Equipping warfighters with the technology to detect moving targets in combat gained momentum when Electronic Systems Center officials at Hanscom AFB (MA), in concert with prime contractors and other organizations, recently completed a key flight milestone for the Multiplatform Radar Technology Insertion Program.
"At this point, we're delivering on the promise of advanced radar capability for the Global Hawk with completion of GMTI and SAR modes," said Col. Jim Shaw, commander of the 851st Electronic Systems Group, which is leading the effort.
"This is a capability that the warfighter needs in the overseas theater today," he said.
Radar system level performance verification testing on the advanced electronically-scanned array radar system verified performance of the Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, and Ground Moving Target Indicator, or GMTI, modes. SAR imagery includes collection of high-resolution spot images, while GMTI focuses on moving ground targets. The testing was conducted on a Proteus test aircraft.
"The sensor performed very well on SAR, and clearly exceeded warfighter requirements in the GMTI modes," the colonel said.
The testing included 186 flights with 1,063 flight hours on Proteus. Of those, 64 flights and 376 flight hours were needed to complete the testing, referred to as RSLPV, after a focus on calibration issues in late August and early September 2008.
Program managers hope to incorporate the sensor onto the first production Block 40 Global Hawk.
The Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system with an integrated sensor suite that provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability worldwide. Its mission is to provide a broad spectrum of ISR collection capability to support joint combatant forces in worldwide peacetime, contingency and wartime operations. The Global Hawk complements manned and space reconnaissance systems by providing near-real-time coverage using imagery intelligence sensors.
The sensor brings with it the capability to detect targets -- either in air, land or sea -- and then establish a communications link. This allows Air Force officials to conduct ground surveillance and track things like suspicious vehicles, troop movement and other potential threats.
"The war we're fighting in Iraq, and particularly Afghanistan, requires us to find the moving targets and activity in the combat theater," Colonel Shaw said.
The testing included examining software, controlling and operating the radars and ensuring the different modes were optimized to run on the developed hardware.
Flights were also completed with no mishaps and little down-time, according to the colonel.
Colonel Shaw attributed reaching this milestone to the hard work and dedication of a combined industry and government team.
"I'm impressed with the technical capabilities that the contractor has to offer, as well as the strength of our ESC team," the colonel said. "There were a lot of late nights and long hours involved in delivering this capability."
Mode development is slated to continue, along with additional focus on issues detected during government testing. The sensor will also undergo structural modification and re-calibration, with plans to turn it over to Global Hawk Air Force 18 -- the service's Block 40 test bed.
Monica Morales (AFNS)
# END
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Land Warrior Success in Iraq
"Keep Up the Fire," a new documentary produced by the Army's Program Executive Office Soldier, tells the story of the first infantry unit deployed to Iraq with the Land Warrior system.
In 2007, the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, deployed to Iraq to help bring peace to a region paralyzed by war. With them, the battalion brought a vital system called Land Warrior, the most advanced piece of infantry technology ever fielded.
The Soldiers entered a brutal combat environment, where insurgent attacks numbered in the hundreds each week and American forces faced the mistrust of the people they had been sent to protect.
Despite the difficulties they faced, the battalion was remarkably successful during its deployment. Land Warrior, an advanced navigational and network communication system worn by Soldiers was a key to that success. Land Warrior consists of a wiring system, joystick-like control unit, a computing unit, and flip-down monocular eyepiece.
In its role as a navigation device, Land Warrior shows a Soldier's location on a tactical map. Similarly-equipped Soldier and vehicle positions are constantly updated within the system, greatly increasing the situational awareness of the dismounted Soldier.
"Land Warrior gave me confidence as I planned to coordinate for a blind hit at night for the first time in this area," said Capt. Brandon Kint, who used Land Warrior with the 4th Bn.
As a networking device, Land Warrior enables communication among Soldiers, vehicles, and commanders through one system. Additionally, Land Warrior creates organic networks between equipped units as they move into and out of contact with one another. Digital information can be exchanged between these equipped units and throughout the networks. For instance, Soldiers can place markers on the digital maps called "digital chemlights," which will appear on the map of every other Land Warrior-equipped Soldier within seconds.
Originally developed in the early 1990s, Land Warrior was canceled just before the unit was set to deploy. By special request, the system was supported for the duration of the deployment to Iraq. Before and during their deployment, the battalion worked closely with the developers of Land Warrior to make changes to the system, increasing its effectiveness and usability.
The success and innovative work with Soldiers led to renewed interest in the program, so much so that a Stryker Brigade Combat Team will take an improved system to Afghanistan this year.
"It's one piece of equipment that we won't leave the (field operating base) without anymore," said Master Sgt. (P) Marc Griffith, who deployed with Land Warrior and the 4th Bn. to Iraq.
ANS
# END
In 2007, the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, deployed to Iraq to help bring peace to a region paralyzed by war. With them, the battalion brought a vital system called Land Warrior, the most advanced piece of infantry technology ever fielded.
The Soldiers entered a brutal combat environment, where insurgent attacks numbered in the hundreds each week and American forces faced the mistrust of the people they had been sent to protect.
Despite the difficulties they faced, the battalion was remarkably successful during its deployment. Land Warrior, an advanced navigational and network communication system worn by Soldiers was a key to that success. Land Warrior consists of a wiring system, joystick-like control unit, a computing unit, and flip-down monocular eyepiece.
In its role as a navigation device, Land Warrior shows a Soldier's location on a tactical map. Similarly-equipped Soldier and vehicle positions are constantly updated within the system, greatly increasing the situational awareness of the dismounted Soldier.
"Land Warrior gave me confidence as I planned to coordinate for a blind hit at night for the first time in this area," said Capt. Brandon Kint, who used Land Warrior with the 4th Bn.
As a networking device, Land Warrior enables communication among Soldiers, vehicles, and commanders through one system. Additionally, Land Warrior creates organic networks between equipped units as they move into and out of contact with one another. Digital information can be exchanged between these equipped units and throughout the networks. For instance, Soldiers can place markers on the digital maps called "digital chemlights," which will appear on the map of every other Land Warrior-equipped Soldier within seconds.
Originally developed in the early 1990s, Land Warrior was canceled just before the unit was set to deploy. By special request, the system was supported for the duration of the deployment to Iraq. Before and during their deployment, the battalion worked closely with the developers of Land Warrior to make changes to the system, increasing its effectiveness and usability.
The success and innovative work with Soldiers led to renewed interest in the program, so much so that a Stryker Brigade Combat Team will take an improved system to Afghanistan this year.
"It's one piece of equipment that we won't leave the (field operating base) without anymore," said Master Sgt. (P) Marc Griffith, who deployed with Land Warrior and the 4th Bn. to Iraq.
ANS
# END
Multinational Exercise to Test Capstone Concept for Joint Operations
More than 180 representatives from the United States military, government, and foreign militaries will gather in McLean, Va., from May 31 - June 5 for a week-long wargame to test the Department of Defense's (DOD) recently-revised Capstone Concept for Joint Operations (CCJO).
U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) is leading the CCJO wargame, the main culminating event of an overall CCJO experiment project that included two previous workshops.
The CCJO, a document approved by Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, envisions how the joint force force will respond to a wide array of future national security challenges in 2016-2028.
The CCJO is a companion piece to the Joint Operating Environment (JOE) which describes future operational environments and challenges the joint force may encounter.
The CCJO describes how the joint force will operate to address those challenges which include:
"The Capstone Concept for Joint Operations describes how the joint force will operate in an uncertain, complex and changing future characterized by persistent conflict. While the concept focuses on the future, many of its underlying concepts are timeless," Mullen wrote in the CCJO's introduction.
The wargame is designed to explore the ideas in the CCJO using three different scenarios, each replicating possible key security challenges according to wargame organizers.
"We have some very significant participation at the three- and four-star level, policy makers, former National Security Council members, former assistants to the president for homeland security, political and interagency participation. A very august crowd for a week-long wargame," said Navy Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, USJFCOM deputy commander.
The classified scenarios have a state competitor, a fragile state, and a globally networked terrorist organization.
USJFCOM will use these scenarios to examine issues like:
• weapons of mass destruction,
• adversary use of advanced conventional weapons,
• cyber operations
• and contested access to an area or within a region.
A joint force, represented by select senior leaders and experts from the services, combatant commands, U.S. government agencies and multinational partners, will be assigned to each scenario. Each force will facefaces a robust, dynamic and free-thinking enemy who will challenge their CCJO-based assumptions and solutions.
"The key is to get the right people with the right backgrounds together to challenge the concept and evaluate the implications," said Navy Rear Adm. Dan Davenport, director of Joint Concept Development and Experimentation Directorate (J9).
The experiment will determine if the CCJO's description of how the future force should operate needs to be adjusted and will help identify the capabilities the joint force will need to be successful, including those capabilities currently not planned, according to Davenport.
The experiment will also determine changes that could improve the joint force's ability to better operate in the future environments.
"The ultimate goal of the CCJO experiment is to provide useful information to those who make force development decisions and to those who think about future joint force issues," Davenport said.
The results from the wargame will be available at the end of July 2009.
Nikki Carter
# END
U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) is leading the CCJO wargame, the main culminating event of an overall CCJO experiment project that included two previous workshops.
The CCJO, a document approved by Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, envisions how the joint force force will respond to a wide array of future national security challenges in 2016-2028.
The CCJO is a companion piece to the Joint Operating Environment (JOE) which describes future operational environments and challenges the joint force may encounter.
The CCJO describes how the joint force will operate to address those challenges which include:
• winning the nation's wars,
• deterring potential adversaries,
• developing cooperative security,
• defending the homeland, and
• responding to civil crises.
"The Capstone Concept for Joint Operations describes how the joint force will operate in an uncertain, complex and changing future characterized by persistent conflict. While the concept focuses on the future, many of its underlying concepts are timeless," Mullen wrote in the CCJO's introduction.
The wargame is designed to explore the ideas in the CCJO using three different scenarios, each replicating possible key security challenges according to wargame organizers.
"We have some very significant participation at the three- and four-star level, policy makers, former National Security Council members, former assistants to the president for homeland security, political and interagency participation. A very august crowd for a week-long wargame," said Navy Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, USJFCOM deputy commander.
The classified scenarios have a state competitor, a fragile state, and a globally networked terrorist organization.
USJFCOM will use these scenarios to examine issues like:
• homeland defense,
• weapons of mass destruction,
• adversary use of advanced conventional weapons,
• cyber operations
• and contested access to an area or within a region.
A joint force, represented by select senior leaders and experts from the services, combatant commands, U.S. government agencies and multinational partners, will be assigned to each scenario. Each force will facefaces a robust, dynamic and free-thinking enemy who will challenge their CCJO-based assumptions and solutions.
"The key is to get the right people with the right backgrounds together to challenge the concept and evaluate the implications," said Navy Rear Adm. Dan Davenport, director of Joint Concept Development and Experimentation Directorate (J9).
The experiment will determine if the CCJO's description of how the future force should operate needs to be adjusted and will help identify the capabilities the joint force will need to be successful, including those capabilities currently not planned, according to Davenport.
The experiment will also determine changes that could improve the joint force's ability to better operate in the future environments.
"The ultimate goal of the CCJO experiment is to provide useful information to those who make force development decisions and to those who think about future joint force issues," Davenport said.
The results from the wargame will be available at the end of July 2009.
