Army | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for the ‘Army’ Category

US Army, Estonia Sign Historic Agreement for Collaborative Research in Cyber Defense

Friday, September 25th, 2020

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – The U.S. Army and the Republic of Estonia’s Ministry of Defence signed an agreement today that will enable the two countries to conduct future collaborative science and technology efforts in cyber defense.

The Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center – a component of Army Futures Command’s Combat Capabilities Development Command – and the Estonian Ministry of Defence will establish a multi-domain operations, cyber domain working group to identify opportunities for interoperability experimentation and demonstrations.

The working group will provide a forum to exchange information on the research of defensive cyber capabilities for multi-domain operations and improved coalition interoperability. Specific collaborative activities identified by the working group may be carried out under future agreements involving projects, equipment and material, and information exchanges.

“This historic agreement provides the opportunity for two nations with substantial defensive cyber capabilities to leverage their respective cyber experience to drive new research and development to reduce cyber threats across the spectrum of conflict,” said Director of the C5ISR Center Patrick J. O’Neill.

The effort – which falls under a 2016 U.S. Department of Defense Research, Development, Test and Evaluation memorandum of understanding – is the first of its kind between the U.S. Army and the Estonian Ministry of Defence. It supports a “Vision for Security Cooperation” document between the countries to develop capabilities that will deter and defend against malicious cyber intrusions and attacks.

“The Estonian Ministry of Defence is very pleased to establish formal cooperation with the U.S. Army’s C5ISR Center, adding another partner with increased knowledge and capabilities. Our countries are close NATO allies who share fundamental values. Our collaboration in the cyber domain will advance our common security,” said Director of the Estonian Ministry of Defence’s Cyber Policy Department Andri Rebane.

“We hope that the knowledge generated from this bilateral relationship will not only be useful for the U.S. and Estonia but also our other allies. With that, I am pleased to sign the terms of reference to begin this important work,” said Rebane.

Prior to the event, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation Elizabeth Wilson noted her office played an integral role in bringing together key personnel from U.S. Army headquarters, the C5ISR Center and counterparts at the Estonian Embassy to reach this milestone event.

“Exchanging information and optimizing our research and development efforts to modernize our militaries will help deter great power competitors and regional state adversaries. The U.S. Army is proud to partner with our Estonian counterparts in this unique opportunity,” said Wilson.

The complementary research will explore tactical and strategic challenges to enable standardization, rationalization and interoperability while improving the mutual defenses of both countries, said Robert Kimball, the C5ISR Center’s senior research scientist for cyber security.

“Estonia is a cyber country of excellence with a robust cyber defensive system in terms of technology and people. Given their deep expertise, I believe they will have substantial lessons to share, which will be enormously helpful in finding efficiencies in our science and technology efforts while understanding how best to defend against cyber warfare,” said Kimball, who noted Estonia is home to the NATO Cyber Defense Center and Cyber Range.

The agreement is slated to last until Sept. 30, 2023, at which point it may be extended.

“I am honored to have signed this agreement with Mr. Rebane today,” said O’Neill. “This is more than just a document that governs science and technology efforts; it affirms our two countries’ mutual commitment to work side by side to proactively address global security challenges. The C5ISR Center looks forward to this collaborative effort as we continue to explore the realm of the possible for cyber security. I am extremely pleased that the efforts on both sides have come to fruition.”

By Edric Thompson, CCDC C5ISR Center Public Affairs

Posted in Army, CEMA, Guest Post | Comments Off on US Army, Estonia Sign Historic Agreement for Collaborative Research in Cyber Defense

Army to Host Tactical Assault Kit Virtual Workshop for Industry, Federal Agencies

Thursday, September 24th, 2020

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Sept. 23, 2020) — The U.S. Army is hosting a virtual workshop to expedite the development and integration of situational awareness tools Sept. 29 – Oct. 2.

The Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) is a map-based software application that enables coordination among thousands of users with features such as a position data, chat, mission planning and shared overlays. It is compatible with Android, Apple iOS and Windows.

