Via social media the Army dropped this image regarding the announced the establishment of the Army Mariner and Mountaineer badges in ALARACT 025/2025 and 026/2025.
The Mariner Badges will recognize proficiency in mariner operations at three different levels of expertise and the Mountaineer badge will recognize proficiency in mountaineering operations.
FORT IRWIN, Calif. (March 11, 2025) – The Army’s Next Generation Command and Control effort is reaching a critical milestone at Project Convergence Capstone 5, where commanders and Soldiers are employing new capabilities in realistic mission scenarios and conditions.
Next Generation Command and Control, known as NGC2, aims to provide the integrated information framework that commanders need to make rapid decisions across warfighting functions, giving them an edge over adversaries. NGC2 will also enable Army tactical units to operate faster and more dispersed by providing lighter, more mobile and survivable network and C2 equipment.
“What we’re trying to do is take these emerging technologies where we can get this data better and faster to execute,” said Lt. Col. Tad Coleman, commander of the 2-37 Armor Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division (1/1 AD). “The technology in Next Generation C2 is the stuff a majority of people are seeing and already doing (in their daily lives). It’s just that now, it’s at the fingertips of the commander.”
After a year of NGC2 technical experimentation in lab and field environments, the Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PCC5) experiment taking place within the operational rigors of the National Training Center is serving as a “proof of principle” for the Army to assess progress with the approach before transitioning to prototyping.
NGC2 is focused at the 3-star headquarters and below to provide a “full stack” of capabilities from applications to edge compute and tactical communications links. At PCC5, the 1/1AD, 82nd Airborne Division, and 18th Airborne Corps are utilizing elements of NGC2 experimental capabilities to execute offensive and defensive operations at speed, scale, and distance, attempting to achieve shared understanding of the battlefield and improve decision-making at all echelons.
Although early in the experiment, Soldiers and leaders at PCC5 said they saw the value of NGC2 in providing faster communications, smaller form factors, more complete data across warfighting functions, and ease of training and use as compared with legacy systems.
“It is really good information that is passed a lot faster,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Johnson, a section sergeant in Alpha Company, 2-37 Armor Battalion.
At PCC5, NGC2 experimental technology – including applications, data infrastructure, software, and hardware such as tablets, end user devices, and mobile communications equipment – has been integrated onto the armor battalion’s tactical vehicles, as well as brigade, division, and corps nodes. However, Army officials emphasized that the equipment at PCC5 is not a final product, and solutions will continue to evolve based on upcoming prototype contract awards and continuous iteration of requirements and user input.
The ability to avoid vendor lock, and flexibility to make quick changes to functionality based on Soldier needs, are key Army priorities in developing the NGC2 approach. Even ahead of PCC5, Army Futures Command made updates based on Soldier feedback received from 1/1 AD at a touchpoint in January.
“We were able to generate more Soldier feedback, and since we’ve been out here (at Project Convergence) we’ve actually seen a lot of that integrated and incorporated,” said Capt. Nathan Kraemer, brigade AS3 (operations officer), 1/1 AD. “It’s very intuitive, the functionality of it. That really opened our eyes, and everyone was excited to use this. Now, we are just seeing how it can contribute, take effect, and change the way we fight.”
Breaking down information siloes and stovepipes across warfighting functions, locations, and echelons for a common understanding of the battlefield has the potential to significantly change operations, users said.
“I fully believe that you cannot win any war without communications,” said Sfc. Victor Norman-Morris, a communications section chief in 2-37 Armor Battalion. “I don’t care if it’s bullets, logistics – if you can’t talk to whoever you’re trying to, to get whatever you need, you’re not going to be able to do it. At every echelon, everybody (must be) able to talk and sync and be on the same page so we can continue moving forward and completing our missions successfully.”
For example, Sfc. Joshua Holland, a platoon sergeant in Alpha Company, 2-37 Armor Battalion, said using NGC2 at PCC5 enabled him to gather more real-time data to “paint a picture” of the battlefield that provided greater situational awareness to his platoon leader.
“She can control everything that she has to control, and I can continue to paint that picture, and the system I’m [using] right now is making it a lot easier to do that in a quicker time,” Holland said. “You can get a visual image of something and simultaneously share that with your counterparts. Even if it’s something simple like sending a message saying, ‘Hey, can you see this?’ and you share it and it’s an immediate response back and forth.”
Project Convergence is the Army’s premier experimentation event that brings operational units and industry teams together in a complex real world operational environment to test ideas, concepts, and promising technology. The lessons and observations captured during PCC5 will directly inform Army decisions to refine requirements documents, prioritize funding, and invest to accelerate promising technologies.
