the insider

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

RDECOM NEWSBRIEFSNews and information from across the organization, Page 2

SHYU OUTLINES STRATEGIC MODERNIZATION PLANNING APPROACHPage 4

RDECOM SENIOR NCO TALKS 2012 MILESTONESPage 6

SPOTLIGHT: DEPARTING ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR SHARES HER THOUGHTSPage 8

YEAR IN REVIEWPage 10

ARMY RESEARCHERS SEEK SECURE QUANTUM COMMUNICATIONSPage 12

NCOPD KICKS OFF AT REDSTONE ARSENALPage 14

LARRY THE CABLE GUY SEES NATICK TECHNOLOGYPage 16

RESEARCH CENTERS PARTNER FOR IMPROVED AMMUNITION PACKAGINGPage 18

ENCRYPTED DNA TECHNOLOGY COMBATS COUNTERFEITINGPage 27

DECEMBER 2012ISSUE NO. 6

Female body armor named among best inventions by Time Magazine

101st Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade Soldiers will be the first to test the new female body armor, which was named one of Time Magazines best inventions of 2012, in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)

By Bob Reinert USAG-Natick Public Affairs

NATICK, Mass. An innovation that will leave female Soldiers safer and more comfortable on the battlefield was named one of Time Magazines Best Inventions of the Year 2012.

A collaborative effort between the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center and Program Executive Office Soldier resulted in an improved outer tactical vest, or IOTV, designed specifically for women. The 101st Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade will be the first unit to test the new female body armor in Afghanistan.

The new armor was designed to offer better protection and to prevent bruised

hip bones that women experienced when wearing IOTVs meant to fit smaller men.

Maj. Joel Dillon, assistant product manager, Product Manager Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment, PEO Soldier, called the Time story a motivator for those involved in the body armors development.

I think its great that it shows the American people that were continuing to make sure that our Soldiers have the best equipment in the world, Dillon said. And so any word that gets out in that respect is great. Its a big boost for our team, because we work very hard to make sure that all of the equipment we develop and field is the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

2 DECEMBER 2012 ISSUE NO. 6

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. RDECOM recognized Sgt. Maj. William Tager on his retirement Nov. 19 after 31 years of service with the U.S. Army. Tager served as the G3 sergeant major.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. RDECOM acting executive officer Christopher Fish received the Commanders Award for Civilian Service Nov. 20. Fish served as the directors executive officer from June to November. He will return to his position at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. APG hosted its first Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Expo Nov. 20. About 400 ninth-grade students from Harford and Cecil counties were guests of the APG scientific and engineering community and participated in hands-on immersive STEM activities.

RDECOM Public Affairs

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Dale Ormond, director of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and RDECOM Deputy Commanding General Brig. Gen. Daniel Hughes toured the Army Research Laboratory Nov. 7.

ARL scientists and engineers briefed RDECOM leaders on research and development topics, including materials sciences, ballistics and aeromechanics sciences, manufacturing science, Soldier head protection, and aeromechanics.

RELATED LINKSMore photos: http://bit.ly/TZ92GH

RDECOM leaders tour facilities

Army Research Laboratorys Dr. Mark Valco, acting director, Vehicle Technology Directorate (right), gives a tour to RDECOM Director Dale A. Ormond (center) as acting ARL Technical Director Dr. John Pellegrino looks on Nov. 7 at the Combustion Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. (U.S. Army photos by Conrad Johnson)

RDECOM officials met with Army Research Laboratory employees at APG to gain an understanding of current projects.

SGT. MAJ. TAGER RETIRES

FISH HONORED FOR SERVICE

APG STEM EXPO KICKS OFF

3RDECOMs THE INSIDER

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. RDECOM Director Dale A. Ormond encouraged everyone in the command to fill out their own Combined Federal Campaign donation form before Dec. 15 as he publicly signed his paperwork. For information, contact your local CFC representative.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. An RDECOM senior leader will temporarily join the executive team. Jill Smith is the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center technical director. For the next couple of months, Smith will serve as the RDECOM acting deputy director.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. The 18th annual U.S. Army Research Laboratory Honorary Awards ceremony was recently held at Top of the Bay.

Selected ARL scientists, engineers, analysts, technicians and support staff were recognized at the ceremony for their outstanding achievements and contribu-tions to the organization.

The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Director Mr. Dale A. Ormond and ARL Acting Director Dr. John M. Pellegrino hosted the event, where they honored the recipients for their talents, dedication and hard work which helps pave the way for future breakthroughs and capabilities in support of Soldiers on the battlefield.

The 2012 recipients are:

ARL Award for Administrative Excellence

JoAnne MacCauleyARL Award for AnalysisAnthony CastaaresFrancisco J. LeyvaRodrigo MendozaHumberto MendozaWilliam T. BurgeErik X. BrisenoJohn D. MedranoRichard G. CoyFernando ChaidezJoseph L. Trammel, Jr.Daryl Cleveland (Contractor)Michael Shaughnessy (Contractor)Kenneth Fabela (Contractor)

ARL Award for Community Service

RDECOM Director Dale Ormond (right) makes his contribution to the Combined Federal Campaign Nov. 14 as RDECOMs CFC coordinator Michael Bennett looks on. (U.S. Army photo by Conrad Johnson)

Jill Smith

RDECOM Director Dale Ormond speaks at the 18th Annual Honorary Awards at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

ARL EMPLOYEES RECOGNIZED AT 18TH ANNUAL HONORARY AWARDS CEREMONY DIRECTOR SIGNS CFC PLEDGE

JILL SMITH ASSUMES ROLE AS ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Edward D. Creegan

ARL Award for Diversity

Pamela A. Clark

ARL Award for Engineering

Dr. Steven B. Segletes

ARL Award for Laboratory Operations

Dr. Brian D. DykasDr. Adrian A. HoodJohn W. Gerdes IIIDr. Robert A. HaynesChristopher M. KroningerDr. Chol-Bum M. KweonShauna MintzDr. Matthew J. MunsonMichael D. CoatneyDr. Anindya GhoshalDr. James T. AyersDr. Mulugeta HaileNatasha C. Bradley

ARL Award for Laboratory Operations

Parmvir Singh

ARL Award for Leadership

Dr. Matthew B. Higgins

ARL Award for Partnering

Dr. Joshua A. OrlickiDr. Adam M. RawlettJohn A. EscarsegaDr. Bruce E. King (ECBC)Dr. Theresa A. LaLain (ECBC)Dr. Brent A. Mantooth (ECBC)Dr. Matthew P. Willis (ECBC)Dr. James Wynne (NRL)Dr. Jeffrey Owens (AFRL)Mike Spicer (AFRL)Dr. Andre` A. Williams (Contractor)Alicia A. Farrell (Contractor)

ARL Award for Program Management

Dr. Elmar T. Schmeisser ARL Award for PublicationDr. Frederick L. Beyer IIIARL Award for ScienceDr. Michael B. ZellnerDr. Richard C. BeckerDr. Dattatraya P. DandekarARL Award for TechnicianRichard R. Gregory, Jr.ARL Award for Lifetime AchievementDr. William P. Walters


By Kris Osborn Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology

WASHINGTON Army acquisition is in the early stages of refining an integrated, multi-pronged strategic approach to equipment modernization which seeks to harvest key lessons learned from a decade of war, service leaders said Oct. 23.

The approach must recognize asymmetrical and adaptive threats, identify key current and anticipated capability gaps and sketch out a 30-year investment and science and technology, or S&T, plan, leaders explained at an Association of the United States Army Institute of Land Warfare panel discussion.

The Army has started a new process, called strategic modernization planning, which combines a detailed analysis of investments in S&T and material development linked to emerging threats and capability gaps across a long-term, 30-year time frame, said the Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

The output of this process will be a detailed road map of our future capabilities across the acquisition life-cycle, linking our S&T investments with our Programs of Record which, in turn, are linked to our long-term sustainment strategy, she said.

Shyu advocated an integrated approach to modernization aimed at harnessing near-term emerging capability able to quickly benefit the force while also emphasizing Basic Research able to identify potentially paradigm-changing technologies for the future.

Improving situational awareness for Soldiers through network technologies and force protection for vehicles, airborne platforms and small, dismounted units-on-the move will, among other things, continue to factor prominently among acquisition and research priorities, Shyu explained.

