Marines: Blue Force Tracking parts on time, on budget

Marines: Blue Force Tracking parts on time, on budget

By Jacqueline Boucher   TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. — Team Tobyhanna is fabricating thousands of electrical and mechanical components for the U.S. Marine Corps. Last year, the Marine Corps Systems Command asked Tobyhanna Army Depot to produce 22,855 items destined to be installed on Marine Corps Blue Force Tracking High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (Humvees). With a completion date of May, several depot shops rose to the challenge to complete nine different mechanical components and seven different electrical cable assemblies, a project valued at $8.4 million. Blue Force Tracking provides location information of friendly and hostile military forces. “We continually get great results from Tobyhanna,” said Project Officer Dan Scarber, […]

A Plan to Make — and Break

A Plan to Make — and Break

By Mr. Dale A. Ormond, Director, U.S. Army Research, Development And Engineering Command Most planning involves developing a series of concrete steps and conditional decision points that together define a good way ahead, and then—as no plan survives contact—adjusting that. As director of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), when I contemplate the Army’s 30-year plan to modernize the force, I see our goal as not only to break that plan, but to break it often and before anyone else does. It is our job to make the Soldier’s kit obsolete. This we must do if we are to help the Army maintain its unparalleled dominance on […]

From Concept to Reality

From Concept to Reality

Pentagon demo shows leadership how the Integrated Air and Missile Defense system will revolutionize Army Air and Missile Defense   By Maj. Scott Gill and Mr. Dave Witteveen   The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office (IAMD PO) and the Fires Center of Excellence held an “Immersion Day” at the Pentagon, March 18-19, to demonstrate the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (AIAMD) concept with the IAMD Battle Command System (IBCS). “AIAMD will fundamentally change the way Army Air and Missile Defense (AMD) forces organize, train, and fight, as we componentized sensors and shooters into an integrated network that provides unprecedented capability and flexibility to our commanders in the […]

The 30 Year Plan: Planting the seeds for the U.S. Army’s future and trying to predict the future are two sides of the same coin

The 30 Year Plan: Planting the seeds for the U.S. Army’s future and trying to predict the future are two sides of the same coin

By Steve Stark   FORT BELVOIR, Va. – The theme of newest edition of Army AL&T magazine looks 30 years in the future to develop a plan—albeit one that will have to be broken, changed and modified to meet the operational needs of the future—in the April-June issue, available online now. “As we draw down forces from Afghanistan, today is the best time to plant seeds for the army of the future,” writes the Hon. Heidi Shyu, the Army acquisition executive and assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology. A period of budget austerity may not seem like the best of times—more like the worst—to plant those […]

New deployable kennels for military dogs mitigate temperature extremes

New deployable kennels for military dogs mitigate temperature extremes

By Audra Calloway, Picatinny Public Affairs   PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (April 21, 2014) — In Afghanistan, summer temperatures soar to 120 degrees and winter temperatures dip into the teens. Mix in some blinding sandstorms and one can appreciate the importance of adequate military shelter not only for Soldiers, but also for military working dogs. To keep the working dogs healthier and more comfortable during deployments, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center engineers from Picatinny and Rock Island are developing kennels for environments with temperature extremes, said Project Officer Frank Altamura, who is with the Program Executive Office for Ammunition. The duties of military working dogs include patrolling and searching for […]

Warfighters can soon use rugged, encrypted smartphone detectors to identify chemical and biological agent

Warfighters can soon use rugged, encrypted smartphone detectors to identify chemical and biological agent

By ECBC Communications   A warfighter is performing a mission in a dangerous area where civilians are showing signs of a possible chemical or biological agent exposure. Without the luxury of a full laboratory at his fingertips, it would be difficult for him to investigate the situation right then and there, prolonging any type of additional effort, possibly putting his life and the civilians’ lives in jeopardy. Thanks to the strong partnership between scientists and engineers at U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), iSense, LLC., U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), this dangerous scenario would not occur. ECBC, iSense, […]

Developing viable Army energy projects start to finish is a team effort

Developing viable Army energy projects start to finish is a team effort

By Julia Bobick, U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville   HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (April 15, 2014) — It’s been a learning process for the past few years to ensure every new Army Energy Conservation Investment Program project has what it needs from start to finish — from the first photovoltaic module installed to the last foot of cable that securely ties the system into the installation network. Part of the appropriated fund military construction program, known as MILCON, but funded separately by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Energy Conservation Investment Program, or ECIP, projects are designed to dramatically change energy consumption at an installation or joint base, implement […]

Congressmen, Army break ground on future site of R&D hangar

Congressmen, Army break ground on future site of R&D hangar

By Kristen Kushiyama   JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – Congressmen, U.S. Army senior executive service members and other military officials gathered at the Joint Base’s Lakehurst section for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site of a future Army research and development aircraft hangar here April 11. Reps. Jon Runyan and Chris Smith from New Jersey’s third and fourth districts joined leaders from the Army’s research and development community and the Army Corps of Engineers for a symbolic “first dig” at the hangar site slated for completion January 2016. The Research, Development and Engineering Command’s communications-electronics center, or RDECOM CERDEC, hosted the event. The Army awarded Pennsylvania-based Bedwell Company a $42 […]

Continuous process improvement coming to your nearest ACC field office

Continuous process improvement coming to your nearest ACC field office

By Ms. Dawn M. Scott   The Army Contracting Command (ACC) has established a continuous process improvement (CPI) team in its Operations Group that will assist with the implementation of initiatives throughout the command. “The goal of the CPI program is to document, analyze and improve all of our processes, measure our success along the way and to take the organization to increasingly higher levels of performance. High-performing organizations improve employee morale and customer satisfaction,” said J.R. Richardson, ACC Operations Group director. “I have established very effective Lean Six Sigma programs at other organizations, and I can attest to the great things that CPI programs can do for organizations.” Lean […]

Army Reserve offers acquisition opportunities

Army Reserve offers acquisition opportunities

By Lt. Col. Jim Craig   Do you have acquisition experience that you could use to continue to benefit the U.S. Army? Would you like to gain or hone these valuable skills? The Army Reserve is pursuing qualified officers, noncommissioned officers (NCOs), and civilians for the Army Reserve Acquisition Corps. Whether you are transferring out of the active component or are already in the Army Reserves, you might very well have what the Acquisition Corps needs! Potential benefits for this move may include, but are not limited to: Reserve pay, retirement and status benefits Continued education to further industry-recognized Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certifications and Army military education […]