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Archive for the ‘Army’ Category

Command Sergeant Major JoAnn Naumann: ‘I Pushed Until I Got the Opportunities’

Sunday, March 24th, 2024

WASHINGTON — Command Sgt. Maj. JoAnn Naumann, the senior enlisted leader at Army Special Operations Command, says good leadership traits are taught by good mentors, handed down from one generation of NCOs to the next.

Such a philosophy is part of what ultimately led Naumann to stay in the Army for the last 28 years instead of pursuing her initial dream of becoming a Foreign Service officer.

Naumann enlisted in the Army in 1996 after earning a dual-major degree in American Studies and Government from the College of William and Mary. She wanted to go to the Defense Language Institute to learn Arabic.

“I had a plan to learn another language and to get a clearance … and get some experience to increase my likelihood of being hired by the Foreign Service,” she said.

She didn’t seek a commission because she had no intention of staying in the Army.

When she finished language training, however, the Army threw her a curveball, assigning her to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

“I had never in my life considered the fact that when I joined the Army as an Arabic linguist that I might go to a light infantry division. But that’s where I wound up,” she said.

She completed Air Assault School and training as a rappel master. Then she went to the Basic Airborne Course and the Military Freefall School for parachuting.

Naumann discovered that she enjoyed being in an infantry division. She enjoyed the Army.

“I feel really fortunate to have had amazing leaders in my time at the 101st, who made me really understand what I could do in the Army and how to be a good leader, and how the Army just takes care of people and feels like a family,” she said.

“More than anything, it was the leaders that made me want to stay in the Army,” she said.

As a sergeant at age 25, Naumann was NCO of the Year in the 101st Division.

“I was the only woman competing. I saw that I could compete with the men, and I did it the same way that I approached my job,” she said.

She knew there were some events that she couldn’t win.

“I just made sure I won every event I could win, and then I just held my own…”

Naumann can trace that attitude back to her youth, when she ran cross country and track in high school.

“I was never the most talented runner on the team. I was probably always the runner most willing to suffer on the team. The way I would break other runners is by being more willing to be in pain at the end of a race than other people were, and I think it’s that kind of attitude that just has allowed me to succeed,” she said.

Recruited by Special Operations Command in 2001, Naumann faced a dilemma in the aftermath of 9/11 when she was a staff sergeant and squad leader.

“I felt like I couldn’t leave my squad. It would be their first time going into combat, and I didn’t feel like I could let them go without me,” she recalls.

She sought guidance from division Command Sgt. Maj. Clifford West.

“He looked at me and all he said to me was, ‘Sergeant, if you’ve done your job, they don’t need you.’”

After SOC training, Naumann had assignments to special mission units and completed 14 deployments throughout Central Command and Africa Command.

In those years after 9/11, being a female Arabic translator paid off.

“It made me far less of a threat … being underestimated is a superpower,” she said.

Naumann said she never sought a job or promotion to be a trailblazer and doesn’t really think of herself as one.

She thinks she developed her drive, in part, from her mother, who retired as the pilot of a Boeing 747 after years in the cockpit.

“I never realized that it made a difference to me,” Naumann said, but being the daughter of such a professional meant that no one told her women couldn’t succeed.

“It never was in my head that I couldn’t do whatever job I wanted to do, because no one ever told me that there were things girls didn’t do. And so, I just didn’t hesitate to do things that I wanted to do,” she said.

She said people often thank her for advancing career possibilities in the Army, whether it is because she is a woman or because she rose in the ranks from a non-traditional specialty.

“If me being here makes other people see that they have the same possibilities, then I’m glad that it does,” she said.

For anyone, she said, the biggest challenge is convincing yourself to try.

“Everyone has challenges, right? These [Army] programs are not easy for anyone,” she said.

Naumann said there were certainly times when people told her she could not do a job because she was female.

When confronting that attitude, she would respond, “I graduated from the same course you did. So, tell me again, why I can’t do that job?”

She demanded better reasons why a woman could not grow and advance in the Army.

“It turns out there weren’t better reasons. So, I pushed until I got the opportunities I thought I should have. That’s my personality,” she said.

That is also reminiscent of how she ran track and cross country.

