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Project Convergence 2022 to Demonstrate Futuristic Joint, Multinational Warfighting Technologies

Saturday, September 24th, 2022

AUSTIN, Texas — Several thousand U.S., U.K. and Australian service members, researchers and industry partners will experiment with and assess new technologies at U.S. military installations across the Western U.S. between September and November as part of Project Convergence 2022.

The expansive effort is the newest endeavor of the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence, a flagship modernization learning, experimentation and demonstration campaign. The Army led its first large-scale Project Convergence experiment in 2020, and has continued to grow the scope, scale and complexity of the event annually.

“Project Convergence 2022 is an all-service experiment that includes Special Operations Forces, and our U.K. and Australian partners. Using existing and emerging technologies from space to land and sea, PC22 will experiment with capabilities that protect against air and missile threats as well as those that will allow us to defeat anti-access defenses,” said Lt. Gen. Scott McKean, director of Project Convergence 2022. McKean explained Project Convergence 2022 incorporates service experimentation and learning, like the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System and the Navy’s Project Overmatch, to inform Joint All-Domain Command and Control development. Logistics capabilities will also play a central role in PC22.

Project Convergence 2022 will evaluate approximately 300 technologies, including long-range fires, unmanned aerial systems, autonomous fighting vehicles and next-generation sensors, and focus on advancing Joint and Multinational interoperability in future operational environments.

The event will also encompass the inaugural PC22 Technology Gateway, an industry engagement opportunity hosted by U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command that will kick off experimentation by assessing novel solutions available from the commercial sector.

“Having Tech Gateway as part of the Project Convergence series gives us the opportunity to assess new technologies against operational concepts and see what’s in the realm of the possible; what could be. Such experimentation informs possible future Army requirements, provides valuable feedback and increases the speed of learning as we strive for breakthrough technologies of the future,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas H. Todd III, deputy commanding general for Acquisition & Systems and the chief innovation officer at U.S. Army Futures Command.

The Joint Force and Multinational partners will utilize key learning and experimentation outcomes from Project Convergence 2022 to hone new military technologies, many of which offer state-of-the-art problem solving and network integration capabilities for the future fight.

By Army Futures Command

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Research | Comments Off on Project Convergence 2022 to Demonstrate Futuristic Joint, Multinational Warfighting Technologies

United States Army Awards AeroVironment $20.6 Million Switchblade 300 Tactical Missile Systems Contract

Friday, September 23rd, 2022

• Combat-proven Switchblade with patented wave-off and recommit capability provides operators with increased lethality, reach and precision strike capabilities with minimal collateral effects

Designed for use in engaging beyond-line-of-sight targets with lethal effects, Switchblade 300 is deployed via tube-launch from land, sea, mobile or air organic platforms. (Image: AeroVironment, Inc.)

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 22, 2022 –AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced it received a $20,602,464 firm-fixed-price contract award on Aug. 18, 2022 from the U.S. Army Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions (TAGM) project office for the procurement of Switchblade® 300 tactical missile systems (TMS). The contract will be managed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal and is scheduled to be delivered by July 2023.

“Deployed by the U.S. Army for more than a decade, Switchblade 300 remains a critical force protection and soldier lethality solution for our customers, including Ukraine,” said Brett Hush, AeroVironment vice president and product line general manager for TMS. “It closes the gap between observation and action, giving soldiers the ability to identify threats and engage hostile beyond-line-of-sight targets from a greater distance with minimal collateral damage.”

AeroVironment’s combat-proven Switchblade 300 is back-packable and rapidly deployable from ground platforms, including a multipack launcher, providing warfighters with rapid-response force protection and precision strike capabilities up to six miles (10 kilometers) from its launch location.

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Program Manager Soldier Lethality Reorganizes

Thursday, September 22nd, 2022

During this week’s Future Force Capabilities Conference presented by the National Defense Industrial Association in Austin, Texas, Program Manager Soldier Lethality COL Scott Madore briefed the audience on changes to his PM’s structure.

The structure of PEO Soldier has undergone several changes over the past few years and part of Reorg Phase III was to stand up PM Small Arms Fire Control (SAFC). SAFC is responsible for Family of Weapon Sights, Small Tactical Optical Rifle Mounted (STORM) sights, and the XM157 Next Gen Squad Weapon Fire Control (NGSW-FC).

Transitioning several program from PM Soldier Sensors and Lasers, PM SAFC will continue operations at Ft Belvoir, VA and NGSW-FC will remain at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ.

With the addition of PM SAFC, PM-SL is now has responsibility for the full life cycle of small arms, including enablers.

