the armor and mobility journal

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www.tacticaldeensemedia.com | November 2011

Commanders

Corner

BG N. Lee S. PriceProgram Executive Ofcer

PEO Command, Control, Communications -

Tactical (C3T)

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MDPRSRTSTDU.S.Postage

PAIDLebanonJunction,KY

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M1A1/2 Humvee Recap PEO EIS Super Terrain Light Comms

360 Degree Targeting Tanks in Helmand! IFLBS Ranger/USMC Recon Challenge

Special Section:

EO/IR Tech Recap

EO/IR


2/48

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ContentsAbrams: Protected PrecisionThe second version o a system enhancement program (SEPv2) to upgrade

the M1A1/2 main battle tank means added integration and eciency or an

already lethal asset.

By Kevin Hunter

Army TWV Mod: Setting the Stage or FutureLTV Ground Platorm SustainmentWith RFP out or initial Humvee Recap upgrades as part o Army BCT

Modernization eorts, work to eld the next-gen joint light tactical vehicles

moves orward.

By Kevin Hunter

Tanks in Helmand: Force Integration Proves PotentA&M brings readers a look into the ongoing mission exploits o USMC 1st

Delta Company in Aghanistan.

By Joe Talley

Readiness through CompetitionWarghters compete at the 2011 Marine Reconnaissance Challenge and

Army Best Ranger and International Sniper competitions to test readiness

through non-combat exhibition.

By Joe Talley

Minds o the MilitaryWhen it comes to designing product or the military, the stakes on the rontlines are very real and success is measured in more than dropped calls.

By Jim Curtin

Light Tactical Gear: Centering Load and BodyAn internal rame load-bearing system (IFLBS) increases mobility and range

o motion while decreasing the risk o chronic body atigue.

By Paul Carter

Strategic Leader: PEO EISProgram Executive Oce Enterprise Inormation Systems (PEO EIS) is

providing soldiers with the latest in IT technology to dominate the battleeld.

By PEO EIS

44

32

4

7

9

18

22

23

24

34

29

37

31

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Special Section:

EO/IR Tech RecapWarghters own the night using

the latest in maneuver sensor

technologies.

Industry Partner: MilitarySystems Group (MSG)Gun mount systems application

supports LTV integration

By Barry Becker

Departments

Rugged on the Move:

Maximizing Dexterity,Minimizing ComplexityLess comms load on warghter

without sacricing point-to-point

connectivity

By Kevin Hunter

Rugged on the Move Too:

Super TerrainNext-gen all-terrain vehicles

emphasize protect and escape in a

highly maneuverable platorm.

By Daniel Stewart

Unmanned & Beyond:

Shadow rom AboveSmall, armed vertical-lit UAS

provides agile eyes in the sky.

By Kevin Hunter

Emerging Forecast:TRADOCU.S. Army Training and Doctrine

Command (TRADOC) brings the best

in state-o-the art training tools and

policies to an Army in transition.

By Benjamin King

FutureTech

Ad Index/Calendar

Commanders Corner

BG N. Lee S. PriceProgram Executive Ocer


Tactical (C3T)

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

November 2011Armor & Mobility

13

www.tacticaldeensemedia.com Armor & Mobility November 2011 | 1


4/48

InsightsAs iscal year 2011 draws to a close, DoD is ocusing on providing warighters with

more capability through longer-term investments which, in turn, are driving renewed eorts

by industry to provide the best product or the best price. In this, the year-end issue o A&M,

we take a look at some o these investments, with a special ocus on the world o EO/IR

night vision sensors and gear as these critical technologies enable warighters to see the

enemy long beore they can be heard.

Into the world o command, control and communications in the tactical space, the

November issue oers readers an exclusive interview with BG N. Lee S. Price, Program

Executive Oicer, PEO C3T, as she discusses C3T mission objectives in providing

joint warighters with the latest in networked systems solutions and equipment. From

tactical comms to tactical maneuver, ongoing implementation o second version System

Enhancement Program (SEPv2) and tank urban survivability kitting (TUSK) or M1A1/2 main

battle tanks is ensuring this already lethal platorm remains top dog o the tank world.

With a culture o lie cycle sustainment in ull eect across DoD, an important aspect o

this materiel ocus includes the reset and recapitalization o long-time assets such as the

light tactical Humvee, a key Army and Marine Corps ground platorm since its introduction

ollowing the Vietnam War. As part o the eort, the Army is bulking up vehicle base armor,suspension and electronics to ensure the Humvee stays viable through 2025. On the

USMC side, a modernization in ground armor tactics continues as Delta Company, 1st Tank

Battalion presses the ight to the enemy in Aghanistan.

Be sure not to miss A&Ms recurring departments as this issue proiles Program Executive

Oice Enterprise and Inormation Systems (PEO EIS) and its work to acquire cutting edge

IT technologies to soldiers and U.S. joint warighters worldwide . This months Rugged on

the Move column takes a look at eorts to lighten the comms load and, in Part Too, a look

at how next-generation super terrain vehicles combine low target ootprint with agility and

saety. Unmanned & Beyond spotlights the latest in vertical lit mini UAV technology as it

evolves to meet localized ISR needs.

As always, eel ree to contact me with questions, comments. Thanks or your readership!

Kevin Hunter

Editor

Tactical Deense Media

[email protected]

301-974-9792DoD

Bi-Monthly Publication

Quarterly Publications

Dear Readers:One of lifes lessons- Always give appreciation to those deserving.

I am sure we all remember a visit rom Hurricane Irene, a guest sent to the entire eastcoast rom Mother Naturein late August. I want take this opportunity to thank my staand all others involved or diligently working to meet deadlines in order to print on time.We all worked without electricity or Internet connection through the entire weekendand made the necessary changes to editorial and layout with our Droids, Smartphones,iPhones, and cell phones utilizing text messaging and all other capabilities available.

As you enjoy reading the September issue o Armor & Mobility, please be kind with yourcomments i you happen to encounter any imperections. Thank you to my dedicatedsta, printing sta, and military PAOs.

As always, we appreciate your continued readership!

Sonia Bagherian

Publisher, Tactical Deense Media

Publishers Appreciation

Armor & Mobility ISSN: 2154-4476

is published six times a year by

Tactical Deense Media, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without

permission is strictly orbidden. 2011

Armor & Mobility is ree to members o the U.S.

military, employees o the U.S. government,

non-U.S. oreign service based in the U.S. and

deense contrators. All TDM publications are a lso

to international readers via electronic means.

Mailing Address

Tactical Deense Media, Inc.

Leisure World Plaza

PO Box 12115

Silver Spring, MD 20908-0115 USA

Telephone: (301) 974-9792

Fax: (443) 637-3714www.TacticalDeenseMedia.com

[email protected]

DoD Source Books

www.tacticaldeensemedia.com2 | Armor & Mobility November 2011


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The U.S. Army has felded the second version oits System Enhancement Program (SEP) digitalC2 and Tank Urban Survivability Kitting (TUSK)improvements to its M1A2 Abrams main battletanks.By Kevin Hunter, A&M Editor

The U.S. Army is implementing the second version o System

Enhancement Program, or SEP V2, upgrades to enhance

the tanks digital command and control (C2) capabilities and

improve the tanks enemy engagement capability and lethality.Along side these C2 improvements, the platorm has

also undergone a Tank Urban Survivability Kitting

(TUSK) upgrade to keep the backbone o the Armys

armored orce protected but ever mobile.

In February 2001, General Dynamics Land Systems

(GDLS) was contracted to supply 240 M1A2 tanks

with a system enhancement package (SEP) by 2004.The M1A2 SEP improvements involved independent

thermal viewer, digital color terrain maps, thermal

imaging gunners sight, integrated display, and thermal

management system. In February 2008, GDLS wasawarded a multi-year contract to upgrade to SEP Version Two

(V2) coniguration the remaining 435 M1A1 tanks in the U.S.

Army inventory.

