The Cloud in Combat

Today’s cloud computing trend has the potential to enable new mission capabilities for special operations forces while optimizing the costs of acquiring, inserting and sustaining information technology.

Cloud computing enables software as a service, where software applications are accessed via the internet/intranet, platform as a service (PaaS), where applications are developed and provisioned via a web-enabled application platform, and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), where infrastructure resources are accessed and provided over the Internet.

In addition, cloud-enabled analytic frameworks are being aggressively adopted for new insights from new sources of information.

The convergence of social computing, mobile technologies and cloud computing is clashing with enterprise objectives around security, oversight, policy and governance. Caught in the middle are end-users and warfighters, who want consumer technologies with support of the enterprise behind them.

According to the 2011 Army Posture Statement, “The ability for deploying units to access the same battle space awareness information as their deployed counterparts significantly increases pre-deployment readiness by providing current intelligence products in support of predeployment training and operational planning. The Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) has incorporated cutting edge technology in the form of cloud computing and advance analytics to provide users with precision search, increased computing speed, enhanced collaboration, and data aggregation tools ... The first tactical cloud was deployed to Afghanistan in November 2010 and became operational in March 2011, followed by the CX-I coalition cloud in May 2011. This implementation is the Army’s response to a theater Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statement (JUONS) for advanced analytics.”

The cloud is already in combat theaters. What new capabilities does it offer?

Cloud at the Tactical Edge

Possibilities of cloud computing and cloud-mobile convergence:

Capability extension: Cloud-to-the-edge enables enterprise capabilities to be extended to the operational edge by re-architecting and extending mission threads and processes such that they can be executed by ultra-mobile technologies, smartphones, tablets and other devices, yet enable very rich mission capabilities to be developed for the edge users. This could include controlling a UAV via a smartphone, or, having map, radio and GPS capabilities all in one small pocket-sized device.

Analytics at the edge: Cloud computing is an important enabler of ‘big data’ analytics focusing on semistructured and unstructured data from new sensors and new sources of information. Moving analytics to the edge offers a real possibility to improve tactical operations through rapid analysis of threat information, situational awareness, and command and control.

Infrastructure at the edge: Many cloud computing efforts focus on IaaS, which includes compute, storage and network resources being provided and accessed via a cloudenabled resource pool. Infrastructure at the edge is not that new, given the ideas of data centers in a container, computing PODs, and other portable units of infrastructure that can be deployed in situations such as disaster relief, for edge operations. Adding cloud computing functionality to these portable data centers simply means that more consumers can access the cloud resources when they need them, and therefore support more computing needs with fewer physical resources.

Tactical App Stores: Apple’s iStore application store model is coveted by commercial organizations and federal agencies that see the tremendous benefit of allowing users to access and download applications, mission services, widgets and other end-user capabilities from a catalog, all via wireless or tethered networks, and doing so rapidly and efficiently.

Many DoD vendors have already begun to develop and field mobile tactical apps and some have even announced plans to open apps stores for military customers. In addition, the military is developing apps of its own. With today’s computer-savvy warriors, we may find that the ultimate end-user community is quite capable of actively participating in or even being the leading voice in tactical apps development.

A recent example of this type of grass roots adaptation of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology to solve a military problem is the adoption of iPads by some units of the Marine Corps aviation community to carry charts electronically rather that stuffing reams of paper charts into cramped cockpits.

It is not uncommon for warriors to make after action reports by speaking into their smartphones using the builtin voice recognition apps, then emailing the transcribed report to their computer. Result: much saved time, faster reports, less administrative burden on warriors, all thanks to COTS technology.

Combine all these apps with C2 apps at the edge and now we start to realize the long-sought vision of the COP, the common operational picture: each pilot, dismounted soldier, vehicle, command post, etc. all sharing real-time accurate situational awareness data.

We must understand, however, that app stores have cloud computing PaaS underpinnings, which do take time to implement, but once in place, they enable the capabilities to transform C2 at the edge.

Cloud-Mobile Fusion for Tactical Operations: The convergence of cloud computing and mobile technologies will create a new palette of opportunities to rethink mission capabilities from an architectural and data delivery perspective, and begin to explicitly build the tactical edge user experience into these architectures, and build new mission capabilities from the edge into the enterprise, or architected outside-in, from the edge to the enterprise.

Clouds and Wireless Grids: The rapid ascent of cloud computing has taken some of the thunder from the grid computing industry. However, combining these two capacities with wireless networking enables the concept of wireless clouds, which essentially means adding elements of cloud computing to wireless grids.

While this technology is still fairly emergent, the possibilities are intriguing and allow us to envision the art of the possible if a grid of linked computers can discover one another, connect, pool their resources, and allow sharing of computation to address spikes in demand for computational capacity in tactical situations. There are not specific use cases or CONOPs for this model, but then again, nobody asked for the telephone either.

Obstacles

While there are many possibilities for cloud computing and cloud-mobile convergence focused on the tactical edge community, there are also real barriers that will continue to inhibit these technology trends. The three biggest obstacles to cloud computing and cloud-mobile convergence at the tactical edge are bandwidth, latency and intermittency of connection.

First, there are significant network bandwidth challenges at the edge, which are being addressed by new network technologies and innovations. We’ll have to deal with those constraints for some time. As for intermittency, mobile cloud applications will have to be built to function despite losing network connections momentarily. While this is a current challenge, it can be addressed in part through innovations such as HTML 5, which enables data caching for mobile platforms and allows a cloud-mobile application to continue to function despite intermittent loss of connection.

Application design for the cloud-mobile convergence will have to be specifically architected from the edge back to the enterprise, and thus the DIL constraints can be better accommodated by mobile edge applications.

New technology innovations, such as 4G/LTE mobile services, offer far greater capacity for data and voice requirements, as well as low network latency, plug and play support, and provide support for both frequency division multiplexing and time division duplexing on the same platform.

Next Steps

As the infrastructure and network technologies evolve, and as enterprises continue to embrace the trend toward increasing mobility and knowledge worker portability, the demand for edge-centric, cloud-enabled mobile-oriented mission capabilities will dramatically increase.

The following actions are recommended:

Leverage the cloud: Begin to structure experimentation activities oriented toward pushing cloud computing capabilities as close to the edge as possible.

Innovate for cloud-mobile fusion: This is today’s reality, and the opportunity to innovate at the intersection of cloud computing and mobile technology is ripe. The tactical operations community lives at this intersection, and should be the driver and innovation engine for cloudmobile fusion.

Listen to the users: Many of the innovations in mobile apps and the tactical cloud will come from the men and women in the field at the very edge. The days of all great things trickling down are long in the past. The younger generation of warriors has been raised from birth in a connected world and they likely ‘get it’ much more readily than people who were raised in the age of landlines. Our future generation of warfighters will come from the age of mobile computing, app stores, text messaging and related technologies.

Design applications from the edge into the enterprise: We must begin to design applications for cloud and cloudmobile fusion, such that tactical needs are architected early into mission capabilities, and are not bolt-ons once the enterprise requirements have been satisfied. Cloud computing and mobile-cloud convergence are the forces of innovation that we will be living with for the next decade. This is our new reality. Technology development processes and acquisition models will have to embrace the reality that if a capability cannot be accessed, delivered and leveraged to drive productivity within a five minute enduser experience, it will be too late. This is particularly true at the tactical edge. This is our opportunity to drive accelerated technology insertion using real world consumer technologies.

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Mobile Communications

It’s a war movie cliché that has been repeated in film after film for decades: A group of soldiers is pinned down by enemy gunfire and the radio operator calls in air support, providing coordinates over the radio for aircraft to fly over and take out.

That’s a scenario that once might have been the only means of getting air support, but a host of the latest digital mobile communication equipment allows today’s warfighter to send everything from coordinate-embedded video of a threat to precise position information derived from an enemy’s own communications in near real time.

This can easily be accomplished with the touch of a button from vehicle-mounted terminals, tablet computers and even smartphones that take advantage of latest-generation higher bandwidth, secure military wireless systems. While wireless communication system integration with legacy radio and satellite systems remains a significant issue as the U.S. military attempts to solve equipment interoperability problems on the battlefield, such technology is becoming an increasingly critical part of the sharing intelligence in theater, providing special operations ground units and air support teams a once unthinkable strategic advantage in situational awareness and targeting for the sort of counterinsurgency, high-value target and other operations that dominate contemporary asymmetric warfare.

Logen Thiran, president of the Intelligence, Communications and Avionics Solutions division of Parsippany, N.J.-based DRS Technologies Inc., told Special Operations Technology that there is an unavoidable correlation between communications equipment and intelligence that is all aimed at one goal: ensuring threats are targeted and eliminated with a growing level of assuredness and sophistication.

“What [the warfighters] are looking for is verification before they take action,” said Thiran. “Communications and intel are an integral part of one another in terms of solving this problem.”

