DoD announces stationing of two Combat Aviation Brigades

We a future desire to become an Army Aviator I found this very interesting and informative for future use. The Department of Defense announced the stationing of two Army Combat Aviation Brigades. The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade will be split-based and established at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Fort Wainwright, Alaska, using existing aviation units not currently assigned to a combat aviation brigade. A new Combat Aviation Brigade, or CAB, will be activated at Fort Carson, Colo.

The 16th CAB stationing action realigns existing assets resulting in an increase of approximately 1,400 new Soldiers and 44 helicopters at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This action for the split-based CAB at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will begin in fiscal year 2012, and is expected to be completed by fiscal year 2014.

The Army recognizes Alaska as a strategic location and will continue to maintain a significant aviation presence there. This stationing increases the invaluable medical evacuation strength in Alaska by three additional aircraft in fiscal year 2013. It also validates the Army's commitment and support to the aviation infrastructure through military construction programmed for replacement and upgrade of the aviation facilities.

The new CAB activation at Fort Carson, Colo., will result in a total growth in Army forces and equipment by approximately 2,700 Soldiers and 113 helicopters. Fort Carson establishes the new brigade beginning fiscal year 2013 and is expected to be completed by fiscal year 2014.

The activation of these brigades will increase the capabilities of the active component of the U.S. Army and increase dwell time for aviation units between deployments in support of overseas contingency operations. These combined force structure actions represent integrated changes that support the Army's transformation requirements.

The Northern Warfare Training Center

The Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC) at Black Rapids Training Site south of Fort Greely, Alaska, teaches Soldiers to survive, maneuver and fight in the extreme conditions. Although the school is in the frozen north, the skills Soldiers learn here translate readily to places like Afghanistan's rough, mountainous terrain. The NWTC's commandant says training in such extremes make Soldiers more adaptable in all climates. Ever since the Revolutionary War, when the ill equipped and poorly trained Army of General Washington suffered in the cold at Valley Forge, many of our nation's conflicts have involved fighting in mountain terrain, cold weather, or both. The NWTC is responsible for developing and maintaining the U.S. Army's state-of-the-art cold weather and mountain warfare tactics and techniques.The NWTC teaches three basic courses during the harsh Alaska winter months: the Cold Weather Leader's Course, the Cold Weather Orientation Course and Arctic Light Individual Training. The Cold Weather Leader's Course is a two-week course that teaches everything from the basics of learning to stand and move on skis and snowshoes to a full range of arctic survival skills. Leaders must be mentally and physically ready to operate safely and effectively in high altitude and cold weather climates, according to McDonald. Having the confidence in themselves and their equipment in those conditions will give them the advantage they need to fight the enemy. The NWTC is providing techniques, tactics and procedures to enhance today's military in modern war fighting capabilities.




Sgt. Trish McMurphy, U.S. Army Alaska PAO

Army Ranger Recruiting 2

Here are some more reasons why you should be an Army Ranger. You might get a tomahawk. View discretion is advised.

Army tells Congress Iraq on track to transition by year's end

Mar 18, 2011
By C. Todd Lopez

 It's up to Iraq now to be successful in their own future, said Secretary of the Army John McHugh.

"The longer-term key for success, is the success of the Iraqi government," McHugh said, adding that in his personal opinion "we've brought them as far as we reasonably can be expected to bring them. We've given them every opportunity and every basis upon which to succeed and now it's up to them."

McHugh and Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. spoke March 16, before the House Appropriations Committee - Defense subcommittee regarding Army budget and posture.

McHugh said the Army is having success in its withdrawal from Iraq, and should meet an end-of-year deadline for American forces to withdraw from country.

In terms of American forces, and retrograde of equipment back to the United States, McHugh said that the drawdown in Iraq is "going about as well as anybody could have hoped."

Now, he said, the Army is down to about 50,000 troops in Iraq, who are providing advice and assistance to Iraqi forces, with about six advise and assist brigades in country.

Additionally, the Army has significantly reduced its footprint in country from what it had been. "We're down to about 73 bases, down from several hundred at our peak and the retrograde of equipment continues and in very good order," McHugh said. "And we are in fact ahead of our schedule to be totally out, as the order now stands at the end of this calendar year."