By March 2009, TACOM LCMC had awarded GDLS $728

million in contract awards or SEP V2 upgrades to another 265

M1A1 to A2 conversions along with the purchase o long-leadmaterials to produce 140 M1A1 SA (situational awareness)

tanks or Iraq. The tanks were itted with a FLIR thermal site,

tank urban survivability kit (TUSK) enhancements and driver

vision-enhancing equipment.

SEP Evolution

The M1A1/A2 System Enhancement Package Version 1 (SEPv1)was introduced as part o a continuous upgrade system or M1A2

tanks. It consisted o an armor upgrade that included third generation

steel encased depleted uranium armor, plus upgrades that provided

improved target detection, recognition and identiication; a thermalmanagement system. As part o an electronics cooling package,

increased memory and aster processors were incorporated

providing ull color map capability and compatibility with the Army

Command and Control (C2) Architecture to ensure the ability toshare C2 and situational awareness with all components

o the combined arms team.

The advent o the M1A2 Systems EnhancementPackage Version 2 (SEP V2) program took SEP V1

to a higher level, bringing enhancements in network

interoperability and increased reliability and durability

o electronics components within the Abrams M1A2platorm.

The SEP V2 eort brings technology improvementsinto Abrams Systems to ensure compatibility with Army

modernization eorts, said Donald Kotchman, Vice President

or Heavy Brigade Combat Team Systems or General Dynamics

Land Systems including the Abrams Program. GD continues todevelop system enhancements that could be incrementally applied

to the latest System Enhancement Package (SEP) and Tank Urban

Survivability Kit (TUSK) conigurations o the Abrams main battle

tank.

intEgratEdoPErability

The latest SEP upgrade to the M1A2 includes improved

processors, color and high resolution lat panel displays, increased

Abrams:Protected

Precision

Donald KotchmanHBCT Systems, GDLS



7/48

memory capacity, user-riendly Soldier Machine Interace (SMI) andan open operating system that will allow or uture growth. Major

improvements include the integration o the Second Generation

Forward Looking Inared (2nd Gen FLIR) sight and a Thermal

Management System (TMS).

Changes to the M1A2 Abrams Tank contained in the System

Enhancement Program (SEP) and M1A2 Tank FY 2000

coniguration are intended to improve lethality, survivability, mobility,sustainability and provide increased situational awareness and

command and control enhancements necessary to provide

inormation superiority to the dominant maneuver orce. The System

Enhancement Program (SEP) allows or digital data disseminationwith improved ability to optimize inormation based operations and

maintain a relevant common picture while executing Force XXI ull

dimensional operation.

Other SEP V2 enhancements increase the capability to control

battleield tempo while improving lethality and survivability. To ensure

crew proiciency is maintained, each M1A2 armor battalion is ielded

with an improved Advanced Gunnery Training System (AGTS) withstate-o-the-art graphics.

targEtingandSituational awarEnESS

Under the M1A2 System Enhancement Program Version 2

(SEPv2) upgrade program, 370 Common Remotely-Operated

Weapons Station or CROWS II kits are being installed. With

CROWS II, M1 operators are able to acquire and engage targets

rom inside the protection o an armored vehicle.

CROWS laser range inder improves accuracy

and the sensor suite permits target engagementsin all conditions. The system can hold ive times

as many .50-cal. machine gun rounds as other

older systems.

From a situational awareness perspective,

DRS Technologies developed the GEN II TIS

reconnaissance, surveillance and targetacquisition (RSTA) suite which has beenincorporated as part o M1A1/2 SEP upgrades.

Comprising a common electronics unit and

opto-mechanical assemblies known as the B-Kit,

the M1A2 Abrams SEP utilizes the same B-Kitas used in the Improved Bradley Acquisition

System (IBAS) sight o the M2A3 Bradley Fighting

Vehicle. Using a thermal receiving unit and abiocular image control unit within an enhanced

Thermal Imaging System (TIS) mounted in the

gunners sight, the RSTA system is used or

the Commanders Independent Thermal Vieweron the M1A2 as well as the Commanders

Independent Viewer on the Bradley A3 and the

LRAS3.

The GEN II TIS systems enhance the

engagement and surveillance ranges or the

identiication o threats, increase target acquisition

capability and signiicantly reduce ratricide. saidJerry Hathaway Technical Director, Maneuver Systems LOB or

DRS Technologies Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target

Acquisition Group (RSTA). Providing the most advanced,

high-resolution sighting technology or the success o ground

combat operations, GEN II TIS allows ground vehicles to detect,identiy and engage tactical targets during the day or night.

Survivability uPgradES

In August 2006, GDLS was awarded a contract to produce

505 tank urban survivability kits or Abrams tanks. The Tank

Urban Survival Kit, or TUSK, is a ield-installable kit that allows

tanks to be upgraded without needing to be recalled to amaintenance depot. TUSK addresses a series o improvements

to the M1A2 Abrams intended to improve ighting ability in urban

environments. TUSK entered service on M1A1/M1A2 tanks in

late 2007 and has been deployed to Iraq.

TUSK armor upgrades or Abrams to date include reactive

armor on the sides o the tank and slat armor (similar to that

on Stryker) on the rear to protect against rocket-propelledgrenades and other shaped charge warheads. The upgrade

also includes reactive armor or explosive reactive armor

(ERA), to be applied on the Abrams side skirts, to lessen

the damage rom projectile explosions. A gun shield and athermal sight system are added to the loaders top-mounted

7.62 mm machine gun, and the mount or commanders

.50-caliber heavy machine gun is modiied to allow the weapon

to be operated rom within the turret with the hatch closed (the

The Mounted Soldier Display System (MSDS) features the Rockwell Collins SO35-A Helmet Mounted Display (HMD)

and a vehicle mounted video distribution switch. (Rockwell Collins photo)



8/48

original M1 and M1A1 had this capability, but it was lost on the

M1A2 due to the reconiguration o several turret systems). Anexterior telephone allows supporting inantry to communicatewith the tank commander.

As part o the TUSK upgrade

program, Rockwell Collins

provided head-mounted display(HMD) or the Loaders Thermal

Weapon Sight (LTWS). HMD

technology ielded or the Armys

Land Warrior (LW), now GroundSoldier Ensemble (GSE) program,

is being used as a remote viewer

LTWS in the M1A1/2. Thiscapability allows the loader toidentiy and engage targets in day

or night combat with the M240

machine gun rom a positioninside the tank and out o harms

way.

We delivered 724 HeadMounted Display (HMD) systems

or TUSK to provide M1A1 and

M1A2 Abrams tank crews with enhanced survivability in urban

environments, said Je Schuyler, principal program manager oSoldier Systems, Rockwell Collins.

Other individual systems upgrades as part o TUSK include

a loaders armor gun shield (LAGS), tank inantry phone (TIP),Raytheon loaders thermal weapon sight used with Rockwell

Collins HMD technology, and BAE Systems thermal drivers

rear-view camera (DRVC).

Raytheon was able to rapidly tailor our thermal weapon

sight to support General Dynamics on TUSK and provide the

Abrams loader with improved night vision capability needed

or close urban situational awareness and engagement, said

Pius Boehm, director, Ground Systems or Raytheon NetworkCentric Systems Combat & Sensing Systems product line.

BAE Systems DRVC system is derived rom BAE Systems

Check-6 inrared situational awareness capability. The camera

is contained completely within the taillight housing and can be

readily installed on most current and uture U.S. Army vehicleswith no drilling or welding.

The Check-6 Rear Vision Sensor

System (RVSS) eatures a thermal camerathat is built into the U.S. militarys common

taillight housing to provide the driver o

armored combat vehicles with day/night

rear vision in battleield environmentsincluding operation through smoke and

visibility obscured tactical conditions,

said Gary Morris, manager, Business

Development, BAE Systems. Driversrear vision, aorded by armored combat

vehicles, becomes critical to the vehicles operation and vital to

the saety o anyone in close proximity to the vehicle, particularly

in todays urban combat environment.