For NGC2, the operational feedback received through PCC5 will inform updates to requirements including the Capability Characteristics of Need (CoN) document, which is consistently updated to reflect the evolving needs of the warfighter and technology progress.
NGC2 is executed in partnership by the Army Futures Command (AFC) and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)). The AFC product owner and ASA(ALT) program manager will work together to plan and rapidly execute capability drops in concert with the operational force.
By Claire Heininger, U.S. Army Futures Command C2 CFT
Hot on the heels of the ALARACT announcing the new Army Mountaineering badge, the design has leaked via LinkedIn and it features a Ram’s Head.
Here are a couple of points:
– Guidelines should be ‘official’ in 60 days, per the message.
– 120 days or so until they’re available for purchase.
– This should cover any Echo Qualified Soldier.
FORT DETRICK, Md. – The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs’ Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program recently awarded a $3.4 million grant to a team of Cleveland Clinic researchers to develop an innovative augmented reality tool for assessing whether Warfighters recovering from concussion are ready to return to duty. The new tool, called Troop Readiness Evaluation with Augmented Reality Return-to-Duty, or Troop READY, promises to provide answers more quickly and reliably than existing methods.
Concussion, also referred to as mild traumatic brain injury or mTBI, is a relatively common injury in the military. According to the DOD Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, over 80% of the TBI injuries sustained by Service Members between 2000 and 2024 were classified as mTBI. Service Members can experience an mTBI while on deployment, during training, and even when participating in a sport. Most injured Service Members are able to return to duty within two weeks. Military doctors currently follow a six-step protocol called the Progressive Return to Activity for safely returning an injured Service Member to duty, but the PRA has some shortcomings.
“The PRA is not 100% objective,” explains Dr. Dwayne Taliaferro, CDMRP’s TBIPHRP program manager. “While a medical professional guides the Service Member through the protocol, progress is dependent on the Service Member’s self-assessment of the mildness or severity of their symptoms. Troop READY offers an opportunity to provide more objectivity in the PRA protocol.”
Troop READY uses a Microsoft HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset and simulated M4 carbine assault rifle to generate a series of realistic and increasingly intensive scenarios that a patient must complete in order to simultaneously assess their cognitive and physical readiness. The exercises involve marching, shooting while standing and kneeling, and breaching and clearing a room. The patient’s cognitive, motor, and task performance capabilities are then analyzed using specially trained machine learning algorithms to determine the severity of any detected symptoms.
Dr. Jay Alberts, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Concussion Center, is leading the three-year project to further refine Troop READY, which he originally developed and tested under a previous CDMRP grant. In partnership with Microsoft Federal, Alberts and his team will use the new grant to improve the tool’s ability to detect signs of mTBI and to recommend personalized treatment plans for patients that streamline their return to duty.
Under the TBIPHRP grant, Alberts and his team will conduct a usability study with volunteers to refine the simulation modules, which will then be tested on a larger cohort of volunteers to identify baseline performance levels. Those baseline data will be used to train the machine learning algorithms to ensure a high degree of accuracy when assessing a patient’s current condition and guiding their continued treatment.
Taliaferro says that Troop READY offers several potential advantages over existing methods for assessing mTBI recovery in Service Members. For example, doctors use a battery of neurocognitive tests called Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics to assess a Service Member’s readiness to return to duty. The computer-based ANAM assesses changes to a Service Member’s attention, reaction time, memory, and decision-making abilities based on their answers to a series of survey questions. However, as a sit-down multiple-choice test, ANAM lacks the fidelity of an active 3D simulation.
“The Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment Laboratory at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence blends virtual reality with a treadmill, immersive video, surround sound, and even smells,” Taliaferro says. “It is very powerful, but it’s in a fixed location and not very portable. Whereas with Troop READY, you can deploy the goggle set and the mock weapon anywhere quickly.”
In addition to helping Warfighters return to duty, the Troop READY tool has the potential to be adapted for use in other fields where mTBI is a risk, such as professional sports, construction, and law enforcement, says Taliaferro.
Before it can be deployed with the military or other users, Troop READY will need to be assessed by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the DOD for its safety and readiness for use.
“CDMRP’s role is to accelerate the development of products like Troop READY so that they can be properly evaluated to determine how, when, and where they can be deployed,” explains Taliaferro. “We do not always put things directly in the hands of Warfighters at the end of a study, but we get them as close as we can. That is a great use of taxpayer dollars.”
