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5th SFAB, ‘Ghost Brigade,’ Complete First-of-Its Kind-Rotation

Monday, December 28th, 2020

FORT POLK, La. – The 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade completed a first-of-its kind-rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center’s 21-2 Rotation partnering an SFAB with a real-world unit, the Joint Base Lewis-McChord-based 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, “The Ghost Brigade,” in a decisive action validation exercise, Nov. 13-26, 2020.

“JRTC 21-02 was the culmination of 5th SFAB’s mission since its inception in June 2019 to man, equip, and train the Army’s newest combat brigade,” Brigade Operations Officer, Maj. Liam Walsh, said. “The training served as a proof of principle as the first SFAB Decisive Action CTC rotation.”

The Ghost Brigade closely integrated with SFAB Soldiers from the Brigade down to the Platoon level throughout the exercise.

“Our units worked alongside 5th SFAB, replicating the role of a professional, near-peer Allied army, which the SFAB was tasked to support as they would for a real-world partner force in the Indo-Pacific Command Area of Responsibility,” 1-2 SBCT Commander Col. Jared Bordwell said. “From the brigade to the individual levels, this rotation was all about supporting one another to make our team unbeatable.”

The SFAB is completely comprised of volunteers who were carefully vetted for service in the organization.

“This rotation has demonstrated that specially trained SFAB Soldiers, selected for their tactical expertise and professionalism, organized into small cohesive teams, and equipped with advanced communications systems can provide a decisive advantage to a threatened but capable foreign partner,” 5th SFAB Commanding General Brig. Gen. Curtis Taylor said.

Altogether, seven units participated in the rotation including the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, 404th Army Field Support Brigade, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and the U.S. Marine Corps’ 6th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company.

Aviation support proved extremely critical during the rotation.

“The 16th CAB’s assets here allowed 5th SFAB to support 1-2 SBCT with a unique aviation capability of Apache and Blackhawk helicopters,” Brigade Aviation Officer, Maj. Ryan Hampton said. “Integrating recon, attack and lift assets for 1-2 SBCT’s scheme of maneuver allowed them to seamlessly expand their lethal reach across the battlefield.”

Hampton’s hard work in this regard earned him the title of, “Hero of the Battlefield” from JRTC Operations Group. Another Soldier recognized was 3rd Squadron Operations Advisor, Staff Sgt. Erica Myers.

“After training out here for two weeks, I really saw how diversity within our teams is a must,” Myers said. No one knows everything needed to successfully train alongside our partners, every Soldier is a crucial piece of the big picture.”

Myers’ also got the opportunity to advise several junior Soldiers from Ghost Brigade on the Raven Small Unmanned Aircraft System.

“They were certified but lacked confidence and understanding of their equipment,” Myers said. “The more time I had with them, the more confidence they gained. By the end of the rotation, I was able to get one of them their first solo flight and night flight.”

Myer’s Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Timothy Ferguson shared a similar sentiment following the exercise.

“Our experience during JRTC 21-02 was a tremendous learning opportunity as it enabled us to visualize our role in the organization,” Ferguson said. “We gained invaluable experience through live repetition with our partnered force while forcing us to adapt and develop strategies across the competition, crisis, and conflict phases.

The 5th SFAB is expected to continue sending Teams into the Indo-Pacific region alongside U.S. partners there.

“As we look across the world today, there are many potential crisis scenarios where this kind of capability is absolutely vital to deterring aggression against US Allies and Partners,” Brig. Gen. Taylor said.

The 5th SFAB officially activated in May 2020 and has since sent Soldiers on missions to Thailand and Indonesia. With JRTC complete, the 5th SFAB has been validated for worldwide deployment in support of U.S. Combatant Commanders’ priorities.