Nikki Carter
# END
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
USAF Wants Integrated Solar Power on UAVs
With the ever-increasing military demand to reduce the size and weight of unmanned aircraft while lengthening flight times, Air Force Office of Scientific Research officials in Arlington (Virginia) are funding a project to integrate solar power cheaply and easily into the base materials used to build them.
Dr. Max Shtein and his team at the University of Michigan are investigating the energy harvesting potential of many different device applications, including thin film solar cells reshaped and coated onto long continuous filaments, or fibers.
When such organic semiconductor coated fibers are woven into a fabric system, the resulting textile can be used not only to form the structural make-up of the unmanned aircraft, but also to generate the electricity to power it.
To date, Doctor Shtein and his team have demonstrated small, stand-alone prototypes that strongly suggest that this type of application is possible.
Integrating the solar cells in the desired configuration; however, will require building more sophisticated fabrication equipment. They are currently working on a customized coating apparatus for making large quantities of fiber-based energy conversion devices.
Once finished, Doctor Shtein plans to develop new models that synergize optics, mechanics, electrical and energy transport, and energy storage mechanisms.
"These models will allow us to optimize the device structure using multifunctional design constraints, improving energy conversion efficiency and power density of our devices in practical configurations," he said.
Combining these functionalities would reduce the bulk mass associated with separate optical, mechanical and electrical systems leading to vehicles that have increased power, but weigh much less.
Unmanned aircraft built with these materials would be light and compact, and their renewable energy source would also allow them to experience longer flight times and power propulsion systems and on-board sensors, drastically increasing state-awareness.
As a current recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Doctor Shtein received a $200,000-a-year grant for five years to continue this innovative work.
Molly LaChance
# END
Dr. Max Shtein and his team at the University of Michigan are investigating the energy harvesting potential of many different device applications, including thin film solar cells reshaped and coated onto long continuous filaments, or fibers.
When such organic semiconductor coated fibers are woven into a fabric system, the resulting textile can be used not only to form the structural make-up of the unmanned aircraft, but also to generate the electricity to power it.
To date, Doctor Shtein and his team have demonstrated small, stand-alone prototypes that strongly suggest that this type of application is possible.
Integrating the solar cells in the desired configuration; however, will require building more sophisticated fabrication equipment. They are currently working on a customized coating apparatus for making large quantities of fiber-based energy conversion devices.
Once finished, Doctor Shtein plans to develop new models that synergize optics, mechanics, electrical and energy transport, and energy storage mechanisms.
"These models will allow us to optimize the device structure using multifunctional design constraints, improving energy conversion efficiency and power density of our devices in practical configurations," he said.
Combining these functionalities would reduce the bulk mass associated with separate optical, mechanical and electrical systems leading to vehicles that have increased power, but weigh much less.
Unmanned aircraft built with these materials would be light and compact, and their renewable energy source would also allow them to experience longer flight times and power propulsion systems and on-board sensors, drastically increasing state-awareness.
As a current recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Doctor Shtein received a $200,000-a-year grant for five years to continue this innovative work.
Molly LaChance
# END
Air Force officials test new constant-pressure fuel system
Air Force officials officially began to test a 50-50 mixture of synthetic and JP-8 fuels in a Type 3 constant-pressure fuel hydrant system at Sheppard AFB (Texas) May 18.
Fuel tankers, including five trucks with 100 percent synthetic fuel and three with the 50-50 blend, arrived at the base May 17 to unload 113,000 gallons of fuel.
The Type 3 system is a constant-pressure fuel structure that, as the name suggests, provides a constant fuel pressure through the pumps, lines, truck, aircraft and back to the pumps. This is particularly advantageous at operational locations where time is a factor. With this system, multiple aircraft can be refueled without a reduction in performance of the pumps.
In older systems, the pressure would degrade if multiple aircraft were being refueled.
The purpose of the test is to determine the long-term effects of the blended fuel in a system. During testing, the hydrant system will be regularly monitored to determine whether or not any detrimental effects or other abnormalities occur over the extended period of time. Tech. Sgt. Randy Davidson, the Air Force Petroleum Agency Logistics Education Advancement Program noncommissioned officer, said he will conduct monthly tests between now and the end of the survey.
Sergeant Davidson said they have specific parameters for the fuel and that there have been no indications in previous tests that they will experience any issues during this test.
"This is a long-term durability test to see if the system can handle the 50-50 blend," he said. "We hope we get the same consistent levels."
Ray Bunch, an Air Force Petroleum Agency quality assurance inspector, said Sheppard AFB was a natural fit to test the hydrants because the fuel specialists there don't interrupt the day-to-day flow of an operational base.
"The reason we picked Sheppard is this is a training system," he said. "We can keep the fuel isolated."
The tests will last until about October or November.
The six-month test period is too long to shut down a fuel yard, said Master Sgt. Jefferson Guillory III, the squadron's superintendent.
"No one wants to give up their Type 3 system on the active side," he said. "Here we have a closed system that's specific for training. It doesn't leave here."
The process to begin this round of tests began May 13, Mr. Bunch said, when the entire system was "de-fueled" of JP-8 and cleaned in preparation for acceptance of the 50-50 blend. Sergeant Davidson said he conducted tests to make sure the system was ready to receive the new fuel product.
"Once we got our baseline and saw the levels were good, then we started off-loading from trucks," he said.
Once the fuel was in the tanks, the blending process began by "spinning" the tank, or running 1,200 gallons per minute through the system.
Mr. Bunch said Air Force officials began 50-50 blend tests in 2006 at Tinker AFB, Okla. So far, officials have certified the B-52 Stratofortress, C-17 Globemaster III, B-1 Lancer and F-15 Eagle for non-combat operations. The F-15 should receive full certification soon, while the KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender, the service's air refueling aircraft, are pending certification.
Air Force officials hope to be ready to deploy the 50-50 blend to all airframes within the next couple years, making these tests critical for the certification of Type 3 hydrants.
"Once we reach 2011 and we say the aircraft are ready to go and we're going to put it in the systems, we want to make sure there aren't any issues," Mr. Bunch said.
John Ingle (AFNS)
# END
Fuel tankers, including five trucks with 100 percent synthetic fuel and three with the 50-50 blend, arrived at the base May 17 to unload 113,000 gallons of fuel.
The Type 3 system is a constant-pressure fuel structure that, as the name suggests, provides a constant fuel pressure through the pumps, lines, truck, aircraft and back to the pumps. This is particularly advantageous at operational locations where time is a factor. With this system, multiple aircraft can be refueled without a reduction in performance of the pumps.
In older systems, the pressure would degrade if multiple aircraft were being refueled.
The purpose of the test is to determine the long-term effects of the blended fuel in a system. During testing, the hydrant system will be regularly monitored to determine whether or not any detrimental effects or other abnormalities occur over the extended period of time. Tech. Sgt. Randy Davidson, the Air Force Petroleum Agency Logistics Education Advancement Program noncommissioned officer, said he will conduct monthly tests between now and the end of the survey.
Sergeant Davidson said they have specific parameters for the fuel and that there have been no indications in previous tests that they will experience any issues during this test.
"This is a long-term durability test to see if the system can handle the 50-50 blend," he said. "We hope we get the same consistent levels."
Ray Bunch, an Air Force Petroleum Agency quality assurance inspector, said Sheppard AFB was a natural fit to test the hydrants because the fuel specialists there don't interrupt the day-to-day flow of an operational base.
"The reason we picked Sheppard is this is a training system," he said. "We can keep the fuel isolated."
The tests will last until about October or November.
The six-month test period is too long to shut down a fuel yard, said Master Sgt. Jefferson Guillory III, the squadron's superintendent.
"No one wants to give up their Type 3 system on the active side," he said. "Here we have a closed system that's specific for training. It doesn't leave here."
The process to begin this round of tests began May 13, Mr. Bunch said, when the entire system was "de-fueled" of JP-8 and cleaned in preparation for acceptance of the 50-50 blend. Sergeant Davidson said he conducted tests to make sure the system was ready to receive the new fuel product.
"Once we got our baseline and saw the levels were good, then we started off-loading from trucks," he said.
Once the fuel was in the tanks, the blending process began by "spinning" the tank, or running 1,200 gallons per minute through the system.
Mr. Bunch said Air Force officials began 50-50 blend tests in 2006 at Tinker AFB, Okla. So far, officials have certified the B-52 Stratofortress, C-17 Globemaster III, B-1 Lancer and F-15 Eagle for non-combat operations. The F-15 should receive full certification soon, while the KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender, the service's air refueling aircraft, are pending certification.
Air Force officials hope to be ready to deploy the 50-50 blend to all airframes within the next couple years, making these tests critical for the certification of Type 3 hydrants.
"Once we reach 2011 and we say the aircraft are ready to go and we're going to put it in the systems, we want to make sure there aren't any issues," Mr. Bunch said.
John Ingle (AFNS)
# END
US Soldiers Might Be in Iraq Another Decade, Says Casey
The Pentagon is prepared to leave fighting forces in Iraq for as long as a decade despite an agreement between the United States and Iraq that would bring all American troops home by 2012, the top U.S. Army officer said Tuesday.
Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said the world remains dangerous and unpredictable, and the Pentagon must plan for extended U.S. combat and stability operations in two wars. "Global trends are pushing in the wrong direction," Casey said. "They fundamentally will change how the Army works."
He spoke at an invitation-only briefing to a dozen journalists and policy analysts from Washington-based think-tanks, reports the Washington Post.
# END
Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said the world remains dangerous and unpredictable, and the Pentagon must plan for extended U.S. combat and stability operations in two wars. "Global trends are pushing in the wrong direction," Casey said. "They fundamentally will change how the Army works."
He spoke at an invitation-only briefing to a dozen journalists and policy analysts from Washington-based think-tanks, reports the Washington Post.
# END
Army (Almost) IDs Cause of Gulf War Syndrome
Research completed and analyzed over the past year has narrowed the underlying causes of Gulf War Syndrome to three factors.
For 18 years, researchers struggled to pinpoint the causes of Gulf War Syndrome and its wide-ranging symptoms. Then last year, a group of researchers under the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program narrowed the primary causes to three: chemical nerve agents, pesticides, and the use of Pyridostigmine Bromide pills.
A report titled Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans was released by the Department of Veteran's Affairs in November 2008, consolidating all research on the syndrome to date.
"There is definitely something different that has happened to servicemembers during the Gulf War as opposed to what is happening to Soldiers now," said retired Col. Melissa Forsythe, program manager of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.
"Today's Soldiers don't exhibit any of the same symptoms," Forsythe said. "We're talking about the same geographical region. So what happened to these servicemembers in 1990-91 that's not happing now? That's really the central question."
Chemical nerve agents, PB, and many of the pesticides to which Gulf War veterans were exposed belong to a class of chemicals called Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
These chemicals inactivate the enzyme Acetylcholinesterase, which is essential for breaking down the neurotransmitter chemical acetylcholine - a chemical which affects numerous bodily functions, according to the report.
Forsythe believes a mixture of the three items above in combination with vaccines given to Gulf War servicemembers can't be ruled out as a possible cause for Gulf War Syndrome.
The acute symptoms of excess exposure to Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors results in increased salivation and respiratory secretions, nausea, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, excess sweating, increased heart rate, and blood pressure.
Other side effects can include muscle twitching, cramps, weakness, tremors, paralysis, fatigue, mental confusion, headache, poor concentration, and general weakness. At sufficient doses, exposure to Acetylcholinesterase inhibiting chemicals can result in respiratory arrest and death.
