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NAVWAR Highlights the Power of Information for Modern Warfare at Sea-Air-Space 2022

Thursday, April 14th, 2022

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) joined commands from across the information warfare (IW) community to discuss the power of information on the modern battlefield at the Navy’s IW Pavilion during the 2022 Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland April 4-6.

Now in its sixth year at the event, the U.S. Navy IW Pavilion featured a leadership speaker series, an engagement zone and technology demonstrations, with collaboration and alignment at the forefront as a top priority in today’s constantly evolving cyber and technology environments.

During the event, NAVWAR leaders touched on technology challenges, discussing the use of digital engineering, research, development, delivery and sustainment of IW solutions to highlight how the command aims to build a more agile and innovative force that can use information anytime and anywhere by modernizing and better defending information technology (IT) systems.

As a part of the leadership speakers’ series, NAVWAR’s chief engineer, Rear Adm. Eric Ruttenberg, emphasized the need for digital tools and a shift of mindset for their use.

“The future of global maritime superiority is digital and NAVWAR is leading the Navy’s efforts in making that future a reality,” he said. “We have already begun employing world class commercial best practices that deliver faster and more secure information warfare capabilities to the Fleet to ensure the developers, operators, and maintainers have what they need to preserve and extend U.S. maritime leadership not only in today’s operating environment but also in the highly digitized one of the future.”

He went on to explain the process, policy and efficiency efforts that would lead to the end goal of artificial intelligence and machine learning-enabled systems and automated battle management aids for on demand access regardless of the operating setting.

Further, he also addressed the need for a hybrid cloud computing environment to provide the warfighter with any data, at any time, and any place. The advantage to the hybrid cloud concept stems from its integrated and adaptable technology infrastructure comprised of physical data repositories, cloud-based data and applications stored in both public and private clouds, and data applications stored on-premises. Ruttenberg also noted that a hybrid cloud “provides quick access to all necessary data regardless of classification level for ease of cross-domain movement.”

Leaders from Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic reinforced Ruttenberg’s points as they provided an overview of the command to educate attendees on the main priorities and technical areas of the mission.

“Our NIWC Atlantic team is a unique and critical connection point to the warfighter, in that we research, develop, engineer and deliver technology that brings the full power of information to the fight,” said Capt. Nicole Nigro, NIWC Atlantic commanding officer. “To move at the operational velocity required in this domain, we are intensely focused on leading digital practices that include cybersecurity, automation, model-based systems engineering, DevSecOps, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics – areas that ultimately drive data-informed, human-driven decisions necessary for mission success.”

As it has in previous years, the IW Pavilion featured an engagement zone, where attendees had the opportunity to join Navy leaders, program managers and other subject matter experts for informal, sit-down conversations in multiple sessions throughout the three day conference. These dialogues help to connect government and military leaders with industry partners with the goal of improving and modernizing capabilities for the fleet, as quickly as possible.

“As the Navy’s systems command for a warfighting domain that can change in a matter of minutes, it’s critical to give our industry partners clear direction on where we are going, what our needs are, and why,” said NAVWAR Executive Director John Pope. “It’s been extremely beneficial to connect with industry partners, no matter how big or how small, so they can understand how they can contribute to the larger Navy capability picture.”

The IW Pavilion also featured several technology demonstrations that impact Sailors today, including Program Executive Office Manpower, Logistics and Business Solutions’ (PEO MLB) MyNavy Human Resources (HR) IT Solutions, unmanned underwater vehicles from Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the Joint Communications Marketplace from the Joint Tactical Networking Center and the U.S. Naval Observatory’s atomic clock.

“MyNavy HR IT Solutions creates and maintains mobile apps that allow Sailors to accelerate and manage their careers through digital solutions,” said Christine Rodriguez, program executive officer of PEO MLB. “Attendees got to experience live, interactive demos of the mobile apps we have developed for the Navy and learned how to get an app added to the Navy App Locker, home to the Navy’s official apps that touch the lives of every Sailor in the Fleet.”

