War-funding legislation survived a fierce partisan battle in the House on Tuesday, a major step in providing commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan the money they would need for military operations in the coming months, reports USA Today..
# END
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Army Showcases New Infantry Gear, Weapons
A water-cooled vest can take the heat off in Iraq -- making Soldiers more comfortable, and extending mission times.
As part of an Army birthday-related event June 12, in the Pentagon courtyard, representatives of Program Executive Office Soldier displayed to visitors some of the technologies they are fielding or plan to field -- including a water-cooled vest, a lighter machine gun, and a common control panel for unmanned vehicles.
Scott Senter, of PEO Soldier's Mounted Soldier System Program, displayed a micro-climate cooling system for mounted Soldiers, similar to one already used as part of the Air Warrior system.
"It'll allow the drivers, commanders and gunners and the scouts to wear a vest underneath the body armor that will allow them to run longer missions than they are today so their body will stay at a constant cool temperature in hot vehicles when they are standing up out of turrets," said Senter. "It'll keep their body at a constant 68 to 70 degrees instead of being at 112 that we were seeing when we were deployed."
The one-pound vest is lined with coils of tubing through which cold water is circulated. The chiller is a small metal box that can be mounted inside a vehicle next to the turret or driver's compartment. Soldiers connect the vest to the chiller via a quick connect cable.
"We had it deployed with the 4-9 Infantry Battalion in Iraq with the Strykers, for the drivers only," Senter said. "And it's being put out in Abrams and Bradley (now). They love it. They don't want to leave without it. If it's not working or functioning, they make sure it is before they go out for a mission."
Chaplain Col. Dan Minjares tried on the vest, saying it makes a noticeable difference. "You can feel the difference right away, even through your shirt," he said. "But you'd wear this underneath your shirt -- it'd be really good. It's not real heavy either, so it's not adding to the weight you carry."
Senter said keeping Soldiers cool in the desert heat isn't just about comfort, it's about their mission as well. Soldiers lose the ability to concentrate when they are overheated.
"With this, keeping you cooled down during the mission, your situational awareness will stay peak," Senter said.
For pilots who are already using the cooling system, the cooling effects of the equipment has enabled them to increase mission time.
"Pilots were able to do an hour to an hour-and-a-half mission," Senter said. "Now they can go to five or five-and-a-half hours."
Reducing the heat is only one challenge PEO Soldiers is trying to accomplish for Soldiers in Iraq. Reducing the load is another -- and less weight affects Soldiers in any climate.
Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller is the Program Executive Officer, Soldier, at Fort Belvoir, Va. He said the focus for PEO Soldier is not just on reducing the weight of body armor, but on modernizing all Soldier equipment to make it lighter and more effective.
"For the average Soldier, there is such a variation difference in what they are carrying. We've seen 100 pounds to 150 pounds," Fuller said. "We're just trying to get any area we can to reduce their weight. This is a modernization effort. As we modernize the Soldier, we are trying to improve the capability, which also lightens them and gives them better capability. We are trying everything. Modernization is sometimes a lighter system, sometimes just an improvement, sometimes both."
Lt. Col. Mike Ascura, product manager for Army crew-served weapons, discussed the XM-806 lightweight .50-caliber machine gun, saying the weapon is lighter and easier to acquire a target with than the M-2.
"It's an experimental weapon, in development, that is supposed to be augmenting M-2," Ascura said. "We've incorporated that technology into the lightweight .50-caliber machine gun. For instance this .50-caliber now has a fixed headspace and timing. And what that means is that you don't have to gauge the barrel every time you change the barrel."
The biggest difference between the XM-806 and the M-2 is the weight. The XM-806 weighs about 40 pounds. The M-2, by contrast, weighs more than twice that. And the recoil on the M-2 is about 1,000 pounds, for the XM-806, about 250 pounds, Ascura said.
"What this means for a Soldier is that he can actually fire this lightweight machine gun and use a fire control device that will accurately guide him to the target in the first three rounds," Ascura said.
The weapon is still in development, the colonel said, adding that PEO Soldier plans to field it sometime in 2012.