By Maj William Leasure, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Forces Focus, Guest Post | Comments Off on 5th SFAB, ‘Ghost Brigade,’ Complete First-of-Its Kind-Rotation

Army-funded Smart Fabric Collects Space Dust on International Space Station

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2020

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. –– An Army-funded smart fiber being tested on the International Space Station could be used to develop space dust telescopes and allow astronauts to feel through their pressurized suits.

Researchers at the Army’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed an acoustic fabric so sensitive to vibrations that it can detect impacts from microscopic high velocity space particles. A more earthly application of these fabrics could be for blast detection and in the future act as sensitive microphones for directional gunshot detection.

The fabric system contains thermally drawn vibration-sensitive fibers that are capable of converting mechanical vibration energy into electric energy. When micrometeoroids or space debris hit the fabric, the fabric vibrates, and the acoustic fiber generates an electrical signal.

“This is an exquisite example of harnessing nanoscience for technology development that bridges the physical and digital domains,” said James Burgess, ISN program manager for the Army Research Office, an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, now known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory. “Delivering revolutionary methodologies that result from foundational science is always one of our main priorities, and the opportunity to collect data from space dust using a fiber sensor as a key building block of the system is truly exciting.”

The U.S. Army established the ISN in 2002 as an interdisciplinary research center devoted to dramatically improving the protection, survivability, and mission capabilities of the Soldier and Soldier-supporting platforms and systems.

The acoustic fiber was developed through ISN projects aimed at building next-generation fibers and fabrics for Soldier uniforms and battle gear that could detect a variety of physiological parameters such as heart rate and respiration as well as external sounds like gunshots and explosions.

“Traditional telescopes use light to learn about distant objects; this fabric uses space dust analysis to learn about space,” said Dr. Yoel Fink, professor of Materials Science and Electrical Engineering at MIT. “This is a great example of how ISN projects allow us to be highly responsive to opportunities and meet challenges far beyond what we initially imagined.”

MIT graduate student Juliana Cherston, the project’s leader, applied another piece of ISN technology—the Laser-induced Particle Impact Test array, which uses lasers to accelerate tiny particles to supersonic or even hypersonic speeds, and allows researchers to image and analyze their impact on target materials—to demonstrate that the fabric system could accurately measure the impulse of small particles travelling at hundreds of meters per second.

Scientists are now using ISN facilities to test the sensitivity of the acoustic fabric for impacts from micro-particles with similar kinematics as certain types of high velocity space dust. Simultaneously, researchers are baselining the fiber sensor’s resiliency to the harsh environment of Low Earth Orbit on the International Space Station.

For this initial launch, the research team worked with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Japanese company Space BD to send a 10 cm by 10 cm sample of the high-tech fabric to the International Space Station, where it was installed on an exterior wall, exposed to the rigors of space. The fabric sample, unpowered for now, will remain on the orbiting laboratory for one year, in order to determine how well these materials survive the harsh environment of low Earth orbit.

The team is also scheduled for an electrically powered deployment of the fabric through sponsorship of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory in late 2021 or early 2022. The International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory works in cooperative agreement with NASA to fully utilize the orbiting platform to bring value to our nation through space-based research and enable a low Earth orbit economy.

“Thermally drawn multi-material fibers have been developed by our research group at MIT for more than 20 years,” said Dr. Wei Yan, postdoc in MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “What makes these acoustic fibers special is their exquisite sensitivity to mechanical vibrations. The fabric has been shown in ground facilities to detect and measure impact regardless of where the space dust impacted the surface of the fabric.”

The white surface of the International Space Station is actually a protective fabric material called Beta cloth, a Teflon-impregnated fiberglass designed to shield spacecraft and spacesuits from the severity of the elements more than 250 miles above the Earth’s surface.

The research team believes the acoustic fabric could lead to large-area fabrics that accurately measure the impulse on spacecraft of micrometeoroids and space debris travelling at kilometers per second. The smart fabrics may also help provide astronauts with a sense of touch through their pressurized suits by providing sensory data from the exterior of the suit and then mapping that data to haptic actuators on the wearer’s skin.

