With the P.K.K. in Iraq’s Qandil Mountains

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesBig Brother: Painted on flat stones laid on a hillside, one of many portraits of the P.K.K. founder Abdullah Ocalan stares down from a hillside in the Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq. The remote and sparsely populated mountain range near the Iranian and Turkish borders provides a haven for the leftist Kurdish separatist group, also known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

QANDIL, Iraq — It is not easy to visit the mountainous borderlands of northern Iraq where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party operates, but it is not impossible either.

Such is the peculiar position of a group of committed insurgents against Turkish rule in Kurdish lands — even as Turkey and Iraq seek deeper and deeper ties, through diplomacy and trade, especially with Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region.

Turkey’s ambitious desire to wield influence in Iraq — an assertion of soft power through culture, education and business — has done more perhaps than any military operation to isolate the party and its fighters, known as the P.K.K. and designated as terrorists by the United States and the European Union.

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesSarya Agiri, 22, at a P.K.K. sewing factory where she works in the Qandil Mountains. She is from Maku, Iran, and has been with the P.K.K. for four years. She is a guerrilla fighter and carries her own gun. Although there is a picture of the Virgin Mary on a wall of the factory beside one of Mr. Ocalan, none of the women working there are Christian. They say they chose the image because it is a symbol of a strong woman.

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesDiler Hewram, 24, sitting for a portrait during the filming of a movie about the P.K.K. He joined the organization three years ago.

At the same time, the warming of relations could also provide the framework at least for the end of a conflict that has lasted more than a quarter of a century and cost at least 40,000 lives in Turkey.

The P.K.K.’s commander, Murat Karayilan,suggested in a recent interview here in Qandil that the group was prepared to end its fight and seek a political accommodation not unlike what Kurds now have in Iraq. His tone, while still blustery, reflected a tempering of the movement’s demands.

“They have murdered tens of thousands of our people,” he said of the Turkish state. “They have imposed sanctions on us for years. They have tried every possible means, but we are still here and we want a democratic solution.”

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesNecbir Botan, 28, a P.K.K. volunteer from Syria, makes uniforms at the movement’s sewing factory. She has been with the P.K.K. in Qandil for four years.

In northern Iraq, the contrast could not be starker. In the Kurdish regional capital, Erbil, a Turkish-built shopping mall offers a temple of consumer prosperity. A few hours’ drive away, the P.K.K.’s fighters live a spartan existence in the mountains where Iraq’s borders with Iran and Turkey meet.

Officially, the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq denies providing safe haven for the rebels and restricts access to the areas where they operate, but not particularly vigorously. Two separate visits by The New York Times — negotiated over several weeks — involved bouncing, surreptitious journeys over dirt roads that evaded the last official checkpoints of the Iraqi state.

Once in the area surrounding Qandil, the party’s presence was indisputable. In the case of a massive hillside portrait of the party’s imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan, it seemed taunting.

The party’s uniformed fighters, men and women, control checkpoints or patrol the roads and tracks that wind through the harsh, craggy terrain. The party has a sewing factory to make its uniforms, a clinic to treat its wounded and a cemetery to bury its dead.

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesRengin Ararat, 31, from Syria, blowing dust off her Kalashnikov assault rifle outside the sewing factory. She has been with the P.K.K. for 12 years.

A German doctor, Medya Avyan, now works at the hospital. She has no Kurdish roots, but volunteered to help the Kurdish cause after learning of it from friends in the 1990s. Her name is a Kurdish one she assumed after moving to northern Iraq in 1993. (She declined to give her original German name, saying only that she was from Celle in Lower Saxony and had studied medicine in Hamburg.)

On a bookshelf in behind her in the hospital was Mr. Ocalan’s photograph, a volume on Hippocrates and a history of the P.K.K. Asked how she reconciled treating people in a hospital operated by an organization accused of killing thousands, she replied with remarks that many in Turkey would dispute.

“The P.K.K. don’t kill any civilians,” she said. “That’s very important. They are killing those who kill them. They defend themselves, nothing else.”

All of the party’s members — its leaders, its fighters, its volunteers — defended their fight and their cause with a romanticism that makes it difficult to imagine their laying down arms and returning to peaceful civilian life. Many have been in the mountains for years.

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesThe P.K.K. movie crew, from left to right: Dersim Zerevan, 29, videographer; Jinda Baran, 32, director; and Zozan Agiro, 32, videographer. They have been shooting a film about P.K.K. couriers during the guerrilla struggle with Turkey.

“I have been a guerrilla for 18 years,” Gorse Mereto, 32, a uniformed fighter, said during a break in the improbable shooting of a propaganda film. (The set was a campfire at night, illuminated by stage lights hanging from trees.) “I have seen many difficulties. In all the situations in which I myself was present, no civilian was killed, but soldiers were.”

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesZozan Agiro, 32, a P.K.K. member and videographer. The P.K.K. movie was shot around the Qandil Mountains with P.K.K. actors, some of whom have fought in the campaign.

He had his own rationale, a history, viewed through Kurdish eyes, of Turkish oppression. It suggested a cycle of violence that would take time to break. “They have destroyed a lot of villages,” he said. “They have killed innocent civilians. They have killed many of our men.”

