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Archive for the ‘Army’ Category

Landmine Detection and Neutralization: Breaching Ain’t Easy

Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

Landmines have been used in warzones for decades. They are placed strategically in the pathway, both surface-laid and underground to explode and deter passage to an area. In those decades various methods have been used to detect and defuse them yet each year thousands of people are killed by mines.

The U.S. Army is exploring methods to detect and neutralize these hazards at standoff creating a passable vehicle wide lane while reducing risk to the breaching force.

Amit Makhijani with the office of Project Manager Close Combat Systems explained “We are doing dynamic live fire testing on one potential concept as part of the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction efforts.”

That concept is the GOBLN short for Ground Obstacle Breaching Lane Neutralizer. It allows remote detection and neutralization— meaning the warfighter would not be at risk.

The concept is comprised of three main components. A mortar-based launcher system integrated on a vehicle platform, a small unmanned aerial system hosted detection system, and a neutralizing munition.

For this dynamic neutralization test at Yuma Test Center (YTC) the team focused on the neutralization aspect.

“What we are looking at is not what the gun is doing, it is what is it doing on the other end. What are the effects on the mines we are shooting at,” explained YTC Test Officer Brett Bowman.

YTC provided a wide area laid out with six lanes of high explosive mines with inert fuzes comprised of both US M-15 and foreign TM-62M. The team placed the mines strategically atop a tarp to track how the mortar shrapnel hit each mine and the surrounding area.

“When we go out an assess, we mark each target, so when we fire on them again, we know which ones it hit on the first time and we will know the difference between the first time and the second,” explained GOBLN Test Lead Raj Nattanmai with the U.S. Army’s DEVCOM Armaments Center (AC).

Bowman adds, “We are getting the observer data to know where they impacted, then after each sequence we go out and do inspections to see the damage on targets and access how we did.”

This allows the DEVCOM AC personnel to better model the down range effects with real world shot data and adjust the launcher as needed.

In this proof-of-concept phase, the team is looking for specific criteria.

Nattanmai described, “We want the shrapnel to come in and pierce the mines so that it damages either the fuse or sets it off. The other possibility is that it creates a reaction and causes it to burn.”

Nattanmai showed the team a TM 62 mine that was completely burned and explained, “That one didn’t blow up, it burned. It set on fire and charred up basically. That’s the ideal neutralization. That’s what we want all the targets to do.”

Bowman came up with the placement of the mines to provide efficient testing in between mandatory safety wait times.

“They were originally going to have one mine lane, we shoot, go out inspect, and come back. We can’t do that because of the wait times. So, what I did was set this one up so we can have multiple mine lanes, fire multiple engagements at a time, then that way we can go out and inspect them after the certain amount of wait times.”

This method shorted the firing window to three weeks versus a month and a half. When all was said and done the team fired more than 250 mortars at targets.

The GOBLN is one of the many solutions the Army is testing to see which the most effective solutions are to meet modern threats.

Army Futures Command Capabilities Developer Shawn Anders remarks, “In the concept of the future, we are not talking about what we can do today. What we are trying to do, the next 10 years, 20 years down the road and have that forecast. So today is just our baseline of multiple systems, for consideration for the future. And like Maj. Thomas Fite said, ‘Breaching Ain’t Easy.’”

By Ana Henderson

Arctic Mobility Sustainment System Tested at Army’s Cold Regions Test Center

Monday, April 29th, 2024

FORT GREELY, Alaska — Deployed Soldiers are constantly loaded down with gear, but nowhere more so than when operating in a cold weather environment.

In addition to their conventional weapons, Soldiers need to utilize heavy equipment like space heaters, cooking stoves, fuel and heavy-duty thermal tents to survive operations in the Arctic.

Candidates to serve as the Army’s Arctic Mobility Sustainment System underwent rigorous testing at U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center, or CRTC, this winter with the help of Soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Washington.

“When they go out in zone seven operations, this is the new stuff they will be pulling out there with them to set up shelters,” said Danielle Schmidt, assistant test officer. “We went through a lot of changes since the test started up here all based on learning what works and what doesn’t in the cold.”

