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Revision Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony For New Facility, Joined by New Hampshire US Senators

August 13th, 2018

Portsmouth, New Hampshire (August 13, 2018) – Today Revision Military—a world leader in tactical and military eyewear, helmet systems, power management solutions, and advanced integrated soldier systems—held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new facility located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Revision CEO Jonathan Blanshay was joined by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH). The new facility will be located on an eight acre lot on Corporate Drive at the Pease International Tradeport. This new Center of Excellence—the Revision Advanced Warfighter Equipment Development Center—will house a warfighter experience and development lab, including simulation capabilities; a rapid prototyping lab; an integrated soldier systems development lab and offices; and an armor prototyping and development facility.

“We are tremendously excited to commence this new venture in New Hampshire and honored to begin this next chapter with New Hampshire Senators Shaheen and Hassan,” said Jonathan Blanshay. “I would like to personally thank Senator Shaheen for her steadfast leadership on the Armed Services Committee and for her tireless work to bring advanced defense technologies to New Hampshire. I sincerely thank Senator Hassan for her guidance during her time as Governor, her continued support of our company in the Senate, and her stewardship with the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development and the University of New Hampshire during our site consideration. Both Senators have promoted legislative provisions that will directly impact the initial work Revision will undertake in the Granite State. We look forward to working together to create jobs and bring world-class development of our most advanced protective equipment and soldier systems to the Seacoast.”

“Revision’s expansion to New Hampshire helps fortify our state’s role as a supporter of critical national defense programs,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “Their new facility at Pease International Tradeport will provide important job opportunities for our evolving workforce, preparing Granite Staters for jobs of the 21st century economy. I’m excited to see Revision join other defense companies in New Hampshire, helping to make our state a hub for technological innovation. As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, I will continue to advocate for their continued efforts that support our military readiness.”

“As Governor I was proud to work with Revision to show them all the great benefits of bringing their business to our state, and as Senator I am continuing to work to ensure that innovative businesses like Revision have the support they need to thrive in New Hampshire,” Senator Maggie Hassan said. “I am thrilled that Revision Military chose the Granite State for the future site of its Advanced Warfighter Equipment Development Center, which will play a critical role in supporting our brave law enforcement officers and service members who dedicate their lives to keeping us all safe.”

In May, Revision announced the company’s intentions to expand operations to New Hampshire and detailed the 5,000 square foot temporary office that has been established to facilitate this transition. This office space is located on International Drive in Pease International Tradeport, just a short distance from the future site, and hiring has already started – visit revisionmilitary.com/careers for open jobs in Portsmouth. By expanding to Portsmouth, Revision will improve access to its military customer base in the Greater Boston area, as well as along the eastern seaboard, and will be better positioned to work collaboratively with local academic institutions and a significant number of locally-based partners and suppliers. The Seacoast region is also home to a vibrant talent pool that will help propel Revision’s efforts to deliver best-in-class soldier system technology.

The Revision Advanced Warfighter Equipment Development Center will become Revision’s seventh facility, joining three locations in Vermont, two in Canada, and one in the United Kingdom. The work done in New Hampshire will also grow and sustain business in Revision’s other facilities, especially the two advanced manufacturing facilities in Vermont (optics in Essex Junction and helmets/armor in Newport). Construction of the 47,000 square foot facility (with room to expand an additional 55,000 square feet as required) is scheduled to begin in fall 2018. The anticipated completion date of the construction is mid-to-late 2019, at which point Revision plans to hire an additional 50 to 60 new employees to initiate operations at the new facility.

www.revisionmilitary.com

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Army’s BCT Cyber Teams to Double in Size

August 13th, 2018

WASHINGTON — Combatant commanders are increasingly getting better support in the cyber domain thanks to a diverse group of problem solvers, said Lt. Col. Wayne A. Sanders.

Sanders, chief of the Cyber-Electromagnetic Activities Support to Corps and Below Program, U.S. Army Cyber Command, spoke Aug. 2 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Cyber Hot Topics panel.