“I’m still not going to be the best at everything,” she added.

There are times when she relies on others to help out.

“I focus the majority of my energy on the things that I singularly can do,” she said.

People can often succeed if they make others be the ones to say ‘no,’ she explained.

“Sometimes we talk ourselves out of doing things,” Naumann said. We say “I’m not going to try it because I don’t know if I’m going to make it, I don’t know if I’m good enough. I don’t know if I’m smart enough, or strong enough. I don’t know if I’ll do a good job.”

Her message? Don’t sell yourself short.

Naumann says the best moments of her career are likely when she has held a promotion board and been able to reward someone who worked hard and stayed out of trouble and earned advancement.

“That’s the moment, when you tell them: ‘Congratulations, I’m recommending you for promotion.’”

By Jonathan Austin, Army News Service

Army Medical Developers Put Tech, Treatments to Test During Arctic Edge 24

Saturday, March 23rd, 2024

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Team members with the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity joined a multinational military and government contingent to test developing medical technologies and treatments at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, March 4-6, 2024.

As part of the U.S. Northern Command’s Arctic Edge 24 exercise, USAMMDA developers partnered with frontline military medical providers to conduct below zero medicine exercises and experiments and assess the progress of the U.S. Army’s freeze-dried plasma and extreme cold weather shelter programs.

Arctic Edge 24 is a premier venue to demonstrate how USAMMDA’s programs fit into the Army and Department of Defense’s future operating concepts, including a focus on the Arctic regions of the globe, according to U.S. Army Col. Andy Nuce, commander of USAMMDA.

“Exercises like Arctic Edge 24 are a great touchpoint for USAMMDA’s development teams because they give us a chance to interface with potential end users of devices and treatments during the development process,” said Nuce, who has helmed the activity since June 2022. “This is important for two reasons. One, it gives our teams a chance to see devices in real-world environments that we cannot fully replicate at Fort Detrick. Two, the Soldiers who are using the devices during these types of training give us incredible insight into where products are in development within the acquisition pipeline, and how we can improve the process going forward to deliver the best possible products for eventual fielding.

“In short, the Soldiers in the field are critical to our understanding of what is needed and how we can improve the development process going forward to meet their future needs in order to save lives.”

Exercises like Arctic Edge 24 align with the wider Army preparedness doctrines outlined in the forthcoming Army publication “Arctic and Extreme Cold Weather Operations” and showcase how Army medical development commands are refining their focus to meet the challenges of Arctic warfighting, including medical readiness.

The first of two USAMMDA teams attending the exercise, the freeze-dried plasma — known as FDP — developers, are working with combat medics and medical officers to continue the years-long adaptation of blood plasma in freeze-dried form for far-forward use. The lightweight and expeditionary FDP under development by USAMMDA’s Warfighter Protection and Acute Care Project Management Office is a critical advancement in blood replacement capabilities for frontline troops, according to Michelle Mason, a logistics specialist with the WPAC PMO who attended the exercise.

“The FDP program is a significant step forward to equip military medical personnel to provide urgent care at and near the front lines,” said Mason. “When Warfighters are injured, every moment is critical to improving their chances of survival.”

Blood plasma is a lifesaving tool that helps boost a patient’s blood volume to help prevent shock and aid with blood clotting, according to the American Red Cross. WPAC is developing both human and canine FDP to give future military medical providers another option when treating critically injured servicemembers and military working dogs.

For the past several years, the U.S. Army has been focusing on modernizing its forces to meet the challenges of 2030, 2040 and beyond. A main component of this wider strategy is improving lifesaving care for wounded and injured Warfighters at and near the front lines. The U.S. Department of Defense’s focus on dispersed operations, with logistics lines crossing thousands of miles of open ocean and barren tundra, makes building frontline care capacities imperative to joint force readiness, according to Mason.

“During previous conflicts, like in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. forces had unparalleled abilities to treat and evacuate the wounded to higher echelons of care, due to wide accessibility of medevac aircraft and relative proximity of secured bases with advanced medical treatment facilities and devices,” said Mason. “Those advances greatly improved survivability compared to previous U.S. wars. Today’s warfighters are preparing to fight in areas of the world that are much more austere and rugged, where the ‘front line’ will be geographically isolated, dispersed and harder to reach by air and seacraft to evacuate the critically wounded.