Small Radio, Big Power

AR Modular RF’s AR50 tactical amplifier is one of the smallest and most versatile VHF/UHF amplifiers on the market, offering high power 50W output for both line-of-sight (LOS) and UHF SATCOM communications, with switchable low noise amplifier in a package that can be used in both 24 volt military and 12 volt civilian vehicles or run from a battery.

The unit is designed to be used with handheld radios like the PRC-152 or MBITR PRC 148, as well as traditional “backpack” radios like the PSC5-D or PRC-117F/G. The 20 Watt KMW1031 provides a simple (no operator controls) backpackable unit to extend the range of communications for operators with low power handheld radios once they leave their vehicles, or to give improved penetration within dense urban environments where LOS communication ranges often fall down to just a few blocks with a normal handheld radio.

It comes with a built-in power supply that can deal with both military and civilian vehicle supplies or run off one battery.

L-3 Interstate Electronics Corp., a San Diego and Anaheim, Calif.- based division of L-3 Communications, is a provider of full motion video RSTA (reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition) and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) systems for the U.S. military. Its latest offering is the VideoScout system, a softwarebased proprietary system designed to retrieve, disseminate and archive full motion video or infrared sensor data.

Currently used by the Marine Corps in theater, the company recently expanded the mounted and unmounted systems to run on Android smartphones. The family of products includes a network system, laptop and tablet versions. While each provides for robust use, the richness of features does decline the smaller and more portable the unit. Nevertheless, the system not only disseminates video and other sensor information with two-way transmission between the field users and command center, it also can send still images and audio clips along with user notations. It also includes metadata and GPS-based geolocation mapping over moving images that can be used to support targeting and close air support for teams on the ground, including by UAVs while supporting Department of Defense collection tools like the Tactical Ground Reporting System (TIGR) database.

Nicholas Ortyl, vice president and general manager of L-3 IEC’s San Diego-based situational awareness business unit, told SOTECH that the interoperable system is in use on the ground in Afghanistan and adaptable across wireless communication platforms from Wi-Fi and mesh networks to military satellite and commercial cellular data systems, adapting to the bandwidth specifics of each that is secured with AES software encryption.

“There is technology built into all the platforms and all the software so it will appropriately throttle and compress the data so you don’t have any [streaming] issues,” said Ortyl. “If you said ‘What happens when you put 40 users on the system?’ we have algorithms and other technologies to manage all that so you don’t get into this situation where you overload the system.”

In terms of the future applications, Ortyl noted that the firm is exploring capabilities for submarines and adopting it with the help of integrators for incorporation into MRAPs or other ground vehicle retrofit efforts, potentially by combining it with other systems into a single video platform. He added that special forces community interest is particular high, such as for mounting on ATVs and other vehicles.

With close to 2,000 in use on the ground in Afghanistan, Ortyl noted that VideoScout had its genesis with special forces and the intelligence community a few years ago.

“We are getting a very nice pull in that direction because our roots are from the SOCOM world for the man-portable systems,” he said. “It really came out of the intel community. That effort to make it manportable was driven by special forces. They want to be able to push all this information to the tip of spear. That initiative leads us to make a family of portables into a tremendous force multiplier.”

Among the competitors in this sphere, DRS Technologies produces a wealth of communications solutions for the U.S. warfighter, but Thiran pointed to several of its products—specifically in special operations use—including their MAGIC situational awareness systems and manpack COMINT direction finding system tactical signal collection system.

MAGIC (Mobile Mapping of Air and Ground Intelligence Communications) is currently used by special operations in mounted and dismounted avionics configurations in theater. They also provide man-portable versions for use with Windows-based tablets and smartphones.

The scalable, open architecture system provides near real-time geo-located intelligence data on a moving 3-D map display designed for integration with virtually any subsystem including intelligence broadcast receiver, situational awareness data link, MIDS/Link-16, PRC-117F/G, full motion video links, and electronic flight bag data sets. The firm also offers various data storage solutions to combine with a mounted unit and is looking to miniaturize the system further.

“Ultimately it [provides] network interconnectivity of airborne and ground bases, line of sight, non-line-of-sight [wireless communications], all tied together, meeting all those needs in an overarching network,” said Thiran.

DRS’s Manpack system allows a mounted or dismounted solider to collect tactical signal intelligence and geo-location information and share it across a network in theater with the intent of providing a line of bearing on a target to ensure a more rapid threat response.

“Narrowing the kill chain: at the end of the day that is what we are trying to do,” noted Thiran.

Verizon Wireless currently offers a number of component platforms for military use, including the DRS-supplied X10gx and Armor X7 rugged wireless tablets that connect through 3G cellular networks. Laura Cavey, associate director of federal data sales for Verizon Wireless, also pointed to their relationships with several software providers as integral to their effort to provide cellular- based software communications applications for the modern warfighter.

These include Lisle, Ill.-based Lextech Labs for situational awareness video solutions and Tampa, Fla.-based IP Vision Software’s video management solutions. Verizon is also heavily promoting its partnership with Salem, Mass.-based Blueforce Development Corp., which provides the Blueforce Tactical (BTAC) secure information sharing and sensor normalization software for smartphones and PDAs.

Tested and evaluated by Special Operations Command, the BTAC software solution is designed to provide monitoring of real-time soldier biometric sensor information along with video and other information from sensors worn by the soldier, along with location tracking. That test also incorporated perimeter video as well as gas and chemical explosive sensor monitoring.

“They [SOCOM] really want to be able to take care, monitor and understand what is going on with the warfigther in the middle of a mission,” said Cavey.

Cutting Edge

For systems intelligence gathering and dissemination systems to work in theater, they must have access to wireless communications networks. It’s an integral competency in the technology chain on which military suppliers continue to make strides.

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Raytheon Network Centric Systems is currently in the process of upgrading the company’s SMART-T (secure mobile anti-jam reliable tactical terminal) satellite communications systems for the Army from EHF (extremely high frequency) transmission capability to advanced extremely high frequency (AEHF) capability, increasing the data transmission rate by a factor of five and providing for real-time video, mapping and targeting information transmission. The system provides long-haul communications that can connect multiple secure nodes for robust multi-channel non-line-of-sight communications in the field.

The Army just fielded the first of 365 of the updated HMMWV-mounted, generator-powered system to tactical units.

“[SMART-T] really has been a really great program,” Scott Whatmough, vice president of Raytheon Network Centric Systems’ Integrated Communications Systems, told SOTECH. “We’re just waiting to get some satellites up there so we can provide [further] extended bandwidth for folks in the field.” While it is one of Raytheon’s flagship communications programs, given its four-foot antenna, he admitted that a SMART-T is hard to hide, making it ill-suited for special operations use. But Whatmough said the company is looking at reducing the size of the terminal and antennas while investing in next generation modem capabilities.

“I believe that if we can get our collective ducks in a row, we can provide some [special operationscentric] tactical AEHF terminals,” he said. “It’s going to take a few years but I think special operations will be interested.”

Whatmough also pointed to the company’s MAINGATE (Mobile Ad hoc Interoperability Network GATEway) system as something viewed as a major advance in terms of joint and coalition interoperational radio communications systems for mounted vehicles. Developed with DRS as a partner and under DARPA contract, it can link cell phones, other manufacturers’ radio systems, and even incredibly slow analog legacy battlefield radios to provide combined signal throughput, utilizing airborne relay, SATCOM and other infrastructure interfaces for over-the-horizon communications.

Billed as the next generation of the DARPA Network Centric Radio System, the automatic spectrum management mobile solution has a data throughput capability of 10 MB per second, allowing for around 20 simultaneous live video feeds if deployed at full capacity, according to Whatmough. Though not in current operational use, there are 30 systems currently in theater.

Whatmough said Raytheon is working with the military’s spectrum management operations to get the Joint Tactical Radio System compliant with the aim of getting it into the battlespace, adding that Boeing’s Ground Mobile Radio (GMR) for the Army is “once again under scrutiny.” That program has been plagued with cost overruns after the Army reduced its order from 86,209 to 10,293, boosting unit costs by 50 percent with, according to a Government Accountability Office report, research and development spending increasing by 69 percent from 2002 to 2011.

“[GMR] seems to have nine lives,” said Whatmough. “It does seem that GMR performance is going to open up that space for alternative solutions and we want to be one of those alternative solutions.” Raytheon is pushing intelligence to the tactical edge. The company has developed new capabilities to put critical, protected information directly in the hands of forward deployed units to enhance mission effectiveness.

Raytheon’s Tactical Hand-Off Using Nearest Database Resource (THUNDR) runs on a standard laptop and allows greater mobility for intelligence collection and dissemination by special operations units and echelons at battalion and below. It provides warfighters ready access to intelligence data, maps, images and video with updated information in near real time.

