Testers, soldiers, engineers and combat developers completed the fourth iteration of a series of semi-annual field exercises, called Network Integration Evaluations, at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range, N. M., just in time to get everyone home for the holidays.Managed by the Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, "TRIAD" – Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC); System of Systems Integration Directorate; and the Brigade Modernization Command (BMC) – NIE 13.1 included several program tests for record, additional tests for record from distributed sites and less formal...
Yet again I must report that defense appropriations legislation remains unfinished more than two months after the beginning of the new fiscal year.The defense appropriations legislation is tied up in the current negotiations over the "fiscal cliff."Currently the Department of Defense is operating under a continuing resolution that funds the federal government at 2012 levels until March 27. Many of the "fiscal cliff" items, however, expire or kick in on Jan. 1.So, time is not on the side of Congress, though they insist that they will find a solution.Based on past performance – good luck with...
The three companies who won the contract to develop prototype replacements for the Humvee each made their respective cases as to why their designs ultimately should prevail, during the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington.Lockheed Martin Corp., Oshkosh Defense, and AM General Corp. each proudly displayed their respective prototype variants of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) on the exhibition floors, while providing narratives of how they are ready to meet the Army’s and Marine Corps’ performance, cost, and production requirements.On Aug. 22...
When Lisa Hallett’s husband John, an Army company commander in the 1-17 Stryker Battalion, was killed in Afghanistan three years ago, she instinctively turned to her favorite activity."Running is how I have always dealt with the challenges of military life," the surviving spouse said Oct. 23 during a Military Family Forum held at the 2012 Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the United States Army.At the forum titled "Surviving Families: New Beginnings – New Strengths," Hallett added, "So two days after John died, I met with a friend and we pushed out on a run."I needed to run...
As far as professional forums and trade shows go, exhibitors’ offerings at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition share a few commonalities with the military and other industry representatives.New products and services are highlighted with displays, handouts and literature aimed at fostering goodwill and promoting the company’s product.At this year’s meeting, however, one company decided to tie in their promotion activities with an effort to promote support for three organizations that are dedicated to improving the lives of service members and their families.A...
With the heavy presence of military, government and civilian personnel in hot spots like Afghanistan and the Middle East, the need for vehicles that can resist ambush attacks arguably has never been greater.To meet that need, the Streit Group has seen the demand for its armored vehicles has increased accordingly.At the Association for the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in Washington, Streit USA displayed a Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle that offered passengers military-grade protection from such attacks.Built at the Streit USA facility in North Charleston, S.C...
With the emphasis on blast protection to mitigate the damage inflicted by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one manufacturer believes it is producing a device that will improve vehicle passengers’ survivability.The Blast Seat Damper can fit into the seats of any tactical and combat vehicles, General Kinetics of Brampton, Ontario, and Manchester, N.H., claims.At the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 22-24, company officials talked about the damper’s evolution.The device, which resembles a heavy-duty vehicle shock absorber, had...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare has released a new Defense Report titled "Army Total Force Policy: Fully Integrating the Operational Reserve" (Defense Report, November 2012).This publication examines steps the Army is taking to ensure future access to a highly capable operational reserve.The Army Total Force Policy, signed by Secretary of the Army John McHugh in September 2012, is a significant step in the evolution of the all-volunteer force.The policy lends greater official and institutional permanence to what soldiers and commanders on the ground have already been doing – fighting as one...
At an isolated forward operating base (FOB) in Afghanistan, helicopters would fly in once a week to deliver 800 gallons of fuel.Of that, 600 gallons were to keep the generators running. It was an enormously expensive way to deliver fuel, Maj. Gen. Michael Tucker said.One week, along with supplies, the helicopters also delivered an "operational energy adviser" who had been specially trained in energy efficiency.Through "a few quick fixes," such as pairing the right size generators with the equipment they were operating, turning some equipment off at certain times and preaching energy...
The rate of suicides among soldiers is of the utmost concern and has major effects on units as well as families, Army Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Thomas R. Lamont said Oct. 22 at a Military Family Forum convened at the Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the United States Army.So far this year, Lamont said, suicide has taken the lives of 150 active duty soldiers, 105 other soldiers, six family members, and 17 DoD civilians."We must get rid of the perceived stigma of asking for help and foster a culture of respect and care," Lamont said.Army Chief of...
At first blush, the Rapid Armored Tactical Vehicle looks like others of its type – a flat paint job – in this case, black; big military-grade tires, armor plating, with a chassis that can be configured to adapt to mission requirements.This one is different, said James Bailey, the owner, designer and builder, but not so much as to make it too arcane for any good motor pool mechanic to maintain.Built on the chassis of a Ford 550-series truck, its primary source of power is a 500-horsepower, 6.7-liter Ford Powerstroke diesel engine.It weighs 20,000 pounds.What sets it apart from virtually any...
The commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces Command said the Army’s future success "depends on us staying together" as the service winds down combat operations in Iraq and positions itself for the future.Gen. David Rodriguez, speaking Oct. 22 at the Maj. Gen. Robert G. Moorhead Guard and Reserve Breakfast before the official opening of the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, said his command’s requirement to provide trained and ready soldiers for the spectrum of missions requires "maximizing training resources" and "inculcating all the lessons we learned...
The U.S. Army is transitioning from a force which has over the past decade been engaged primarily in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to one which will be tasked with a wider, and less predictable set of missions, service leaders said recently.Of the 11 primary missions set forth in the most recent Defense Strategic Guidance document produced by the Department of Defense, the Army will have a role in 10, Lt. Gen. John F. Campbell, the Army’s deputy chief of staff G-3/5/7, said.Those missions include homeland defense, cybersecurity, countering terrorism and deterring and defeating aggression –...
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan provided "tremendous battlelabs" for Army special operations forces (SOF), Lt. Gen Charles Cleveland said.Adding, and now, with one war over and the other winding down, "we have to make sure we don’t lose the gains we made."Speaking at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, Cleveland, who heads the Army Special Operations Command, said special operations forces have greatly matured during the past decade.They have demonstrated skill at operations that range from highly lethal surgical strikes to promoting...
The Army is working diligently to prevent war in the future through select Army units, partnered with allies and specific nations around the globe; a strategy it terms "regional alignment.""Regional alignment is all about providing the combatant commander with the right force at the right time to better shape [the region], maybe preventing something like an Iraq or Afghanistan," Lt. Gen. John F. Campbell, deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, said.Campbell was one of six panelists at the Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare’s Contemporary Military Forum titled "Aligning...