Many of these side effects coincide with those of GWS.
Typically, Gulf War veterans exhibit a number of symptoms including chronic headaches, widespread diffused pain that moves to different parts of the body, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive difficulties, skin rashes, and respiratory problems, said Forsythe.
Because of the wide range of symptoms, a diagnosis of GWS could be likened to finding a needle in a haystack, Forsythe said. There is no one test that will yield a definitive diagnosis for this illness that affects 25-32 percent of Gulf War veterans, she said, adding that the only way to diagnose the disease is to eliminate all other diseases with similar symptoms.
Today's GWS research focuses primarily on diagnosis and treatment rather than a single cure.
Studies focusing on the physical differences between ill and healthy Gulf War veterans may make a diagnosis easier and provide a much needed legitimacy to the illness.
"At first, servicemembers were told that the illness was all in their heads. So now, it's very validating for those servicemembers to see that there are real physical differences between themselves and the Gulf War Veterans that are not ill," said Forsythe.
Other GWS studies by the CDMRP include: research looking into the over-the-counter herbal supplement Co-enzyme Q10; the drug methylpristine, which may help with cognitive problems; and plans to look at self medications that Gulf War veterans have used and whether or not those were effective. Acupuncture is also being looked at for possible funding.
Currently, the only relief for GWS sufferers is to prescribe treatments for their individual symptoms, said Forsythe.
Unfortunately, record keeping practices during the Gulf War were not equal to today's standards, said Forsythe. Records on the use of Pyridostigmine Bromide and pesticides in theatre are virtually nonexistent.
PB had been approved, since 1955, for treatment of myasthenia gravis, a muscular disease. During the Gulf War, PB was not licensed for protection against chemical nerve agents by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but it was authorized by the FDA to be released to Soldiers in combat as an "investigational new drug" as a nerve agent pretreatment.
PB is now FDA approved as an effective pretreatment exclusively for the nerve agent soman and it is still issued to Soldiers for that purpose.
Pesticides are still used in theater, however, only a handful of those pesticides linked to GWS in the report are still in the Department of Defense's pest control inventory.
"Research is not necessarily fast, but is our best route in terms of helping people," said Forsythe. We know that people are out there suffering and they're trying to find their own remedies for symptoms. So our program, being focused on improving the diagnosis and treatments, is trying to get at the two prongs that can best serve those veterans who are ill."
Kyle Hodges (ANS)
# END
For 18 years, researchers struggled to pinpoint the causes of Gulf War Syndrome and its wide-ranging symptoms. Then last year, a group of researchers under the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program narrowed the primary causes to three: chemical nerve agents, pesticides, and the use of Pyridostigmine Bromide pills.
A report titled Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans was released by the Department of Veteran's Affairs in November 2008, consolidating all research on the syndrome to date.
"There is definitely something different that has happened to servicemembers during the Gulf War as opposed to what is happening to Soldiers now," said retired Col. Melissa Forsythe, program manager of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.
"Today's Soldiers don't exhibit any of the same symptoms," Forsythe said. "We're talking about the same geographical region. So what happened to these servicemembers in 1990-91 that's not happing now? That's really the central question."
Chemical nerve agents, PB, and many of the pesticides to which Gulf War veterans were exposed belong to a class of chemicals called Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
These chemicals inactivate the enzyme Acetylcholinesterase, which is essential for breaking down the neurotransmitter chemical acetylcholine - a chemical which affects numerous bodily functions, according to the report.
Forsythe believes a mixture of the three items above in combination with vaccines given to Gulf War servicemembers can't be ruled out as a possible cause for Gulf War Syndrome.
The acute symptoms of excess exposure to Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors results in increased salivation and respiratory secretions, nausea, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, excess sweating, increased heart rate, and blood pressure.
Other side effects can include muscle twitching, cramps, weakness, tremors, paralysis, fatigue, mental confusion, headache, poor concentration, and general weakness. At sufficient doses, exposure to Acetylcholinesterase inhibiting chemicals can result in respiratory arrest and death.
Many of these side effects coincide with those of GWS.
Typically, Gulf War veterans exhibit a number of symptoms including chronic headaches, widespread diffused pain that moves to different parts of the body, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive difficulties, skin rashes, and respiratory problems, said Forsythe.
Because of the wide range of symptoms, a diagnosis of GWS could be likened to finding a needle in a haystack, Forsythe said. There is no one test that will yield a definitive diagnosis for this illness that affects 25-32 percent of Gulf War veterans, she said, adding that the only way to diagnose the disease is to eliminate all other diseases with similar symptoms.
Today's GWS research focuses primarily on diagnosis and treatment rather than a single cure.
Studies focusing on the physical differences between ill and healthy Gulf War veterans may make a diagnosis easier and provide a much needed legitimacy to the illness.
"At first, servicemembers were told that the illness was all in their heads. So now, it's very validating for those servicemembers to see that there are real physical differences between themselves and the Gulf War Veterans that are not ill," said Forsythe.
Other GWS studies by the CDMRP include: research looking into the over-the-counter herbal supplement Co-enzyme Q10; the drug methylpristine, which may help with cognitive problems; and plans to look at self medications that Gulf War veterans have used and whether or not those were effective. Acupuncture is also being looked at for possible funding.
Currently, the only relief for GWS sufferers is to prescribe treatments for their individual symptoms, said Forsythe.
Unfortunately, record keeping practices during the Gulf War were not equal to today's standards, said Forsythe. Records on the use of Pyridostigmine Bromide and pesticides in theatre are virtually nonexistent.
PB had been approved, since 1955, for treatment of myasthenia gravis, a muscular disease. During the Gulf War, PB was not licensed for protection against chemical nerve agents by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but it was authorized by the FDA to be released to Soldiers in combat as an "investigational new drug" as a nerve agent pretreatment.
PB is now FDA approved as an effective pretreatment exclusively for the nerve agent soman and it is still issued to Soldiers for that purpose.
Pesticides are still used in theater, however, only a handful of those pesticides linked to GWS in the report are still in the Department of Defense's pest control inventory.
"Research is not necessarily fast, but is our best route in terms of helping people," said Forsythe. We know that people are out there suffering and they're trying to find their own remedies for symptoms. So our program, being focused on improving the diagnosis and treatments, is trying to get at the two prongs that can best serve those veterans who are ill."
Kyle Hodges (ANS)
# END
Questions Remain About McChrystal Pick for Afghanistan
This latest NPR report discusses the challenges facing General Stanley McChrystal, President Obama's pick to run military operations in Afghanistan. Will this former special operations commander be up to the task?
# END
# END
Did Army Waste Recruiting Bonus Money?
A Government Accountability Office report issued earlier this month reports that the US Army wasted money for enlistment and retention bonuses by failing to set proper priorities and by recruiting unsuitable personnel, reports Military.com
# END
# END
Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Seek Mines, Secure Ports
Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC) Sailors took advantage of the Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Limited Objective Experiment (CC MHS LOE) to learn a little bit more about operating their unmanned vehicles in ports and about working with other mine warfare assets.
The CC MHS LOE took place in the Port of Corpus Christi May 11-15.
NOMWC works hand-in-hand with Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) operating unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), collecting and analyzing data.
Lt. Scott Parker, NOMWC UUV officer, said they took away a lot of lessons from the exercise and experimented with some new technology and operational techniques.
"Every time we get a chance to operate the vehicles, we learn a little more about the best way to operate them, particularly in exercises and experiments because you must adapt to changing conditions," Parker said.
The Corpus Christi exercise marked the first time NOMWC Sailors recovered vehicles at the pier to mimic a real-world situation, according to Parker. His team had always recovered the vehicles while in a boat.
"If there are mines in the water, we don't want to be operating from boats," he said.
Also, for the first time, NOMWC worked with the Navy's mine warfare marine mammals unit, which uses dolphins to help classify mine-like contacts.
The Sailors were able to work with emerging technologies – a UUV with the next-generation sonar that can not only cover a wider swath in a pass but also emit varying frequencies that penetrate the harbor floor, allowing units to detect buried mines.
NOMWC operates UUVs in shallow water – 40 to 200 feet – in harbors, ports and other confined areas. Consequently, they do most of the UUV operation for mine warfare and for homeland defense. So they were part of the experiment because of their expertise, but they also benefited.
"The beauty of working in a port and harbor area in the U.S. is that we learn specifics about this particular area and hone our skill sets. Those skills and lessons learned apply equally well in any overseas operation – the 'home and away game.' We can be prepared for a homeland event while staying ready for anything overseas," said Cmdr. Paul Oosterling, NOMWC commander.
George Lammons (NNS)
# END
The CC MHS LOE took place in the Port of Corpus Christi May 11-15.
NOMWC works hand-in-hand with Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) operating unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), collecting and analyzing data.
Lt. Scott Parker, NOMWC UUV officer, said they took away a lot of lessons from the exercise and experimented with some new technology and operational techniques.
"Every time we get a chance to operate the vehicles, we learn a little more about the best way to operate them, particularly in exercises and experiments because you must adapt to changing conditions," Parker said.
The Corpus Christi exercise marked the first time NOMWC Sailors recovered vehicles at the pier to mimic a real-world situation, according to Parker. His team had always recovered the vehicles while in a boat.
"If there are mines in the water, we don't want to be operating from boats," he said.
Also, for the first time, NOMWC worked with the Navy's mine warfare marine mammals unit, which uses dolphins to help classify mine-like contacts.
The Sailors were able to work with emerging technologies – a UUV with the next-generation sonar that can not only cover a wider swath in a pass but also emit varying frequencies that penetrate the harbor floor, allowing units to detect buried mines.
NOMWC operates UUVs in shallow water – 40 to 200 feet – in harbors, ports and other confined areas. Consequently, they do most of the UUV operation for mine warfare and for homeland defense. So they were part of the experiment because of their expertise, but they also benefited.
"The beauty of working in a port and harbor area in the U.S. is that we learn specifics about this particular area and hone our skill sets. Those skills and lessons learned apply equally well in any overseas operation – the 'home and away game.' We can be prepared for a homeland event while staying ready for anything overseas," said Cmdr. Paul Oosterling, NOMWC commander.
George Lammons (NNS)
# END
USS Carl Vinson One Step Closer to Launching Critical Flight Systems
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Operations Department began certification on the ship's Precision Approach Landing System (PALS) in Newport News May 12.
PALS certification is an important step in preparing the ship for sea. The system is vital to the safe landing of all aircraft onboard Carl Vinson.
"PALS is considered the most critical part of flight, we are responsible for a safe approach during a terminal phase of flight," said Air Traffic Controller 3rd Class Kyle Eberhart. "PALS works by locking onto the aircraft and verifying the needles, and it sends commands to land the aircraft safely."
Air traffic controllers operated two types of radar, the "Easy Rider" AN-SPN 46 and the "Bulls eye" AN-SPN 41, for the certification.
The AN-SPN 46 radar locks onto the aircraft and uses three different modes to safely guide the pilot back to the ship. Mode 1 takes complete control of the aircraft and its landing. Mode 1A takes control of the aircraft and transfers control back to the pilot 30 seconds prior to the landing. Mode 2 allows for complete pilot control.
"One of the main things we had to accomplish was coordination. In the middle of a city we have to coordinate with all the surrounding air traffic controllers at the nearby bases for permission to fly," said Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Michael Valli.
The Sailors assigned with maintaining PALS got underway on other carriers to get a better understanding of how it works and what it takes to operate this system. Coordination and training were essential to making all this possible.