MyNavy HR IT Solutions is one of PEO MLB’s service portfolios, serving as the single IT acquisition agent providing life cycle management supporting the Navy’s human resources IT capabilities.

Hosted by the Navy League of the United States, the Sea-Air-Space Exposition is now the largest maritime exposition in the United States and continues as an invaluable extension of the Navy League’s mission of maritime policy, education and sea service support.

From Kara McDermott

Veteran, Linguist Reflects on Vietnam Service

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area in California, Dr. Tom Glenn originally enlisted in the Army so he could attend the Army Language School — later called the Defense Language Institute, or DLI. With a passion and knack for linguistics, Glenn taught himself French and Italian as a child, studied Latin during high school and German during college.

With a craving for more, Glenn enrolled in DLI with the hopes of learning Chinese.

“I wanted to go to the best language school in the U.S., maybe in the world,” he said. “But when I got [there], they told me they weren’t going to teach me Chinese, they were going to teach me a language I had never heard of: Vietnamese.”

Glenn was a Soldier and had to follow orders, so he spent all of 1959 learning Vietnamese. He spent six hours a day in class with two hours of private study each night for a full year.

“I graduated first in my class of ten,” he said. “I asked the Army to send me to Vietnam but [they said] they had nothing going on there.” Instead, Glenn was assigned to the National Security Agency, or NSA, at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Still hoping to study Chinese, Glenn enrolled in George Washington University in Washington, D.C. as a part time graduate student. Glenn went on to earn a master’s degree in government and a doctorate in public administration.

By the time Glenn finished his enlistment in 1961, he said he was “comfortably speaking” Vietnamese, Chinese and French; the three main languages spoken in Vietnam.

The NSA immediately offered Glenn a job at “five steps above the normal level” and sent him to Vietnam for the first time in 1962 as a civilian.

“Between 1962 and 1975, I spent more time in Vietnam than in the U.S.,” he said.

Despite being a civilian, Glenn lived with the military as if he were still a Soldier.


Tom Glenn poses for a photo in his fatigue uniform in Dak To, Vietnam in 1967. One morning while assisting U.S. 4th infantry division and 173rd airborne brigade, Glenn woke up to find his uniforms missing. Some of the Soldiers at his camp had “snitched” his fatigues and taken them to a local tailor whom they paid to sew tags above the breast pockets that read ‘Glenn’ and ‘Civilian.’ (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo)

“I was one of them — sleeping on the ground next to them, eating [field rations while] sitting in the dirt by their side, using their latrines and going into combat with them,” he said. “I was the only civilian I knew who was willing to put his life on the line by working with the military in combat on the battlefield.”


Tom Glenn in Saigon, Vietnam in 1962 (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo)

Glenn’s job was in intelligence; using signals intelligence, intercepting and exploiting the enemy’s radio communications, informing friendly forces on what enemy force intentions were and where they were.

He says that the strongest human bond he’s ever seen was that between two men fighting side by side.

Glenn spent his thirteen years in Vietnam all over the country, “wherever combat was going on.” He worked most often in central Vietnam, just south of the demilitarized zone that separated North and South Vietnam. The day-to-day was just like any other Soldier in combat.

“[The days were] defined by the boredom of waiting and the terror of close combat,” he said.

Glenn wants Americans to know the “grisly horror” of war. He wants citizens to respect and admire service members who “put their lives on the line for our good.”

After the Vietnam War, Glenn’s readjustment to civilian life would have been more difficult had he been sent straight home. Instead, he was sent abroad to serve on the battlefield all over the world after Saigon fell in 1975.

Glenn retired from NSA in 1992.


Tom Glenn in Saigon, Vietnam in 1974 (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo)


A Civilian Meritorious Medal that Glenn earned for saving lives during the fall of Saigon, Vietnam under fire in 1975 (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo)

“Welcome home, brother”

When Glenn meets other Vietnam veterans, he puts his hands on their shoulders and looks them in the eye. They share an experience unknown to other Americans.

