Archive | Policy | Armed with Science

Army Energy Initatives Task Force Seeks $7 billion in Energy Investments

Filed under Energy, Policy, Technology by Carla Voorhees on October 18, 2011 at 11:21 am {no comments}

By Gary Sheftick, Army News Service

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 14, 2011) — A new Army task force is trying to convince private industry to invest in solar energy, wind power and other renewable-energy projects on military installations.

The Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator, known as the FED Alpha, temporarily halted testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., so that it could be displayed this week at the AUSA annual meeting and symposium. A solar panel on the rear of the vehicle can recharge its electrical system. (Photo by: Gary Sheftick)

The Energy Initiatives Task Force was officially stood up Sept. 15 and was discussed Tuesday during an energy-security panel at the 2011 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition (AUSA).

“The focus of this task force is to bring $7 billion in alternative-energy resources to Army installations,” said Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and the Environment.

The new task force is headed up by Richard Kidd, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability. He said the Department of Energy and other agencies are represented on the task force.

“The Energy Initiatives Task Force recognizes that we, the Army, have to attract private capital if we’re going to develop large-scale renewable energy projects,” he said. “To do that, we must be an attractive investment option. We can’t order the private sector to do business with us. We have to attract it, through streamlined business processes, efforts to reduce risk, and efforts to improve the due diligence of our projects.”

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STEM Professionals Must Inspire Our Nation’s Future

Filed under Education & Culture, Policy, Technology by Carla Voorhees on October 11, 2011 at 11:03 am {one comment}

Rear Adm. Patrick H. Brady, Commander of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)

Rear Adm. Patrick H. Brady is Commander of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). SPAWAR is the Navy’s Information Dominance Systems Command with the mission to make the Navy’s Information Dominance vision a reality. Through the development, delivery and sustainment of warfare capabilities in the fields of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; cyber warfare; command and control; information and knowledge management; and meteorology and oceanography; SPAWAR provides the Navy and Navy partners Information Dominance capabilities necessary to accomplish their missions. Rear Adm. Brady was recently selected for the 2011 HENAAC (Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation) Engineer of the Year Award from the Great Minds in STEM organization.

Each year, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) hosts the International RoboSub competition in our acoustic research pool in San Diego. The International RoboSub competition is sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and the Office of Naval Research. This year I toured this very intense competition with my son and had an opportunity to see it through his eyes.

College teams from around the world test their autonomous underwater vehicles by running them through an underwater navigation course while accomplishing various demanding tasks along the way, like dropping a marker in a box or passing through different elevated gates. The vehicles varied in size and complexity, from basic to very advanced, but one thing that was common was the excitement and enthusiasm of the participants as they prepared for their robot’s turn in the pool.

SAN DIEGO (July 13, 2011) Students from China's Harbin Engineering University perform in-water checks on their autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) during the 14th annual International RoboSub Competition at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific. The contest, co-sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), challenges teams of student engineers to design AUVs to perform realistic missions in a simulated ocean environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Rick Naystatt/Released)

The competition reinforced for me the value of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outreach. We’re facing a real challenge in our country to produce the number of graduates with technical degrees we need to remain competitive in the coming years. Events like RoboSub are fun and inspire our kids.

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VA Paralympic Program Officials Launch Website for Disabled Veterans

Filed under Life Sciences, Policy by Carla Voorhees on October 4, 2011 at 4:27 pm {no comments}

Department of Veterans Affairs officials have launched a Paralympic Program website as part of the VA’s ongoing commitment to support the rehabilitation and recovery of disabled veterans through participation in adaptive sports.

Members of the Air Force wheelchair basketball team compete May 18, 2011, at the 2011 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo. One of the highlights of the new Veterans Affairs paralympic program website is the "Success Stories" page, which features disabled veterans and their stories of how participating in adaptive sports has positively impacted their lives. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios)

“Adaptive sports participation among disabled veterans has many proven benefits such as increased independence, reduced dependency on pain and depression medication and stress reduction,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Providing resources for disabled veterans to participate or compete in adaptive sports supports the holistic wellness of veterans, which is a key component of VA’s veteran-centric care.”

One of the highlights of the new website is the “Success Stories” page, which features disabled veterans and their stories of how participating in adaptive sports has positively impacted their lives. Veterans who participate in adaptive sports at any level, as well as Paralympic competitors, are encouraged to submit their stories and share their challenges and triumphs with the entire veteran community. (more…)

‘Refresh, Refurb’: Doing More With Less, Liking it That Way

Filed under Energy, Policy, Technology by Carla Voorhees on September 30, 2011 at 1:08 pm {no comments}

By J. Elise Van Pool

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2011 — Logistics Task Force-4 (LTF-4), part of the 401st Army Field Support Battalion–Kandahar, 401st Army Field Support Brigade, at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, is working with the Marine Corps on a new, one-of-a-kind maintenance program that will keep Marine Corps vehicles in the fight for an additional two years.