"The AC's have been training in simulators and underway to be able to operate these systems," said the Operations Assistant Air Officer, Lt. Britton Windeler. "This is the first time in four years anything like this has happened on this ship, it's great to see it all come together."
Carl Vinson is completing its scheduled refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard. The RCOH is an extensive yard period that all Nimitz-class aircraft carriers go through near the mid-point of their 50-year life cycle.
During refueling complex overhaul, Carl Vinson's nuclear fuel has been replenished and the ship's services and infrastructure upgraded to make her the most state-of-the-art aircraft carrier in the fleet and ready for another 25 years or more of service.
John Sampedro (NNS)
# END
PALS certification is an important step in preparing the ship for sea. The system is vital to the safe landing of all aircraft onboard Carl Vinson.
"PALS is considered the most critical part of flight, we are responsible for a safe approach during a terminal phase of flight," said Air Traffic Controller 3rd Class Kyle Eberhart. "PALS works by locking onto the aircraft and verifying the needles, and it sends commands to land the aircraft safely."
Air traffic controllers operated two types of radar, the "Easy Rider" AN-SPN 46 and the "Bulls eye" AN-SPN 41, for the certification.
The AN-SPN 46 radar locks onto the aircraft and uses three different modes to safely guide the pilot back to the ship. Mode 1 takes complete control of the aircraft and its landing. Mode 1A takes control of the aircraft and transfers control back to the pilot 30 seconds prior to the landing. Mode 2 allows for complete pilot control.
"One of the main things we had to accomplish was coordination. In the middle of a city we have to coordinate with all the surrounding air traffic controllers at the nearby bases for permission to fly," said Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Michael Valli.
The Sailors assigned with maintaining PALS got underway on other carriers to get a better understanding of how it works and what it takes to operate this system. Coordination and training were essential to making all this possible.
"The AC's have been training in simulators and underway to be able to operate these systems," said the Operations Assistant Air Officer, Lt. Britton Windeler. "This is the first time in four years anything like this has happened on this ship, it's great to see it all come together."
Carl Vinson is completing its scheduled refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard. The RCOH is an extensive yard period that all Nimitz-class aircraft carriers go through near the mid-point of their 50-year life cycle.
During refueling complex overhaul, Carl Vinson's nuclear fuel has been replenished and the ship's services and infrastructure upgraded to make her the most state-of-the-art aircraft carrier in the fleet and ready for another 25 years or more of service.
John Sampedro (NNS)
# END
International Naval Conference on Coordinating Anti-Piracy Efforts
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) hosted naval leaders from 23 nations and international organizations for a series of meetings May 26 in Manama, Bahrain.
The Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) meetings provide a working-level opportunity for navies to come together to share information and deconflict counterpiracy efforts off the coast of Somalia.
"These efforts streamline and maximize the effectiveness of naval forces to conduct counterpiracy operations in the region," said Royal Navy Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy commander, CMF. "By synchronizing and deconflicting our efforts, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, EU, NATO and other international forces are making a difference."
Representatives from nations including Australia, Bahrain, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, Yemen, the European Naval Force and NATO took part in the SHADE meeting.
Following the establishment of CTF 151, the CMF staff determined that it would be helpful to implement working-level meetings ashore to discuss counterpiracy coordination and deconfliction.
The conference marked the fourth time CMF facilitated the meetings.
Originally commanded by the U.S. Navy, CTF 151 is now commanded by the Turkish Navy. The command staff is comprised of personnel from Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Greece. The command staff manages daily operations from USS Gettysburg (CG 64) operating in the Gulf of Aden.
CTF 151 is a multinational task force established to conduct counterpiracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the CMF area of operations to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.
CTF 151 operates in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia and is commanded by Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener.
NNS
# END
The Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) meetings provide a working-level opportunity for navies to come together to share information and deconflict counterpiracy efforts off the coast of Somalia.
"These efforts streamline and maximize the effectiveness of naval forces to conduct counterpiracy operations in the region," said Royal Navy Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy commander, CMF. "By synchronizing and deconflicting our efforts, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, EU, NATO and other international forces are making a difference."
Representatives from nations including Australia, Bahrain, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, Yemen, the European Naval Force and NATO took part in the SHADE meeting.
Following the establishment of CTF 151, the CMF staff determined that it would be helpful to implement working-level meetings ashore to discuss counterpiracy coordination and deconfliction.
The conference marked the fourth time CMF facilitated the meetings.
Originally commanded by the U.S. Navy, CTF 151 is now commanded by the Turkish Navy. The command staff is comprised of personnel from Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Greece. The command staff manages daily operations from USS Gettysburg (CG 64) operating in the Gulf of Aden.
CTF 151 is a multinational task force established to conduct counterpiracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the CMF area of operations to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.
CTF 151 operates in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia and is commanded by Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener.
NNS
# END
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Army Develops Lighter Infantry Weapons
Two weapons in development are expected to be more precision-oriented, lighter and lethal: the laser-sighted XM-25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System and the Lightweight .50-Caliber Machine Gun.
The XM-25 will undergo field-testing this summer while the LW50MG is already being tested by Soldiers.
Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Va., opened its doors earlier this month to give the media a look at the two weapons and other new gear in development that will lighten a Soldier's load yet improve survivability, lethality and comfort.
XM25: First shoulder-fired 'smart' weapon
The semi-automatic, shoulder-fired XM-25 with a five-round magazine of 25mm dual-warhead ammunition weighs in at about 14 pounds (about the same as an M-16 with a 203 grenade launcher) yet it's only a few inches longer than an M-4 Carbine with the shoulder stock extended. Decked out in Army Combat Uniform camouflage, its toy weapon appearance belies its expected lethality.
Richard Audette, deputy program manager for Soldier weapons, said the technology behind the XM-25 is a leap ahead because it's the first smart weapon system with a smart round in small weapons.
"The way a Soldier operates this is you basically find your target, then laze to it, which gives the range, then you get an adjusted aim point, adjust fire and pull the trigger," he said. "Say you've lazed out to 543 meters… when you pull the trigger it arms the round and fires it 543 meters plus or minus a one-, two- or three-meter increment, then it explodes over the target." That, he added, makes it a full-solution fire control weapon.
Audette said the evaluations this summer will test accuracy and effectiveness, and because it's a completely different type of weapon system its use will call for different tactics.
"For example, in Iraq we had many instances where there was a sniper firing from a rooftop and you have a squad trying to engage that target, but the Soldiers couldn't get to him with the weapons they had, so they'd call in the Air Force to drop a JDAM (joint direct attack munition)," he said. "We can take out the target at $25 per XM round as opposed to a $20,000 to $50,000 JDAM."
According to Audette, ranges in Afghanistan are longer than in Iraq. He said the XM-25 has an effective range of 750 meters, which is longer than an M-16 and M-4 and outperforms the 40mm M-203 grenade-launcher range by more than double.
LW50MG: Less weight, better accuracy
The MK-25 doesn't offer a Soldier any weight-savings, but the Lightweight .50-Caliber Machine Gun definitely will coming in with tripod at 64 pounds – half what the M-2 .50- caliber heavy machine gun weighs.
With the addition of a modified M-145 machine-gun optic, the LW50MG will be more accurate and quicker to reach its target because it will also have 60-percent less recoil than the M-2, which has been an Army staple in some form or another since 1921.
Col. Doug Tamilio, program manager for Soldier weapons for Soldier lethality and weight reduction, said the Army has more than 34,000 of the M-2s, each weighing in at 128 pounds with 256 moving parts, but the prototype LW50MG has not only half the weight, it also has only 128 moving parts.
"The M-2 is a great weapons system, but before you fire it, you have to set the head space and timing and if you want to change a barrel out, you have to unscrew it, pull it out, then insert and screw in a new barrel; then you have to open the feed tray cover… if you fail to check it or do something improperly, you could have an issue with a round going off because it doesn't have a safety on it," he said.
To fix that problem, PEO Soldier developed a quick-change barrel kit which allows Soldiers to simply pull out the barrel without having to screw in a new one. They simply insert a new barrel, lock it in place and start firing – the barrel moves but not the carriage which allows the LW50MG to carry the M-145 machine-gun optic, which is the one used on the 7.62-caliber M-240 medium machine gun.
"It has a lower cyclic rate, but because it has much less recoil and can fit a sight, it allows a Soldier to get a hit on a target much quicker and to hold that target with the sight," Tamilio said. "It's still in the development stage, but it has proven out to be very, very durable and accurate firing the same .50-caliber rounds the same distance."
Another plus to the lightweight machine gun low recoil is that the tripod spade grips won't have to be slammed into the ground and sandbagged to hold the weapon in place.
J.D. Leipold (ANS)
# END
The XM-25 will undergo field-testing this summer while the LW50MG is already being tested by Soldiers.
Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Va., opened its doors earlier this month to give the media a look at the two weapons and other new gear in development that will lighten a Soldier's load yet improve survivability, lethality and comfort.
XM25: First shoulder-fired 'smart' weapon
The semi-automatic, shoulder-fired XM-25 with a five-round magazine of 25mm dual-warhead ammunition weighs in at about 14 pounds (about the same as an M-16 with a 203 grenade launcher) yet it's only a few inches longer than an M-4 Carbine with the shoulder stock extended. Decked out in Army Combat Uniform camouflage, its toy weapon appearance belies its expected lethality.
Richard Audette, deputy program manager for Soldier weapons, said the technology behind the XM-25 is a leap ahead because it's the first smart weapon system with a smart round in small weapons.
"The way a Soldier operates this is you basically find your target, then laze to it, which gives the range, then you get an adjusted aim point, adjust fire and pull the trigger," he said. "Say you've lazed out to 543 meters… when you pull the trigger it arms the round and fires it 543 meters plus or minus a one-, two- or three-meter increment, then it explodes over the target." That, he added, makes it a full-solution fire control weapon.
Audette said the evaluations this summer will test accuracy and effectiveness, and because it's a completely different type of weapon system its use will call for different tactics.
"For example, in Iraq we had many instances where there was a sniper firing from a rooftop and you have a squad trying to engage that target, but the Soldiers couldn't get to him with the weapons they had, so they'd call in the Air Force to drop a JDAM (joint direct attack munition)," he said. "We can take out the target at $25 per XM round as opposed to a $20,000 to $50,000 JDAM."
According to Audette, ranges in Afghanistan are longer than in Iraq. He said the XM-25 has an effective range of 750 meters, which is longer than an M-16 and M-4 and outperforms the 40mm M-203 grenade-launcher range by more than double.
LW50MG: Less weight, better accuracy
The MK-25 doesn't offer a Soldier any weight-savings, but the Lightweight .50-Caliber Machine Gun definitely will coming in with tripod at 64 pounds – half what the M-2 .50- caliber heavy machine gun weighs.
With the addition of a modified M-145 machine-gun optic, the LW50MG will be more accurate and quicker to reach its target because it will also have 60-percent less recoil than the M-2, which has been an Army staple in some form or another since 1921.
Col. Doug Tamilio, program manager for Soldier weapons for Soldier lethality and weight reduction, said the Army has more than 34,000 of the M-2s, each weighing in at 128 pounds with 256 moving parts, but the prototype LW50MG has not only half the weight, it also has only 128 moving parts.