Out in the field now Soldiers are already using unmanned aerial vehicles and small unmanned ground vehicles -- known as SUGVs -- as well as various sensors. Controlling all those devices remotely may eventually fall on the shoulders of Soldiers wearing the common controller developed by PEO Soldier. The controller consists of a computer and radio tied to a hand-held controller and will eventually control up to 17 different weapons platforms.
"Whatever I'm operating, it will give me a live feed," said Staff Sgt. Bernard Arroyo with the Army Evaluation Task Force at Fort Bliss, Texas. "It'll give me the status on the vehicle, the speed and the battery life. It'll also feed information from the squad level all the way to the brigade tactical operations center."
Arroyo has used the common controller during experiments down in Texas to control the SUGV, among other things.
"We did operations there -- route clearance -- out of the back of our Bradleys," he said. "We'd drop the ramp and send the robot out and the guy was wearing this. We did route clearance, sending the robot out to check for possible improvised explosive devices. And we ran into some wires, so we did wire-breaching operations too."
Right now, the whole controller weighs about 30 pounds -- it's both bulky and hot too. But Arroyo said he knows that the controller is destined to get lighter and leaner for Soldiers.
"We are upgrading, and eventually it'll weigh 12 pounds," he said. "It won't hang outside the modular lightweight load-carrying equipment vest, it'll be inside the vest, integrated inside the vest where you can't see the cables or boxes."
While the controller is heavy and bulky now, Arroyo said the benefit to Soldiers is clear, the device allows a Soldier to send his eyes and ears out on the back of a machine.
"It definitely gives you situational awareness -- and it's definitely better to send a robot than a Soldier," he said. "And you can send this out before you send human life out -- that's the whole purpose."
C.T. Lopez (ANS)
# END
As part of an Army birthday-related event June 12, in the Pentagon courtyard, representatives of Program Executive Office Soldier displayed to visitors some of the technologies they are fielding or plan to field -- including a water-cooled vest, a lighter machine gun, and a common control panel for unmanned vehicles.
Scott Senter, of PEO Soldier's Mounted Soldier System Program, displayed a micro-climate cooling system for mounted Soldiers, similar to one already used as part of the Air Warrior system.
"It'll allow the drivers, commanders and gunners and the scouts to wear a vest underneath the body armor that will allow them to run longer missions than they are today so their body will stay at a constant cool temperature in hot vehicles when they are standing up out of turrets," said Senter. "It'll keep their body at a constant 68 to 70 degrees instead of being at 112 that we were seeing when we were deployed."
The one-pound vest is lined with coils of tubing through which cold water is circulated. The chiller is a small metal box that can be mounted inside a vehicle next to the turret or driver's compartment. Soldiers connect the vest to the chiller via a quick connect cable.
"We had it deployed with the 4-9 Infantry Battalion in Iraq with the Strykers, for the drivers only," Senter said. "And it's being put out in Abrams and Bradley (now). They love it. They don't want to leave without it. If it's not working or functioning, they make sure it is before they go out for a mission."
Chaplain Col. Dan Minjares tried on the vest, saying it makes a noticeable difference. "You can feel the difference right away, even through your shirt," he said. "But you'd wear this underneath your shirt -- it'd be really good. It's not real heavy either, so it's not adding to the weight you carry."
Senter said keeping Soldiers cool in the desert heat isn't just about comfort, it's about their mission as well. Soldiers lose the ability to concentrate when they are overheated.
"With this, keeping you cooled down during the mission, your situational awareness will stay peak," Senter said.
For pilots who are already using the cooling system, the cooling effects of the equipment has enabled them to increase mission time.
"Pilots were able to do an hour to an hour-and-a-half mission," Senter said. "Now they can go to five or five-and-a-half hours."
Reducing the heat is only one challenge PEO Soldiers is trying to accomplish for Soldiers in Iraq. Reducing the load is another -- and less weight affects Soldiers in any climate.
Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller is the Program Executive Officer, Soldier, at Fort Belvoir, Va. He said the focus for PEO Soldier is not just on reducing the weight of body armor, but on modernizing all Soldier equipment to make it lighter and more effective.
