Soldiers to leave extra time in their clearing process for CIF in case they are missing items or if their equipment needs further cleaning.

“The best way to be prepared for CIF is to check your online Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment record,” Moniz said. This will tell you exactly which items you can carry with you, and which ones need to be turned in.”

“For Soldiers at Fort Stewart/ Hunter Army Airfield who are in a PCS status, from now on most will only turn-in their [Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts] plates,” he said. They can carry forward their OCIE gear with their household goods through the transportation personal property office.”

ESAPI plates are turned in to allow them to be scanned for any possible deficiencies and ensure they can protect their wearer.

Soldiers can find their individual clothing record at ism.army.mil/ism/SelfServiceServlet?nav.nav_id=ssMyClothing and should conduct a personal inventory prior to arriving at CIF to ensure they have everything they need.

While the appointment system is now open, clearing papers and orders are still required for service. To make an appointment, click on the link labeled “CIF appointment” in the bottom left corner of the individual’s OCIE clothing record.

By LTC Lindsey Elder

Posted in Army, Guest Post | 3 Comments »

Son Tay Raiders Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Operation, Release New Book, Film Documentary

Saturday, November 21st, 2020

Today is the 50th anniversary of Operation Ivory Coast, the famous joint service raid deep into North Vietnam to rescue American POWs held by the communists in a camp near Son Tay.

Principally, the assaulters were members of Army Special Forces recruited for a secret mission from units in Fort Bragg and the Aircrews who were responsible for getting them there were Air Force.

The Raiders flew to the target from an Intermediate Staging Base in Thailand on HH-3s and were refueled by HC-130s. An MC-130 served as pathfinder, leading the mission. There was also armed overwatch via AC-130 gunship and A-1E Skyraider. A myriad of other aircraft provided support from afar for the assault element, including command and control, intelligence overwatch and suppression of enemy air defense.

The Navy also played a vital, although unwitting role by flying MIG Combat Air Patrols and conducting deception operations to keep the North’s air defense system busy. Thanks to their efforts, the North Vietnamese didn’t get one aircraft off the ground that night. Ironically, none of the Navy crews knew what they were doing until was all over.

But to get the ball rolling, the task force was assembled at Eglin Air Force in Florida where it trained for the mission in isolation and secrecy. So careful were planners that rehearsals were conducted only when Soviet satellites weren’t overhead so as not to alert the communist bloc of an impending operation. They even went so far as to disassemble the target camp in between rehearsals. Planners also had access to ‘Barbara’, the code name for a scale model of the compound.

Elements and aircraft were assigned code names. All of this secrecy led to the infamous commemorative patch created by the Air Force crews featuring a mushroom with the letters KITD FOHS for Kept In The Dark, Fed Only Horse Shit.

The actual raid was called Operation Kingpin and was initiated when an HH-3, call sign Banana-1, purposefully killed the engine and autorotated into the POW camp, Raiders running out of the stricken aircraft once it came to rest. In all, the ground force consisted of three teams: an assault group, a support group, and a command and security group.

Although the task force succeeded in breaching the compound, it turned out to be a dry hole, the POWs having been moved days earlier. The ground force having spent 28 minutes in the ground.

Despite this tactical loss, the operations proved a strategic victory. The North Vietnamese moved American POWs together and improved their conditions which greatly raised morale.

As you can see, Operation Ivory Coast was a major operation, serving as the template for multiple deep enemy ration raids for decades.

Unfortunately, United Special Special Operations Command had to cancel their event due to COVID-19 restrictions so the Silent Warrior Foundation stepped in and out a great weekend together. It is an amazing event and Silent Warrior Foundation even worked with a Hollywood prop house to recreate the clothing and equipment each man wore on the raid.

Seen above are Neal Westbrook, Colonel USAF, Ret. Son Tay Raider (Lime 2), Terry Buckler, Sergeant, USA Son Tay Raider (Red Wine), Vladimir “Jake” Jakovenko, Sergeant Major, USA Ret. Son Tay Raider (Green Leaf) John Gargus, Colonel, USAF, Ret. Son Tay Raider (Cherry 2) Tyrone Adderly, Sergeant Major, USA Ret. Son Tay Raider (Red Wine)

There’s not enough room on SSD to tell the whole tale and numerous books have been written about the operation like “The Son Tay Raid” by air planner and pilot Col. John Gargus.