The thrust of this modernization approach is grounded in a broader strategic goal of fostering and sustaining an agile, deployable, technologically superior force able to keep pace with rapid technological change, Shyu said. With this in mind, she also emphasized the importance of, at times, synchronizing S&T efforts with Programs of Record so as to identify insertion possibilities wherein new capability can integrate within existing developmental efforts.

The Army is re-assessing S&T across all portfolios to ensure that S&T is properly linked to our acquisition road map and able to facilitate insertion opportunities aligning technologies over time, she said.

In fact, Army scientists and engineers are

already working with industry and academic partners on Concept Explorations designed to look for opportunities to identify basic research themes geared toward discovering new capability, said Ms. Mary Miller, acting deputy assistant secretary of the Army, Research and Technology.

Army S&T can work toward closing capability gaps as a key foundation for the Armys future technology needs, Miller said.

As part of this effort, Miller cited the congressionally allocated Rapid Innovation Funds designed to support small business S&T innovations aimed at solving challenges. The program, which began in 2011, is already having an impact, Miller said.

Thinking strategically about a longer-term investment strategy cognizant of emerging threats and potential future operating environments was at the heart of the vision for Army acquisition expressed by Shyu.

As we look ahead, many potential adversaries will have greater access to sophisticated and disruptive technologies that could greatly complicate our operations. We cannot afford to let technological change level our advantage in any potential conflict, she told the audience.

Shyu explained how the anticipated ongoing drawdown in Afghanistan, coupled with a renewed emphasis or pivot toward the Asia Pacific theater, represents an important time of transition for Army modernization as the force endeavors to best position itself for a full range of potential future contingencies.

It is the right time to entertain a comprehensive and strategic approach to Army equipment modernization in which we adapt a systemic approach to setting and determining long-term equipping priorities, Shyu said.

Shyu also took occasion to cite a handful of impactful acquisition successes from the last 10 years of war as a way to harvest key lessons for the future, mentioning Blue-Force Tracking, Enhanced Night Vision Goggles and life-saving Pelvic Protection gear for Soldiers, among others.

Our command posts and systems transitioned from analogue to a digital backbone. Our tactical mission-command capabilities have been revolutionized to include enhanced situational awareness through Force Battle Command - Brigade and Below, or FBCB2, and Blue Force Tracking as well as improved satellite communications, Shyu said.

Citing these instances of acquisition successes is important to recognize the value of how innovation and technological progress can vastly improve Soldier capability and protection, she said.

Were developing and fielding capabilities across a spectrum of challenges. Force protection will remain of paramount importance regardless of whatever region we are operating in, Shyu said.

Along these lines, she also cited the protective capabilities of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, the Stryker Double-V Hull and the Armys Enhanced Performance Round, or EPR.

The M855A1 [EPR] is a new 5.56mm cartridge with greatly increased consistency and accuracy and greater penetration, Shyu said.

Also, recognizing the need to develop and manage capabilities with a mind to the entire life-cycle is a key element of the Armys strategy, Shyu emphasized.

Our PEOs [Program Executive Offices] are working to lay out our current and planned capabilities across a 30-year horizon, spanning from concept development to technology development to EMD (Engineering, Manufacturing and Design), production and sustainment. Our strategic modernization plan will also integrate our long-term sustainment needs and priorities, she said.

RELATED LINKSASA(ALT): http://www.army.mil/asaalt/

Shyu outlines strategic modernization planning approach

Force protection will remain of paramount importance regardless of whatever region we are operating in.

Heidi Shyu

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Heidi Shyu outlines a 30-year acquisition S&T strategy during the 2012 Association of the Unites States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 23, in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Army photo by Tricia May)


ECBC Engineering Directorate

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Teachers use it to teach. Football players study their plays on it. And now Soldiers can use it for one-stop training refreshers and an easy-to-carry installation manual.

In addition to being cost-effective, 21st-century advancements in technology, coupled with a desire to equip the Warfighter with a single-source for every need, makes the use of iPad applications increasingly necessary.

The Department of the Army and Army customers are looking to increase use of mobile devices for Warfighters, said Col. Raymond Compton, former military deputy of the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. On one small mobile device, a Warfighter has a full library of information across different applications to support a device or even to support the operation of a full vehicle.

If a Warfighter is carrying a mobile device, the weight of their backpack is significantly less, he added.

ECBCs Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division Conceptual Modeling and Animation Branch, Technology and Systems Integration Branch, and the Electronic Drawing Development Branch have partnered to create two iPad applications. One simulates the Husky Mounted Detection System Surrogate, the other recreates the Mobile Counter Improvised Explosives Device Training.

Both iPad applications were given to the Joint Improvise Explosives Device Defeat Organization. The MCIT and HMDSS devices are intended to be used by Soldiers. The HMDSS iPad app will be delivered by JIEDDO to support locations where HMDSS vehicles are used for training.

The MCIT was used as a marketing tool for the system by JIEDDO, as well as a direct informative device to be used by Soldiers on installations.

The Technology and Systems Integration Branch contributed to functional translation of real-world data into the virtual environment. Engineering Drawing helped with the virtual modeling, and Conceptual Modeling and Animation assisted with the software development and user interface, said Kevin Wallace, Technology and Systems Integration branch chief. The great thing about the Conceptual Modeling and Animation Branch is that they have the ability to help other branches present their visions and further the potential of their ideas.

With the tap of a screen, Soldiers can reference the full HMDSS installation manual, and train on the equipment. The iPad application

gives an accurate visualization of the inside of an HMDSS allowing the user access to use the functions in the actual vehicle. They can practice reading the Ground Penetrating Radar to detect metallic and non-metallic explosive hazards, pressure plates and antitank mines.

If there is a malfunction, rather than flip through pages of a thick book, the Warfighter can quickly get instructions from an easy-to-use-application. Wallace said that paper manuals wear and tear and often do not hold up in theater.

The intuitive care associated with carrying an iPad is much different than a book, which can be thrown into a backpack and easily torn and ripped, Wallace said.

HMDSS IPAD APPLICATION

In the HMDSS application, the user simulates driving a vehicle and receives alerts of potential threats. The driver must determine a safe course of action. All simulations are reality based. The application allows the user to go on virtual Route Clearance Missions and has a full user manual for the vehicle.

While the HMDSS application has the same functions as the vehicle and provides the Warfighter with a detailed model of the vehicle,

the iPad application is best used for refresher training, not substitute it, said Jeff Warwick, Conceptual Modeling and Animation branch chief.

Maybe its been a few months between the in-person training and a Warfighter is about to operate the HMDSS vehicle again and needs a quick refresher. The Warfighter can pick up a simple device and train from wherever he is, Warwick said.

The HMDSS application is a functional tool that can be used at the user level, Wallace said. It condenses hundreds of pages of a manual into one intuitive application.

The HMDSS application and the actual HMDSS vehicle were simultaneously produced. With the vehicle development just a few feet away from the Conceptual Modeling and Animation office, the application received updates and changes along with the real-life vehicle, heightening the accuracy of the application. Additional data gathered by the engineers who built the HMDSS were incorporated into the application as well.

Constant communication between all teams involved, blended with frequent customer feedback and expert Warfighter opinions,

ECBC engineers collaborate to create cost-effective training options

ECBC Engineerings Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division Conceptual Modeling and Animation Branch, Technology and System Integration Branch and the Electronic Drawing Development Branch collaborated to create iPad applications for the Joint Improvise Explosives Device Defeat Organization to supplement Warfighter training. (Courtesy photo)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34



ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie, the senior enlisted adviser for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, reflected on the year during a Nov. 19 interview.

2012 has been a year of transition. Where is RDECOM headed?

Just like with the rest of the Army right now, were in transition. We are also in an environment of renewed fiscal responsibility across the Army as well as this command. We must continue to support the Army in order to maintain that fighting edge that weve given them as a command. More than 90 percent of what the Soldiers use or apply on the battlefield

comes out of RDECOM in some way, shape, or form. This is true whether its an emerging technology that we developed and transitioned to a partner that further developed it and gave it to industry for production, or its something that the command itself built, produced,

designed, engineered and transitioned to the Soldier. Its our job to fill a capability gap, or develop something more sustaining thats going to stick around for a while that we give

to a program manager or program executive office who then develops it and make it a program of record for the Army.

There are a lot of changes ongoing in the Army. Recently Mr. Ormond and I attended a commanders conference with the Army Materiel Command commander, Gen. Dennis L. Via. One of his messages to us is that we must look at what we can do to help the Army transition and maintain that razor-sharp edge that they have attained over the last 11 years of combat.