More ino: www.gdls.com

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SEP enhancements to the M1A1/2 platform were driven largely by the need to improve driver situational awareness in both urban and rugged

environments. (Army photo)

Gary MorrisBAE Systems



9/48

As the Army announces its plan or a ull andopen competition in the recapitalization o itsHigh Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)Expanded Capacity Vehicle (ECV), the jointservices, including the Marine Corps, are workingto usher in the next generation o light tactical

vehicles - the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).By Kevin Hunter, A&M Editor

In mid-July, the Army Acquisition Executive, Ms. Heidi

Shyu, chaired an Assistant Systems Acquisition Review

Council (ASARC) Materiel Development Decision (MDD) or theModernized Expanded Capacity Vehicle (MECV) as part o the

competitive HMMWV recapitalization program. The competitive

HMMWV recapitalization and modernization program will utilize

the ECV chassis as a seed to recapitalize into a MECV withenhanced capabilities.

By opening the HMMWV Recap program to competition,

we hope to capitalize on the engineering and designexpertise o Industry to provide a level o protection that

makes it a viable choice or combat operations, said

Col. David Bassett, Army Project Manager or Tactical

Vehicles.

The next step ollowing the ADM approval is

inalizing the Request or Proposals (RFP) to support

a drat RFP release to industry in early all (ollowed bythe inal RFP).

The Army intends to ocus on improvements to crewsurvivability and transportability, restoring payload capacity

and automotive/mobility perormance, and will incorporate

lessons learned rom recent Operational Need Statements,

said Bassett.

The Army has previously satisied its requirements or

HMMWVs with the procurement o over 150,000 vehicles.

HMMWV new production or the Army ended in December2010, although production or the other services and oreign

military sales customers will continue into early 2012.

A prototype competition will demonstrate the signiicantimprovements at a modest cost relative to the likely sustainment

investment in the Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) leet. A solid

understanding o the limits o capability that can be achieved on

the HMMWV platorm, supported by demonstrated comparative

testing o prototypes, is critical to the Department o Deensemaking an inormed decision on the uture o the LTV leet.

Jltv goingForward

Divesting its oldest, least capable leet and replacingthem with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) as it comes

into production are all key elements o the Armys overarching

tactical vehicle strategy. However, the UAH will remain in the

leet beyond 2025 and the competitive recap program wilprovide the Army with options to sustain and modernize that

portion o the LTV leet, added Bassett.

While the Army and U.S. Marine Corps requirements orcompetitive HMMWV recap may dier slightly, the USMC wil

continue to leverage the Armys competitive HMMWV recap

program and timeline, participating to identiy components,

modiications and subsystems that can extend the lie othe HMMWV leet to beyond 2025. The USMC intends

to procure those HMMWV upgrades as resources allow

while replacing the portion o the HMMWV leet that

serves light combat mission roles with the JLTV.

Both the Army and the Marine Corps have identiied

capability gaps in their light tactical vehicle leetsthat cannot be addressed in a cost eective way by

rebuilding the existing UAH leet.

HMMWV recap and JLTV have always been envisioned ascomplementary eortsHMMWV recap as a lower cost, less

capable vehicle to meet the speciic rotary wing transportable

vehicle requirement, and JLTV as the uture vehicle to balance

payload, protection, and perormance, and to enhance reliabilityand uel economy, added Bassett.

Both the Army and USMC have taken the steps necessary

to adjust the JLTV program to address aordability, setting a irmrequirement that relects an aordable program baseline and

reducing the cost o the next program phase.

Setting the Stage orFuture LTV Ground

Platorm Sustainment

More ino: www.peocscss.tacom.army.mil

COL David BassettPM Tactical Vehicles

Army TWV Modernization:



10/48

As the Army drives towards ormally commencing itsHumvee Recap competition, the team o Textron Systems

and Granite Tactical Vehicles with its Survivable Combat

Tactical Vehicle (SCTV) is already prepared to move itsoering into production. Based on a monocoque v-hulledcrew capsule that bolts onto the existing humvee chassis,

the SCTV approach oers low cost and risk with protection

proven in government testing to meet that o the larger

MRAP.

But despite the teams innovative new approach, they

are not newcomers to the ield. In act, or over 4 years

Granite Tactical Vehicles has been working to make currenthumvees ar more survivable, leading the way beore such

a program even existed.

We started our solution to make the current humveemuch more survivable against underbelly explosions and

other threats because the current generation o humvees

just wasnt getting the job done and soldiers were being

killed, explains Chris Berman, president, Granite Tactical.

We saw that the current humvee maker wasnt bringing

viable technical solutions to the Army when they were so

badly needed, and knew we could do better.

To date, Granite Tactical has produced several dozen

vehicles that have gone through extensive government and

independent explosive, mobility and durability testing. Innumerous explosive tests, or example, the v-hulled SCTV

has repeatedly demonstrated that it can provide MRAP-

level protection. And, through other improvements, the

SCTV restores to the humvee needed o-road mobility thatwas lost in the up-armoring process while also reducing

the vehicles weight.

Yet despite these and other upgrades, the SCTVcan be accomplished or less than the Army is currently

spending to reset existing humvees.

Our whole approach is centered on improvingsurvivability and perormance o the vehicle while keeping

costacquisition and total ownership costto an absolute

minimum, said Bill Kisiah, vice president, AdvancedMilitary Vehicles Solutions, Textron Systems. We are very

comortable meeting the Armys target acquisition price,

while also keeping the cost o total ownership down by

maintaining a high degree o parts commonality with theexisting humvee leet. And our production-ready SCTV

means no risky, costly, and time-consuming developmentactivities are needed, while simultaneously providing a

ield-retroitable solution, Kisiah added.

Moreover, Berman explains, because o the Granite-

Textron partnership, they have a unique ability to produce

the vehicle eiciently across the ull potential range oorder quantitieswith Granite handling low order rates

and adding in a scalable production line as necessary at

both their North Carolina acilities as well as at the main

Textron Marine & Land Systems plant in Slidell, LA. Thelatter is where Textron has produced over 3,300 Armored

Security Vehicles (ASVs) on-time and on-budget or the

Army. The ASV has been successully deployed with U.S.

orces to Iraq and Aghanistan, doing missions such asconvoy protection and combat support all while achieving

operational readiness rates o over 90 percent.

Team Approach to Revitalizing Americas Humvee

More ino: www.textronmarineandland.comVisit www.internationalarmouredvehicles.com for more information.

Join us for the panel, part of the

International Armoured Vehicles

show February 20-23, 2012 at the FIVE in

Farnborough, UK.

Scheduled to discuss, debate and hone in on the mostcritical of trends for the armoured vehicles market.

The market is going to evolve during the post-Afghan years.Now is the time to find out how the top industry leaders will respond

and how this will affect future capabilities and requirements.

6 Leading Visionariesfrom the World's Top Defence Industry Companies:

What is theFuture of Armored Vehicles?

Find out at the G6 Industry Leaders

Global Strategy Debate

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11/48

In this exclusive to A&M, readers get a behind thescenes look into the actual combat operations oUSMC Delta Company, 1st Tank Battalion as theyexecuted operations to secure much o HelmandProvince in 2011.

By Joe Talley. A&M Security Analyst

As combat power shited rom Iraq and consolidated inAghanistan, U.S. Marine Corps orces began executing a strategyto secure key locations across Helmand Province that has arguably

rivaled the key battles or Japanese-controlled islands during World

War II. Since 2009, Marine battalions have ought to bring security

to key Taliban strongholds o Now Zad, Lashkar Gah, Marjah,Sangin, and Musa Qala.

Late in 2009, U.S. orces broke new ground with the deployment

o a company o 115 Marines and their 19 Abrams main battletanks in support o combat operations across Helmand Province.

As a ollow up to our exclusive interview with their tank company

commander in the last issue o Armor & Mobility magazine, we now

go behind the scenes into the actual combat operations o DeltaCompany, 1st Tank Battalion as they executed operations to secure

much o Helmand Province in 2011. These Marines have worked

to neutralize the Taliban inluence in the area o the Upper Ghereshk

Valley as well as support local humanitarian projects and providesae environments or critical inrastructure development.

