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SETAF-AF Welcomes New Civil Affairs Battalion

Saturday, September 2nd, 2023

VICENZA, Italy – The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) Civil Affairs Battalion conducted a change of responsibility during a ceremony Aug. 25, 2023, at Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy.

During the ceremony, the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, from Knoxville, TN, assumed responsibility as the SETAF-AF CA Battalion from the outgoing 450th Civil Affairs Battalion.

“Our Civil Affairs Battalion provides us a critical capability,” said Maj. Gen. Todd Wasmund, SETAF-AF commanding general. “They help us understand the concerns and perspectives of the civilian populations in the countries in which we partner and help to meet their needs. They help our African partners build their own capacity to increase civil-military engagement and build trust between the military and those they protect.”

SETAF-AF coordinates all U.S. Army activities in Africa in support of U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

The U.S. Army Reserve, Maryland-based battalion worked hand-in-hand with several African partners including Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Malawi, Liberia, Morocco, Djibouti, Kenya, Ghana, and Tunisia during their nine-month deployment to the U.S. Africa Command Area of Responsibility. Across the continent, the battalion played a vital role in fostering partnerships between the U.S. Army, host nation forces and their respective public.

Army Civil Affairs Soldiers work closely in partnership with other government agencies or the militaries of allied nations.

“I would like to thank all of our African Partners and the Soldiers of SETAF-AF for laying a solid foundation of operations for us,” said 540th Civil Affairs Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Kevin. Martin. “The past nine months has been an incredible experience, and we wouldn’t endeavor to continue forward with the mission, jointly with all partners for success.”

The incoming civil affairs battalion assumes responsibility for all Army civil affairs duties within the African continent supporting the SETAF-AF mission.

“I would like to thank the outgoing Civil Affairs Battalion for laying a solid foundation of operations for us and we will endeavor to continue forward with the mission, jointly with all partners for success,” said Lt. Col. James Favuzzi, the commander of 489th Civil Affairs Battalion.

Over the next nine months, the battalion will provide approximately 90 Soldiers, 10 civil affairs teams, and one medical functional specialist team to conduct engagements across Africa in support of SETAF-AF.

“We receive tremendous support to our mission from the U.S. Army Reserve, evidenced by the work and accomplishments of the 540th,” said Wasmund. “We’re confident that the new team from the 489th will build upon that important work in the months ahead.”

By Billy Lacroix

Posted in Army, Forces Focus, Guest Post, SOF | Comments Off on SETAF-AF Welcomes New Civil Affairs Battalion

USASOC Study Outlines Measures to Optimize Female Soldiers

Tuesday, August 29th, 2023

WASHINGTON — To better address obstacles facing female Soldiers serving in special operations units and to retain its top talent, Army Special Operations Command outlined 42 recommendations in a study released Monday.

The research’s findings will guide USASOC in optimizing female warfighters while noting their physical and anatomical differences.

“It is not about providing accommodations for women,” said USASOC Command Sgt. Maj. JoAnn Naumann. “It’s providing tools that allow women to maximize their performance and continue to serve at all levels and across time.”

During the yearlong study, researchers found that 44% of the female Soldiers surveyed said they experienced equipment-fitting challenges relating to body armor, helmets and ruck systems. The problem can impact women’s abilities to perform basic Soldier maneuvers and skills.

Female Soldiers also reported that the time they spent planning pregnancies negatively impacted their careers, leading to Soldiers scheduling childbearing around career milestones or avoiding pregnancy entirely, according to the 106-page report, titled, “Breaking Barriers: Women in Army Special Operations Forces.”

Researchers held more than 40 focus groups and interviews with women and men from across the force. The study focused on the areas of equipment fitting, childcare, gender bias, social support, sexual harassment, pregnancy and postpartum, and morale and wellbeing. Retired Lt. Gen. Francis Beaudette, former USASOC commander, initiated the 2021 study, which had more than 5,000 respondents. Additionally, the survey addressed other concerns including challenges of small-statured Soldiers and access to healthcare.

The study also explored attitudes towards females serving in combat and special operations units. The survey results showed Soldiers had a favorable view of women serving in special operations units with no reported decline in morale. About 72% of women and 64% of men surveyed said they would support their daughter joining Army special operations units.

According to findings, 80% of men reported that gender-related concerns had no impact on their decision to remain in special operations forces. Researchers found most gender-biased comments and attitudes during the study came from senior NCOs, indicating a difference in generational views, Naumann said.

“Although disappointed by some of the findings and comments in the study, we are committed to addressing these issues with candor and transparency,” Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, USASOC commander wrote in the report’s introduction.

“To change culture takes time,” Braga added. “We have to be better — we must be better.”