The system selected as a result of this testing will eventually replace the legacy Ahkio sled and 10-person tent the Army currently uses. Testers expected and coveted extreme cold for the multi-week test, with the interior Alaska winter delivered more than they expected.

“The whole time the test was going it didn’t get above minus 20 Fahrenheit,” said Isaac Howell, senior test officer. “It was good test conditions for what we were doing, but it was difficult on the Soldiers. Sustained movement in the Arctic day in and day out at those temperatures is not easy.”

On a typical day Soldiers would pack the Arctic Mobility Sustainment System sled under test with the tent, a heater and their basic standard issue items for Arctic infantry operations. The Soldiers would then pull the sleds in either nine-Soldier squads or four to five Soldier teams with CRTC’s test personnel led the way. Moving the heavy sleds across CRTC’s hilly tundra and thickly forested areas is challenging in any conditions, but particularly so in the extreme cold and deep snow of winter.

“Our snow is so dry and powdery,” said Howell. “You don’t stand on it at all, whether you are in skis or snowshoes — you don’t go across the top of it, you go through it. You are plowing snow the entire day regardless of whether you are wearing snowshoes or not.”

After a two-and-a-half-hour movement, testers kept track of how long it took the Soldiers to emplace and erect each tent and get the space heaters operating. Following a cold weather Meal Ready to Eat for lunch, the Soldiers disassembled the tent and heater and returned to their day’s starting point following a different route. Following a survey and hot meal, the Soldiers reassembled the tents and heaters and prepared to sleep in the long, cold Arctic nights, which sometimes approached minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The Soldiers were instrumented for safety purposes to make sure they didn’t get too cold or hypothermic,” said Schmidt. “If they did get too cold, they could pull themselves. We had noxious gas sensors in the tents where the heaters were operating as another safety precaution.”

Despite the hardships, the participating Soldiers gave high marks to CRTC’s test crew.

“It was pretty cool being able to experience that and see what all the new equipment is like,” said Pvt. 1st Class Tyler Worrell.

By Mark Schauer

10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade Hosts Innovative Technology Symposium

Saturday, April 27th, 2024

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — The 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade hosted the Innovative Technology Symposium on April 15, 2024 to discuss how the Army is augmenting warfighting capabilities with emerging technologies.

“The intent of this symposium is essentially for us to bring in some of the new technology to Fort Drum and highlight how we can work with different agency partners to get this into the hands of our Soldiers,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Edilma Cruz, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Bridge strategic mobility officer.

Representatives from U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Lab and the Civil-Military Innovation Institute briefed attendees on technological developments through the Pathfinder and Accelerating FORCE programs.

“The Pathfinder program’s primary mission is to collect whole problem sets from Soldiers at the tactical level,” said Cody Clevenger, Pathfinder program manager. “And we either pair them with academia — from one of our partner schools we work with — if that level of research is needed to execute a solution, or the other way is with our DIRT labs.”

Clevenger briefed three Design, Innovation, Research and Technology, or DIRT, projects funded by the Army Research Lab, including an updated design for the M-80TR anti-personnel landmine used for training.

He said a 2nd Brigade Combat Team Soldier contributed feedback on the assistant gunner bag and the limited options for attaching it to the rucksack. From this, a prototype was developed to improve operational functionality and optimize weight distribution.

“We want to have Soldiers involved throughout the development of a solution,” Clevenger said. “Soldiers love to talk about the problems they have in the field, and we’re trying to give them an avenue where they can do that directly with us.”

The 10th Mountain Division will have their own problem-solving capabilities when the Mountain Innovation Systems Integration Lab becomes operational at Fort Drum by late summer.

Maj. Michael Fitzgerald, 10th Mountain Division (LI) G-3 knowledge management officer, said the innovation lab is a facility where any Soldier can bring creative ideas to solve problems they encounter through training or on deployments, and they will receive engineering support and guidance.

“Soldiers will have access to equipment such as laser cutters and 3D printers, all at no cost to them because the lab is funded and manned by the Civil-Military Innovation Institute,” he said. “Our partnership with CMI2 will allow us to receive engineering support and collaboration with outside agencies for technologies.”

Fitzgerald said an initial focus will be on projects to further the division’s alpine planning efforts.

“But the sky’s the limit on what problems we can solve, and we encourage everyone here to spread the word on what a great opportunity and resource this will be for Soldiers,” he said.