For years following the war, many Americans saw Vietnam as “the war we never should have been involved in.” During those years, Glenn never mentioned his service overseas.

“Then, several years ago, I was invited to a welcome-home party for Vietnam veterans,” he said. “After some hesitation, I went. A bunch of young people, who hadn’t even been born before the end of [the war], shook my hand, hugged me and thanked me for my service.”

Glenn urges other Americans to approach those who served and thank them. Only then will that service member know that their service is “worthy of gratitude.”

Award-winning author

“The real adjustment [came] thirty years ago when I retired as early as I could [to] write full time,” Glenn said. “I was so intent on writing that the transition was a relief rather than an adjustment.”

Glenn’s first book is titled “Friendly Casualties” and consists of a collection of short stories to highlight the horrors of war. He chose to write about Vietnam because of his post-traumatic stress injuries, or PTSI. “[It] wounded my soul,” he said.

He learned that the only way to survive his injuries was to face the memories “head-on.” The best way to force himself to face those memories was to write it all down, which has resulted in six books and 17 short stories as of March 2022.

Glenn’s books are categorized as “fact-based fiction” which he said is the only way he could “delve into the emotions [he] lived through in real life.” He said he’s lived through experiences “far more compelling” than anything completely made up.

“I want people to know what [it was like],” he said. “I needed to vent, to stand face-to-face with my memories and learn to live with them.”

By Megan Clark

TMS Tuesday – Casualty Evacuation and Movement

Tuesday, April 12th, 2022

Casualty movement can be a complex task which METT-TC (Mission, Enemy, Terrain and Weather, Troops and Support Available, Time Available, and Civil Considerations) will play a critical role in selecting the most appropriate assets to be employed to physically move casualties in the battlespace or area of operations. With every phase of casualty movement, new challenges are faced and leveraging the best material solutions for the end user can be a decision that is complicated based on the mission’s limitations for weight, cube, and level of training of the end user.

A factor that remains true with regards to casualty movement, as with most tactical equipment, is an increase in capability almost always comes with an increase in cube, weight, and total cost. The end goal of all casualty movement is to provide the casualty a movement platform that is rigid, supports the entire body, and transported with minimal effort while maintaining the ability to monitor and treat the casualty. Let’s take a look at the different options in the context of the Phases of Care for Tactical Combat Casualty Care.

Care Under Fire

In the care under fire (CUF) phase, the quickest and easiest way to move a casualty is by a simple drag or carry. While quick and effective, they each have their limitations. Drags and carries are often best suited for short distance movement to the first available cover as they require a lot of physical effort and will temporarily reduce effective fighting strength while attempting to gain fire superiority. While manual carries can be utilized for longer movements, variations of dragging a casualty without some form of material solution can only be executed for short distances. Casualty drags are often practiced in areas that are smooth and conducive to the task, but in reality, this is rarely the case. Patients can actually be injured further from being dragged long distances, primarily by friction which can quickly abrade through uniforms and equipment. If manual carries are the method of choice for moving in this phase, they must be practiced by all team members on a regular basis for smooth execution.

Occasionally in the care under fire phase, simple poleless litters are employed. Poleless litters come in various shapes, sizes, and materials. Two options for poleless litters are the Ultralight Poleless Litter and the Phantom® Litter. While a poleless litter can fold smaller and is lighter than a traditional rigid litter, they also have limitations. They can be dragged for short periods of time but will eventually wear through the material from friction. Additionally, they require people to carry them in order to transport the patient in a proper position (more people = better position). Most commonly, observed is the patient will be bent at the waist unless six or more people are assigned to carry the patient.

Tactical Field Care

Once the situation is more permissive, better options become available due to time constraints, reduction of threat, and better availability of equipment. This phase includes the transition from where the casualty was injured with movement to either a Casualty Collection Point for further treatment or preparation for loading into an evacuation platform. This is the phase of care where the movement platform is considered relative to both injuries and treatments as well as the platform they will be moved to for evacuation.