Delta Company and its tanks irst arrived at Camp Leatherneckin the early days o 2011 in conjunction with the deployment o

the Marine Corps 3/8 Marines Inantry Battalion. The purpose o

this key partnership was to expand on recent gains achieved by

ellow Marine inantrymen in the deadly battle zone o Sangin innorthern Helmand. Since late 2010, 3/5 Marines had been clearing

Sangin o enemy ighters but, by the end o their critically successul

seven-month deployment, had lost 25 Marines and sustained a

signiicant number o wounded. It is likely that the results o theseearly battles led to the deployment o Delta Company, 1st Tanks

and 3/8 Marines as one o their irst joint missions was to deend

the only existing dirt road along Helmand River between Sangin and

Highway 1, the east-west main route crossing Helmand Province.

CombatoutPoStoullEttE

During their initial deployment to Aghanistan, Delta Company

operated in individual tank sections or platoons attached to partner

inantry companies in support o deliberate combat and typicalcounterinsurgency (COIN) missions. Consisting o 3 tank platoons

and a headquarters platoon, Delta Co. comprised tank platoon

consisting o 4 tanks with 16 Marines each, including the platoon

commander and platoon sergeant, the chie enlisted leader. While1st and 3rd Platoons operated more independently rom the rest

o the Company, they also had an M88 tank recovery vehicle

attached to each o their platoons to help recover a tank in case omechanical ailure or enemy attack.

In addition to the three main tank platoons, then-Captain Dan

Hughes maintained his headquarters platoon at Combat Outpost

(COP) Oullette, collocated with Battalion Loader Team (BLT) 3/8Marine headquarters. Comprised o combined Company and

headquarters Marines leadership, Capt. Hughes scout platoon

and all tank support Marines were tasked to provide the repairs and

logistics required to keep a tank company operating at ull speed.In addition to their standard duties, these Marines were also utilized

as an independent maneuver element, supporting and resupplying

the BLT 3/8 Marines to ensure the inantry had enough support

capacity or sustained combat operations beyond the walls o COPOullette (whenever these units crossed over to the western side o

the Helmand River to conduct combat operations).

Upon arrival in Helmand, 3/8 Marines irst mission was to

secure a combat outpost north o Highway 1, built on elevated

terrain just east o and overlooking the Helmand River. Named ater

a beloved 3/8 Marine lost on their previous deployment, the COP isessentially a giant parking lot o tanks, MRAPs and other assorted

vehicles with tents or the Marines on the side, with dimensions o

about 150 meters wide by 200 meters long. The walls made o

Hesco, a wire mesh and cloth box that acts like a giant, reinorcedsandbag about waist high (or about 9 eet high or big ones) and

able to stop standard small arms and automatic weapons ire,

stacked 2 hescos high, with guard towers. Towards the end o their

deployment, the Marines actually received air conditioners, just intime or the 120 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. The headquarters

elements and Delta Companys 1st tank platoon operated out o

COP Oullette or the majority o the deployment.

EntEr1St Platoon

1st Platoon operated in direct support o Lima Company, 3/8

Marines (the BLTs main eort inantry company) their primary

mission was to provide security in support o the construction

Tanks in Helmand:Force Integration Proves Potent



12/48

o a reinorced, asphalt road rom Highway 1 north through the

Ghereshk Valley, up to Sangin. The Platoon was led by 1st Lt

Matthew Baldwin rom Sharon, Vermont, and they operated up anddown the eastern side o the river along the dirt road that would

eventually become Route 611.

When 1st Platoon arrived in the area, Route 611 did not exist.Whenever Marine convoys had to travel rom Route 1 to Sangin

or other parts o the Upper Gereshk Valley or UGV, they basically

avoided this dirt roadway because o IED attacks that were verycommon. I a convoy had to travel up to Sangin to resupply the3/5 Marines ighting there, it would usually take them between 1-3

days travel time, encountering multiple IEDs along the way, having

to extract damaged vehicles and risk numerous casualties.

While D Co. and L Co. 3/8 provided security, a construction

company rom the UAE completed the road rom Route 1 up to

Sangin in 4 months. The total distance built and secured was over25 kilometers. During the road build, tanks and inantry virtually

eliminated insurgent intererence that had existed beore said orce

arrived.

Our mission end state mission was a completed paved road

to Sangin with a dramatic decrease in IED attacks along the road,

said Baldwin. Now, it takes supply convoys only about 4 hours

to reach Sangin, with only a minimum o IED attacks while tanks

provide overwatch along the road. Since the end o construction,

Route 611 became the new Autobahn in the area everyone isusing it!

With the completion o Route 611, the increased reedom o

movement or local Aghans has resulted in observable dierencessuch as a much greater number and size o bazaars that have

opened along the route and in Sangin itsel.

EntEr2nd Platoon

Deltas 2nd Platoon supported BLT 3/8s Kilo Company with

their irst tank section (2 tanks), with second tank section (2

tanks) supporting India Company. 1st Lt Matthew Anderson rom

Huntsville, AL led the Marines as they conducted continuouscombat operations to include daily inantry patrols in the green zone

along the river.

One o the most signiicant operations involving 2nd platoonoccurred about a month ater the company arrived. Shortly ater

the Marines established their COP, they executed enemy disruption

operations in the vicinity o a village directly across the river romCOP Oullette. This area was also a central poppy growing andcultivating area with a strong Taliban inluence, with the majority o

drug production and transportation operations occurring near this

village.

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During these initial disruption operations, 2nd platoon and Kilo

Company conducted movement to contact patrols, discovering

that the village served as a key Taliban C2 or command and controlnode which prompted daily ireights or several weeks. There was

a signiicant amount o enemy contact the enemy attacked in

reinorced company-sized orces (100-150 individuals).

The tanks with their superior night optics directly supported

Marine inantry operations, eventually clearing the village o Taliban

and stopping the low o poppy through the area. Ater intenseoperations, 2nd Platoon pulled out o the west and back to theeast side o the river to support overall Delta Company missions,

eventually acilitating handover operations rom 3/8 Marines to their

replacement, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines.

By the summer, Delta Company elements packed up their

gear and headed north to build a new COP in Musa Qala, Combat

Outpost (COP) Shir Ghazay, in support o ongoing securityoperations in the area. They built Shir Ghazay on the model o

Oullette, with hescos stacked 2 high and Marines living in tents.

The COP was primitive, but it was adequate-it served the mission,

1

st

Lt Anderson commented.

EntEr3rd Platoon

3rd Platoon operated independently rom Delta Company,

attached to the 1/8 Marines and later with 3/2 Marines in thevicinity o Now Zad Salam Bazaar, to the west o Sangin. Lt. Elliott

Simpson rom Tampa, Florida led his tanks in support o 1/8 and

3/2 inantry operations. They executed a wide range o missions

and tasks, ranging static overwatch to complex operations,executing combat operations every day o their deployment.

Again, due to the tanks optics, we were most eective in

working with sniper teams to locate, identiy, and destroy enemy

preparing to attack riendly orces, said Lt. Simpson.While 3rd Platoon operated more independently rom the rest

o the tank company, they were no strangers to attacks o their

own. While supporting Lima Company, 3/2 Marines in early May,

the tanks began taking small arms ire with, one tank experiencinga mechanical problem. The tankers quickly jumped into the working

tank to ind where the ires were coming rom, identiying the Taliban

as they were iring on U.S. inantrymen, then taking cover inside amosque. The same men came out riding motorcycles, trying to

escape. While the tanks have great night vision, they ired machnine

guns on the targets, hitting a motorcycle. The enemy went tumbling

o his bike and moved o into the darkness. The next day, the sameighter came back to the Marines wounded and asking or help.