Sgt. Camille Coffey (on the antenna), Spc. Victorious Fuqua (on the computer), and Spc. Mark Osterholt, all cyber operations specialists from the Expeditionary Cyber Support Detachment, 782nd Military Intelligence Battalion (Cyber), from Fort Gordon, Ga., provided offensive cyber operations as part of the Cyber-Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) Support to Corps and Below (CSCB) program during the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, National Training Center Rotation 18-03, Jan. 18-24, 2018. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Steven Stover)

After each of the past 10 combat training center rotations and numerous deployments, these problem-solving cyber operators have been learning something new each time and are improving and integrating better with the staff of the maneuver commanders, he said.

As a result of learning from those 10 CTC rotations and lots of assessments from the Cyber Center of Excellence and other commands, a determination was made to double the size of cyber teams supporting brigade combat teams from five personnel to 10, he said.

Each of those teams will be led by a major who has a “17B Cyber Electromagnetic Activities Officer – Electronic Warfare” military occupational specialty, and a captain, with a “17A Cyber Operations Officer” MOS, he said. Teams will include offensive and defensive cyber, as well as electronic warfare and information operations Soldiers.

Soldiers from the Expeditionary Cyber Support Detachment, 782nd Military Intelligence Battalion (Cyber), provide offensive cyber operations in support of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division during a seizure of a town at the National Training Center during Rotation 18-03 on January 18, 2018. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Capt. Adam Schinder)

The other big development is that the secretary of the Army authorized the creation of a cyber warfare support battalion, he said. Initial operational capability for that battalion will be in fiscal year 2019, which begins in October.

The battalion will go after gaps in cyber against peer threats, he said. Those personnel will find the software and hardware solutions that will make the cyber teams more innovative and expeditionary.

Sanders said that in every single operation that cyber teams are a part of, they learn something new during their forensic analysis of attacks. That information is then shared with cyber teams throughout the Army.

A lesson learned could be about a new tactic or technique used in a cyber or electronic warfare attack, he said. Or, it could be about something totally unrelated.

He provided an example. During a recent deployment, the cyber team assigned to the maneuver commander found out after hitting the ground that transportation was not readily available. “We weren’t a known entity to anyone,” one of the Soldiers said. The lesson learned was to integrate early into the operations planning process and attend home-station training prior to going to the combat training center.

Soldiers of the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade embedded with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, establish a location to conduct cyberspace operations during Decisive Action Rotation 18-08 at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., June 6, 2018. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jeff Storrier)

Brig. Gen. William Hartman, deputy commander, Joint Force Headquarters, U.S. Army Cyber Command, looked back on the brief history of cyber. Just a few years ago a cyber team of four Soldiers was invited to their first combat training center rotation. There wasn’t Internet set up, so it was impossible to conduct realistic training.

On the next rotation, 35 cyber operators were able to surveil enemy targets at 900 meters, he said. On subsequent rotations, that improved to 5 kilometers, giving the maneuver commander the ability to see cyber activity around him from inside the tactical operations center.

Hartman noted that besides being really good at what they do, cyber operators need to know how to communicate to the maneuver commander and his staff in language they can understand.

Col. Paul T. Stanton, commander, Cyber Protection Brigade, oversees 20 cyber protection teams.

“We understand the ones and zeroes and the complexity of the systems we’re defending,” he said. “We develop interesting and novel algorithms, sometimes on the fly in order to analyze the data in a meaningful way to defend the network.”

Having said that, there are limitations to defending the network at the tactical edge, he noted. There are just 2 megabits of bandwidth per second available at the tactical edge, compared to many times that available at home station.

That means there’s limited bandwidth for those systems at the tactical edge, but the upside to that is there’s a smaller footprint, meaning it’s harder for the enemy to find and target the cyber team’s activities.

Frank Pietryka, director of Information Operations, Electronic Warfare Systems, Raytheon, said that 2 megabits of bandwidth might be okay today, but as artificial intelligence and machine learning take hold, operators at the forward edge of the battle area are going to need “more horsepower.”