"The M-2 is a great weapons system, but before you fire it, you have to set the head space and timing and if you want to change a barrel out, you have to unscrew it, pull it out, then insert and screw in a new barrel; then you have to open the feed tray cover… if you fail to check it or do something improperly, you could have an issue with a round going off because it doesn't have a safety on it," he said.
To fix that problem, PEO Soldier developed a quick-change barrel kit which allows Soldiers to simply pull out the barrel without having to screw in a new one. They simply insert a new barrel, lock it in place and start firing – the barrel moves but not the carriage which allows the LW50MG to carry the M-145 machine-gun optic, which is the one used on the 7.62-caliber M-240 medium machine gun.
"It has a lower cyclic rate, but because it has much less recoil and can fit a sight, it allows a Soldier to get a hit on a target much quicker and to hold that target with the sight," Tamilio said. "It's still in the development stage, but it has proven out to be very, very durable and accurate firing the same .50-caliber rounds the same distance."
Another plus to the lightweight machine gun low recoil is that the tripod spade grips won't have to be slammed into the ground and sandbagged to hold the weapon in place.
J.D. Leipold (ANS)
# END
Pentagon's "New Triad"
Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya, director of joint training and the commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command's (USJFCOM) Joint Warfighting Center (JWFC) addressed tactical art as the new triad at the Joint Warfighting Conference in Virginia Beach, Va., earlier this month.
According to Kamiya, who oversees joint training for the Department of Defense, the irregular nature of war against increasingly hybrid threats requires a new triad; one of the warfighter, the leader, and the small unit.
This continues a tradition of describing national security issues in groupings to provide understanding.
Kamiya cited how during the 1960s, the idea of the strategic art of deterrence was cast as a balanced triad of the bomber, submarine and missile.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the operational art was also conceived as a triad, incorporating air, ground and sea power.
Kamiya explained the triads do not replace each other; rather, they are representative of specific times in history and the adaptability of the joint force in response to the ever-changing character of war.
"This is not about tactics, techniques and procedures," Kamiya noted, "it's about a completely different way to think about how small units are formed, organized, and trained."
Kamiya mentioned how several top military and civilian researchers in the behavioral and human sciences, some already working in support of the services, have begun to look into this challenge in an effort to merge the rigor of science with the art of warfare at the tactical level
Kamiya said there is a moral obligation to address this new triad.
"Four out of five killed in action are primarily from small infantry units," Kamiya said, citing a study completed by the Center for a New American Security.
A similar study by the U.S. Fire Administration and National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund says more than 2,000 first response professionals have died since 9/11, a fact Kamiya says shows this is a challenge extending well beyond the military.
"We know that small units do not only come in the form of infanry squads and platoons, but also in the form of fire department crews, federal, state, and local police units, and other like-organizations from the national first responder community," said the general. "Thus, we consider this to be a truly national effort, not one that is unique to, or of singular benefit to the military."
Kamiya said there is a need for joint advocacy, a task USJFCOM fills by serving as the joint force integrator as well as the joint force trainer.
Kamiya said USJFCOM has taken "some pretty bold steps."
Over the past several months, USJFCOM has hosted a variety of mini-forums with science, academia and military to develop this new triad. The areas covered include:
Kamiya also told the audience that USJFCOM's response to the new triad is a proposal for a national center for small unit excellence. He said this proposal has the support of Defense Department leadership and, if approved by Congress, would be stood up in fiscal year 2010.
"The purpose of this center, is three-fold, said Kamiya. "First, it will serve as a hub for framing the operational challenges related to the development of excellence in small units and to ensure the wide array of communities of practice involved share a common understanding of the problems that we are collectively trying to solve.
"Second, the center will serve to rationalize and integrate the enormous amount of superb research and related activities across the services and a wide variety of organizations and disciplines so that the sum of the parts are much, much greater than the whole," said Kamiya.
"And third, the center will focus its resources on activities that complement, vice compete with or are redundant to, the work of the services and other partners. By doing so, we ultimately accelerate the transition and delivery of outcomes that bear the highest impact and value to raising excellence in small units and save lives."
Kamiya continued, "From an organizational design and business management perspective, the center will be very lean and agile with the ability to expand and contract in size depending upon the number, complexity, and scope of the hypotheses that we are working together to solve across the communities. Its focus will be the delivery of high impact outcomes with as little overhead as possible. It will function with a great sense of focus, energy, and urgency as all of us realize that lives are at stake."
As part of a near term effort that will be fully integrated into the center's activities, USJFCOM is sponsoring the Future Immersive Training Environment (FITE) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD).
Partnered with all of the uniformed services, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, the Office of Naval Research, and several organizations from across academia, industry, and the social, behaviorial, and human sciences, the FITE JCTD will provide small units the enablers they need to train in a realistic, fully immersive, virtual training environment that bears such characteristics as
• has integrated cognitive and physiological measurement and assessment tools that can establish a baseline and objectively measure individual performance and thereby quantify return on investment,
• is easily accessible to soldiers and small units from initial entry training through predeployment training, etc.
The ultimate goal is to provide the individual, leader, and small unit with a training capability that makes their last contact with the enemy no worse than the last simulation.
Kamiya adds that, "it's important to remember that this is not about delivering a 'black box' and then later rationalizing its benefits to individual and small unit performance. Rather, it's about first understanding the art and science of human and group performance and how to measure it, and then making this the centerpiece around which to build the 'black box'."
Kamiya rounded out his discussion with an invitation to industry to help broaden the community of interest to raise the level of excellence in small units.
"We have plans developing now to host what we call an industry day in Suffolk," Kamiya said. "This is our first attempt to help broaden the community of industry interest to help us get at this enormous task."
Susy Dodson
# END
According to Kamiya, who oversees joint training for the Department of Defense, the irregular nature of war against increasingly hybrid threats requires a new triad; one of the warfighter, the leader, and the small unit.
This continues a tradition of describing national security issues in groupings to provide understanding.
Kamiya cited how during the 1960s, the idea of the strategic art of deterrence was cast as a balanced triad of the bomber, submarine and missile.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the operational art was also conceived as a triad, incorporating air, ground and sea power.
Kamiya explained the triads do not replace each other; rather, they are representative of specific times in history and the adaptability of the joint force in response to the ever-changing character of war.
"This is not about tactics, techniques and procedures," Kamiya noted, "it's about a completely different way to think about how small units are formed, organized, and trained."
Kamiya mentioned how several top military and civilian researchers in the behavioral and human sciences, some already working in support of the services, have begun to look into this challenge in an effort to merge the rigor of science with the art of warfare at the tactical level
Kamiya said there is a moral obligation to address this new triad.
"Four out of five killed in action are primarily from small infantry units," Kamiya said, citing a study completed by the Center for a New American Security.
A similar study by the U.S. Fire Administration and National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund says more than 2,000 first response professionals have died since 9/11, a fact Kamiya says shows this is a challenge extending well beyond the military.
"We know that small units do not only come in the form of infanry squads and platoons, but also in the form of fire department crews, federal, state, and local police units, and other like-organizations from the national first responder community," said the general. "Thus, we consider this to be a truly national effort, not one that is unique to, or of singular benefit to the military."
Kamiya said there is a need for joint advocacy, a task USJFCOM fills by serving as the joint force integrator as well as the joint force trainer.
Kamiya said USJFCOM has taken "some pretty bold steps."
Over the past several months, USJFCOM has hosted a variety of mini-forums with science, academia and military to develop this new triad. The areas covered include:
• Assessment and measurement - "How do we know the tool we are providing to soldiers and first responders is having the effect we think it has, on their cognition, on their behavior?"
• Neurological application - "How does the brain react in extremis situations?" In extremis is a Latin phrase that means, "in grave or extreme circumstances."
• Performance under stress.
• In extremis leadership - "What kind of leader do we need, who as a matter of course, begins to feel very comfortable in any in extremis situation?"
• Resilience - "The whole attitude of never quitting, winning forever."
Kamiya also told the audience that USJFCOM's response to the new triad is a proposal for a national center for small unit excellence. He said this proposal has the support of Defense Department leadership and, if approved by Congress, would be stood up in fiscal year 2010.
"The purpose of this center, is three-fold, said Kamiya. "First, it will serve as a hub for framing the operational challenges related to the development of excellence in small units and to ensure the wide array of communities of practice involved share a common understanding of the problems that we are collectively trying to solve.
"Second, the center will serve to rationalize and integrate the enormous amount of superb research and related activities across the services and a wide variety of organizations and disciplines so that the sum of the parts are much, much greater than the whole," said Kamiya.
"And third, the center will focus its resources on activities that complement, vice compete with or are redundant to, the work of the services and other partners. By doing so, we ultimately accelerate the transition and delivery of outcomes that bear the highest impact and value to raising excellence in small units and save lives."
Kamiya continued, "From an organizational design and business management perspective, the center will be very lean and agile with the ability to expand and contract in size depending upon the number, complexity, and scope of the hypotheses that we are working together to solve across the communities. Its focus will be the delivery of high impact outcomes with as little overhead as possible. It will function with a great sense of focus, energy, and urgency as all of us realize that lives are at stake."
As part of a near term effort that will be fully integrated into the center's activities, USJFCOM is sponsoring the Future Immersive Training Environment (FITE) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD).
Partnered with all of the uniformed services, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, the Office of Naval Research, and several organizations from across academia, industry, and the social, behaviorial, and human sciences, the FITE JCTD will provide small units the enablers they need to train in a realistic, fully immersive, virtual training environment that bears such characteristics as
• infinitely scalable and repeatable in terms of complexity and scenarios,
• has integrated cognitive and physiological measurement and assessment tools that can establish a baseline and objectively measure individual performance and thereby quantify return on investment,
• is easily accessible to soldiers and small units from initial entry training through predeployment training, etc.
The ultimate goal is to provide the individual, leader, and small unit with a training capability that makes their last contact with the enemy no worse than the last simulation.
Kamiya adds that, "it's important to remember that this is not about delivering a 'black box' and then later rationalizing its benefits to individual and small unit performance. Rather, it's about first understanding the art and science of human and group performance and how to measure it, and then making this the centerpiece around which to build the 'black box'."
Kamiya rounded out his discussion with an invitation to industry to help broaden the community of interest to raise the level of excellence in small units.
"We have plans developing now to host what we call an industry day in Suffolk," Kamiya said. "This is our first attempt to help broaden the community of industry interest to help us get at this enormous task."
Susy Dodson
# END
Monday, May 25, 2009
Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Hunt Mines
Naval oceanographers used the latest underwater technology to look for mines in Corpus Christi harbor as part of a Limited Objective Experiment (LOE). The Experiment, held May 11 to 15, focused on homeland maritime security.
Elements of the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Command (NOMWC) and the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) used unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to survey the harbor and analyzed that data to find dummy mines placed in the ship channel to simulate a terrorist threat to the nation's sixth largest port. The experiment is an interagency exercise with the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities, and is being conducted by the Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command (NMAWC).
"We operate the UUVs, analyze the data and analyze the environmental conditions that can have an impact on mine countermeasures operations," said Cmdr. Paul Oosterling, NOMWC's commander. "One of the key capabilities our program brings to the fight is the ability to characterize the environment with data from the UUVs, and other sonar sensors including available aviation assets."
Sailors with the Navy Oceanography Program, which includes those assigned to Explosive Ordnance Detachment Mobile Unit (EODMU) 1, are among the Navy's most experienced in the operation of UUVs. NOMWC has been operating UUVs for about two years, but Naval Oceanography has been working with the technology for about a decade.
