In its never-ending search for ways to give commandos an edge in combat, U.S. Special Operations Command is looking to take a page out of the Harry Potter playbook.
Socom, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, is looking to research and development groups, academia, industry and individuals for technologies that can cloak, as much as possible, the electronic “signatures” coming from commandos and their equipment in the field. The harder it is for commandos to be found, the easier it is for them to do their job safely and come home.
To that end, Socom has issued a request for information for “multispectral signature reduction for the individual soldier and his equipment including materials or technologies that reduce the likelihood of detection/identification/targeting of SOF operators and vehicles,” according to the request, put out on the FedBizOps website.
Would-be Dumbledores whose ideas are accepted will get to put them in the hands of commandos at a week-long technical experimentation event taking place in February at Camp Blanding, the sprawling Florida Army National Guard joint training complex in Starke. The idea is to have the commandos help determine which technologies merit further investigation and possible “government/Industry collaboration for development of USSOCOM technology capabilities.”
Detection reduction isn’t the only technology Socom is seeking for the event, which is among many held several times a year by the command.
Among other things, it is seeking:
♦ Commander’s Decision Support Tools. Software defined technology solutions capable of ingesting multiple intelligence, strategic, cultural, and tactical inputs to assist in developing courses of action along with the anticipated consequences of each course of action.
♦ Man-portable language translation devices. Lightweight, hand held, or body worn devices capable of near instantaneous translation of multiple spoken languages.
♦ Standoff weapon/explosive detection devices to enhance force protection.
♦ Digital trip wire — tool to indicate area intrusion.
♦ Concealable body armor.
♦ Friendly force tracking/remote health monitoring assessment tools.
♦ Scalable Effect Weapons including personnel incapacitation and vehicle disablement.
♦ Area denial technologies and systems.
The request puts to rest any concerns about the future of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit championed by former Socom commander William McRaven. Plans for the-called Iron Man suit are clearly moving forward under new commander Army Gen. Joe Votel.
Among other capabilities, the command is seeking powered exoskeletons, conformable and wearable antennae and wearable computers and individual soldier combat ready displays, including non-visual means of information presentation and potential utilization of cognitive thoughts and the surrounding environment to present personalized information.
The deadline for submitting nomination packages is Dec. 1 at noon. For more information, go to Government/Industry collaboration for development of USSOCOM technology capabilities.
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U.S. Central Command, in charge of running the Operation Inherent Resolve fight against the Islamic State jihadi group, as well as U.S. military operations in much of the Middle East and Southwest Asia, has needs too.
Among them is a robust communications infrastructure in Iraq, where the President has authorized the deployment of as many as another 1,500 troops, essentially doubling the existing force, which is largely now relegated to joint operation centers in Baghdad and Irbil.
No one knows that better than Army Brig. Gen. Peter Gallagher, Centcom’s director of communications and the joint cybercenter. I caught up with him last week at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, where he was the keynote speaker for the 7th annual Veterans Day Parade.
Gallagher says that one of his biggest missions, “for me as a communicator, is making sure at every critical node in Iraq we have the ability to distribute intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and full motion video.”
That’s important, he says, “because with a limited footprint on the ground in terms of military service members, we actually have to have the full motion video and all the network to support it. That becomes even more critical so we can ensure their safety, their success and their force protection.”
The full motion video and the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms gathering all that material “are absolutely critical to helping the decision makers,” says Gallagher, adding that he works closely with another unit out of MacDill.
“Throughout our entire region we have great support from the Joint Communications Support Element,” he says. “Their group command, Col. Kirby Watson, is a great leader, a great teammate and does a fantastic job. His men and women have been supporting Centcom in this fight for the last 13 years and that organization is carrying a very heavy burden and sacrifices on behalf of their troops and families.”
With more than 30 nations taking part in Operation Inherent Resolve, setting up a communications system that allows intelligence sharing is a challenge, says Gallagher.
“Creating a foundation for coalition connectivity is pretty critical and it’s a challenge,” he says. “The other piece is making sure our cybersecurity posture is absolutely well-established to protect us from any vulnerabilities and threats. We want to make sure our mission partners in the region aren’t the weakest link, so we work very hard to build up their cybersecurity posture as well to make sure they have the ability to manage their IT infrastructure, to operate and defend their IT infrastructure, and to respond to any type of emergency.”
Do does Islamic State present a cyber threat?
“They are presenting a threat on multiple fronts,” he says, “I don’t want to get into what they may or may not be able to do in the world of cyber, I will tell you they are obviously a threat and we are doing everything in our power to mitigate that threat.”
For Gallagher this mission, and Veterans Day, have deeper meanings.
“It’s not just because I serve,” he says. “I am the father of two soldiers.”
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There are few people who work harder on behalf of the military community than Mark Van Trees, so congrats to him and Support The Troops, the organization he directs, for receiving the Governor’s Champion of Service Award.
Among the many other things he does, Van Trees oversees the distribution of care packages to members of the military in combat zones, remote locations, and in the US. Support the Troops sends as many as 250 50-pound boxes each week to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Kyrgyzstan. Packages include a variety of items, including coffee, snack foods, batteries, DVDs, and personal toiletries. Over the last two years, the group has distributed 350,000 pounds.
Van Trees has many fans, including Mark “Droopy” Clark, recently retired former two-star commander of Marine commandos.
“There is much applauding by Mark’s fan club to see him receive recognition by our state’s leadership for his selfless duty to the armed forces of this country,” Clark told me in an email. “I first met Mark in 2012 because of the efforts and support he was providing our deployed special operations forces. The more I got to know Mark the more I gained a deep respect for his untiring dedication to take care of our service members. And what made me respect him even more was he tried to remain entirely behind the scenes in the support he was leading. He was what we call at USSOCOM, the ultimate Quiet Professional. The impact from Mark and his team’s efforts will be felt for generations.”
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When I read the AP story about Russia planning to send heavy bombers over the Gulf of Mexico, as soon as I stopped hearing Alan Arkin in my head saying “emergency, everybody to get from street,” I reached out to MacDill to see what, if anything, they were planning. The response was pretty much what I expected from a base that’s home to KC-135 Stratotanker refueling jets, not fighters.
“The 6 Air Mobility Wing is aware of the current statements regarding Russian long-range bombers,” Tech Sgt. Brandon Shapiro told me last week. “However, as a tanker base, MacDill currently has no role in this matter. Nonetheless, the 6th AMW has a historical reputation for continued readiness, no matter what the situation. We are continuously poised for national and international situation, whether it is aid or defense.”
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The Pentagon last week reported one death in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Cathcart, 31, of Bay City, Michigan, died Nov. 14, in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, of wounds received from small arms fire while on dismounted combat operations.
He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
There have been 2,341 U.S. troop deaths in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nation’s longest war and two in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the nation’s newest conflict.