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Archive for the ‘Army’ Category

New Army Portal Streamlines Field Ordering Officer Capabilities

Wednesday, May 15th, 2024

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (May 9, 2024) — A comprehensive overhaul of the field ordering officer program used in procuring micro-purchases of supplies and limited services recently transformed an outdated process heavily reliant on manual inputs into a more modern and integrated web-based framework offering greater efficiencies.

The Army’s field ordering officer, or FOO, program serves as an influential tool and only readily available supply source for many items by units operating in an austere environment typically hampered by limited or lengthy supply lines.

Sgt. 1st Class Charlee Thousand, the 905th Contracting Battalion program manager for the field ordering officers, set out with a team of knowledge systems professionals in March 2023 to conduct a thorough analysis of existing processes and identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement leading to the recent launch of the portal offering a one-stop shop for special operations forces and support personnel.

“The need for the field ordering officer customer portal was to help reduce the hundreds of emails, calls and (Microsoft) Teams messages received from our supported units with questions about training, the appointment process, clearing process, and termination process,” Thousand said.

She lauded the critical role played by knowledge systems specialists from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command knowledge management support office including Shannon Meeks, Ryan Strauss and Michael Gains. “They have been great at taking my ideas and turning them into products to assist our customers.”

Contracting officers designate field ordering officers, with whom they must work closely, in accordance with guidelines outlined in the Special Operations Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement. This delegation grants them the power to commit government funds for micro-purchases to meet one-time, immediate needs, while also streamlining the administrative process for small procurements and alleviating the burden on a contracting office.

The Army relies on contracting officers and appointed FOOs who play a critical role in procuring equipment, supplies and services in support of U.S. operations around the globe and serve as a force multiplier in making on-the-spot, over-the-counter purchases under the micro-purchase threshold that quickly and directly impact mission requirements.

Thousand first approached Lt. Col. Adam Salazar, commander of the 905th CBN, about her desire to modernize the FOO program interface.

“In short, she’s done this terrifically well. She’s saved hundreds of Soldier hours and streamlined the program interface, working one on one with the USASOC tech team to create a seamless website on the USASOC SharePoint portal,” Salazar said. “Everything a FOO needs is right there on the opening pane, from regs, templates, status reports and points of contact. It even includes information for pay agents, which is above and beyond as pay agent support falls outside of procurement and under the supported unit’s comptroller.”

The 905th CBN FOO program supports the Army Special Operations community and other U.S. special operations communities, and within a fiscal year the battalion supports hundreds of FOOs dispersed across dozens of locations around the world. In fiscal 2023, the battalion appointed more than 300 FOOs. The need for in-country micro-purchases as well as obligation and disbursement of funds on behalf of the government during deployed operations often involves a significant amount of administration and scrutiny. This requires FOOs to maintain adequate records and documentation in compliance with U.S. law, federal regulations and local command policies – all better facilitated by the new interface.

“It allows the customer to track and see in real time the status of their document submission. They can see any comments that the contracting officer makes, and it allows them to go in on the same document and make a required correction,” Thousand explained. “Whereas before all of that was done with back-and-forth email traffic. Prior to implementing this interface, my team calculated that it took almost 30 days from first email contact to FOO appointment with over 25 emails in between. Now it has been reduced to around five to seven days and one or two emails on the portal.”

Thousand said her team has received nothing but positive and helpful feedback on making the FOO portal better.

Master Sgt. Kayla Mason, the comptroller senior enlisted adviser for the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), agrees the new interface offers seamless collaboration and streamlines operations by reducing workflows.

“The new interface provides real-time financial data, which is critical to our command’s ability to reallocate funding with confidence and prevent lost buying power in the current fiscal year,” Mason said.

Thousand concludes that bringing greater efficiencies to the FOO program not only optimizes speed and accuracy by reducing manual labor but also delivers increased organizational sourcing and capability.

“Automating repetitive tasks reduces manual effort and minimizes the risk of human error. By streamlining processes, teams can allocate their time and energy to more strategic activities, ultimately improving overall efficiency,” she said. “Manual processes often introduce delays. By automating document workflows, businesses can achieve quicker turnaround times, leading to improved customer satisfaction.”

About the MICC

Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.

By Daniel P. Elkins, Mission and Installation Contracting Command Public Affairs Office

Yuma Proving Ground Testing Cutting-Edge Turret System

Tuesday, May 14th, 2024

YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. — In a potentially significant stride forward in military technology, Yuma Proving Ground is testing a cutting-edge Modular Turreted Mortar System, or MTMS.