“This is why developing treatments like FDP is so important to the DoD’s modernization efforts,” she added. “The advantages of longer shelf life, reduced logistical burden, safety and efficacy that are built into these types of materiel solutions will be vital during future conflicts to enable medical personnel to sustain life until medevac transportation can be arranged to higher levels of care.”

The second USAMMDA contingent participating in Arctic Edge 24 works with commercial partners to assess the development of rugged, extreme cold weather treatment shelters for use in Arctic environments. When a servicemember is wounded or injured, a complex series of actions begins. Frontline medical personnel initially work to stabilize the patient by keeping airways open, applying pressure to limit blood loss and treating for shock. Next, triage priorities determine the order for movement to higher echelons of care, with the most severely wounded or injured given highest priority.

During dispersed operations in extreme climates, when medevac transportation could be limited, the need to shelter casualties in a safe, dry, and warm environment while waiting for further care is imperative to ensure the patient remains stable. The Warfighter Readiness, Performance, and Brain Health PMO team attended Arctic Edge 24 to assess the worthiness of their shelter program in the most extreme climate imaginable, according to Emily Krohn, an assistant product manager with the team.

“Extreme cold weather is a different sort of enemy to our Warfighters when they are injured or wounded,” said Krohn, who attends a dozen Army and joint force exercises each year in her role as a product manager. “The climate can be a huge challenge during combat operations because it not only limits evacuation options, but it can compound and worsen the effects of serious wounds and injuries.”

USAMMDA relies on many partners to accomplish its mission, according to Krohn. Its development experts work with others across the Army, special forces community and medical industry to conceive, research, develop and test the technologies and treatments that future Warfighters will rely on to fight and win. Exercises like Arctic Edge 24 are a perfect platform to measure the effectiveness of USAMMDA’s development programs, including extreme cold weather shelters that are rugged, expeditionary and designed to meet the needs of warfighters during future conflicts.

“The shelters we are developing with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center and our commercial partners are designed to enable frontline medics to safely evacuate casualties and provide tactical combat casualty care in a temperature-controlled environment while arranging for movement to higher echelons of care,” said Krohn. “These types of technologies are being developed to answer the challenges servicemembers and frontline providers may face in extreme cold weather.”

By T. T. Parish

Army, Industry Discuss Future Implications of Augmenting Humans with AI

Friday, March 22nd, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into a number of industries, organizational leaders from the public and private sector are considering both the opportunities and risk posed by this rapidly evolving field of technology.

During a March 12 South by Southwest Conference panel in Austin, tech enthusiasts from the U.S. Army and industry discussed how advances in AI-augmented humans and humanoids — non-human entities, such as robots, that possess human characteristics — have the potential to reshape how humans work and accomplish complex tasks.

The panelists additionally discussed the importance of pursuing responsible AI, so that the new technology will serve to improve human lives and abilities.

“AI is not a panacea,” said Army Futures Command Director of Integration Col. Troy Denomy, who participated in the panel. Denomy clarified that AI can be a useful tool in optimizing the capabilities of humans and machines but is not a replacement for human brainpower or skill. He added that the Army does not want to create situations in which humans are working for robots but rather seeks to enable robots to work for humans.

To better understand the advantages AI can offer, the Army is evaluating new AI assistance methods through its Soldier-centered design model, which places Soldier participation and feedback at the core of experimentation efforts. The method takes inspiration from private industry best practices shaped around ensuring end-user satisfaction, such as Microsoft’s human-centered design methods.

Panelist Steven Bathiche, who leads Microsoft’s Applied Sciences Group, highlighted how AI developers are shifting away from remote-controlled programming toward task-based programming, which allows humans to complete more complicated tasks by automating the repetitive ones. Bathiche commented on the Army’s historical ability to enable greater innovation and problem-solving in emerging fields of technology through mutually beneficial partnerships with entrepreneurs and industry.