Posted in Army, Optics, PEO-Soldier, weapons | 6 Comments »

Army Considering New Capabilities for Infantry Including Precision Grenadier System, Medium Machine Gun & Mortar for Airborne Units

Wednesday, September 21st, 2022

Yesterday at the Future Force Capabilities Conference presented by the National Defense Industrial Association in Austin, Army acquisition officials provided information about future weapon capabilities for the service’s Close Combat Forces.

Two of Program Manager Soldier Lethality’s focus areas are engaging targets in defilade and future Medium Machine Gun capabilities.

Precision Grenadier System

In the past, the Army has worked to develop a system which could effectively engage targets in trenches and fighting positions. Referred to as the XM25 “Punisher,” it was the result of the XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon envisioned in the mid-1990s as a weapon which combined a 5.56mm kinetic energy carbine tied to a 20mm air burst system, essentially a programmable grenade launcher. The OICW’s two systems were untethered with the carbine becoming the ill-fated XM8 carbine and the grenade launcher ,the XM25 Individual Semi-automatic Airburst System. Despite being tested in Afghanistan, this counter-defilade weapon wasn’t quite ready for prime time.

The Army still wants the capability but it became a lower priority for a time as the Next Gen Squad Weapons program went through down select. However, the Maneuver Center of Excellence is working on a requirement for a Precision Grenadier System. PGS is envisioned as a man-portable, counter-defilade, target engagement system that enables the squad to organically destroy enemy personnel targets in defilade with quick and precise engagements. PGS is a flat trajectory, high velocity, semi-automatic, multi-shot weapon system, with a firefight ending lethality and precision compared to the legacy M320 GL.

This slide shows how PGS enhances engagement over troops equipped with the M320.

PGS just completed the Commanding General Assessment Board on 31 August, moving it forward for requirement development which is expected to be published in 2024. It will be evaluated as a full system including ammunition, launcher and fire control. The requirement will be caliber non-specific but rather concentrate on effects on target.

The Army is also working to field Individual Assault Munitions. This slide depicts how the Army plans to field both PGS and IAM and how they will be used.

Medium Machine Gun

Now that the Army is on the path toward fielding new Squad Weapons and ammunition, it is looking at how it equips the Platoon. It is conducting the Platoon Arms and Ammunition Configuration Study which will inform decision makers on how best to proceed regarding a new Medium Machine Gun capability. It examines the full trade space of feasible combinations fire control, weapons and ammunition capable of performing in a dismounted and platform mounted configuration. The PAAC study should be published by 4Q23 with a decision on MMG in 2024.

Although it’s still a way out for the Army, USSOCOM is working on a Lightweight Medium Machine Gun program in .338 Norma Mag with the Marine Corps monitoring. The Army is holding off committing to any course of action until the PAAC study is complete. Options include a new caliber and weapon or perhaps just a new weapon in 7.62mm NATO or 6.8 Common Case as is used in NGSW.

Battalion Mortar System

An additional new capability that was briefed is the Enhanced 81mm Mortar which will be employed by units weighing Mobile Brigade Combat Teams within the 11th, 82nd, and 101st Abn Divs. The Battalion Mortar System’s E81C will replace the 120mm mortars one for one and offer increased mobility with less similar performance to the 120mm systems they are replacing. The goal is to provide greater range and lethality at H-hour rather than at H+4 as is now the case. E81C will be mounted on the Infantry Squad Vehicle.

Posted in Army, weapons | 6 Comments »

Wisconsin Guard Soldiers Hone Water Survival, Rescue Skills

Monday, September 19th, 2022

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers conducted combat water survival and swift water rescue training in the Fox River on Sept. 10.

The rigorous training prepared the Soldiers of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, to answer the call to aid in domestic operations whenever needed.

The event was the company’s first large-scale home station training with all Soldiers back together after many deployments and state missions over the past few years.

While on the water, Soldiers learned how to use a Zodiac watercraft and right it when capsized. They also trained to rescue people from a debris field in swift-moving water and identify and treat the victim’s injuries.

The Soldiers performed combat water survival training by treading water in full uniform, including combat boots, for five minutes, swimming 25 meters in full uniform and with a rifle.

“It is great to get back into the community where the National Guard belongs,” said Sgt. 1st Class Charles Hensen, readiness noncommissioned officer and platoon sergeant with Company A. “And to be hosting a domestic operations training event that prepares the Soldiers to use the equipment they could be using in a natural disaster so that we can remain true to our mission to serve our neighbors and the people of Wisconsin.”

Spc. Shane Kieslich received a challenge coin from Brig. Gen. Matthew Strub, Wisconsin’s deputy adjutant general for Army, for his efforts during the training.