The Women in ARSOF Initiative outlined three lines of effort to address the hurdles: mentorship and sponsorship, health and readiness, and modernization.

For mentorship and sponsorship, units can create a “culture of excellence” through education and accountability, said Lt. Col. Rachel Cepis, the director of the Women in ARSOF Initiative. For example, the Army can host more educational forums where Soldiers can learn how to schedule duties around breastfeeding or deal with postpartum related issues, as well as women’s health and nutrition.

Survey participants that have had children listed the top five postpartum challenges: (1) depression, stress, and anxiety, (2) inability to perform to the same level as the unit, (3) lactation, (4) maternity leave, and (5) diastasis recti abdominus.

Focus group participants said they experienced hardship finding adequate care during and after pregnancy. Soldiers also voiced concerns about pregnancy hindering career progression and having adequate breastfeeding locations, as well as convalescent leave following miscarriages.

The 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Carson, Colorado began a female mentorship program, while the 3rd Special Forces Group and 528th Sustainment Brigade at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, plan to establish a similar initiative at each battalion headquarters. The 528th Sustainment Brigade also hosts monthly engagements with female Soldiers.

“We’re looking at it holistically. I’m excited to see the growth of women in our formation in all positions,” Cepis said. “And I’m thrilled that we’re looking at ways to help them perform at their maximum potential.”

“This is about driving change and making ultimately, ARSOF and the [Defense Department] better,” she added.

In the second line of effort, health and readiness, USASOC partnered with Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Massachusetts to study physiological, metabolic and psychological responses during and after completion of extreme and prolonged training. USASOC has also submitted four topics to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services 2024 research solicitation: (1) women’s physical and physiological characteristics of elite female warfighters, (2) pregnancy and postpartum impacts on readiness, (3) long and short-term impacts of intentional dehydration, and (4) endocrine adaptations of female warfighters.

Cepis said USASOC is working with the Army, SOCOM, and academic partners to study the effects of menstrual cycles on female warfighters and ways to maximize performance. USASOC plans to examine sicknesses and illnesses that females suffer in the field and explore how to avoid musculoskeletal injuries related to female anatomy differences, she added.

Finally in modernization, the study recognizes the anatomical and anthropometric differences between men and women and Army Combat Capabilities Development Command [DEVCOM] at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland will be modernizing dress and duty uniforms as well as body armor that better fits the varying body types and sizes.

USASOC has done limited user assessments with the Army Modular Scalable Body Armor, a lightweight, adjustable bulletproof vest, and the Army Integrated Helmet Protection System, a multi-faceted head gear, which consists of protection and retention systems, a helmet cover and hearing protection.

The Women in ARSOF Director has partnered with DEVCOM to better develop items ranging from pregnant female service uniforms to female urinary devices.

USASOC founded the Women in ARSOF Initiative to specifically study female-modernization challenges while advising Army and SOF senior leaders. ARSOF also began publishing a newsletter series, created an online platform and developed a portal site to keep Soldiers updated on the study findings and ongoing efforts.

“I have never felt so heard and understood in my career until [the newsletter] started being published,” wrote a 25-year-old Soldier who has spent five years in special operations forces.

USASOC, headquartered at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, trains, equips and educates special operations units in support of the joint force.

By Joe Lacdan, Army News Service

Posted in Army, For the Ladies, Guest Post, SOF | 22 Comments »

1/75 Human Performance Presents: The Four-Coactive Model of Preparation

Sunday, August 27th, 2023

The 1/75 Human Performance team presents the Four-Coactive Model of Preparation adopted from Fergus Connolly and Cameron Josse.

Are you using all parts of this model to structure your training?

Each coactive plays a pivotal role when planning and preparing for training. Often, we get sucked into one coactive and can lose sight of the other pieces of the puzzle that help us with our job.

Physical – the easiest for all Rangers to gravitate towards and easiest to get stuck in. Going to the gym is not only a part of the job, but also one of the most relaxing parts on certain days. Making sure we are physically ready is important, but we can’t get stuck here.

Tactical – How are you training at the individual, team or squad level. This is the front runner when it’s go-time. If individually you don’t understand what to do, then you can’t help. Tactical know-how can come from simple things like white board or walk-through sessions.

Technical – understanding your position and its importance to others around you. Context is king and keeping the main thing the main thing will help with preparation. Layer in complexity and constraints to increase the training stimulus until it’s a full platoon or company.

Psychological –Spiritual: meaning connection and control (why, what, how). Cognitive: ability to focus, stress regulation. Emotion: how do you manage what is happening. *(Emily is a great resource for this coactive.)

At the core of the model is Ranger Health. We can’t have physical preparedness without an underlying level of health and wellness. The medical staff, human performance team, Ranger leaders, and individual Rangers all have important roles in looking out for the health of each Ranger.