Fellow speaker Young Bang, who serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, emphasized that interfaces with technology must evolve alongside the technology itself, so that analysts and Soldiers can more easily and intuitively interact with AI systems. Carefully assessing risk is also critical, and the Army continues to apply frameworks to identify and counteract risks, including when adopting third-party generated algorithms. The Army also plans — with the help of industry — to deepen its understanding of how integrating new AI capabilities may impact Soldiers’ well-being and behaviors, with an aim of improving personal, professional and operational outcomes.

“It’s about innovation and failing quickly. We don’t want programs that last 10 years and then decide to kill it. We want to learn faster and faster from our mistakes,” Bang said.

By Army Futures Command

South Carolina National Guard Wins U.S. Army Small Arms Championships

Thursday, March 21st, 2024

Staff Sgt. John Jordan of the South Carolina National Guard won the title of 2024 All Army Champion at the U.S. Army Small Arms Championships at Fort Moore, Georgia March 10-16. Jordan’s team, South Carolina Alpha, also claimed the title of 2024 U.S. Army Small Arms Team Champions.

To win the week-long, comprehensive live-fire competition, commonly known as All Army, the South Carolina National Guard Soldiers competed side by side with more than 230 Soldiers from across the United States representing the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, Army and Air National Guard, and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

The annual training event, which is hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, tested the Soldiers’ marksmanship skills on both rifle and pistol in 14 different courses of fire. To claim top honors and bragging rights, the South Carolina National Guard Soldiers had to earn the highest aggregate score in the all rifle, pistol and multigun matches.

The unique competition offers Soldiers a fun and challenging way to train. In fact, after three years of experience at All Army competitions, Alabama National Guard Staff Sgt. Evan Bayer said there is nothing not to like about the competition that he highly recommends to other Soldiers.

“It’s all training. We are training to fight and this is the way to do it, under a little bit of stress. It’s a big break from the rhythm. It’s a lot of fun, but it also puts you in an uncomfortable environment that allows you to grow as a shooter,” said Staff Sgt. Evan Bayer, Alabama Lethality Group who earned is Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge during an All Army Pistol Excellence in Competition Match.

Outside of the individual and team champions of All Army, there were plenty of other honors earned. The breakdown of individual and team honors is listed below.

U.S. Army Rifle Team Championships

1. Delaware National Guard

2. 2/11 Airborne Division

3. Army Reserve Careers Group Gold

U.S. Army Pistol Team Championships

1. South Carolina Alpha (National Guard)

2. XVIII Airborne Corps – York

3. New Hampshire Alpha (National Guard)

U.S. Army Multigun Team Championships

1. Team Novosel, USAACE

2. 2/11 Airborne Division

3. South Carolina Alpha (National Guard)

2024 U.S. Army Small Arms Team Championships (Overall)

1. South Carolina Alpha (National Guard)

2. 2/11 Airborne Division

3. Michigan Blue (National Guard)

High Drill Sergeant: Staff Sgt. Andrei Ciont

2024 Novice Champion

1. 1st Sgt. Andrew McCallister (U.S. Army SERE School)

2. Staff Sgt. Louis Gillaspie (XVIII Airborne Corps)

3. Sgt. Wyatt Griffith (Missouri National Guard)

2024 All Army Cadet

1. Cadet David Blackwell (University of North Georgia)

2. Cadet Aidan Chretien (Vermont National Guard)

3. Cadet William Buettner (University of North Georgia)

2024 Open Division Champion

1. Sgt. Michael McClaksie (Virgina National Guard)

2. Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Russell (Missouri National Guard)

3. Tech. Sgt. Galen Topper (Vermont National Guard)

U.S. Army Individual Rifle Championships

1. Staff Sgt. John Jordan (South Carolina National Guard)

2. 1st Sgt. Josiah Noble (Security Force Assistance Foreign Weapons Course)

3. Tech. Sgt. Nicolas Poirier (Vermont Air National Guard)

U.S. Army Individual Pistol Championships

1. Sgt. 1st Class Richard Willis (Army Reserve Careers Group)

2. Staff Sgt. John Jordan (South Carolina National Guard)

3. Sgt. 1st Class Jason Deal (96th Civil Affairs Battalion)

U.S. Army Individual Multigun Championships

1. 1st Sgt. Andrew McCallister (U.S. Army SERE School)