"For the average Soldier, there is such a variation difference in what they are carrying. We've seen 100 pounds to 150 pounds," Fuller said. "We're just trying to get any area we can to reduce their weight. This is a modernization effort. As we modernize the Soldier, we are trying to improve the capability, which also lightens them and gives them better capability. We are trying everything. Modernization is sometimes a lighter system, sometimes just an improvement, sometimes both."
Lt. Col. Mike Ascura, product manager for Army crew-served weapons, discussed the XM-806 lightweight .50-caliber machine gun, saying the weapon is lighter and easier to acquire a target with than the M-2.
"It's an experimental weapon, in development, that is supposed to be augmenting M-2," Ascura said. "We've incorporated that technology into the lightweight .50-caliber machine gun. For instance this .50-caliber now has a fixed headspace and timing. And what that means is that you don't have to gauge the barrel every time you change the barrel."
The biggest difference between the XM-806 and the M-2 is the weight. The XM-806 weighs about 40 pounds. The M-2, by contrast, weighs more than twice that. And the recoil on the M-2 is about 1,000 pounds, for the XM-806, about 250 pounds, Ascura said.
"What this means for a Soldier is that he can actually fire this lightweight machine gun and use a fire control device that will accurately guide him to the target in the first three rounds," Ascura said.
The weapon is still in development, the colonel said, adding that PEO Soldier plans to field it sometime in 2012.
Out in the field now Soldiers are already using unmanned aerial vehicles and small unmanned ground vehicles -- known as SUGVs -- as well as various sensors. Controlling all those devices remotely may eventually fall on the shoulders of Soldiers wearing the common controller developed by PEO Soldier. The controller consists of a computer and radio tied to a hand-held controller and will eventually control up to 17 different weapons platforms.
"Whatever I'm operating, it will give me a live feed," said Staff Sgt. Bernard Arroyo with the Army Evaluation Task Force at Fort Bliss, Texas. "It'll give me the status on the vehicle, the speed and the battery life. It'll also feed information from the squad level all the way to the brigade tactical operations center."
Arroyo has used the common controller during experiments down in Texas to control the SUGV, among other things.
"We did operations there -- route clearance -- out of the back of our Bradleys," he said. "We'd drop the ramp and send the robot out and the guy was wearing this. We did route clearance, sending the robot out to check for possible improvised explosive devices. And we ran into some wires, so we did wire-breaching operations too."
Right now, the whole controller weighs about 30 pounds -- it's both bulky and hot too. But Arroyo said he knows that the controller is destined to get lighter and leaner for Soldiers.
"We are upgrading, and eventually it'll weigh 12 pounds," he said. "It won't hang outside the modular lightweight load-carrying equipment vest, it'll be inside the vest, integrated inside the vest where you can't see the cables or boxes."
While the controller is heavy and bulky now, Arroyo said the benefit to Soldiers is clear, the device allows a Soldier to send his eyes and ears out on the back of a machine.
"It definitely gives you situational awareness -- and it's definitely better to send a robot than a Soldier," he said. "And you can send this out before you send human life out -- that's the whole purpose."
C.T. Lopez (ANS)
# END
America's Army 3 - America's Army Computer Game Upgraded
Thousands of gamers will be able to play "America's Army 3," the newest version of the Army's popular video game, beginning Wednesday.
The original game has been out since July 4, 2002, but the new version will provide gamers with improved features, thanks in part to the use of Unreal Engine 3.
Unreal Engine 3 will allow the game to have effects like lighting and shadowing and rendering. The effects make the 14 different choices of characters more realistic, project developer and creator Col. Casey Wardynski said.
"America's Army 3 involves enhancements of the technology from America's Army's original version, which has made the sound (and graphics) dramatically better," Wardynski said. "This gives them a chance to test drive the army. Instead of it being all the stuff they think they know from the movies, it demonstrates what it is really like because this game is made by the Army."
The game also features a "teamspeak" component, which allows players to communicate and interact in addition to a jamming capability between parties.