According to Kevin Irr, a test officer from the Munitions and Weapons Division, intensive evaluations are currently underway to ensure the MTMS system meets performance expectations for an upcoming demonstration at the Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Moore in September 2024.

Installed on an Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, this new mortar, or NeMo, turret is a semi-automated, single-barrel 120mm breech-loaded mortar system and has long captured the interest of the Army for its potential to bolster operational capabilities.

A vehicle commander oversees its operation, while two crew members are needed to load the turret. Since Soldiers will be operating the NeMo at the demonstration, ongoing safety testing holds significant importance.

“We are diligently verifying its advertised capabilities and making sure it is safe for the Soldiers to operate,” Irr explained. “Additionally, we’re conducting several other tests to gauge the weapons system’s overall operability.”

Testing on the weapon system began in January and is projected to wrap up by July. Furthermore, a demonstration test will be carried out at YPG to pinpoint any potential issues or to fine-tune procedures before the AMPV-mounted weapon is sent to Fort Moore.

The safety testing focuses primarily on two critical areas, as outlined by Irr. Foremost, the Army is assessing the impact of vehicle operation on auditory health to protect soldier’s hearing. Mortar systems produce high-intensity noise during firing and prolonged exposure can result in hearing damage.

Additionally, prioritizing the buildup of toxic fumes within the vehicle, which may result from weapon firing and engine exhaust, is another top priority. Irr emphasized the critical need to manage these fumes effectively to safeguard the lives or crew members.

Irr also provided some insight into the project’s origin, tracking back several years, saying this integration onto the AMPV is part of a multi-phase foreign comparative test in which the Army initially evaluated the system’s capability on a foreign vehicle using U.S. ammunition.

Reflecting on that initial testing phase, he remembered how it ignited curiosity and interest among military experts, prompting further exploration of the weapon system’s potential utility within the U.S. Army’s arsenal.

To evaluate its viability, a thorough comparison test was designed, subjecting it to the rigorous conditions at YPG.

“It is a prototype,” clarified Irr, who took part in the early part of the testing. “This turreted system has undergone prior testing here on a different vehicle. During those tests, it piqued our interest and garnered some attention.”

Recognizing the system’s promise, the decision was made to evaluate it on a U.S. vehicle, specifically the AMPV.

According to Capt. Mike Hapner from the Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, the AMPV was chosen because it maintains an objective requirement to replace the Mortar Carrier Variant with an automated MTMS.

“The U.S. Army is interested in the MTMS’ capability to shoot on the move, perform direct fire missions, as well as its capability to conduct Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact missions,” Hapner stated.

This feature fills a notable gap in the U.S. Army’s current inventory, as there isn’t currently a mortar system with this capability.

“There are other pluses as well,” Irr said. “If it does ever get fielded, it would be the only mortar system in which U.S. Soldiers are protected inside a vehicle.”

By James Gilbert

‘Power of Partnerships’ is Focus of Special Operations Forces Convention

Monday, May 13th, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. — Senior leadership from U.S. Special Operations Command today emphasized the significant role that partnership plays in accomplishing the mission of special operations forces during keynote remarks at the start of Special Operations Forces Week 2024 in Tampa.

While delivering a joint speech to roughly 3,000 convention attendees, Army Gen. Bryan P. Fenton and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Shane W. Shorter ­— Socom’s commander and senior enlisted leader, respectively — spoke about how global challenges require international SOF solutions.

“We often speak about the power of partnerships, and we want to double down on that today because this conference is the manifestation of the power of partnerships,” Fenton said.

Framing SOF Week as “a collision of differing perspectives crucial to solving intractable problems that our [partner and ally] nations depend on special operations to solve,” Fenton and Shorter spent the early part of their remarks recapping Socom’s three priorities: people, win, and transform.

“People are our number one enterprise priority, and they are our comparative and competitive advantage,” Fenton said.

“And that team includes our partners — whether in our many courses in Joint Special Operations University or the 28 nations right in our headquarters, as well as the numerous SOF relationships we have around the globe.”

This year’s convention has 20,000 registrants attending from 75 countries.

As to the priority to win, Fenton said the global SOF team wins “today and tomorrow, through our people providing options for decision-makers and dilemmas to our adversaries.”

He added that the SOF community’s three missions of strategic competition, crisis response and counterterrorism are accomplished through the power of partnership.

Regarding the priority of transformation, Shorter credited Socom’s partnerships with academia, industry and the entire international SOF team with keeping Socom “at the cutting edge.”