2. Sgt. Colt Edwards (Marksmanship Master Trainer Course)

3. Chief Warrant Officer Two Matthew Downing (U.S. Army SERE School)

Col. Ralph Puckett Trophy: Staff Sgt. Louis Gillaspie

Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley Trophy: Cadet Aidan Chretien

Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge Awardees

Capt. Andrew Leupp

Staff Sgt. Evan Bayer

Staff Sgt. Christopher Brookings (486th double distinguished Soldier)

Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge Awardees

Sgt. 1st Class Dan Whitmer

Sgt. 1st Class John Staats

Sgt. Michael McClaksie

Tech Sgt. Matthew Jasper

Capt. Patrick Randall

Sgt. Daniel Shumate

Staff Sgt. Nathan Staskiewicz (485th double distinguished Soldier)

U.S. Army Small Arms Individual Championships (Overall)

1. Staff Sgt. John Jordan (South Carolina National Guard)

2. 1st Sgt. Andrew McCallister (U.S. Army SERE School)

3. Sgt. Mack Williams (South Carolina National Guard)

By LTC Michelle Lunato

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Techs Pioneer Innovative Method to Clear Stuck Artillery Round

Wednesday, March 20th, 2024

FORT SILL, Okla. – U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians demonstrated flexibility, ingenuity and resourcefulness during a recent response to a lodged round in a M109A6 Paladin howitzer on Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Army EOD Soldiers, from the 761st Ordnance Company (EOD) safely cleared the projectile that jammed during howitzer training.

Staff Sgt. Cody A. Dodd, an EOD team leader from the 761st EOD Company, coordinated with the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) to implement a new strategy to clear the lodged round.

The U.S. Navy is designated as the joint service Executive Agent for EOD Technology and Training. Part of the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Naval Explosive Disposal Technology Division is used by all EOD technicians for joint EOD requirements.

“This response was unique because it is rare to receive such an incident,” said Dodd. “Being at Fort Sill, home of the artillery, you would think this is a common occurrence. However, that is not the case. I’ve been stationed here for two years and this is the first incident like this.”

After the usual stuck round procedures were unsuccessful, Dodd and the field artillery battalion commander determined that the safest course of action was for the disposition of the gun barrel and ordnance inside.

Dodd led the team that disposed of the round while it was still lodged by moving the barrel to the demolition range and assisting in the download of the 4,500-pound tube. EOD team was able to safely destroy the stuck round and the Paladin will be operational again after repair parts are installed.

“This is important to the supporting artillery units because a stuck round causes the gun to be completely inoperable,” said Dodd, a native of Wellsburg, West Virginia, who has deployed to Afghanistan and Syria during his almost nine years in the Army. “It is our job to make all efforts to attempt to enable the gun to be at a firing status again.”

Dodd said the response will serve as a lesson learned for future joint service EOD operations involving stuck rounds.

“The highlight of this response would be the demolition procedure conducted on the gun tube and ordnance,” said Dodd. “With guidance from NAVEODTECHDIV, we were able to contribute to the overall EOD force for future incidents involving this ordnance.”

The Fort Sill, Oklahoma-based 761st EOD Company is part of the 79th EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier CBRNE formation.

From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.

As the U.S. Army’s explosive experts, EOD technicians take on everything from hand grenades to nuclear weapons. After defeating more than 50,000 Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army EOD techs are training to support ground maneuver forces during large-scale combat operations.

Army EOD technicians from the 761st EOD Company conduct target insertion, range clearance and fire break clearance missions for U.S. Army field artillery and air defense artillery units.

EOD technicians from the 761st EOD Company also enable military operations around the world and respond when military munitions are found on and off base in Oklahoma, Arkansas and across 60 counties in Texas.

Based on Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the 1-78th Field Artillery Battalion trains and educates Soldiers in fire support core competencies to support operational Army forces.

Lt. Col. Brian J. Dermody, the commander of the 1-78th Field Artillery Battalion, presented coins to the Soldiers involved in the response.