Soldiers are coming home. When they come home with all that adrenaline and training, all of that intensity that they had in battle, we need to preserve and channel that in some way. Innovative training and the use of technologies is how we will accomplish it. With declining resources, we must be adaptive in how we train, or help Soldiers to train. We

RDECOM senior NCO talks 2012 milestonesCommand Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie gives an interview to The INSIDER Nov. 19. (U.S. Army photos by Tom Faulkner)

More than 90 percent of what the Soldiers use or apply on the battlefield comes out of RDECOM in some way, shape, or form.

Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie


Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie has served with RDECOM since March 2012.

need to look at technologies that will replicate some of the actions our Soldiers have taken on the battlefield. Its going to be interesting for the next few years as we transition in the Army, but I have no doubt that RDECOM will be at the tip of the spear in helping to transition and leading that transition.

Whats the biggest thing you have learned about Army researchers and engineers since coming to RDECOM?

Im amazed. Im still learning about RDECOM. I dont think Ill ever stop learning about some of the things that were doing for the Warfighter. One of the things that Mr. Ormond has said is that the sun never sets on RDECOM. That is absolutely true. We have people all over this world helping, searching, partnering with different governments, militaries and academia to develop and find technologies to help our Warfighters.

We define the space between state of the art and art of the possible. Thats our mission here at RDECOM. Our motto is still technology drive, Warfighter focused. That is what we do; in fact it is everything we do in this command. I am amazed at that. And Im amazed at our scientists and engineers, our entire workforce, what they do every day in trying to maintain or to attain the highest level of support to our Soldiers.

Has NCO Professional Development been a priority?

It truly has been. One of the things we learn early in the Army as you develop, train and mentor leaders -- the Army does this right that is to get to know your people. Then you must employ them within their capabilities; therefore, weve got to get to know them. I am intricately involved with the manning of RDECOM as far as the enlisted side of the command is concerned. There is a wealth of knowledge that comes from our enlisted force. I make sure that the Army puts the right people in our positions. Therefore, we screen those military career specialties and bring the right ones on board. Im an intricate part of that process. I absolutely want to make sure that we have the right people with the right amount of tenure in the Army and who have

the level of experience that goes with that skill set to talk to our scientists and engineers in order to bridge the gap with our workforce for the Army.

We need to make sure that we garner that experience when we are ready to evaluate our technologies; we want to give it to the right group of folks thats going to give our scientists and engineers the best, latest and greatest feedback as far as what were doing in combat.

What are some of the milestones of 2012?

Mr. Ormond came on board in February, and I came on board a month later. We are in tune with each other as to his vision and his way ahead for this command. He is all about our Warfighters, and he is all about human capital -- our people within this command. He believes, as do I, that if you take care of your people, theyre going to produce. Theyre

going to give you the best product. Theyre going to want to come to work every day. So absolutely, thats something that we want to do. We want to empower; we want to take care of our people so we can give the Warfighters the best technology that we can

produce within this command.

What lies ahead in 2013?

Im very optimistic. This command is the largest subordinate command within AMC with a tremendous amount of capabilities. Im very optimistic as to where were going to take this command as we continue to gain more efficiency. We have great people with great skills that are key ingredients for delivering the technologies that we do.

Our scientists and engineers as well as our administrative folks matches up very well against anyone in industry, anyone in the Department of Defense, anywhere. We have the best of the best within this command. Im very excited about that. As we craft changes to make this command better, we just have to make sure that our people understand what we are doing.

I believe that if our workforce understands why were changing, how were changing and where we want to take the command, theyre going to be behind what were trying to do.

In a series of town hall meetings, Mr. Ormond and I are going around to all our different organizations, sitting down with our people and giving them an opportunity to ask questions and give them honest feedback. If there is something that we were not aware of, then we absolutely have to dig into it and find out the answer and provide that answer to make sure we are all on the same page. But I believe that with transparency and understanding, theyll be behind what were trying to do.

What would you like to add?

Were in a season of reflection and celebration with family through the holiday season. I absolutely want to make sure that everyone of our employees within RDECOM knows that we wish them a joyous season, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Just be blessed. We are looking forward to the new year. A new year means new beginnings. Were going to approach the new year with a refreshed mind and spirit and were going to take this command to higher heights next year. There is no doubt in my mind of that fact.

RELATED LINKSBiography: http://www.army.mil/article/75822/

We define the space between state of the art and art of the possible. Thats our vision here at RDECOM.


We want to take care of our people so we can give the Warfighters the best technology that we can produce within this command.


We have the best of the best within this command. Im very excited about that.



We have to get people to embrace the thought pattern that were all part of RDECOM.

Barbara Machak


ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command is saying farewell to its acting deputy director, Barbara Machak.

In June, she temporarily left her posi-tion as Executive Director, Enterprise and Systems Integration Center at the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. to fill a senior executive vacancy at headquarters. After more than five months serving as a key member of the command group, Machak returned to her family and job in New Jersey Nov 21.

How was your experience?

I have been challenged with this job, and it has been a great experience. The people have been outstanding, not only within the headquarters, but the centers and lab, the directors, their deputies and all the people to whom Ive been able to reach out to. I have loved every minute of it.

As you leave here what advice do you have for the people that you leave be-hind now?

You play a vital role. If you are not fa-miliar with or had a chance to talk with Soldiers, talk to them. Understand that we are not only helping them do their job more effectively, we are ensuring that they come home safe.

Everyone here knows what their job en-tails. Do that job. Dont be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Ask for help in pri-oritization, and sometimes youre going to just have to come to your boss and say What is my priority? Some things may have to fall off the table, but you at least have to let leadership know what that is so we can ensure that the right call is be-ing made.

It hasnt been that difficult at all to mo-tivate the staff . They have the belief that what they do is important and I think they understand that role.

As communication has gotten a lot bet-ter, we need to understand the importance of providing information down through all levels of the workforce. We need to train the trainers.

People need to keep themselves healthy and safe and understand the work theyre doing is helping our Soldiers.

What are the greatest challenges facing the organization?

There is a lot of work to be done with too few people, so that is always a chal-lenge. The staff has to prioritize what they do because there is so much on its plate. Theyre given very little time to turn ac-tions around. That doesnt leave a lot of room for analysis.

Another challenge we face is that our workforce -- in our research centers and laboratories -- doesnt really understand what the command is all about. People re-fer to headquarters as RDECOM and dont identify themselves as part of the overall command. They dont really think theyre part of RDECOM.

When they say, Oh, youre from RDECOM. Its always assumed that means the other person is from the head-quarters. We have to train ourselves to

embrace the thought pattern that were all RDECOM.

When I was at Picatinny, I had no idea what was being done at the command level. I saw taskers, and we responded to them. But where it went, what the context was, how it was received and more importantly, we never received the commands integrat-ed response. There was usually never any two-way communication.

A third challenge is that there has to be a lot more coordination between the Centers/Labs and command staff. Ive told Mr. Ormond that people dont understand the day-to-day role and value of the command staff until you rotate them in here. They dont understand what the command is all about. If they understood the volume of information that we get requests for, maybe it would be helpful. But, we dont coordinate or commu-nicate well across the command; we have to do a better job. One of the things I tried to do here in the deputy role was to help facilitate communication across the com-mand staff with all the centers and labs and the importance of showing our combined response with the hope that this would get more buy-in. We should communicate why were asking for something and then show

Barbara Machak talks with the INSIDER Nov. 19 after serving more than five months as the acting deputy director for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. (U.S. Army photos by Conrad Johnson)

Departing acting deputy director shares her thoughts


what we did with it.The technical directors understand what

they do and the capabilities they have. But theyre not as well versed in what other cen-ters and lab capabilities or facilities are. I think there needs to be a lot more crosstalk and coordination across the command. Mr. Ormond has started that with the Board of Directors by rotating locations across the centers and touring facilities, but we really have to accelerate this to instill a broader understanding of our collective capabilities.

All of the centers and lab have their own personalities and are not organized in the same way. One of the things that weve dis-cussed is having dedicated support staff at each center and lab that could help with the command staff-functions (Virtual LNO).

In the past, there have been many uncertainties about the future of our or-ganization. Do you have anything to tell the workforce about where we are?

I have seen nothing to indicate that RDECOM is going away. Our Army coun-terparts and stakeholders in research and technology, our OSD partners and even within AMC have all strengthened the mes-sage and their reliance on RDECOM.