However, a new book has just been released, “Who Will Go” by Terry Buckler. It is the first time the tale has been told by a Raider with actual boots on the ground. He was assisted in his effort by CI-author Cliff Westbrook. Author Terry Buckler was there as the RTO for the Redwine element. Even better, he was the “baby” of the group and had not served in combat in SE Asia prior to the assault.

For those of you interested, you can get a copy of “Who Will Go” signed by the Raiders on hand for the event by visiting silentwarriorfoundation.com/collections/gear-accessories/products/signed-book-who-will-go.

During the event, a documentary is also being produced. “Operation Kingpin” can use your support to finish their work.

Posted in Air Force, Army, History, SOF | 29 Comments »

XVIII Abn Corps Drives Innovation With Its Own Version Of ‘Shark Tank’

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A panel comprised of military leaders and civilians is scheduled to place Soldiers in the hot seat as they evaluate their original ideas during a new competition later this month.

The XVIII Airborne Corps developed the competition, called the “Dragon’s Lair,” to encourage creative thinking across its ranks that may benefit units in the corps. Ideas presented to the five panelists could then help drive innovation throughout the Army, said the corps’ public affairs officer, Col. Joe Buccino.

Dragon’s Lair simulates the format of the TV show “Shark Tank.” But instead of business moguls looking to invest in the concepts of entrepreneurs, Army leaders will select ideas from Soldiers.

The next competition is slated to be held at Fort Bragg on Nov. 17. Over 180 entries have been narrowed to five finalists who will pitch their concepts to the panel.

P.W. Singer, an author and renowned defense strategist, joins four other panelists including Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla, the corps commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Phelicea Redd, senior enlisted advisor for the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

The finalists’ ideas include a photo collection mobile app that lets corps alumni archive and organize photos from historical events; a policy change that helps Soldiers with master social worker licenses become Army social workers; and touch-activated pads for medical patients that record vital signs and maintain medical histories.

The Dragon’s Lair challenges innovators within the corps to present solutions to common work problems or simply to make the work environment better.

“[The goal] is to improve any aspect of life and service within the XVIII Airborne Corps,” Buccino said. “And that applies to technology, process, quality of life, procedure, the way we organize for combat and the way we prepare to do physical training.”

Only one winner will be selected and their idea will be distributed throughout the corps. “So it’s a truer competition in that way,” Buccino said. The winner will be announced Nov. 19 on the corps’ Twitter account and the competition will become a monthly event beginning in January.

Winners receive a four-day pass and the opportunity to attend an Army training school of their choice.

Ideas from within

Innovation has been pushed in part by the Army’s modernization efforts and Army Futures Command, which combines the work of civilian and military developers at its headquarters in downtown Austin, Texas.

The Dragon’s Lair challenge, however, encourages Soldiers of any career field or background within the corps to generate concepts.

One of this month’s finalists, Spc. Trevor Cross, assigned to 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, developed a concept for technicians to curb maintenance time by cutting back hours spent transporting equipment with his forklift trailer attachment idea. This will allow for bobcats, forklifts, or skid-steers to replace Humvees as the prime mover of trailers and generators within repair bays.

Cross said that if Soldiers use his idea, where technicians use a tow attachment to move equipment for repairs, they could potentially save up to 15 work hours per week. The Alabama native said that he built his design from previous Soldiers’ ideas and made it applicable to motor pools throughout the Army.

“I think every motor pool in the Army should have one,” said Cross, who worked as a heating and air conditioning technician before enlisting at age 24. “Not only does it save time … it provides better maneuverability within the bay space, because you have more options to move the generator exactly where you want it to be.”

Cross said that regardless of the contest’s outcome, his concept could help improve productivity for about 30-40 Soldiers at Fort Campbell or at any Army motor pool.

