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Army Invites Innovators to Enter 7th Dragon’s Lair

Monday, June 27th, 2022

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — For the first time ever, the XVIII Airborne Corps will partner with Army Futures Command to co-host the seventh installment of the innovative series Dragon’s Lair. This next edition of the “Shark Tank”-style competition will take place Aug. 16 in Austin, Texas.

In August 2020, the XVIII Airborne Corps, known as America’s Contingency Corps, developed Dragon’s Lair as a way to give soldiers of any rank across the corps a platform to convey their innovative ideas and concepts to civilian technical experts and senior military leaders. This new partnership with AFC will now bring ideas to the forefront of the Army’s premier institution, which is charged with modernizing the Army and its future readiness at a faster rate.

After five successful iterations of the program, the XVIII Airborne Corps realized that Dragon’s Lair could go beyond the Army’s reach and decided to open it up to all military service members across the Defense Department to seek more innovators and diversity of ideas across the joint force.

The partnership with AFC brings an opportunity to unlock new ideas for the advancement of the U.S. military. In the past, Dragon’s Lair has taken the previously unsought ideas of a cooling apparatus for body armor, an algorithm to predict a building’s layout, an app for the exceptional family member program, and an armored vehicle safety system, and it has elevated them to the next level for the betterment service members.

DOD service members can submit their innovative ideas on the Dragon Innovation website. Users must create an account, which does not require a Common Access Card and is available from civilian systems. All concepts must have a description of the innovation and the problem being addressed. Ideas must be submitted to the site by July 24, 2022, to be eligible for consideration for Dragon’s Lair 7.

Story by SGT Maxine Baen

Photos by SGM Alejandro Licea and SGT Marygian Barnes

Posted in Army, Guest Post | Comments Off on Army Invites Innovators to Enter 7th Dragon’s Lair

Walkie-Talkies and “Operation Gold Rush”

Saturday, June 25th, 2022

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. —Seventy-years ago this month, in April 1952, the Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories (SCEL) sent a team of Soldiers and specialists to California Army, Navy, and Marine bases to introduce new equipment and train Soldiers on how to use and maintain the latest innovations, dubbed “OPERATION GOLD RUSH.”

The equipment included something that would go on to become a common-place in civilian life – the walkie-talkie portable radio, also known as the SCR-300.

In an era where we carry small computers in our pockets, it’s difficult to comprehend the innovations behind the new “light weight” equipment for military use. The walkie-talkie, originally weighing in at 40 pounds, was first used at the end of World War II, in both the European and Pacific theaters, to high praise from Soldiers. Carried as a backpack, the VHF (40 to48 MHz) FM transceiver could reliably reach out 5 miles in the field.

The set was used in amphibious landings in the Pacific, over water for distances up to 15 miles. It was actually the “handie-talkie” (SCR-536) that would take the form of a hand-held unit that is commonly thought of today.

Radio Set SCR-536 was a first in the military communications field. The designers incorporated the microphone, earphone, batteries, antenna, and all of the electronics in a single case with a total weight of less than 6 pounds. The earphone and microphone were so situated that by raising the case to the side of his face, the operator could talk and listen comfortably. Raising the antenna turned the set on; a push-to-talk button, placed approximately where an individual’s finger tips would naturally rest, made the change from receive to transmit mode easy.

The earliest portable radios were designed with no particular miniaturization techniques in mind; however, the equipment was compact and reliable by the use of excellent engineering principles, consistent with the technology of that period. This compact equipment pioneered a number of technical advances and demonstrated a field usefulness which sparked later demands for miniaturization, mass production, and the wholesale distribution of communication facilities to the smallest military units.

For the first time, units as small as a squad, or even an individual Soldier, could communicate with an intelligence center and coordinate activity without having to drag a telephone wire through all types of terrain, or leave ammunition, arms, and survival equipment behind in order to carry heavy, bulky radio gear. In spite of the technical limitations of this radio set, it was such an asset in the field that it keyed a strong demand for miniaturization in the other varieties of military equipment which followed.

After the war, SCEL development personnel were convinced that the size and bulk of electronics had to shrink, particularly in the portable and vehicular categories. This miniaturization requirement assumed major importance in the light of the anticipated postwar expansion of electronics as the principal medium of communication, surveillance, fire control, countermeasures, intelligence service, meteorological soundings, and other such areas. In 1946, an ad hoc committee reported that “miniaturization should and will be a major objective in the design of future Signal Corps’ equipment.”