He continued, “Anybody, even an animal, defends itself.”

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesP.K.K. actors/guerrillas dancing in a scene from the movie, enacting celebrations around a campfire.

Shiho Fukada for The New York TimesA P.K.K. actor taking part in the movie.

Read Sebnem Arsu from Istanbul in the Times: ‘Step by Step, Gulf Between Turkey and Kurds Narrows’:

It is highly unlikely that Mr. Erdogan would consider autonomy for the Kurds, but analysts expect him to at least entertain notions like restructuring election laws to allow minority parties to have greater access to Parliament and allowing wider use of ethnic languages like Kurdish…

Publicly, the ruling party refuses to negotiate with the P.K.K., which is listed as a terror organization by the European Union and the United States. But behind the scenes, it has been reaching out to Kurdish activists to find common ground on which to build a viable solution.”

[full story].

Πηγή

If the CIA built an intelligence network, SOF could do the job

They were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks and will probably be the last U.S. forces to leave.

As most American troops prepare to withdraw in 2014, the CIA and military special operations forces to be left behind are girding for the next great pivot of the campaign, one that could stretch their war up to another decade.

The war’s 10th anniversary Friday recalled the beginnings of a conflict that drove the Taliban from power and lasted far longer than was imagined.

“We put a CIA guy in first,” scant weeks after the twin towers in New York fell, said Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, then a colonel with U.S. special operations forces, in charge of the military side of the operation. U.S. Special Forces Green Berets, together with CIA officers, helped coordinate anti-Taliban forces on the ground with U.S. firepower from the air, to topple the Taliban and close in on al-Qaida.

Recent remarks from the White House suggest the CIA and special operations forces will be hunting al-Qaida and working with local forces long after most U.S. troops have left.

When Afghan troops take the lead in 2014, “the U.S. remaining force will be basically an enduring presence force focused on counterterrorism,” said National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, in remarks in Washington in mid-September. That will be augmented by teams that will continue to train Afghan forces, added White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.

The White House insists this does not mean abandoning the strategy of counterinsurgency, in which large numbers of troops are needed to keep the population safe. It simply means replacing the surge of 33,000 U.S. troops, as it withdraws over the next year, with newly trained Afghan ones, according to senior White House Afghan war adviser Doug Lute.

It also means U.S. special operators and CIA officers will be there for the next turn in the campaign. That’s the moment when Afghans will either prove themselves able to withstand a promised Taliban resurgence, or find themselves overwhelmed by seasoned Taliban fighters.

“We’re moving toward an increased special operations role,” together with U.S. intelligence, Mulholland said, “whether it’s counterterrorism-centric, or counterterrorism blended with counterinsurgency.”

[ ... ]

Senior U.S. officials have spoken of keeping a mix of 10,000 of both raiding and training special operations forces in Afghanistan, and drawing down to between 20,000 and 30,000 conventional forces to provide logistics and support. But at this point, the figures are as fuzzy as the future strategy.

Whatever happens with U.S. troops, intelligence officers know they will be a key component.

“If the CIA built an intelligence network that could provide special operations forces with targets, we could do the job,” said Maj. Gen. Bennet S. Sacolick, who runs the U.S. Army’s Special Warfare Center and School.

This is a glowing report about the progress in Afghanistan coupled with a report card on what the SOF and SF are able to do – right up until Sacolick mentions those pesky little issues of logistics and intelligence networks.

20,000 – 30,000 troops won’t even be able to provide force protection for the SOF troopers, much less protection for the lines of logistics, protection for intelligence assets, or presence on the ground in the RC South or RC East to prevent virtually the entirety of Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for the Taliban again.  The Taliban haven’t retreated far beyond the outskirts the urban areas anyway.

But take careful note of what Sacolick says about his directions for high value target hits: “If the CIA built an intelligence network that could provide special operations forces with targets, we could do the job.”  What job?  The job of HVT raids.  First off, there is no discussion as to the [in]effectiveness of said program.  But just as important, as to the intelligence that under-girds the existence of the program, Sacolick says “it’s not my shop!”

We just do raids.  The CIA has to provide the intelligence, and they must do it without the troops necessary to squeeze the information out of the population, or protect the ones who do give up information.  The most incredible thing about this report is that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Pentagon are even contemplating this as a viable option.  It shows the desperation of the campaign that this idea has even been floated.

One final note.  How is that plan going for turnover to ANA forces?

Late one evening, soon after a bomb planted in the road was blown up by the vigilant engineers, another large explosion rocked the Afghan patrol based called Hamid where the troops were camped for the night.

Insurgents had accidentally triggered a large IED placed where we had patrolled just an hour before.

“An own goal,” gloated the Diggers as they settled in for a night.

The Mirabad Valley clearance had been billed as an “ANA planned and led” operation.

In reality following two fatalities and seven destroyed vehicles, the ANA commander said, “Let’s clear the Mirabad Valley before winter sets in.” He then left the planning and details to Alpha Company led by Major Tony Bennett whose men are mentoring the 3rd Kandak of the ANA’s 4th Brigade working with local police and their American mentors.

“They are picking some of it up, but they will not be able to do this (clearance) without us,” Major Bennett said.

“They will sit in the patrol bases and be a deterrent and hopefully the police in the valleys will be enough to stop the insurgents.”