Mobile planning

The winner of the first contest, Maj. Evan Adams, showed a penchant for creative design as a graphics design major at Sam Houston State University in Texas. Thirteen years later, Adams brainstormed an idea for Soldiers to manage appointments and training opportunities at ranges on Army installations.

Adams said Soldiers typically have to schedule time on the firing range through the Range Facility Management Support System or by making phone calls to range control. Using the app, known as the “RangeFinder,” Soldiers can schedule bookings with their smartphones.

“We use a lot of this technology to plan the range [appointments] anyway,” Adams said. “My biggest innovation is really just putting those sorts of tools together in one place so you don’t have to go searching for them or have to download additional apps.”

His idea took first place among 84 submissions last month. Buccino said Adams’ thorough planning from the development to the implementation stage impressed the panelists.

“It solved so many inefficiencies in one solution,” Buccino said. “He really had the most thoughtful presentation and thought through many of the elements of implementation and many of the hurdles that would come with that.”

Adams said he plans to work with civilian programmers on a prototype beginning December or January and hopes to release the mobile app by the summer.

By Joseph Lacdan, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Guest Post | Comments Off on XVIII Abn Corps Drives Innovation With Its Own Version Of ‘Shark Tank’

Army Uniform Board to Consider Changes for Expecting, New Mothers

Tuesday, November 17th, 2020

WASHINGTON — The 152nd Army Uniform Board will convene on Nov. 18 to consider multiple issues, including changes to maternity clothing articles for expecting and new mothers. Specifically, the board is scheduled to make decisions on the Army Green Service Uniform-Maternity and a lactation shirt for the Maternity Utility Uniform in the Operational Combat Pattern.

In 2018, the Army produced a maternity uniform for demonstrations associated with the unveiling of the AGSU. That maternity uniform resembled the style of uniform that has been issued since the 1980s and was first designed in 1979. The AUB will discuss whether to modernize the maternity uniform or continue with the current style.

The AUB will also consider developing a lactation shirt, which would later become part of the Maternity Utility Uniform issue for new mothers. As things stand, a lactation shirt is not provided with the standard issue, and Soldiers must purchase them through private, commercial vendors.

The Nov. 18 meeting will be held virtually, and discussion will be led by the AUB Chairman, Lt. Gen. Duane Gamble, Deputy Chief of Staff of G-4. Members of the AUB include male and female Soldiers at all levels, and representatives from the active component, Army Reserve and Army National Guard. Each member has an equal vote in deciding which recommendations go forth to Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James C. McConville.

The AUB meeting, which takes place twice each year, is the Army’s only forum to address the changing requirements of Soldiers’ uniforms and accessory items. All Soldiers can contribute to the Uniform Board process by providing recommendations to their sergeant majors. Incorporating the feedback from Soldiers is a big part of the AUB process.

The last AUB took place on June 25th. To read about the outcomes of that meeting, click here.

Posted in Army, Clothing, For the Ladies, Guest Post | 9 Comments »

Machine Learning Algorithm Could Provide Soldiers Feedback

Saturday, November 14th, 2020

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — A new machine learning algorithm, developed with Army funding, can isolate patterns in brain signals that relate to a specific behavior and then decode it, potentially providing Soldiers with behavioral-based feedback.

“The impact of this work is of great importance to Army and DOD in general, as it pursues a framework for decoding behaviors from brain signals that generate them,” said Dr. Hamid Krim, program manager, Army Research Office, an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Develop Command, now known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory. “As an example future application, the algorithms could provide Soldiers with needed feedback to take corrective action as a result of fatigue or stress.”

Brain signals contain dynamic neural patterns that reflect a combination of activities simultaneously. For example, the brain can type a message on a keyboard and acknowledge if a person is thirsty at that same time. A standing challenge has been isolating those patterns in brain signals that relate to a specific behavior, such as finger movements.

Doing so, is the first step in developing brain-machine interfaces that help restore lost function for people with neurological and mental disorders, which requires the translation of brain signals into a specific behavior, called decoding.