By 1952, the weight for the walkie-talkie (AN/PRC-10) had been reduced to half its original weight. Other improvements in the 1950s included reduction in static, the ability to use four or more sets in a communication net, up from the previous maximum of two, and a developing “homing beacon,” which allowed for an operator to tune in to a friendly transmitter and proceed to it, or identify positions of forward observers. Using quartz crystal tuning to hold the frequency stable, these radios began to usher in the era of continuous innovations and improvements coming out of the Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories and making their way down to the Soldier.

The development of a process to produce industrial-quality synthetic quartz crystals, also worked on in the Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories in this time period, ensured a steady availability of necessary supplies to meet military requirements.

“OPERATION GOLD RUSH” would introduce not only the improved walkie-talkies and handie-talkies to the field, but also new vehicular radios and radio teletype sets, radiation monitoring sets, switchboards and teletypewriters and field wire. All of these newer pieces of equipment owed their improvement to the efforts begun in the mid-1940s towards miniaturization. The invention of dip-soldered printed wiring in the Signal Corps in 1948 aroused the interest of the electronic industry in this new concept of construction and led to the first practical, mechanized, electronic production lines in the United

States. The almost simultaneous invention of the transistor by the Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1948 spurred the subsequent creation by the Signal Corps of entirely new families of compatible miniature electronic parts, transistors, and diodes which, together with printed wiring, made possible still newer plateaus of miniaturization achievement in the 1950’s.

By Susan Thompson, CECOM Command Historian

Posted in Army, Comms, Guest Post, History | 2 Comments »

US Army Updates Tattoo Policy

Thursday, June 23rd, 2022

Hat tip to @usawtfm for this:

Army Directive 2022-09 changes the Army tattoo policy to allow certain tattoos on hands, back of neck, and behind ear. There are specific limitations that are outlined in the memo.

Posted in Army, As Seen On Instagram, Profession of Arms | Comments Off on US Army Updates Tattoo Policy

‘Tropic Lightning’ Contributes to Soldier Performance Study

Saturday, June 18th, 2022

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — Recently, Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division volunteered for U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center Measuring and Advancing Soldier Tactical Readiness and Effectiveness, or MASTR-E, program baselining study and 72-hour field study efforts.

The MASTR-E Baseline Team is comprised of members of the DEVCOM Soldier Center and partners at Aberdeen Test Center, Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DEVCOM Data and Analysis Center, Naval Health Research Center and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, or WRAIR.

Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division volunteered to help the study, which objectively and holistically measures Soldier and squad performance by using a diverse set of metrics in order to capture and track cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and health status during extended live training exercises. The data collected will be used to identify the human dimension X-factors that reliably account for dismounted Soldier and small unit performance on fundamental warfighting tasks during sustained operations.

“Building a ready and resilient Army is a top priority. MASTR-E is a tool that helps the Army achieve this by providing vital information about our formations assisting leaders to optimize total Soldier performance,” said the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology), Mr. Young Bang. “Kudos to the 25th ID, DEVCOM [Soldier Center] and WRAIR Team for collaborating within the Army, industry and academia, to fit innovative solutions to help accomplish the Army’s priorities.”

As the partner of choice for multiple nations across — not just one or two time zones but over multiple time zones — leadership within the 25th Infantry Division is excited to participate in an innovative program that can provide tools to combat issues related to jet travel.

“The Wolfhounds are exceptionally excited and eager to work with the MASTR-E program to help gather and analyze small unit performance analytics that will help increase lethality and readiness across our fighting force,” said 2-27 Infantry Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. Michael Haith. “We recognize the importance of this study and how it will facilitate more focused and specific training progressions that will better prepare us for combat. As our environments and threats are ever-changing, it is crucial to remain adaptive and agile; this study will better equip us for these variations and we could not be more honored and motivated to lead the way.”

During this week’s baseline data collection, Soldiers performed a variety of tasks paired with training from WRAIR scientist Dr. Tina Burke and colleagues on strategies to combat jetlag. “Taking the proper steps to mitigate the risk associated with sleep loss, circadian misalignment, and fatigue can make the difference between mission success and failure,” said Dr. Burke.

“We have all these tools out there to measure Soldiers’ performance and by getting a better measure of performance we can get a better prediction of performance,” said DEVCOM Command Sgt. Maj. Bryan D. Barker. “Collaboration events like this give us a good solid baseline that provides important data that we can reference later in the program and in other studies.”

Data that will continue to be collected over the next few weeks as participants will wear a specifically designed watch up to the 72-hour field study taking place at Fort Devens, Massachusetts in June.

The DEVCOM Soldier Center is committed to discovering, developing and advancing science and technology solutions that ensure America’s warfighters are optimized, protected, and lethal. DEVCOM Soldier Center supports all of the Army’s modernization efforts, with the Soldier Lethality and Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Teams being the DEVCOM Soldier Center’s chief areas of focus.