The new features will include:
• A new scoring system
• Tactical movements of characters such as crawling
• Injuries and their effects on the players with 16 different places to obtain bodily injuries*
• New and improved weapons
• Interactive lighting and sound graphics such as the effects of dilated pupils in response to light changes
"We have unique features like no one else has, in AA3, you move exactly like a soldier. If you can't get up on an object; you can't get up on it," Wardynski said. "Unlike other games we operate under the reality of physics."
Players are able to complete Basic Combat Training in order to move to Advanced Individual Training where players can specialize in roles and customize their weapons and gear, and eventually move through the Army ranks.
"The computer allows you to pick missions and the game keeps track of what you have accomplished, so you are always progressing. Everything builds on what came before it. The process is very intuitive; no one wants to read an instruction manual. Someone who has played 'Call of Duty' or 'Battle Field' can easily get on our game," Wardynski said.
The graphics allow players to experience sensations that come with warfare, such as ear ringing and dizziness after large explosions.
Upgrades will occur every quarter after the launch, officials said. They said new improvements such as medic training, information operations, mobility and counter-mobility engineers and upgrades to artillery fire throughout the year will be a few of the updates.
The game is centered around the values embodied by the Army, like honesty and courage, Wardysnki said.
"In our game the players have to do things within reason and that require skills. Education is a key theme, I think, in an environment that is relevant to a young adult," Wardynski said.
There is more than one reason to download the game, according to Wardynski.
"First it's free, and free is pretty good price. This is one of top 10 games in world, and it has won all kinds of awards. In addition to that, its pretty action packed. It features a lot of team focus, which makes it interesting and there is more capability, because you are not playing against a computer," he said.
Users will need a graphics card, computer and an internet connection in order to download the game.
The game is free and accessible to anyone. Interested players can find the game on www.americasarmy.com. It can be downloaded from the site, officials said, and pre-loaded into computers so that play with the new version can begin Wednesday.
# END
The original game has been out since July 4, 2002, but the new version will provide gamers with improved features, thanks in part to the use of Unreal Engine 3.
Unreal Engine 3 will allow the game to have effects like lighting and shadowing and rendering. The effects make the 14 different choices of characters more realistic, project developer and creator Col. Casey Wardynski said.
"America's Army 3 involves enhancements of the technology from America's Army's original version, which has made the sound (and graphics) dramatically better," Wardynski said. "This gives them a chance to test drive the army. Instead of it being all the stuff they think they know from the movies, it demonstrates what it is really like because this game is made by the Army."
The game also features a "teamspeak" component, which allows players to communicate and interact in addition to a jamming capability between parties.
The new features will include:
• A new scoring system
• Tactical movements of characters such as crawling
• Injuries and their effects on the players with 16 different places to obtain bodily injuries*
• New and improved weapons
• Interactive lighting and sound graphics such as the effects of dilated pupils in response to light changes
"We have unique features like no one else has, in AA3, you move exactly like a soldier. If you can't get up on an object; you can't get up on it," Wardynski said. "Unlike other games we operate under the reality of physics."
Players are able to complete Basic Combat Training in order to move to Advanced Individual Training where players can specialize in roles and customize their weapons and gear, and eventually move through the Army ranks.
"The computer allows you to pick missions and the game keeps track of what you have accomplished, so you are always progressing. Everything builds on what came before it. The process is very intuitive; no one wants to read an instruction manual. Someone who has played 'Call of Duty' or 'Battle Field' can easily get on our game," Wardynski said.
The graphics allow players to experience sensations that come with warfare, such as ear ringing and dizziness after large explosions.
Upgrades will occur every quarter after the launch, officials said. They said new improvements such as medic training, information operations, mobility and counter-mobility engineers and upgrades to artillery fire throughout the year will be a few of the updates.
The game is centered around the values embodied by the Army, like honesty and courage, Wardysnki said.
"In our game the players have to do things within reason and that require skills. Education is a key theme, I think, in an environment that is relevant to a young adult," Wardynski said.
There is more than one reason to download the game, according to Wardynski.
"First it's free, and free is pretty good price. This is one of top 10 games in world, and it has won all kinds of awards. In addition to that, its pretty action packed. It features a lot of team focus, which makes it interesting and there is more capability, because you are not playing against a computer," he said.
Users will need a graphics card, computer and an internet connection in order to download the game.