In one year, these samples will return to Earth for post-flight analysis. The researchers will measure any erosion from atomic oxygen, discoloration from ultraviolet radiation, and changes to fiber sensor performance after one year of thermal cycling.

“It’s easy to assume that since we’re already sending these materials to space, the technology must be very mature,” Cherston said. “In reality, we are leveraging the space environment to complement our important ground-testing efforts. Our focus is on baselining their resiliency to the space environment.”

By US Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Materials | Comments Off on Army-funded Smart Fabric Collects Space Dust on International Space Station

505th Command and Control Wing Supports Largest US Army Warfighter Exercise on Record

Saturday, December 19th, 2020

The 505th Command and Control Wing supported the U.S. Army’s Mission Command Training Program during its execution of Warfighter Exercise 21-1, the largest WFX ever conducted.

The exercise directly trained over 5,300 joint warfighters and accomplished training objectives for 12 training audiences using more than two dozen different systems connecting seven sites across the country.

WFX 21-1 was not initially planned for 12 TAs, but when WFX 20-4 and 20-5 canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; their TAs moved to WFX 21-1. To ensure U.S. Army warfighters were adequately trained for current and emerging mission sets, WFX 21-1 increased its training audience by over 2,300 personnel.

The 505th CCW, Detachment 1, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, served as the U.S. Air Force’s liaison during WFX 21-1 and replicated doctrinally correct air component capabilities to the U.S. Army warfighters.

“The purpose of the WFX is to train U.S. Army two & three-star division and corps commanding generals and their staffs on LSCO [large-scale combat operations]; an Army Chief of Staff directive to ready Soldiers for great power competition after 19-years of counterinsurgency,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Goodman, 505th CCW, Det 1 commander.

WFX 21-1 trained three U.S. Army primary training audiences. The XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 1st Cavalry Division, and their respective subordinate units were trained to meet National Defense Strategy requirements.

WFX events are geared toward the tactical level of war during LSCO using a hybrid near-peer adversary. While the adversary’s name doesn’t match any known country, the terrain, equipment, and tactics used are based on real-world places, assets, and capabilities. WFX 21-1 was designed to train, rehearse, team build, and contribute to the Army’s overall combat preparation.

“Approximately 200 Airmen participated in WFX 21-1 from five locations throughout the CONUS,” said Goodman. “Perhaps most importantly, was the support of the 505th Combat Training Squadron, and 505th Communications Squadron, who provide the Air Operations Center RC [response cell] and communication infrastructure.”

Goodman continued, “an RC is a small team that has the capability to replicate a much larger entity, often by a factor of ten or even 100; e.g., a 60-member AOC RC replicates a 1000-member AOC to include some of the fighters and multi-place aircraft.”

Additionally, U.S. Army partners from the Army Joint Support Team and XVIII ABC leveraged the 505th CS’s Joint Targeting Toolbox to create a joint targeting database for future WFXs. Using this targeting database, the training audience could conduct legitimate target development in the pre-STARTEX phase of a WFX using the appropriate Army Battle Command System and doctrinal processes.

“During execution, training audiences will be able to use those same doctrinally correct ABCS and processes to nominate targets, both dynamic and planned, to the joint force for execution,” said Goodman. “This capability enables Army warfighters to practice how they fight. WFX 21-1 was the first WFX to leverage and test this new targeting database.”

Based on WFX 21-1’s training objectives and audience locations, the 505th CS designed and connected a realistic cyberspace environment that could seamlessly exchange mission and model systems data between U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army warfighters across seven training locations. This data exchange is critical to any desired interactions and overall exercise fidelity.

Additionally, with three major training audiences, there was a requirement to apportion airpower in line with the Joint Force Commander vision, which required the TAs to communicate more with one another and request capabilities instead of specific assets, enabling more efficient use of limited airpower.