The center’s science and engineering expertise are combined with collaborations with industry, DOD and academia to advance Soldier and squad performance. The center supports the Army as it transforms from being adaptive to driving innovation to support a multi-domain operations capable force of 2028 and a multi-domain operations ready force of 2035. DEVCOM Soldier Center is constantly working to strengthen Soldiers’ performance to increase readiness and support for warfighters who are organized, trained, and equipped for prompt and sustainable ground combat.

The 25th Infantry Division, ‘Tropic Lightning’, is America’s Pacific Division. Tropic Lightning provides the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command a uniquely tailorable force with the ability to rapidly respond to contingencies across the Pacific. Tropic Lightning soldiers – a reliable, credible, and disciplined force —– continuously work with partners and allies to prepare for shared challenges.

By Oliver Schuster

Posted in Army, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

Soldiers Get Hands-On Experience With New Tech During Combined Resolve

Friday, June 17th, 2022

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Combined Resolve 17 put an Army brigade and multinational units to the test on more than just their combat readiness and interoperability — the exercise brought future capabilities into the current fight.

Combined Resolve is a U.S. Army exercise consisting of 5,600 service members, Allies and partners from more than 10 countries, and is designed to assess units’ abilities to conduct combat operations effectively in a multi-domain battlespace. Combined Resolve 17 is scheduled to take place from May 20 to June 19, 2022.

The 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment — serving as the opposing force in Combined Resolve — pitted robotic combat vehicles, or RCVs, against the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division and their partner nations in simulated combat.

The RCVs are part of Project Origin, an initiative in development as part of the Army’s modernization efforts from the Ground Vehicle Systems Center, or GVSC, under the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. The program tests and experiments with autonomous ground vehicles to support Army maneuvers and provide a variety of load packages, depending on the situation.

This training provided Project Origin engineers with real-time feedback on the capability, utility, and combat effectiveness of the latest generation of RCVs. The vehicles are remote or autonomously controlled and designed to assist with a wide range of operations including long-range reconnaissance, concealment, electronic warfare, and autonomous resupply operations.

“Anytime we can get technology in [Soldiers’] hands and find out, right away, what they like, what they don’t like, helps us to not expend resources in the wrong areas,” said Todd Willert, an engineer with GVSC. “Being out here with the [Soldiers] is the most productive thing for the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle Program.”

Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment have been working with Project Origin since the beginning of Combined Resolve 17, however the current iteration of RCVs they are training with have already been through two weeks of hands-on experimentation with the 1st Special Forces Group at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.

“This is something I didn’t think we would be seeing in the [Infantry] as soon as we are,” said Sgt. Andrew Carmichael, Sniper section leader with 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. “It’s definitely here to stay, so the quicker we can expose our allies and our own forces to this technology and how to implement and defend against it, is crucial in the next fight.”

Soldier feedback within multinational exercises inform Army modernization on requirements operating in the coalition environment, promoting interoperability and communicates strength of a combined U.S., Allied and partner force to shape the security environment. At the conclusion of Combined Resolve the RCVs will be taken to Grafenwoehr Training Area in order further test their capabilities and conduct live fire training.

For more information on visit the Combined Resolve DVIDS page.

By Spc Garrison Waites

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Robotics | Comments Off on Soldiers Get Hands-On Experience With New Tech During Combined Resolve

Highly Decorated EOD Technician Retires from Elite Unit after Recovering from Paralysis

Thursday, June 16th, 2022

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The most highly decorated explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, technician in the history of an elite U.S. Army airborne EOD company recently retired after recovering from a combat-related gunshot wound that paralyzed him from the chest down.

Sgt. 1st Class Jeffery M. Dawson completed his legendary career with the 28th Ordnance Company (EOD), the Army’s only Special Operations-focused EOD company with handpicked and highly trained EOD Soldiers who support direct action missions around the world.

The Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based 28th EOD Company (Airborne) is part of the 192nd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier all hazards formation.

In an Army EOD community first, 75th Ranger Regiment Commander Col. Jim “JD” Kiersey and Command Sgt. Maj. Curt D. Donaldson attended his ceremony and upgraded Dawson’s status from an “honorary member” to a “distinguished member” of the Ranger Regiment.

Part of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the 75th Ranger Regiment is the U.S. Army’s premier direct action light infantry force. The regiment can deploy one Ranger Battalion to hotspots around the world within 18 hours of notification.

A seasoned combat veteran who is originally from Coalville, Utah, Dawson deployed to Iraq with the 722nd EOD Company before being selected for the 28th EOD Company. During his six years with the 28th EOD Company, Dawson deployed to Afghanistan seven times.