Both McHugh and Casey agreed that "development of civil society" in Iraq rests largely on the shoulders of agencies other than the U.S. military and American efforts should be led by agencies like the Department of State, for instance.

"The development of civil society really falls under the Department of State's bailiwick," Casey said. "We have redone our core doctrine in 2008 to say Soldiers will do offense, defense and stability operations. Stability operations basically provides a secure environment so these other types of civil-society development can take place. We have to ask ourselves, 'do we really want Soldiers doing civil-society development?' I really think that falls on Department of State and USAID and those kinds of agencies to do that."

Casey's comments had reflected McHugh's, who said "We need that whole-of-government approach, but I feel very confident and comfortable in having visited Iraq 16 times now, that is indeed happening."

LIGHTENING COMBAT LOADS

Lawmakers asked both McHugh and Casey about Army efforts to reduce the weight of gear carried by Soldiers in theater, sometimes as much as 130 pounds. Members of the committee expressed concern about muscular-skeletal conditions that could arise from carrying that much weight for too long.

"It's a challenge and it is something we work very hard on," McHugh said, saying it is Program Executive Officer Solider that is working on "lightening the load" for Soldiers and that the organization is working to "take ounces off in any way they can."

Nevertheless, McHugh said, there are some technical limits to reducing weight on Soldiers. In particular, he said, "we are pushing up against the limits of technology" in two areas, including development of lighter ceramics for body armor, and reduced-weight batteries to power Soldiers equipment.

The Army has a "very focused" effort on lightening the load for Soldiers, McHugh told legislators.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Also of concern to lawmakers: overuse and misuse of prescription painkillers by Soldiers.

"It's a serious problem," McHugh said. "We consider it one of the primarily indices we track in terms of stress on the force."

McHugh cited one reason for an increase in prescription drug use since 2001 -- Soldiers are taking wounds now that would have caused loss of life 15 years ago.

"And the pain medications are not just appropriate, but necessary in terms of caring for those Soldiers," he said.

The secretary told lawmakers the Army did a study on pain management that came back with 100 recommendations to ensure there is tight oversight of the prescription-drug program and to "ensure Soldiers are not becoming addicted."

"No one, I think, goes in and purposely becomes addicted to pain medication," McHugh said.

One system the Army is using to help prevent Soldiers from potentially becoming addicts is informed consent, which means making Soldiers aware of the dangers of their prescription ahead of time. Another is a system that mechanically manages a Soldier's drugs. The Electronic Medication Management Assistant, or EMMA system has been piloted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and creates a drug-delivery system "where you can only get one dose at the proper time," McHugh said.

Once challenge, McHugh said, is that Soldiers can go outside military medicine to seek treatment. "We have very little if any control over that," he said. "Soldiers are American citizens, and they are entitled to privacy."

GROUND COMBAT VEHICLE

It's expected the Ground Combat Vehicle will take seven years to deliver to the Army. That is too long, according to some lawmakers. Casey said he had originally hoped for delivery in less time, but that Army staff had said it could not be done.

"Both Secretary Gates and I pushed very hard to get this done in five years," Casey said. "And both of our staffs pushed backed and said seven is as fast as you could possibly do it."

McHugh also told lawmakers that the Government Accountability Office had said seven years might be too ambitious for delivery of the vehicle.

"GAO cautioned that seven years may be too quick," McHugh said. "No matter how we try to field a system, somebody has an opposing view."

The secretary told lawmakers the Army is trying to expedite the process by making things easier for industry to develop the system. For instance, he said the initial request for proposal to develop the system had 990 "tier one" requirements. The GCV program released an RFP in February 2010, but that RFP was ultimately canceled in August 2010, and re-released in November with streamlined requirements.

"I think the Army has come a long way in learning the lessons of the past," McHugh said.

FORCE BALANCE

Casey also told lawmakers that the Fiscal Year 2012 budget sustains balance the Army has achieved.