By Paul Lagasse, USAMRDC Public Affairs Office
In ALARACT 06/2025 released on 13 March 2025, the US Army announces the Mountaineering Badge to recognize proficiency in mountaineering operations. However, as proficient as you might be in military mountaineering, its award is limited to graduates of the Army Mountaineering School which is run by the Vermont National Guard.
Currently, course graduates are awarded the famed Ram’s Head badge, which is only authorized for wear by National Guard Soldiers. When Sergeant Major of the Army Weimer announced that the Army would be introducing the badge to the total force during AUSA last fall, he stated that it would be a completely new badge and that the service would not adopt the Ram’s Head Device.
According to the message, the design of the badge has still not been determined but that the Army Institute of Heraldry will release the design within 60 days and it will be available for sale at Military Clothing Sales stores within 120 days.
The Army Contracting Command – New Jersey, in support of Project Manager Soldier Lethality (PMSL), intends to issue a request for proposal (RFP) W15QKN-25-R-0016. This solicitation is to procure M4 Carbines (NSN: 1005-01-231-0973/Part Number 9390000) and M4A1 Carbines (NSN: 1005-01-382-0953/Part Number 12972700) built to print using the Technical Data Package (TDP). Due to Colt’s Manufacturing Company, LLC’s sole ownership of the M4/M4A1 TDP and the license agreement between Colt and the United States Government, this procurement action will be a sole source award to Colt’s Manufacturing Company, LLC.
This action should come as no surprise as pointed out on the notice that Colt owns the Technical Data Package for the M16 rifle / M4 carbine and the Army has previously awarded similar sustainment contracts in the past. Colt was purchased by CZ Group in 2021.
What many don’t understand, with almost a million M4(A1) carbines in service, the Army must continue to procure new rifles to replace weapons as they wear out. I expect this process to continue until the last M4 is pulled from service sometime in the 2040/ or beyond. This will continue to be the case as long as the weapon remains in service, somewhere in the Total Force, regardless of procurement of Next Generation Squad Weapon. This is a reality of almost every program of record.
The M4/M4A1 Carbines provide the Department of Defense with compact, lightweight weapons that fire NATO 5.56mm ammunition from a 30-round magazine, mount the latest generation of fire control accessories and enablers, and provide increased protection and firepower in close quarters. The period of performance (POP) of the contract(s) will be for five (5) one-year ordering periods to cover FY25-FY30 Army and Department of Defense (DoD) M4/M4A1 Carbine requirements. The anticipated contract minimum guarantee of 90 M4/M4A1 Carbines will be met with the first delivery. The Army expects to issue task orders with up to a maximum quantity of 30,000 units of any combination of M4 or M4A1 Carbines.
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – During the Industry Stakeholder Engagement Forum here last week, the U.S. Army Chief of Infantry encouraged more than 400 representatives from across the military industrial enterprise to reconsider how they conceptualize the end user as they develop capabilities for front-line Soldiers.
Brig. Gen. Phil Kiniery, Chief of Infantry, Commandant of the U.S. Army Infantry School and the director of the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team at Fort Benning, Georgia, introduced the concept of Squad as a System, the Army’s new systematic and holistic approach to enabling and enhancing close combat squads.
“My goal this morning is to convey to you just how much we need you, what we need from you, and that the need is urgent,” said Kiniery, who spoke March 4 to an audience of representatives from traditional and non-traditional industries.
Decades of “kitting and equipping” Soldiers piecemeal and through various traditional “stovepipes” has resulted in redundancies, excessive weight, and cognitive overload, Kiniery said.
“Squad as a System is the way forward, a new approach,” he said. “It is a formation-based approach, because we fight formations.”
His message to those interested in partnering with the Army to facilitate Squad as a System: We need to rapidly deliver reliable technology and reduce redundancies.
“Going forward, we must focus on a common architecture to optimize the performance of the squad, not just the individual,” he said. “How can we effectively maximize combat power with packaged capabilities that are better designed, developed, and integrated to provide stable and predictable modernization?”
How do we reduce redundancy and increase combat power?
How do we reduce weight and increase combat power?
How do we reduce cognitive load and increase combat power?
How do we improve efficiency and increase combat power?
Currently, Kiniery said, the individual Soldier carries or wears more than 80 items with redundant power sources and cables. The goal is to reduce the fighting load to no more than 30 percent of the Soldier’s body weight, or about 55 pounds.
“Excessive load will degrade the Soldier’s cognitive and physical performance if we don’t do something about it,” he said.
Presently, as each capability is developed individually, the process lacks an integration architecture, and there’s no synchronizing function for information flow in and out of the squad.