Dawson said EOD technicians safeguarded forces and enabled operations during the Global War on Terror by confronting and defeating the enemy’s preferred weapon — the improvised explosive device. EOD forces have rendered safe more than 100,000 improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2006 and have trained thousands of host nation forces.

“During the Global War on Terror, IEDs and other complex explosive devices were at an all-time high. Many maneuver elements relied heavily on the skill and competency of EOD technicians. Not just from the Army but all services. Often times, the elements would embed EOD as an organic asset,” said Dawson. “I often overheard many members of the elements we’ve supported say that they would never go outside of the wire without EOD on the manifest. That’s what makes EOD techs so important to the military.”

During his career, Dawson defeated hundreds of explosive devices and earned the Purple Heart for combat injuries twice.

“As an EOD tech, the most memorable missions stand out because they were either really good or really bad,” said Dawson. “Working with special operations forces, you often find yourself in situations where the outcome can sway in either direction in a moment’s notice.”

The missions that stand out the most for Dawson are the one where he earned the nation’s second highest military medal, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the mission that nearly ended his life and left him paralyzed from the chest down.

In Afghanistan on Oct. 5, 2013, Dawson participated in a mission to capture or kill a high value Taliban leader who was planning terror attacks.

“The IED threat was low and it was supposed to be a quick easy target,” Dawson said. “Upon infiltration everything changed in minutes.”

A fleeing insurgent detonated an explosive and killed a team member and the team’s multi-purpose canine, Jani.

Dawson soon realized that his team was surrounded by pressure plate IEDs. He halted the mission, located the improvised explosive devices and aided in the evacuation of dead and wounded Soldiers. Four U.S. Soldiers were killed by explosive devices during the mission.

Although seriously injured during two different explosions, Dawson worked in limited visibility to locate three confirmed pressure plate IEDs and six additional suspected devices. He then cleared a path to evacuate the fallen and wounded Soldiers.

On Feb. 17, 2015, then-Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel B. Allyn presented the Distinguished Service Cross to Dawson during a ceremony on Fort Benning, Georgia. Sgt. Bryan C. Anderson, the Ranger Platoon medic on the same mission, also received the Distinguished Service Cross during the ceremony. The 75th Ranger Regiment submitted them for the award.

On another mission in Afghanistan in July 2019, Dawson was shot and seriously wounded.

“When I was shot, it came in my right arm and came to rest upon impacting and fracturing my left shoulder blade, collapsing both lungs and exposing my spinal cord in the process,” said Dawson. “I’m thankful for the expertise of the medic that performed life-saving treatment which allowed me the opportunity to live despite all odds.”

The medic saved Dawson by using a chest tube to inflate his collapsing lungs.

Dawson was medically evacuated to Germany for surgery and then to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He moved next to James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Florida, a facility that specializes in spinal injuries.

Working with physical therapists and using the tough and tenacious “never quit” approach that made him successful on the battlefield, Dawson stood again and then he walked again.

Less than a year after being severely wounded, Dawson took on 5K and walked 3.1 miles unassisted. Since then, he has completed a 6.2-mile walk and a triathlon with a quarter-mile swim, 11-mile bike ride and 3.1 mile walk without assistive devices.

“The key to my recovery was mostly mental,” said Dawson. “I lost control of everything from the chest down, with that I lost any physical conditioning prior to my injury. I essentially had to start over as a newborn in a 33-year-old man’s body.

“Since I am still trying to relearn everything, I have to keep a positive mental attitude so I can continue to progress,” said Dawson.

After returning home to North Carolina, Dawson has taken time to focus on healing the visible and invisible scars from multiple combat missions. “I still remain active as much as I can,” said Dawson. “I enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities that get my heart pumping. In the future, I would like to complete a mud run.”

He has enrolled in college and he is looking for opportunities to help other veterans.

Dawson said the highlight of his career was being recognized by the 75th Ranger Regiment for actions on the battlefield.

“I was surrounded by people who wanted to be there,” said Dawson. “It has been an honor working with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Their expertise and professionalism set the standard for others to look up to.

“What makes the 28th a great company is that it is filled with specially selected and well trained Soldiers who will never accept defeat and never fail to complete the mission. Soldiers who have the willingness to shoulder more than their share of the task, whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some,” said Dawson. “To be successful in the 28th, you need to be in shape, comfortable working autonomously, intelligent, and most importantly, you must be trainable.”

Maj. Stephen M. Knudsen, the commanding officer of the 28th EOD Company, said his company has always relied on the expertise, grit and determination of noncommissioned officers like Dawson to support Special Forces units at the tip of the spear around the world.