Recently, 10th Mountain Division Soldiers trained on the TRV-150 Tactical Resupply Vehicle and field-tested the drone during the Mountain Peak exercise on post.

The TRV-150 can travel up to 60 miles per hour and can transport up to 150 pounds of cargo, moving in areas that may be inaccessible or too dangerous for vehicles or personnel to conduct resupply missions.

First Lt. Robert Willet, support operations transportation officer with 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, provided feedback as one of the TRV-150 operators. He said seven resupply missions were conducted over four days and they experimented with different payloads to test the drone’s capabilities.

“When used correctly, it’s the fastest method of resupply inside of its radius,” Willet said. “It also had the lowest threat to Soldiers than any other resupply method.”

Willet also noted they experienced high-wind conditions that prevented them from flying one day.

“The TRV-150 is close to getting into Soldiers’ hands, but there is additional experimentation that DEVCOM is making to meet the Army’s intent,” Cruz said.

A Civil-Military Innovation Institute team will further examine the TRV-150 in action when 1st Brigade Combat Team conducts a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, in May.

“They will be there the whole time collecting data,” said Dennis Day, Army Research Lab’s Accelerating FORCE deputy program manager. ‘And it’s not just system data, but [tactics, techniques and procedures] and [concepts of operations] that go beyond the ones and zeroes.”

Day said experimenting with emerging technologies in realistic training environments helps to identify problems and improves the final product.

“What we can do is provide a capability,” he said. “But if the Soldier is experimenting with it, providing us feedback, then we can enhance it and get the best product to the Soldier as fast as possible.”

By Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs

Army Invests Nearly $50 Million in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army invested $50 million in small and nontraditional businesses to develop a variety of artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions under its AI/ML open-topic solicitation.

Released in December 2022, the U.S. Army Small Business Innovation Research Program’s solicitation sought to enhance the Army’s operational capabilities and address broader national security efforts by tackling critical information gaps via AI technologies. With the help of industry, the Army prioritized the development of solutions ranging from radio-frequency identification to language translation.

During the Phase I performance period, 39 small and nontraditional vendors delivered concepts within these priority areas that highlighted their technologies’ commercial viability and technical feasibility. Now the Army will fund 26 of the selected businesses to a total of nearly $50 million to transform their concepts into prototypes ready for demonstration.

View the full AI/ML Open Topic infographic here.

The Army SBIR Program offers Phase I contract opportunities to small and nontraditional vendors exhibiting commercial viability, feasibility and technical merit. The program provides Phase II and Direct to Phase II contracts to vendors with mature technologies capable of gaining increased federal support and solving Army needs.

Vendors receive access to technical, acquisition and operational Army experts. These specialists offer information on the Army’s critical needs while providing guidance from within the Army research and development ecosystem. Selectees capitalize on this by collaborating with technical points of contact that serve as a resource for vendors as they mature their technologies for insertion into Army acquisition programs.

The Army SBIR Program releases contract opportunities on a rolling basis to respond to current and anticipated Soldier technology needs. The program will continue to promote new contract releases via topic announcements and email. We encourage you to follow U.S. Army SBIR|STTR on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn for the latest program announcements, updates and solicitation opportunities.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology leverages technologies and capabilities to provide U.S. Soldiers a decisive advantage in any environment by developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining the world’s finest equipment and services. For more information, visit the ASA(ALT) web page and follow @ArmyASAALT.

Please contact the Army SBIR mailbox if you have any questions.

By Daniel Smoot, Office of Army Prize Competitions and Army SBIR Program

Army Signs Wide-Ranging Procurement Agreement to Cut Costs

Monday, April 22nd, 2024

The Army and a Minnesota Service Cooperative have formalized a 10-year renewable partnership to sustain garrisons across the nation.

In a Pentagon signing ceremony on Wednesday, April 10, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Rachel Jacobson said she was excited to partner with Sourcewell, the Minnesota local unit of government that provides cooperative purchasing nationwide to help local, state, and federal agencies operate efficiently.

The partnership with Sourcewell is the largest the Army has ever initiated, Jacobson said.