By David Vergun, Army News Service

Posted in CEMA, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

1 Minute Out & Emerging Tactical Solutions – Night Vision Operators Course

August 13th, 2018

Conducting tactical operations using Night Vision (NV) equipment requires knowledge, understanding, and tactical competency with both NV equipment and tactics. 1 Minute Out and Emerging Tactical Solutions have combined forces to offer our NVG Operator Course. This is a course we developed and have trained hundreds of Local, County, State and Federal SWAT Officers throughout the United States. We take a crawl, walk, run format to this training as we believe it is important to form a solid foundation to build on. We teach tactically sound techniques and procedures. This course is restricted to LE/MIL and is the ONLY NVG Course to be adopted by the National Tactical Officers Association as an official NTOA course offering.

Available as a 2, 3, or more day custom course that covers a systematic approach to equipment selection, it’s use, advantages and limitations. We cover legal and training issues, as well as operational considerations through classroom discussions, practical exercises, live fire range drills, and scenario based field problems using marking rounds. We travel nationwide to offer this training and can customize this course to meet your needs. In this course we combine the best of both L.E. Tactical use of NVG’s and the best in U.S. Military Special Operations TTP’s and lessons learned providing you with the most comprehensive and relevant information on the use of NVG’s.

Instructors:

Sergeant Major (r) Jamey Caldwell, spent more than 21 years in the United States Army, serving his entire career in Special Operations. SGM Caldwell served 7 years with the 75th Ranger Regiment then spent the following 14 years in a Special Missions Unit that maintained a high operational tempo in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and numerous other countries in the world. He has deployed to combat 14 times and has conducted well over 500 missions. SGM Caldwell has been awarded three medals for valorous actions in combat while under direct fire from the enemy. During his career SGM Caldwell has consistently dedicated himself to the success of the mission and put the unit’s goals in front of his own. He has been sought after for his leadership skills, planning, leading combat operations, teaching marksmanship skills and CQB, culminating from years of adaptive thinking in combat situations.

Pat Hickcox is a retired Sergeant with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and a founding board member for the Arizona Tactical Officers Association. Pat served 8 years in the U.S. Army including a combat deployment to Iraq from 2004 to 2005 as a Civil Affairs Team Sergeant. Pat developed the course curriculum and is the lead instructor for the NTOA’s NVG course. He is also the owner of Emerging Tactical Solutions, a night vision sales and training company.

Here are the dates of the next two courses and how to enroll:

Sept 24/25 Longmont, Colorado

Enroll at www.emergingtacticalsolutions.com/NVG-Operator-Training-Course-p/ets.nvg.002

Oct 10/11 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Enroll at candgtraining.com/products/night-vision-operators-course-allison-park-pa-10-10-11-2018

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New DoD Policy Prohibits GPS Tracking in Deployed Settings

August 13th, 2018

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan recently issued a memorandum prohibits the use of GPS enabled personal devices while deployed. These include physical fitness aids, applications in phones that track locations, and other devices and apps that pinpoint and track the location of individuals.

During a media event last week, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Robert Manning III told reporters, “Effective immediately, Defense Department personnel are prohibited from using geolocation features and functionality on government and nongovernment-issued devices, applications and services while in locations designated as operational areas,” adding they, “potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission.”

Commanders may apply the rule to other areas as well but may also make exceptions, but only after conducting a thorough risk assessment.

The concern is that the data collected by these devices is vulnerable to access and exploitation by unauthorized personnel. These could be criminal threats as well as enemy.

Posted in CEMA, Digitization, Disruptive Tech | 20 Comments »

Sneak Peek – Capture Flap & Binocular Pouch

August 12th, 2018

Hill People Gear has two new products coming.

Capture Flap | $35

The Capture Flap is a PALS cut, beaver tail style accessory that can mount to any HPG pack and packs of other manufacturers. You can mount PALS pouches on the front, and either PALS or velcro pouches on the back.

Binocular Pouch | $45

The medium binocular pouch is designed around the popular 10×42 binocular size, but it can fit a little larger and of course smaller. Features include:

• soft velcro loop on inner lid and bottom to avoid scratching lenses
• fully padded except top flap
• one hand opening flap closure can be fastened either for full retention or quicker access
• top flap stays closed by default
• mounts on 4×2 PALS grid
• external tabs for tying retention strap to if desired

hillpeoplegear.com

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Posted in Load Carrying | 9 Comments »

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Galileo G2 Family of Dive computers

August 12th, 2018

SCUBAPRO’s groundbreaking design of its Galileo dive computers changed the diving world forever.