Posted in As Seen On Instagram, Medical, SOF | 2 Comments »

SOFWERX – Science and Technology Small Business Innovation Research 23.4 Release 4 Pre-Release

Friday, August 25th, 2023

The USSOCOM Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program will soon be accepting submissions for the technology area of interest below.

Special Areas of Interest

PHASE I:
SOCOM234-004: Out-of-Band GNSS Tracker
SOCOM234-005: Slim Form Cargo Loader/Unloader

Submissions Open 06 September 2023.

On 07 September, SOFWERX will host a virtual Q&A session for the area of interest.

Posted in Comms, SOF | Comments Off on SOFWERX – Science and Technology Small Business Innovation Research 23.4 Release 4 Pre-Release

AFSOC hosts 2023 Weapons and Tactics Conference

Thursday, August 24th, 2023

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —

AFSOC held the 2023 Weapons and Tactics Conference led by the command’s Operations directorate, 2-11 Aug.

Weapons and tactics experts from across the AFSOC enterprise gathered to participate in mission focused working groups to produce warfighter driven solutions to tactical problems. The conference also facilitated an academics portion as well as a Tactics Review Board to evaluate current practices, to ensure the command is postured to defeat threats now and in the future.

Brig Gen Rebecca Sonkiss, AFSOC deputy commander, kicked off the conference explaining the importance of continuously improving weapons and tactics.

“As America’s Air Commandos, we must be Ready to Fight Tonight and be Pathfinders for Tomorrow. Ready tonight means that we consistently and realistically train and train hard,” said Sonkiss. “It is important that you build expertise and toughness through challenging and complex scenarios and continue to iterate and innovate to stay ahead of our adversaries across the spectrum of conflict.”

Working groups during the conference included focus areas such as precision strike, irregular warfare, specialized mobility, information warfare, and small unmanned aerial systems tactics.

Weapons and tactics experts were able to work together to identify solutions and objectives to effectively improve Special Operations tactics, techniques, and procedures in highlighted focus areas prioritized by AFSOC.

On the last day of the conference, Lt Gen Tony Bauernfeind, AFSOC commander and command’s leaders were briefed on Tactic Improvement Proposals from the TRB in addition to proposed solutions gathered from the working groups.

Bauernfeind concluded the conference by energizing the weapons and tactics experts in the room with gratitude and intent on the way forward.

“It is going to be this team of experts that will make us more effective against our adversaries,” said Bauernfeind. “We must continue to tackle these hard problem sets, drive for solutions, and then go faster so we are postured to best enable the joint force. The solutions we work through during WEPTAC conferences are imperative to shaping our tactics and the mission effectiveness of our Air Commandos for tomorrow.”

By Capt Amy Rasmussen, Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, SOF | Comments Off on AFSOC hosts 2023 Weapons and Tactics Conference

SOFWERX – USSOCOM Enterprise Training Solution Collaboration Event

Monday, August 21st, 2023

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM Program Executive Office-Services (PEO-SV), will host a Collaboration Event on 19 September, 2023, to identify, collaborate, and find solutions to streamline the acquisition, purchasing, and scheduling of enterprise training. The purpose of this effort is to alleviate the burden on units of ordering and purchasing required training multiple times throughout the year.

The goal of this series of events is to identify capabilities for a tool that will enable government stakeholders to sort through a menu of available training options from available companies. The tool should allow customers to rate companies’ past performance and allow units to purchase and schedule training without resoliciting and/or renegotiating a contract or purchase order. Ideally, the tool will also provide firewalls to protect company proprietary data and ITAR information and reside on the unclassified network.

See more details at events.sofwerx.org/enterprise2.

Request to Attend NLT 05 September 2023, 11:59 PM ET.

Posted in SOF, Training | Comments Off on SOFWERX – USSOCOM Enterprise Training Solution Collaboration Event

SOFWERX – NSWC Surface Systems Combat Diving Technical Experimentation

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

USSOCOM Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) is accepting technology experimentation submissions to explore emerging technologies, technical applications, and their potential to provide solutions for NSWC surface systems/combat diving-related operations. They are holding a Technical Experimentation event 04-08 December 2023.

The command is interested in the following technology areas:

-Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) systems. Provide users with futuristic and maximum technological capabilities to include cyber defense.

-Diving systems focused on providing innovative commercial “off the shelf” capabilities. This technical experiment is seeking technologies which can securely and reliably send and receive digital data, audio, audio/video, and high-resolution imagery over the horizon and on-the-move, amongst divers in the water column, as well as interoperate with maritime/joint-forces on both surface and submerged platforms.

-Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV). Capable of over the horizon endurance and operating in a near peer environment. Candidate systems should be capable of autonomous (Level 4 or greater) operation and carrying sensors/payloads.

-Combatant craft and Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) underwater communications.

-Maritime Alternative Position, Navigation, and Timing (ALT PNT)

Get full details here.

Submit NLT 18 August 2023 12:00 PM ET

Posted in Maritime, Navy, SOF | Comments Off on SOFWERX – NSWC Surface Systems Combat Diving Technical Experimentation

Wind Tunnel Training: Key to Expeditionary and Special Warfare Readiness

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

NORFOLK, Va. – Several members from the Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) Expeditionary and Special Warfare Directorate participated in simulated skydiving training at the iFly Virginia Beach July 17. This periodically scheduled training allows jump participants a simulated free fall environment to work on various body positions, corrective actions and emergency action procedures in a controlled and supervised environment.

IFly provides an indoor skydiving experience that creates free fall conditions without having to jump out of an aircraft. The facility’s vertical wind tunnel generates 1600 horse power from four powerful fans, creating a wall-to-wall cushion of air on which participants can safely float. While an entertainment venue for the general population, the wind tunnel is more than just fun for the DoD personnel who use it for training purposes.

“I have been doing the wind tunnel training for about six years and the training is the closest we can get to representing the feeling, motion and training to actual flight,” said a Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator stationed at NAVSAFECOM as a naval special warfare safety analyst. “This training is important to me and others as it allows the opportunity to maintain jump qualification proficiency while stationed at a non-operational command.”

The wind tunnel is a low-risk atmosphere that provides the jumper with a realistic experience of falling through the air at 125 mph. Jumpers work on stability, 360-degree turns, side slide and forward or back movements. Once the basic movements have been mastered, jumpers can transition into emergency procedures and simulate each emergency procedure they might encounter at the “bottom end” of their jump. Not only will jumpers practice their wave off procedure, but they will simulate and conduct a hard pull Emergency Procedure (EP), learning how to stay stable and still execute with quick but precision hard pull.

On this training day at the wind tunnel, participants had their own individual areas they aimed to train in. Participants have different levels of experience and specific training goals to work toward.

“Today I worked on various free fall body positions. Moving forward and back, left to right in different varieties,” said the Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator. “The other thing I worked on was recovery stability, having the instructor push or pull me and roll me over and working on my recovery.”

Senior Chief Special Warfare Boat Operator Brad Rumbaugh, a small boat safety analyst with NAVSAFECOM, has over 200 military free fall (MFF) jumps and countless hours going into the tunnel. Rumbaugh’s training focused on his “Coach’s Position,” which uses legs to maneuver, freeing one’s hands for hand signals while instructing another flyer.

“The position is for assisting another jumper. If someone hasn’t jumped in a while or asks for someone to jump out with them, that position allows for the “coach” to use his or her hands to either help or eventually pull the rip cord if the jumper freaks out or freezes in the air and misses their pull altitude,” said Rumbaugh. “When coaching you have to be ready to stop their spin, direct and communicate corrections with your hands. You can’t be using your hand to maneuver and pass hand signals at the same time, so you have to learn to fly with your legs so your hands are free.”

The participants know the value of wind tunnel training and seize every opportunity they have to participate.

“Training like this is important to DoD because like everything else you have to stay current with your skills. You either use or lose your skills with things like shooting, skydiving, scuba diving, etc.,” said Rumbaugh. “Wind tunnel training allows military free fall parachutists the ability to knock the rust off, gain more experience and boost their confidence in emergency procedures prior to the real evolution of military free fall.”

Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Jeremy Marco, a NAVSAFECOM expeditionary warfare safety analyst stressed the importance of the free fall emergency and survivability procedures and the opportunity the vertical wind tunnel provides.

“Vertical wind tunnel training with procedures increases the jumper’s in-air survivability and ability to withstand and cope with malfunctions and in-air emergencies that could occur,” said Marco. “Today, I worked specifically on belly fly, turns using hands and feet, situational awareness and air space management.”

Risk is inherent in all tasks, training, missions, operations and personal activities no matter how routine. While there is no shortage of inherent risk in the Navy’s expeditionary and special warfare communities, training such as the wind tunnel remains key to readiness ? Navy’s top priority. Today’s operational environment demands ships, aircraft, submarines, expeditionary forces, special operations forces and personnel that are ready to fight and win.

From Leslie Tomaino

DISCLAIMER: The use of IFLY by name in this article does not imply endorsement by the Naval Safety Command.

Posted in Guest Post, Navy, Parachuting, SOF, Training | Comments Off on Wind Tunnel Training: Key to Expeditionary and Special Warfare Readiness