Were still a young command. The big-gest thing we have to offer is that in the re-search and engineering area were coming together. Its going to be a long road to go, but we have to start implementing common processes and tool sets from an enterprise approach.

The RDECOM enterprise is big and its not all centrally located. When we put that all together, map that out of what were go-ing to need and how were going to do it and bring it all together, it will go a lot more smoothly.

Ill give you an example. Before, when we were in the life cycle management com-mands, everybody had a different process for turning around data to support the Defense Logistics Agency, and the numbers were all over. Some were better than oth-ers. Some were more responsive than oth-ers. But because RDECOM came together as a community, all of the centers and lab were able to come together, form a com-mon process, form metrics, and report back with a integrated response. We started on a glide path of a better working relationship and continue to improve our metrics. The amount of work we were able to do went up. As a result, we have happy customers. I think if we take that apart and start looking at everything that were doing, of how were doing it across the organization we should

be able to improve our processes and how we share information. I think thats one of the biggest challenges we face.

Whats next for you? Where do you go from here?

Im going back to my old job and my fam-ily, but I can ensure you that I will take with me a better understanding of the value and the importance of this command for the Warfighter.

My responsibility at ARDEC is Enterprise and System Integration. Im looking forward to bringing back what Ive learned at the command level. The systems engineering, knowledge management, science and tech-nology, investments, business development and program management experience has been helpful. Ill take that back with me and figure out how we can continue to provide better support than were already giving to the command staff and to our customers.

Would you like to add anything? Are you going to come back and visit some-day?

I have to tell you. I had no appreciation for what the headquarters did and how it was made up ... at all. This job has been kind of like a staff position, as a deputy. I surprised myself at how much I really did enjoy it.

I do feel that the headquarters staff needs to get a better appreciation for what the centers and lab do. They dont all have a lot of that flavor but I was able to provide them with a center perspective. I didnt know what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Im actually kind of sad to leave because I really believe in what were doing. I believe that were on the right path. I think its still going to take time. We have to get the message all the way through the organization to get every-ones buy-in.

Finally, Im going to miss the people. Im going to miss everybody that I touched while in this position. But, yes, Ill be back. Ill actually look forward to it. Now I actu-ally even know some people!

I believe that Mr. Ormonds direction and consistency in leadership will only help to unify the organization. If we can continue to work hard for our Soldiers, and collaborate effectively as a Command, we will remain at the state of the art, and the art of the possible.

RELATED LINKSBiography: http://www.army.mil/article/80947/

RDECOM honored Machak with a Superior Civilian Service Award Nov. 20 for outstanding service.

Barbara Machak says she enjoyed her experience as RDECOM acting deputy director from June to November 2012.


RDECOM departing Commanding General Maj. Gen. Nick Justice discusses his tour of duty: http://1.usa.gov/ROK67h

JANUARY Senior Army leaders experience RDECOM Technology Zone at 2012 All-American Bowl: http://bit.ly/TiAsIN

FEBRUARYCivilian takes charge of RDECOM: http://1.usa.gov/ROKEKm

eCYBERMISSION students forge path to White House: : http://1.usa.gov/ROLwyE

Army Research Laboratory studies micro-robotics: http://1.usa.gov/ROLQgJ

Robotics Rodeo highlights advances in life-saving technologies: http://go.usa.gov/fgQ

MARCHNew command sergeant major assumes role at RDECOM: http://1.usa.gov/ROMg6L

RDECOM recognizes NCO, Soldier of the Year: http://1.usa.gov/ROMDOL

APRILArmy opens Ground Vehicle Power and Energy Laboratory: http://1.usa.gov/RONi2w

MAYRDECOM senior NCO discusses Afghanistan: http://1.usa.gov/ROMrPC

Army promotes S&T opportunities to Harford students: http://1.usa.gov/Y0cLfM

Army engineers spur development of tactical microgrids: http://go.usa.gov/d53

Army Chief of Staff visits Picatinny Arsenal http://1.usa.gov/Y0dJJ5

JUNENatick meeting strengthens science, technology ties: http://1.usa.gov/RONxe1

Picatinny engineers set phasers to fry: http://1.usa.gov/UOdFX2

Army scientists energize battery research: http://1.usa.gov/ROMScw

Army civilian engineers team with Soldiers in Afghanistan: http://1.usa.gov/ROOrHu


JULYSecretary of the Army takes a look at Ground Systems Technology: http://1.usa.gov/ROO7bJ

SEPTEMBERTARDECs FED Bravo puts fuel efficiency in spotlight: http://bit.ly/ROPXtf

OCTOBERSecretary of Defense tours RDECOM contributions to energy security: http://1.usa.gov/ROS4xg

Congressman, RDECOM leader discuss cybersecurity, research: http://1.usa.gov/ROOEuc

Obusek takes the helm at Natick: http://1.usa.gov/ROQnzN

ARL opens unique combustion research lab, studies in JP-8 fuel could lead to super engine development: http://bit.ly/ROTwj2

RDECOM NCO of the Year wins AMC competition http://1.usa.gov/TiyuYQ

McGuiness says goodbye to Natick: http://1.usa.gov/ROReR6

Army awards ARDEC Soldier Purple Heart for service in Iraq: http://1.usa.gov/ROTyra

Multiscale modeling research seeks atom-to-application understanding of materials: http://1.usa.gov/ROPuXZ

Command sergeants major tour RDECOM research facilities: http://bit.ly/Y0l1MQ

RDECOM welcomes new deputy commanding general: http://1.usa.gov/ZZRAc1

AMRDEC recognized for educational outreach: http://bit.ly/ROTqYS

AUGUSTArmys tank, automotive center gets new leader: http://1.usa.gov/ROP4AX

Army announces greatest inventions: http://1.usa.gov/RORIXm

NOVEMBERARL scientists win patent for advanced neural chip: http://1.usa.gov/ROSh3s

Wheres the beef? -- DoD finds answers in osmotic dehydration process: http://1.usa.gov/RORUpF

U.S. Chilean officials discuss research cooperation: http://1.usa.gov/ROSK5N


By David McNally RDECOM Public Affairs

ADELPHI, Md. Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory are pioneering data teleportation -- for the real world.

When the USS Enterprise, from the hit tele-vision and movie series Star Trek, beamed individuals to and from the ship, the ships transporters were moving matter.

While fictional technology may stir the imagination, science fiction is more of an in-spiration than reality. It often provides a spark of scientific inspiration that can lead to discov-eries once considered unimaginable.

Today, Army scientists hope to send infor-mation from one location to another without the data being transmitted through the inter-vening space.

To reach this goal, Ronald E. Meyers leads a project that includes fellow physi-cist Patricia J. Lee and their teams that are collaborating with the Joint Quantum Insti-tute at the University of Maryland at College Park. The groups have a 27-kilometer fiber

optic connection between their laboratories.We use photons that go through the fiber

in order to entangle the atoms at two different locations, Meyers said.

A photon is an elementary particle and a basic building block of the universe. The team sends photons from one end of the fiber to the other. Once photons are entangled, they mys-teriously respond to each other.

The idea of entan-glement is that when one photon is ma-nipulated, the other photon will respond at a distance through a process that Einstein highlighted, Meyers said. What were go-

ing to do is to entangle the distant atoms using these photons. Once theyre entangled, then you do not need the fiber in between. You manipulate atoms here, and atoms at another location will respond instantly with nothing in between.

This effect is known as quantum teleporta-

tion using atoms and photons.You can communicate between these lo-

cations without information appearing to go through the intervening space, Meyers said. Its mind-boggling.

For the U.S. Army, a secure quantum com-munications network is a technology investment worth making. Meyers said physicists around the world are pursuing quantum teleportation research.

One day we will have communication over worldwide distances with quantum repeaters as mediators at nodes in between, Meyers said. Well be able to teleport information globally. What well have is tamper-resistant security.

Cyber-security is a major concern for

U.S. Army Research Laboratory scientists Patricia J. Lee and Ronald E. Meyers contemplate quantum physics to develop secure communications of the future. (U.S. Army photos and illustration by Tom Faulkner)

Ronald E. Meyers

Army researchers seek secure

quantum communications

You can communicate between these locations without information appearing to go through the intervening space.

Ronald Meyers


Dr. Patricia J. Lee

Meyers and Lee pose with gear designed to manipulate photons.