“The 28th is a one-of-a-kind formation with forward elements continuously deployed throughout the entirety of its 13-year history,” said Knudsen. “It provides a painfully light and disproportionally lethal airborne EOD capability to the 75th Ranger Regiment and Special Operations Command during crisis response, raid and joint forcible entry operations.”

Knudsen, a 14-year veteran from Sutter Creek, California, has deployed to Iraq once and Afghanistan three times. The 28th EOD Company commander said Dawson had never let his heroic deeds and storied service in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal community go to his head.

“The thing that stands out about Sgt. 1st Class Dawson is how approachable and down to earth he is,” said Knudsen. “He’s a legend in the career field, yet he’s such a light hearted, funny and genuine person. If there was anyone who has earned the right to be super arrogant or macho, it’s him, but instead you’re greeted by a humble guy with a warm grin wearing a cat shirt.”

By Walter T. Ham IV

Posted in Army, EOD, Guest Post, SOF | 3 Comments »

Army Re-Activates Historic Airborne Unit, Reaffirms Commitment to Arctic Strategy

Wednesday, June 15th, 2022

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – Several hundred Soldiers gathered in formation within the Alaskan Interior on a bright June morning Monday to take part in the activation of the 11th Airborne Division, posturing U.S. forces for strategic advantage in the harsh Arctic terrain.

The 11th Airborne Division unites about 12,000 Soldiers in Alaska under one flag, marking the first time that the Army has activated an airborne division in 70 years. During flag ceremonies Monday at Fort Wainwright and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, shortened as JBER, the Army also re-designated the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, formerly of the 25th Infantry Division, into the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Teams of the 11th Airborne, respectively.

The activation reaffirms the Army’s commitment to its recently announced Arctic Strategy, which outlines the service’s plan to equip, organize and train with partner units to establish military dominance in the region. The division will be headquartered at JBER and members will wear the unit’s distinctive blue patch with a red and white emblem with angel wings to symbolize the unit’s call sign, “Angels.”

“Wherever you go, you will be the most highly trained, disciplined and fit Arctic warfighting unit in the world; ready to fight and win,” Army Chief of Staff, Gen. James C. McConville said to Soldiers at Fort Wainwright. “That is what you will do. That is who you are. We are counting on you.”

(Photo Credit: Photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Patrick Sullivan)

The activation also serves another purpose. By uniting the Army units as one airborne unit, Army leaders hope the activation can ignite a greater a sense of camaraderie and enthusiasm for Soldiers serving in one of the U.S. military’s most remote and desolate locations.

In recent months, the Army’s senior leaders have met with commanders at Alaskan installations to address quality of life concerns of Soldiers. Assessments revealed that the previous unit designations did not support unit cohesion.

“Experience has told us that units that have a common unit identity is a source of pride,” McConville said during a meeting with reporters. “It’s extremely important. And the history of a unit and the patch matter.”

McConville said the Soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division will be equipped with cold weather gear within the next 1 to 2 years. He added that the unit will serve as the Army’s leading experts for Arctic military operations.

McConville said that the Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Wainwright will transition to become a more mobile, infantry-based brigade combat team bolstered with a stronger air assault capability and the skills to maneuver effectively in extreme cold weather environments.

McConville added that the Army plans to move the armored Strykers out of Alaska by the end of the summer as it continues the acquisition process of Cold Weather, All-Terrain Vehicles or CATVs.

The 11th Airborne Division originally played a critical role during World War II and the Vietnam War. The Army credits the unit with the amphibious assault landing at Luzon, Philippines, and eventually helped secure the liberation of Manila from Japanese forces.

“The 11th Airborne Division has a storied history of valor during World War II in the Pacific and also has a proud history of innovation,” McConville said. “So we expect them to live up to the legacy … We expect them to be masters of their craft in Arctic warfighting and extreme cold weather and high altitude and terrain. We expect them to develop innovative ways of operating in this environment.”

The Army now has a strategically located unit that can quickly deploy to any region, especially those in cold weather climates such as Nepal and India.

“Their focus will be on dismounted and Arctic mobility and capabilities of sustained operation in the Arctic [and] extreme cold weather,” said 11th Airborne Division Commander Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler. “In addition, they will providing those capabilities in other cold weather environments.”

Eifler added that U.S. Army Pacific Commander Gen. Charles A. Flynn traveled to Nepal to meet with Nepalese leaders on coordinating more training opportunities with U.S. Army infantry brigade combat teams. Eifler said that includes the possibility of taking part in a joint expedition on Mount Everest.

By Joe Lacdan, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Forces Focus, Guest Post, Parachuting | 12 Comments »