In a recent demo at a Fort Hood training area, the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center unveiled the latest technology in unmanned military vehicles, according to a press release on the group's website.
During the demonstration, two driverless vehicles worked through training ground streets covered with obstacles and oncoming traffic to effectively work with another manned vehicle within a convoy. At the same time, the vehicles followed the rules of the road, avoided pedestrians and managed to change routes several times to showcase the technology's decision-making capabilities and precision. Exhibiting advanced autonomous features, the new technology could present a future method of keeping soldiers out of dangerous locations while completing supply missions and other tasks.
Unmanned vehicles make a debut in the near future
Although the technology is still in testing phases, TARDEC is well on its way to producing independent unmanned vehicles on schedule. The group has set a national date to release a series of driverless vehicles as part of the Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System. That equipment is set to be introduced in 2025, according to Military Times. However, TARDEC Director Paul Rogers believes the driver assist technology could be released for military personnel by next year, and that vehicles could be traveling without soldiers behind the wheel within three years.
The technology still needs a lot of work before it can make a debut on the battlefield. According to Military Times, the equipment uses advanced radar and lidar systems to pinpoint oncoming traffic, and obstacles and read the surface of the road and painted lines. Using a pre-programmed system, coordinates can be punched in and a specific route can be followed by the vehicles, or they can be programmed to follow other manned vehicles within a convoy.
In a controlled environment, the systems work very well, but the unmanned vehicles are unready for other areas.
"In a military or unstructured environment, the challenge becomes much more significant," Rogers said, according to Military Times. "We're looking at how to make our systems robust so that they're able to operate in more of these unstructured environments."
Reportedly the vehicles cannot complete more complicated street maneuvers and have not fully passed exercises that require backing up or K-turns, but the technology's developers remain optimistic.
"We are very happy with the results, but the AMAS must undergo more testing before it becomes deployable," Bernard Theisen, TARDEC's lead AMAS engineer, said on the group's website.
Keeping soldiers out of harm's way but still in the field
According to TARDEC officials, the aim of the AMAS is not to replace soldiers. Instead, allowing the vehicles to operate themselves will give soldiers more leeway to work in a defensive capacity in convoys or to complete other tasks while in route to destinations. The system is intended to increase the capability of the vehicles and allow soldiers to retain more situational awareness or operate from a safer distance in particularly dangerous locations. Additionally, taking soldiers out of particular vehicles can help reduce vehicle weight by stripping vehicles of armor, allowing for greater mobility. Ultimately, equipping convoys with unmanned vehicles could drastically improve the performance and effectiveness of soldiers.
A new study, which appears in JAMA Surgery, is showing that a relatively new method of combat care could be saving soldiers' lives. It's called Damage Control Resuscitation. This method of servicemember care is intended to optimize wounded soldier outcomes by reducing blood loss and increasing tissue oxygenation, according to an infographic released by the JR Army Med Corps, and it encompasses an eight-step process after a soldier is wounded in the field:
- Novel hemostatics reduce blood loss and dress wounds
- Battlefield Advanced Trauma Life Support or emergency on-site surgery is provided to buy time to move servicemembers to the next level of care
- Enhanced Medical Emergency Response Teams composed of four-practitioners provide advanced interventions while the soldier is rapidly transported
- The wounded soldier goes through consultant based resuscitation at a nearby hospital or field hospital
- Hemostatic resuscitation – restoring and sustaining normal tissue blood flow – is pursued
- Physicians run bedside diagnostics
- Damage control surgery is performed
- An intensive therapy/treatment unit or Critical Care Air Support Team is dispatched for ongoing treatment or transport
This system brings wounded soldiers from the point of wounding and battlefield care to hospitals. According to Military Times, JAMA Surgery researchers are calling DCR "one of the most important medical breakthroughs of our current conflicts."
A silver lining
Unfortunately, the tremendous improvement in battlefield care has brought surviving soldiers to hospitals, which may have pushed in-hospital deaths of Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers to reach historic heights. To put it into perspective, the amount of servicemember deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan has been very low. However, DCR services provide such speedy evacuations and effective care that critically wounded soldiers make it to hospitals but succumb to their wounds despite the efforts.