The team: Lee, Meyers (front), Violeta Prieto (left), Dr. Qudsia Quraishi (center) Jason Alexander, Keith Deacon (back, left) and Daniel Stack.

Meyers explains the concepts of a Quantum Network with Atoms and Photons, or QNET-AP. (U.S. Army photo by David McNally)

military and civilian sectors.This is important, he said. The greatest po-

tential that a quantum communications network holds for the Army is secure communications.

As quantum computing takes hold in the coming decades, the potential for hacking ex-

ponentially increas-es.

Quantum com-puters will be able to easily decrypt c o m m u n i c a t i o n s that are currently secure, Meyers said. Were talking decryption in sec-

onds instead of years. Thats one reason why its vital for us to explore quantum en-cryption.

Quantum research is building momentum, according to Lee.

There are a lot of people worldwide who work on this type of research, and we are just a part of the community trying to make the next step a reality, Lee said. Our contribution is try-ing to set this up in a real-life. Its very exciting.

News reports of quantum research advanc-es are growing.

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics went to physicist David Wineland for his quantum re-search at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

We would hope to have the quantum atomic memory fully going within the next year, Mey-ers said. Theres a lot of progress on it.

The team is also striving to develop quantum repeaters.

We can perform photon teleportation sooner, but having teleportation with quantum memory adding the atoms is really the key to massive changes in the U.S. communications system, Meyers said. We think that telepor-tation with atoms and photons is an important goal for the United States, and we want to get it out of the laboratory, and show that its possible over long distances.

Consider a future battlefield with a Soldier, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a command and control element and access to a satellite.

If you put entangled atoms at each of these locations and theyre moving around, then you can teleport data between the Soldier and the satellite ... you can teleport to UAVs ... you can teleport to command and control headquar-ters, Meyers said. We think its going to be the future for military communications. Now the strategic impact its possible to get informa-tion out of your location without others getting it. This is a whole new technology will one day be common.

Meyers and Lee agree that quantum data teleportation will become a dominant

technology.There are several important applications

for quantum information, Lee said. For our project here, one of our goals is to build a quantum sensor. Cold atoms can be used to sense acceleration and rotation, and they can make very sensitive inertial navigation systems to guide the Soldier or vehicles. Thats a really important application if we can actually develop that technology.

Its also going to be very important for Sol-diers on the battlefield to have secure com-munication and computational power that will offer capabilities exceeding anything that we have access to right now, Lee said.

Like a perpetual jigsaw puzzle, Lee said their research continues to evolve.

There will be many ways to use this tool. A lot of them we dont even know about -- they havent been thought of, she said. New things will come up and thats how research,

technology and science evolve.Meyers said the Army continues to fund

quantum research in academia and other re-search institutions.

The fundamental physics is there, Meyers said. We have to learn enough of the phys-ics and some of the engineering to implement it and to demonstrate that it can be done. I think this is an evolutionary process that will cause a huge shift in communications.

Remember, we put a man on the moon with very primitive computers, and we devel-oped an atomic bomb without a computer, Meyers said. The fact is were going to have these very powerful quantum computers with a lot of intelligence. Theyll be able to work over long distances without being intercept-ed. Its going to change the world.

RELATED LINKSARL: http://www.arl.army.mil//


By Dan LafontaineRDECOM Public Affairs

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. Fifty-two Soldiers convened Nov. 5 in northern Alabama for a week of professional development and the opportunity to learn about the nations leading Army installation for aviation and missile research, development and testing.

The noncommissioned officers of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command will complete a physical fitness test and receive briefings, training, and facility and capability tours. They will conclude this session of NCO Professional Development with a tour of Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro, Tenn., a Civil War historic site.

Soldiers are stationed at each of the RDECOMs seven research, development and engineering centers across the country. They provide technical and operational input to the RDECs where they are assigned.

The command has about 16,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel whose mission is to empower, unburden and protect Soldiers.

Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie, RDECOMs senior enlisted adviser, said the week-long training sessions help NCOs better understand how science enables the Soldiers mission and learn first-hand how scientists and engineers develop technologies.

RDECOM Soldiers have hands-on information about using that science and technology on the battlefield, Beharie said during the NCOPD in March at the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center in Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. When those Soldiers leave RDECOM and are assigned to operational units, they will take with them a new perspective about the Army.

Being assigned to RDECOM widens their knowledge about the process of how technologies are provided to Soldiers.

The location of the NCOPDs rotates to each RDEC, and the Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is hosting this session.

In addition to briefings and tours of AMRDEC, the NCOs will receive briefings on Army Materiel Command, RDECOMs higher headquarters, and Aviation and Missile Command, both located at Redstone Arsenal.

NCOPD kicks off at Redstone Arsenal

RDECOM Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie (far right) and 52 noncommissioned officers view a CH-47 Chinook helicopter while attending professional development training at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. (U.S. Army photos by Ryan Keith)

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- RDECOM noncommissioned officers participate in a five-minute Virtual Convoy Training Scenario while touring the Army Game Studio at AMRDECs Software Engineering Directorate at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.


By Heather R. SmithAMRDEC Public Affairs

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. The Army Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System achieved the farthest range to date after modifications were investigated and instituted by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center.

Given the task of trying to extend the range of this weapon system, engineers from the AMRDECs Weapons Development and Integration Directorate quickly realized that a solution would be complex and include weight-reduction initiatives, trajectory manipulation, and flight software techniques.

During this study, it was obvious that other measures needed to be investigated to extend the range because too much weight would need to be removed from the current warhead to accommodate a range extension said Amanda Horton, GMLRS Systems Engineer.

Achieving success would also take a team effort - a Team Redstone effort.

AMRDEC used data previously gathered from flight tests for the Precision Fires Rocket and Missile System project office in determining what measures would achieve the desired ranges. AMRDEC has supported PFRMS and GMLRS for many years, Horton said. We have an all-digital six degrees of freedom simulation that utilizes actual GMLRS flight code and is constantly updated to reflect the current versions of GMLRS. The knowledge that the AMRDEC team has of this system is top-notch.

The GMLRS team investigated methods to reduce the weight and instituted a material change from steel to aluminum. All in all, we shaved 4.1kg off of the existing detent ring through a material change from steel to aluminum and removal of excess material, said Horton. Structural analysis showed that this would not cause an issue during flight and would function the same as the original.

Another 4.4 kilograms were removed from the nose section, also by replacing steel with aluminum. A thermal ablative was also added to this section as thermal analysis showed weakening of the material due to GMLRS flight environments.

Once the machined parts were complete, AMRDEC developed a procedure for removal of the internal components and their reinstallation into the new aluminum skins. This is the first time that all of the internal components have been removed and re-

installed in new skins, Horton said. AMRDECs Guidance Integration Facility

tested these sections after final assembly to ensure that nothing was damaged during the procedure and re-installation, and everything checked out, Horton said. The GIF is used in pre- and post-flight performance analysis and is utilized for almost every GMLRS Flight Test mission flown at White Sands Missile Range by PFRMS. Having these capabilities and knowledge at AMRDEC was crucial for this flight mission success.

The weight of the rocket was reduced further by changing to a competitively-selected Increment 3 warhead as well as a composite case solid rocket motor, which AMRDEC supported with flight testing and integration.

After final assembly, the total weight reduction was approximately 30 kilograms.

In addition to reducing the weight, engineers looked at vertical trajectory shaping, which was known to give a slight increase in range, and initial launch angle. Previous tests have been conducted with a GMLRS M270A1 launcher parked on a ramp and actually achieved a higher launch angle, said Horton. We wanted to find a way to

achieve this higher launch angle without the need for an incline.

WDI partnered with launcher experts in AMRDECs Software Engineering Directorate to develop and test a version of rocket software that allowed for a greater angle launch of launch. The software was tested during a flight test in 2011, and simulation studies showed the change in angle extended the range by a few kilometers.

Once all of the components were complete, they were shipped to the Redstone Test Center for final assembly, in which AMRDEC assisted. An Increment 3 warhead was furnished by PFRMS, and Horton noted that this was the first time an Increment 3 warhead was flown on a composite case motor.

On Aug. 14, 2012, flight tests of two light-weight GMLRS rockets were conducted at White Sands Missile Range and reached a range of approximately 107 kilometers. Both missions were considered a resounding success, Horton said, and are the farthest a functioning GMLRS round has been flight tested at WSMR.