“Our fires mission is an absolutely critical part of the U.S. Army’s shift to preparing for large-scale combat operations against a near-peer adversary,” said Dermody, a native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, who has commanded the artillery battalion since July of 2023. “EOD technicians like Staff Sgt. Dodd take on the dangerous and demanding role of helping to keep us mission ready.”

By Walter T. Ham IV

1st Space Brigade’s Tactical Close Space Support is on the Move

Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. — Partnering with joint and coalition forces, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s 1st Space Brigade continues to experiment with new tactical space control technology to support the warfighter in increasingly complex and contested environments.

Soldiers with the brigade’s 18th Space Company participated in experimentation at White Sands Missile Range during Project Convergence-Capstone 4 from mid-February into early March to advance the Army space, cyber and special operations forces “Triad’s” ability to conduct space operations at the tactical edge.

Project Capstone, an experiment hosted by U.S. Army Futures Command, saw warfighters from across the U.S. military and allied countries including the Five Eyes nations – United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – as well as France and Japan, explore the future of warfighting communications, operations and maneuver.

As part of the first phase of PC-C4, these space Soldiers experimented with a small form factor system to determine if the kit fulfilled the Army’s current demand for a ruggedized, tactical space control system.

While the brigade’s current program of record is mobile, the Army is seeking technology that allows the capability to be hand-carried by the Soldiers themselves or transported by small tactical vehicles.

“Larger space capabilities cannot effectively integrate with more expeditionary units, such as SOF,” said Capt. Noah Siegel, Triad Experimentation Team platoon leader, 18th Space Company. “Shrinking our equipment and focusing on mobility allows our Soldiers to provide space support to units of all types at or beyond the tactical edge. For warfighters on the ground, this tactical space support enables the synchronization and convergence of joint and multidomain effects to enhance lethality.”

Amid the desert scrub and sand at the base of the Organ Mountains, the 1st Space Brigade Soldiers operated the small form factor from the back seat of the utility task vehicle – driven by soldiers with the British Army Special Operations Brigade – to demonstrate how space operations crews not only support American SOF partners but integrate with friendly coalition forces.

At the tactical level, Army space capabilities, such as the small form factor, would enhance ground maneuver formations’ ability to see, sense, stimulate, strike and assess across the spectrum. Special operations forces allow space Soldiers deeper physical access into austere operating environments.

“It was great to see the similarities and differences in how space, signal, cyber, as well as U.S., U.K., and Australian SOF partners operate,” said Sgt. Jon Rizzo, 18th Space Company. “We enjoyed working with these forces and exploring where and how we can fit in.”

Though the small form factor is not an Army program of record, experimentation initiatives such as PC-C4 allow the Army to assess the suitability of certain equipment to inform future programs of record.

Data and lessons learned from the brigade’s experimentation during PC-C4 was presented at Camp Pendleton, California, to Department of Defense senior leaders, allies and partners on March 4-5.

Story by Brooke Nevins 

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command

75th Ranger Regiment Medics Prove They’re the ‘Best of the Best’

Saturday, March 16th, 2024

Fort Liberty, N.C. — The 2024 Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark, Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition was held from March 4-8, at Fort Liberty. This year’s winners are Staff Sgt. Patrick Murphy, 75th Ranger Regiment, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Musso, 75th Ranger Regiment, both of Hunter Army Airfield.

The Army Best Medic Competition is a two-Soldier team competition that physically and intellectually challenges the Army’s top medics in a three-day event that includes a realistic simulated operational environment. The competition pushes Soldiers to their limits to test their tactical and technical operational medicine capabilities — the skills required to bring the injured, ill or wounded warfighter home. More than 50 competitors squared off in teams of two for this year’s competition.

“This is about our Soldiers having combat ready care on the battlefield [in order] to be the most lethal force,” said Lt. Gen Mary K. Izaguirre, Surgeon General of the Army and commanding general of Army Medical Command, at the finish of the competition’s mystery event. “[Soldiers] are going to need everything we ask of you.”

The course tests medical skills and physical capabilities. However, the rigor prepares medics for combat deployments or any other demanding assignment the medics needs to do.

The competition is designed to simulate a realistic environment that includes emerging threats and to represent real-world combat conditions.”