Galileo revolutionized dive computers in 2007, with hybrid air-oil filling, dot-matrix display and a maximum operating depth of 330 meters or 1080 feet. The Galileo won awards for its design and the hearts and minds of its legions of fans through incredibly easy menus, intuitive usability and technology that made diving easier and more fun. Loaded with computing, navigation and personalization features unavailable anywhere else, you simply couldn’t get a full-featured wrist-mount dive computer better than a Galileo. The G2 (Galileo 2) series of dive computers features a wrist mounted and also a console version. The big brothers to the Galileo SOL and LUNA. The G2,s has been redesigned from the ground up, and in the process a new standard in dive computing for SCUBAPRO has been created. The air integrated G2 uses the same menu structure, the same simple 3-button control system, and the same diver-friendly functions that helped earn the Galileo its reputation as the most technologically advanced computer available – and also the hands-down easiest to use. Every color computer is not the same. Instead of using color for color’s sake, SCUBAPRO engineer’s have leveraged color to deliver the best readability and usability available. Color indicators that quickly draw your attention to what you need to know are combined with high contrast, user configurable screen layouts and default color settings to make the G2 stand out from the crowd… at any depth. SCUBAPRO offers the only dive computers in the world that take heart rate, skin temperature, breathing rate and water temp into account during a dive. This provides you with extremely reliable no-stop and decompression stop calculations, even under the most demanding diving circumstances. These patented features are available ONLY on SCUBAPRO computers. Even though it’s a fully loaded dive computer, the G2 is surprisingly easy to use. It offers a choice of screen configurations that enable you to customize data presentation. Navigate effortless through the system via the 3 clearly marked stainless steel buttons. Rotate the screen 180 degrees to position buttons on top or bottom.  The intuitive digital compass is one of the best in the business, and a choice of languages and characters lets you receive dive data in your mother language. The G2 easily goes where you do, from open water, to free diving, to Closed Circuit Rebreather to side-mount tanks. Even your dive profile is one of a kind – based upon your real-time breathing rate, your skin temperature and your heart rate.

KEY FEATURES & SPECS

Incorporating cutting-edge biometrics through Human Factor DivingTM, the G2 comes with a slim-line casing design and a stunning full-color TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) LCD display screen. The sleek fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic casing offers high-impact strength and good UV resistance. The high-resolution TFT screen produces vibrant colors and crisp digits that radically increase readability.

Equipped with SCUBAPRO’s UWATEC ZHL-16 ADT algorithm, the G2 can handle 8 nitrox mixes to 100% O2, its algorithm calculates true remaining bottom time (RBT), it offers a series of Microbubble levels and incorporates Profile Dependent Intermediate Stops.

• Same intuitive menu structure, simple 3-button control system, and diver-friendly functions that make the Galileo so easy to use. Enables a seamless transition from the Galileo to the G2. All accessories are reverse compatible as well.

• Full-Color TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) 2.2in/5.6cm LCD display screen (320x240p). Produces
vibrant colors for maximum readability to quickly direct your attention to what you need to know.

• TFT screens use less energy. More efficient than other screen types to help extend battery life.

• See as much or as little as you like. Choice of screen display configurations. Customize your data presentation with Light, Classic, Full or Graphical screen options to suit your individual diving style.

• Customize menu listings. Use as much or as little of the G2 technology as you need – your choice.

• Multiple Language Choices. Select from more than 19 languages for receiving dive data.

• Predictive Multi-Gas ZHL-16 ADT MB algorithm. Advanced Uwatec algorithm programs up to 8 nitrox/trimix mixes to handle any recreational or technical diving scenario.

• Integrated heart rate monitor. Measures heartbeat and skin temperature and incorporates both into the workload calculations. Integration with the HRM Is exclusive to SCUBAPRO.

• Heart rate monitor also lets you visually track your heart rate “real time” to ensure you stay in your individual target zone to maximize your fun and safety at depth.

• Hoseless air integration. Monitors tank pressure plus provides true remaining bottom time (RBT) and allows air consumption to be factored into the decompression calculation. Provides support for up to 11 transmitters when all features are activated.