“THUNDR has a modular and scalable deployment footprint and provides connectivity to a service’s cloud computing environment while having the capacity to function in a stand-alone environment when bandwidth or communications are restricted,” stated Mark Bigham, vice president of business development, DCMS, for Raytheon’s Intelligence and Information Systems business.

“We’ve also developed the Raytheon Advanced Tactical System (RATS), a wireless mobile platform for users in communications-disadvantaged locations to connect to local available networks, providing interactive communications and collaboration.”

According to Bigham, RATS can be rapidly integrated with new data types, communications systems and databases, providing a unique, secure and tailorable interface along with a software development toolkit for creation of new and customized secure apps. “RATS software allows common mobile devices to be used on the battlefield where ruggedness, battery life and screen visibility are all addressable through various hardware vendors.”

Thiran pointed to the DRS satellite communications on-the-move antenna line that provides continuous K and Ku-Band in-motion satellite communications through a mounted dish platform in multiple configurations, for both ground and sea vehicles, as a key offering in special operations use.

He noted that they are considering expanding the system by lowering the size and footprint to allow for wider airborne use, and making it less physically prominent on ground vehicles. Additionally, they’ve tested the system on X and Ka bands and are hoping to get it certified for use on Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS), which utilizes these spectrum ranges.

“It is a key capability that is needed today and is not widely available in the marketplace,” said Tiran. “That’s a key driver for us going forward.”

Boeing was awarded an additional $439 million Air Force contract in September for the components for an eighth WGS satellite. This continues the expansion of the fleet of fielded and proposed WGS satellites, three of which are already in orbit over the Pacific, Middle East and Atlantic regions. A fourth is scheduled for launch in January with two more, including one Australian-financed, expected to launch by 2013 and a seventh expected in 2015. All existing delivery options, part of the overall $1.1 billion contract awarded to Boeing, would bring the fleet of military WGS communications satellites to 12.

Satellite, deployable Wi-Fi and other wireless military communication systems are not the only means for special operations soldiers to both deliver and get access to intelligence information in theater with the level of bandwidth required by the latest technological intelligence gathering and dissemination tools. While cellular networks dominate in some parts of the world more than land lines, particularly in many of the less developed regions where special operations soldiers must now operate, cellular solutions are viewed by some as an increasingly viable battlefield communications solution.

Verizon Wireless’s Cavey told SOTECH that their greatest offering for military communications is its low-latency, high-speed 4G LTE network. While currently only deployed domestically, she predicted LTE will probably become the next global cellular standard with its international partner Vodaphone, China Mobile and other global carriers adopting the high speed standard.

“Without that high speed data access, video becomes more difficult to do on networks that can’t support it,” said Cavey.

“The biggest limitation now is that it is only deployed in the United States,” she acknowledged. “However, that is not permanent. It is just where we are today. Verizon Wireless is on the cusp. We are on the cutting edge of deploying the technology first.” A Navy pilot project testing their MPLS and mobile VPN solutions is currently underway. But while there is interest within DoD in new methods and technologies to secure communications data, that interest varies across the branches and even within them.

For instance, Cavey noted that SOCOM is more open to exploring new network security solutions when compared to Big Army and Big Navy, which are generally interested in sticking to tried and true data security concepts and communications technologies. Nevertheless, she added that the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., maintains a separate network used strictly for testing new products and solutions.

“It really depends on the customer which way we go,” Cavey said, about promoting conceptual tests and new means of securing data for the military end-user. “Some customers are open to looking at new ways of doing things. Others want to stick with the old handbook. If this pilot does work, that would be a way of rewriting the handbook, so to speak,” she added. Cavey also added that while many in the U.S. military are interested in secure, packaged communications solutions, SOCOM appears mostly interested in custom wireless communications products and is open to exploring cutting edge solutions that companies can provide. “They don’t want off-the-shelf solutions anymore, but something custom,” said Cavey.

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Russian special forces arrive in Syrian port

Russian special forces have arrived in the Syrian Mediterranean port city of Tartus, opposition sources told Al Arabiya last Monday.

Israeli-based open source military intelligence website DEBKAfile has also reported that two Russian naval vessels have anchored at the Syrian port of Tartus.

The website cited reports from the Russian Black Sea headquarters at Sevastopol. The mission of the vessels was not disclosed, but one was reported to be carrying a unit of “anit-terrorist marines” and the other, a military tanker which joined “a Russian naval reconnaissance and surveillance ship already tied up in Tartus.”

The Syrian port of Tartus is now the only naval base Russia has outside the former Soviet Union. A Russian navy squadron made a call there in January in what was seen by many as a show of support for Assad.



Also in January, a Russian ship allegedly carrying tons of munitions made a dash for Syria after telling officials in EU member Cyprus, where it had made an unexpected stop, that it was heading for Turkey. Turkish officials said the ship had instead charted course for Tartus.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly previously said that Russian military and technical personnel were present Syrian and said his country will abide by existing contracts to deliver weapons to Syria despite Assad’s yearlong crackdown on the opposition.

Antonov said Russia’s supply of weapons to Syria is in line with international law and will continue. “Russian-Syrian military cooperation is perfectly legitimate,” he said.

“The only thing that worries us today is the security of our citizens,” Antonov said in a reference to Russian military personnel in Syria that are training the Syrians in the use of weapons supplied by Russia.

He declined to say how many of them are currently stationed in Syria.

“It’s part of our contractual obligations,” said Antonov, who oversees military technical cooperation with foreign countries. “When we supply weapons, we have to provide training.”

Antonov dismissed previous allegations that Russia has sent special forces officers to assist government forces. “There are no (Russian) special forces with rifles and grenade launchers running around,” he said.

Support for daily ceasefires


Russia’s foreign minister, meanwhile, voiced clear support for a plan for daily humanitarian ceasefires in Syria and promised Moscow would press President Bashar al-Assad’s government to accept it, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "clearly agreed to and was supportive of" the idea of a daily two-hour cessation of hostilities to allow for life-saving aid operations, ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger told Reuters after talks with Lavrov.

Asked whether Lavrov had promised that Russia would pressure Syria’s government to accept the plan, he said: "Yes, very much so."
Russia has shielded Syria, its last ally in the Arab world, from U.N. sanctions over the Assad regime’s bloody suppression of an uprising against his government.

Moscow has been a steadfast ally of Syria since Soviet times, when it was led by the current president’s father, Hafez Assad, and has long supplied Damascus with aircraft, missiles, tanks and other heavy weapons

 

Source

Force Reconnaissance Marines Conduct VBSS

USNS MATTHEW C. PERRY, At Sea — Looking down the electronic optics on his rifle, yet keenly aware of the sights and sounds surrounding him, the Marine moved with the rest of his squad like a wolf in a pack across the deck of the ship. Swiftly infiltrating the confines of the ship, the Marine force detained all hostile suspects that had stolen away onto a civilian vessel.

No lives were in any danger, however, as Marines of the Force Reconnaissance Platoon, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducted a visit, board, search, seizure exercise aboard the USNS Matthew C. Perry resupply ship, March 13. The training scenario, carried out on the civilian resupply ship, is meant to familiarize the Marines with the layout of non-military ships as well as being part of the MEU’s certification exercise.

Fast roping from aircraft of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), the FRP Marines secured the deck of the ship and routinely cleared each level of the vessel with each squad assigned a section.

“The mission was to secure the key parts of the ship, being the bridge, aft steering and engine room as well as detaining the high-value individual,” said Cpl. Jordan Tapangco, squad leader with Trailer Co., Maritime Raid Force. “The four sticks quickly hit the objective, and the stick that I was in secured the target within minutes.”

With snipers provided security from the helicopters above, the Marines made easy work of searching the ship, eventually finding the person of interest and his two bodyguards stowed away among the ship’s personnel.

Completed with the efficiency that marks the reputation of both forces, the FRP and MRF Marines, the Marines egressed back to the USS Essex in preparation for the remainder of the MEU’s CERTEX.

"This training reinforces and sustains our Navy and Marine Corps integration

in a critical mission," said Capt. Barret Bradstreet, commander of the MRF, 31st MEU. "By training to standard in VBSS, we validate the MEU's capacity to conduct these operations throughout the region."

While the VBSS training differs from CERTEX’s ship-to-shore missions, it is also pertinent to modern times. In 2010, the MV Magellan Star, a German container ship, was taken control by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Marines from the 15th MEU MRF were called to action and retook the ship from the pirates, more than justifying the VBSS presence in the MEU’s skill set.

“This training has real-world impact,” said Tapangco. “There is still pirating going on in the world, and while that threat still remains there is always the possibility we will be called to action against it. Whenever it happens, because of this training, we will be ready.” Following the MEU’s CERTEX, the 31st MEU will continue its deployment in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

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Recon Marines Test Capabilities

CAMP FUJI, Japan — With a precision raid executed from more than 1,000 miles away, the Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary unit demonstrated their capability to be anywhere the mission requires.