“And, of course, there is tech,” he added. “Seabed to space, cyber to fiber, your Socom team — fueled by the power of partnerships — is all about people.”

While providing an overview of the current geopolitical landscape as viewed through the eyes of Socom, Fenton credited the international SOF community with helping form such an assessment.

“We see and sense more because of our partners,” he said. “And what I outline is a shared-sight picture.”

In laying out that picture, the two leaders made mention of global adversaries working to degrade the very partnerships that Fenton and Shorter spent much of their keynote remarks lauding.

“Our adversaries seek to divide and weaken the power of these partnerships, and to challenge us even more with their hardware and tactics,” Fenton said.

Additionally, Shorter said, the U.S. and its allies are seeing the character of war rapidly changing — with uncrewed robotics, ubiquitous surveillance tools, and artificial intelligence all working in concert to create a set of “wicked problems” that “defy simple solutions, require ongoing management, and have far-reaching global consequences.”

Despite such challenges, Fenton said Socom is rising to the occasion by “delivering asymmetric and asynchronous advantage and opportunities for our nation, across the globe, alongside our allies and our partners [and] providing dilemmas and challenges for our adversaries.”

Prior to segueing into a question-and-answer session, the two senior leaders rounded out their prepared remarks by reemphasizing Socom’s commitment to robust partnerships.

“The foundation for Socom’s missions is our partnerships — forged by generational relationships and grounded in trust,” Fenton said.

Jointly sponsored by Socom and the Global SOF Foundation, SOF Week — which runs through May 10 — is “an annual conference for the international SOF community to learn, connect and honor its members,” according to the event’s official website.

The highlights of this year’s event include several keynote speakers, professional development seminars, industry engagements and a live capabilities demonstration.

By Matthew Olay, DOD News

Tennessee Guardsman Are Nation’s Top Tank Crew After Winning Sullivan Cup

Saturday, May 11th, 2024

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Four Soldiers from Ashland City’s Troop B, 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, won first place during the prestigious 2024 Sullivan Cup competition at Fort Moore, Georgia, from April 29 to May 3, 2024.

Held every two years and hosted by the U.S. Army Maneuver Center, the Sullivan Cup puts the best M1 Abrams tank and Bradley crews from across the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and its foreign allies in a head-to-head competition to test a crew’s maneuver, sustainment and gunnery skills. Each team is put through a series of challenges designed to determine the world’s best crew. This year, the 1st Cavalry Division won for best Bradley crew and the Tennessee National Guard won best tank crew.

“This is an amazing honor, and these Soldiers should be proud of all they have accomplished,” said Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s adjutant general. “They competed against the best crews in the world and showed everyone Tennessee’s warrior spirit and what it means to be from the Volunteer state.”

This year’s Sullivan Cup included 62 competitors, comprising 58 men and four women, making up three-person Bradley crews and four-person tank crews. International competitors were from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. U.S. teams who competed were from the 1st Armored Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and Tennessee’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

“If I ever wanted to win anything in my life, this is it right here,” said Staff Sgt. David Riddick, tank commander for the 278th crew. “It means everything to bring this trophy back to Tennessee as we showcased our combat skills and mettle.”

Riddick, along with his crewmembers, Sgt. Joshua Owen, Spc. Noah Eddings, and Spc. Seth Carter, competed in a series of rigorous challenges that tested their gunnery precision, tactical acumen, and cohesion. Through a combination of live-fire exercises, simulated combat scenarios, and tactical drills, they were tested in a variety of scenarios that replicated real-world battlefield conditions.

“The pressure was real,” said Riddick. “We knew we were competing against the best, so we had to give it everything we had because everybody else was too.”

By the end of the multi-day competition, the 278th crew defeated 10 other teams, six from active-duty Army units and four from allied nations.

“Winning was evidence of our team’s hard work and resilience,” said Riddick. “The competition challenged us to dig deep down in ourselves while trusting our teammates to be their best. And they excelled at it.”

By LTC Darrin Haas

DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Hydration Flow Meter Helps Prevent Dehydration in Soldiers

Friday, May 10th, 2024

NATICK, Mass. — Researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, or DEVCOM SC, have invented a personal flow meter to measure water consumption. The invention, which has been licensed to an industry partner, will serve to help prevent dehydration in the nation’s warfighters. Preventing dehydration is important since it can impact Soldier health and performance. Monitoring and understanding hydration status of warfighters can help prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

DEVCOM SC engineers Michael Wiederoder, Ph.D. (project lead), Eric Brack (project lead), Matt Hurley and Andrew Connors invented the device to specifically meet the needs of the nation’s Soldiers. Existing products didn’t provide the level of accuracy needed by warfighters, and some products require large batteries, which are impractical for Soldiers on the move.