The Tactical Assault Kit virtual offsite will offer stakeholders from across the Department of Defense (DoD), federal agencies and industry an opportunity to exchange information and identify critical needs. The event will offer tracks for software development, programmatic updates and training on TAK platforms.

“The intent of these sessions is to learn from issues that may have arisen in the past year, produce innovative capabilities and reduce duplicative efforts,” said Josh Sterling, director of the TAK Product Center at the The Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center – a component of Army Futures Command’s Combat Capabilities Development Command.

“Any time we can get more feedback and lessons learned, it’s a data point we can use to improve the platform. I think this is a great way to generate cross-team collaboration that will spur both the development cycle and integration as we continue to push and facilitate a more universal type TAK operation.”

As the central software development hub for all TAK efforts, including 15 DoD programs of record, the C5ISR Center’s TAK Product Center provides software updates and testing for an enhanced user experience.

To foster innovation, the TAK Product Center approved the public release of a non-military variant for federal and government agencies – known as the Android Team Awareness Kit-Civilian (ATAK-CIV) application – on Google Play and the open-source Standard ATAK Software Development Kit on TAKmaps.com.

“TAK is an extensible platform, meaning that we give you a baseline and based on your mission requirements you can build on that baseline to bridge capability gaps,” said Mark Roberts, deputy director for the TAK Product Center.

“Anyone who has a job requirement to display point location information – the military, DoD and federal agencies, state and local authorities, firefighters and emergency responders – will benefit from these sessions. This is a great opportunity to give them a peek at what’s being done around the TAK community,” he said.

Registration for the offsite is available at tak.gov/offsite until Sept. 28.

By CCDC C5ISR Center Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Digitization, Guest Post, Tac Apps | Comments Off on Army to Host Tactical Assault Kit Virtual Workshop for Industry, Federal Agencies

Tobyhanna Army Depot Expands NETT Warrior Support, Improves Soldier Experience

Monday, September 14th, 2020

Tobyhanna Army Depot, PA —

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story by Ms. Danielle E. Weinschenk

Photos by Thomas Robbins

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

US Army Fields New Chemical Detection Technology

Wednesday, September 9th, 2020

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Chemical weapons pose a serious threat to civilian and warfighter lives, but technology from the U.S. Army Small Business Technology Transfer program reduces those risks. Researchers developed a product to detect chemical weapons accurately at low concentration levels.

Active Army, Reserve and National Guard units started to receive the Chemical Agent Disclosure Spray and the Contamination Indicator/Decontamination Assurance System, known as CIDAS. The Army is fielding it to all units in areas where there is a threat of chemical agents.

The Chemical Agent Disclosure Spray, purchased by FLIR Systems, Inc., has transitioned into the CIDAS Program of Record within the Joint Program Executive Office for CBRN Defense. The research, which began 20 years ago with a business first spun out of the University of Pittsburgh and later acquired by FLIR, as part of a Small Business Technology Transfer contract managed by the Army Research Office.

ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory.

The Army funded the basic research behind this technology at the University of Pittsburgh led by Dr. Alan Russell. Russell worked to identify ways to incorporate enzymes into polymers that would be stabilized for use outside the cell and then ultimately used in realistic battlefield environments.

Typically enzymes are not stable outside the living organism, but Russell’s fundamental polymer and enzyme chemistry research identified a way to maintain high activity of the enzymes for sensing chemicals in realistic battlefield conditions. He then started a small business based on those findings, which FLIR purchased.

“Our ability to respond to chemical warfare is a national security challenge that is vital to protecting both civilian and military lives,” said Dr. Stephen Lee, senior scientist at the ARO. “This technology is highly sensitive, providing accurate results on only trace amounts of material, even at concentrations below levels that represent an immediate danger to life and health.”

The new technology uses enzymes (complex proteins naturally produced by living organisms that act as a catalyst for specific biochemical reactions) to drive rapid, color-based reactions with chemical warfare agents. Once applied to a surface as a liquid solution, a vivid color change indicates the exact location of contamination by a specific chemical warfare agent.