“Sit in patrol bases and be a deterrent.”  Such is the state of the plan.

Πηγή

ΟΧΙ!

Το 1940, μια θλιβερή ερωτική ιστορία εξελίσσεται στην Αθήνα, λίγο πριν ξεσπάσει ο ελληνοϊταλικός πόλεμος. Ο υπολοχαγός Δημήτρης Νικολάου  αναγκάζεται να εγκαταλείψει την Ιταλίδα μνηστή του Στέλλα Σαλβατόρε ,για να πάει στην ελληνοαλβανική μεθόριο να πολεμήσει λίγο μετά την επίθεση των Ιταλών.

Με την κατάρρευση του μετώπου και την εισβολή των Γερμανών, η οικία των Νικολάου επιτάσσεται από τον συνταγματάρχη των Ναζί Χέρμαν φον Σβάιτσερ, που προσπαθεί να προσεγγίσει τη Στέλλα, ο πατέρας της οποίας είναι πλέον συνταγματάρχης του ιταλικού στρατού.

Ο Δημήτρης συνεχίζει να αγωνίζεται και επιστρέφει κρυφά στην Ελλάδα με αποστολή να οργανώσει ένα μεγάλο σαμποτάζ. Όταν αντικρίσει την κατάσταση που επικρατεί στην πατρίδα του, θα αντιληφθεί πως τα πάντα έχουν αλλάξει και πως το μέλλον προβλέπεται ακόμα χειρότερο.

Η ταινία έλαβε 3 βραβεία στο Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Θεσσαλονίκης 1969: αρτιότερης παραγωγής,φωτογραφίας και κριτικών φωτογραφίας.

28η Οκτωβρίου,ώρα: 5:30

Battle of Greece

Greece entered World War II on 28 October 1940, when the Italian army invaded from Albania. The Greek army dealt the first victory for the Allies by defeating the invasion and pushing Mussolini's forces back into Albania. Hitler was reluctantly forced to send his own forces to overcome Greece in April 1941, and delay the invasion of the Soviet Union by six weeks. This is the first turning point of the war, since the delay proved disastrous to the German invasion, with the onset of the Russian winter and the strong resistance of the Soviet armed forces halting it before the gates of Moscow. Although the German invasion of Greece was swift, their forces met fierce resistance on the island of Crete, where the elite Fallschirmjäger suffered almost 7,000 casualties.

After Greece was occupied and divided between the Axis powers, a large-scale Resistance movement developed in the country, which tied down a large number of Axis divisions. The exiled Greek government also formed armed forces of its own, which served and fought alongside the British in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy. The contribution of the Greek War and the Merchant navies in particular was of special importance to the Allied cause.

Mainland Greece was liberated in October 1944 with the German withdrawal in the face of the advancing Red Army, while German garrisons continued to hold out in the Aegean Islands until after the war's end. The country was devastated by war and occupation, its economy and infrastructure lay in ruins. Greece suffered more than 300,000 casualties during the occupation.

Operation Jaywick (1943)

Operation Jaywick was a special operation undertaken in World War II. In September 1943, 14 commandos and sailors from the Z Special Unit raided Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, sinking seven ships.

Background

Special Operations Australia (SOA), a joint Allied military intelligence organisation, was established in March 1942. SOA operated under the cover name Inter-Allied Services Department (IASD). It contained several British SOE officers who had escaped from Japanese occupied Singapore, and they formed the nucleus of the IASD, which was based in Melbourne. In June 1942, a commando arm was organised as Z Special Unit (which was later commonly known as Z Force). It drew its personnel primarily from the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy.

In 1943, a 28-year-old British officer, Captain Ivan Lyon (of the Allied Intelligence Bureau and Gordon Highlanders), and a 61-year-old Australian civilian, Bill Reynolds, devised a plan to attack Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour. Commandos would travel to the harbour in a vessel disguised as an Asian fishing boat. They would then use collapsible canoes to attach limpet mines to Japanese ships.

Reynolds was in possession of a 21.3 metres (70 ft) Japanese coastal fishing boat, the Kofuku Maru, which he had used to evacuate refugees out of Singapore. Lyon ordered that the boat be shipped from India to Australia. Upon its arrival, he renamed the vessel MV Krait, after the small but deadly Asian snake.

The Attack

In mid-1943, the Krait travelled from a training camp at Broken Bay, New South Wales to Thursday Island. Aboard was a complement from Z Special Unit of three British and eleven Australian personnel, comprising:

• Major Ivan Lyon (Mission Commander)
• Lieutenant Hubert Edward Carse (Krait's Captain)
• Lieutenant Donald Montague Noel Davidson
• Lieutenant Robert Charles Page
• Corporal Andrew Anthony Crilley
• Corporal R.G. Morris
• Leading Seaman Kevin Patrick Cain
• Leading Stoker James Patrick McDowell
• Leading Telegraphist Horace Stewart Young
• Able Seaman Walter Gordon Falls
• Able Seaman Mostyn Berryman
• Able Seaman Frederick Walter Lota Marsh
• Able Seaman Arthur Walter Jones
• Able Seaman Andrew William George Huston

On 13 August 1943, the Krait left Thursday Island for the U.S. Naval Base at Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia where it was refuelled and repairs were undertaken.