Change-detection, which involves comparing historic data with current information, is used to determine where a threat may lie. A baseline survey of the Port of Corpus Christi was conducted by NOMWC personnel and their UUVs in March, providing a baseline of data from which to work.
"The work is grueling and tedious, but it saves many hours in mine clearance operations, particularly when we have an earlier survey to compare," Oosterling said.
NOMWC and NAVOCEANO are the first steps in the lengthy mine neutralization process. NOMWC surveys the harbor, then NOMWC and NAVOCEANO personnel analyze the data collected to identify suspected mines. Those contacts are delivered to the mine countermeasures operations center to determine the best method of disposal.
Sailors and NAVOCEANO civilians worked around-the-clock surveying the harbor and analyzing the data to report contacts to the Incident Command Post throughout the Experiment.
Lt. Scott Parker, NOMWC UUV officer, said that in the Corpus Christi scenario that unfolded the week of May 11 the harbor would be cleared to resume ship traffic in four days. In a real world situation, the harbor would be cleared even more quickly.
The Corpus Christi experiment was designed to further interoperability of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and civilian authorities in protecting U.S. ports and waterways, while developing and implementing tactics, techniques and procedures and experiment with new technologies. Four other similar exercises have been held in Honolulu, San Diego, Tampa and Portsmouth, N.H.
Navy oceanographers hope to benefit as well.
"We're training and developing tactics, techniques and procedures to become a tactical response asset for homeland defense and overseas confined water work," Oosterling said.
NOMWC and NAVOCEANO are part of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, which employs environmental data in operational decision-making. The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, which has about 3,000 officer, enlisted and civilian personnel worldwide, directs the Navy's meteorology and oceanography programs.
George Lammons (NNS)
# END
Elements of the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Command (NOMWC) and the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) used unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to survey the harbor and analyzed that data to find dummy mines placed in the ship channel to simulate a terrorist threat to the nation's sixth largest port. The experiment is an interagency exercise with the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities, and is being conducted by the Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command (NMAWC).
"We operate the UUVs, analyze the data and analyze the environmental conditions that can have an impact on mine countermeasures operations," said Cmdr. Paul Oosterling, NOMWC's commander. "One of the key capabilities our program brings to the fight is the ability to characterize the environment with data from the UUVs, and other sonar sensors including available aviation assets."
Sailors with the Navy Oceanography Program, which includes those assigned to Explosive Ordnance Detachment Mobile Unit (EODMU) 1, are among the Navy's most experienced in the operation of UUVs. NOMWC has been operating UUVs for about two years, but Naval Oceanography has been working with the technology for about a decade.
Change-detection, which involves comparing historic data with current information, is used to determine where a threat may lie. A baseline survey of the Port of Corpus Christi was conducted by NOMWC personnel and their UUVs in March, providing a baseline of data from which to work.
"The work is grueling and tedious, but it saves many hours in mine clearance operations, particularly when we have an earlier survey to compare," Oosterling said.
NOMWC and NAVOCEANO are the first steps in the lengthy mine neutralization process. NOMWC surveys the harbor, then NOMWC and NAVOCEANO personnel analyze the data collected to identify suspected mines. Those contacts are delivered to the mine countermeasures operations center to determine the best method of disposal.
Sailors and NAVOCEANO civilians worked around-the-clock surveying the harbor and analyzing the data to report contacts to the Incident Command Post throughout the Experiment.
Lt. Scott Parker, NOMWC UUV officer, said that in the Corpus Christi scenario that unfolded the week of May 11 the harbor would be cleared to resume ship traffic in four days. In a real world situation, the harbor would be cleared even more quickly.
The Corpus Christi experiment was designed to further interoperability of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and civilian authorities in protecting U.S. ports and waterways, while developing and implementing tactics, techniques and procedures and experiment with new technologies. Four other similar exercises have been held in Honolulu, San Diego, Tampa and Portsmouth, N.H.
Navy oceanographers hope to benefit as well.
"We're training and developing tactics, techniques and procedures to become a tactical response asset for homeland defense and overseas confined water work," Oosterling said.
NOMWC and NAVOCEANO are part of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, which employs environmental data in operational decision-making. The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, which has about 3,000 officer, enlisted and civilian personnel worldwide, directs the Navy's meteorology and oceanography programs.
George Lammons (NNS)
# END
Friday, May 22, 2009
Air Force officials mull 9th Air Force, AFCENT separation
As Air Force leaders continue to balance mission requirements and available resources, they are proposing a separation between the stateside numbered air force and its warfighting component to the U.S. Central Command.
Currently, a three-star general commands both 9th Air Force at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and the forward-deployed U.S. Air Forces Central. The proposal makes that general officer solely responsible for serving as the Air Force Forces commander in charge of AFCENT.
The shift in responsibilities would enable the 9th Air Force staff to focus on oversight of stateside wings as a separate command under a two-star general, Air Force officials said.
While the proposal impacts only a handful of 9th Air Force and Air Combat Command Airmen at Shaw AFB, the temporary movement of the AFCENT commander and a small 30-40 person staff element will significantly enhance focus and continuity for AFCENT staff in theater, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz.
"We want to download some of the (stateside) responsibilities so our three-star (commander) ... can focus on the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq," the general said during testimony to the House Armed Services Committee May 19.
AFCENT's temporary headquarters would shift to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, which currently hosts the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, the hub for air operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The AFCENT commander's responsibility would become focused exclusively on the planning and execution of air operations in a 20-nation area of responsibility covering central and southwest Asia.
The 9th Air Force commander would retain oversight of five wings and three direct reporting units in the eastern United States, totaling more than 350 aircraft and 24,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. This proposal will not impact the U.S. Army Forces Central headquarters relocation to Shaw AFB as directed by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission report.
The chief of staff noted that the previous configuration of 9th Air Forces and AFCENT successfully sustained operations in central and southwest Asia for decades, but that current operations would benefit from the dedicated forward presence of a senior Airman.
"The operations tempo is as high as it's ever been and as our commitments accelerate in Afghanistan, we need 100 percent focus," General Schwartz said. "This was in keeping with the best military judgment of Air Force leaders as well as coordinated with and favored by (CENTCOM Commander) General (David) Petraeus."
Air Force officials are still assessing and developing the details, including the exact composition of the command element, the nature of the overseas assignments for AFCENT personnel and the proposal's projected cost. However, Air Force leaders have emphasized the proposal is a temporary solution.
The AFCENT commander will "go forward full-time, and, when our obligations subside, we will reset to a peacetime configuration," General Schwartz said.
The results of the assessment will be briefed to Air Force leaders shortly and it is expected to be implemented in the late summer.
Amaani Lyle (AFPS)
# END
Currently, a three-star general commands both 9th Air Force at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and the forward-deployed U.S. Air Forces Central. The proposal makes that general officer solely responsible for serving as the Air Force Forces commander in charge of AFCENT.
The shift in responsibilities would enable the 9th Air Force staff to focus on oversight of stateside wings as a separate command under a two-star general, Air Force officials said.
While the proposal impacts only a handful of 9th Air Force and Air Combat Command Airmen at Shaw AFB, the temporary movement of the AFCENT commander and a small 30-40 person staff element will significantly enhance focus and continuity for AFCENT staff in theater, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz.
"We want to download some of the (stateside) responsibilities so our three-star (commander) ... can focus on the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq," the general said during testimony to the House Armed Services Committee May 19.
AFCENT's temporary headquarters would shift to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, which currently hosts the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, the hub for air operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The AFCENT commander's responsibility would become focused exclusively on the planning and execution of air operations in a 20-nation area of responsibility covering central and southwest Asia.
The 9th Air Force commander would retain oversight of five wings and three direct reporting units in the eastern United States, totaling more than 350 aircraft and 24,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. This proposal will not impact the U.S. Army Forces Central headquarters relocation to Shaw AFB as directed by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission report.
The chief of staff noted that the previous configuration of 9th Air Forces and AFCENT successfully sustained operations in central and southwest Asia for decades, but that current operations would benefit from the dedicated forward presence of a senior Airman.
"The operations tempo is as high as it's ever been and as our commitments accelerate in Afghanistan, we need 100 percent focus," General Schwartz said. "This was in keeping with the best military judgment of Air Force leaders as well as coordinated with and favored by (CENTCOM Commander) General (David) Petraeus."
Air Force officials are still assessing and developing the details, including the exact composition of the command element, the nature of the overseas assignments for AFCENT personnel and the proposal's projected cost. However, Air Force leaders have emphasized the proposal is a temporary solution.
The AFCENT commander will "go forward full-time, and, when our obligations subside, we will reset to a peacetime configuration," General Schwartz said.
The results of the assessment will be briefed to Air Force leaders shortly and it is expected to be implemented in the late summer.
Amaani Lyle (AFPS)
# END
Future Air Force: More "Not Bad" Than "Wow"
Air Force leaders are taking a more critical eye in weighing the technological capabilities of new systems against their corresponding cost, the Air Force's top military officer said in Washington DC May 21.
"We have had a temptation to design and try to build the most exquisite systems, and we've proven we can do that," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said during remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.
Ultra-capable, sophisticated, and correspondingly expensive, weapons and other military-related systems "may have a place in certain instances," General Schwartz said. But building "too much capability" onto some military platforms may be unnecessary and it drives up procurement costs, he added.
"My observation is we went way over," General Schwartz said of some military procurement programs, "on trying to build too many things on the same 'bus,'" or platform.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates are seeking to rein in rising defense procurement costs. Some proposed fixes include more supervision of the acquisition process, including better definitions of exactly what capabilities are needed, with an eye toward controlling cost-overruns when a project is predicated on new, but untested and expensive, emerging technologies.
For example, General Schwartz said, the Air Force's sophisticated, multi-billion dollar Transformational Satellite Program, or TSAT, was cancelled because of its exorbitant cost. Instead, Air Force officials decided to purchase two existing, proven, and less-expensive satellite systems to do the job.
"But the truth is that TSAT was a $20 billion program," Schwartz said.
The axed satellite system offered "an exquisite platform," he said, but it was simply too expensive.
The less-costly legacy satellites won't be as technologically "nifty" as the TSAT, General Schwartz acknowledged, but on the other hand, they're "not bad" and will perform the mission.
And "there's going to be a lot more of 'not bad,' than there is of 'wow,'" General Schwartz predicted, regarding the Air Force's acquisition process.
G. J. Gilmore (AFPS)
# END
"We have had a temptation to design and try to build the most exquisite systems, and we've proven we can do that," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said during remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.
Ultra-capable, sophisticated, and correspondingly expensive, weapons and other military-related systems "may have a place in certain instances," General Schwartz said. But building "too much capability" onto some military platforms may be unnecessary and it drives up procurement costs, he added.
"My observation is we went way over," General Schwartz said of some military procurement programs, "on trying to build too many things on the same 'bus,'" or platform.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates are seeking to rein in rising defense procurement costs. Some proposed fixes include more supervision of the acquisition process, including better definitions of exactly what capabilities are needed, with an eye toward controlling cost-overruns when a project is predicated on new, but untested and expensive, emerging technologies.
For example, General Schwartz said, the Air Force's sophisticated, multi-billion dollar Transformational Satellite Program, or TSAT, was cancelled because of its exorbitant cost. Instead, Air Force officials decided to purchase two existing, proven, and less-expensive satellite systems to do the job.
"But the truth is that TSAT was a $20 billion program," Schwartz said.