“Ultimately, this [environment] allowed USAF participants to provide air injects and role player responses to U.S. Army warfighters undergoing critical operational-level command and control exercise execution,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Veronica Williams, 505th CS commander, Hurlburt Field, Florida. “The 505th CS’s C4I [command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence] and modeling and simulation systems created a common operating picture which allowed the U.S. Army training audience to view and train in a realistic cyberspace environment as close to what they would be viewing during real-world operations while interacting with an Air Operations Center.”

While this was the ‘largest Warfighter exercise on record,’ the TA’s increase presented few challenges to the 505th CTS.

“They proved up to the challenge with our professional control force, and pilot role players, handling several aircraft and integrations simultaneously. This is why while they are not the only option available for capability sourcing, they are always the training audiences’ first choice,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Applegate, 505th CTS director of operations, Hurlburt Field, Florida.

The Model and Simulation team takes over the Air Tasking Order in execution and includes model controllers and Professional Control Force and Pilot Role Players. Model Controllers oversee the virtual battlespace and all the entities it contains and the physical system connections that allow it to be seen by the TAs. The Professional Control Force and Pilot Role players provided the fidelity and physical representation of tactical units and systems that enable realism and human interactions across the full spectrum of military operations, including high fidelity and responsive command and control, deliberate or dynamic strike, Close Air Support, intelligence collections, and reporting, Air Mobility, Personnel Recovery, and Combat Search and Rescue.

Applegate continued, “Air Doctrine, which relates directly to AOC Replication, focuses on large force conflict and COCOM [combatant command] to global span of command and control. For this reason, our involvement and participation largely remained unchanged as the AOC processes and outcome in the Air Tasking Order are the same whether planning small scale regional engagement or large force action. The Part Task Trainer air simulation system was designed to handle this level of detail and is in the baseline for the AOCs attached to the geographic combatant commands.”

WFX 21-1 met all training objectives for the U.S. Army major combat units involved and senior leaders from both services.

Debbie Henley, 505th Command and Control Wing (ACC) Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Army, Guest Post, Press Release | Comments Off on 505th Command and Control Wing Supports Largest US Army Warfighter Exercise on Record

Elbit Systems of America’s Mobile Howitzer Selected by US Army for Shoot-off Evaluation

Friday, December 18th, 2020

FORT WORTH, TEXAS DEC. 17, 2020 – Elbit Systems of America’s Autonomous Truck Mounted Ordnance System (ATMOS) Iron Sabre is a mobile howitzer selected to participate in the United States Army’s 155mm Mobile Howitzer Shoot-Off Evaluation. The event, which will occur during the first quarter of 2021, provides the Army an opportunity to review various solutions from industry and then select a production-ready system that demonstrates increases in range, rate of fire, and mobility over current artillery systems available to Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCTs).

Elbit Systems of America is a market leader in providing artillery solutions and is confident its system will perform well at the shoot-off, being evaluated as “ready now.” ATMOS Iron Sabre is a proven, fielded system from a family of howitzers that have supported international customers for more than 30 years. Compatible with all existing US projectiles and propellant charges, it fulfils the Army’s mobile howitzer needs immediately, delivering on the modernization and capability improvements defined by Army Futures Command Long Range Precision Fires objective.

“US Army Fires needs solutions that can keep up with the SBCT, can shoot faster and farther, and most importantly are low risk and ready now. Elbit Systems of America’s ATMOS Iron Sabre addresses all of these needs,” said Ridge Sower, Vice President of Ground Combat & Precision Targeting at the company. “We are pleased to be selected for this evaluation and stand ready for rapid delivery from our hot production line if selected for production and fielding.”

MORE INFO: ElbitAmerica.com

Posted in Army, Contracts, International, Press Release, weapons | Comments Off on Elbit Systems of America’s Mobile Howitzer Selected by US Army for Shoot-off Evaluation

The Army’s Official Face Mask to be Issued to New Soldiers in 2021

Thursday, December 17th, 2020

The official Army-designed, -tested, and -refined face mask – the Combat Cloth Face Covering (CCFC) – will be provided to new Soldiers during the second quarter of FY2021. This was one of the updates provided to the Army Uniform Board (AUB) during its 152nd meeting, which occurred on Nov. 18.