On 2 September 1943, the Krait left Exmouth Gulf and departed for Singapore. The team's safety depended on maintaining the disguise of a local fishing boat. The men stained their skin brown with dye to appear more Asiatic and were meticulous in what sort of rubbish they threw overboard, lest a trail of European garbage lead arouse suspicion. After a relatively uneventful voyage the Krait arrived off Singapore on September 24. That night six men left the boat and paddled 50 kilometres (31 mi) to establish a forward base in a cave on a small island near the harbour. On the night of 26 September 1943, they paddled into the harbour and placed limpet mines on several Japanese ships before returning to their hiding spot.

In the resulting explosions, the limpet mines sank or seriously damaged seven Japanese ships, comprising over 39,000 tons between them. The commandos waited until the commotion over the attack had subsided and then returned to the Krait, which they reached on 2 October. Their return to Australia was mostly uneventful, except for a tense incident in the Lombok Strait when the ship was closely approached by a Japanese patrol boat; however the Krait was not challenged. On October 19, the ship and crew arrived safely back at Exmouth Gulf.

Raid Repercussions

The Japanese authorities in Singapore were completely surprised by the raid. Never suspecting such an attack could be mounted from Australia, they assumed it had been carried out by local saboteurs, most probably pro-Communist Chinese guerillas. In their efforts to uncover the perpetrators, a wave of arrests, torture and executions began. Local Chinese and Malays, as well as interned POWs and European civilians were targeted in this program. The incident became known as the Double Tenth, for 10 October, the day that Japanese secret police began the mass arrests.

Given the misery visited upon the local population by the Japanese, criticism has arisen as to whetherOperation Jaywick was justified, especially with its relatively limited strategic results. In the aftermath of the raid, the Allies never claimed responsibility for the attack on shipping, most likely because they wanted to preserve the secret of the Krait for future similar missions. Therefore the Japanese did not divert significant military resources to defending against such attacks, instead just using their secret police to enact reprisals against civilians.

Operation Jaywick was followed by Operation Rimau. Three ships were sunk, but the participants, including Lyon, were killed or captured and executed.


Πηγή

Operation Devon (1943)

Operation Devon was thecodeword given to a British Commando raid during theSecond World War. The operation an amphibious landing at Termoli on the Adriatic coast of Italy was carried out on 3 October 1943 by elements of the 2nd Special Service Brigade, No. 2 Commando and No. 40 (Royal Marine) Commando.

In the early hours of 3 October 1943, Nos 2 and 40 (Royal Marine) Commandos elements of the Special Raiding Squadronlanded behind the German lines under cover of darkness at Termoli, a seaport town on the Adriatic coast, north of theBifurno River, 40 Commando penetrated well into the town before the Germans were alerted and brisk close-quarter fighting with German parachute troops ensued. By 08:00 hours, 40 Commando had captured the town and controlled the approaches. So complete was the surprise that German vehicles and motor cyclists still drove into a Commando ambush position until noon.

 The Germans counter attacked in strength and 2 Commando with 40 Commando, the Special Raiding Squadron and some reinforcements from the 78th Division, held off repeated and heavy infantry and armoured counter-attacks by the26th Panzer Division until eventually the 8th Army linked up with them on 6 October. The operation was an outstanding success. 

They had overcome all attempts, by a force vastly superior in numbers and armament, to dislodge them and in so doing, won a valuable harbour; they caused the enemy to withdraw from the natural defence line on the Bifurno and denied them the use of the important lateral road from Naples, thereby forcing them to retreat further northwards.

Πηγή

Portable Ultrasound Empowers Special Forces Medics

FORT BRAGG, NC – When Dr. (Maj.) Andrew Morgan came to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), he already knew the value of ultrasound machines from being an emergency physician at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg.

He brought that knowledge with him to the group in the summer of 2007 when he became the battalion surgeon for 1st Battalion, 3rd SFG, and he quickly pushed to have more ultrasound machines at his unit.

He and his staff realized a deficiency in the arena of medical imaging after they reviewed the medical capabilities of the battalion’s Special Forces operational detachment alpha teams.  So he pushed to acquire more ultrasound machines in order to get them to the Special Forces medics in the field; where they would have the greatest impact.

The machines, which use high-frequency sound waves to look into the body for a variety of medical purposes, such as identifying blood in the abdomen, finding fractures, skin infections and collapsed lungs, already have widespread use in Army medicine but until recently were not storied in the Special Forces arena. 

But with the advent of portable ultrasound machines, which can weigh less than five pounds, Special Forces medics are realizing the power of this technology in their environment. 

Currently, each Special Forces battalion is authorized a single portable ultrasound machine, but when Morgan took his current position he requested more of the machines to put in the hands of the unit’s medics.

He argued there was a “lack of practical imaging” on the battlefield and in his eyes, one portable ultrasound wasn’t sufficient for training or operational employment.

So Morgan proposed an idea to the Command Surgeon at the United States Army Special Forces Command, then Col. Peter Benson, that if his battalion was authorized more portable ultrasound machines, they would be put to good use.  He would give a detailed report to USASFC on how the machines were used by medics in the field.

His proof would come in the form of numbers.