This truck is one of the first being rebuilt as part of the Refresh and Refurb, or R2, program being conducted by Logistics Task Force-4, part of the 401st Army Field Support Battalion-Kandahar, 401st Army Field Support Brigade, at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. The program will rebuild nine types of vehicles ranging from seven ton trucks to M88 heavy equipment recovery vehicles.

Called the Refresh and Refurb program, or R2 for short, the program will take place over three years and LTF-4 will rebuild nine types of vehicles ranging from seven-ton trucks to M88 heavy equipment recovery vehicles. The program expects to rebuild about 750 vehicles in all.

This program is the first of its kind in the history of the Army and Marine Corps. For the first time, the Marines will partner with an Army Material Command tactical unit to do depot-level maintenance in a forward area.

“It’s about improving vehicle readiness for the Marines,” said Lt. Col. Robert Roy, LTF-4 commander. “The vehicles don’t have to be shipped back to CONUS [continental United States] so the warfighter has a bigger pool of vehicles available.”

After careful study of maintenance and supply records, AMC and the Marines identified parts on each vehicle that most commonly need replacement. Then they drafted a statement of work which details the procedure for rebuilding each of the vehicles.

“They are doing as close to a complete overhaul as possible,” Tim Blair, equipment specialist for LTF-4, said. “We are giving it a new lease on life.”

As a result of the high operational tempo and harsh environmental conditions in southern Afghanistan, such as high temperatures and large amounts of blowing sand, vehicles tend to breakdown faster and need a greater level of maintenance. (more…)

Archive Video – “The Future of Engineering”

Filed under Education & Culture, Policy, Technology by Carla Voorhees on September 22, 2011 at 3:00 pm {no comments}

If you missed the Office of Naval Research Distinguished Lecture series featuring Dr. James J. Duderstadt, University of Michigan President Emeritus and National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureate discussing the future of engineering education, don’t worry. You can watch the archive video below!

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Combined Endeavor Interoperability Guide Ensures Nations Work Together in Times of Crisis

Filed under Policy, Technology by Carla Voorhees on September 22, 2011 at 10:19 am {no comments}

Mr. Roger Joseph Nelan is a Department of the Army Civilian performing as the Technical Director for the U.S. EUCOM HQ sponsored exercise, COMBINED ENDEAVOR. In this capacity he is responsible for ensuring that the exercise goals along with National Goals and Objectives as defined by each of the appointed Delegation Chiefs, Executive Management Board, and various concept papers are met by the planning efforts of the exercise technical working groups and national technical planners. Mr. Nelan works closely with senior government representatives, foreign and domestic senior military leadership, and representatives from over forty nations, government and non-government agencies to promote communications system interoperability for militaries during times of war and peacekeeping. He also directs the COMBINED ENDEAVOR Combined Joint Command and Control Center, which performs planning, execution, technical direction, and management functions for all exercise coalition network C4 systems.

COMBINED ENDEAVOR (CE) is the largest multinational command, control, communications, computers (C4) interoperability exercise in the world. CE is a United States European Command (USEUCOM) exercise that brings together NATO countries and Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries to achieve and document Communications and Information Systems (CIS) and Command and Control (C2) service interoperability. This allows nations to prepare and operate together in support of crisis response operations.

The interoperability guide (courtesy graphic)

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LIVE NOW: ONR Distinguished Lecture Series Presents “The Future of Engineering Education”

Filed under Education & Culture, Policy, Technology by Carla Voorhees on September 21, 2011 at 3:14 pm {no comments}

Watch now as Dr. James J. Duderstadt, University of Michigan President Emeritus and National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureate discusses the future of engineering education.

Editor’s note: The live stream has ended. Archive video will be posted as soon as it is available. (more…)

ONR Distinguished Lecture Series Presents “The Future of Engineering Education”

Filed under Education & Culture, Policy, Technology by Carla Voorhees on September 21, 2011 at 9:00 am {no comments}

This afternoon at 3:30pm EDT we will be streaming the latest installment from the Office of Naval Research Distinguished Lecture Series, entitled “The Future of Engineering Education” with Dr. James J. Duderstadt, University of Michigan President Emeritus and National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureate.

Be sure to tune in at 3:30 EDT for this special event!