Many believe that more soldiers would have died of their wounds without the DCR treatment. In fact, Military Times reports that JAMA Surgery author Nicholas Langan attributes many of the deaths to head injuries, not hemorrhaging or blood loss. Such an assessment suggests that DCR is improving survivability for troops.
Helping enhance in-hospital outcomes
Moving wounded troops to hospitals faster and in better condition increases their chances of survival. Now, researchers must make determining how to improve emergency room outcomes a priority. JAMA Surgery officials think there is a possibility of saving a great deal of patients by giving in-hospital care more attention.
"There appears to be a significant potential for salvage in up to 50 percent of patients who die of wounds at a military treatment facility," Langan wrote in the study, according to Military Times.
Nonetheless, there is wide agreement that DCR efforts have vastly improved wounded soldiers' outcomes since the procedure's adoption in 2006. Of the 57,179 troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan only 4.5 percent have died due to their injuries. Of that amount, 80 percent died within 24 hours of arriving to a military treatment facility.
Moreover, many military medical professionals claim that this high attention to combat casualty outcomes could likely improve patient results in future wars. The Pentagon is working to chronicle all combat casualties in the Joint Trauma Registry, and the compiled data could lead to further medical breakthroughs.
In a report by the Military Times, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Drew Sloan said greater energy efficiency can save lives. A high dependency on diesel fuel leaves soldiers dependent on this energy source to power everything from base generators that make cooking meals possible to combat vehicles used to travel in dangerous areas. That means soldiers are on the hook when it comes to obtaining oil, and a loss or reduction of supply can leave servicemembers stranded and poorly equipped defensively.
Traveling in dangerous convoys
Sloan also told reporters for the Military Times that convoys that transport these fuels are largely susceptible to attacks by insurgents, and greater access to renewable energy sources could lessen risks and increase independence.
"When you create a culture change and behavioral change in which people use their resources more productively, you take convoys off the road," Sloan said. "You lessen soldiers exposure to ambushes and [improvised explosive devices]. When you use renewable resources, you do the exact same thing."
According to Sloan, replacing just diesel generators with arrays of solar panels means less need for fuels transported by convoys and eliminates the necessity for fuel powering those convoys. According to the Department of Defense, roughly 3,000 army personnel and contractors were killed or injured during convoy attacks between 2003 and 2007.
Military green initiatives
The Associated Press reported in 2012 that the U.S. military plans to generate enough energy from renewable sources on military bases to equal the energy output of three nuclear plants by 2025. Of that, armed forces planned to announce a goal of generating 3 gigawatts of energy on Air Force, Navy and Army bases using renewable sources. According to the Department of Defense, petroleum-based liquid fuels accounted for over 70 percent of the group's total energy usage in 2010. Everything from ground vehicles and aircrafts to base generators uses a form of fossil fuel, but the military intends to change that.
Recently, the AP reported that Purdue University will be working in conjunction with the U.S. Navy to discover better ways of using alternative power sources. It is all part of a green energy initiative that hopes to convert half of the Navy and Marine Corps' energy to alternative sources by 2020. The military and Purdue University plan to meet that goal using increased levels of biofuel, energy conservation methods and technological innovations.
Recently, the Military Times reported that the Department of Defense has announced several plans to further increase renewable energy use and energy efficiency by 2025. Devices such as solar cells, electric combat vehicles, solar blankets and solar panels are being field tested by soldiers every day to discover ways to reduce dependency on oil and other fossil fuels.
The AP reported in 2012 that roughly 90 percent of the energy used by the federal government goes to military efforts. That equates to roughly 2 percent of the entire country's energy usage. Increasing renewable energy usage can save lives, and it can also reduce military spending.
To increase security and provide increased reconnaissance concerning groups of Islamic extremists in the region, U.S. forces have raised the number of drone surveillance flights over Iraq, according to an article published by Military.com.
President Barack Obama has authorized the buildup of 775 U.S. troops in Iraq, of which roughly 640 servicemembers have arrived in the region. Instead of relying on ground forces, however, Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing that armed and unarmed drones would be flown over Iraq.
Increased security measures
"We continue to fly both manned and unmanned aircraft over Iraq at the Iraqi government's request predominantly for reconnaissance purposes," Kirby said.
Although most of the drones are unarmed, some have been equipped with Hellfire missiles to protect the U.S. embassy and the airport in Baghdad, according to Military.com. Additionally, Kirby told reporters the armed drones were being used for increased security for other reasons.