Morgan, Sgt. 1st Class David Hubler, senior medic, 1st Bn., and Capt. William N. Vasios, physician assistant for 1st Bn., spent more than a year training 26 Special Forces medics to use the machines, and in January 2009, the battalion deployed to Afghanistan with nine portable ultrasound machines to put to the test in a combat zone.

“The concept of putting portable ultrasound machines in the hands of our 18Ds [Special Forces medics] is something I’m very excited about,” Morgan said. “Ultrasound has been around for years, but the novelty in our concept is empowering medics, in addition to medical officers.”

Battalion medics collected hundreds of images from exams from their deployment to use for documentation and to characterize how Special Forces medics employed their new skill.

Along with their newly acquired capability to use ultrasound in the field, the battalion also had X-ray at their disposal; however, Morgan said the contrast between the two systems couldn’t be greater when it comes to portability and practicality.

Each Special Forces battalion has one portable X-ray system, but the size of the machine made it impractical to use in remote combat environments.

“It would take one-third of a Chinook helicopter to get an X-ray machine out to a fire base,” Hubler said.

This is in stark contrast with the currently-fielded portable ultrasound machine’s ability to fit inside a standard-size medical aid bag.

Therefore the medics of 1st Bn. took full advantage of portable ultrasound on the battlefield.

“We were interested to find that they [Special Forces medics] found it practical not only for trauma, but also routine medical care of their teammates and host nationals,” Morgan said.

One ODA medic returning from this recent deployment said he was initially apprehensive to use portable ultrasound. 

Sgt. 1st Class Robert Lopez envisioned a lengthy learning curve and thought portable ultrasound’s use was more for pregnancy than for battlefield injuries.  However, learning to use the machine took less time than he thought and his feelings of apprehension quickly subsided after he used it for the first time.

As a Special Forces medic with 1st Bn., Lopez was a beneficiary of the training organized by Morgan and his staff, and on their recent deployment he ran a remote firebase clinic where his machine saw prolific use.

He described several stories of his practical use of portable ultrasound to a large crowd of physicians and medics during the Special Operations Medical Association’s annual conference in Tampa, Fla.

But it was the story of the first time he put his training to the test downrange that had the audience captivated.

Early in 2009, Lopez thought he was going to have an easy day at his remote clinic when a local national came in with a pain in his hand.

Lopez didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with the patient’s hand, so he said he gave the man some pain medicine and told him that if it still hurt to come back later.

Four hours later the local national was back.

“It was then that I looked behind me and saw the ultrasound machine,” Lopez said.

He decided to put his training to work.

Lopez conducted an evaluation of the patient’s hand using the portable ultrasound machine and found a foreign body: a piece of shrapnel from a blast at a trash pit some time back.

Lopez was able to consult with one of his doctors several hours away by describing what he saw on the ultrasound.  The doctor confirmed the patient did indeed have a foreign body in his hand.

In a matter of five to ten minutes Lopez was able to remove the shrapnel. 

“My ability to find the foreign body and remove it gave the patient a lot of confidence in my abilities,” Lopez said. “And it gave me a lot of confidence in using the ultrasound machine.”

Up to a 100 patients a day came through Lopez’s clinic, and by the end of the rotation, he said “if patients came in and I didn’t use the ultrasound, they thought I didn’t care about them.” 

But it took some time for an ultrasound machine to find its way to Lopez’s hands.

Portable ultrasound in Special Forces actually had its beginnings in 2003 when the group’s received their initial fielding. Upgraded machines were added 18 months ago, and only recently did demand mount for more widespread fielding, said Lt. Col. Andrew Landers, current command surgeon at USASFC.

“I have always been a big proponent of ultrasound, but we needed some data to support the use, and to look at training issues,” Landers said.

Morgan provided that data, as well as a model training program.

He and several other medical practitioners devised a program they dubbed Special Operator-Level Clinical Ultrasound, or SOLCUS, which they loosely based off guidelines given for training emergency physicians by the American College of Emergency Physicians. 

Morgan said he intends for the training program to spread and bring ultrasound capability to all types of special operations units.

Those intentions moved forward Dec. 13 when he briefed his two-year experience with training and applying ultrasound in the Special Forces environment at the SOMA conference. 

He, along with Lopez and Hubler, also briefed their personal accounts of success with ultrasound and demonstrated the value of the equipment to physicians and medics from across the world. 

In attendance were special operations medical professionals from allied nations, civilian government agencies such as NASA, physicians and physician assistants from various specialties, and special operations medics from every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.

They were immersed in eight hours of lessons learned and practical training on the portable machines.

The audience also heard some of the technical aspects of why Morgan had such a passion about ultrasound.

Portable ultrasound machines offer capabilities such as being able to save images as .jpg files as well as recording live video of procedures in which they are used.  These can then be downloaded through USB ports on the machines.

The machines can see nerve bundles to help in local anesthesia as well as showing clear pictures of veins to guide medics when drawing blood or giving fluids intravenously.

They operate off a standard operators’ radio battery or can be plugged into a 110-volt power source with a continuous run-time of two hours.

They are roughly $40,000, a third of the cost of a portable X-ray machine and have a much greater diversity of functions than X-ray. This makes portable ultrasound a more viable financial option and a more powerful clinical tool for the groups, Morgan said.