They treated him and turned him over to police.

miSSionaCComPliShEd

By the time o their relie by a brother tank company rom the

east coast, Delta Company, 1st Tank Battalion had established a

precedent o unheralded success in the very irst deployment otrue U.S. armor resulting in the iring o 60 main gun rounds in sixmonths, the sustainment o over 15 direct IED hits to the tanks, and

a record o no Marines lost, all unparalleled by Army and Marine

armored units currently in the ield. While tanks are not inantry-

carrying or ighting vehicles, they had proven once again that theirarmor capability, weapons systems, advanced optics, and Marine

crews are a necessary element or U.S. success on the battleields

o Aghanistan.

CONFLICT IN MUSA QALAAt the end o their mission, Delta Company Marines

worked with their replacements rom Alpha Company,

2nd Tank Battalion out o Camp Lejeune, NC. In the earlymorning on July 19th 2011, the combined orce departed

COP Shir Ghazay in eight tanks. By 0700, one o Delta 3rd

platoons tanks was hit by an IED, disabling it. The attack

soon resulted in a complex ambush by the enemy, withsmall arms ire and automatic weapons ire coming rom

multiple directions. During this mission, the incoming unit

was aced with all o the typical threats that they would soon

encounter on their own- they hit a tank-disabling IED, theywere engaged by a complex ambush, they had to react to

and deeat the ambush, and they had to recover the tank

under enemy ire; which they did successully.

Once the attack started, enemy radio chatter indicated

that they were about to escalate the attack with RPGs as

well. At this point, the combined elements called back to the

COP requesting a Quick Reaction Force to bring a recovery

vehicle and provide security. Immediately, Alpha Companyheadquarters and scout platoon Marines responded,

securing the site to allow crews to recover the disabled tank

with M88. It took about 12 hours to recover the damaged

tank at the same time, the enemy continued to attackand maneuver with the ireight becoming more o a cat and

mouse game as the determined enemy tried to lank and

probe security elements during the whole process. Finally,

the tank was recovered to COP Shir Ghazay with the QRFable to extract the rest o the tanks or return to the COP

as well.

In the end, the incoming Marines experienced mosto the combat conditions on the irst day that they would

endure over the next six months, but with the helpul

guidance o Marines who had been there or some time who

knew the terrain.

More ino: [email protected]



14/48

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15/48

A&M brings readers an exclusive interview withBG N. Lee S. Price, PEO C3T, Aberdeen ProvingGround, MD, and about eorts her ofce is

making to provide state-o-the-art integratednetworking technology to the tactical orce.

BG N. Lee S. Price was interviewed by

A&M Editor Kevin Hunter

A&M: Please talk about the Program Executive Oice

Command, Control and Communication-Tactical (PEO C3T)mission and role in the Army and Department o Deense.

BG Price: U.S. Army PEO C3T is an innovative team providing

the networked mission command solutions that support the

ull spectrum o military operations throughout the world. That

network has many parts: the wide area network (WAN), satellitesystems, radios, mission command applications, computers,

servers, generators, communications security (COMSEC)

devices, and the data products that glue it all together. The

PEO C3T develops, acquires and ields to all Army units a widerange o these products, which allow commanders and soldiers

on the battleield to share inormation and collaborate more

eectively, increasing mission success and saving lives. Our ield

support team provides on-site training and troubleshooting orthese systems worldwide ensuring we meet our top mission

priority o supporting deployed orces.

We are also the tactical network integrators. Integration is

important or obvious reasons: an individual radio or sotware

application may be state-o-the-art, but unless it worksseamlessly with the rest o the systems comprising the network,

it isnt worth much to the soldier. Asking troops to integrate these

puzzle pieces when they are in theater is also unacceptable.

To prevent this, PEO C3T engineers approach the network asa system-o-systems. They connect the dots o waveorms,

interaces, architectures and data products, not only or PEO

C3T systems, but also those ielded by other organizations. That

way, when each piece o networked kit is delivered to the soldier,it unctions seamlessly as part o the whole.

We also provide a wide range o Mission Command capabilities,

such as those soldiers use to track one anothers and the enemys

whereabouts over a topographical map, share intelligence

with other commanders, plan and coordinate ires, track and

coordinate logistics and view photos and data o high-valuetargets in theater. Since none o these systems can unction

without power, Project Manager Mobile Electric Power (PM

MEP) provides power generation to enable these capabilities.

The need or an integrated, interoperable system-o-systems is

driving the Armys modernization strategy or the current and

uture network. PEO C3T is aligned with the priorities o ArmyG-3/5/7, Chie Inormation Oicer/G-6, and Assistant Secretary

o the Army or Acquisition, Logistics and Technology ASA(ALT)

to enhance the tactical network. With those organizations andothers, we are deeply engaged in developing the Common

Operating Environment (COE), which establishes a ramework

and set o technical standards that industry will adhere to as

they develop networked capabilities. It will create a plug-and-play environment, ensuring new solutions are secure and

interoperable with existing systems. This approach will allow the

Army to take better advantage o rapid advances in inormation

technology to meet soldiers evolving operational needs.

Another big change in Army network modernization is the

capability set equipping method. Described by senior leaders

as buy less, more oten, it calls or integrating and deployingnetworked technologies as they reach maturity, rather than

ielding on their own independent timelines. For Capability Set

Commanders Corner

Full Spectrum

Mission C2

BG N. Lee S. PriceProgram Executive Officer


Tactical (C3T)

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD



16/48

Commanders Corner

13/14, slated to be ielded to eight Brigade Combat Teamsbeginning in 2013, PEO C3T systems will provide much greater

bandwidth to transmit voice, video and data across the battleield,

as well as bring situational awareness and mission command

inormation down to the dismounted soldier.

As the tactical network grows in scale and complexity, PEO C3T

will continue to play a central role in building, integrating andsupporting its diverse parts.

A&M: How has PEO C3T maintained its support to theaterduring its transormation to Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG),

MD?

BG Price: Our move rom Fort Monmouth, NJ to APG was

transparent to the soldiers in theater thanks to the dedication and

commitment o our own workorce and the support o our manypartners in the C4ISR Center o Excellence, the Army Corps o

Engineers, our riends in government, industry and the Maryland

and New Jersey communities.

Unit Set Fielding (USF) has helped set the conditions or success

in maintaining theater support during our transition. The maturity

o the USF process, which we have been executing since 2005,

allowed us to continue our coordinated planning o ielding,

training and support to units, despite the turbulence caused by

the move to Maryland. Throughout the physical relocation o

PEO C3Ts headquarters and project management oices, weremained committed to providing the superior quality support that

soldiers have come to rely on rom PEO C3T.

We continued to deploy digital systems engineers and ield servicerepresentatives into theater to provide direct technical support.

We also maintained an extensive network o reach-back support,

including a 24/7 help desk. This support was continuously

available to soldiers, as well as civilian and contractor supportpersonnel during our transition. The combination o sound

processes and commitment to supporting soldiers, in spite o

physical location o the workorce, were certainly undamental toour success.

A&M: How has Product Manager Warighter Inormation

Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2 used APG to prepare

or its uture Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E)in April 2012?

BG Price: We are eager to deploy the second increment o WIN-T,which will enhance battleield communications with a sel-orming,

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Commanders Corner

sel-healing network that provides on-the-move connectivity allthe way down to the company level. WIN-T Increment 2 recently

cleared another key hurdle on its path to the ield, wrapping

up its major developmental test leading to the upcoming Initial

Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) and ielding.

For the Production Qualiication Test-Government (PQT-G)

in July and August, we utilized the Army Test and EvaluationCommands Aberdeen Test Center (ATC). Hardware and sotwarewas installed in tactical vehicles spread out over the range,

together comprising the largest instrumented test ever held at

the ATC. Testers collected substantial amounts o data based on

dierent mission scenarios, assessing various attributes o thenetwork including throughput, message delivery time, reliability,

and sel-healing abilities during network blockages. The test also

stressed the network up to eight times its maximum capacity

to determine whether the most important messages such asMedevac requests and Call or Fire were delivered ahead o

lower-precedence traic.