As part of a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative grant awarded by ARO and led by Maryam Shanechi, assistant professor at the University Of Southern California Viterbi School Of Engineering, researchers have developed a new machine learning algorithm to address the brain modeling and decoding challenge. The research is published in Nature Neuroscience.

“Our algorithm can, for the first time, dissociate the dynamic patterns in brain signals that relate to specific behaviors and is much better at decoding these behaviors,” said Shanechi, the lead senior author of the study.

The researchers tested the algorithm on standard brain datasets during the performance of various arm and eye movements. They showed that their algorithm discovered neural patterns in brain signals that directed these movements but were missed with standard algorithms.

They also showed that the decoding of these movements from brain signals – predicting what the movement kinematics are by just looking at brain signals that generate the movement – was much better with their algorithm.

“The algorithm has significant implications for basic science discoveries,” Krim said. “The algorithm can discover shared dynamic patterns between any signals beyond brain signals, which is widely applicable for the military and many other medical and commercial applications.”

Shanechi said the reason for the new algorithm’s success was its ability to consider both brain signals and behavioral signals such as movement kinematics together, and then find the dynamic patterns that were common to these signals.

This decoding also depends on our ability to isolate neural patterns related to the specific behavior. These neural patterns can be masked by patterns related to other activities and can be missed by standard algorithms.

In the future, the new algorithm could also enhance future brain-machine interfaces by decoding behaviors better. For example, the algorithm could help allow paralyzed patients to directly control prosthetics by thinking about the movement.

By U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Digitization, Guest Post | Comments Off on Machine Learning Algorithm Could Provide Soldiers Feedback

Army Conducts Major Milestone Tests in Development of Integrated Visual Augmentation System

Monday, November 9th, 2020

FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Army-led team of developers creating the Integrated Visual Augmentation System is wrapping up the third major milestone testing and demonstration event this week at Fort Pickett, Va., where Soldiers and Marines have been putting the system, known as IVAS, through a number of field exercises since Oct. 18.

IVAS is designed to enhance the lethality and survivability of the Army’s Close Combat Force through a combination of technologies and augmented reality capabilities delivered in the form of a Heads-Up Display device, much like the famed HoloLens developed by Microsoft, which is, in fact, partnering with the Army to develop and produce the system.

IVAS is one of the Army Future Command’s 31 original signature modernization efforts, headed by the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team (SL CFT) at Fort Benning, Ga., under the leadership of Brig. Gen. David Hodne, who also serves as the Chief of Infantry. It’s a single platform that allows the Soldier to fight, rehearse, and train, because it leverages networked information sharing and mixed and augmented reality technologies. IVAS is one of the SL CFT’s efforts to help resolve an erosion in combat superiority between

U.S. and near peer competitors around the world as identified in the 2018 National Defense Strategy.

Whereas U.S. forces once “owned the night” in respect to combat overmatch in conditions of limited visibility, Hodne said, two decades of consistent and concentrated conflict across the Middle East has resulted in a parity among the world’s most capable combatants.

“Overmatch has always been defined in terms of two things; our lethality and our protection must exceed the lethality and protection of our adversaries,” Hodne said Oct. 30, as he addressed a group of Army senior leaders and Congressional representatives who attended the IVAS demonstration at Pickett. “In order to restore overmatch, we must restore lethality, and lethality means we can see, designate and move quickly through hours of limited visibility.

“In an environment where we share the night, the folks who can move faster, decide faster and think faster are the ones who have the advantage on today and tomorrow’s battlefield,” he said, citing the IVAS next generation situational awareness tools, high resolution operational and training simulations capabilities the Soldiers are testing at Pickett.

The event is the third in a series of four comprehensive large-scale tests, formally known as Soldier Touch Points, or STPs, scheduled at pivotal junctures in the 28-month program to bring together stakeholders from across the Army’s modernization enterprise with industry partners to assess technologies added or upgraded since the previous STP and test the latest system prototype in the field. This time around, participants from the 82nd Airborne Division and a contingent of Marines conducted company-size training events using the first militarized prototype of the IVAS. Events included land navigation, live fire, mission planning, rapid target acquisition, trench clearing, after action review using augmented reality, and more.