“Command has been trying to switch things up and get us training we haven’t done before,” Kieslich said. “I’m not the best swimmer, so it was a little bit of a struggle, but I thought it was great and I think it really boosts the morale of the Soldiers in the unit.”

Command Sgt. Maj. Georgett Hall, senior enlisted advisor to Wisconsin’s adjutant general, shared that sentiment.

“Not only is this great training for their mission, but it’s also great for morale and retaining Soldiers because there are not a lot of units in the state doing events like this,” Hall said.

Strub said the event was about overcoming adversity and fear and forming a stronger bond as a unit.

“Having competition and building that camaraderie in small teams helps a team to gel and work together,” Strub said. “And then no matter what task they are given in the future, they are able to attack it that much better.”

By SSG Kati Volkman, Wisconsin National Guard

SSG Alice Ripberger contributed to this story.

Posted in Army, Guest Post | Comments Off on Wisconsin Guard Soldiers Hone Water Survival, Rescue Skills

Kosovo Security Force Members Make History, Earn U.S. Air Assault Badge

Saturday, September 17th, 2022

JOHNSTON, Iowa– Two Kosovo Security Force members made history by becoming the first KSF soldiers to graduate from a U.S. Air Assault course Sept. 9, 2022, at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa.

Maj. Gen. Ben Corell, the Adjutant General of Iowa National Guard, along with representatives from the Des Moines Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo and senior KSF leadership, were present to congratulate Pvt. Sead Berisha, a psychological operations soldier, and Staff Sgt. Lorik Ramaj, a civilian affairs soldier, on earning their U.S. Air Assault badges. Sead and Ramaj stood at attention alongside U.S. Soldiers and Airmen as their mentors and loved ones pinned them with their “wings” on graduation day.

On the first day of the course, Berisha described feeling strange being in a different uniform from the U.S. service members surrounding him, but said that his fellow students were approachable and encouraging.

“It’s my first time in the U.S. and in Iowa, and I feel really special to be here,” said Berisha.

Berisha and Ramaj represent their countrymen in their admirable achievement but also the flourishing National Guard State Partnership Program that joins Kosovo and Iowa in military-to-military engagements in support of defense security goals and cooperation objectives that also foster cultural exchange.

Over 290 service members converged at the post to earn the coveted Air Assault Badge, Pathfinder Badge or title of Rappel Master throughout August and September.

It was the first time in four years that Mobile Training Teams based out of the Army National Guard Warrior Training Center at Fort Benning, Georgia, traveled to Camp Dodge to teach the courses. The cadre led the Soldiers and Airmen through grueling tasks that were both physically and mentally challenging.

The U.S. Army Air Assault course trains service members across all branches in sling load operations and rappelling, as well as being a true test of grit. It includes phases that test not only their technical aptitude, but their ability to negotiate a tough obstacle course between repetitions of various exercises and — for those who pass all other tests — finishes with a timed 12-mile ruck march.

As for the Pathfinder course, a 2020 Army Times article stated the course would get the axe as projected at the time, but Sgt. 1st Class Josh Ludecke said that’s not the case. Ludecke is the primary Pathfinder instructor assigned to Company B, ARNG WTC.

“We’re still here for the Army National Guard, and our training center has absorbed executive agency of the Pathfinder school,” said Ludecke. “We’re doing things that we can to fit [the course] more toward the force we need.”

1st Lt. Tanner Potter is an Iowa National Guard Soldier currently serving on active duty orders as the executive officer of Company B, ARNG WTC. He explained the difference between the Army’s Pathfinder and Air Assault courses.

“Pathfinders are able to be off on their own establishing drop zones and can go in ahead of a unit,” said Potter. “It’s just extremely in-depth, almost like college-level classes. Air assault is much easier for younger Soldiers to understand, strictly focusing on tower rigging and rappelling, that sort of thing.”

Each course has overall objectives and knowledge that culminates with each skill level. Air Assault is meant to lay the foundation for Pathfinder as well as the Rappel Master course, which is currently being held at Camp Dodge.

Sgt. Briton Ensminger, a cavalry scout with Troop A, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, IANG, said the Pathfinder course involved “very, very rigorous studying.” Yet, the long hours of mental strain paid off when he earned his badge on graduation day alongside his twin brother, Sgt. Bergen Ensminger, and was pinned by the primary Air Assault instructor. The Ensminger brothers are from Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

“The non-commissioned officer-in-charge of Air Assault is an old squad leader of mine [from] when I deployed,” said Ensminger. “He got to pin on my torch for me, so that was pretty cool.”