In response to the current pandemic, the Army has largely provided disposable or reusable, solid color masks to Soldiers who have also been permitted to use neck gaiters and other cloth items, such as bandanas and scarves, as face coverings. This past summer, the Army Uniform Board recommended and General James C. McConville, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, approved issuing CCFCs to Soldiers at Initial Entry Training (IET) as part of their clothing bag. At the 152nd AUB, Army officials said that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will begin issuing two CCFCs to each new Soldier during the second quarter of FY2021. The CCFCs will likely be available for purchase at the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) uniform stores later in FY2021. (Note: Existing guidance on face coverings for current Soldiers remains unchanged and can be found at the end of this article.)

The CCFC was designed, developed, and produced along an expedited timeline. It normally takes 18–24 months for DLA to have the item available for order once the technical description, design, and components are approved and submitted. The CCFC, from inception to issuance, is slated to take less than one year.

The AUB also received updates on the implementation status of four other uniform changes from the 151st AUB, which took place in June 2020. A summary of these follow:

Improved Hot Weather Combat Uniform-Female (IHWCU-F): Expected to be added to the clothing bag in the fourth quarter of FY2021 and available for purchase in the second quarter of FY2022.

Hot Weather Army Combat Boot-Improved (HW ACB-I): Expected to transition to DLA Troop Support for new contracting action in the second quarter of FY2021 and be available for purchase by FY2024.

Black Athletic Socks: DLA estimates the sock will be available in the clothing bag in second quarter of FY2022.

Army Physical Fitness Uniform-Maternity (APFU-M): Prototypes are in development. The Army is working with the Air Force and Marines on their past maternity uniform efforts in order to expedite pattern development. Form, fit, and function evaluations are expected to occur in the third quarter of FY2021.

The AUB also discussed additional clothing articles, including items for new and expecting mothers. More information will be provided about these discussions in 2021 after Senior Leader decisions are made.

*************************

EXISTING FACE COVERING GUIDANCE:

SOLDIERS ARE AUTHORIZED TO WEAR THE NECK GAITER AND OTHER CLOTH ITEMS, SUCH AS BANDANAS AND SCARVES, AS FACE MASKS. TO PROTECT THE FACIAL AREA, THE CLOTH ITEM MUST COVER THE MOUTH AND NOSE AND EXTEND TO THE CHIN OR BELOW AS WELL AS TO THE SIDES OF THE FACE. THE ITEM MUST ALSO BE SECURED OR FASTENED TO THE FACE IN A MANNER THAT ALLOWS THE SOLDIER TO BREATHE WHILE ALSO PREVENTING DISEASE EXPOSURE OR CONTAMINATION.

SOLDIERS WILL NOT WEAR MASKS THAT HAVE PRINTED WORDING, PROFANITY, RACIST, DEMEANING OR DEROGATORY LOGOS, SCRIPT OR IMAGERY. SOLDIERS MUST NOT ATTEMPT TO CUT UP CLOTHING MATERIALS SUCH AS ARMY COMBAT UNIFORMS TO USE FOR FACE MASKS AS THESE MAY HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH CHEMICALS. IF AVAILABLE, CLOTH COLORS SHOULD BE SUBDUED AND CONFORM TO THE UNIFORM. LEADERS SHOULD APPROACH THIS AS A FORCE PROTECTION ISSUE; THEY ARE ASKED TO USE THEIR BEST JUDGMENT REGARDING THE CLOTH COLOR AND DESIGN OF FACE MASKS AND MUST ALSO CHECK FOR THE SERVICEABILITY OF FACE-SHIELDING MATERIALS. SOLDIERS SHOULD REPLACE ITEMS THAT BECOME SOILED, DAMAGED, OR DIFFICULT TO BREATHE THROUGH.

