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New Dismounted Spectrum Warfare System Rapidly Addresses Critical Army Need

Monday, December 16th, 2024

Fueled by the tailored use of acquisition pathways, Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S) greatly accelerated the timeline to field the Terrestrial Layer System – Brigade Combat Team (TLS BCT) Manpack. Soldiers and Army units received the system this past summer, marking the first unit issued milestone in providing an asymmetric advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS).

The TLS BCT Manpack is a fully configurable system capable of conducting radio frequency (RF) surveying, signals collection and direction-finding operations, electromagnetic attack and force protection operations, as well as EMS visualization and scanning/surveying operations. The system provides both mobile electronic attack (EA) and electronic support (ES) capabilities to inform the Commander’s decision-making process.

As the rebirth of the Electronic Warfare Corps within the Army is still recent, having a system that allows the pairing of non-kinetic options with the pre-existing kinetic weapons is key to fighting in a Multi-Domain environment.

“The TLS BCT Manpack system is providing the BCT Commander a tactical advantage with a robust state-of-the-art mobile EW capability for Multi-Domain Operations,”

said Maj. Austin Knighton, Assistant Product Manager for TLS BCT Manpack. The system is the Army’s first tailorable, modular, terrestrial capability that allows the integration of signals intelligence (SIGINT) and EW collection, processing, exploitation, reporting, and effects capabilities within the SIGINT Collection Team and Electronic Warfare Team elements.

“The TLS Manpack is a proven EW technology based on a design originally fielded to Army Special Operations Forces. It leverages existing COTS (commercial off the shelf technology) equipment that provides direction-finding capabilities to the tactical edge,” said Col. Leslie Gorman, Army Capability Manager – Electronic Warfare (ACM EW) Director. “Its smaller form factor and relatively light weight add to its functionality, important features for EW Soldiers supporting light infantry units.”

Getting the new EW capability into Soldiers’ hands was due in large part to the efforts of Project Manager Electronic Warfare & Cyber (PM EW&C), ACM EW, ACM Intelligence Sensors (ACM IS), the Army Test and Evaluation Center, and Electronic Warfare Officers (EWOs) in multiple operational units, to include the new Transform in Contact (TIC) units.

“This expeditious and near record turnaround was made possible by rapid prototyping and rapid fielding — underscoring the utility of Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) to quickly bring a capability to fruition,” said Ken Strayer, PM EW&C. “Such focused urgency and execution to demonstrate, test, and rapidly procure this modular and mobile system is making a significant contribution to winning the EMS fight.”

In just a year, the TLS BCT Manpack program received requirements and achieved a production and fielding decision from the Army Acquisition Executive (AAE) with an initial fielding quantity award.

“The reason why we leaned forward to expedite TLS BCT Manpack fielding was to get the capability out to Soldiers, foremost the designated TIC units,” said Gorman. “This enables the ACM EW team to conduct immersive experimentation and operational feedback opportunities with EW Soldiers using TLS BCT Manpack and the PM. The feedback from these sessions will directly impact capability improvements.”

Specifically, the Soldiers provided human systems integration feedback through surveys and hands-on events. They looked at the size, weight, and power of the systems as well as the safety, survivability and usability of the user interface in both at the halt and on the move configurations. User feedback and recommendations were captured, vetted, and prioritized. EW Warfighters are now directly involved in designing systems that allow them to accomplish their mission.

“The system is going to be deployed to every brigade combat unit in the Army,” said Strayer. “This is exciting because we are finally getting program sensor data within an enduring capability out and into the hands of our electronic warfare officers, something we have been on a glide path for the last two years.”

The system has already been fielded to two TIC units with a plan to field up to two BCTs a month over the course of the next three years. PEO IEW&S delivers capability now through affordable and adaptable programs that pace the threat. The TLS BCT Manpack is part of the PM EW&C Portfolio with the mission to develop and field integrated capabilities for spectrum warfare.

By Brandon Pollachek | PEO IEW&S

Posted in Army, EW, Guest Post | Comments Off on New Dismounted Spectrum Warfare System Rapidly Addresses Critical Army Need

10th Mountain Division Soldiers at the Helm of New Army System

Friday, December 13th, 2024

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Developing a new product, may require a hefty time commitment, multiple revisions, and a lengthy process to get it to the consumer. Army Training Information System, or ATIS, developers are not only trying to circumvent the lengthy process of putting a product in the hands of users, but they are working with the ones it is intended for – Soldiers.