"Today we have made great progress toward the goals we set for ourselves in 2007. And as an Army we are starting to breathe again," Casey said.

That progress includes a permanent end-strength increase that had been directed by President Bush, and a temporary increase of 22,000 authorized by Secretary Gates in 2009.

Dwell time has also increased for Soldiers, he said. "This was a critical component to sustaining the all-volunteer force." In the past, Soldiers went back to the fight with less than a year at home.

"Beginning October 1 this year, Soldiers deploying after that time will deploy with an expectation of two years at home if they are in the active force, and four years at home if they are in the Guard and Reserve." The Army will continue to work toward a goal of three years at home.

TRANSFORMATION

Also, Casey said, the Army will complete the largest transformation of the service since World War II.

"We've finished modular conversion on all but a couple of our over 300 brigades," Casey said. And the Army has also balanced the skill set of Soldiers away from Cold War skills, to skills more suitable for today. ""That's about 150-160k Soldiers changing jobs."

Casey also said the Army Force Generation Model, the Army's model to provide Soldiers to combatant commanders is "a more effective and efficient way of building the readiness we need, when we need it."

The general summed up Army successes for lawmakers, by saying "after a decade of very hard work, we have a force that is the right size, that is organized into modular, versatile formations, that is operating in a rotational cycle, and that is beginning to have sufficient time at home to begin training for full range of missions and recover from war."

Secretary McHugh also told legislators that Soldiers in Japan are largely safe from concerns related to that nation's nuclear-reactor crisis. "From the perspective of their physical location, from the Army side -- Camp Zama, Okinawa -- our troops are located a significant distance from the actual reactor site," he said. And added "should things take a significant turn for the worse, we're prepared to react."

He also commented on the departure of General Casey as the chief of staff of the Army, saying "George Casey will leave service with his head held high and with a great many admirers, which I count myself among them."

Need for New Ground Combat Vehicle

The Army needs a new, next-generation Ground Combat Vehicle able to accommodate new technologies as they emerge, defend against a wide range of current and future threats and deliver a full nine-man squad under armor into the full spectrum of military operations. Army leaders underscored the need for development of a Ground Combat Vehicle, as an upgraded Bradley does not have the capacity to deliver a nine-man infantry squad into battle a critical requirement given how the Army conducts operations. Army leaders also stressed that current vehicles cannot accommodate future advances in the areas of armor protection, computing and networking technologies. The size, weight and power considerations impose clear limits on how much current vehicles can be upgraded. Unlike the Bradley, the Ground Combat Vehicle will be designed to deliver a full nine-man squad under armor to the battlefield, something considered crucial to the Army's ability to conduct fire and maneuver in close-quarters fighting in complex terrain. Maintaining small tactical unit integrity is consistent with the Army's Operating Concept which calls for Combined Arms Maneuver and Wide Area Security - ideas which underscore the expectation that the Army will need to move small units across a non-linear battlefield able to conduct a full range of military operations. Keeping the nine-man squad intact allows company commanders and platoon leaders to better focus on command of operations and not constrain their movement and positioning due to transporting squad members. Furthermore, the Ground Combat Vehicle would be of critical assistance in today's current combat environments in Iraq and Afghanistan in addition to being helpful against anticipated future threats. The Ground Combat Vehicle will be built with an incremental ability to add or remove armor protections as dictated by the threat level and what becomes available by way of new technologies.

The RFP outlines four big priorities for the Ground Combat Vehicle:

Force protection - to ensure the new vehicle can protect Soldiers against a wide range of current and future threats

Capacity - the ability to transport a nine-Soldier Infantry Squad to the battle, under armor

Full-spectrum operations - modular armor, open architecture, and growth potential;

Delivery time - designed to ensure the vehicle is delivered to Soldiers within seven years from the contract award

The Army plans to award up to three 24-month Technology Demonstration contracts.
The RFP outlines the need for mature technology and clear cost goals. The RFP states that the government intends to hit a target unit-manufacturing cost of $9-10.5 million per vehicle with operational sustainment costs of $200 per mile.

