Rapid Equipping Force, PEO Soldier test targeting device

The U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force, in partnership with PEO Soldier, along with PEO Soldier’s Project Management Office PM Soldier Sensors and Lasers, conducted a test in the mountains overlooking White Sands Missile Range, in mid-July.

This test was to evaluate the capabilities of a developmental Hand Held Precision Targeting Device, or HHPTD, a special targeting system that allows Soldiers to engage targets with precision munitions and provide digital connectivity to related units. This Rapid Equipping Force capability is intended to serve as an interim capability for Soldiers while the Joint Effects Targeting System is being developed.

The mountainous terrain and wide ranging temperatures at White Sands Missile Range, or WSMR, make it an ideal testing location for systems such as the HHPTD which require changes in elevation or blocking terrain to accurately gauge the technology’s capabilities.

“This terrain provides an outstanding environment to test the HHPTD under conditions and atmospheres very much like where we intend to deploy the system,” said Captain Dave Rolen, an acquisition officer with Special Operations Command. “We can see the proper ranges, and the proper elevations, and elevation changes from a high point of view down to a low point of view, or up to the side of the canyons and mountains up here.”

The evaluation and usage of the HHPTD in an operational relevant environment like WSMR, and its eventual deployment through the Rapid Equipping Force, will provide capabilities to Soldiers downrange, while informing the larger Joint Effects Targeting System program of record. This is a potentially joint U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps program to develop and field a one-man portable precision targeting system.

The goal is to reduce friendly fire and collateral damage by improving the ability of the Soldiers to differentiate between enemy combatants and non-combatants operating in very close proximity to one another.

To best evaluate the Soldier capabilities of a targeting system, Soldiers at WSMR tested a variety of technologies in varying terrain and temperatures, while recording observations and data in order to help set specific, detailed development goals and objectives for the program. Meeting specified requirements is important, but including Soldiers early in the evaluation process ensures acquisition professionals meet Soldiers’ needs to develop suitable equipment.

These “Soldier touch-points” are critical to developing equipment that Soldiers trust and will use in combat.

“Testing at WSMR gives us a better idea of how a system will work when deployed to theater,” said one Soldier involved with the test. “I was able to really get a feel for how the technologies would be employed downrange.”

It is for this reason that WSMR, an Army Test and Evaluation installation, continues to offer Army organizations like PEO Soldier, an ideal location to test and develop equipment. A regular presence allows for technology demonstrations and evaluations in a wide range of environments, from ordinary field conditions to extreme climates.

The similarity between WSMR and the current theater of combat operations enables a more realistic testing environment, resulting in better material solutions being developed for the Soldier.

Related Topic Tags

Related Defense, Military & Aerospace Forum Discussions

View the Original article

Army increases in-flight situational awareness for rapid response forces

With help from the Army’s new in-flight internet and mission command capability, commanders of Global Response Force units will be able to plan missions in the air, while their Soldiers receive operational updates and watch full-motion video of upcoming drop zones before their parachutes ever open.

“The ability to understand a situation gives you the ability to take appropriate action, and if the GRF (Global Response Force) can understand a situation before they get to their drop location, then they can be more effective from the moment boots hit the ground,” said Lt. Col. Joel Babbitt, product manager for Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, or WIN-T, Increment 1, which manages the new in-flight capability for the Army. “Instead of landing on the ground, analyzing the situation and developing execution plans, they can hit the ground executing.”

The joint GRF essentially consists of two components — the Air Force that supplies and sustains the C17 and C130 aircraft, and the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, primarily the 82nd Airborne Division. The GRF needs to be able to rapidly deploy at a moment’s notice and effectively command and control forces from the air.

To help meet these requirements, the Army’s new Enroute Mission Command Capability, or EMC2, is being installed on C17 aircraft. The U.S. Special Operations Command, known as USSOCOM, which oversees the special operations component commands of each service, already has aircraft outfitted with their own version of this in-flight capability. The Army’s EMC2 system integrated on additional C17s would expand that initial USSOCOM capability, supporting the increased expeditionary nature of today’s forces.

The Army is scheduled be begin testing of EMC2 installed on the C17s at multiple locations this summer, and the capability is expected to pass the U.S. Air Forces’ stringent Safe to Fly Requirements by the end of August 2014. On the current timeline, equipment is expected to be issued to the XVIII Airborne Corps by the end of the calendar year.

EMC2 provides internet service, mission command applications, full-motion video, intelligence products and collaborative planning tools along with a complete office suite of computers and voice phones — all onboard an airplane. It enables en-route mission command, so that as the situation develops in the destination target area, commanders will be able to get updates, understand changes on the ground and be able to adjust their plan to accommodate for those changes, Babbitt said.