By Kinsey Kiriakos

Posted in Army, Clothing, COVID-19 Pandemic, Guest Post | 11 Comments »

Picatinny Engineers Develop Unique ‘Transformer’ Gunner Protection Armor

Thursday, December 17th, 2020

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal have developed a unique gunner protection turret, quickly foldable to a reduced height, which will make it easier for the U.S. Marine Corps to transport the turret in a number of scenarios.

The versatility and compactness of the turret evokes comparisons to the “Transformer” science fiction movies, which feature robots that can transform themselves into common machinery, such as vehicles.

In its reduced configuration, the new turret allows for more efficient transportation aboard naval vessels, aircraft and ground transport systems. Designated as the Reducible Height Gunner Protection Kit (RHGPK), the turret can quickly fold to nearly one-third of its original height, thus allowing for adequate clearance within tight transportation decks.

Moreover, the reducibility feature is ideal for limited deck spaces aboard Naval amphibious transport dock ships and Maritime Prepositioned Force ships without the need to remove the RHGPK from the host vehicle. The new turret is undergoing test and evaluation with the Marine Corps System Command on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Heavy Guns Carrier (HGC) variant.

“The RHGPK essentially is an armored Transformer,” said Thomas Kiel, who leads the engineering design of gunner protection kit (GPK) turrets within the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, located at Picatinny Arsenal.

“The turret is unrecognizable once it’s reduced for transportation purposes,” Kiel added. Marine Corps expeditionary operations use fully amphibious platforms, such as the Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) to transport weapons systems, equipment, and personnel within assault elements from ship to shore and across the beach.

The RHGPK turret will be mounted on tactical vehicles being transported on amphibious ships entering hostile regions. “Marines need to be able to focus on the mission during a beach landing, and not be concerned with how to prepare a turret for the operation,” said Kiel. “The RHGPK has been engineered to allow Marines to raise the turret and mount the weapon in a matter of minutes, while on a moving landing craft.”

The turret is the latest addition to the portfolio of Objective Gunner Protection Kit (OGPK) family of protective armor kits for tactical vehicle turret gunners.

GPK turrets are protective structures that mount to a rotating bearing ring on the roofs of tactical wheeled vehicles. A turret typically is considered to be defensive weapon system due to its inherent opaque and transparent armor, which is configured to maximize the protective area surrounding the gunner. In addition to enhancing survivability, the turret is the primary weapon station for the vehicle platform, enabling the gunner to deliver firepower on targets.

“The voice of the warfighter is critically important when developing a new weapon system,” Kiel said. “Restrictions during the pandemic forced us to conduct our initial user evaluations with virtual models instead of physical prototypes.”

Also located at the Armaments Center, the Gaming, Interactive Technologies & Multimedia team worked closely with the GPK engineers to generate fully immersive, virtual reality scenarios. That made it possible to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the design, from the perspective of space requirements, protection, situational awareness and weapon functionality.

The RHGPK enables the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, Medium/Heavy Tactical Vehicle Replacement and Logistics Vehicle System Replacement, to be transported in the lower vehicle stowage areas of Landing Platform/Dock (LPD 17) and Landing Helicopter Dock class ships. The turret’s reducible feature will also facilitate transportation by rail and air.

“The backbone of our design is the solid model,” said Kris Mayer, turret design engineer at the Armaments Center’s Prototype Integration Facility. “It is the source for manufacturing data and many other engineering functions,” he added. The solid model feeds all aspects of the design life cycle, including cost estimating, structural analysis, weight predictions, platform integration and weapons interfacing.

“When things are done properly, the fabricated hardware will look exactly like the computer model with no surprises,” said Mayer. Proper configuration management allows future design updates to be incorporated seamlessly.