Kris Osborn

The Success of the Shadow

An unmanned aircraft system in the Army's fleet today is defying gravity, soaring ever higher in performance and zooming down on cost. In a budget-conscious Department of Defense, exceeding performance and cost goals are enough to make the RQ-7B Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle a target for recognition. Redstone Arsenal-based employees whose work is centered on product development, sustainment, cost, scheduling, performance and other life cycle management issues pertaining to Shadow. Described as the "workhorse" of the Army's unmanned aircraft systems, Shadow has exceeded 600,000 combat hours in Iraq and Afghanistan since it was introduced to the Army fleet in 2003, flying missions for the first time during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Army has fielded 98 Shadow systems, and the Marines 11. Its mission in unmanned, over-the-horizon reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition has made it a forerunner in providing situational analysis to Soldiers on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the simplicity in design caused problems with reliability. Early accidents of the Shadow system reached a rate of more than 400 per 100,000 flight hours. For the quarter ending in December 2010, the Shadow fleet achieved the lowest accident rate in its history, approaching 29 incidents per 100,000 flight hours. Not only have the number of incidents been drastically reduced, so, too, have been the expense of repairs when incidents do happen. Engine improvements have been the key to Shadow's increased reliability. In six months, accidents due to engine problems were reduced by 50 percent. The Shadow uses a 40-pound, 40-horsepower engine on missions that put a lot of stress on its engine. Engine improvements addressed carburetor icing, which occurs when Shadow flies in airspace ranging in temperature from 25 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, Rymut said. The improvement involved installing a heated throttle plate carburetor. In addition, the Shadow's oil pump was modified so that it could continue to pump oil at cold temperatures. The product office has also incorporated post-flight inspections, requiring that a field service representative check Shadow engines after each flight. Instead, those engines were replaced so that the Shadows could continue their mission. With as much flying as the Shadow does in battlefield conditions and often under poor weather conditions involving sand and heat on launch and landing, and cold temperatures at high altitudes. The Shadow's performance was also improved with the incorporation of a larger parachute, which was designed to decrease its rate of descent while also increasing weight and reliability system safety engineer for Shadow. The parachute, now doubled in size. In use since June 2009, the new parachute is more effective in controlling a smooth landing for the Shadow. Smoother landings mean more affordable repairs if there is a mishap. Steps have also been taken to "error proof" Shadow operations, minimizing the affect operator mistakes can have on the system. Automation has been incorporated in the system, and serves to check the system during pre-launch to ensure Soldiers follow all steps for a successful Shadow launch. The improvements are part of the growing pains that go along with a new system that is popular with Soldiers. Along the way, the Shadow's flight endurance has gone from five hours to nine hours, which decreases the number of Shadows needed to field a battlefield exercise. The Shadow's mission has expanded to include night-time reconnaissance, laser tagging of buildings and communications capabilities from Shadow operators to ground troops. Future capabilities will include arming Shadow with a weapon system and communications systems connecting it to manned aircraft. Now used at the brigade level, the Shadow management team said there is a potential for more Shadows to be fielded to brigade combat teams.
Kari Hawkins, USAG Redstone

Army Ranger Recruiting

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Smartphones for the Army?

With the billions of dollars the US Army spends in state-of-the-art technology, they're now looking for a battlefield advantage from a more common device: the smartphone. And they want to give one to every soldier enlisted.

Though it's still in the early stages of planning, the Army would like to give an iPhone or an Android-based handset to every soldier, plus pay for the bill. They believe the versitile nature of these devices—with their ability to display maps, intelligence, translate and allow battlefield communication—will make troops more effective in action. They'd even like phones to collect biometric data from enemies. But it doesn't stop there: they'd also like to incorporate such devices as iPads, Kindles, Nooks and other "connected" mobile devices of the like.

Currently, they're distributing smartphones to soldiers in specialized training programs, and have begun field testing with smartphones in February. Besides the gathering and distribution of these devices, other challenges include ruggedizing the devices, and providing secure networks for soldiers to use. But if all goes well, widespread use of these phones could happen as early as next year.