By the end of this event, Team IVAS, which includes the CFT, PEO Soldier, Microsoft, Combat Capabilities Development Command, and a number of labs and directorates within the modernization enterprise, will have collected more than 40,000 hours of Soldier data, said Brig. Gen. Tony Potts, the director of PEO Soldier.

The team employs a Soldier Centered Design methodology that involves Soldiers at every step of the process, from design to development, thereby reducing the traditional 10-year acquisitions timeline to roughly 28 months and eliminating the historical probability of fielding a system Soldiers reject. Soldier Centered Design means IVAS is designed and built by the Soldiers who give the constructive, candid feedback developers use to turn over new prototypes and upgrade systems constantly.

“If we want to develop systems at the speed of relevance, and systems that our Soldier want to use, this is the way we have to do it,” Potts said. “We have learned so much through Soldier Centered Design. Our real desire is to let Soldiers design it, and then our engineers build what they design. It’s about listening to our Soldiers.”

The STP was Staff Sgt Kaleb Kester’s first experience with IVAS and with the concept of Soldier Centered Design. After 12 years in the Army, the combat veteran said he sees “incredible potential” for the system and had no trouble learning to use it. “If you can use a smart phone, you can use IVAS,” he said, but there was one thing he didn’t understand.

“Why haven’t we always been doing it this way? I hate getting issued things I don’t even want or don’t need or can’t really use,” Kester said. “This is the way it should always be.”

The program, which remains on track to deliver the first IVAS in the fourth quarter of FY21, is funded through Other Transaction Authorities (OTA) and Middle Tier Acquisition Rapid Prototyping authorities to accelerate the development process by more than four years as compared to the DoD 5000 process.

Last month, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord hailed IVAS as an example of success, having launched the program under an interim policy she implemented to circumvent problems inherent to traditional military acquisitions methodologies aimed at layered governance and risk aversion. In September, Deputy Secretary Norquist signed a directive that completes a comprehensive redesign of the DoD 5000 series acquisitions policies.

“So using this (interim) policy, we have 74 programs today using the middle tier acquisition pathway, including (IVAS),” Lord said Oct. 7 during a Pentagon briefing. “As a result, IVAS intends to rapidly field the capability in fiscal year 21 after conducting dozens of hardware prototypes and thousands of software builds through continuous iterations with Soldiers … the MTA pathway incentivizes powerful behaviors across the acquisition enterprise to quickly restore the Army’s advantage in individual situational awareness, navigation, communications, and target acquisition.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said virtually the same last week after participating in the IVAS STP 3 demonstration, where he donned the IVAS to see firsthand how the system pairs to the Family of Weapons Sight – Individual to give the warfighter the ability to acquire a target from behind the relative security of a corner or an obstacle using the aided target acquisition capability.

Twenty years ago, McConville said, such capabilities would have been considered futuristic, “something you see in a movie,” and the acquisition timeline would have impeded progress.

“Historically, our acquisition cycle has taken a long time, ten to fifteen years,” he said. “(IVAS) was just an idea two or three years ago, and we were able to bring it to fruition quickly to what we saw today working together with industry, with our operators, and also our Soldiers with touch points along the way using the authorities that Congress has given us to rapidly, bring this capability to our Soldiers in the field. It’s safe to say that the future is here – now – and this is no longer in the realm of science fiction.”

Lt. Nicholas Christopher was one of the Soldiers from the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment who put the system to the test in hinterlands of Fort Pickett’s operationally relevant environments. Christopher described the IVAS suite of capabilities just as the Chief of Staff.

“There are a lot of features on it that are futuristic, I guess you could say, including things like advanced battle tracking,” he said. “I can see where my entire platoon is projected on a map, and for me as a platoon leader, that’s amazing, because there’s a lot of guesswork that goes out the window. There’s a lot of verbal communication over radios that I don’t have to do anymore. It’s very solid I can see how this is going to make a great impact on the way we fight.”

By Bridgett Siter

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Optics | 13 Comments »