Starting from the deck of the USS Essex, currently at sea in the Pacific Ocean, members of the 31st MEU's Maritime Raid Force conducted a long distance raid on a building in Camp Fuji, March 11, as part of their certification exercise.

The mission involved conducting a long distance movement, assaulting a building holding members of a mock terrorist organization, and finding a high value target inside.

The long distance and precision of the strike required the Amphibious Reconnaissance Marines and Force Reconnaissance Marines to test capabilities beyond the typical breach and clear.

"This raid reinforces all of the capabilities of the Reconnaissance community as far as reporting to higher, using ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) assets, incorporating air assets and long distance communication," said Capt. George Goddard, assistant officer in charge of Special Missions Branch, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and native of Kissimmee, Fla.

Amphibious Reconnaissance Marines used the cover of darkness to secure a hide near the target site, feeding the raid force hours of valuable intelligence on enemy movements prior to actions on the objective.

The intelligence enabled development of the raid plan, initiated by Force Reconnaissance Marines and infantrymen from the MEU's Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines.

Three squads of infantrymen from the BLT's trailer platoon set up a cordon around the target building. Heavy machine guns covered the roads for incoming vehicles, while the individual infantrymen stood ready to use precision fire in support of their Force Reconnaissance counterparts.

"We were providing security through blocking positions for (Force Recon) to go in and hit the objective," said Cpl. Joshua Smulski, a squad leader for trailer platoon, BLT 1/4, and a native of Elmhurst, Ill. "We make sure no one goes in or comes out."

With security in place, Force Reconnaissance Marines used explosives to breach an entrance and stormed the three story structure. Teams swept through rooms, eliminating mock enemies with paint rounds as they methodically searched for their target.

A clean sweep of the building and the successful capture of their target took less than 30 minutes, with the raid force moving quickly to meet a tight timeline.

With the mission complete, all three elements of the raid force rendezvoused at a nearby field for extraction. Four CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters were flown from the USS Essex at sea over 1,000 miles distant to extract the members of the mission.

To accomplish this, the helicopters refueled in mid-flight with C-130J tanker aircraft, adjusted for weather, and used islands as checkpoints along the route. "This mission clearly illustrates the capability of the 31st MEU to conduct operations on short notice, over great distances from the amphibious ready group ships," said Lt. Col. Damien Marsh, commanding officer of the MEU's Air Combat Element and graduate of The Citadel. "We were able to land precisely in the correct landing zone within seconds of L-Hour after flying over seven hours

Lighter, Better Rifle Gear

Despite what might appear to be obvious tradeoffs with ruggedization and durability of equipment, Special Operations Command officials wish to evaluate and acquire lighter rifle gear to obtain multiple benefits.

Lighter gear can help make military personnel harder to detect by the enemy, protect their hearing and help better communicate with partners during military operations, according to DoD contractors.

Since SOCOM runs its own research and development operation and makes its own acquisitions based on its own doctrine, techniques, tactics and procedures, it can work with vendors on highly customized gear and more mass-produced ones, including helmet- and rifle-mounted sight systems, hardware and rails, and sound and flash suppressors, in addition to optical and thermal sights and fusion lights.

Streamlight has designed flashlights for use with night vision gear, the TLRVIR and the Sidewinder, according to Loring Grove, global brand manager at Streamlight Inc. of Eagleville, Pa., a high performance flashlight company.

“Lithium batteries are more powerful,” she said. “Lithium batteries have a higher energy density than alkaline batteries, so they can pack more power in a compact size. In addition, they are lightweight.

“We have designed the Sidewinder Compact II so that it can be powered by one CR123A size or one AA lithium or one AA alkaline battery, providing more battery options in the field.”

Streamlight’s tactical gun mount lights, designed to be attached or detached in two seconds or less, were designed by the company’s engineers for special operations and law enforcement. The mount lights have 2.5 hours of lithium battery run time, are impervious to shock and have a 50,000 hour lifetime. Streamlight’s lithium ion batteries have a 10-year shelf life.

Streamlight also sells the Sidewinder Compact, a hands-free flashlight which in its military model has four levels of output, as well as a strobe function. The Sidewinder, meanwhile, is standardissue helmet-mounted gear in the Marine Corps, has an unbreakable polycarbonate lens and shrugs off shock, boasting a 50,000-hour lifetime. It can be clipped onto an operator’s head strap. “Multiple functionality is important” with flashlights in a tactical environment, Grove said. “If you can clip it on a vest or clip it on a helmet, it’s easy to use.”

Defense Department program managers aim to leverage all of the capabilities they’ve already purchased into the rifle during a time of tightening budgets, according to Michael Presz, vice president of government programs at Kopin Corp. of Taunton, Mass., a NASDAQ- traded company that sells advanced display products that exceed high definition. “I think we’re learning from the deployments” in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

Presz predicted an increased focus on DoD research and development given the tight budgets. “The [Army Acquisition Objectives] have been largely met,” he observed.

Presz sees more focus on multispectral imaging and intelligent weapon sights. When asked how Kopin Corp.’s products are working in the field, he commented, “What we do know is when the hardware goes out, it doesn’t come back,” so there are very few returns for defects or malfunctions. Thermal imaging systems can give soldiers and military personnel the ability to see well in the darkness, a critical capability for warfighters who must own the night. The thermal weapons sight, in the fourth year of a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract though which the Army is purchasing nearly 22,000 thermal weapons systems for $194 million by June 30, 2012, is a major program for Kopin Corp. The company acts as a subcontractor on the three prime contractor teams: BAE Systems, DRS Technologies Inc. and Raytheon.

“Soldiers and snipers need data,” such as wind and conditions down range, according to Mark Luker, vice president of business development at Vectronix, a Leesburg, Va.-based U.S. subsidiary to a Swiss company. A retired Army major who served as a contracting officer for the Army First Corps in Iraq, Luker reports that Vectronix’s Vector binoculars have sold 27,500 units globally with a .01 percent return rate. “We build products to last, with a focus on size, weight and power,” he commented. Vectronix officials are working on rifle accessories that can withstand the shock coming from .50 caliber rifles.

The Sterna precision target locator system (PTLS) by Vectronix, meanwhile, can “range out to five kilometers,” Luker said. Soldiers at Fort Sill who tried out the Sterna PTLS (in late 2011) were amazed at the accuracy of the target location,” he said.

The Sterna PTLS is an ultra-light (total system weight starts at 9 pounds), non-magnetic unit that “essentially gives the sniper a fused image when using the Long Range Thermal Video,” combining images from two or more sources into one, according to Luker. The Sterna PTLS is a rangefinder that gives independent north-finding, eye-safe long distance laser range-finding, strong day view optics and required north-finding capabilities to operators. The Sterna PTLS is a man-portable solution that can operate in magnetically charged or GPSdenied settings.

“SOCOM and the Rangers are our incubator for mission critical needs,” Luker said. Operators have tested Vectronix’s Clip On Thermal Imager, and next-generation Night Spot scopes for snipers and designated marksmen will be available by March 2012.

“A pretty good indicator of our field performance is anytime I go to a conference, people put our GEM products in their system, whether they are military, partners or industry suppliers like BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman or L-3 Communications,” he said.

Vectronix builds the SORD ballistics and ranging system with Horus Vision LLC, which provides “ballistics calculation for almost any type of weapon,” according to Luker. The SORD can give precise target coordinates, he said, which are invaluable for snipers because they reduce collateral damage while attaining high first round munitions accuracy.

Vectronix also sells NiteSpot 50, a clip-on night sight for snipers, which allows operators to upgrade their weapons when night falls, without a need to adjust scope.

“The lighter the load on the operator, the better,” said Don Alexander, director of military sales for SureFire LLC, of Fountain Valley, Calif., reflecting a common sentiment among contractors. “They’re also looking to decrease each operator’s signature,” he said of SOCOM, with lower muzzle blasts and more subdued flashes coming from their rifles, since a decreased signature means personnel are less likely to be detected and killed by the enemy. Surefire has been in business for 30 years.

“We have seen a high emphasis on signature reduction in Afghanistan,” Alexander said. The Army purchased nearly 2,000 flash hiders from SureFire in 2011 for use in Afghanistan, according to Alexander, who served for 26 years in the Army Rangers and special forces. SOCOM has adopted SureFire flash hiders and suppressors but hasn’t fielded them yet.

One example of a special operations mission that required such a decreased operator signature was the successful May 2 operation in Pakistan by Navy SEAL forces that led to Osama bin Laden’s death. It was orchestrated by Navy Admiral Bill H. McRaven, who since has been elevated to command the U.S. Special Operations Command.

How did Tampa, Fla.-based SOCOM make its decision on adopting flash hiders and suppressors? “They didn’t select us because we were the cheapest,” Alexander said of SOCOM, since there are less expensive competitive alternatives to SureFire’s flash hiders and suppressors. “We were the highest performing,” in SOCOM field tests, he claimed, which ultimately proved to be the decisive reason for SureFire’s selection.