Soldiers of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) are getting a chance to work with a system that is not yet available to the rest of the Army.

ATIS is tasked with taking 21 legacy systems that the Army and its Soldiers are currently using to manage training and data and merging them into one. The goal is to have a new system that will be a one-stop shop for tasks that manage training, resources, data and scheduling.

Maj. James Oliver, assistant product manager for ATIS, said he believes that the work that they are doing is important and staying Soldier-centered is essential.

“It’s going to save Soldiers time,” Oliver said. “A lot of these systems aren’t modernized, so Soldiers that are using them, they’re using some old system that haven’t been updated.”

The goal is to produce an intuitive system that does not require multiple systems or training to log on and use it. As part of this project, the ATIS team held sessions with Soldiers about their jobs, what they do, and what they would like to see when it came to the system.

First Sgt. Andrew Acuna, A Company, 2-87 Infantry Regiment, and his Soldiers, have been participating in sessions with ATIS since August 2024, and have been able to use the new system and give first-hand feedback to its engineers.

“It has been great having a direct line to the individuals responsible for designing the user interface here,” Acuna said. “It’s rare that we have the opportunity to directly talk to someone when we’re having difficulty, and it’s a huge plus.”

The ATIS team not only takes the feedback from the Soldiers using the system, but they are interacting with the Soldiers by interviewing the Soldiers using the system and watching them complete training lanes, which allows the team to see the reasoning behind the recommendations the Soldiers are making.

The program’s engineers are using these moderated systems as a way to pull together a mockup of what they believe Soldiers want and use that information to put a working system into the hands of the Soldiers who provided the feedback. The information taken from these sessions will be used to continue to revise ATIS so it is ready for the entire Army to use in fiscal year 2026.

By SSG Brittany Washington

Posted in Army, Digitization, Guest Post | Comments Off on 10th Mountain Division Soldiers at the Helm of New Army System

The Army Green Service Uniform Now Available At Flying Cross

Tuesday, December 10th, 2024

The AGSU reflects the iconic ‘Pinks and Greens’ uniform worn by America’s ‘Greatest Generation’ during World War II, and Flying Cross has worked closely with the U.S. Army to manufacture a solution that delivers the historically authentic look, with the professional, functional features required by the modern Soldier.

We are excited to announce that The Army Green Service Uniforms are now available for purchase at FlyingCross.com. Designed with precision and crafted with the highest quality materials, these uniforms embody the values of service, pride, and professionalism that define our armed forces. Experience the perfect blend of comfort, durability, and style that ensures you look your best, whether on duty or at formal events.

Order Your Army Green Service Uniform Today!

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Army Aviation’s Future: ‘Twice as Far, Twice as Fast’

Monday, December 9th, 2024

WASHINGTON — The Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, or FLRAA, will dramatically impact the reach of Army Air Assault and how combat casualties are moved off the battlefield and protected.

The FLRAA is a medium-lift, tilt-rotor aircraft that will augment or replace a portion of the UH-60 Black Hawk fleet. The Army intends for the aircraft to provide combat aviation brigades with long-range, high-speed utility capability with survivability in contested environments.

With enhanced speed and improved range, the Army wants FLRAA to take the mission twice as far, twice as fast, expanding the size of the battlefield and extending the reach of missions.

“We’re watching the very nature of warfare change,” said Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Novosel, Alabama. “The speed of technology is absolutely meteoric.”

Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said such swift change is needed because “we can’t actually do the large-scale, long-range air assault today” with the speed and distance required in modern warfare.

“What we can do is, we can build the new techniques and the procedures, build the doctrine, build the structures, understand the sustainment in order to be able to do that with a faster, future aircraft,” Sylvia said.

He said such a mission is defined as the ability to deliver one brigade combat team over 500 miles in one period of darkness, arriving behind enemy lines able to conduct sustained combat operations.

A recent exercise involved the 101st moving a combat team from Fort Campbell to Fort Johnson, Louisiana, a total of 575 miles. Making the move required establishing two mission support sites, six forward arming and refueling points, and positioning about 1,000 soldiers at those sites in advance for support and security, Sylvia said.

“It also took us three periods of darkness,” he said.

However, he said simulations show that by using the FLRAA for such missions instead of the UH-60, the division could take the brigade combat team 575 miles in only one period of darkness.

Sylvia said it would also cut in half the sustainment and security that we need.

The FLRAA is intended to operate and dominate in the air-ground littoral, which is the airspace over areas where Army operations take place.