“The flow meter is a handheld device with an inlet and outlet that connects to tubing that is currently used by Soldiers to drink from a hydration bladder they carry in their backpacks,” said Wiederoder. “Inside the device there is a water-wheel-like piece with fins that rotates as water passes through. There are magnets on the wheel that can either generate electricity or pass by a sensor that can correlate the volume of water consumed with the number of rotations by the wheel.”

Wiederoder explained that the flow meter tracks water consumption. The flow meter also helps Soldiers know when the filter needs to be changed, which is important because Soldiers often need to drink water that is available to them in their environment, making proper filtering essential.

“It can measure the amount of water that is consumed by an individual warfighter,” said Wiederoder. “It can also measure how much water is being added to the hydration bladder. The second part is relevant because the hydration bladder may contain a chemical filter that can only treat a certain volume of water. So, a flow meter can help warfighters understand when they need to change filters to ensure their water is safe to drink when they source it from the indigenous environment to reduce logistical burden.”

DEVCOM SC’s Bootstrap Initiative played a role in the development of the flow meter. The Bootstrap Initiative encourages innovation and provides employees the opportunity to come up with ingenious, cost-effective solutions to challenges facing the warfighter, while streamlining processes and minimizing bureaucracy. Through the Bootstrap program, DEVCOM SC’s civilian employees may submit proposals for a new technology, research project, business process, or administrative process that supports the Soldier Center’s science and technology mission.

Douglas Tamilio, director of DEVCOM SC, stated that the Bootstrap program is part of the organization’s dedication to finding cutting-edge solutions to best serve the warfighter.

“The innovative efforts of our world-class scientists and engineers enable us to work to overcome the challenges facing warfighters — all while optimizing their performance and increasing their lethality,” said Tamilio. “The development of a personal flow meter to measure water consumption, made possible by our Bootstrap program, is just one example of ongoing efforts to accelerate the process of getting the latest and best technologies into the hands of our warfighters.”

Wiederoder noted that the Bootstrap Initiative gave the team the boost their idea needed.

“The Bootstrap program allowed the team to turn an idea to solve a known problem into a physical device without waiting for the conventional proposal cycle,” said Wiederoder. “We had the right people, expertise, and equipment already at SC, we just needed Bootstrap funding to get started.”

The DEVCOM SC team used some of the Bootstrap funding to 3D print multiple iterations of two different flow meter designs and test their performance. The result is a compact, accurate device that can be manufactured with low-cost components, and since it is self-powered it can be used without the need for batteries.

The team then used test performance data generated to support filing of a patent application for the flow meter, with the patent being issued in 2022. DEVCOM SC signed a patent license agreement with HydroSmart, LLC, in early 2024. HydroSmart is an Ohio-based company that develops fluid consumption and hydration monitoring and management solutions for consumer, healthcare and military markets. DEVCOM SC’s patent license agreement with HydroSmart is an important next step in turning the prototype into something that is readily available to the warfighter.

“This partnership enables HydroSmart to leverage DEVCOM SC’s cutting-edge research and innovative patent to develop our emerging portfolio of products for monitoring and management of personal water consumption for the commercial sports and personal fitness markets,” said Matt Annen, HydroSmart’s chief executive officer. “Additionally, through ongoing collaboration with the Soldier Center’s expertise, HydroSmart is committed to developing an in-line solution for existing hydration bladders utilized by the Army. This collaboration supports our mission to deliver superior hydration monitoring systems which profoundly impact Soldier and citizen health and wellness. HydroSmart commercialization is also supported by the State of Ohio’s Technology Validation and Startup Fund, which has provided a grant to the company to prototype the commercial product.”

Wiederoder said that the patent license agreement will facilitate turning DEVCOM SC’s prototype into a “rugged, portable, food-safe device with integrated electronics.” He noted that the license will enable the technology to mature to the point “where it could be integrated into a user demonstration or field test to generate data needed for transition and potential acquisition by the Department of Defense.”

The technology also has potential to eventually benefit the general public, becoming a useful tool for athletes or anyone participating in physical activity. There is also the potential for other military and medical applications.

Wiederoder and the team are proud of the progression of their invention, and they are committed to serving the warfighter.