“This competition makes me want to train harder,” said Musso. “To bring my [Soldiers] up to the level where we had to be over the last few days.” Musso said the hardest part was pushing himself farther than he had before.

The competition included events such as were foot marches, prolonged field care, weapons qualifications, day and night land navigation, knowledge test, and a mystery event and of a series of tasks the medics might face on the battlefield.

“Really glad to see all the hard work paid off,” said Murphy. “The hardest event for me was the dragging the Skedco for more than two miles.” (Editor’s note: A Skedco is a stretcher system used for transporting patients.)

Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Sprunger said to the competitors at the conclusion of the final event, “We were here to find the best of the best. Congratulations.”

Army medics serve as the first line of care for injured, ill or wounded Soldiers and ensures medical readiness. They must be ready when called upon to deploy, fight and win in combat.

“They put it all out there,” said Sprunger. “They did a great job.”

The Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark, Jr. Army Best Medic Competition is dedicated to the 13th command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Medical Command. Clark was one of the most respected leaders and noncommissioned officers in the history of the command who understood the important role of medics in the Army and the trust Soldiers and leaders of units in combat must have in the Army Medical Department.

The competition is open to all active duty, Army National Guard and Army Reserve medical soldiers who have earned the competitive Combat Medical Badge or Expert Field Medical Badge.

Both Musso and Murphy agreed that future medics considering the competition should, “put themselves in really hard situations and force themselves to not quit.”

By Ronald Wolf

Army Enters into Development Phase of the Joint Targeting Fires Product

Monday, March 11th, 2024

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The Army has officially started development of a new software that will automate the fires targeting process, giving commanders rapid data, situational awareness, and visualization to successfully deliver fires.

The software, known as Joint Targeting Integrated Command and Coordination Suite, or JTIC2S, will replace the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System, JADOCS, and provide fires targeting capability and a joint fires targeting common operational pictures across forces.

Now in the engineering and manufacturing development phase, the Army will develop the software’s first iteration known as the minimum viable product, conduct testing in the field, incorporate Soldier feedback and then look to industry to further develop the software’s capabilities.

“Entering this phase of development is an exceptional achievement and a critical step to consolidating safety-critical fires software onto a single baseline,” said Col. Matthew Paul, project manager for Mission Command at Program Executive Office, Command, Control, Communications – Tactical, known as PEO C3T. “While JADOCS has served the Army well for more than 30 years, moving to JTIC2S will allow us to keep pace with the speed of technology, evolving Army priorities, and help us deliver a product that is effective for the warfighter.”

PEO C3T has determined the JTIC2S and the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System Artillery Execution Suite and collective capabilities/development effort is considered a Fires Safety Critical Baseline. This capability will leverage a common back-end architecture, an open application programming interface and a common/intuitive role-based user interface shared by all fire support command and control and mission command systems using Tactical Assault Kit software.

As a software-only program, JTIC2S will link sensors to shooters without the need for specific hardware. It will provide rapid target engagement, near real-time access to friendly and enemy unit data, and be fully interoperable with Army, joint, intelligence community and coalition forces systems. Military service branches across echelons will utilize the functions within JTIC2S to support combined joint all-domain command and control and joint all-domain operations against a near-peer adversary.

Data, once tracked through Excel and PowerPoint files, will now be automated and displayed through 4D visualization to help commanders see themselves in time and space. The new system will utilize Tactical Assault Kit, a situational awareness web application that provides quick access to a common operating picture. JTIC2S will also be able to process varying data formats and leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to aid commanders and forces in the decision-making process.

“Modernizing this software means the Army will be agile and responsive to the needs of the operational force,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Godwin, product manager for PEO C3T Fire Support Command and Control. “It will also be backwards compatible with JADOCS so that joint forces that continue to use JADOCS will still be able to communicate effectively. We know that theaters fight differently. Developing JTIC2S as a software only program will help us integrate into any network, and as technology enhances, we can make changes without a lot of time and money.”

The Army plans to use a multi-vendor approach for contracting and will be seeking various industry partners later in the fiscal year to help build this iterative software in addition to Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System Artillery Execution Suite and the Fires Safety Critical Baseline.

By Danielle Kress, PEO C3T Public Affairs