Flash suppressors can help shooters engaged in night operations by reducing the muzzle flash from the weapon to preserve the operator’s night vision, usually by directing the incandescent gases to the sides, away from the shooter’s line of sight, and by reducing the flash visible to the enemy. Night combat operators still must move quickly after firing to avoid receiving return fire, since they are still visible when firing, especially with night vision gear.

Another leading contractor seconded Alexander’s observation. SOCOM officials are looking for “lighter weight, more durable” rifle gear, according to Jay J. Quilligan, managing partner with Quicksilver Manufacturing LLC, of Shoshone, Idaho, one of the first manufacturers of titanium silencers. With a U.S. military mandate to use silencers, Quilligan reports a growing interest in Quicksilver Manufacturing’s products. “Titanium [alloy] fits the bill very well,” he said of DoD’s needs for rifles with less of an operator signature. Titanium is lighter and stronger than stainless steel.

Titanium alloy can hold up well under automatic and semi-automatic fire, according to Quicksilver Manufacturing officials. The company is beginning to gather metrics on the durability of its titanium alloy silencers.

Quicksilver Manufacturing has seen its silencers tested by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq but hasn’t seen significant fielding to date, although tests first started in 2007, showing that SOCOM officials are very deliberate in their proceedings and may occasionally have budget shortfalls. Quicksilver Manufacturing silencers can make it easier for military personnel in the field to talk with their combat partners, protect their hearing, and reduce the flash from their muzzles, according to Quilligan, who is a medical doctor. SOCOM personnel recently tested Quicksilver Manufacturing silencers in Afghanistan and Iraq for up to seven months.

In response to customer demands, Quicksilver Manufacturing is working on producing a quick-detach mechanism for its silencers, as opposed to ones that screw on, despite the obvious difficulties involved with detaching a red hot silencer. Quick detach mechanisms tend to have a high failure rate, and some operators prefer to have the option of using them in case of catastrophic equipment failure. Quicksilver Manufacturing officials advise their customers to put the silencer on their weapon and leave it on.

Meanwhile, Gemtech is a Boise, Idaho-based firearm silencer design company with a strong record for decibel reduction, according to Kel Whalen, the company’s government and industry liaison. He pointed out that Gemtech offers a bit more than decibel reduction. “Sound abatement is, of course, one of the main features of a silencer, but we also have a strong focus on reducing visual signature,” he said.

Founded in 1993 with the tagline “quiet things for quiet professionals,” Gemtech makes sound suppressors that directly connect to many host firearms. It also produces flash hiders that act as mounts for quick-disconnect silencers, according to Whalen.

Gemtech’s sound suppressors mount securely on standard barrel threads of most rifles, carbines and personal defense weapons using innovative and patented quick disconnect systems, according to Whalen. They also mount securely to threaded-barrel handguns with a unique retention feature to avoid loosening while firing. One of the largest U.S. manufacturers of its kind, Gemtech has been in business for nearly 20 years and has earned praise for the durability and longevity of its products, according to Whelan.

Vendors of bipods, suppressors and other equipment are producing gear that can mount on the limited space available on a Picatinny rail or elsewhere on a weapon. Given the military’s experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, vendors also report a growing appetite in the Army, Marine Corps and SOCOM for visible, infrared and laser lights, optical and thermal sights, fusion sights, accessory weapons such as grenade launchers and multifunction grip controllers. Vectronix sells a grenade launcher, the Rapid Acquisition Aiming Module, that can significantly increase the probability of a first-round hit by 40mm grenades fired from stand-alone and under barrel launchers.

SureFire, in addition, produces flashlights, headlights, helmet lights and other illumination tools, such as the WeaponLight, a weapon-mounted flashlight. Illumination tools can temporarily blind, unbalance and disorient a threat. One Marine serving in Afghanistan at the time posted a testimonial on the SureFire website about how SureFire had enabled him and two fellow Marines to illuminate a road in front of them during a nighttime patrol when their vehicles’ lights had died. Their ability to detect IEDs in front of their vehicle may have saved their lives.

Given SOCOM’s ongoing need to recruit and train personnel to serve as close air support, support, forward observer, forward air controller and joint tactical air controller specialists, it would appear that the trend toward lighter gear that makes SOCOM operators harder to detect by the enemy will continue unabated. The broader global war on terror, meanwhile, predicates that U.S. military and coalition partners develop the ability to strike lethally with smaller, quicker forces than those found in conventional warfare.

Small arms manufacturer Smith Enterprises Inc. (SEI) of Tempe, Ariz., for example, sells a sound suppressor, the Wind Talker, that mounts on the Vortex Flash Suppressor. “Our Vortex screws onto the front of the muzzle. We also sell scope rings and bipods that can be attached to the Picatinny rail system,” said Ron Smith, company president.

SEI has been in business for more than 40 years, and its sound suppressors can vary from a lightweight, less rugged version to ones that are heavier and more battle hardened. Weights on flash suppressors, by contrast, tend to be standard. In addition to being a manufacturer, SEI also does weapons upgrades and enhancements and sells accessories.

Organizations that have given SEI gear positive reviews after field testing, according to Smith, include the Army 75th Ranger Regiment (Airborne) from Fort Benning, Ga., the Army 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., and SOCOM.

SOCOM was the first major command to begin using red dot sights, with the first widespread adoption in 1997, according to Cormac O’Hanlon, national sales manager for government at Aimpoint Inc. A solid marksman can make a kill at distances up to 400 yards using red dot sights, he said. “They’re looking for very small, light packages,” O’Hanlon said of SOCOM and its rifle gear needs.

Aimpoint continues to work with the Army and SOCOM to “piggyback” on optical innovations, including more ruggedized gear that could better operate in rainy and dusty conditions, according to O’Hanlon, whose Swedish-based company has U.S. headquarters in Chantilly, Va., and has been working with DoD for 35 years. “Our accuracy has been proven over and over again,” he said. “Only the shooter sees the red dot.”

Gemtech’s Sandstorm .300 caliber compact silencer, meanwhile, weighs 13.3 ounces, and its sound meters quieter than products inches longer and much heavier, according to Whelan. Gemtech has a line of featherweight hybrid-construction sound suppressors, incorporating titanium where weight can be saved and machined inconel components that are up to seven and a half times thicker than competitors that use stampings.

“For example, in our G5-T, the hybrid titanium/inconel version of our National Stock Numbered G5 5.56 mm silencer, this translates out into Gemtech having advantages of an overkill ‘cast iron frying pan’ approach to durability in some areas,” Whelan said, and “significant weight savings in others, balancing out to be a lightweight quick-disconnect suppressor that doesn't compromise longevity.

“We also make traditional stainless steel suppressors that provide the same flash and sound reduction, but where lower cost is a factor to a client,” Whelan said.

In speaking about maintaining Gemtech’s gear, Whalen said, “Of the systems we make that require disassembly for cleaning, such as a pistol suppressor, we lead the industry with tool-free ability to be serviced. Maintenance is simple and can be performed in the field.”

SEI’s Smith calls his company’s rifle gear affordable, made of quality materials with quality manufacturing and well thoughtout. In addition, “Our Vortex flash suppressor is patented and reduces the most flash. It is hardened and made from the best materials. It has corrosion resistance. It is affordable,” Smith said.

“Our Wind Talker Sound Suppressors are the same: very durable, affordable, corrosion resistant. They reduce sound very well,” Smith said. “We have technologies in our sound suppressor that no one else has. It is rebuildable, field cleanable, and reduces the muzzle first shot flash. We also make the Good Iron Muzzle Brake that is the best out there,” Smith said. The Iron Muzzle Brake is heat treated and made of ordnance grade material. Gemtech sells through GSA Schedule contracts, 8(a) vendors and the Special Operational Equipment Tailored Logistics Support program at the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia. Smith Enterprises, meanwhile, is a small business that is womanowned and veteran operated, in addition to selling through GSA Schedule contracts. Aimpoint, Quicksilver Manufacturing and SureFire sell through dealers.

 

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Satellite Communications

Even before the successful launch of Sputnik by our Cold War nemesis, American military leaders saw the potential for spacebased communication.

As early as 1946, the Army experimented with bouncing radar signals off the moon. The Navy continued such experiments throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s with a clear understanding that the country that dominated space also ruled the battlefield. Today, satellite communications (SATCOM) are an essential force multiplier in aiding commanders to see through the “fog of war,” especially during special forces operations.

“Satellite communications are typically used when wireline or fiber infrastructure is not available, or when the range exceeds what can be provided by line-of-sight radios,” explained Scott Whatmough, vice president of integrated communication systems, Raytheon. “Satellite communication has the advantage of being usable anywhere there is an unobstructed view of the sky and an available satellite.”