The game is free and accessible to anyone. Interested players can find the game on www.americasarmy.com. It can be downloaded from the site, officials said, and pre-loaded into computers so that play with the new version can begin Wednesday.
# END
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
General McKinley: International alliances have matured well
The National Guard's State Partnership Program started as a confidence-building measure between formerly hostile nations and has grown into solid, long-standing alliances, according to the chief of the National Guard Bureau.
"The relationship has matured well," Gen. Craig R. McKinley told participants attending the State Partnership Program Conference in Stuttgart, Germany, June 15.
He cited the example of the young lieutenant colonel from the Illinois Army National Guard who went to Poland in the early days of their partnership.
That lieutenant colonel is now Maj. Gen. William Enyart, the adjutant general of the state, and "the folks he met there and maintained contact with are now senior leaders in that nation's military."
Because of this long-standing relationship between Illinois and Poland, Polish armed forces deployed to Iraq, commanding a multi-national division.
"And the Illinois Guard went with them providing critical enabling capabilities," General McKinley said.
He said the SPP has matured in other ways too.
SPP partners have developed joint operational mentor liaison teams, which currently are deployed to Afghanistan, where they have embedded with Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police units.
"American and partner-nation forces are working side-by-side to bring security and stability to that troubled country," General McKinley said.
Expanding the military-to-military partnership into a military-civilian one is being manifested in other ways as well.
"We now have 13 states signed up to field agribusiness development teams in Afghanistan," he said. "We are leveraging the land grant institutions and farm bureaus in our 'farm states' to provide training through deployed Guard units to Afghan farmers."
General McKinley said that Army Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, has asked National Guard officials to keep building this program.
"He can use as many of these teams as we can build," General McKinley said.
Building better State Partnership Programs is the purpose of this conference.
"This is a very important event for the National Guard," General McKinley said. "It is important that we get together to talk about the various strengths and weaknesses of our programs, because we're on a vector to make it better."
General McKinley said he is very proud of the program.
"For those of you who have participated in events around the world, you know how important the program is for building partnership capacity," he said.
It was the visionary leadership of retired Lt. Gen. John Conaway, a former chief of the National Guard Bureau, who along with Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, the former commander of European Command and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, created the program.
"Their vision together collectively ... shaped an environment so that we can today build on those roots," General McKinley said.
In the early 1990s, U.S. forces had just finished fighting a cold war that resulted in a changed world environment. The country also witnessed the rise of a solidarity movement, free elections in Poland, fall of Berlin Wall and the demise of Warsaw Pact.
"We had a small group of fragile nations struggling to adapt to democratic institutions and to develop armed forces that were self-reliant and transformed from the Soviet model," General McKinley said.
Both generals realized that generations of immigrants had come to America to establish new roots.
"Many had joined the National Guard and perhaps a synergy could be built and they created the state partnership initiative," General McKinley said.
There are several areas for SPP growth in the future, General McKinley said. DOD leaders have asked National Guard officials to use the SPP program to assist partner countries in their contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations around the world.
Joint Staff officials also envision National Guard representatives building partnership capacity programs into a $50 million endeavor. In fiscal 2009, the SPP is operating with a budget of about $8 million.
"Those are pretty exciting numbers when you think about where we have come from," he said.
While he is here, General McKinley also plans to meet with Army Gen. William E. Ward, the commander of Africa Command, about increasing the number of SPP relationships in his area of operations.
Finally, General McKinley encouraged the states to "keep doing what you are doing."
"Keep building these relationships," he said. "Maintain your basic military-to-military events, but look for new opportunities to do more in the military-civilian and civil-security cooperation areas. Continue to generate the good ideas. Your enhanced SPP approach is an impressive example of such forward thinking."
Ellen Krenke (AFNS)
# END
"The relationship has matured well," Gen. Craig R. McKinley told participants attending the State Partnership Program Conference in Stuttgart, Germany, June 15.
He cited the example of the young lieutenant colonel from the Illinois Army National Guard who went to Poland in the early days of their partnership.
That lieutenant colonel is now Maj. Gen. William Enyart, the adjutant general of the state, and "the folks he met there and maintained contact with are now senior leaders in that nation's military."