Occasionally during this phase semi rigid litters will be employed like the Foxtrot® Litter or Foxtrot® DA Litter. Semi-rigid litters are often smaller than lighter than traditional rigid litters, but with reduction in weight and cube comes correlating reduction in capability. Most products in this category act similar to poleless litters with the added benefit of reduced friction, making them more suitable for dragging longer distances or across varying surfaces. While they are semi-rigid, most will lose their rigidity if carried by only 2 people.

More robust versions of a semi-rigid, litter like the Med Sled VLR, increase in cube and weight but have the added benefit of being vertically or horizontally hoisted in a variety of tactical situations. Most of these more robust products will still leave the patient in contact with the ground so insulation and active heating from a hypothermia solution, such as the HELIOS® System, is important. In hoisting operations, most often the evacuation platforms crew will dictate or provide the device. While semirigid litters are common, a Stokes basket style device is considered the gold standard. Unfortunately, they are not easily carried and require training not commonly found by ground personnel.

During this phase, rigid litters may become available as well. While considered the gold standard of movement for all casualties they are primarily limited in the earlier phases of care due to weight and cube considerations. However, rigid litters offer the benefit of being carried by 2 or 4 team members, optimal patient positioning, and better hypothermia management by reducing contact with the ground. Most dedicated evacuation platforms are also configured to receive and secure most of the commercially available rigid litters due to NATO standardized footprints after years of combined, joint combat operations.

To learn more about casualty evacuation and movement, check out: tacmedsolutions.com/collections/medical-supplies/immobilization-&-evac

Air Force Cryptologic Office Establishes New Information Dominance Initiative

Tuesday, April 12th, 2022

FT. GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. —  

The Air Force Cryptologic Office recently established the first Converged Air Force Enterprise Mission (CAFEM) framework to harness total enterprise capacity and deliver information dominance now and for decades to come. 

As one of the new initiatives within the cryptologic component of the 16th Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), CAFEM is steering the enterprise away from the platform-centered intelligence analysis standard to a sensor agnostic and problem-centric architecture.  The concept is focused on modernizing the decades-old intelligence production framework and providing Combatant Commands, commanders, and intelligence partners with the necessary agility of analysis. 

CAFEM leverages the full potential within the cryptologic enterprise by connecting analysts working similar mission sets regardless of geographic location, unit of assignment, or Air Force component. The approach insulates missions against fluctuations in manning that might otherwise impede production. It provides a steady-state analytical and reporting capacity against identified missions. At its core, CAFEM is an intuitive methodology designed to center cryptologic Airmen on real-time collaboration and information exchange.

The collaborative ecosystem CAFEM provides is a major benefit to analysts. Here, the most junior and most senior Airmen participate in the same virtual space analyzing problem-sets, which provides a common learning experience for all participants. Centralized participation in CAFEM production also creates a link to cultivate a reporting standard that exceeds current norms and better meets customer requirements. 

The initial design focused specifically on Air Force cryptologic missions and requirements; however, it is scalable to encompass the entirety of the Air Force intelligence community and even joint service or national intelligence production.

As CAFEM becomes the standard for cryptologic analysis and production, it has the flexibility to evolve and grow to harness total capacity against any target-set.  

By Capt Francis Castillo, Air Force Cryptologic Office

Deckers X LAB Congratulates The Winners Of The 2022 Best Ranger Competition

Monday, April 11th, 2022

Deckers X LAB would like to congratulate CPT Josh Corson and CPT Ty Boyle of the 75th Ranger Regiment on their win at this years Best Ranger Competition. 5 of the top 10 teams chose to wear the G8 AR670-1 boot. This is the second year in a row that Deckers X LAB made the top spot. Congratulations to all of the competitors.

Medical Monday Pro Tip – IFAK Necessities with High Speed Gear

Monday, April 11th, 2022


Marine Raiders conduct assaults as a Marine special operations company in Jacksonville, N.C.