Project Manager Soldier Lethality, located at Picatinny Arsenal, has primary responsibility for Gunner Protection Kit turret development under the Gunner Integrated Protection and Restraint System program. It also manages the procurement of turret systems within the Department of Defense.

“There are a wide variety of tactical vehicle platforms within the DoD,” explained Narayan Bhagavatula, Program Lead for Gunner Protection Systems. “Many of these require unique turret solutions because of specific user requirements and weapons that must be mounted,” he added. The GPK turret designs are generated in-house at the Armaments Center by Army civilian engineers.

Each turret within the portfolio of OGPKs has its own specific configuration. However many components are shared among the various designs. This results in more affordable products and a smaller logistics footprint for sustainment. Also, because the designs are owned by the U.S. government, competitive production contracts can be sourced among small and large businesses throughout the United States.

Picatinny Arsenal, located in northern New Jersey, provides a wide variety of guns, ammunition, products and related services to all branches of the U.S. military. The Armaments Center is part of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, which is under the Army Futures Command.

By Ed Lopez, Picatinny Arsenal Public Affairs

Posted in Armor, Army, Guest Post, Mobility | 2 Comments »

NY Guard Teammates Ready for National Guard Sniper Challenge

Wednesday, December 16th, 2020

NEW YORK, New York – Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Melendez and Sgt. Andreas Diaz went to Afghanistan together, took the New York Police Department test together, graduated from the police academy together and served together in the sniper section of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry.

Diaz is even godfather to Melendez’s son.

Now the New York Army National Guard Soldiers are out to do one more thing together: win the annual Winston P. Wilson National Guard Sniper Competition.

The two New York City residents will be representing the New York Army National Guard when the latest edition of the competition kicks off on Dec. 4, 2020.

The sniper competition tests the Soldiers’ ability to acquire and engage targets using sniper rifles and pistols, their physical fitness, and their ability to approach and engage a target undetected.

Army National Guard teams from around the country, along with snipers from other services and other nations, will compete in the weeklong event at the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

“This competition has always been on my list of things to do,” Melendez said. “For one reason or another, I have never been able to get there.”

Now his promotion to sergeant first class takes him out of the Battalion’s sniper section. “This is my last chance to get there, my last chance to check the block,” Melendez said.

Melendez, now a platoon sergeant in Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, joined the New York Army National Guard in 2008. He joined the Battalion’s sniper section in 2009 and attended the Army sniper school in 2010.

In 2012 he deployed to Afghanistan with Bravo Company of the New York Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry.

He and another sniper provided support to the infantry platoons on mission as dedicated marksmen and observers. He spent a lot of time watching areas of interest for the company and Battalion.

“I think that there is a popular misconception of sniping that it is 100 percent long-range shooting,” Melendez said. “That is about ten percent of what we do.”

“A big part of our job is the observation and reporting,” he said. “You use your fieldcraft to get in position and provide overwatch and observation.”

During a deployment to Afghanistan, Melendez met Diaz, another member of the 69th Infantry, who had deployed with the 108th as a machine gunner.

The two men hit it off and Melendez convinced Diaz to think about becoming a sniper instead.

When they returned from Afghanistan in 2013, both men applied to the New York City Police Department and passed the civil service test. When space in the police academy opened up in 2016, they were both in the same class.

In the meantime, Diaz joined the battalion sniper section in 2014, and the two served together with Melendez in charge.

When Melendez gave up the job he loved as sniper section sergeant, Diaz moved into the role.

With their Army sniper experience, joining a newly formed NYPD Long Range shooting team was the logical thing to do. The 60-member group is a recreational activity for police officers.

As team members, they have access to a range in the Catskill Mountains near Palenville, New York, where the team shoots, Diaz said.

“It’s the only range near New York City which lets you shoot out to 1,200 meters,” Diaz said.

They couldn’t bring their military weapons, but they got a chance to work together engaging targets at ranges of hundreds of yards. The team gave them range time, firearms and ammunition to get ready.