The inormation collected during the PQT-G gave us clear,

measurable metrics and a solid baseline understanding o

technical perormance prior to placing the equipment in soldiers

hands. WIN-T Increment 2 assets are now at White Sands MissileRange, NM, where the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (2/1

AD) will inormally evaluate it during the Network Integrated

Evaluation (NIE) 12.1 in October-November. The ormal ielding,

training and IOT&E will take place during NIE 12.2 in April 2012.Additional ielding will ollow in iscal year 2013.

A&M: How have PEO C3Ts eorts to build and integrate

the Network Integrated Evaluation (NIE) network supported

NIEs holistic objectives?

BG Price: The Network Integrated Evaluations (NIEs) are the

ulillment o a vision articulated by Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the ViceChie o Sta o the Army, to enhance Army network modernization.

He wanted the Army to unite its acquisition, doctrine and test

communities in the same place, with the same brigade, in order

to integrate and evaluate networked technologies in a realisticoperational environment.

The NIEs place both oicial Army program o record capabilitiesand other non-program o record technologies in soldiers

hands simultaneously and earlier in the evaluation cycle, so we

can more rapidly incorporate user eedback. This will ultimately

lead to quicker ielding o integrated solutions that represent thelatest technology available. As the network lead or the NIEs,

PEO C3T integrates each o the mission command solutions that

reside on the overarching network, so they can unction together

seamlessly or the soldiers trying them out.

The NIE events are being held twice a year at White Sands Missile

Range, NM, and Ft. Bliss, TX, which gives both government and

industry a predictable timeline or inserting new technologies intothe network. This aster timeline has several implications or PEO

C3T, which not only supplies systems such as WIN-T and Force

XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below/Blue Force Tracking

(FBCB2/BFT) or the evaluations, but also builds the data products

required to initialize each system on the tactical network.

You might think o data products as the yellow pages or the

tactical network. The separate applications o the network areglued together by unique numbers and codes, which are

provided and managed through data products. Without dataproducts, troops lack the idelity o inormation they require to

know the details o the ormations, intelligence and other criticalinormation to plan and coordinate the battle.

Think about the blue dots that appear on FBCB2 maps to indicate

the locations o riendly orces. When a user clicks on one o thosedots, the system relies on data products to identiy which unit the

dot represents, and to enable the two users to communicate via

text messages.

Multiply that scenario by hundreds o vehicles and more than 50

dierent systems under evaluation at the upcoming NIE, and youget a sense o how crucial data products are to making this whole

concept work.

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18/48

Typically, it takes 12 to 15 weeks to build the type o dataproducts required or a unit such as the 2/1 AD. To support the

speed and goals o twice-annual NIEs, our Product Director

Tactical Network Initialization (PD TNI), to which data products

is assigned, has compressed that timeline into 8 to 12 weeks,allowing the NIE community to begin the initialization process or

an on-time event.

For the past NIE 11.2 and upcoming NIE 12.1, PD TNI ensuredthat the initialization requirements o all the systems participating

were captured and applied to the data products produced or

the event. The TNI team also shaped the data products to allow

or lexibility, recognizing that the list o systems participating canbe luid.

PEO C3T continues to lay the groundwork or successul NIE

events by delivering comprehensive network coniguration, routingand Internet protocol inormation; integration interaces between

various waveorms and systems; and other key components o

the network architecture. Our ield support representatives arealso assisting the 2/1 AD with troubleshooting and over-the-

shoulder training.

A&M: How are PEO C3Ts technologies addressing tactical

challenges on todays asymmetric battleield?

BG Price: Operations in Iraq and Aghanistan have taught us that

we can best gather intelligence rom soldiers in small units, whosend this inormation up to their commanders at higher echelons.

The hybrid o celestial and terrestrial communications has already

expanded the soldiers communications reach to greater edges o

the battle space. This global network also allows us to command

and control orces over vast distances and coordinate ires romaar. These highly reliable communications systems have made

distance and terrain less o a limiter.

Well continue to reine and enhance these capabilities as theyare tested in terrains similar to Aghanistan and ielded to theater.

For example, urther eorts to integrate terrestrial waveorms and

radios, and the ielding o WIN-T Increment 2, will allow users o

Command Post o the Future, also known as Mission CommandWorkstation, to collaborate at unprecedented levels. In the uture,

this system, now used only at the battalion level and above, may

also be used at the company level. Bringing data to this level willempower the company commander to make critical decisions at

the edge o the battleield, while knowing that his commander is

aware o the situation on the ground.

A&M: How is PEO C3Ts technology enhancing collaborationin the joint and coalition environment?

BG Price: We have begun to ield the next generation o FBCB2,known as Joint Capabilities Release (JCR) and interoperable with

the Marine Corps. In the past, it was diicult or the Army and

Marines to communicate in real time because they operated on

dierent radio requencies. So i you came within range o anotherservices weapon systems, you were in danger o ratricide,

unless there was serious coordination ahead o time.

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Commanders Corner



19/48

With the digital capabilities o FBCB2 JCR, youre able to see

where all o the riendly orces are, regardless o service or

unit, and youre able to communicate with all o them via text

messages and graphics. JCR also provides warighters with aaster satellite network, secure data encryption and advanced

mapping kits. Joint Battle Command-Platorm (JBC-P), which

will replace JCR in Capability Set 13/14, will include handheld

devices to empower troops at the lowest echelons with the sameBFT inormation that is currently only available inside vehicles and

command posts.

From a coalition perspective, PEO C3T continues to support theAghan Mission Network (AMN). AMN is a key eort between

our organization, PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warare & Sensors

(IEW&S), the Army G-3 oice and U.S. Central Command J-2/J-

3/J-6 to bring coalition data sharing to Aghanistan. From theirrespective secure networks, and at their individual discretion,

separate coalition orces can now share data, situational

awareness and commanders intent across the battleield on a

centralized network.

The ocus is now on extending the Aghan Mission Network to our

next deployers. PEO C3T is engaged with the Combat TrainingCenter Division, PEO Simulation, Training and Implementation

and the G-3 to urther enhance pre-deployment training on

the U.S. component o the network, known as the Combined

Enterprise Regional Inormation Exchange System (CENTRIXS) International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), or CX-I. An

enhanced presence and emphasis on CX-I in the United States will

allow connectivity to the live network rom CONUS, so ull mission

rehearsal exercises can be conducted on the CX-I environment.They can work their battle plans rom home station, which will

decrease the learning curve

or units when they arrive in

Aghanistan.

For the CX-I eort, PEOs

C3T and IEW&S received the

2010 David Packard Award

or Acquisition Excellence,the highest award given in the

acquisition community.

A&M: What can industry do

to enhance its partnershipwith the military in bringing

state-o-the-art capabilities

to soldiers?

BG Price: My irst thought

is that corporations should

steer away rom the practiceo developing sel-dependent

pieces o kit. For example, we

can all beneit rom a modemdeveloped with an open

source architecture, riendly

or integration with other vendors capabilities.

A glimpse into technology corporations long-term roadmaps

will be beneicial to both o us. This will keep us in tune with

what industry plans to deliver, so we are ready to receive

capabilities as they mature. Today, we sometimes over plan, sowe can prepare or certain capabilities not being there when we

need to integrate them. In some cases, we are unaware thatthe capabilities are actually ready. Advance planning will allowDoD to better incorporate commercial-o-the-shel (COTS)

equipment as it matures. We can develop requirements or use

beore we receive capabilities and adopt them as soon as they

are available.

In todays budget environment, we need to leverage every

partnership possible or enhanced eiciency. With industrys

help, the Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources (AMMPS)generators we are preparing to ield to Aghanistan will be

21 percent more uel-eicient on average than the currently

deployed Tactical Quiet Generators. The 300,000 gallons o uel

per month AMMPS will save will bring immense cost savingsand lessen the number o trips uel convoys make across the

hazardous battleield. PM MEPs eiciency is a result o its

partnership with industry and the testing and R&D communities.