“It feels great to know that something you work on as a public servant could improve the lives of the warfighters,” said Wiederoder. “Especially preventing something as potentially tragic as dying from heat stroke due to dehydration. I think it’s really the dream of any researcher at the Soldier Center that the projects they put so much time and thought into end up helping the warfighters who sacrifice so much for our country.”

By Jane Benson, DEVCOM Soldier Center Public Affairs

Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher Meets Another Program Milestone

Saturday, May 4th, 2024

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — Mission success.

Another pivotal stride was made by the Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher as the combined team of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center and the Ground Vehicle Systems Center conducted a successful live fire of a Reduced Range Practice Rocket fired from the AML at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.

“The team has worked diligently over the past four years to achieve this milestone of a long-range missile launch from a fully robotic platform,” said Lucas Hunter, AML project manager for DEVCOM AvMC.

AML is an initiative to develop and demonstrate an autonomous, unmanned, highly mobile, C-130 transportable launcher. The prototype launcher will be capable of convoy operations, autonomous way point navigation, tele-operation and remote launcher turret and fire control operation. It will also launch longer munitions while remaining compatible with the current munitions.

One of the primary goals of AML is providing fires forces with additional launcher platforms to mass fire with minimal impact on force structure manning. AML will also give the Army a three-times increase in fire power and magazine depth.

During its time at YPG, the AML launched three RRPRs in a successive ripple fire mission. In all, six RRPRs were successfully fired from the AML in a demonstration of the launcher’s ability to maneuver under supervised autonomy from a hide location to a firing point, turn to an assigned heading and execute fire control commands from a remote gunner position.

Over the past week leading up to the initial live fire, the AML successfully demonstrated each of its mobility modes: tele-op, waypoint navigation and convoy operations.

Soldiers from the Tennessee Army National Guard 1-181st Field Artillery Regiment were also on hand to train on and operate the AML.

The team was pleased with the outcome, Hunter said, noting that the AML program proves the level of expertise contained within the DEVCOM formation and its ability to combine efforts across centers to address the needs of the Army’s Warfighters.

“The AML team leveraged three major Army S&T investments, the Palletized Field Artillery Launcher, Autonomous Transport Vehicle System and Secure Tactical Advanced Mobile Power to rapidly and economically develop the AML prototype,” Hunter said.

AML’s success at YPG paves the road to its next test at Valiant Shield 24, a bi-annual, joint service field-training exercise to be held in summer 2024.

By Katie Davis Skelley, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center Public Affairs

Ghosts In The Machine 2

Friday, May 3rd, 2024

Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT) Contract Cancellation

Thursday, May 2nd, 2024

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – The U.S. Army recently announced the cancellation of the Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT) task order competition under the RS3 Enterprise contract. The decision was prompted by evolving requirements and a strategic realignment within the program.

As part of this realignment moving forward, the U.S. Army continues to prioritize its service specific EWPMT fielding of current capability and will also focus on EWPMT software architecture modernization. Program Executive Office – Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors (PEO IEW&S) is working on a pilot as part of the architecture modernization in collaboration with the United States Marine Corps (USMC), shifting EWPMT’s electromagnetic warfare and spectrum management capabilities to the Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) framework. This effort is being led by the Electronic Warfare Integration (EWI) product management office.

TAK-X is a framework on which applications for presenting situational awareness data and geospatial visualizations can be built. Transition to the TAK framework is consistent with ongoing efforts to deliver capability at speed by leveraging common technologies across the Services with a similar user experience. The TAK user community collaborates across the EW user space and presents opportunities for technology advancement and integration across the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Special Operations Command, and the Joint Communities of Interest.

This strategic move aims to ensure that EWPMT is a relevant capability at the forefront of emerging operational requirements. The results of the U.S. Army-USMC collaboration on the TAK-X foundation will provide for microservice-based, modular software architecture satisfying Joint and individual Service requirements. It will enable agile development, integration, and ability to rapidly adjust to evolving operational requirements.

The initial releases of the modernized architecture, EWPMT-X, will be piloted and demonstrated over the next year to gain EW operator feedback. If the pilot effort proves successful, EWPMT-X will replace the current version of EWPMT in Fiscal Year 2026, ushering in a new era of Joint electronic warfare and spectrum management capabilities.

The U.S. Army program office is assessing future contract efforts based on operational and support requirements. Updates on future contract opportunities will be released via SAM.gov and PEO IEW&S – hosted Acquisition Lead Time (ALT) Industry events.