“Using portable ultrasound in theater is a kind of like the guy who first decided to put a lid on a coffee cup – it just made sense,” Vasios said.  “So we used it, and we proved it.” 

With these factors in mind, the medical staff of 1st Bn. and Landers continue to work to get more portable ultrasound machines in the hands of those they feel need them most: the Special Forces medic.

 “The plan is to increase the program to all the groups in a phased approach,” Landers said. “The key is training and maintaining the skills required to operate and use the machines.”

Πηγή

Technology Adds Realism to Khaan Quest

ULAANBATAR, Mongolia – This scene was experienced by Korean special operations service members with the Republic of Korea’s 21st Battalion, International Peacekeeping Force, during the the combat lifesaver course, the first of seven training phases they participated in during the field-training exercise portion of Exercise Khaan Quest 2011, at Five Hills Training Area near Ulaanbatar, Mongolia, Aug. 3.

The squad worked with U.S. Navy medical personnel with the Tactical Medical Simulation Center, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, to develop muscle memory when performing life-saving measures in a combat zone, said Lt. Cmdr. Trey Hollis, a chief medical officer and planner of Khaan Quest.

The primary purpose of the center is to prepare Marines and sailors who are deploying to combat areas with combat-lifesaving skills, but this time the center’s personnel will be teaching service members from six different countries.

“This is the first time the center has been employed in a military-to-military interoperability setting,” said Hollis. “The staff provides training that is followed by a technologically-enhanced practicum, which provides muscle memory needed to ensure lessons learned today can be recalled when needed most.”

Although many of the Korean soldiers are proficient at combat first aid, they agreed the combat-lifesaver training taught them things they had never encountered before.

“In Korea, we practice each injury separately, one at a time, so it was good to be able to combine all of these treatments into one training scenario,” said Capt. Yoon Hen, platoon leader, 21st Bn., IPKF. “When I get back to Korea, I will try to improve our medical training to something similar to this.”

All the service members who participated in this training experienced a unique piece of technology. The sailors deployed the center’s 3rd generation simulation mannequin, a talking, moving dummy that reacts to medical treatment almost like a real person.

“The ability to employ such a unique asset during a field training exercise to train multinational forces in lifesaving techniques shows III MEF’s commitment to support U.S. Pacific Command’s mission of enhancing partner nations’ capabilities during peacekeeping operations,” said Hollis.

The “sim man” provides service members an invaluable aspect of training, said Mark Kane, program manager, TMSC, III MEF.

“The best part about the dummy is that the student doesn’t have to look for an instructor to get feedback, the sim man provides feedback and will tell a person whether they’re doing it right or wrong. It will even tell you to go away,” said Kane. “The [mannequin] isn’t the end-all to training though. You need to have a realistic environment to train in. The combat environment added to the training is what makes people better.”

Creating realistic environments seemed as natural to the instructors as the medical training itself. They used controlled explosives, smoke, fake blood and office furniture as props to create a simulated catastrophe.

“My brigade deploys to many different types of operations, including combative and peacekeeping operations, so it was nice to be able to train on this level of reality,” said Capt. Seong Hyun Yeon, platoon leader, 21st Bn., IPKF.

This training allowed the countries to work more cohesively in multinational peacekeeping settings, said Hollis.

The week-long training will go a long way toward improving medical theater-security cooperation within the U.S. PACOM area of responsibility, and allowing non-medical service members involved in peacekeeping operations to feel more self-confident in the event of a mass-casualty situation, according to Hollis.

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Recon Marines Sharpen At-Sea Skills

OKINAWA, Japan — A team of force reconnaissance Marines stack up beside the door of a concrete building here, but in their minds this is a hatch along a passageway in a ship at sea. Silent signals move them quickly through the entryway in a fluid search for targets.

The Marines of Force Reconnaissance Platoon, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, practiced room-clearing operations and precision-fire drills as a way of building their Visit, Board, Search and Seizure skills, August 18.

The 31st MEU is required to be capable of conducting specific at-sea operations before it deploys for patrols of the Asia-Pacific region. Among the scenarios which the MEU must be able to respond to is a VBSS, undertaken to secure a ship at sea which may be under the control of hostile forces.

To ensure the MEU’s ability to respond to a hijacked ship, the Marines of FRP conduct this training annually to ensure a heightened state of readiness. Although the Marines were clearing a land-based structure, the methods used are very similar, and in some cases the same, as the ones used when searching and securing a ship.

“When assaulting houses and ships, the tactics remain pretty much the same,” said Cpl. Derric Hardy a radio operator with FRP, 31st MEU. “There are a few things that change so you can still use both interchangeably to keep your training up.”

The 31st MEU’s role in the Asia-Pacific region makes the VBSS capabilities of the reconnaissance Marines even more valuable. Before the 31st MEU deploys for a patrol of the Asia-Pacific region, the FRP conducts an eight-week training course to ensure they are prepared to respond to any situations that may arise.

During the day’s training, shooters rapidly engaged multiple targets through the use of various firing drills. They were often required to shoot while closing with the targets, and even switch weapons and engage the targets while still on the move.