Adaptation of the Army Physical Fitness Test

I found this article which is about the Army changing the Army Physical Fitness Test to better evaluate a soldier on warrior tasks. It's by Kelly Schloesser (TRADOC) and found it important to the future of the Army.

FORT MONROE, Va., Feb. 28, 2011 -- Soldiers will be better prepared if they train how they would fight. This innovative physical readiness training philosophy, implemented by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, has driven the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School to revise not only how the Army conducts physical training, but also how it will evaluate a Soldier's physical capability.

WHY CHANGE?

Since 1980, the U.S. Army has assessed physical aptitude through the Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT. Commonly known as the "PT Test," Soldiers are required to complete three events: two-minutes of push-ups, two-minutes of sit-ups, and a two-mile run.
"Today's PT test does not adequately measure components of strength, endurance, or mobility. The events have a low correlation to the performance of warrior tasks and battle drills and are not strong predictors of successful physical performance on the battlefield or in full spectrum operations," said Lt. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, TRADOC's deputy commanding general for Initial Military Training, who holds a master's degree in exercise physiology.
As TRADOC's lead for the test review, Hertling collaborated with a 16-member team headed by Frank Palkoska, director of the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School, resulting in a recommendation to the Army for not just one, but two revised PT tests.
"The goal is to align the training and the tests with tasks that Soldiers have to perform on the battlefield so that the commander has a better tool to measure preparedness and can guide training for the unit," said Palkoska.

WHAT WILL THEY LOOK LIKE?

The proposed tests, the Army Physical Readiness Test, or APRT, and the Army Combat Readiness Test, known as the ACRT, align with Army Physical Readiness Training outlined in Training Circular 3-22.20, which was implemented Army-wide last August providing exercises, drills and activities appropriate for various levels of physical fitness.
The APRT, designed to replace the current APFT, expands from three to five events, eliminates sit-ups, increases the pace of push-ups, and replaces the long-distance run with shorter-faster runs. The five events include: 60-yard shuttle run, one-minute rower (exercise outlined in TC 3.22-20), standing long-jump, one-minute push-up, 1.5 mile run.
These events will more accurately test a Soldiers anaerobic and aerobic endurance while reducing the risk of injuries. The current test also only provides a "snapshot" assessment of upper and lower-body muscular endurance and fails to identify anaerobic capacity, said Hertling.
In order to better assess anaerobic capacity that drive high-intensity bursts of energy, the run will be changed to 1.5 miles.
"Soldiers will tend to run faster, testing the anaerobic energy system in their body," said Hertling of the 1.5 miles. The shorter-faster run, requiring a significant burst of energy, will better prepare Soldiers for the intensity of today's battlefield, he said.
To better assess muscular endurance, the one-minute rower and push-up events will not allow Soldiers to pause and rest. This will require non-stop muscle movement that will demonstrate immediate muscle fatigue and failure.
TRADOC is also recommending Soldiers take the ACRT, which incorporates warrior tasks and provides a more accurate assessment of the physical readiness training program and the Soldier's individual capability. The ACRT will be executed in the Army Combat Uniform, Advanced Combat Helmet, and weapon, and includes a 400-meter run, hurdles, a high crawl, casualty drag, sprints, and several other movement drills.
The ACRT is designed to not only correlate with readiness training, but also to provide a more accurate picture of a Soldier's ability to perform Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills. The test incorporates several exercises and drills from the physical readiness training circular and provides a testing environment similar to that on the battlefield.
"Previously, we primarily trained for the assessment," said Palkoska. Now our training will drive the test, not the other way around, he said.

WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN?

The Army will begin pilot testing at approximately eight locations with multiple units in order to set standards. The pilot currently plans to align age categories for the test scores with the American College of Sports Medicine and Cooper Institute, broadening age categories to under 30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60 and above, for both genders.
Following the establishment of standards and a thorough review, likely lasting through the summer, the tests can then be approved for Army-wide execution. Implementing the new tests is the final step in the Soldier Athlete initiative to better prepare Soldiers for strenuous training and the challenges of full-spectrum operations.

http://www.army.mil/-news/2011/02/28/52548-tradoc-revises-army-physical-fitness-test/?ref=news-home-title9