The first military satellite communications network, the Defense Satellite Communication System (DSCS), went live in the late 1960s. Over the years much has changed, and been learned, about improving, remodeling and redesigning satellite technologiesfor the needs of DoD. Subsequent generations of SATCOM have been driven by the need to provide more secure and jam-resistant links to tactical users with smaller and more powerful, yet less power hungry terminals on the ground.

This meant satellites needed to have more powerful and more efficient solar cells, and eventually, new telemetry techniques and attitude control that allowed more time in proximity to permit more sustained capture of the sun’s energy. Such capabilities, along with ground control of satellite positioning and orientation, are now fundamental to all military satellites.

According to an official spokesperson with U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), “Satellite communications play a vital role in warships, aircraft, missile guidance and several other critical programs that support multiple areas of responsibility. Traditionally our ‘transportable’ communication systems have had the capability of being deployed by mobile communication units to our larger forward operating bases. These types of deployments were typically used to support units of 50 to more than 100 warfighters, offering a complete suite of communications capabilities. In the past decade, deployment sizes have changed; so have traditional thinking and the needs of the warfighter on the ground.”

Today, what has really made SATCOM the dominating force multiplier it has become, especially in the SOF community, is the development and deployment of mobile and tactical military satellite communication systems. Such small and portable SATCOM systems typically are composed of ground terminals with very small antennas that can be mounted traditionally on ships, submarines and aircraft, and more recently on ground vehicles and lightweight man-pack terminals, which can transmit to tactical radio handsets that in some cases are not much larger than cell phones. These mobile systems primarily transmit voice and data, and in the latest generations even leverage video and other broadband real-time tactical applications.

“As the war in Iraq went into full swing, auto deploy antennas became very popular with the U.S. Army,” said David Provencher, general manager for Orlando, Fla.-based Cobham Antennas SATCOM Landsystems. “Comm-at-the-pause very small aperture terminal (VSAT) technology really took off and dominated the DoD market. The next evolution in controls technology was comm-onthe- move. There is comm-on-the-move all the way from UHF to Ka-band today. In 2007, we developed what we call a mid-profile comm-on-the-move antenna. The thing that is driving and dominating [the comm-on-the-move] market today is ISR on UAVS.”

According to STRATCOM’s spokesperson, “In the past few years, a decrease in the size of deployed units made the typical deployable command, control, communications, computers and ISR systems impractical. The communications systems designed to be transportable and support large units are now too large to meet the demands of today’s streamlined rapidly-deployable forces. The challenge today is how to scale back the footprint of these systems while still offering a robust capability for the deployed forces so that we have ‘satellite communications availability’ at the lowest level for our warfighters.”

Global Network, Global Power

In addition to STRATCOM, another entity largely responsible for developing, maintaining and operating the nation’s MILSATCOM network is the Space and Missile Systems Center MILSATCOM Directorate (SMC MILSATCOM) based out of Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, Calif. At present, the directorate encompasses a total force of approximately 102 assigned military, 148 assigned civilians, 184 federally funded research and development center contractors, and 378 other contractors. That combined group of experts and thought leaders is dedicated to meeting some of the challenges facing DoD when it comes to next-generation satellite communications. According to an SMC MILSATCOM spokesperson, “The greatest challenge facing the DoD with respect to satellite communications is meeting the growing demand for connectivity, capacity and protection in a more affordable manner in order to support the foundational level of space our nation relies upon. The MILSATCOM Systems Directorate has released a broad agency announcement to involve industry in addressing the development of future MILSATCOM architectures, to include better business practices to optimize capability and minimize costs.”

He added that “the recent airborne flight demonstration of a low-profile Advanced Multiband Communications Antenna System prototype at EHF/SHF frequency bands is an example of such technology risk reduction efforts. In addition, the directorate is investigating approaches to leverage commercial SATCOM capabilities and services.”

Satellite operators agree that an increased reliance on commercial satellites may be the way forward in meeting DoD’s growing appetite for SATCOM. “Future deployments that require beyond line-of-sight services will be relying more on commercial offerings that complement military SATCOM,” said Steff Taylor, director of government services for Inmarsat. “In an asymmetric warfare environment, the need for costly MilSpec satellites in orbit is not as critical. It is now possible that policymakers and operational planners will outsource more to COTS [commercial off-the-shelf], including fully managed services.”

Inmarsat operates a fleet of 11 satellites, and is responsible for creating the Broadband Global Area Network, which provides secure and reliable mobile voice and broadband data communications “on the move” or “at the pause” for ground forces worldwide. Based in the United Kingdom, Inmarsat is currently working with Boeing to manufacture, deploy and operate a new constellation of satellites, the Inmarsat-5s. That will form the backbone of a the future Inmarsat Global Xpress network, which will be capable of delivering mobile broadband at speeds of up to 50 megabits per second.

Space Links

The issue with comms-on-the-move, according to Cobham’s Provencher, is “there is a huge tradeoff that has to take place between the size of the antenna and bandwidth efficiency. SOF wants small antennas, and the network really needs to be designed around the size of the antennae. Most satellite networks are comfortable and are legal to operate at Ku-band, and to a certain extent Ka-band, at around a 1.2-meter antenna. Obviously, you can’t put a 1.2 meter antenna on a UAV. But, when you go smaller than that, the beam width of the antenna gets wider, and that can cause adjacent satellite interference.”

Traditionally SOF is not under the same budgetary constraints as are other branches of the military. Provencher was not at liberty to disclose which units of SOF are customers of Landsystem’s comm-on-the-move antennas, but he did say, “If you are not on a tight operating budget for bandwidth, then you can use small aperture antennas, you can run the modulation schemes that don’t violate all of the international regulations and rules. So SOF does have an advantage there. But also even if it is not comm-onthe- move, but comm-at-the-pause, SOF has the same issues even when they are not moving. When you stop and break out a dish from your rucksack, set it up, it’s still very small, and has the same constraints and challenges of a comm-on-the-move antenna.”

System integrators realize that issues of size, weight and power are always of greatest concern with any gear operated by the SOF community. “Raytheon is engaged in several activities related to developing and deploying terminals on smaller platforms,” explained Raytheon’s Whatmough. Raytheon is the supplier of the Secure Mobile Anti-Jam Reliable Terminal (SMART-T) to the Army and Air Force and international partners.

Whatmough continued, “We have constantly evolved the electronics in our terminals over the past three decades to make them smaller, less expensive and higher in performance. One of the key technologies for smaller terminals is lightweight, low profile, high performance antennas. Over the years we’ve invested in antenna technologies that are suitable for smaller platforms and for mobile platforms.”

Moving forward, surmounting these kinds of beyond line-of -sight challenges facing special forces will require an integrated approach of manufacturers, system aggregators and satellite operators, Taylor predicted. “In order to be in a position to meet [DoD’s] changing requirements, the launch of our new Ka-band service, Global Xpress, will complete the portfolio of services that range from very low data rate through to true broadband capability in a highly mobile platform,” he said. “The Inmarsat portfolio fits exactly the requirements of special operations for mobility, reliability and ease of operation. These services will be available to military customers and will complement existing MILSATCOM in the future.”

Looking Up

The aerospace industry, along with STRATCOM and SMC MILSATCOM, has helped to dramatically improve and expand military satellite communications capabilities over the past few decades. Systems have evolved from single channel to today’s high-capacity systems, leveraging greater power, wider bandwidth and improved waveforms for secure tactical communications, with an ever-expanding assortment of terminal types. That development of small lightweight terminals has likely had the largest impact on the SOF community. From an early infrastructure of only a few large fixed terminals, SOF field operatives can now rely on thousands of small mobile terminals.

With more than 50 years of experience in providing the full range of military satellite systems in support of DoD, the contractors and vendors of the U.S. aerospace industry are uniquely positioned to apply lessons learned in space to the needs of the warfighters on the ground.

“As I see it,” concluded Cobham’s Provencher, “the biggest hurdle for SOF moving forward will continue to be, how do we make it small enough for these types of operators to carry along and use it inconspicuously, but give them the bandwidth that they need to do radio communications as well as ISR data rate communications? That’s a trade-off and requires cooperation from everybody, from the satellite manufacturers and operators, to the antenna makers, to the end-user.”

As military satellite communications systems continue to evolve and give way to the next even more advanced generation, these companies and military thought leaders will continue to make major contributions in each phase of acquisition, development and deployment.

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Weapon Optics: Red, Green Dot

It has become almost a pop-culture icon. Everyone is familiar with the scene in movies and on TV: A silent red dot appears on the chest or the back of the head, and we know that’s one dead bad guy. But nothing is so black and white, or red or green for that matter, in the real world of tactical gunsights. “It’s been said that the best riflescope is the one that’s on your rifle when someone is shooting at you,” said Daniel Pettry, product manager (rifle sights), Raytheon ELCAN Optical Technologies.