According to Sgt. Daniel Boung, assistant team leader for the FRP, it is just as important to maintain weapon skills as it is to maintain VBSS skills.

“In the case of a highly stressful situation, we need to be able to engage a target quickly and accurately,” said Boung. “Doing so actually helps the survivability of the team when clearing rooms because when you see the targets, you put them down quickly with accurate fire.”

It is the constant training on weapons tactics, VBSS skills and various other training events FRP conducts that maintain their wide range of capabilities in support of the 31st MEU.

The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation’s force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Revision BATLSKIN

MONTREAL, CANADA – Revision Military, the recognized global leader in ballistic and laser eye protection, launches into the head protection arena with the introduction of its new Batlskin Head Protection System. The first fully integrated and fully modular solution of its kind, the Batlskin Head Protection System combines groundbreaking technology and design, with new materials and innovative processes to deliver an all-new ballistic helmet shell, trauma liner, front mount, retention system, mandible guard and visor. The result is a single, fully integrated system that provides excellent protection from blunt force, blast and ballistic threats, with a lightweight wearability for peak performance.

“The product of several years of research and development work, we’re proud to introduce the Batlskin system at a critical time. The unfortunate reality is that wartime head and face injuries are at an all-time high,” explains Jonathan Blanshay, CEO of Revision. “The Batlskin Head Protection System not only makes radical leaps forward in helmet and liner technology; its integrated visor and mandible guard could also greatly reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in blast situations. At the same time, the modular and scalable nature of this system provides soldiers with the unique ability to quickly armor-up and -down as the threat environment dictates.”

About the Batlskin Head Protection System Modular Components: 

The Batlskin Lightweight Helmet uses advanced shell technology to achieve weight reduction while increasing ballistic performance. Its rigid construction is engineered to withstand blunt force, blast and ballistic threats.

• Hybridized layers of materials bonded through innovative manufacturing processes provide the next generation of combat helmet shells
• Enhanced ballistic performance, at minimum 20% lighter than current shells for long-wear comfort

The Batlskin Impact Liner uses dual foam technology for superior fit, comfort and impact absorption. Its multi-level design allows for cooling and stability while shim pads afford a custom fit.

• Exceeds EN 397, Canadian CG634 and U.S. ACH impact standards
• Lightweight, sweat-wicking materials offer superior comfort and wearability

The Batlskin Ergonomic Retention System employs one-handed adjustment buckles for ease of use and straight-line-force design for stability—even with night vision equipment.

• Integrates with Batlskin head protection system ensuring no interference with communications equipment or when sighting a weapon
• Comfortable nape pad and cabretta leather-lined chin strap allow for superior wearability

The Patented Batlskin Multi-Purpose Front Mount allows for the rapid attachment of protection enhancing devices such as the Batlskin visor and mandible guard. Ingeniously, it also doubles as a universal NVG mount with a lightweight and durable construction for modern-day battlefield use.

• Provides excellent stability for NVG use and other surveillance devices
• Core piece that seamlessly integrates Batlskin visor and mandible guard

The Batlskin High-Threat Mandible Guard provides lightweight blunt force, blast and ballistic protection for the lower jaw. Its durable, low-profile design is engineered for rapid attachment and removal while on the fly.

• Seamlessly integrates with all Batlskin modular components even when sighting a crew served weapon
• Alternative polycarbonate or lightweight wire cage mandible guards available for different threat levels

The Batlskin Three-Position Visor provides blunt force, blast and ballistic protection, flawless optics and maximum field-of-view. Designed for quick donning and doffing while on the move, it is scratch, fog and chemical resistant.

• Locked, vented and up positions allow for full ballistic coverage, breathability & adjustability
• Visor frame, seal and arm ensure secure attachment to the helmet during blast overpressure stresses

Revision’s Batlskin Head Protection System makes its European debut at DSEi, taking place at the ExCeL London Centre in the UK, September 13-16, 2011. Its North American unveiling will take place at the AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, USA which runs October 10-12, 2011.

ABOUT REVISION

Revision develops and delivers purpose-built protective equipment for military use worldwide. The company, which began with eyewear, has expanded to face and head protection and continues to develop their capabilities for integrated, performance-enhancing soldier systems. To that end, Revision brings the most advanced expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and finest technical minds. Clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, the Canadian Department of National Defence, the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organization, the German Federal Defence Force and the UK Ministry of Defence. Privately owned and ISO 9001:2008 certified, Revision’s operational headquarters is located in Essex Junction, Vermont, USA, with additional offices in the Netherlands and Canada.

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LSAT: SAW Replacement Lighter

PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ – Any Soldier who has ever served as a squad automatic weapon gunner is resigned to the burden of lugging a heavy weapon and ammunition on patrol.

Soldiers may soon have a solution, however, one that cuts the weight of small-arms ammunition nearly in half and provides a potential replacement for the SAW that weighs a whopping 8.3 pounds less than the current M249.

The weight reduction comes in the form of a new light machine gun and ammunition developed by engineers from the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program, or LSAT.

The program is managed by the Joint Service Small Arms Program, which is part of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal.

“LSAT is all about reducing Soldier load,” said Maj. Matt Bowler, a military adviser to the small arms program.