"The reason that some of those aircrafts are armed is primarily for force protection reasons now that we have introduced into the country some military advisors whose objective will be to operate outside the confines of the embassy," Kirby said.
According to Military.com, the number of unmanned drone flights over Iraq has increased from roughly 35 per day to gain intelligence about the developing threats presented by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces to 50 flights per day. Additionally, the 775 troops sent to the area have been charged with providing increased security at the U.S. embassy, installing Joint Operation Centers in Baghdad and advising Iraq's security forces. They are not meant to serve in ground combat.
"We're taking a very measured, deliberate approach," Kirby said.
A build up of troops, but no plans to deploy
The 775 soldiers are a tiny portion of the 31,000 troops and sailors within the area, according to Military.com. U.S. forces have deployed aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and several other commissioned vessels into the area, yet there is no assault plan ready unless U.S. territory is threatened.
According to a report by The Associated Press, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has said that no assault against Iraqi insurgents will be made unless those forces become a threat to the American homeland.
Instead, Dempsey said that he does not believe a strong U.S. military force is necessary to bolster Iraqi forces in battling the ISIL insurgency. The general conceded that U.S. military action could be a future possibility, but encouraged a higher focus on political reform within the country instead.
"I think the situation demands first and foremost that the Iraqi political system find a way to separate the Sunnis who have partnered now with ISIL, because they have zero confidence in the ability of Iraq's politicians to govern," Dempsey told reporters, according to the AP.
After 238 years of operation the U.S. Navy has promoted Vice Adm. Michelle Howard to admiral, making her the first four-star officer in the military branch's history, according to a White House report. A 1982 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and a member of the Army's Command and General Staff College class of 1998, Howard's long career has encompassed 32 years of military tours.
During her induction ceremony, held at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus affirmed that Howard was ultimately the best pick for the job.
"The Navy picked the best officer to be the [Vice Chief of Naval Operations]," Mabus told an audience of roughly 100, according to an article in the Military Times. "That's what happened here today. We should not make decisions based on anything other than how well you perform in the Navy."
This is not Howard's first time making Naval history. According to her Naval biography, she became the first African-American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy in 1999 when she took command of the USS Rushmore.
According to Howard, the promotion can be a source of inspiration for women aspiring to join the Navy.
"This Navy has come tremendously far." Howard told reporters. "Women can become fighter pilots. We have a woman who is a carrier air group commander now … It's a great Navy and a great opportunity for women."
According to Navy Personnel Command numbers, women currently make up 18 percent of the Navy's total service with over 67,000 active duty and reserve servicemembers.
Aside from the historic promotion, Howard is well known for her duty with Task Force 151, which conducted counter-piracy operations in 2009 after a U.S. cargo ship was overtaken by Somali pirates. The coordinated efforts of Howard and Task Force 151 eventually saved abducted officer Capt. Richard Phillips.
President Barack Obama will announce his nomination for the next secretary of Veterans Affairs on Monday. Robert A. McDonald is expected to be chosen for the position.
Who is Robert McDonald?
McDonald recently retired as chairman of Procter & Gamble, a Fortune 500 company with which he worked for 33 years. Although some question his ability to work with a government agency after being involved with the private sector for so long, McDonald has a strong military background.
McDonald's father served in World War II with the Army Air Corps. As the son of a veteran, the military was part of his early life. He went on to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated in the top 2 percentile of his class, according to USA Today. After college, he served in the Army for five years and became a captain in the 82nd Airborne Division. When he left the military, he received the Meritorious Service Medal.
In his life after service, McDonald went back to school and got his MBA from the University of Utah in 1978. He then started working at P&G in 1980, serving as a brand manager for several big name companies, including Tide. After making his way up in the company, he later becoming chief operating officer and then chairman of the board.
Issues with the VA
McDonald will be replacing Army general Eric Shinseki, Obama's nomination from 2009, who resigned from the position on May 30.
A recent upheaval has shaken the agency amid allegations that it hasn't been providing veterans with proper medical care. An internal audit identified problems that may have caused delayed care and the falsification of records.
McDonald's experience in the private sector and with business management are being touted as key points for his consideration for the position. His experience with managing a large company is seen as potentially helpful when it comes to managing the thousands of hospitals administered by the VA. The New York Times reported that McDonald managed 120,000 employees between 2009 and 2013 and that his company served over five billion customers.
Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChystal, who served with McDonald in the 82nd Airborne, said the nominee's "business acumen, coupled with his dedication and love of our nation's military and veteran community, make him a truly great choice for the tough challenges we have at VA," the Associated Press reported.
"This is definitely a surprising pick," said Paul Rieckhoff, the chief executive and founder of charity organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told the New York Times. "McDonald is not a name that was on anyone's radar over the last few weeks. His branding background may prove helpful because there are few organizations in America with a worse reputation toward customers than the VA right now."
In order to become the official secretary of Veteran Affairs, McDonald's nomination will need support from both the Republican and Democratic parties. He must get congressional approval before being appointed.
This week marks the start of RIMPAC 2014, the multinational maritime training exercise. First started in 1971 by the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, this program has joined naval units around the globe in a collaborative exercise for the past 23 years. The United States will be sending 24 ships to participate, including various cruiser, destroyer, frigate, aircraft carrier, amphibious assault, littoral combat, and attack submarine ships. Overall, the 2014 event will include 47 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft carriers and 25,000 sailors.
Wide array of training exercises
RIMPAC will continue from this week until the beginning of August. The Pacific Fleet has scheduled events in the areas of disaster relief, maritime security operations, sea control and complex war fighting. The Navy has also planned a number of training exercises for participants of the event, including "amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises as well as counterpiracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations," according to the Navy.
New participants
For the first time, the People's Republic of China will be participating in the event, which aims to foster cooperative relationships between countries around the world to sustain better security on global ocean space. The event, held every two years, takes place in the Pacific Rim, in and around the Hawaiian islands. This ocean area in particular has a long history of naval action and warfare, as WWII veterans in life after service know. This year, 22 countries will participate in RIMPAC, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the People's Republic of China, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Tonga, the U.K., and the U.S. Both China and Brunei are first-time participants.
The U.S. Navy invited China to the event in the hopes of easing growing naval tensions between that country and neighboring states. As China's naval forces have grown, a few territorial disputes have occurred with Taiwanese and Vietnamese naval forces.
"As the United States builds a stronger foundation for a military-to-military relationship with China, it also will continue to monitor China's evolving military strategy, doctrine, and force development and encourage China to be more transparent about its military modernization program," read the Pentagon's annual 2014 report to Congress.
Global maritime cooperation
Hopefully, the invitation and acceptance to participate in this years RIMPAC exercise will improve the relationship between China's navy and U.S. defense, answering part of the question of, as Ronald O'Rourke explained in a Congressional Research Service report, "how the U.S. should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort," which he cites has having "emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning."
In a meeting between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, they agreed that "enhanced and substantive military dialogue and communication would foster greater understanding and expand mutual trust."
On July 4 this year, America turns 238. Independence day marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776 to proclaim U.S. independence from England. This document was vital in defining America as its own, separate entity, no longer subjects of the British king. The American Revolution had already been underway for the year leading up July 4, 1776. With the conflict heating up, a five-man committee decided to create a document that outlined the ideals of what would one day be the United States of America.
It was Richard Henry Lee of Virginia who first presented a proclamation of independence on June 7, 1776. He was quoted saying, "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
Following in the days after this proposed resolution, with each colony tasked with voting either for or against Lee's influential words, there was no direct solution, as some disagreed with this proclamation. In order to appease opponents, a committee was instructed to draft an official resolution document. The committee consisted of John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Thomas Jefferson. They presented a statement, the Declaration of Independence, describing the case for emancipation, to Congress.
On July 1, 1776, the colonies voted again on Lee's proposed resolution, drafted into the Declaration. With nine votes for the Declaration, two against, one undecided and one abstaining from voting, the resolution was approved. Subsequent drafting occurred until July 4, when the declaration was officially approved. This act was the first united action that America took against Britain, and the first step on the road to becoming its own independent nation. What started out as a country of 2.5 million in 1776 has since grown to a nation of 311.17 million in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Population Clock.
July 4 is now a day on which those fighting to maintain the independence of the U.S. in the military or life after service should be recognized for their service to the country. The forefathers fought for the independence of America from its colonial ruler, forming a union of states under one set of ideals, and July 4 is a day to remember the early military strength of the nation.