RELATED LINKS Online: http://bit.ly/TnDs6m

Team Redstone instrumental in increased rocket range

Engineers at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center gather in front of a M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System. (U.S. Army photo by Heather R. Smith)


Larry the Cable Guy sees Natick technologyLarry the Cable Guy models a chest rig designed for him by Rich Landry, in background, during a Nov. 8 visit to the Load Carriage Design Lab while filming a segment at Natick Soldier Systems Center for his Only in America series. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)

By Bob Reinert USAG-Natick Public Affairs

NATICK, Mass. When it comes to turning out the finest equipment in the world for American servicemen and women, no one else can Git-R-Done quite like the folks at the Natick Soldier Systems Center.

Thats what Larry the Cable Guy discovered Nov. 8, when the comedian known for that blue-collar catch phrase brought the crew of his popular History Channel TV series Only in America to Natick Soldier Systems Center, or NSSC, for a visit.

This wasnt the first experience with the military for Larry, an American history lover who uses humor to share information gleaned during his cross-country tours. The 49-year-old Nebraska native previously had shot his way through the U.S. Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Ga., so it surprised no one to see him take a hands-on, lighthearted approach during his day-long quest to find out exactly what NSSC does for Soldiers.

Larry began his day at the Load Carriage Design Lab, which devised a modular chest rig to hold his beer, cigars, lighter and TV remote control.

This is so awesome, Larry said.He also had a look at the Ironman ammo

carriage system, which holds 500 rounds for the M240B machine gun. The system was the brainchild of members of the Iowa National Guard.

It just sounds cool, said Larry, the Ironman.Then it was on to the Thermal Test Facility,

where he fired a laser through fabric and Plexiglas, had his clothes set ablaze, and helped extinguish them using a spray bottle.

Whoa! Holy mackerel! said Larry as he watched a four-second burn test conducted on a manikin clad in a fire-resistant uniform. Nothing caught fire! Thats great. Thats good technology. You help save lives of people.

After lunch, Larry went to the Warfighter Cognitive Performance Building at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine to try out the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, a weapon simulator that measures physical and cognitive performance. There, he shot against a female Soldier, which he found challenging.

I just want to let everybody know watching this, honestly, youve seen me shoot on other shows -- Im not a bad shot, Larry said. But when youre out in the field and youve got to shoot in these conditions, it aint easy.

Im trying to let people know how tough it is for those guys, he continued. It seems like people forget theyre out there doing this kind

of work. Its not easy.Next, Larry became a human test subject

at the Doriot Climatic Chamber. Connected to a heart monitor, he climbed onto a treadmill wearing the Ironman and carrying the M240B as the tropic chamber temperature hovered around 108 degrees.

Its very hot in here, said Larry, whose heart rate rose to 138 beats per minute and skin temperature climbed to 36 degrees Celsius. Im sweating already.

He then repeated the test wearing a microclimate vest that cooled him down.

This is very thinning, this outfit, said Larry, joking as he was fitted to the vest.

Late in the afternoon, Larry sampled apple sauce from the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center before meeting with Soldiers to wrap up his day at Natick.

I knew it was going to be awesome, Larry said of the visit. I love meeting the troops. I love seeing the things that they use out there and what they go through.

The Natick segment on Only in America is expected to air sometime in April.

RELATED LINKSNSSC: http://www.natick.army.mil/


By Alexandra Foran NSRDEC Public Affairs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Representatives from Research, Development and Engineering Command and the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center were among more than 1,000 people who attended the ninth annual Massachusetts STEM Summit, held Oct. 11, at Gillette Stadium.

The purposes of the event were partnership and collaboration among business leaders, educators, politicians, and even a few students gathered to further the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, known as STEM, for students.

The event included speeches from officials representing the private and public sectors, including the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, Kraft Group, Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, National Grid, Verizon Foundation, Massachusetts Secretary of Education, a NASA astronaut, and many others.

The STEM fields are essential to our growth if we want to remain competitive in todays global economy, and we are proud to host the STEM Summit at Gillette Stadium this year, said Robert Kraft, chairman and chief executive officer of The Kraft Group. Amazing young people from all over the world come here (to Massachusetts) to be educated. We must keep them here and grow not only the greatest companies of the future, but also the greatest companies in the world.

Kraft spoke at length about the importance of education, especially in reference to todays ever-changing technology. He joked about these advances, saying, Before, tweet used to just be a noise, and The only apps that people like myself used to order were before dinner.

Many speakers and break-out sessions discussed the need to help students become excited about STEM classes, possible STEM internship opportunities, and, ultimately, STEM careers.

So many of our young people, who are engaged in robotics and different programs like that, can see a tangible way that the work that they are doing can transform the world, literally and figuratively, said Massachusetts Lt. Gov Tim Murray.

Donna Bulger, NSRDEC representative, has witnessed firsthand the effect STEM programs have on children and young adults.

The Land and Sea Robotics Camp, which was hosted at NSRDEC but run by Natick High School Robotics team volunteers, helped nurture students enthusiasm for STEM for both middle school participants and the high school mentors.

Ive seen a really positive progression of a well-coordinated STEM effort in the state, Bulger said. Back in the original summits, there were a lot of programs and a lot of activities, but it was unclear what the goals were.

Now, there are a set of focused goals. The six quantitative goals for the states STEM plan are as follows:

-- increase student interest in STEM-- increase STEM achievement for

students Pre-K to 12-- increase percentage of students ready

for college-level study in STEM majors-- increase number of students who

graduate from a post-secondary institution with a degree in a STEM field

-- increase number/percentage of STEM classes led by effective educators Pre-K to 16

-- align STEM education programs with workforce needs of key economic sectors

The biggest goal of the STEM summit is to support children through education in order to prepare them for a world in which STEM careers are vital and thriving.

Todays announced funding and the efforts and feedback from the engaged audience at todays summit will build on this foundation to further prepare a talented pipeline of students who will be ready to apply 21st century skills in the states workforce

and compete in our global economy, Murray said.

The Army, surprisingly to some, plays a big role in education and has a variety of STEM programs open to students.

For me, it was more on behalf of the Army Educational Outreach Program, or AOEP, to get plugged in here with some of our efforts nationally, said Louie Lopez, Program Manager for STEM Education at RDECOM. I am trying to get the pulse of what goes on here with STEM.

Lopez mentioned how Maryland has similar business roundtable discussions and STEM summits. He also explained two of the biggest AEOP programs.

eCYBERMISSION is a web-based free STEM competition for students in grades 6-9 who compete in teams for state, regional and national awards. Students work is focused on solving community problems, and they have an opportunity to win up to $8,000 in U.S. savings bonds. Another program, the Junior Science and Humanities Symposia, is for ninth through 12th grades. If students research projects make it to the national stage, they could win up to $12,000 in college scholarships through JSHS.

To me, its beyond Massachusetts and Maryland, Lopez said. What I intend to do is to get plugged into the different labs and what goes on in local STEM and how that plays into AEOP missions.

The summit placed an emphasis on collaboration. A quick scan around the large conference room revealed hundreds of business leaders, educators and politicians working together toward a common goal.

I still think theres a lot of work to do in terms of transitioning all of this into a classroom, said Bulger, who explained that one of the roles NSRDEC plays is to facilitate and identify those (programs) that we can match with a teacher. I think some of the programs we heard about today will provide some opportunity. eCYBERmissions are some of those programs we try to promote, so this will help us find the right venue to promote that.

Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Education, called the event more than a summit.

Its a movement and major collaboration, Reville said. Were on a roll, weve got a movement, and we need to keep it going.

As Bulger said, STEM programs are all about bringing people together and fostering excitement in STEM opportunities.

RELATED LINKSOnline: http://www.army.mil/article/89552

RDECOM, NSRDEC representatives attend STEM summit

Research, Development and Engineering Command and the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Enginering Center representatives attend the Massachusetts STEM Summit 2012, Oct. 11, in Foxborough, Mass. (U.S. Army photo by Alexandra Foran)


Two organizations within the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command -- the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center -- are developing a packaging system for 5.56-millimeter ammunition as an alternative to fabric bandoleers. (U.S. Army photo)

Research centers partner for improved ammunition packagingBy Dan Lafontaine RDECOM Public Affairs

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. U.S. Army research and development centers are collaborating to design new ammunition packaging that could yield significant cost savings and improve battlefield capability, officials said.

Two organizations within the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command -- the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center -- are developing a packaging system for 5.56-millimeter ammunition as an alternative to fabric bandoleers.