The axed satellite system offered "an exquisite platform," he said, but it was simply too expensive.
The less-costly legacy satellites won't be as technologically "nifty" as the TSAT, General Schwartz acknowledged, but on the other hand, they're "not bad" and will perform the mission.
And "there's going to be a lot more of 'not bad,' than there is of 'wow,'" General Schwartz predicted, regarding the Air Force's acquisition process.
G. J. Gilmore (AFPS)
# END
Navy, Coast Guard Exercise Off Texas Supports Homeland Defense
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
Shannon Breland (NNS) # END
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
An experiment conducted by Navy, Coast Guard and local and state authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, this past week is allowing the agencies to test their tactics, equipment, procedures and response to an underwater explosive threat in a U.S. port or harbor.
Participants intend to use their experiences in developing a preliminary concept of operations for other type events.
Although Corpus Christi is a strategic national port – one of 19 in the nation -- participating commands emphasized the techniques and tactics they employed can be applied to any port or harbor around the country.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to work with our interagency partners to develop plans and methods to counter potential maritime threats to our ports and harbors," said Capt. Brian Brown, director of Oceanographic Operations for Undersea Warfare at the Naval Oceanography Operations Command. "Lessons learned from these events strengthen our collective capabilities to respond in an effective, coordinated fashion."
Students from the Naval Postgraduate School observed the experiment to assist members of the mine warfare community in developing a concept of operations to be used in the preparation of and response to an underwater improvised explosive device.
"The Corpus Christi Maritime Homeland Security Experiment is a very important event," said Rear Adm. Rick Williams (Ret.), deputy director, Undersea Warfare Research Center. "If we ever have a UWIED attack in U.S. ports, all of the various agencies in affected ports need to be prepared to act in a coordinated, effective and timely manner to prevent potentially significant economic damage or disaster."
A fleet-approved concept of operations will drive maritime homeland security doctrine, requirements and funding. The experiment allows members of the mine warfare community to collaborate to create a more effective document.
The experiment also provides participants with a real-life opportunity to hone the skills and tactics required in the event of an actual maritime homeland security incident. Experiment organizers intentionally did not release a lot of details to the participants prior to the event in an effort to keep the experiment as authentic as possible. They limited planned meetings or operational pauses. After receiving the background intelligence story, participants were responsible for setting their own battle rhythms, just as they would in an actual emergency.
One of the most important aspects of the experiment is practicing interagency communication and cooperation.
"It is imperative that we document these processes and determine how this interplay would actually happen," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Paulison, sector commander Corpus Christi and captain of the port. "We will use the lessons we learn here to put 'meat on doctrinal bones.'"
The experiment is also providing the Captain of the Port with a baseline environmental survey of the waters to be included in a standalone document called a Port Folder. The folder is intended for use by port captains and other emergency responders in the event of a maritime contingency and contains points of contact, policy guidance, environmental data and other information necessary for a rapid, effective response to a waterway threat.
"None of us ever want to have to deal with terrorist underwater IEDs in U.S. ports, harbors, and confined waterways," Williams added. "And those of us who understand how truly difficult this mission may be want to be sure that we are not caught unprepared to defeat this threat as rapidly and effectively as possible."
Shannon Breland (NNS) # END
US Navy Learns From NATO Exercise
A coalition-forces task unit including USS Porter (DDG 78) and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) continued their participation in exercise Joint Warrior (JW) with an anti-air warfare (AAW) exercise May 18.
"The AAW training received during Joint Warrior is far more realistic than anything encountered during our usual workup cycle," stated Arleigh Burke Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Brian Moum. "The ability to use real aircraft to stimulate radar, generate threat emissions or jamming, and actually respond to radio queries was outstanding training for my watch teams. Since it is all real, my inside-the-lifeline training teams can focus on watch team response instead of having to run our various simulators, allowing much more focused attention and learning."
In a scenario lasting throughout the day, both vessels were attacked by multiple opposing MiG-29 Fulcrum aircraft and missiles. Arleigh Burke had been conducting counterpiracy operations and Porter was in transit. The ships fought in self-defense with Arleigh Burke destroying eight aircraft. Porter, who continued to fall under attack into the afternoon, defeated multiple missiles and one MiG-29. There was no "damage" to any coalition vessel.
"The myriad of live threats and targets executed in a robust and complex scenario provided a degree of realism far exceeding our expectations," said Moum.
"For example, we have conducted defense against small boat attacks numerous times, but never with the fidelity provided by JTEPS and the boat crews we met here. This event allowed my watchteams to execute real responses against real threats, all in a training environment. As a result, we are more than prepared to execute tasking in the real world throughout our deployment."
Lt. John Cycyk was on watch in the Combat Information Center (CIC) when the aircraft came into Arleigh Burke's radar picture.
"We immediately contacted them and repeatedly queried before taking any defensive action," said Cycyk. "The last course of action we wanted to take was the use of deadly force. It was only after they fired on us that we were forced to defend ourselves."
The realistic training provided during JW exercises changes the usual playing field.
"The air defense training helped us refine our responses and work on our battle rhythm and our cadence," said Lt. Cmdr. Ty Biggs, operations officer aboard Porter. "Orders were issued and the right people followed them. There was excellent teamwork training between the bridge and combat, and we matched real world electronic pictures in combat with visuals from the bridge. Air defense tactics have to be developed and mastered, so we can be ready for national tasking when we deploy.
"Working with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) gives us a different mindset. NATO operates differently from what we're used to. Rules and regulations are different, but the basic safety is the same. We are training in [geographic] areas that most of the crew is unfamiliar with. This training helps us improve our process," Biggs added.
Exercise Joint Warrior is a two-week evolution incorporating four U.S. Navy ships and a host of allied nations. While all aspects of warfare training were utilized during JW, the evolution focused more heavily on Fleet Irregular Warfare Training (FIWT) in non-traditional warfare areas, such as counter piracy and theater security.
J.-A. Ripley (NNS)
# END
"The AAW training received during Joint Warrior is far more realistic than anything encountered during our usual workup cycle," stated Arleigh Burke Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Brian Moum. "The ability to use real aircraft to stimulate radar, generate threat emissions or jamming, and actually respond to radio queries was outstanding training for my watch teams. Since it is all real, my inside-the-lifeline training teams can focus on watch team response instead of having to run our various simulators, allowing much more focused attention and learning."
In a scenario lasting throughout the day, both vessels were attacked by multiple opposing MiG-29 Fulcrum aircraft and missiles. Arleigh Burke had been conducting counterpiracy operations and Porter was in transit. The ships fought in self-defense with Arleigh Burke destroying eight aircraft. Porter, who continued to fall under attack into the afternoon, defeated multiple missiles and one MiG-29. There was no "damage" to any coalition vessel.
"The myriad of live threats and targets executed in a robust and complex scenario provided a degree of realism far exceeding our expectations," said Moum.
"For example, we have conducted defense against small boat attacks numerous times, but never with the fidelity provided by JTEPS and the boat crews we met here. This event allowed my watchteams to execute real responses against real threats, all in a training environment. As a result, we are more than prepared to execute tasking in the real world throughout our deployment."
Lt. John Cycyk was on watch in the Combat Information Center (CIC) when the aircraft came into Arleigh Burke's radar picture.
"We immediately contacted them and repeatedly queried before taking any defensive action," said Cycyk. "The last course of action we wanted to take was the use of deadly force. It was only after they fired on us that we were forced to defend ourselves."
The realistic training provided during JW exercises changes the usual playing field.
"The air defense training helped us refine our responses and work on our battle rhythm and our cadence," said Lt. Cmdr. Ty Biggs, operations officer aboard Porter. "Orders were issued and the right people followed them. There was excellent teamwork training between the bridge and combat, and we matched real world electronic pictures in combat with visuals from the bridge. Air defense tactics have to be developed and mastered, so we can be ready for national tasking when we deploy.
"Working with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) gives us a different mindset. NATO operates differently from what we're used to. Rules and regulations are different, but the basic safety is the same. We are training in [geographic] areas that most of the crew is unfamiliar with. This training helps us improve our process," Biggs added.
Exercise Joint Warrior is a two-week evolution incorporating four U.S. Navy ships and a host of allied nations. While all aspects of warfare training were utilized during JW, the evolution focused more heavily on Fleet Irregular Warfare Training (FIWT) in non-traditional warfare areas, such as counter piracy and theater security.
J.-A. Ripley (NNS)
# END
Fleet Irregular Warfare Training Off Scotland
Five U.S. Navy ships and a host of allied forces wrapped up multinational Joint Warrior 09-1 May 21 off the coast of Scotland after having successfully completed some of the world's most innovative and advanced warfare training available.
The exercise encompassed both traditional warfare exercises and Fleet Irregular Warfare Training (FIWT), focusing heavily on non-traditional warfare areas such as counterpiracy and theater security. The innovative FIWT is an invaluable tool for 21st century Sailors addressing and overcoming new, emergent threats.
While some U.S. Navy ships have undergone FIWT recently, the JW 09-1 exercise officially marks the first coalition-based FIWT implementation abroad.
"A significant portion of FIWT is focused on preparing commanding officers and crews to conduct forward deployed operations, in challenging environments, without the assistance of a strike group staff," said Rear Adm. Garry R. White, Commander, Strike Force Training Atlantic (CSFTL). "The Royal Navy, as part of their series of pre-deployment exercises to include JW, trains coalition commanding officers and crews from a large number of navies to what we in the U.S. Navy would call 'FIWT.' By participating in JW, we train U.S. ships in coalition FIWT - a critical skill for deployed forces in the current operational environment."
The multiple platform, comprehensive maritime operations exercise provided a robust training environment for allies to prepare their maritime forces and improve interoperability for any combined operations in future global assignments. A number of coalition FIWT scenarios covered a broad spectrum of situations, including counterpiracy boarding exercises, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and air defense, all running concurrently with traditional warfare training evolutions.
"This is very important training for the U.S. Navy; it provides a unique opportunity to train in a dynamic coalition environment using our allies' tactics, techniques and procedures," said Rear Adm. White. "Our operations in the future will almost assuredly be in conjunction with our allies and coalition partners. This is a prime example of following the Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet's focus area of 'teaming with allies and partners in the execution of the maritime strategy.'"
According to Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Vice Adm. Mel Williams Jr., the U.S. will continue to train and certify carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, and maritime expeditionary units for high-end military and major combat operations. We will additionally ensure individual units are armed with the preparedness they will need to operate independently in modern complex environments.
"This is rare, focused, unit-level type training that is very realistic and similar to what they're going to see in the different fleets and theaters while deployed," said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Violette, operations officer for Commander, Destroyer Squadron (COMDESRON) 24. "Traditional warfare training is very good, and our Navy is skilled at it, but 2nd Fleet is doing a lot right now to tailor the training to what the independent deployers are going to experience."
USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), USS Porter (DDG 78), USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), USNS Kanawha (T-AO 193), and COMDESRON 24 took part in the scenario-driven engagement, along with vessels from nine other members of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO). Both the JW exercise and coalition FIWT evolutions are expected to increase fleet efficiency and battle readiness for U.S. and allied navies alike.
"With FIWT, you have to be prepared to act independently, near land, in a very fast-paced and complex environment," said COMDESRON 24 Commodore Capt. John Kersh. "But at the same time, you have to be ready for heavy traditional warfare, like utilizing air defense and ASW. You have to be prepared to implement, simultaneously, all of the other training you've ever had."