Gunsights have been around for just about as long as there have been rifles. The human eye just was not designed to focus precisely at great distances. In its simplest form, the original iron post gunsight allowed the eye to “sight” down the gun barrel and line it up with the intended target. But the eye is not very good at focusing on near and close objects at the same time. Modern optical gunsights or telescopic “scopes” were designed to make up for those limitations. Over the years a wealth of technologies developed to make targeting more accurate and marksmen more lethal.

Traditional thinking was that long barrels were required for long distance accuracy, and designing highly accurate optical sights for long-barreled weapons was not that challenging, mainly due to their relatively high sight radius. But with special ops fighters’ emphasis on short-barreled, lightweight combat carbines, optics needed to be rethought. “The biggest challenge,” said Pettry, “is evolving to the SOCOM community’s needs as they change. If you look at one of our sights even from as little as four years ago, to the exact same sight today, there is a pretty significant difference. Some manufacturers get stuck on one design and do not take the time to evolve with the battlefield.”

One leading sight is Zeiss’ Spotter 60, a 20-60x72 asset. It was designed from the ground up as a military spotting scope. It produces the highest quality image that technology currently is able to produce, according to the company. The Spotter 60 is armored and very robust, designed for abuse.

This system is adaptable to night vision devices via Picatinny rails that can be attached to five hard points on the body of the Spotter itself. The reticle design is a spotting scope with an “L” shaped design that leaves the field of view as open as possible.

The Zeiss Spotter 60 draws a fine line in a front focal plane scope that delicately balances thickness issues, making a reticle that is easy to use. And the reticle is illuminated. “Coatings on the glass, and the ease of sight picture, have a very forgiving effect on a soldier’s eyes when looking through the Spotter for long periods of time,” according to Carl Zeiss Optronics, USA, President and CEO Rick Miller. This in effect keeps the operator in the fight longer by not straining a trained spotter’s eyes over time to the point where he has to rest.

Raytheon ELCAN began development of the SpecterDR Rifle Scope in 2004, in close cooperation with the Navy for their special forces SOPMOD kit (Block II). The DR appropriately stands for dual role. SpecterDR actually switches instantly from a 4x-magnified sight to a 1x close quarters battle sight at the throw of a lever. “As you add more capabilities to a rifle sight, it gets bigger and more complex,” noted David Dalrymple, manager, global marketing and business development with Raytheon ELCAN. “So especially as that relates to the special operator, we are fighting that complexity-to-weight issue.”

With that in mind, Dalrymple and Pettry explained that the whole purpose of the SpecterDR was to answer the need for a single multipurpose sight that was not only equally capable at close quarters as it was at long range, but also a lens with the best technology available, all in a simple, yet rugged package.

“We are a little different than the metal fabrication companies that became rifle sight manufacturers in that ELCAN is, and always has been, a precision optics company,” said Dalrymple. “The glass that is within a riflescope is its driver. You have to start with the best glass, and fabricate it in ways that provide the performance the user requires—and we do that all in house— exactly.” Pettry amplified that point, saying that “instead of being a rifle sight company that is trying to figure out how to make the best glass, we already have the hard part figured out.”

According to Dalrymple, over 30,000 SpecterDR sights have been delivered to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in Indianapolis. “This represents only the tip of the iceberg, however, as the benefits of the SpecterDR are recognized and integrated into other elite infantry programs,” he continued. “In addition to the SpecterDR 1-4x and SpecterDR1.5-6x already in service, 1-6x and 5-10-20x multi function sights are being tested and evaluated.”

“As of right now every special operations unit in the United States is using [Raytheon ELCAN] sights in some capacity,” Pettry observed. “The feedback we have gotten is very positive. You know, unlike standard military, a lot of special operators have a choice of what they can carry, and that is the best feedback we can get—the fact that our sights are being chosen so widely by the special operators.”

Electronic Sights

Optical telescopic sights are more sophisticated than ever, combining not only the best in ground glass magnification, but also an ever-increasing variety of electronic enhancements. These electronic sights not only provide precision reticles that allow more precise targeting of the enemy, but also much greater situational awareness, critical in the SOF or tactical situation. There are many varieties of electronic sights, but they basically break down to three major categories: red dot or reflex sights, holographic sights, or laser sights.

A point of explanation: red (and/or green) dot sighting solutions should not be confused with laser sights—which actually do project a red or green “dot” on the target, essentially indicating the trajectory of the bullet. The “red dot” in a red dot gunsight refers to the reticle, or “cross hair” the shooter sees within the sight. They are not always red, nor even always a dot, but “red dot” is the general term for such a reflex gunsight.

Aimpoint Inc. is generally recognized as the originator of red dot gunsight technology, and continues to be a leader in red dot solutions. The Aimpoint Mark III was introduced and was used extensively by the U.S. military in the early 1980s. Today, Aimpoint’s CompM4 is the standard issue tactical sight for U.S. forces, according to retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Freddie Blish, director, military business development, with Aimpoint Inc. USA. “Like all Aimpoint red dot solutions, the CompM4 uses a bright red dot that eliminates parallax issues, and allows the warfighter to shoot with both eyes open for greater situational awareness.”

Taking one look at the CompM4 that Blish uses for training and demos, it looks pretty battle-worn. “What I do after shooting a grouping,” said Blish, describing a typical demo, “I take it off the gun, I throw it down the range, across the asphalt, concrete, gravel, whatever—and when I put in back on the gun, after just throwing it across the range, it holds the same point of aim, the same point of impact.”

The Aimpoint Micro T-1 has a 20 mm optical and objective lens as opposed to the 30 mm found on the larger CompM4, which makes it more practical for the smaller carbines and shotguns typically carried by special forces. But according to Blish, “the smaller lens does not in any way impact your ability to shoot and use it. This weighs only 4 ounces, where the other Aimpoints can weigh up to 12 ounces with their mounts. So you save as much as half a pound with this optic, and that’s really important to special forces operating at over 11,000 feet in the mountains of Afghanistan.”

The Marine Corps and the Army currently deploy the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight, (ACOG), designed and manufactured by Michigan-based Trijicon Inc. Unlike other reflex sights, the ACOG does not use batteries, and instead relies on tritium for illumination, providing a red chevron-shaped reticle. The ACOG also employs a bullet drop compensator, which corrects for the effects of gravity as a bullet flies closer to a target at great distances.

Trijicon has been making sights similar to the ACOG since the 1970s, and they have been popular with the SOF community ever since. In fact, it has been reported that many Marines and soldiers have bought the civilian version of the ACOG on their own, and agree that it was a worthy investment.

Matthew M., a soldier currently deployed internationally whose full name and rank could not be disclosed for security reasons, had this to say about using an ACOG in the field: “I am currently deployed to Tallil [Air Base in] Iraq, and I was issued an ACOG TA01NSN. I am a designated marksman and responsible for engaging targets from a distance for the safety of my troops. This scope is tough, and is accurate right out of the box up to 600 meters. It also has zero parallax. Hands down the best piece of equipment issued next to Gore-tex. It saves a lot of lives by allowing us to reach out and touch someone quickly and accurately.”

You Can’t Hit What You Can’t See

Even the most advanced and sophisticated optical or electronic gunsight still requires that you have line of sight with your target. This usually means if you can see the enemy, they can see you too. But what if you had a sight that could literally let you shoot around corners? That is the idea behind the SmartSight.

Invented by Matthew Hagerty, the SmartSight is a video “gun-cam” system that allows soldiers to shoot while remaining out of the line of fire. According to Hagerty, the SmartSight “consists of a wireless video camera mounted to the rail of an M4 or .308 SOCOM carbine, a small computer worn on a military vest, and a thumbnail-size color heads-up display affixed to a pair of protective glasses. In effect, SmartSight turns the muzzle of an assault rifle into a third eye—a soldier can crouch behind a blockade, stick his weapon over his head, and shoot his target with the same accuracy as if he were taking aim normally. No other weapon sight can do that.”

Hagerty has received a $7 million grant, and has four patents pending. He is hoping to turn over his fifth prototype of the SmartSight to special operations forces for testing next year.

High tech “heads-up” style gunsights are not only on the drawing boards of enterprising inventors, or relegated to the world of video games. Raytheon ELCAN has entered into partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create the Dynamic Image Gunsight Optic, or DInGO. DInGO aims to be an all-electronic rifle sight. In August, ELCAN was awarded a Phase I contract by DARPA to develop the fully electronic riflescope intended to enhance the marksmanship of soldiers and Marines. The DInGo riflescope will enable warfighters to engage targets from three to 600 meters with enhanced accuracy. DInGO will be retrofitted for the M4 and M16 combat rifles as a clip-on attachment to a traditional glass-and-metal sight.

According to an ELCAN press release, “DInGO’s proposed advanced features will include a reticle and field of view that will automatically adjust for target range, wind and bullet ballistics, enabling hands-free operation with point-shoot-hit capability.”