From our new headquarters located at APG, MD, PEO C3T will

continue to seek new partnerships to enhance support to our

number one priority, the deployed soldier.

Commanders Corner

More ino: www.peoc3t.army.mil

Soldiers learn about the satellite communications backbone elded by PEO C3Ts Project Manager Warghter Information Network-Tactical

(WIN-T). (Army photo)



20/48

Ater ten years o conlict, a new generationowarriors has risen to the challenge oprotecting American interests at homeand abroad. The recent 2011 MarineReconnaissance Challenge and Army BestRanger and International Sniper competitionsshowcased the talents o many o these

national guardians.By Joe Talley, Security Analyst

Late last month, at approximately 0330 hours, a U.S.

sniper team set up a shot and took out a high value targetthat was a critical threat to the special operations community.

This target was responsible or el iminating three other sniper

teams in the general vicinity, and it was a credit to this team

to be able to quickly identiy the target and take it down.

Beore they took the shot, the sniper team had careully

move into their hide site in the upper loor a crumbling

building. They checked or booby traps and move in behindtheir sniper screen and sat and waited. They had been

on the move or three consecutive days. Ater they took

the shot, it was all over- the team had just won the night

shooting event!

This wasnt a rootop in Ramadi, or even Aghanistan.

The shot took place as part o the 11th Annual U.S. Army

International Sniper Competitions- one o the premier U.S.military competitions where some o the most experienced

snipers come rom around the world to compete against

each other in this three day competition that pushes each

team to its physical and mental limits.

non-CombattEStoF will

As part o the overall increased ocus and eort to

embrace the ever-changing situations our orces ace, the

U.S. military tests its warriors in non-combat situationsthrough competitions such as the Best Ranger Competition,

the Marine Recon Challenge and the U.S. Army-hosted

International Sniper Competition. These events endeavor to

increase military ocus on training, preparedness, recruiting,and other areas.

The competitions create less-than-lethal, but real istic

environments with artiicial stressors similar to active combatthat allow competitors to test their training and physical and

mental preparation across a broad spectrum o advanced

tactical tasks they are expected to master as part o their

daily training and job requirements.

The three arguably most well-known competitions include

the Best Ranger Competition, the Marine Recon Challenge

and the U.S. Army-hosted International Sniper Competition.

u.S. army bESt rangEr ComPEtition

The Best Ranger Competit ion allows U.S. Army RangerSchool graduates currently serving to compete in two-man

teams to accomplish over 25 events during a continuous

three day period every spring at Fort Benning, Georgia-

home o the Rangers. Best Ranger has been held annuallysince 1982, and it has only been cancelled in the two years

where the Army where was actively engaged in a conlict - in

1991, and again in 2003.

through Competition

Readiness



21/48

The competitors here are either members o the Armys

elite 75th Ranger Regiment, Ranger Instructors themselves,

or graduates o the U.S. Armys Ranger School and servingin regular Army units or other branches o the military around

the world. These guys have traveled rom places like the

islands o Hawaii, the mountains o Colorado, and rom each

o the dierent camps where Ranger School students train,all to test their mettle against a series o events that closely

resemble tasks similar to those they might ace in combat.

The 2011 edition o the Best Ranger Competit ion saw 50teams compete non-stop or 60 hours, acing some o the

most mentally, physically and tactically challenging tasks that

most closely resemble true combat. These events included

a never-seen beore twist on the classic Ranger School roadmarch, shooting various weapons or accuracy and time,

running the Darby Queen obstacle course, conducting a

separate helicopter helocast and swim, a variety o otherRanger skills challenges, and a legacy event, such as a

10-mile canoe race.

Beyond pushing the competitors to their physical limitsin each event, without the beneit o sleep, by the beginning

o the inal day o the competition, each surviving team had

already traveled over 50 miles since the beginning o the irst

event- a record or Best Ranger.

CultivatingthE FuturE

Given the current situation regarding annual deployments

to Iraq and Aghanistan, most U.S. Army units and those inother branches are in a state o training up or or preparing

to deploy, are operating overseas, or have just returned and

are going through the rest and reit cycle, waiting or the

process to begin again.

When aced with the requirements connected with

preparing or and attending Ranger School, many combat

veterans do not want to spend three months out o twelveaway rom amily or downtime which they gave up during the

previous train-up or deployment cycle. While a decreasing

pool o Ranger School graduates negatively aects the

overall consistency o training executed Army-wide, itcreates an even greater threat to the institution itsel; a

decreased pool o Ranger-qualiied graduates means ewer

return to Ranger School to serve as Ranger Instructors.

The l ie o a Ranger Instructor is demanding enough, with

time requirements away rom amily comparable to being

deployed, but or several years at a time. I the availabilityo instructors is not consistent enough, this threatens the

Armys abil ity to cont inue to hold Ranger School classes

and thereby threatens orce tactical leadership instruction

capacity which relies so heavily on this necessary, broad-based, small unit school- ever more critical during a time o

multiple conlicts.

balanCEd ComPEtition

The Ranger Training Brigade hosts the Best Ranger

Competition and, in order to address this increasing

challenge o attracting potential students to the school,

radically changed the 2011 competition by making it moreunpredictable while, at the same time, making it not so

insurmountable that no one could inish the three day event.

This process began rom the irst event o the irst day-competitors had to complete a oot movement o unknowndistance that included an initial 3.5 mile buddy run, and then

quickly ollowed with the typical road march which most

competitors expected to last or the standard 20-25 miles

o previous Ranger School and Best Ranger road marches.

Every ew miles during this years irst road march,

however, competitors had to pick up additional items along

the way, such as 6-t long, wide PVC pipes ull o sloshingwater, or cases o MREs- the militarys combat meals,

25 gallon water jugs, and even ull cans o ammunition-

basically doubling the load that they began the event initiallycarrying. While they only ended up traveling about hal the

distance o the standard road march during the irst day,

the process deinitely ratcheted up the mental strain on the

competitors, and then surviving teams also conducted asecond road march the ollowing night in addition to all o the

other standard orienteering and land navigation events that

add close to 10-15 miles o walking per event.

Polling previous competitors, most said that this was the

hardest Best Ranger that they had ever experienced. The

Best Ranger Competition is completely dierent this year.

Nobody could have prepared or this, because the teams

look at the previous competitions events and thats howyou start planning and training or next years Best Ranger,

said Sergeant Chad Stackpole, winner o the 2009 edition

o Best Ranger.

andthE winnErS arE

At the end o the inal Buddy Run on the third day o

competition, Team 8, comprising Sergeant Major WalterZajkowski and Master Sergeant Eric Turk, took home the

championship Colt .45 pistols as the winners o Best Ranger

2011. Both were previous winners with targets on their

backs, and their participation deinitely increased the tempoo competition between each o the teams over all three

days.

uSmC rECon ChallEngE

In its third year o competition this past May, this years

Marine Corps Reconnaissance Challenge, Camp Pendleton,

CA. was a grueling 13-hour event consisting o a 10-milemountain hike out to the ocean, a 2,000 meter ocean swim,

and then another 15-mile ruck run (with 50 lb rucksacks

and ull combat load plus weapon) with various shoot, move

and communicate challenges and obstacles along the way.



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More ino: [email protected]

The goal o the competition is to place extreme demands

on each teams physical, mental and technical abilities as

Reconnaissance Marines. The standards o perormancevastly exceed those required o the average Marine.

While the Recon Challenge has been around or only a

raction o the existence o the Best Ranger Competition,most Marines would agree that this one day event is

tougher than any single day o Best Ranger, where the

competitors are pushed to their limits or more than 13

hours non-stop, while trying to complete a variety o tasksthat Reconnaissance and Special Operations Marines ace

through their training and deployments.