Brig. Gen. Clinton Murray, commanding general of the Army Medical Center of Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, said the planned long-range rotor aircraft will make a huge difference for transporting and protecting casualties.

The FLRAA will allow the Army to more quickly clear the battlefield of casualties, which gives commanders freedom of movement, Murray said.

The new aircraft will move critically injured Soldiers faster, over longer distances, with less need to refuel.

Brig. Gen. Cain Baker, director for the Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, said that FLRAA will positively impact survivability of warfighters through its extended range, ease of picking up and transferring patients, and the fact that the aircraft can communicate to the field hospital staff, allowing medical professionals to know what’s coming before the aircraft arrives.

Baker also noted that FLRAA maintenance crews at the launch point will understand the health of the aircraft before it returns from a mission.

Brig. Gen. David Phillips, Program Executive Officer, Aviation at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, said the FLRAA program shows how the Army is now engaging in modern aircraft acquisition by going a little slower upfront, with the plan to move faster later.

“That means we’ve got model-based systems engineering. We’ve got standards and interfaces that are defined down to the individual component level,” he said.

What that will enable Army Aviation to do in the future is to bring new capabilities forward more quickly, making updates and changes timelier, Phillips said.

The ways of doing Army acquisitions today are markedly different than what was seen in the past, and FLRAA is a great example of that, Phillips said.

“If you go back and look at the historical timelines for aviation acquisition, this is absolutely an accelerated approach, but it does not sacrifice the rigor in the major program acquisition,” he said.

Phillips said Special Operations Command and allies have come on board early with FLRAA project agreements. The allies want to align their resources for when the U.S. starts exporting this machine in the 2030s, he said.

“This is a very transformational branch right now,” Gill said. The FLRAA is one of the Army’s signature modernization systems representing that change.

By Jonathan Austin, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Aviation, Guest Post | 7 Comments »

Barrett Lands New US Army Contract for M107 Rifle System

Saturday, December 7th, 2024

A U.S. Army soldier fires down range with the Barrett M107. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod)

MURFREESBORO,TN — Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. has secured a new U.S. Army contract for the M107 Rifle System and variant systems, such as the Model 82A1 and M107A1, extending the company’s long-standing support of America’s military.

The Barrett M107 has been an integral part of the U.S. Armed Forces’ long-range arsenal for more than two decades, delivering unmatched firepower, accuracy, and reliability in the field.

The new$14,999,500 contract, which includes accessories, spare parts and training support, will be delivered through late 2029.

Barrett Vice President of Business Development and Sales Ryan Krantz said the latest contract ensured the continued supply of the M107 Rifle System and its variants to support U.S. Army missions worldwide.

“This contract reaffirms the trust that the U.S. Army has placed in the M107 Rifle System and Barrett’s commitment to excellence,” he said. “We are honored to continue providing our troops with a superior platform that has stood the test of time in both performance and reliability.”

Posted in Advertiser, Army, Contracts, Press Release, weapons | Comments Off on Barrett Lands New US Army Contract for M107 Rifle System

Army Forum Focuses on Contested Logistics

Friday, December 6th, 2024

FORT DETRICK, Md. — “What if today were C-Day?”

This was the question Col. Marc Welde asked the group of logistics leaders gathered for a Commander’s Forum, hosted Nov. 18-21, 2024, at U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command headquarters at Fort Detrick.

C-Day refers to the unnamed day on which a deployment operation “commences” with troop and equipment movements, requiring lock-step logistical readiness.

Welde’s sobering question readied them for four days of discussion around current and future capabilities of medical logistics — from setting the theater to sustaining large-scale combat operations where supply chains are contested, communications lines are disrupted and air superiority is not a given.

“I know we have an amazing workforce, and I believe we are up to the challenge,” the AMLC commander said. “But make no mistake, this is a challenge.”

Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV, commanding general of U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, AMLC’s higher headquarters, provided opening remarks to the forum, encouraging the group to maintain pace with the Army’s transformation efforts.

“I cannot overstate the tremendous efforts AMLC has taken to ensure we, as a command, are at the forefront of modernization, specifically with Medical Logistics in Campaigning,” Turinetti wrote to the CECOM workforce after attending the event. “Our team was lucky enough to recently witness firsthand the real-world importance of the [Medical Logistics in Campaigning] mission, as our visit to Europe was highlighted by the overall scale of the USAMMC-E mission as well as their impressive use of power dashboards for data-driven decisions.”