The new system is being developed for the Project Director Joint Services in support of the Program Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems. It could save considerable cost by using lightweight and inexpensive plastic packaging materials with a design that will allow for automated packing at the ammunition manufacturing plant, said Dan Klein, an engineer with ARDECs Packaging Division who serves as the program lead.

ENGINEERING PARTNERSHIP BEGINS

The engineering teams are combining ARDECs expertise in munitions, packaging and logistics with NSRDECs proficiency in laminate engineering and packaging science to design prototypes as a potential replacement.

NSRDECs expertise in packaging Meals Ready-to-Eat is very useful because a lot of the requirements overlap, Klein said. The end goal for both food and ammo is preservation, and you have to design for a lot of the same things.

Packaging food and ammunition incorporates several similar considerations and requirements, including moisture protection, ergonomics (tear strength and direction of packaging), marking, manufacturability and automatability, Klein said.

Materials engineer Dr. Chris Thellen of Combat Feeding Directorate, Advanced Materials Engineering Team, is leading the effort on NSRDECs side in collaboration with the Combat Ration Team in CFD. He said CFDs skills complement those of the ARDEC engineers in developing a solution for Soldiers needs.

Our expertise and experience in plastics and polymer technology, especially in the

areas of high-barrier food packaging and high-performance film technology, allow us to design items such as this ammunition packaging, Thellen said. We have several engineers on our team with backgrounds in plastics engineering and packaging science, so it really is a perfect fit for us and for this collaboration to work alongside other highly respected government facilities on a common goal.

The new design incorporates puncture-

resistant plastic packaging with high-moisture barrier properties to protect ammunition from atmospheric moisture that could degrade performance of the rounds, Thellen said.

Klein said the partnership began as employees from ARDECs Packaging and Future Concepts divisions visited NSRDEC to learn about its capabilities and look for potential collaboration opportunities. The teams then merged their respective areas of expertise to begin work in May 2012 on the improved packaging system.

Natick engineers are leading the design aspects for determining which materials have the best puncture resistance and water vapor transmission rate, as well as evaluating different methods for manufacturing the packaging on a large scale at an ammunition plant.

ARDECs Packaging Division, which is responsible for designing, maintaining and improving ammunition packaging for the Army, is coordinating the program requirements, logistics, effects on transportation, and gathering feedback from the Armys ammunition community and Soldiers.

COST SAVINGS, IMPROVED CAPABILITIES

Soldiers currently receive the bulk of 5.56-millimeter ammunition as 10-round clips consolidated in fabric bandoleers that add $7 to $8 to the cost of the packed out M2A1 container. The fabric design also makes automated packaging a labor intensive process, Klein said.

A bandoleer that holds 120 rounds of 5.56-millimeter ammunition costs $1 to $1.25 each, while the plastic variant will cost much less and hold the same amount, Klein said. Based on bandoleer production numbers for the next five years, the program could save more than $2 million annually.

The bandoleer fabric also uses a lot of the available volume in the container that could hold additional ammunition. Replacing it with plastic frees enough space that the number of rounds per container could increase from 840 to 1050.

An additional benefit is ammunition distribution, Klein said. By adding perforations between each 30-round pouch, a Soldier can tear off as much ammunition as necessary for the mission. A Soldier is currently forced to improvise during this situation.

The project has been presented to the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command for user input.

Our expertise and experience in plastics and polymer technology, especially in the areas of high-barrier food packaging and high-performance film technology, allow us to design items such as this ammunition packaging

Dr. Chris Thellen


Don Lee of the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Centers Headgear Thrust Area is looking at football helmet technology that could one day help protect Soldiers in the field. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)

Natick engineer looks at football technology to improve helmetsBy Bob Reinert USAG-Natick Public Affairs

NATICK, Mass. Whether someone absorbs a hit by an improvised explosive device or a charging linebacker, the effect can be devastating on the human brain.

Knowing that, researchers from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center are examining technology developed at the University of Southern Mississippi for football helmets that could one day also help protect Soldiers.

A liner system designed at the Southern Mississippi polymer science laboratory, with assistance from the schools sports medicine department, has been used in the Neuro Responsive Gear, or NRG, helmet produced by Rawlings Sporting Goods. The NRG features a system that combines foam and air bladders to more effectively absorb impacts. The helmet is being used in the National Football League and in the college ranks.

Don Lee, a project engineer in the Headgear Thrust Area of NSRDEC, is now looking at how that technology could apply to military helmets.

I was approached by the University of Southern Mississippi early last summer, Lee said. They had gotten wind that we were doing helmet work, and they had been doing a lot of work with Rawlings on a pneumatic liner system for football helmets, mainly.

They ended up coming up here and bringing one of their prototype liner systems, and we went over to the helmet lab here at the base and we tested the helmet. It actually showed some good preliminary data for an un-optimized system.

Lee works to prevent traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. He understands that once damaged, the brain cant repair itself and the injury is permanent. He sees potential in the University of Southern Mississippi system.

As Lee has pointed out, Soldiers and athletes are equally vulnerable to TBI. Increasingly, the military, academia and the sports industry are sharing information on the subject.

Were all tied in together, supporting each other, Lee said. It s not like were all working inside a vacuum. Right now, the commonality is protecting the head, and thats whats tying everything together.

Theres a lot of talk of crossover (in)

protecting Soldiers, protecting players. I think thats what led Southern Mississippi to us. Thats the commonality, is the (mild traumatic brain injury). I just think it s going to be an issue thats going to be going on for a long time.

Lee visited University of Southern Mississippis polymers lab and sports medicine department and came away impressed with the work they are doing together, and with Rawlings.

What they had initially showed in the data they provided showed that there was promise for an improved liner protection, said Lee, and I didnt want to let the opportunity pass me by.

Because the University of Southern Mississippi liner system uses dif ferent air-f illed chambers, it has possible advantages that other pneumatic systems lacked.

If you put a large weight in your helmet like a night-vision device, all the air would

be pushed out of that bag into bags in the back, said Lee of the old systems, and then youd have a stability issue when you actually have the helmet sliding down your face.

Leveraging dif ferent polymers, chambering and their relationship with Rawlings, the University of Southern Mississippi actually produced a liner that received a five-star safety rating for football helmets. It just shows that were all f ighting the same fight -- trying to mitigate brain injury.

Lee said hes reluctant to ignore any system that shows potential for helping Soldiers.

You get people (saying), Why are you looking at all this stuff? Lee said. It s turning over all the rocks and leaving no stone unturned.

RELATED LINKSNSRDEC: http://nsrdec.natick.army.mil/


Army-Navy personnel share gun expertiseBy Audra Calloway ARDEC Public Affairs

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure called for the creation of an integrated weapons and armaments specialty site for guns and ammunition at Picatinny.

As a result, the Navy relocated more than 250 positions assigned to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division to Picatinny Arsenal. Six new naval facilities were built to support the NSWC IHD detachment and accommodate the reintroduced naval presence at Picatinny.

The military is already seeing the benefits of this realignment. One positive aspect has been the combined Army-Navy efforts to support training requirements. Mike Bottass, NSWC IHDs Head of Minor and Medium Caliber Gun In Service Engineering Agent Branch, said the 2005 BRAC aligned similar Army-Navy missions and specialties on the same installation.

NSWC IHDs Picatinny Detachment includes three primary functions: ammunition acquisition and in-service engineering; gun systems acquisition and in-service engineering; and weapons and armaments packaging, handling, storage, and transportation research, development, acquisition and test and evaluation.

Once the naval functions began transitioning to Picatinny, the NSWC IHD Detachment was contacted by Matt Stracco, an education and training technician with the U.S. Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Centers Armament University.

We reached out to the Navy to let them know what we offered in training efforts that would be beneficial to them, said Stracco. They wouldnt have to go to the hassle of identifying vendors and bringing trainers here.

Should they need specific training, we were able to reach out to the vendors that we already work with and bring that training onboard in support of their mission.

Straccos offer interested Bottass, who registered for each of the armorer classes offered by AU to evaluate them for applicability and value to the Navy mission. They were a windfall of knowledge that has helped the Navy tremendously, Bottass said.

Bottass now encourages new Navy

engineers and technicians to take advantage of the training opportunities offered by AU.

These classes help us, Bottass said. When we transferred functions from other warfare centers to Picatinny, most of the folks did not move with their position. As a result, we hired new engineers and technicians, in most cases with little or no in-service engineering experience. The result was a relatively green ISEA team supporting our naval guns.