Because of this long-standing relationship between Illinois and Poland, Polish armed forces deployed to Iraq, commanding a multi-national division.
"And the Illinois Guard went with them providing critical enabling capabilities," General McKinley said.
He said the SPP has matured in other ways too.
SPP partners have developed joint operational mentor liaison teams, which currently are deployed to Afghanistan, where they have embedded with Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police units.
"American and partner-nation forces are working side-by-side to bring security and stability to that troubled country," General McKinley said.
Expanding the military-to-military partnership into a military-civilian one is being manifested in other ways as well.
"We now have 13 states signed up to field agribusiness development teams in Afghanistan," he said. "We are leveraging the land grant institutions and farm bureaus in our 'farm states' to provide training through deployed Guard units to Afghan farmers."
General McKinley said that Army Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, has asked National Guard officials to keep building this program.
"He can use as many of these teams as we can build," General McKinley said.
Building better State Partnership Programs is the purpose of this conference.
"This is a very important event for the National Guard," General McKinley said. "It is important that we get together to talk about the various strengths and weaknesses of our programs, because we're on a vector to make it better."
General McKinley said he is very proud of the program.
"For those of you who have participated in events around the world, you know how important the program is for building partnership capacity," he said.
It was the visionary leadership of retired Lt. Gen. John Conaway, a former chief of the National Guard Bureau, who along with Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, the former commander of European Command and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, created the program.
"Their vision together collectively ... shaped an environment so that we can today build on those roots," General McKinley said.
In the early 1990s, U.S. forces had just finished fighting a cold war that resulted in a changed world environment. The country also witnessed the rise of a solidarity movement, free elections in Poland, fall of Berlin Wall and the demise of Warsaw Pact.
"We had a small group of fragile nations struggling to adapt to democratic institutions and to develop armed forces that were self-reliant and transformed from the Soviet model," General McKinley said.
Both generals realized that generations of immigrants had come to America to establish new roots.
"Many had joined the National Guard and perhaps a synergy could be built and they created the state partnership initiative," General McKinley said.
There are several areas for SPP growth in the future, General McKinley said. DOD leaders have asked National Guard officials to use the SPP program to assist partner countries in their contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations around the world.
Joint Staff officials also envision National Guard representatives building partnership capacity programs into a $50 million endeavor. In fiscal 2009, the SPP is operating with a budget of about $8 million.
"Those are pretty exciting numbers when you think about where we have come from," he said.
While he is here, General McKinley also plans to meet with Army Gen. William E. Ward, the commander of Africa Command, about increasing the number of SPP relationships in his area of operations.
Finally, General McKinley encouraged the states to "keep doing what you are doing."
"Keep building these relationships," he said. "Maintain your basic military-to-military events, but look for new opportunities to do more in the military-civilian and civil-security cooperation areas. Continue to generate the good ideas. Your enhanced SPP approach is an impressive example of such forward thinking."
Ellen Krenke (AFNS)
# END
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Cost of Cost Cutting
Air Force Association President Michael M. Dunn placed the following quote on his AFA blog:
It is from Gen (Ret) Richard E. Hawley, former Commander of Air Combat Command. He said:
"But institutions can have short memories too. And in the early 60s we entered another Asian war, this time in Vietnam, without a capable air-to-air fighter -- without pilots schooled in the fine art of air-to-air combat -- and without weapons to neutralize the emerging threat of surface-to-air missiles -- and we paid a terrible price against a third-rate power.
In the six months from 23 August 1967 to 5 February 1968, Vietnamese MiG-21 pilots racked up a 16 to 1 kill advantage. In all, we lost 2,448 fixed wing aircraft to a third world military whose Air Force deployed fewer than 200 aircraft.
How easily we forget."
These are the things Defense Secretary Gates needs to remember when dismissing "excessive" aircraft (and other military) procurement programs or deriding forward-looking officers as victims of "next-war-itis".