“It will be a transformation in the situational awareness and effectiveness of the GRF in the first several hours of ground operations,” he said.

One of the main components of EMC2 is the Fixed Install Satellite Antenna, or FISA, which provides the internet connection for the C17. Similar to the capability being used and implemented by today’s commercial airlines, FISA posed a low technical risk for Army adoption. From a frequency perspective, the Army is looking to utilize both Ku (commercial) and Ka (military) band in one antenna on the C17s for optimum bandwidth and efficiency.

“The FISA provides a fourfold increase in bandwidth so that a new host of services can be employed on board, increasing capability for GRF units to plan and maintain critical situational awareness in the air,” said Capt. Mindy Brown, EMC2 lead for PdM WIN-T Increment 1.

The U.S. military already has satellites, airplanes and drones that provide standard and high definition full-motion video. With EMC2, those feeds can now be displayed on board the aircraft on LED screens, along with integrated marquees and an intercom system.

“Being able to see the airfield where you are going to be landing, to see that drop zone, helps Soldiers get their heads fully into the operation so they are better prepared for the mission at hand,” Brown said.

The key capability of EMC2 does not just reside in the antenna, but also in the incorporation of the Key leader Enroute Node. It will provide airborne units with broadband reach-back data capability; secure Voice Over Internet Protocol communications between task force commanders and combatant commanders; as well as communication between aircraft.

“For the GRF, EMC2 is an absolutely disruptive technology to the traditional way of doing business, and will transform operations,” Babbitt said.

As part of the GRF mission, with the Air Force providing the aircraft, the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division has deployment-ready paratroopers and infantrymen who can provide an immediate military capability on the ground in a very short period of time to any location worldwide. In 1991, in its role as GRF, the 82nd Airborne was the first force on the front line between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, shortly after Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein’s troops. The GRF was also activated for a humanitarian mission during the earthquake in Haiti, in 2010.

Well-equipped, rapidly deployable units such as the GRF are a vital part of the Army’s evolving force structure as it strives to become a leaner, more capable and expeditionary force. Advanced network capabilities such as EMC2 will continue to increase force mobility and agility by making it easier for Soldiers to get the information they need to be successful, anytime, anywhere.

“EMC2 will not only enable the Airborne Task Force commander to better understand developing situations, but it will also increase the situational awareness for all of the joint servicemen and women in the aircraft,” Babbitt said. “It really comes down to mental preparation and the ability to plan ‘on the fly.’”

Related Topic Tags

Related Defense, Military & Aerospace Forum Discussions

View the Original article

Army scientists research new technologies for rapid, accurate detection capabilities

By Army News Service on Monday, July 8th, 2013

First responders occasionally come across suspicious powders, requiring them to have technology on hand to screen samples and identify whether or not they are a chemical or biological agent.

Current technology performs a test to determine whether or not protein exists on the sample, an indication that the sample is live, or active. With this technology, specificity is low, false positives are common and the cost is very high: one test costs $26.

Researchers at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, or ECBC, are seeking alternate technology that is more effective and lower in cost. Originally funded by Section 219 funds, an ECBC effort designed to encourage innovative applied research, with additional funding from the Department of Homeland Security, the team evaluated existing technology to find a device that was close to field ready and determine what it would take to get it into the hands of a Soldier or a first responder.

The ECBC team evaluated several pre-screening technologies and found that while many could be useful for detecting a biological threat, ongoing issues with low specificity and false positives require additional costly research to determine an accurate diagnosis. During their research of existing technology, ECBC scientists came across a Cara Technology Limited Report (report 30606) which discussed the use of adenosine triphosphate-based technology to look for contamination on food surfaces.

Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is one of the main providers of energy to cells, and every reproducible organism has it. Historically, it was thought that spores do not have traceable amounts of ATP on their surface, but recent findings have indicated otherwise.

“This is exciting because it gives us a new avenue to research technologies that can screen suspicious powders much more effectively than what’s currently on the market for first responders,” said James Wright, a chemist with ECBC’s BioSciences Division. “A lot of assumptions were made 50 years ago that aren’t holding up. We’re finding now that we can screen at several orders of magnitude lower than previously thought.”

One of the systems the team chose to evaluate is the 3M Clean Trace Surface ATP technology, which meets the criteria they were looking for: Simple, compact and cost-efficient. Another key component is that the start-up costs are comparable to that of the current technology, but each test is only $3 a swab. That is 10 percent of the recurring costs of what is currently used, which is a significant long-term cost savings.

The team will continue to evaluate other ATP-based systems. According to Wright, the goal is identify the right equipment that should be in the hands of first responders or Soldiers, and ATP-based technology could be the best tool to augment what is currently on the market. One of the most significant benefits of the ATP technology is that if a test is negative, first responders know the sample is not a threat. With the current technology, a positive result can occur if any protein is present, even if it is harmless.