Candice Villarreal (NNS)
# END
The exercise encompassed both traditional warfare exercises and Fleet Irregular Warfare Training (FIWT), focusing heavily on non-traditional warfare areas such as counterpiracy and theater security. The innovative FIWT is an invaluable tool for 21st century Sailors addressing and overcoming new, emergent threats.
While some U.S. Navy ships have undergone FIWT recently, the JW 09-1 exercise officially marks the first coalition-based FIWT implementation abroad.
"A significant portion of FIWT is focused on preparing commanding officers and crews to conduct forward deployed operations, in challenging environments, without the assistance of a strike group staff," said Rear Adm. Garry R. White, Commander, Strike Force Training Atlantic (CSFTL). "The Royal Navy, as part of their series of pre-deployment exercises to include JW, trains coalition commanding officers and crews from a large number of navies to what we in the U.S. Navy would call 'FIWT.' By participating in JW, we train U.S. ships in coalition FIWT - a critical skill for deployed forces in the current operational environment."
The multiple platform, comprehensive maritime operations exercise provided a robust training environment for allies to prepare their maritime forces and improve interoperability for any combined operations in future global assignments. A number of coalition FIWT scenarios covered a broad spectrum of situations, including counterpiracy boarding exercises, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and air defense, all running concurrently with traditional warfare training evolutions.
"This is very important training for the U.S. Navy; it provides a unique opportunity to train in a dynamic coalition environment using our allies' tactics, techniques and procedures," said Rear Adm. White. "Our operations in the future will almost assuredly be in conjunction with our allies and coalition partners. This is a prime example of following the Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet's focus area of 'teaming with allies and partners in the execution of the maritime strategy.'"
According to Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Vice Adm. Mel Williams Jr., the U.S. will continue to train and certify carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, and maritime expeditionary units for high-end military and major combat operations. We will additionally ensure individual units are armed with the preparedness they will need to operate independently in modern complex environments.
"This is rare, focused, unit-level type training that is very realistic and similar to what they're going to see in the different fleets and theaters while deployed," said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Violette, operations officer for Commander, Destroyer Squadron (COMDESRON) 24. "Traditional warfare training is very good, and our Navy is skilled at it, but 2nd Fleet is doing a lot right now to tailor the training to what the independent deployers are going to experience."
USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), USS Porter (DDG 78), USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), USNS Kanawha (T-AO 193), and COMDESRON 24 took part in the scenario-driven engagement, along with vessels from nine other members of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO). Both the JW exercise and coalition FIWT evolutions are expected to increase fleet efficiency and battle readiness for U.S. and allied navies alike.
"With FIWT, you have to be prepared to act independently, near land, in a very fast-paced and complex environment," said COMDESRON 24 Commodore Capt. John Kersh. "But at the same time, you have to be ready for heavy traditional warfare, like utilizing air defense and ASW. You have to be prepared to implement, simultaneously, all of the other training you've ever had."
Candice Villarreal (NNS)
# END
US Navy's Nobel Laureate Stresses Investment in Basic Research
Dr. William Phillips, an Office of Naval Research (ONR)-funded Nobel Prize-winning physicist, highlighted the importance of basic research and ONR's legacy of support for innovative scientists in his lecture May 19.
Phillips' compelling presentation, titled "Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff," rounded out ONR's spring distinguished lecture series. Among the attendees at Phillips' lecture were Dr. Delores M. Etter, former assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, and Rear Adm. Nevin P. Carr, Jr., Chief of Naval Research.
"Dr. Phillips' Nobel Prize-winning work is an excellent example of the type of investments ONR makes in basic research," noted Etter, who now serves as director of the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education at Southern Methodist University. "In particular, his achievements punctuate the vital importance of a long-term approach to developing future science and technologies (S&T) that are based upon solid fundamental research."
Phillips is a pioneer and leading researcher in laser cooling and trapping of atoms at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. His fundamental studies were used to develop applications for new kinds of physics measurements and processes such as high resolution spectroscopy, atomic clocks, atomic collisions, atom optics, bio-molecular interactions, and atomic-scale and nano-scale fabrication.
"ONR is different among the federal S&T organizations because it gives science a chance. A program officer with vision can say 'I think this is a great idea and I'm going to fund it.'" Phillips said. "The recognition of the importance of basic research in support of mission goals can lead to mission success where a more tightly focused vision might not."
Ultimately, Phillips and two colleagues were awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics. His work has yielded many relevant naval applications, in particular precision timekeeping, navigation and quantum information, including unbreakable encryption.
"Dr. Phillips and his colleagues were the first to clearly slow down atomic motion with light, and the first to construct a trap for neutral atoms. Both of these pioneering accomplishments were made possible with support from the Office of Naval Research," said Dr. Charles W. Clark, ONR's Atomic and Molecular Physics program manager, who has funded some of Phillips' more recent research.
(NNS) # END
Phillips' compelling presentation, titled "Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff," rounded out ONR's spring distinguished lecture series. Among the attendees at Phillips' lecture were Dr. Delores M. Etter, former assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, and Rear Adm. Nevin P. Carr, Jr., Chief of Naval Research.
"Dr. Phillips' Nobel Prize-winning work is an excellent example of the type of investments ONR makes in basic research," noted Etter, who now serves as director of the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education at Southern Methodist University. "In particular, his achievements punctuate the vital importance of a long-term approach to developing future science and technologies (S&T) that are based upon solid fundamental research."
Phillips is a pioneer and leading researcher in laser cooling and trapping of atoms at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. His fundamental studies were used to develop applications for new kinds of physics measurements and processes such as high resolution spectroscopy, atomic clocks, atomic collisions, atom optics, bio-molecular interactions, and atomic-scale and nano-scale fabrication.
"ONR is different among the federal S&T organizations because it gives science a chance. A program officer with vision can say 'I think this is a great idea and I'm going to fund it.'" Phillips said. "The recognition of the importance of basic research in support of mission goals can lead to mission success where a more tightly focused vision might not."
Ultimately, Phillips and two colleagues were awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics. His work has yielded many relevant naval applications, in particular precision timekeeping, navigation and quantum information, including unbreakable encryption.
"Dr. Phillips and his colleagues were the first to clearly slow down atomic motion with light, and the first to construct a trap for neutral atoms. Both of these pioneering accomplishments were made possible with support from the Office of Naval Research," said Dr. Charles W. Clark, ONR's Atomic and Molecular Physics program manager, who has funded some of Phillips' more recent research.
(NNS) # END
Gates Accused of 'Maginot Line' Mentality on FCS Program
"Is Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates forcing the military to build the modern-day equivalent of the Maginot Line when farsighted military leaders recommend instead more mobile and dynamic defense systems? This, unfortunately, seems to be the case now that Mr. Gates has canceled development of Future Combat Systems (FCS) vehicles," writes John Guardino in the Washington Times.
# END
# END
Army's Main Personnel Issues
The Army will continue to rely on vital personnel programs to relieve stress on the force, said the Army's G-1 during testimony on Capitol Hill, May 20.
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, the Army's G-1, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Personnel. Rochelle, along with his counterparts from the other services, addressed issues of recruiting and retention, stress on the force, and the size of the Army.
"The Army continues to face challenges, which will be directly in front of us for the next several years," said Rochelle. "Armed with lessons learned, it is our intent to stay in front of these challenges, anticipate them, develop strategies and programs, and keep them from becoming problems in the future."
Rochelle said the service has taken one step toward restoring balance to the force by meeting or exceeding recruiting and retention goals across the Army.
Given the success of recruiting and retention, lawmakers asked if the Army should grow beyond the currently authorized number of 547,400.
"End strength of the Army cannot be viewed in a vacuum," said Rochelle. "In order to understand the required end strength, one has to ask the question 'what do we want our Army to do and for how long?'"
Rochelle said he does not expect to see demand decrease in the near term.
"Demand is one aspect we do not control," said Rochelle. "As the Army looks to the next 12 to 18 months, we see an increase in demand before responsible drawdown can offer us the prospect of reduced demand in the overall."
The committee discussed the stress on the force associated with deployments and the mental health of Soldiers.
Rochelle said a critical factor contributing to the stress is the Army's current dwell time, which is one year deployed for every 1.3 years at home for the active force.
"The current dwell time is absolutely unsustainable," said Rochelle. "In addition to that, the cumulative effect of repeated deployments, most especially the surge, is wearing on readiness."
Rochelle also discussed Army efforts to prevent incidents of suicide and sexual assault, including the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, or SHARP, program.
"The Army has launched what I consider to be the premiere sexual assault prevention strategy," said Rochelle. "The elements of the strategy are to empower every Soldier to not only recognize an instance when a Soldier may be setting themselves up to be a victim, but to also intervene to effectively prevent."
Lawmakers inquired about the Army's ability to attract medical professionals and other individuals with specialized skills.
"I don't believe the solution lies in additional monies to attract this talent," said Rochelle. "I think we have to explore creative and inventive ways to reach outside the normal pool of talent."
Rochelle added personnel programs have enjoyed strong Congressional support and legislators have given the Army the means to improve the quality of lives of Soldiers and their families.
"This Congress has embraced our needs and we're very grateful," said Rochelle.
Steve Rochette (ANS)
# END
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, the Army's G-1, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Personnel. Rochelle, along with his counterparts from the other services, addressed issues of recruiting and retention, stress on the force, and the size of the Army.
"The Army continues to face challenges, which will be directly in front of us for the next several years," said Rochelle. "Armed with lessons learned, it is our intent to stay in front of these challenges, anticipate them, develop strategies and programs, and keep them from becoming problems in the future."
Rochelle said the service has taken one step toward restoring balance to the force by meeting or exceeding recruiting and retention goals across the Army.
Given the success of recruiting and retention, lawmakers asked if the Army should grow beyond the currently authorized number of 547,400.
"End strength of the Army cannot be viewed in a vacuum," said Rochelle. "In order to understand the required end strength, one has to ask the question 'what do we want our Army to do and for how long?'"
Rochelle said he does not expect to see demand decrease in the near term.
"Demand is one aspect we do not control," said Rochelle. "As the Army looks to the next 12 to 18 months, we see an increase in demand before responsible drawdown can offer us the prospect of reduced demand in the overall."
The committee discussed the stress on the force associated with deployments and the mental health of Soldiers.
Rochelle said a critical factor contributing to the stress is the Army's current dwell time, which is one year deployed for every 1.3 years at home for the active force.
"The current dwell time is absolutely unsustainable," said Rochelle. "In addition to that, the cumulative effect of repeated deployments, most especially the surge, is wearing on readiness."
Rochelle also discussed Army efforts to prevent incidents of suicide and sexual assault, including the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, or SHARP, program.
"The Army has launched what I consider to be the premiere sexual assault prevention strategy," said Rochelle. "The elements of the strategy are to empower every Soldier to not only recognize an instance when a Soldier may be setting themselves up to be a victim, but to also intervene to effectively prevent."
Lawmakers inquired about the Army's ability to attract medical professionals and other individuals with specialized skills.
"I don't believe the solution lies in additional monies to attract this talent," said Rochelle. "I think we have to explore creative and inventive ways to reach outside the normal pool of talent."
Rochelle added personnel programs have enjoyed strong Congressional support and legislators have given the Army the means to improve the quality of lives of Soldiers and their families.
"This Congress has embraced our needs and we're very grateful," said Rochelle.
Steve Rochette (ANS)
# END
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