Forum attendees included leaders from AMLC’s direct reporting units, as well as headquarters primary and special staff. Leaders provided updates on Medical Logistics in Campaigning initiatives, which are the Army’s transformational effort to overhaul outdated processes and systems and integrate medical materiel management and maintenance into the sustainment enterprise.

Deeper discussions delved into resources, including funding and organizational structure. The teams discussed the command’s ongoing assessment of command and support relationships across its entire footprint to include external stakeholders, driving toward effectively providing MEDLOG mission support through competition, crisis and conflict.

AMLC’s direct reporting units, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Europe and U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Korea — both of which serve as theater lead agents for medical materiel — provided briefs on their respective theater support. The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, also a direct reporting unit to AMLC, highlighted the readiness of its medical Army Prepositioned Stocks and other contingency programs.

AMLC’s Integrated Logistics Support Center showcased emerging capabilities for data analytics and precision sustainment, as well as AMLC’s Logistics Assistance Program, charged with providing expert technical support to set and sustain operational medical capability for commanders through campaigning, competition, crisis and conflict.

Key events included a leadership professional development led by Maj. Gen. Paula Lodi, commanding general of U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. Lodi shared her experiences as commanding general of a theater medical command, specifically her sustainment lessons learned and opportunities for the MEDLOG enterprise.

AMLC Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Wright also led a professional development session on the role of non-commissioned officers and how commands can best use these capable leaders to increase readiness and unit cohesion.

“We are in a people business,” Wright said. “We don’t lead buildings. We lead people.”

To that point, the forum also featured a variety of team-building events, from physical training to dining events and smaller workgroups focused on campaign strategy. These events provided organic opportunities for the workforce to spend time together and build professional relationships.

The final day of the forum included a battle staff ride to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, led by U.S. Army War College Provost Dr. David Dworak. A certified “demonstrated master logistician,” author and historian, Dworak guided the group through several key battles and highlighted specific logistics challenges, including resource allocation, prioritization, supply chain issues and technology limitations in the early stages of conflict.

The Civil War served as a stark reminder of the cost of war, as more than 620,000 people died and an estimated 1.5 million people were injured.

“The real taxpayer of war is the Soldier because they pay for it with their life,” said USAMMC-E Commander Col. Chad Vermillion, as the group gathered near a barn converted into a make-shift hospital. “Who here thinks we are ever going to have enough resources?

“So, the real question is how do we communicate risk to senior leaders?”

By Ellen Crown

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Sustainment | Comments Off on Army Forum Focuses on Contested Logistics

Army Mountaineering Badge Update

Wednesday, December 4th, 2024

During AUSA Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer announced several qualification badge updates including the implementation of a Mountaineering badge to holders of Special Qualification Identifier (SQI) “E” which is awarded to graduates of the Basic Military Mountaineering Course (BMMC) a National Guard course held at Army Mountain Warfare School (AMWS) in Vermont.

For decades graduates have worn the Ram’s Head insignia. While not authorized for active duty Soldiers, National Guard troops have probably worn the badge on their uniform.

In fact, it has a long history in the Army. It was derived from the Distinctive Unit Insignia or unit crest for the 85th Infantry Regimental crest which was one of three regiments comprising the 10th Light Division (Alpine) when it was activated in July 1943. In the 1950s, the United States Army Mountain and Cold Weather Training Command at Fort Carson and Camp Hale, Colorado adopted the Ram’s Head Device as the badge worn by their cadre.

Despite this, when SMA Weimer made the announcement he stated that it would be a completely new badge and that the service would not adopt the Ram’s Head Device.

Instagram account @ovisapparel has seen artist concepts of the proposed badge and shared them online.

This is his post verbatim so as not to add or subtract from what was shared.

The Army Mountaineer Badge, an official replacement for the current Rams Head Device, is slated to be finalized this month. In October, the AMWS was asked to submit designs to the Heraldry office for use as inspiration. Initially I was told there would be ‘no animals allowed’, as the SMA appears to have a disdain for ‘goats’.

Above are three designs we created with my original artist and submitted to the Office of Heraldry. Directly after this, I heard there was strong pushback (from people with much more influence than me) on there not being a Ram involved in the conversation (shoutout).

I have been fortunate enough to see the two final designs being debated, one of which is in fact a Rams Head. I’m not comfortable sharing those quite yet, but I can say the other design is a combination of two of our sketches shown above, which is pretty rad (1 & 3). Funny enough, we just drew #3 as an undercover Ram (if it’s flipped upside down). Got ‘em.