“We’re using Intergovernmental Support Agreements more and more,” she said in a ceremony held in the Pentagon Auditorium.

The Army estimates that the IGSA with Sourcewell will result in annual savings of between 15% and 50% on a wide range of services, supplies and equipment, while giving each garrison a flexible and efficient alternative to current contract options.

Sourcewell CEO Chad Coauette said the organization’s mission is to be a force qualifier for government, so the partnership with the Army fits perfectly in its programming.

The organization and the Army worked for months nailing down the specifics of the wide-ranging contract, and Coauette said Sourcewell is scaling up its process to meet the needs of the Army to provide efficient and effective procurement.

The self-sustaining service organization plows profits back into Minnesota communities, offering training programs for teachers, firefighters and the like, Coauette said.

Effective and efficient contracting

Jacobson said Army installations are small cities, so partnering with a procurement agency that already works with hundreds of government entities made sense.

“We have a lot of municipal needs,” she said.

Sourcewell already works with a variety of government agencies of all sizes, from the Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Reserve banks to the Kentucky State Fair Board and the city of Abbeville, Ala.

Attending the signing ceremony representing the Army commands engaged with the new partnership were Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen and Army Installation Management Command deputy commanding general Maj. Gen. Joseph Ricciardi.

The Sourcewell partnership allows commands to find effective ways to buy the most efficient products, not just for serving the Army but the nation at large.

David Leinberger, the manager of Army Community Partnerships, welcomed the official party and participants to the signing ceremony, saying that Army Installation Management Command had done an amazing job negotiating with Sourcewell to institute the new procurement agreement.

“We’re expected to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Leinberger said after the ceremony.

“This is an efficient use of taxpayer dollars,” he said.

Private partners in similar contracts focus on turning a profit, Leinberger said, and public partners do not.

“Public partners work at cost, and public partners do not have an incentivized reason to be dishonest or cut corners in order to turn a profit at the expense of the government,” he said.

The exciting thing about the Sourcewell partnership is that all Army installations in the continental United States benefit because they now have Sourcewell as an option to purchase or procure the supplies or services needed, he said.

“We look for ways to save money and find efficiencies,” he said.

The signing ceremony represented more than a year of effort by Army officials and Sourcewell to bring the partnership to fruition.

“On behalf of the Army, I just want to say that we recognize the commitment Sourcewell is bringing, not just to the Army but after this we have a business meeting with our other service partners, and we’re looking forward to working in a joint environment across all the services to make sure not just the Army gets the benefit of what we’re doing here, but all services,” Leinberger said.

He said the benefit for the Army in the new procurement agreement is wide ranging.

“The Army has a greater requirement that we actually have the money for,” he said.

Garrison planners can look forward to using Sourcewell in planning post maintenance and construction.

“We need toilets, we need sinks, we need light fixtures, we need doors, we need drywall, we need construction material; the unglamorous of running things, and we need in bulk,” he said.

The process now allows the Army to deal directly with suppliers and to buy at a cheaper rate than is available today.

Sourcewell takes the new partnership very seriously, Leinberger said, as evidenced by a large turnout of Sourcewell staff at the signing ceremony, including Coauette and Sourcewell Board of Directors Chairperson Greg Zylka.

The mayor of Little Falls, Minn., Zylka said the primary motivation for Sourcewell across the board is service.

“This ceremony is a celebration of service,” he said.

Saving through state partnerships

Assistant Secretary Jacobson said she hopes the other military branches do join the Army in finding efficiencies through Sourcewell and noted that the Army is aggressively negotiating Intergovernmental Support Agreements with local and state agencies nationwide to reduce costs and secure efficient and timely services.

The Army has signed an agreement with the State of Texas for the state Department of Transportation to provide all road maintenance on all Army installations in the state.

“That’s going to save us close to $4 million,” she said.

Likewise, a new agreement with the University of Georgia will help the Army identify regional climate hazards it can develop a climate management plan for southeastern garrisons.

Leinberger said the Army will need to do garrison procurements through Sourcewell for up to a year before it can put a dollar amount on the savings, but he and others believe it will be substantial.

By Jonathan Austin, Army News Service

US Army Military Mountaineer Course Knot Guide

Sunday, April 21st, 2024

The Military Mountaineer Course Knot Guide comes straight out of the Army Mountain Warfare School at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont.