# END
It is from Gen (Ret) Richard E. Hawley, former Commander of Air Combat Command. He said:
"But institutions can have short memories too. And in the early 60s we entered another Asian war, this time in Vietnam, without a capable air-to-air fighter -- without pilots schooled in the fine art of air-to-air combat -- and without weapons to neutralize the emerging threat of surface-to-air missiles -- and we paid a terrible price against a third-rate power.
In the six months from 23 August 1967 to 5 February 1968, Vietnamese MiG-21 pilots racked up a 16 to 1 kill advantage. In all, we lost 2,448 fixed wing aircraft to a third world military whose Air Force deployed fewer than 200 aircraft.
How easily we forget."
These are the things Defense Secretary Gates needs to remember when dismissing "excessive" aircraft (and other military) procurement programs or deriding forward-looking officers as victims of "next-war-itis".
# END
USN Mum on USS McCain Incident with Chinese Submarine
The US Navy will neither confirm nor deny that a submerged Chinese submarine impacted and damaged the USS John S. McCain's towed sonar array, reports Stars & Stripes.
# END
# END
First Afghani AF Pilot Graduates from USAF Flight Training
The first Afghan officer to train in the United States in nearly 50 years earned his pilot wings in a ceremony on 15 June at Columbus Air Force Base (MS).
Lt. Faiz Mohammed Ramaki was presented his pilot wings by Col. Roger Watkins, 14th Flying Training Wing commander, after completing the Aviation Leadership Program.
The Aviation Leadership Program is a scholarship for flying training that includes English language training, 25 hours of flight screening in a civil aircraft, such as a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, 335 academic and ground training hours and approximately 167 flight hours and simulator sorties. The flying portion of the program usually takes 9 to 10 months to complete.
"The ALP program was challenging and difficult," remarked a proud Lieutenant Ramaki. "Succeeding in the ALP is an accomplishment; but while this is a good day for me, it is a great day for my country."
Lieutenant Ramaki will continue his flying training in his next aircraft, the C-27A Spartan. The Afghanistan military should start receiving the first of 20 Italian-built C-27's late this summer.
When asked what he missed most of his native Afghanistan, Lieutenant Ramaki glowed at the memories of his family, his countrymen, culture and language.
"It will be good to return," said Lieutenant Ramaki.
One of the first Afghan pilots to train in the U.S., retired Col. Ghulam Mustafa Tayer, traveled to the U.S. in 1958.
Sixty-one Afghan pilot candidates will spend up to 30 months in the U.S.; they'll attend English language training before follow-on pilot training with the Air Force, Army and Navy.
Thirty experienced Afghan army air corps pilots will spend up to 10 months in the U.S.; they'll also attend English language training followed by aircraft instrument flight qualification and return to the Kabul Air Wing for C-27 qualification training.
# END
Lt. Faiz Mohammed Ramaki was presented his pilot wings by Col. Roger Watkins, 14th Flying Training Wing commander, after completing the Aviation Leadership Program.
The Aviation Leadership Program is a scholarship for flying training that includes English language training, 25 hours of flight screening in a civil aircraft, such as a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, 335 academic and ground training hours and approximately 167 flight hours and simulator sorties. The flying portion of the program usually takes 9 to 10 months to complete.
"The ALP program was challenging and difficult," remarked a proud Lieutenant Ramaki. "Succeeding in the ALP is an accomplishment; but while this is a good day for me, it is a great day for my country."
Lieutenant Ramaki will continue his flying training in his next aircraft, the C-27A Spartan. The Afghanistan military should start receiving the first of 20 Italian-built C-27's late this summer.
When asked what he missed most of his native Afghanistan, Lieutenant Ramaki glowed at the memories of his family, his countrymen, culture and language.
"It will be good to return," said Lieutenant Ramaki.
One of the first Afghan pilots to train in the U.S., retired Col. Ghulam Mustafa Tayer, traveled to the U.S. in 1958.
Sixty-one Afghan pilot candidates will spend up to 30 months in the U.S.; they'll attend English language training before follow-on pilot training with the Air Force, Army and Navy.
Thirty experienced Afghan army air corps pilots will spend up to 10 months in the U.S.; they'll also attend English language training followed by aircraft instrument flight qualification and return to the Kabul Air Wing for C-27 qualification training.
# END
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