~The AMWS was not a source for any of this information and remains unaffiliated with OVIS – this all remains as speculation until we see a Memo~

Here are the drawings:

Posted in Army, Mountaineering, Profession of Arms | 14 Comments »

10th Mountain Division Hosts Summit Strike 2024 – Offering a Glimpse into Future of Multi-Domain Operations

Saturday, November 30th, 2024

The 10th Mountain Division (LI) hosted Summit Strike 2024, Nov. 19-21, with the intent to seamlessly integrate fires; intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR); and multi-domain operations (MDO) assets by partnering with other countries, military branches, and multiple industry partners to defeat adversaries, while showcasing Fort Drum as the premier training and force development hub in the Northeast.

“It is our sacred obligation to fight and win our nation’s wars,” said Maj. Gen. Scott Naumann, the 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum commander. “Summit Strike provides the 10th Mountain Division the opportunity to hone the skills our warfighters need to accomplish this. Through this multi-domain training exercise, we are able to learn, refine requirements, and develop innovative solutions to fight a near-peer enemy with successive iterations of live, multi-domain training.”

“This type of training, partnered with facility improvements, deepening institutional knowledge from our deployments, and ever-strengthening partnerships in the region, positions the division to continue leading transformation initiatives to build warfighting readiness,” he added.

The exercise involved live-fire training, with emitters simulating enemy artillery and weapon systems placed throughout the Fort Drum training area. The Joint Air Ground Integration Center (JAGIC), then coordinated attacks on these targets using various weapon systems, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), AH-64 Apache helicopters, A-10 Warthogs, and Mobile-Low, Slow, Small-Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat Systems (M-LIDS).

Summit Strike ’24 validated the division’s ability to integrate surface-to-surface, rotary-wing, and fixed-wing weapon systems, enhancing its lethality. The exercise also incorporated emerging military electronic systems technology to build resilient kill webs.

“Here, in these types of exercises, replicating real-world, large-scale combat operations, we are coordinating, synchronizing, and employing effects both lethal and non-lethal,” said Maj. Mark Smerka, 10th Mountain Division Artillery operations officer.

Owners of an 80-year-old legacy, born in the battle of Riva Ridge in Italy, the 10th Mountain Division remains at the forefront of modern warfare. The division is dedicated to adapting to the ever-evolving battlefield, embracing innovation, and staying ahead of potential threats, in line with the unit’s history as they face the future of warfighting.

“The future fight that we’re looking at in a near-peer environment is going to be bigger, faster, require more assets and more technology than we’ve been using in the past,” said Maj. Sean Thomas, 10th Mountain Division JAGIC chief. “We’re embracing a lot of that in this exercise, testing it out and getting comfortable using it.”

The exercise involved more than 400 service members from Fort Drum, with additional support from both U.S. and international military members. By fostering these partnerships within the Army and Department of Defense, Summit Strike ’24 provided MDO training on Fort Drum and allowed for the development of shared systems to enhance warfighting capabilities.

“We won’t fight alone in any future operation, whether that’s multi-branch or multi-nation,” said Capt. Maddie Crimmins, commander of C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, located at Fort Liberty, N.C. “Here we are executing multi-platform as well as multi-domain.”

Summit Strike ’24 provided a demonstration of the division’s ability to coordinate and execute an MDO live-fire exercise. The exercise highlighted the unique training opportunities offered by Fort Drum in a low-threat environment for Soldiers to train for MDO threats in a contested environment.

“Summit Strike is really the first of its kind where you have a division creating an MDO environment at home station to make sure we are trained proficiently so that we can win the Army’s future wars,” said Capt. Sean Thorpe, 10th Mountain Division cyberspace and electromagnetic activities officer in charge.

Summit Strike ’24 solidified Fort Drum’s position as the premier training and force development hub in the Northeast, showcasing its ability to integrate emerging technology and systems into range operations. The exercise also highlighted the division’s commitment to partnering with industry to enhance MDO training capabilities at Fort Drum.

“We learned that the 10th Mountain Division is able to conduct multi-domain operations, especially here at home station,” said Maj. Michael Spickard 10th Mountain Division assistant chief of fires, and lead planner for Summit Strike ’24. “We are more prepared in the future to make this exercise grow for Summit Strike ’25.”

By PFC Alyssa Norton, 27th Public Affairs Detachment

Posted in Army, Guest Post | Comments Off on 10th Mountain Division Hosts Summit Strike 2024 – Offering a Glimpse into Future of Multi-Domain Operations