“That’s the issue with the current detector. If it’s an innocuous powder that contains protein, it will still read as positive so you have to shut down the area and send the sample to the reference lab — and the lab or office is shut down for this entire period of time,” Wright said. “Processed or highly refined biological products, like protein powder or powdered creamer, don’t have ATP but do contain protein. So if the ATP test comes up negative, we know that the sample is not active or alive and, from a biological standpoint, we don’t have to worry about it.”

ECBC submitted a second proposal for this work, recently accepted by DHS, to continue to test the 3M technology against the strict ASTM International standards in a direct comparison to the current technology. The team is hopeful that after this one-year effort, the 3M technology will be fielded to first responders within one to two years.

——————-

ECBC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America’s Soldiers.

RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army’s premier provider of materiel readiness — technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment — to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.

Related Topic Tags

Related Defense, Military & Aerospace Forum Discussions

View the Original article

NATO to set up cyber-defence rapid reaction teams

By Agence France-Presse on Thursday, June 6th, 2013

NATO defence ministers agreed Tuesday to set up rapid reaction teams to help defend the military alliance against a growing number of cyber-attacks, many of them blamed on China.

“In the progress report we have adopted today, we agreed to establish rapid reaction teams that can help protect NATO’s own systems,” alliance head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

This “cyber-defence capability should be fully operational by the autumn,” Rasmussen told a press conference.

“This is a first phase. A second phase would be to look into how the alliance can respond to requests from Allies who come under cyber-attack,” he said.

Rasmussen stressed that cyber-security — the defence of the electronics information systems at the heart of modern warfare — remained the responsibility of its 28 member states.

But “this is a serious challenge (which)… can have devastating consequences,” he said, adding that NATO suffered more than 2,500 attacks last year.

“An attack on one ally, if not dealt quickly, can affect us all.”

The cyber-security issue is top of the agenda for a two-day defence ministers’ meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, attending his first NATO meeting since taking office, on Saturday accused China of waging cyber-espionage against the US after an American report found evidence of a broad Chinese spying campaign against top US defence contractors and government agencies.

Related Topic Tags

Related Defense, Military & Aerospace Forum Discussions

View the Original article

Rapid Equipping Force displays new technology at Pentagon

By Army News Service on Monday, July 30th, 2012

When Soldiers in the field have an immediate need for a new technology or piece of equipment, they don’t have time to wait for it: They need it now.

This is where the Army Rapid Equipping Force, or REF, steps in. Personnel from REF displayed their wares in the Pentagon courtyard, July 26, in an effort to educate the Army on the kinds of services they can provide.

“Our main focus is to make sure that [Soldiers] get the equipment they need quickly,” said Jose Olivero, the REF chief of operations.

While regular equipping can take up to several years, REF is able to disperse needed technology in a relatively short time, sometimes in a matter of days or weeks. Olivero attributes this speed to both fewer jurisdictions to cross and fewer amounts of equipment sent out in comparison to the regular Army.

Olivero said REF leadership is empowered to expend funds and equip specific units as needed.

“For us, equipping means limited quantities for a specific unit for a specific purpose, whereas Big Army fields Army-wide, so they can’t afford to take the risk,” Olivero said.

The purpose of the event held at the Pentagon was to illustrate the types of equipment and technology that are being prototyped and shipped out to wherever Soldiers require them.

Among the machines exhibited were the Integrated-Blast Effect Sensor Suite, or I-BESS, which monitors blasts from explosions in an effort to link a specific explosion with a head trauma; the Eye-TRAC Assessment, which shows cognitive impairment; the Project Expeditionary Lab, a mobile lab for Soldiers in the field who need to develop technology while in theater; and the SandFlea, a robot with the capability of jumping 30 meters into the air whose primary function is to detect improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

“[The SandFlea] is designed to protect the Soldiers,” said REF contractor Ryan Vangel, who was the spokesman for the SandFlea at the event. Vangel said Soldiers are asking for the ability to look on top of a roof or over walls, without having to go into a building.

Vangel explained that the SandFlea allows Soldiers to spot danger without putting themselves at risk.

Many of the prototypes on display only have a few copies currently available. For example, according to REF public affairs officer Ali Sanders, only two samples of the Small Tactical Multi-Payload Aerostat System, or STMPAS — a large balloon-like machine used for surveillance — exist in the world at this time. That small-scale manufacturing is what gives the REF its flexibility, Sanders said.

“We do things on a test basis,” she said. “If it’s something that the Army appreciates and they want to use more often, they’ll field it out for all the Army.”

Related Topic Tags

Related Defense, Military & Aerospace Forum Discussions

View the Original article