Get your copy here.

Unit Assesses New Iteration of Army’s Forge Exercise

Sunday, April 21st, 2024

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Fort Leonard Wood cadre and trainees, in coordination with the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training, are assessing a new basic combat training culminating event to help better prepare Soldiers for their first units by showing them “what right looks like,” according to Capt. Julio Sanchez, Company A, 31st Engineer Battalion commander.

The new concept, called Forge 2.5, features large-scale combat operations scenarios and continuous tactical operations. It is intended to be more realistic and challenging than its predecessor, all while also increasing the tactical skills of trainees and enabling cadre — including company command teams and drill sergeants — to develop as leaders.

In March, Alpha Company, under the command of Sanchez, was the first Fort Leonard Wood unit to pilot Forge 2.5. Sanchez said the new format enhances the current Forge model.

“The limitation of the current Forge is that the trainees are the ones in the leadership roles for the mission sets,” Sanchez said. “With the new Forge 2.5 concept, the drill sergeants are acting as the squad leaders, heading these missions for the trainees and showing them what right looks like.”

Part of that leadership responsibility includes showing the trainees how the operations process works, Sanchez said.

“The trainees are the ones actually executing casualty evaluation, gathering and sending reports, and the drill sergeants are leading them through all those different things they’ve learned so far in the basic combat training portion of [one station unit training,]” Sanchez said. “In doing so, [the drill sergeants] showed the trainees the actual operations process and what that would look like if they received a mission. The trainees got a lot of value added in understanding, ‘OK, here’s task and purpose, this is what this means, this is important stuff I should listen to in the order process.’”

The new concept has the additional benefit of helping develop the cadre as well, said Staff Sgt. Nevin Salem, one of the Alpha Company drill sergeants in charge of the four-day event.

“It does benefit the drill sergeants because some have never been in a squad leader position,” Salem said. “This gives them that opportunity.”

For company leadership — and future company leadership, including junior officers new to a unit — the Forge 2.5 concept also provides chances to focus on some of the processes and procedures used to assist in mission command, Sanchez said.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it because it allowed me to execute and stress the command post and getting reports and battle tracking,” Sanchez said. “It really gives us a chance to mold the junior engineer lieutenants we’re now getting straight from [Basic Officer Leader Course.]”

The trainees seemed to enjoy the updated format as well, Salem said, because “they had an actual NCO lead the mission.”

“They executed the mission; they gave me the reports; I sent up the reports; and we treated it as an actual mission,” Salem said.

By Brian Hill, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office

Harnessing Hybrid Vehicles for Superior US Army Operations

Saturday, April 13th, 2024

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — In February 2024, the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office demonstrated the operational advantages of hybridization to several distinguished guests. The demonstration centered on highlighting the vehicle’s impressive features, which include an extended silent watch, silent mobility, increased on-board power generation and off-board power export.

The RCCTO’s Tactical Hybrid Electric Vehicle program demonstrates the operational effectiveness and automotive performance of standard tactical vehicles while validating the operational benefits of hybridization. Integrating hybrid electric technology will enable the vehicles to operate silently at greater range and more available power for weapon systems and power grids on and off the vehicle. All of these remarkable features provide greater capabilities for our Soldiers.

“The work that the government team and the DoD contractors have completed is a game changer for the Soldiers in the field. We have added silent mobility capability, exportable power, and increased the vehicle range with batteries while reducing heat signature and sound,” said Michael E. Foster, Sr., Director of the Rapid Acquisition Prototyping Project Office within the RCCTO.

“Today’s demonstration underscores the importance of continuing to invest in and develop these technologies. By evaluating innovations, bridging gaps, and collaborating with industry, we strengthen our ability to provide the best tools and resources for our Soldiers, enhancing their safety and capabilities on the frontlines,” said Lt. Gen. Robert A. Rasch, Jr., Director of the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office.

The ongoing prototyping efforts for the Stryker and High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle continue to give Soldiers the opportunity to validate hybrid electric technologies in operational environments. These vehicles are being tested in real-world military settings to assess their performance and efficiency, ultimately shaping the future of hybrid electric vehicles in military applications.

By Venetia Gonzales