The White House announced Monday that Sgt. Ryan Pitts will receive the Medal of Honor for his participation in the Battle of Wanat in Afghanistan, the highest award honor that a soldier can receive. Pitts will be the ninth living soldier from the Iraqi and Afghan wars, according to the Army Times, to be given the Medal of Honor. Seven other soldiers had received the award posthumously.
The Battle of Wanat occurred on July 13, 2008, when 200 enemy fighters attacked Pitts' post around 4 a.m. The Wall Street Journal reported that all of the paratroopers were injured at the scene and two died. Pitts was hit with shrapnel in his arm and leg. Despite suffering from a large wound on his thigh, he continued to fight, throwing grenades to hold back the insurgents. He soon found himself to be one of the only troops still able to fight. Staff Sgt. Sean Samaroo, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Spc. Michael Denton and Spc. Jacob Sones protected the post while Pitts fought and they only were able to find relief when backup helicopters arrived. Pitts was evacuated from the area due to medical reasons, along with Sgt. Samaroo, and Spcs. Sones and Denton.
According to the defense department's report of the battle, Pitts "allowed U.S. forces time to reinforce the [observation post] and bring-in airstrikes which turned the tide of the battle."
Col. Bill Ostlund, who served with Pitts at the time, gave Pitts credit for saving many of his fellow soldiers' lives and for preventing them all from being overrun by the enemy.
Pitts left the Army in 2009 for medical reasons. He currently is spending his life after service in Nashua, New Hampshire with his wife, Amy, and son, Lucas, working for a computer software company helping with business development.
"Everybody sacrificed a lot that day," Pitts said to the Army Times, describing how he felt about receiving the Medal of Honor. "I try to think about the guys we lost and try to do my best to honor them and the gift they gave me. I hate the word 'hero.' But I feel very fortunate when I look at the guys I served with. They're my heroes. It was the honor of my lifetime to serve with them."
The idea of a soldier climbing up on a horse and riding into battle may seem like a scene out of the Old West, but the Marines have recently begun to reconsider how horses are used in the military. According to USA Today, a program is being run in the Sierra dessert that will train Marines and Special Forces to ride and care for their new mounts.
Tony Parkhurst is the director of the horsemanship and mule packing course. A retired Marine himself, Parkhurst has spent his life after service continuing to help his fellow soldiers. He created the program based on old training manuals from the time of the U.S. Cavalry and has been studying the fighting tactics of the Native Americans.
"The Indians were actually better than our cavalry," Parkhurst told USA Today. "They were phenomenal guerrilla fighters."
The use of horses in warfare is an age-old tradition that died out when tanks and other technology became available in the first half of the 20th century.
Horses in modern warfare
In today's combat zones, such as Afghanistan, horses can be an invaluable resource that soldiers taking the horsemanship course will be able to utilize. With its mountainous and rocky terrain, a tank or military vehicle can only go so far. Instead of having to travel ahead on foot, the horses give the soldiers better mobility. They also are able to cover much greater distances than a soldier on foot, cutting down on travel time. Horses provide a quieter and more covert method of transportation compared to vehicles, allowing troops to travel undetected. The unconventional battle situations that the Marines face in such areas requires unconventional methods.
The program is being operated through the Mountain Warfare Training Center in California, according to a release issued by the Marine Corps. On top of learning to ride horses and mules, the Marines here learn how to utilize pack animals, which help greatly when it comes to transporting gear over large distances.
"We teach Marines how to use pack animals and riding animals as a means to transport people and supplies when ground vehicles or air support isn't possible," Parkhurst was quoted saying in the release. The Marine Corps stopped using pack animals in 1953, but the Department of Defense began to re-explore their usefulness in 1983.
Benefits of animal knowledge
The Marines are also taught the basic veterinary skills needed to maintain their horses in the field and how to manage a herd. This knowledge comes in handy when they are interacting with the nomadic tribes of areas such as the Middle East, providing a basic connection. The soldiers are able to help locals with their herds if necessary, which can help build trust between the two groups.
Mark Rossignol, former business manager for Smith Lake Stables, helped run a now-closed program similar to the MWTC that was run out of Fort Bragg. He explained the importance of this to Horse Channel.
"We teach them about anatomy and basic vet care," he said. "That's because many times these troops are working with the local people."