So, having the opportunity to get new engineers into armorer training gave us a significant leg up on the learning curve for those people that only knew the principles of engineering. The training provides practical exposure and gunnery vernacular. It also fostered relationships between the Army and Navy through the cooperative learning structure of the classrooms.

Participating in the dual trainings also saves the Navy money.

For us, the opportunity afforded us is very much in line with the intent of the BRAC efforts to bring the Navy here in the first place - to improve synergy between the Navys gunnery experts and the Armys, Bottass said.

Bottass and Stracco are now developing a new curriculum that includes chain guns and cannons, which open to both services engineers that will be taught by Navy trainers. The classes will be open to both Army and Navy personnel.

The Navy plans to offer chain gun familiarization training and instruction on the M242 25mm, MK44 30mm and 7.62mm EX34. It will also offer an introduction class on the M230 30mm.

AU will have a class on FN Manufacturing from Sept. 17-27, and plans to have additional training on the M249 SAW (squad automatic machine gun 5.56mm) and 7.62mm M240.

RELATED LINKSARDEC: http://www.ardec.army.mil/

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Picatinny-area students get hands-on with hair-raising scienceBy Jason Kaneshiro ARDEC Public Affairs

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. What better way to spark a lesson on basic electronics than to feel the hair-raising effects of electricity by placing your hands on a static-electricity-producing Van De Graaff Generator?

So it was for students Oct. 17 at the Ridge and Valley Charter School in Blairstown, N.J., who had the opportunity to build their own basic electronic devices under the guidance of a senior director from Picatinny Arsenal.

Ralph Tillinghast, Lab Director of the Collaborative Innovation Lab, volunteered to journey out to the school as part of ongoing efforts at Picatinny Arsenal and the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to local students.

It is our job as engineers and scientists to educate and excite the next generation about what we do, said Tillinghast.

Hes fantastic, said Ed Petersen,

STEM Program Manager. Hes got the enthusiasm and a great

ability to present the knowledge at the level of the students. He has a tremendous ability to relate to them.

The days events consisted of two hour-long sessions for students, with one session targeted at students at the sixth through eighth grade level and the other for students at the third through fifth grade level.

In each session, the students received hands-on experience in constructing basic electronic devices using educational snap-circuit kits.

Students in both groups were eager to attend the sessions when they first heard that Tillinghast was scheduled to visit the school.

The general reaction from the students was excitement, said student guide Tonya Wikander. The desire to attend was high among the students. Teachers at the school are called guides.

Wikander said Tillinghast had visited the school before. Students who attended his prior sessions were eager to participate

in the latest session.I love these workshops because we

get to work with the kits, said one student who participated in Tillinghasts previous events. Im definitely learning about how things work by seeing demonstrations and with the hands-on activities.

While introducing the students to the basics of circuit building and electronics is an important part of having these workshops, Tillinghast also pointed to an overarching purpose for the sessions that would endure beyond the hour-long lessons.

My personal feeling is that these workshops are critical to the future for our country and humanity in general, said Tillinghast.

These kids will one day have to take ownership of the issues and problems that we have today and tomorrow and to tackle those issues we will need people who understand the STEM disciplines and can develop creative solutions.

RELATED LINKSOnline: http://www.army.mil/article/91743/

Ralph Tillinghast, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, provides technical guidance on the assembly of an electronic circuit to two students of the Ridge and Valley Charter School to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. (U.S. Army photos by Jason Kaneshiro)

A student puts the final touches on an electronic circuit to power a small motor during an hour-long session.

A student discovers the hair-raising effects of electricity with a static-electricity-producing Van De Graaff Generator.


ARL Public Affairs

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Through collaboration, communication and a chance conversation, the U.S. Army Research Laboratorys Survivability/Lethality Analysis Directorate delivered an iPad application that could shave hours off the assessment process on the home front, and in a combat zone, allow the capture of forensic data that would typically be lost.

Greg Dietrich, team leader for the Survivability Assessment Team within the Warfighter Survivability Branch, was in need of a faster method to capture damage to plywood mannequins caused during live-fire testing and evaluation.

In LFT&E, we have to make predictions on what injury would have occurred inside the vehicle, Dietrich said. We have plywood mannequins in the vehicle and we collect data from those mannequins.

The data collection process takes a few hours and involves several steps. Those steps include: manually collecting data on holes and damage to the mannequins; entering the data into a spreadsheet; and transferring the data into the Operational Requirements-based Casualty Assessment model. The model is used to determine the type and severity of the injury based on the experimental data. After a fifteen-minute conversation in an airport and one week of research and development, there is now an app for that.

Dietrich was traveling with Lee Butler, a computer scientist with the Advanced Systems and Lethality Branch, in December 2011, when he mentioned the problem he was having. Butler began to think about it and after one week, he had a prototype of exactly what Dietrich needed. The iPad application has the ability to capture data from the actual mannequin and mark it on a virtual mannequin on the screen, as well as collect photographs and measurements of the damage. The intent is to enhance the app so the data is automatically uploaded to ORCA.

Dietrich knew of an ARL employee, Larry Dougherty, who would be traveling to Afghanistan in less than a week. Once in theater, Dougherty would be working with crews that assess actual damage to vehicles from combat. He knew that if he could share this new tool with them, it would improve their data collection processes and enhance the data they were able to collect. These actions would result in better analyses on the home front.

We can find the best answers, but if we dont effectively communicate those answers to decision makers, its pointless, Dietrich said.

In theater, teams with the Army Test and Evaluation Command and the National Ground Intelligence Center try to capture forensic evidence as soon as a vehicle is damaged in combat, so as to assess the vehicle damage to determine if it responded as we would expect, or if there may be any new vulnerabilities. However most of that forensic evidence takes too long to capture while in a combat zone, so the vehicles are recovered quickly and removed from the scene so that more assessments can be done once the vehicle is in a safe location.

Without the iPad application, no one is going to do it [the assessment]. You dont want to be in the area after an event. A lot of times it [the vehicle] is just removed. At that point, youve lost forensic knowledge of where it was in the scene, Butler said.

Dougherty asked Butler if the application could be adapted to include computer-aided-design drawings of the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle, so that damage could be assessed using the iPad. This would cut the data collection time in a combat zone from 30 minutes to just a few minutes. In the week before

Dougherty deployed, Butler was able to adjust the app so that it could create the scenario with the vehicle, the vehicle with a crew inside, or each of the crew members with no vehicle. Butler was able to develop the specific application and have it ready to deploy with Dougherty to Afghanistan where it was shared with ATEC and NGIC.

Everybody who gathers this data now carries a camera, notepad, tape measure and caliper. This new app collapses that down to one device. When you get it back from the scene, data, associations, photos are all linked together, Butler said.

At this point, most are really thrilled. It would not only help ARL, but Soldiers in the field. This all came about because of a happenstance objective, Butler said of the common travel schedule that he and Dietrich shared.

This is what we can do in a lot of areas if we just communicate, Butler said. Communication breeds synergy. I developed a tool for gathering mannequin data which morphed into gathering vehicle data, which now provides a valuable tool for the Soldier.

RELATED LINKSARL: http://www.arl.army.mil//

Collaboration breeds synergy... and an iPad app

The new app allows Soldiers to gather forensic evidence while in the combat zone, securing data that previously was unavailable due to the perilous environment. (U.S. Army photo by Lee Butler)


Army researchers link ground robots for collaborative autonomyARL Public Affairs

ADELPHI, Md. Four U.S. Army Research Laboratory researchers have developed an algorithm that will make it easier for the Department of Defense to maintain wirelessly networked Army PackBots and other military assets using radio communications.

The team recently demonstrated they could map the region of good connectivity to a radio base station using received signal strength.

We are working on fundamental techniques that employ autonomous agents to maintain connectivity, and continuously provide situational awareness to Soldiers, said Dr. Brian Sadler of ARLs Computational and Information Sciences Directorate in a recent article about the research.

The team has been focused on radio connectivity between robots for nearly two years, he said.

We can find and explore areas that have high RSS and then map these areas as having the strongest connectivity to the radio base station, said Jeffrey Twigg, a contract employee with ARLs Computational and Information Sciences Directorate who was instrumental in this research. This brings us a step closer to operating autonomous systems in complex and unstructured situations like those soldiers encounter on the battlefield.

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