Because the underlying chemistry uses enzymes to drive specific biochemical reactions, the technology is highly resistant to potential forms of chemical and environmental interference that might be problematic for conventional detection equipment.

The product’s sensitivity also provides the ability to determine whether decontamination was effective.

“Our Agentase C2 spray technology offers unprecedented performance, enabling rapid detection of highly toxic substances while reducing the lifecycle cost of decontamination operations,” said David Cullin, vice president of business development-Detection for FLIR Systems.

Products previously available for the detection of nerve and blister chemical agents range from simple units that use colorimetric techniques, wherein the presence of a chemical substance is indicated by a specific color change, to more complex systems that use special equipment.

Unfortunately, most colorimetric-based products such as paper detection products or gas detection tubes, can be highly susceptible to chemical interference, which can result in false positive and false negative results, as well as poor sensitivity.

“Through the Army’s Small Business Technology Transfer program, a small business has changed our nation’s ability to respond to chemical attacks,” Lee said. “The Army is taking advantage of the latest breakthroughs in synthetic biology to field new capability and protect national security. Without that program, we’d never have the ability to field this capability.”

The STTR program funds research and technology development with small businesses working in partnership with research institutions, most often colleges or universities. In contrast to the basic research programs managed by ARO, the STTR program focuses primarily on feasibility studies leading to prototype demonstration of technology for specific applications.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the DOD agency responsible for countering weapons of mass destruction, provided additional funding to bridge the technology from development to capability delivery.

JPEO-CBRND, the DOD entity that manages the nation’s investments in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense equipment, adopted the technology as part of the Domestic Response Capability Kit.

The kit packages the chemical components into a simple, pen-like construct, an easy-to-use point-and-touch detection as well as a spray-based formulation of the same technology. The kits have been fielded to all 57 Army National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams across the country.

Now, National Guard units throughout every state maintain the capability to provide for detection, personal protection, decontamination and medical monitoring against chemical agents.

Additionally, JPEO-CBRND recently awarded FLIR an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity five-year contract worth up to $21.8 million to support the Army’s Contamination Indicator/Decontamination Assurance System program.

This award initiates the full-rate production phase to field the product to units throughout the Army.

Shipments are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2020.

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

Posted in Army, CBRNE, Guest Post | Comments Off on US Army Fields New Chemical Detection Technology

US Army Ranger to Receive Medal of Honor for Hostage Rescue Mission

Monday, September 7th, 2020

WASHINGTON — An Army Ranger who risked his life to save dozens of hostages facing imminent execution by ISIS fighters will be awarded the Medal of Honor, the White House announced Thursday.

Sgt. Maj. Thomas “Patrick” Payne, who is assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, was part of a joint task force that assisted Iraqi security forces Oct. 22, 2015, in raiding an ISIS prison near Hawija in northern Iraq.

Payne and his teammates liberated 70 hostages — many of whom were captured Iraqi security forces personnel — after a request by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Soldiers had to quickly rescue the hostages amid heavy enemy gunfire and suicide-vest detonations during the contested nighttime operation, which left one U.S. Soldier and at least 20 insurgents dead.

“Time was of the essence,” Payne said in an interview. “There were freshly dug graves. If we didn’t action this raid, then the hostages were likely to be executed.”

After being infilled by CH-47 Chinook helicopters, Payne and members of the task force climbed over a wall into the prison compound. Payne, an assistant team leader at the time, helped lead his team as it cleared one of the two buildings known to house hostages.

Once inside the building after light resistance from the enemy, Payne said his team used bolt cutters to pierce through the locks of a prison door, freeing nearly 40 hostages.

Payne and others then heard an urgent call for help over the radio from other task force members engaged in an intense firefight at the second building.

Payne and his team maneuvered about 30 yards to the heavily-fortified building, which was partially on fire.

Once there, he and others scaled a ladder onto the roof of the one-story building as a sustained rate of enemy machine-gun fire shot out from below. From a vantage point on the roof, they engaged the enemy with hand grenades and small arms fire.

At that point, enemy fighters began to detonate their suicide vests, causing the roof to shake. Payne and others then moved off the roof to an initial breach point on the ground level.