“I believe the application of Squad as a System is going to change all that,” said Kiniery, who invited his audience to “join us as we seek solutions to redundancies, weight, tactical power burden, cognitive overload, and lifecycle costs.”
To do that, he said, industry leaders will make sure individual items – wearable, non-wearable and weapons – are compatible and synergistic.
“Through Squad as a System, we will establish a sustainable, adaptable architecture with validated metrics and structural standards. This will facilitate an expectation, a standard, of what the future force will look like.”
By Bridgett Siter
You might be surprised by the number of things you use or rely on in work and play can be traced back to Army ingenuity or investment.
Check out this list to discover some of the many things created for or by the Army.
Food preservation – The Army is renowned for food preparation research. The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts specializes in, among other things, sustaining the military’s food.
Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, author of “Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way We Eat,” says much of the processed food we eat today originated through experiments in an Army laboratory.
The Army’s Quartermaster Corps funded research at the USDA early in World War II to resolve a problem that had stymied Army food scientists – they couldn’t dehydrate cheese to feed soldiers.
USDA scientist George Sanders came up with the solution, and after the war his method of powdered cheese was used to flavor Cheetos.
The Army also expanded research into high-pressure processing, which de Salcedo says is the application of high pressure to eliminate bacteria in food. Once the food industry adopted the Army’s techniques, it began using them on foods that are produced for public consumption.
One popular product that relies on the pressure process is ready-to-eat guacamole.
In a 2015 interview with National Public Radio, de Salcedo said she realized “that everything in my kids’ lunchboxes had military origins or influence – the bread, the sandwich meat, juice pouches, cheesy crackers, Goldfish Crackers and energy bars,” she said. “In a large sense, l estimate that 50 percent of items in today’s markets were influenced by the military.”
Pringles – The USDA and the Army Quartermaster Corps worked to develop dehydrated potato flakes, which led directly to the production of Pringles potato crisps.
Super Glue – Cyanoacrylate adhesives were initially discovered during World War Il by a scientist at Eastman Kodak Company when the Army was urging American industry to make things to help win the war.
Dr. Harry Coover initially created the new compound in 1942, while striving to create a clear plastic gun sight for Soldiers.
Believing the substance was too sticky, Coover shelved the idea for a decade, but later revisited it while researching material to make jet canopies. This time he realized he had created a super glue, and he filed for a patent.
During the Vietnam War, medical teams caring for severely injured Soldiers realized the material, marketed as Super Glue, was helpful for sealing bloody wounds and to stop bleeding until the patient could be transported to a medical unit for more advanced treatment. Cooper said he took great pride in the fact that his glue saved the lives of many Soldiers injured in combat.
The computer – The Army funded research by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania into the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. This was the first electronic computer used for general purposes. The Army wanted to calculate artillery firing tables for its Ballistic Research Laboratory. Construction began in 1943. Six women, recruited in 1942 for their math skills, programmed ENIAC.
Electric Razors – A retired Army colonel invented the first electric razor that could be easily manufactured. Jacob Schick patented his invention in 1928.
Duct Tape – In 1943, an Illinois woman with two sons in the military during World War II first visualized how to make a waterproof cloth tape to seal boxes of ammunition.
Vesta Stoudt worked at the Green River Ordinance Plant near Amboy, Illinois. According to Margaret Gurowitz, the chief historian with Johnson & Johnson, workers at the plant saw that the paper tape used to seal boxes of rifle ammo was inferior and hampered how Soldiers in combat opened the boxes, often while under fire.
Stoudt told others how the tape could be improved but didn’t get help from her supervisors. So, she wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, explaining the problem and detailing her idea to solve it with a better tape. According to Johnson & Johnson company history, the president passed her letter on to the War Production Board.
The board approved of the change and asked a Johnson & Johnson operating company to make the product based on its experience in making tape.
The Jeep – The brainstorm for a quarter-ton, four-wheel drive truck designed as a cross-country tactical vehicle originated just before World War II for the infantry. The military considered numerous prototypes from America’s automakers, and during the war, Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company produced 643,000 Jeeps for Allied forces.
Two-way portable radio – The Army asked Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, (now Motorola) to make a radio that would allow World War II Soldiers on the move to communicate with each other.
The EpiPen – The roots of a self-directed auto injector go back to 1973, when the Army asked a researcher to create an easy-to-use device to treat chemical warfare exposure for troops in the field. Soon after, experts in the medical industry realized that the auto injector device filled with epinephrine could be carried by civilians who suffer severe allergic reactions.
By Jonathan Austin , Army News Service