SWANSBORO, N.C. – April 11, 2021 – On a daily basis the most important piece of gear an individual would need is an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK). Hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts, extreme sport athletes, first responders and military personnel can all benefit from life-saving equipment being readily available at a moments notice. IFAK’s can accommodate a multitude of items to save a person’s life. Some of the main essential items that you can carry are:

• Adhesive tape
• Bandage kit
• Nasopharyngeal airway kit
• Trauma shears
• Gloves
• Tourniquet
• Chem lights
• Combat gauze
• Pressure dressing
• Vented chest seal
• Ibuprofen
• Burn dressing

High Speed Gear® offers its ReFlex™ product line that was designed with direct input from active-duty medical personnel and constructed around the medical supplies included in the U.S. Army-issued IFAK. The two-piece system allows you to carry previous medical supplies or other essential items to optimize versatility depending on the field of work that you may be in. The High Abrasion-Resistant Neoprene Kevlar® handles were designed for users to be able to easily find, grab and access the contents of the ReFlex™ IFAK System as quickly as possible.


A U.S. Navy Corpsman assigned to Field Medical Training Battalion-East, deploys a ReFlex™ Med Roll on a simulated casualty during a field training exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

“We know and understand the importance of preventive measures that users take by carrying organized medical gear.” said Allison Mitchum, HSGI® Director of Sales & Marketing. “It makes us proud to see all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces utilizing our ReFlex IFAK System in the field.”

Since the release of the ReFlex™, High Speed Gear® has also created alternatives for people to be able to use, such as the ReFlex™ Vehicle Mount and the ReFlex™ Leg Rig for users to be able to carry comfortably, no matter their preference.

For more information about the ReFlex™ IFAK System, visit: What do you carry in your ReFlex IFAK System? – YouTube

AWACS Demonstrates Historic Firsts, Receives and Processes In-Air EW updates in Minutes

Monday, April 11th, 2022

For the first time, the U.S. Air Force’s E-3G airborne warning and control system aircraft, or AWACS, demonstrated the ability to receive and process in-air electronic warfare software updates derived from EW data collected and transmitted while in flight.

An airborne E-3G operated by the AWACS Combined Test Force updated its electronic support measures, or ESM, database in flight over central Texas with a file transmitted from its reprogramming center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, using an existing beyond line-of-site satellite communications system.   

The E-3G collected EW information using its existing ESM system and transmitted the in-flight recorded data to the 36th Electronic Warfare Squadron at Eglin AFB, Florida, using its satellite communications system. This test was conducted by 605th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Detachment 1, at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, aligning with their mission to field innovation and develop tactics for the AWACS community.

“While most airborne EW systems provide self-protection, the primary purpose of the E-3G’s ESM system is to provide situational awareness, combat identification, and threat warning for the rest of the assets in theater. Modern advanced radars are increasingly digital and can adapt faster than ever before, and the mission data update process needs to adapt along with it,” said Maj. Jesse Snook, 605th TES, Det1 air battle manager.

Snook continued, “The E-3G has demonstrated its ability to exchange near real-time electronic warfare information with the experts on the ground and feed that information back into the fight immediately.”  

Within an hour, the 36th EWS processed and analyzed the E-3G’s data, corrected deficiencies observed in the data, and transmitted the updated file back to the E-3G for immediate loading during the mission. The in-air update and in-air flight data transmissions were firsts for the E-3G. In addition, the concept referred to as Airborne Cooperative EW Integrated Reprogrammable Exchange, or ACEWIRE, was devised as a first step to accelerating antiquated reprogramming processes for the E-3G and the assets under its control.

“These are significant events,” said Col. Adam Shelton, 505th Test and Training Group commander, Hurlburt Field, Florida. “Our capability to detect, discover and defend ourselves against hostile threat systems is tied to our ability to quickly update software, especially mission data files, and there is a tactical demand to do so.”