“We know that the Soldier is overburdened,” he continued. “The Soldier carries too much weight so anything we can do to reduce Soldier load increases the Soldier’s effectiveness, his capability on the battlefield and his survivability.”

The weight reduction provided by the LSAT will have a significant impact for the SAW gunner, the most heavily burdened Soldier in the squad.

According to a study conducted in 2005, the average fighting load for the SAW gunner is 79 pounds. That is nearly twice the weight a Soldier should carry, according to Army doctrine.

Excess weight significantly affects the speed of maneuver of the SAW gunner and therefore the entire squad, which relies on suppressive fire from the SAW gunner to support its movement.

So how is such a tremendous weight reduction achieved?

“We are using cased telescoped ammunition which uses a strong plastic case instead of a traditional brass case,” said Kori Phillips, a systems management engineer with ARDEC.

Weight reduction for the weapon was achieved by designing the new weapon platform using the latest materials technologies as well as modeling and simulation to achieve minimal weight without compromising performance.

With a basic load of 1,000 rounds, the LSAT light machine gun and its cased telescoped ammunition is 20.4 pounds lighter than a traditional SAW with the same amount of standard, brass-cased ammunition.

To try out the new lightweight ammunition and machine gun, a small group of Soldiers and members of the Army and Navy Senior Executive Service attended a live-fire demonstration in June at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va.

One Soldier who appreciated the lack of brass during the live-fire demonstration was Maj. Gen. Nick Justice, commanding general of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.

“I’m used to getting hot brass in my face since I am left handed,” Justice said.

The Army’s chief scientist, Scott Fish, also attended the demonstration and tested the weapon first-hand. He later said he was extremely impressed and eager to learn more about the system.

As chief scientist, Fish identifies and analyzes technical issues and brings them to the attention of Army leaders. Additionally, he interacts with operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science and technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions.

Sgt. Jason Reed of the Soldier System Center in Natick, Mass., demonstrated firing both the LSAT LMG and the SAW from various positions -- from prone to kneeling to standing while in full combat protective equipment.

“The difference between the two weapons is night and day,” Reed said.

Before his assignment with Natick, Reed was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division and carried the SAW as an Automatic Rifleman for a total of two years, including a deployment to Iraq.

“The main thing I would take away from this is the weight issue, especially when firing in the standing position,” Reed said. “Bringing up the SAW, especially if you have it up for a long duration of time, it starts to get the best of you and you have less accuracy on target.”

Despite the significantly reduced weight of the LSAT LMG and its ammo, there is no degradation in accuracy or lethality.

“The cased telescoped ammo still provides the same muzzle velocity, range and accuracy as the brass-cased ammo,” Phillips said. “We’re not sacrificing lethality for weight. The plastic case does the same job.”

In addition to significant weight savings, the LSAT is designed to provide other advantages over the current SAW. With a rotating chamber design, the cased telescoped light machine gun improves reliability.

“We’ve avoided the common problem of failure to feed and failure to eject,” Phillips said. “In the current SAW system, that’s one of the places where you primarily have failures and malfunctions.”

The chamber is unique in that the cartridge goes straight through from feed to eject.

“With a regular SAW, or M249, the chamber and barrel is one piece,” Phillips explained. “But in this new light machine gun, the chamber rotates back and forth. The system works in a cyclical pattern, so there’s no interference.”

Additionally, the rotating-chamber design provides better heat management. Combined with the insulating properties of the plastic ammo cases the LSAT LMG has potential to decrease the possibility of a cook-off or eliminate them altogether.

Another significant feature is the long-stroke, soft-recoil design, which provides a noticeable reduction in felt recoil over the current SAW. This significantly increases control, thus providing the shooter the ability to put more rounds on target and making the weapon much easier to fire from the standing position as a result of decreased muzzle rise.

Moreover, the LSAT LMG has one other unique feature that the current SAW lacks: the ability to switch to a semi-automatic mode. This feature increases the flexibility of the weapon, allows for the precise engagement of point targets, and helps to conserve ammunition in situations where full-automatic fire may not be necessary or desired.

In September, the weapon and ammunition will undergo a Military Utility Assessment that is intended to demonstrate the advantages that the LSAT LMG provides for the warfighter, as well as possibly influence the user community to develop a Capability Development Document, or CDD.

A CDD is required before the system can transition to a program of record and enter the engineering and manufacturing development phase.

That is a significant milestone. It has taken six years to get from a concept to a fully functioning weapon that is ready to be evaluated by Soldiers.

Thus far, the ARDEC team, along with prime contractor AAI Corporation, has built four light machine guns and has test-fired more than 12,000 rounds of cased telescoped ammunition. They plan to have a total of eight weapons and produce more than 100,000 rounds in time for the assessment.

The LSAT development is much broader than just a new light machine gun. It is applicable to a broad range of calibers and platforms to include a carbine that also fires the lightweight cased telescoped ammunition.

The carbine is the same overall weight and length as the standard M4, but with its modified design, there is more than a one-inch gain in barrel length, which provides a slight increase in muzzle velocity over the current M4 Carbine.

Also under development is a caseless variant of the ammunition that provides a slightly greater weight savings and a significant decrease in volume, providing a 50 percent reduction in weight and a 40 percent reduction in volume compared to current brass.

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