Similar to Best Ranger, Recon Challenge is open toall graduates o the Basic Reconnaissance Course who

are currently serving in the military. In the end, Team 16

consisting o Gunnery Sergeants Collin Barry and Ryan

Cullen, both rom the Marine Reconnaissance Training

Company took irst place in the competition. They came in

15 seconds aster than their closest competitors.

nothing lEFt

Both Best Ranger and Recon Challenge push teams

to their ultimate limits- as close to what they might ace inreal combat. Sergeant Chad Stackpole, winner o the 2009

edition o Best Ranger put it best: At the end o the second

night when we acing the night orienteering task, it just got

to the point where we had to walk all night in order to win,said Sergeant Major Zajkowski. We knew that the team we

were directly competing with would just keep going, so we

knew we had to as well. It got to the point where I did not

know i I was sleeping or walking.

Warghters compete in different events during the 2011 U.S. Marine Corps Reconnaissance Challenge. (USMC photo)



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24/48

Finding out what a potential customer wants and needs is

an essential issue or all product development companies. But

when it comes to designing or the military, getting troops whatthey need to survive is a must. The stakes are very real on theront lines and success is measured in lives rather than dropped

calls.

But the unortunate act is that deense products oten missthe mark because product requirements and speciications are

created by those in procurement, not the troops on the ront

line. So how do we get a irm understanding o what the troops

need and how their tools can be improved?

The simple answer would be to simply speak with the

warighters. This is easier said than done.

a toughnuttoCraCk

While consumers are easily ound through recruiting irms,

social networks and advertising, military personnel are by cultureguarded with the inormation they share and whom they share

it with. Warighters ollow a strict code o conduct within their

chain o command. Subordinates are not typically asked or

opinions and input. Instead they are expected to conorm, obeyand accept what they have, a concept which goes completely

against the need or researchers and designers to get honest

input and perspectives.

And even when sound interview prospects arise, most are

still reserved with the inormation they share and whom they

share it with. An oicer simply wont open up his wealth o

knowledge to an unknown product researcher.

One way to get past this problem is to enlist the help

o military research partners. These people are all combat

seasoned veterans, meaning they will be able to orm a strongerbond with current military personnel. This trusting relationship

will allow the warighters to act naturally so we can learn the

true pains, problems, successes, and struggles these men andwomen ace every day.

With the hurdle o inding and building trust with warighters

overcome, one aces the issue o recording the inormationgained. Strict restrictions oten mean audio or video recording

o interviews is o limits. Many buildings will not even allow

cell phones inside, let alone voice recorder or video camera to

tape responses. Since there is no opportunity to hit the rewindbutton, we must rely on our military partner who is amiliar

with the jargon and common acronyms to eectively relay the

message.

Its also an important reason why product designers need

to interact with several sources in order to get an accurate look

into what warighters really need. While some opinions will be

similar, its understandable that a special orces operator might

have dierent wants than an inantry soldier.

The entire interview process can take some time and require

creativity to pull out inormation. But strong partnerships canbreak these barriers. Military partners can provide unmatched

access and serve as eyes and ears or researchers and

designers, gathering eedback and delivering it in a language a

designer understands. Then, as potential product opportunitiesarise, companies can begin working on illing that need.

SowhatProduCtSdowarFightErSnEEd?

Traditionally, it was assumed that military products had to bebuilt like a tank; big, heavy and durable. But the reality is thatmany warighters are already lugging around nearly their own

body weight worth o equipment in the hot, sunny desert. Its no

wonder that an iPhone is more attractive than a large radio. So

to make products smaller, lighter and less expensive, plasticsare increasingly being accepted as an industry substitute to

metal.

Mobile devices, especially Android products, are increasinglypopular among troops because o their ability to support

multiple applications. One small device can handle everything

rom disaster relie optimization to supplier integration and

wartime navigation. Power applications are being continuallydeveloped to make a warighters everyday lie easier.

A product designers goal is to get the troops the latest

in technology as quickly as possible. But o course, this ischallenging because the natural development cycle is one

that can last years. The job o deense product development

consultants is to crush the cycle rom idea to ruition into meremonths. In the past, military projects were mostly handled in

house because o the risks and restrictions o sending out

work. But now, as outside development irms develop more

experience in deense design and security requirements, theycan aid manuacturers in getting the latest innovations into the

hands o warighters as quickly as possible.

O course, the world o military product development isalways changing, but as long as researchers are able to tap

the minds o those on the ront lines, important and relevant

products will be developed to meet the speciic needs o those

who deend the nation.

Jim Curtin is the director of defense programs for Product

Development Technologies (PDT). With more than 15 years

of defense industry experience, Jim has worked on products

ranging from rockets and satellites to handheld military products.

Getting Into the Mindsof Our MilitaryBy Jim Curtin, Deense Systems Program Manager, PDT



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By Paul Carter, president, Archangel

Archangel, a Fayetteville, NC based company, has developed

light tactical gear with a modular and scalable weight distribution

system. Archangels Internal Frame Load-Bearing System (IFLBS)was designed to increase mobility and range o motion whiledecreasing the risk o chronic back injury and upper body atigue.

In essence, the IFLBS distributes weight in order to eliminate spinal

loading and enhance support in the core area.

rEthinkingnatural load

The problem with systems currently being used is the majority

o initial atigue aects maniest between the top o the hips andthe base o the skull. The IFLBS is designed to lighten the load by

redistributing the weight rom the upper back, neck and shoulders

to the hips- the bodys natural load carrying platorm. Redistributingthe weight rom the back, neck, and shoulders prevents translatingthe weight through these weaker and more vulnerable structures in

order to be carried by the strong load carrying muscles o the hips

and legs.

The current lighten the load agenda is to shave an ounce at

a time rom the wearer. Ounces equal pounds, but we still have

to carry what is let over. The shaving ounces concept is slow

and costly and has not yet shown any reasonable impact to thewarighter. Instead o shaving weight rom the weak and vulnerable

structures o the back, an ounce at a time, why not just remove

it all? Consider that i we make the load lighter, then the wearer

is not carrying as much weight and does not get tired as ast, sothe assumption is that the operator could perorm at a higher level

or longer. Now consider how it might aect perormance i the

wearer could remove all the weight rom his upper back, neck andshoulders all at once.

oriEntingaroundthESPinE

Archangels solution is the design o their IFLBS. The systemis an internal rame that is molded with padding to the shape o

the spine. When the carrier is mounted, the cummerbund pulls

the rame against the body, placing the spine into neutral position

and providing core and posturing support. The anchoring point orsoldier items to the ront and rear o the wearer comes in the way o

two braces which are anchored along the upper rame sheet, one

protruding over each shoulder.

According to an independent evaluation perormed by Dr.

Richard M. Kuhns, a Fayetteville-based chiropractor, The Archangel

IFLBS re-directs the load bearing to a stronger, more secure area o

the body, which will reduce injuries to the spine and its supportingstructures. It allows greater range o motion in the head, neck,

and shoulders regardless o loads carried. Kuhns also states that

the nominal changes in total measured weight are negligible

especially in light o the idea that the IFLBS creates less atigue,

which equates to greater levels o job perormance and decreasesinjury occurrence. The system also provides ergonomic support or

the spine which, according to Dr. Kuhns, the added beneit o this

will be evident with prolonged periods o standing, sitting, walking,running, lying ace up and lying ace down.

goingForward

Archangels engineered product has shown, when used asdesigned, to be extremely beneicial to the wearer. When objectively

compared to other systems in use, the IFLBS is superior in its

design and overall eect as it pertains to decreasing atigue,

eliminating spinal load bearing, increasing range o motion and usercomort. Backed by sound, established and accepted principles

in the science, medical and engineering ields, Archangels IFLBS

is causing a re-evaluation o the basic design concepts used incurrent systems. The best way to understand the impact o theIFLBS is to PUT IT ON!

centeringloadandbody

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Light Tactical Gear:



26/48

The U.S. Armys Program Executive Oice Enterprise InormationSystems (PEO EIS) is tasked with developing, acquiring,

integrating and deploying network-centric knowledge-based

Inormation Technology (IT) and busines

the armor and mobility journal

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