The idea is with DInGO, a soldier will be able to engage targets inside a building and then step outside and immediately suppress sniper fire at 500 yards away— without making a single adjustment to the scope itself. A laser rangefinder automatically adjusts to what the scope is pointed at, much like auto-focus and auto-zoom on a digital camera.

Keeping the Future In Sight

When asked what is next in riflescopes, Raytheon ELCAN’s Pettry said, “SpecterDR [has proved to be] one of the first successful multifunctional sights. In the future we plan to start gradually introducing more functionality, but the point is they will not be adopted by the customers if they are not reliable, and worth the additional cost in complexity they may add. An illuminated reticle is just one example of a small improvement. But then there was the issue of how to power that. However, battery and LED tech has improved so greatly that power consumption and weight for a lighted reticle is a non-issue. So that has become an acceptable evolution to the customer. We are going to continue to find ways to introduce technologies when they are mature, and when those added capabilities are worth it across the board.”

While there has been and certainly will be a trend toward more and more digital and imaging technology being added to riflescopes, high quality optical scopes will likely still have a place for years to come. “On the surface,” continues Pettry, “it may look like the nature of conflicts have changed for today’s warfighter, but when you really think about it, take the World War II soldier who was fighting from hedgerow to hedgerow in France, and then all of a sudden he is out from the hedges and fighting to take down a Germanoccupied town. It’s still the same kind of thing we are dealing with now, going from open country to urban fighting. The only difference is, then, you didn’t have any options. You had your iron sights and that was it, and so they didn’t think much about it. The needs haven’t really changed, but our abilities to improve upon what we can do to meet those needs—that changes constantly.”

 

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Navy SEALs Help Train Olympic Sailing Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO- Navy SEALs put 38 men and women from the United States Olympic Sailing team through an afternoon and morning of cold, gritty SEAL-candidate training at Memorial Park near the Olympic Training Center here March 10-11.

The SEAL & SWCC Scout Team, at the request of Olympic Training Center staff and United States Sailing Coach Kenneth Andreassen, led the sailors through two sessions of grueling exercises with heavy logs and calisthenics in the frigid cold Colorado wind with the object of sharpening the team's mental edge leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The day began with an education in mental toughness from the SEALs, who taught them how SEALs use goal setting, visualization, and anxiety-suppressing breathing techniques to condition their minds for tough situations. They spoke of their personal trials, failures and accomplishments in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) training and told the team to prepare themselves for a BUD/S-like test of their willpower. Then the sailing team ran a mile to Memorial Park to warm up for a bonding experience they would never forget.

The men and women endured countless push-ups, performed teamwork exercises, lifted heavy logs, immersed themselves in a frigid nearby lake, and rolled in dirt until they were filthy from head to toe. Then they did it again and again until they were exhausted and had to dig deep down inside themselves to persevere.

"I think today was fantastic," said Coach Andreassen. "It was phenomenal and it really taught us some good lessons. When things get tough, we have to keep on going. You have to put yourself in tough situations because if you can manage that, you can manage anything. "

Andreassen knew working with the SEALs would be special, but he never knew his sailors would be pushed so far.

"I pictured a tough day but it was tougher than I expected," Andreassan said. "Our guys and girls are going to look back on this and know they have more confidence and they can face the tougher conditions."

Amanda Clark, skipper, said learning mental toughness techniques, such as goal setting, would go a long way in competing against the world's best sailing teams.

"I think everything in goal setting rings true," Clark said. "Its race to race, tack to tack. It's not looking at something as big as the Olympics because it is so long that it can distract us from achieving our goals."

The relationship between the United States Olympic Committee and Naval Special Warfare has been mutually beneficial. Olympians from several teams, including rugby sevens, rowing, swimming, field hockey, and water polo, have improved their performance after training with the SEALs. Some, including members of the water polo team, medaled in the Olympics after their SEAL training. Meanwhile, the SEALs at Naval Special Warfare have had the satisfaction of watching the athletes be successful and spread their message of SEAL career awareness to high-performance athletes.

"We'll be watching them," said one SEAL, "and hope they get medals for the United States."

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Introducing the Beginning of the SOF Prep Cycle

On 12 March 2012, ShadowSpear will begin its first basic SOF preparation program to help those aspiring to take on an SOF selection.  The program covers the physical fundamentals of selection and participants will be assessed several times during the 13 week cycle. It is highly recommended that you read the below information prior to beginning the cycle. 

The first week of the cycle will consist solely of a basic PT assessment.  Monday through Friday will be the same assessment and we ask that you take it two times over the course of the week, aiming to achieve the best results possible.

It is important that you record your workouts and results to monitor your progress.   You can either print out trackers via the following links or create your own excel sheet:

Tracker:
http://shadowspear.com/wod-tracker.png

Tracker example:
http://shadowspear.com/wod-tracker-example.png

This particular program focuses on improving pushups, situps, pullups, running, swimming, and rucking.  While not all selection processes incorporate much swimming or rucking, they are core SOF abilities that are vital in order to be successful in selection and an SOF unit.  For example, while there are a few SOF units that focus on water skills, almost all require some form of water test to determine level of comfort and ability to survive in the water. Real world combat is unpredictable, and to be physically well-rounded means everything.  While swimming and rucking can be excellent workouts, they can also be quite challenging when goals are involved.  Many people ask how they can build mental toughness before selection.  Swimming and rucking are just two examples of exercises that can re-program your brain by building discipline and the foundation of the "never quit" attitude. 

This program begins at an easy level and gradually becomes difficult.  For the sake of this program, you should stick to the following guidelines:

Warmups: It is imperative that you warm up before you workout. Be sure you stretch and get your blood flowing 10-20 minutes prior to beginning the workout. Stretching directly after your workout is also important.  It will help to reduce injury during the workout and reduce soreness the following days.

Push ups: You should practice doing them by keeping your back straight, going all the way up, and past the plane as you go down (tapping your chest on the ground is ideal).

Sit ups: Be sure to go all the way up, but on the way down touch your shoulder blades to the ground.

Pull ups: Your chin should go clearly above the bar. Whether your hands face in or out, it is up to you or what your selection assessment may dictate. If you can knock out 20 pull ups, then it really doesn't matter how you do them, because they will require the same amount of work.  You might one day be in an urban environment as part of an SOF unit, which may require you to reach up and pull your body through a window (palms away trains for situations like this).  If the pull ups at the beginning are too easy for you, do your pull ups with weight. If you are weak in this area, it is recommended you do negative pullups. Simply step off a chair on to the bar and SLOWLY let your body hang.  You need to be proficient at pull ups to make it through any selection.

Running: Running with music tends to help people overcome weariness and improve their motivation, but keep in mind that you won't be running with an iPod in selection. It doesn't hurt to train with it, but we recommend you don't run to music all the time, especially on the assessment days. Train as you fight.  Try and avoid concrete sidewalks as a running surface.  Earth is by far the best, followed by tar.

Swimming: We already stressed the importance of being a good swimmer, so lets not beat a dead horse.  Obviously, not everyone will have access to a pool, so you may substitute swim days with non-impact cardio (bike, elliptical, etc). Nothing will substitute swimming, so it is highly recommended you swim as much as possible. Look for a local community recreation center or gym to make it happen.  Not a swimmer? Can't swim? If that is the case, you really need to learn.  Being a special operator means adapting and overcoming anything at any time. 

If the work out of the day calls for a 30 minute swim and you are a poor swimmer, you have three options: 1) look silly doggy paddling in the shallow end, 2) sign up for swim lessons, or 3) be a quitter.  You will not make it to the SOF world if you have chosen option number 3.  If you are planning to attend BUD/S, then you have no choice but to be a strong swimmer.  We all started somewhere; some later than others. Focus on building up the number of laps you can do without stopping and increase your pace.  You should learn how to do the combat sidestroke (google is your friend), as well as freestyle.  After this first prep phase, we will get into more advanced workouts to increase your abilities in the water.  It will cover the anaerobic/breath holding work, but with supervision due to the level of risk involved.

Rucking: Road marching sucks, plain and simple. You will ruck a lot in many units with heavy packs at rapid paces.  Not only will this cycle set the foundation for you, but you will learn tricks along the way that will aid in selection (such as opening your stride, knowing your pace, and dealing with issues like blisters).  You may want to purchase a cheap Army issued alice pack from an Army-Navy store (or online), or use a more comfortable pack capable of holding 45 lbs for 12 miles.

Miscellaneous Information

The weekends in the 13 week cycle are considered off day's.  If you missed a workout during the week, use one of these days as a make up day.

Supplements, with the exception of protein, are highly discouraged.  You would be surprised, but many supplements will cause issues you wouldn't even imagine. For example, products like creatine have occasionally caused shin problems, making running and rucking very painful.  Remember, the only supplements you will have in selection is the issued meals.

We look forward to seeing how you evolve, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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