• Improved, Full tilt digital compass. The best available. Includes half-compass rose and bearing memory.

• Rechargeable battery. Provides up to 50 hours of dive time per charge.

• Huge 485MB memory. Stores pictures, tables, tissue loading status, and 1,000 hours of dive profiles.

• USB cable or Bluetooth Low Energy interface. Easily download dive data wirelessly to your phone or handheld device. Download dive data to a PC/Mac using LogTRAK software.

OTHER FEATURES & SPECS

• Fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic slim-line casing. Ultra-durable & UV resistant.

• Curved ergonomic low-profile shape. Sits comfortably on the arm and resists rotating (integrated bungee mounts are provided for tech divers). Can also be used on a retractor.

• Rugged TR 55 transparent thermoplastic lens protects the LCD segmented display. Features a backlight to enhance low-light readability.

• Sleek, Swiss design. The best elements of the Galileo in an upscale design.

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• Stainless steel control buttons (3). Accessible, intuitive, easy to use, even when wearing gloves.

• Multiple dive modes. Scuba, Freediving, Gauge, CCR and Sidemount for total in-water versatility. (Freediving, Trimix, CCR and Sidemount modes are disabled from the factory. Activation is easy – no downloading or upgrading is required.)

• Special apnea logbook. Stores repetitive dives sequentially under the same apnea session.

• Maximum operating depth. 394ft/120m for reliable data computing regardless of diving situation.

SCUPAPRO Special Projects

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SCUBAPRO in a continuous effect to always innovate has been working with S and S Precision on a Navigation board that will incorporate the G2 wrist computer to make an attack board for combat swimmer operations, Search and Rescue, surveying or whenever there is a need to conduct accurate navigation. SCUBAPRO has also worked to develop special software for its dive computers and has a military version of the G2, the G2N (Navy). It was designed specifically for Combat swimmer operation. It has an advanced bottom timer mode, which is dedicated for underwater navigation. Like with normal G2 the audible tones can be switched off for stealth mode. It is equipped with a special screen that gives Total Bottom Time, Stop Watch, Current Depth, Compass heading and local time or Zulu time. It can also monitor tank pressure.

Further software changes can be done upon request.

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Posted in Guest Post, Maritime | 4 Comments »

Navy Supply Officer Pleads Guilty to $2.7 Million Fraud Scheme

August 12th, 2018

The Department of Justice announced earlier this week that a Virginia Beach-based naval officer assigned to the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (EOD) pleaded guilty to his role in a $2.7 million procurement fraud scheme, and to lying on his federal income tax return.

According to court documents, Randolph M. Prince, 45, defrauded the Navy out of over $2.7 million through a procurement fraud scheme in which he, as a member of his Navy unit’s supply staff, steered government contracts to sham companies who were created and run by his friends. Prince had the authority to make purchase requests for military equipment on behalf of his command, and also had the ability to sign for goods when a company delivered them to his unit on the back end.

Prince took advantage of his position to direct purchases to the sham companies, which had been opened for the sole purpose of receiving government contracts from Prince. When a contract landed on the desk of one of these companies, Prince, and others, would generate fraudulent documentation to suggest the company had honored its end of the bargain. With this documentation in hand, the Navy would then pay the company. However, the sham companies never provided the Navy with anything at all. Instead, they distributed the Navy money amongst Prince and his associates.

Prince pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making a false statement in connection with his 2014 tax return. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison when sentenced on December 3. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Although Prince has been brought to justice, it means that EOD operators deployed without critical equipment which the Navy paid for. There are several others involved in this situation. Hopefully, they will be held accountable as well.

Posted in WTF? | 17 Comments »

What is The Air National Guard Trying To Say?

August 12th, 2018

This Air National Guard photo by TSgt Daniel Ter Haar, was intended to inform Guard members about the upcoming switch from the Airman Battle Uniform in Digital Tiger Stripe to the Army Combat Uniform in the Operational Camouflage Pattern. If a picture tells a thousand words, this one didn’t transmit the intended message.

Posted in Air Force, Tactical Fashion Police | 22 Comments »

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