With barricaded enemies firing rounds toward him, Payne entered the structure to open another fortified door. After he managed to cut the first lock, he had to run out due to the heavy smoke and handed off the bolt cutters to an Iraqi partner. After the partner came out for fresh air, Payne took the tool again to sheer off the last lock and kicked open the door.

Still being engaged by the enemy, Payne and others escorted about 30 more hostages out of the burning building, which was about to collapse.

“We had to use speed to our advantage,” he said.

With disregard for his own safety, Payne then reentered the building two more times to ensure every hostage was out. One of those times he had to forcibly remove one of the hostages who had been too frightened to move during the chaotic scene, he said.

For his actions, Payne was initially given the Army’s second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross, which was later upgraded to a Medal of Honor.

President Donald Trump will present the medal to Payne on Sept. 11.

Originally from Batesburg-Leesville and Lugoff, South Carolina, Payne joined the Army in 2002 as an infantryman with hopes of becoming an Army Ranger.

Since then, he has deployed several times to combat zones as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and in various positions with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

He earned a Purple Heart medal after being wounded in a separate 2010 mission in Afghanistan. And as a sergeant first class in 2012, Payne won the Army’s Best Ranger Competition, representing USASOC.

He is married with three children and is currently stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

For more information about Sgt. Maj. Thomas P. Payne’s heroic actions, visit Medal of Honor: Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne.

By Sean Kimmons, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, SOF | 2 Comments »

Army Tests Versatile Unmanned Aircraft at Yuma Proving Ground

Sunday, August 23rd, 2020

YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz.– The United States military has used unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for decades, and increasingly counts on them to perform dangerous missions that save Soldiers’ lives.

Among these flying wonders is the Aerosonde, a catapult-launched and net recovered aircraft used primarily for surveillance and reconnaissance.

Capable of 15 hours of flight time, the Aerosonde is highly portable and boasts outstanding optics at high altitudes. The system has undergone extensive testing at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) for most of its existence.

“We test here whenever we have changes to the system,” said Kyle Petesch, Aerosonde site lead. “The YPG personnel are very attentive to what we ask for and easy to work with.”

“Aerosonde has been testing here for more than 12 years,” added Matthew O’Donald, test officer. “It’s a well-proven machine, and there have been numerous upgrades over the years.”

The sheer volume of commercial air traffic in the United States means that conducting developmental testing of even the smallest UAS in a safe, sustained manner within the national airspace is highly problematical. However, such constraints do not exist at YPG—the proving ground controls nearly 2,000 square miles of restricted airspace in addition to boasting clear, stable air and an extremely dry climate where inclement weather is a rarity.

“We have perfect flying weather, well over 300 clear days per year,” said O’Donald. “We have such a wide flight area of restricted airspace that’s perfect for customers to get what they need.”

“We like the nice, clear weather without a lot of clouds or rain delays, and definitely like the range space we can get here,” added Petesch. “The flat desert is good for emplacing ground stations and measuring farther distances without trees or line-of-sight issues.”

Aerosonde is typically deployed in a system with multiple aircraft and ground control stations, all of which can be accommodated in a realistic manner at YPG. The vast range and air space here means the testers can easily evaluate things like fuel consumption and the ability to smoothly hand-off control of the craft between controllers located in multiple ground control stations.

“We test not only to integrate products our customers want, but also to improve our own system’s reliability,” said James Ruthven, senior engineering support manger. “In the end, that helps our country’s mission overseas by having a quiet, reliable aircraft that provides good optics and other sensors.”

The Aerosonde is a relatively quiet aircraft, as is necessary for its surveillance mission.

“Our end user—a platoon out in the field—doesn’t want their targets to know they’re being watched,” said Ruthven. “Our engine and aircraft has to be quiet, so coming here affords us the opportunity to put people out in the desert and do acoustic measurements. We can tailor how we operate in the real world based on the findings we have here.”

The proving ground’s extensive experience with testing UAS and associated sensors is another attraction, as is the ability to control a large swath of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. YPG has more than 500 permanent radio frequencies, and several thousand temporary ones in a given month.