The test was made possible using the E-3G’s upgraded satellite communications system called Internet Protocol Enabled Communications, or IPEC, in conjunction with the more modern and flexible mission computing system on the E-3G. The proof-of-concept test demonstrated the E-3G’s ability to adapt to new threats and facilitate the compressed mission data reprogramming timeline required for success in the future fight. 

“The E-3G has to continuously evolve and find ways to adapt legacy technology for the future fight, and ACEWIRE is a great example,” said Lt. Col. Dameion Briggs, 605th TES, Det 1 commander, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. “The next step is to build on this concept within the E-3G community and work with other airborne platforms to use IPEC and existing datalinks to provide in-air updates for other platforms.”

The test also served as a valuable exercise for the 36th EWS as part of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, activated in 2021 on Eglin AFB, Florida. The 350th SWW is focused on its mission to deliver adaptive and cutting-edge electromagnetic spectrum capabilities that provide the warfighter a tactical and strategic competitive advantage and freedom to attack, maneuver and defend.

“The E-3G has completed a process that used to take days or months in a matter of minutes. This aligns perfectly with CSAF [Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. C.Q.] Brown’s imperative to Accelerate Change or Lose that applies to software update processes as much as it applies to hardware upgrades and new platforms,” said Lt. Col. Carly Sims, 605th TES commander, Hurlburt Field, Florida.

The AWACS CTF is comprised of the 96th Operations Group, Det 2, and 605th TES, Det 1, which are responsible for the developmental and operational testing of new hardware and software on the E-3G. The 96th OG, Det 2 at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is part of the 96th OG and 96th Test Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida. The 605th TES, Det 1 at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, and the 605th TES are a part of the 505th TTG and 505th Command and Control Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

Story by Deb Henley

505th Command and Control Wing

Public Affairs

Photo by Kimberly Woodruff

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Bambi Goes to Nam

Sunday, April 10th, 2022

Donnie Dunagan was born in August 1934 and was drafted in 1952 during the Korean War. Instead, he decided to join the Marine Corps where he would spend 21 years in and retire in 1977 at the rank of Major. While growing up in Tennessee, Dunagan’s family struggled to make ends meet. After Dunagan’s family relocated to Hollywood after winning $100 in a talent competition, he rose to the status of a child celebrity. His most recent role was as the voice of Bambi, the beloved baby fawn from the Disney film of the same name.

It was a stark contrast between his Hollywood past and his adolescent years. However, he adapted to the life of a Marine. During his 21-year career, he served three tours in Vietnam, earning a promotion to Major along with a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. which was a company record at the time. He was also the youngest drill instructor to don the campaign hat at twenty-seven years. He kept his movie carrier a secret from his fellow Marines throughout this time. He was never ashamed of his past, but like every good military person, you can never give people any ammo to make fun of you. Somethings never change.

He had a brief career as a child actor before being cast as the title character’s voice in Disney’s 1942 animated film Bambi, which has become a classic animated film about a young deer who learns about life in the forest.

Of course, it eventually made its way out. Several decades later, a Marine with whom Dunagan had previously worked on several occasions, including twice in combat, summoned him to his office about a month or so before the two of them were to retire.

Dunagan said, “When I walk into his office, he greets me with, ‘Dunagan! ‘I’d like you to audit the auditors,’ I say. “Dunagan recalls the incident. Being swamped with other work at the time, Dunagan respectfully inquired of him: “General, when do you think I’ll have time to do that?”

And, at long last, the secret he’d been living with for years came to out.

“He looked at me and drew his glasses down as if he were a university professor. There’s a large, red, top-secret folder with my name on it that he managed to get out of some hidden safe somewhere. “You will audit the auditors, Maj. Bambi,” he says as he patted the folder on the table and looked me in the eyes.

Dungan says, “But I enjoy it now when people realize that this old jerk is still alive and that he was Bambi. And I wouldn’t accept anything in exchange for it, not even a darn thing.”