When Melendez and Diaz hit the ground in Arkansas for the sniper competition, Diaz will be the shooter and Melendez will act as his spotter.

Diaz has more recent experience at the sniper school –he graduated in 2017– so it makes sense for him to use the M-2010 sniper rifle, Melendez explained.

In the two-person sniper team, the spotter, armed with the M110 semi-automatic sniper rifle, provides close-in protection for the team while helping the shooter identify targets.

The M110 looks like a bigger M-16A2 and fires a 7.62 millimeter round with a range of 800 meters instead of the smaller 5.56 mm round usually fired by the M16/M4 weapons.

The shooter uses the bolt action M-2010 enhanced sniper rifle, with a range of more than a kilometer, to engage targets. Bolt action weapons don’t fire as quickly but are more accurate than semi-automatic weapons, Diaz said.

Melendez said he thinks their biggest weakness will be the team stalk and patrolling portions of the competition. “We just haven’t done it as a team as frequently,” he said.

Diaz said he wished they had a chance to test-fire the M-2010 they will be using for the competition before they get to Arkansas.

He will have to wait until they get to Fort Chaffee so he can do some test shooting and make sure the weapon is properly adjusted, he explained. He said that shooting from alternative firing positions will also be challenging.

“Anybody can shoot on their stomach lying down, but can you shoot on a platform that moves?” he said.

Both men agreed that the fact that they’ve worked together for so many years, and know each other so well, will be a significant advantage.

At a sniper competition held by the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, he and Melendez beat other competitors because they worked so well together, Diaz reasoned.

“We have cohesion. We understand each other’s body language and without even speaking, we can get things done,” Diaz said.

By Eric Durr, New York National Guard

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

Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower Program Begins Crucial Soldier Evaluation Phase at Fort Bragg

Sunday, December 13th, 2020

Detroit Arsenal, Mich. (Friday, Dec. 11, 2020) – Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne will soon get the chance to do something no U.S. infantry Soldier has done in 26 years – employ a dedicated mobile, direct fire vehicle platform against hardened positions, dismounted personnel and light armored vehicles.

The experience comes to them as the first of several pre-production Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) ground combat platforms are being delivered to Fort Bragg, N.C. to be used in the Soldier Vehicle Assessment (SVA).

“We are incredibly excited to see the MPF platform entering into this phase,” said Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, the program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems. “MPF represents an innovative and aggressive approach to system acquisition. The beginning of our SVA in January illustrates how hard the teams are working to keep the major events of this program on schedule.”

Currently the Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) do not have a combat vehicle assigned that is capable of providing mobile, protected, direct, offensive fire capability. To fill that capability gap the Army is using an innovative and competitive Acquisition approach to provide IBCTs with their own organic lethality platforms to ensure overmatch against peer and near peer threat.

The MPF solution is an integration of existing mature technologies and components that avoids development which would lengthen the program schedule. The priority has always been to field this new critical capability soonest, but the MPF will also be capable of accommodating additional weight and spare electrical power to support future growth.

The SVA is on track to commence on Jan. 4, 2021. It will be conducted at Fort Bragg and will run through June 2021. During that time, Soldiers will use the MPF prototypes to conduct a wide variety of operational scenarios. The SVA is an operational assessment rather than a formal test event, and it will directly inform the development of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) of this new capability for the IBCT.

“The MPF brings a new level of lethality to our infantry forces. The SVA gives us the first opportunity to put these vehicles in the hands of our Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne and begin to develop the methods by which our forces can best employ MPF,” said Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, the Army’s director for the Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross Functional Team. “Once they are able to begin interacting with these prototypes, I know that our Soldiers are going to come up with the best ways to utilize MPF in our light formations.”

The competitive phase of the program is scheduled to conclude with the selection of a single materiel solution and transition into production near the end of fiscal year 2022.

By Ashley John

Posted in Armor, Army, Mobility | 30 Comments »