“This is the easiest place for us to operate, and we get the most complete and comprehensive coverage in support of what we’re doing,” said Ruthven. “The heat and density altitudes that we find in this local environment are very similar to a lot of the places we’re operating in overseas.”

The Aerosonde will continue coming to YPG for testing well into the future, Ruthven added.

“We’re looking at our technology roadmap and trying to grow what our system can do for the customer to meet their needs for the next decade to come,” he said. “Utilizing the test ranges, frequencies, and facilities here is crucial to us getting to that point. The work we were able to do at YPG got us to this point.”

By Mark Schauer

Posted in Army, Guest Post, UAS | Comments Off on Army Tests Versatile Unmanned Aircraft at Yuma Proving Ground

Drill Sergeants to Start Receiving Army Greens This Month

Monday, August 17th, 2020

WASHINGTON — Along with their iconic round brown hats, drill sergeants will soon be donning the Army’s new, long-awaited everyday business uniform, a project manager confirmed Tuesday.

The Army Green Service Uniform, which is based on the dress uniform worn by Soldiers during World War II, will be delivered to basic combat training drill sergeants at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; and Fort Jackson, South Carolina, later this month with general sales at those installations’ post exchanges beginning this fall.

The full wave of AGSU sales throughout the Army is slated to be implemented by March 2021.

Trainees in basic training and one-station unit training are scheduled to begin receiving the new uniform starting from October through December. Soldiers must fully transition to the new uniform by Oct. 1, 2027.

“The everyday professional look of the AGSU will complement Soldiers of today and in the future,” said Col. Stephen Thomas, project manager of Soldier survivability for Program Executive Office Soldier, during a media event Tuesday.

With its olive-colored top and light brown trousers, a similar dress uniform gave Soldiers a unique look during WWII. Army senior leaders pushed for a revamped design to connect today’s Soldiers with the service’s past.

Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley met with designers at the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center in Natick, Massachusetts, in 2017 to discuss possibilities for a new service uniform. The command’s design team fashioned uniform options for Milley and made recommendations to PEO Soldier.

“[Milley] spoke of the pride and heritage of that uniform in our Army’s history and wanting to bring it back,” said Annette LaFleur, design team lead at CCDC Soldier Center. “He wasn’t very specific in terms of the exact design detail. He just spoke about the fit, the aesthetic, and the look of it and uniting everybody together with this uniform.”

Extensive testing followed with as many as 1,200 test uniforms worn by Army recruiters and 700 prototype models used during a limited-user test last year. For nearly two years, Milley and former Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey campaigned for the new uniform, even donning the AGSU at nationally-televised events such as the annual Army-Navy game.

The updated service uniform is intended for all Army ranks, while the WWII-era uniform was only authorized for officers to wear. The average cost varies depending on the combination of clothing, but the standard price hovers around $500 per uniform. The yearly clothing allowance, which officers do not receive, will help cover the cost of the uniform for enlisted Soldiers.

The shelf life of the clothing will span six years — two years longer than the Army Service Uniform, or commonly known as Dress Blues.

LaFleur added that designers adjusted the original WWII design for everyday wear. The uniform is made from a high quality, wool blend designed to make it last longer.

“Designers put together illustrations of different design options for various coat styles. These were early concepts where we started thinking about how we could actually modernize the designs,” LaFleur said. “The current configuration of the uniform really is very close to what you would have seen during the World War II-era. It really speaks back to that heritage and we haven’t changed that much in terms of the aesthetics of the uniform.”

Brown jump boots will eventually be added as options and prototypes are still being tested, Thomas said. Like its predecessors, the uniforms will have options for women, who can choose between trousers and knee-length skirts. An all-female board helped design the intricacies of the female AGSU.

In addition to a different color scheme, the AGSU has curved pocket flaps and a more rugged look than the Army Service Uniform, which the AGSU will eventually replace.