The Rappel Master course at Camp Dodge, which also offers a valuable and specialized set of skills focusing on aircraft rigging and rappelling, is set to graduate approximately 27 service members Sept. 15. This will close out a significant joint training event that gives service members a chance to both stand out and stand together with others who’ve earned these skills and badges.

Story by SSG Samantha Hircock

Photos by SSG Tawny Kruse

Posted in Army, Guest Post, International, Training | 2 Comments »

Federal Ammunition Awarded 5-Year, $114M U.S. Army Contract

Thursday, September 15th, 2022

ANOKA, Minnesota – September 14, 2022 – Federal Ammunition has been awarded a 5-year contract to produce the United States Army’s 5.56mm training ammunition valued at $114 million dollars. AA40 5.56mm frangible ammunition is used by the U.S. military branches in rifles and carbines chambered for this caliber for training.

“This contract is historic,” said Jason Vanderbrink, President of Federal Ammunition. “It is the largest government contract awarded to Federal in its 100-years of operation and speaks volumes to the trust the United States military has in our American workforce assembling the best products for our servicemen and servicewomen.”

“Successfully executing on the AA40 contract requires large scale production capabilities combined with stringent quality control measures,” said Erik Carlson, Senior Director of Operations at Federal’s headquarters located in Anoka, MN. “Awards of this magnitude are validation of Federal’s committed workforce to meet these demands and provide the best ammunition possible for our U.S. Armed Forces time and time again.”

“Federal’s frangible training ammunition has been recognized as the best in the business by the United States military and this latest U.S. Army awarded contract continues that recognition,” said Vice President of Government Sales David Leis. “The ammunition is designed to disintegrate into small fragments on impact, minimizing over-penetrating and ricochet hazards, making it ideal for training purposes.”

Federal ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct. For more on Federal ammunition, visit www.federalpremium.com.

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Army Medical Materiel Development Activity Looks to Modernize Oxygen Delivery

Thursday, September 15th, 2022

FORT DETRICK, Md. — The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity’s Warfighter Deployed Medical Systems and the U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity, or USAMTEAC, recently partnered at Fort Detrick to assess three commercially available medical-grade oxygen generating systems in early August.

Soldiers from Fort Bragg and Joint Base Lewis-McChord participated and received training on each system prior to the evaluation and testing. Once trained the Soldiers operated the products as if they were deployed.

During the testing process, standard-sized cylindrical oxygen tanks are vacuumed before being refilled to verify the flowrate. Next, the oxygen is tested for purity before the tanks are vacuumed and recycled through the process again.

“On the battlefield, patients who need oxygen would come to us,” said Staff Sgt. Lorrence Wilder of the 551st Medical Logistics Company at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. “For example, a field hospital may need purified oxygen and it would be our job to use one of these products to refill their oxygen supply.”

The Soldiers and the USAMTEAC personnel verify that the products meet the standards and perform as expected.

“This modernization is a two-year process,” said Austin Langdon, deputy product manager at Warfighter Deployed Medical Systems — Modernization. “In phase one, the teams gathered data and information, to develop a list of essential characteristics to describe the requirements products had to meet. That wasn’t done in a vacuum, we worked with the Future Field Integration Division, the Capability Development and Integration Directorate, and others to put the list of essential characteristics together.”

Each essential characteristic has a minimum level and a desired level that vendors must meet to be considered.

All three devices operate on pressure swing absorption systems, which take in ambient air and filter-out other gases until the oxygen reaches the desired purity level.

“We are conducting unbiased testing on one system at a time,” said Eitter Rodriguez, one of the USAMTEAC test officers. “Each system evaluated on its own merits. The tests are the same across the board. They are all different systems, but the requirements for each are the same.”

“Maintenance and sustainability are considered in addition to the test results,” said Langdon. “If two machines meet the requirements, but one requires significantly more costs to maintain, then that needs to be assessed as well.”

Evaluators say the goal is to make a selection, field and fully deliver a product to the field to take care of Warfighters. The Army Medical Logistics Command maintains and sustains the product throughout its lifespan.

“Our Medical Maintenance Operation divisions throughout the United States, Europe and Korea call us when there’s a maintenance issue,” said Leigh Anne Alexander, director of the Integrated Logistics Support Center under the Army Medical Logistics Command. “So, identifying test parameters early-on, ensures the system is doing what it is supposed to do, is really important.”

Story by Scotty Hogan

Photos by Denver Beaulieu-Hains and T. T. Parish

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Medical | Comments Off on Army Medical Materiel Development Activity Looks to Modernize Oxygen Delivery