To accelerate delivery, Army & Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, used Army funds to directly procure the initial run of the new uniform at the Army’s request. In July, AGSUs were issued to about 70 Army Recruiting and Retention College students at Fort Knox, Tennessee.

“The Exchange procurement office was able to speed up the traditionally longer process typically required for the procurement of new uniforms,” said Daniel Koglin, AAFES divisional merchandise manager.

By Joseph Lacdan, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Clothing, Guest Post | 29 Comments »

Robotic Combat Vehicles Display Next-Gen Features in Live-Fire Exercises

Friday, August 14th, 2020

FORT CARSON, Colo. — The Army’s collection of armed robotic combat vehicles showcased an “exceptional” ability to identify enemy positions after about a month of testing, but more development is still needed to improve battlefield precision, said Brig. Gen. Richard Coffman.

Coffman, director of the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team, praised the capabilities of the four robotic combat vehicles, or RCVs, during the platoon live-fire exercises here.

Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division used two modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles, called Mission Enabling Technologies-Demonstrators, or MET-Ds, to control and maneuver the RCVs to determine whether the autonomous vehicles increased the lethality and efficiency of ground units.

“The ability [to spot enemies] was exceptional, because that reduces the risk on our Soldiers and allows us to remain in a covered and concealed position and make decisions,” Coffman said during a media conference call Thursday.

The MET-Ds, which are manned with six Soldiers, have 360-degree situational awareness cameras, a remote turret with a 25 mm main gun, and enhanced crew stations with touchscreens. The RCVs are M113 surrogate platforms that also have 360 cameras and fire 7.62 mm machine guns.

From inside the MET-Ds, Soldiers were able to control the RCVs up to a 2,000-meter range, but struggled to extend that distance in dense forest regions, Coffman said.

Developers plan to add more features to the vehicles in Phase II of testing, including a new radio tether to increase the operating range, an unmanned aerial vehicle and a target recognition capability based on synthetic data. Phase II, which is scheduled for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 at Fort Hood, Texas, will feature three platoons of robotic vehicle with control vehicles.

“This is about commanders on the battlefield and giving them more decision space and reducing the risk on our men and women,” Coffman said. “We go into the nastiest places on earth. And these robots are absolutely going to do that in the future. We’re not there 100% yet.”

A third party will evaluate the technical and tactical performance of the operating crews and robotic vehicles, as well as the overall success of the experiment. The findings will then be briefed to the service’s senior leaders.

After the evaluation of Phase II’s results, Coffman said the Army will decide whether to continue testing.

Room for improvement

Soldiers testing the autonomous vehicles noted that greater sensory capabilities must be developed for the controlled vehicles to serve as unmanned replacements.

“Right now we don’t have sensors that can tell whether we’re coming across a little puddle that we can just drive through or whether that puddle is 8 feet deep and going to bog us down,” said Jeffrey Langhout, director of the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Ground Vehicle System Center. “A robot can navigate its own way and it relies on the sensors that it has to keep from driving into ditches and all kinds of problems. We certainly have a long way to go on that.”

Sgt. Matthew Morris, assigned to 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th ID, said the lack of downward visibility hindered operation of the RCVs. He said the vehicle’s ability to see down steep terrain must improve to prevent the vehicle from overturning.

When a human drives a vehicle into soft sand they instinctively know to shift to a lower driving gear and the RCVs must develop that sensitivity, Coffman said.

“For me specifically, I think that the ability to see downward once we approach certain inclines and declines would probably be an astute upgrade that would push us forward in the right direction,” Morris said, adding the vehicles must increase its audio signature to increase communication abilities with crew members.

Vehicle operator Sgt. Scott Conklin, who is also with 3rd ABCT, said that the two-person crew could handle the increased workload, but the frenetic pace of operating with the 360 cameras made the RCVs challenging to operate.

Coffman said regardless of how the program evolves, he said humans will retain a level of autonomy over the robotic combat vehicles.

“We don’t want a fully autonomous vehicle,” he said. “We don’t want the machine deciding. We want very specific rules of what that machine will and will not do. The humans are in charge.”

By Joseph Lacdan, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Mobility, Robotics | 3 Comments »