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Knowledge www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Manager
Brig. Gen. March 2009
Volume 7, Issue 2

Steven A.
Hummer
Chief of Staff
USSOCOM

Ballistic Flotation ✯ Swimmer Detection ✯ Civil Affairs Medicine

Language Training ✯ Flyaway SATCOM ✯ Translation Devices
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 MARCH 2009
SPECIAL OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 2

FEATURES COVER / Q&A

Staying Afloat
The idea that ballistic vests ought to be equipped with flotation
capabilities is less obvious for troops deployed to the desert, but land
forces can also operate near bodies of water and can, if something
goes wrong, end up in the drink.
6 By Peter Buxbaum

SPECIAL SECTION: LANGUAGE & TRANSLATION

Translation Devices
DARPA has awarded contracts to language technology
companies over the past several years to develop two- 25
way speech translation tools under its Spoken Language
Communication and Translation System for Tactical Use
9 Brigadier General
program.
By Tom Marlowe Steven A. Hummer
Chief of Staff
USSOCOM
Language Training
Special operations forces travel to a lot of countries, and while
they are there, they need to know the language—at least
enough of the language to achieve their missions, at any rate. DEPARTMENTS
By Tom Marlowe
14 2 Editor’s Perspective

3 Whispers

22 Black Watch
Swimmer Detection
Monitoring and controlling the littorals is best handled with an
42 Tech Intell
integrated solution to detect and deter divers from attacking sensitive
assets. As stealth and technology become tools of the attacker, they 43 Calendar, Directory
must also be harnessed by the defender.
12
19 By Tom Marlowe

The Dynamic Front

A more gradual, comprehensive approach to GWOT based on indirect
effects may allow us to capture those on the precipice of terrorism INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
and offer them a legitimate alternative. Civil affairs medicine is crucial
in this effort.
30 By Major Amy Young

Flyaway SATCOM 44
Rapidly deployable SATCOM—flyaway, suitcase and increasingly
manpack—provides a self-evident capability in the SOF inventory.
Lydia Horton
The gear is smaller, but the capability is far greater.
Chief Operating Officer/Vice President
By Adam Baddeley
36 Military Systems Group
 SPECIAL OPERATIONS
TECHNOLOGY
VOLUME 7, ISSUE 2 MARCH 2009 At the recent Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict confer-
ence and exhibition, Admiral Eric Olson, USSOCOM commander,
World’s Largest Distributed noted that while the command was not necessarily an owner of
Special Ops Magazine
EDITORIAL many space assets, it was a huge consumer of the products of space
Editor intelligence and communications. As most other space-related
Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com
commands—not only in the United States but in other western
Managing Editor
Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com countries—I would assume that the recent placing in low orbit of
Copy Editors an Iranian satellite should be a measure for concern. The Iranians
Regina Kerrigan reginak@kmimediagroup.com
Diana McGonigle dianam@kmimediagroup.com have increased the intensity of its harsh rhetoric as well as the
Correspondents calculated demonstration of its technological capabilities. Their
Adam Baddeley • Scott Gourley • Marty Kauchak
Tom Marlowe • Kenya McCullum ability to put objects in space indicates their ability to launch larger
ART & DESIGN and longer-range payloads and to be a player in space—neither is
Art Director necessarily a positive factor given the government’s intransigent attitude on international cooperation.
Anna Druzcz anna@kmimediagroup.com
Graphic Designers
In another news item of note, capabilities were discovered by advancing Sri Lankan government
Scott Morris scottm@kmimediagroup.com forces when they overran a Tamil Tiger submarine manufacturing “facility.” Photographs revealed a
Anthony Pender anthonyp@kmimediagroup.com
Jittima Saiwongnuan jittimas@kmimediagroup.com variety of craft ranging from relatively simple one-man Turtle-like semi-submersibles to more compli-
Production Assistant cated multi-person submarines. The take-away from the discovery is that well-funded and insurgent
Eve Parker evep@kmimediagroup.com
groups—whether they were the Tigers of Sri Lanka, insurgents in Iraq or Somali pirates—are demon-
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Like us, many of you are making plans to attend the SOFIC conference
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Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

2d3 Participates in SOCOM TNT Weapons Systems

Experiments
2d3 Inc., a provider of vision science solutions for the defense, entertain-
ment, life science and engineering industries, recently participated in the test
and evaluation environment known as Tactical Network Topology (TNT), a
joint operation between USSOCOM and the Naval Postgraduate School at
Camp Roberts in central California.
2d3 successfully deployed to TNT with its TacitView, TopoMax and AltiMap
products, and was able to complete many experiments involving the interop-
erability between 2d3’s products and USSOCOM’s test unmanned platforms,
including the Raven, ScanEagle, Rascal and Maveric. Using TacitView, 2d3
was able to directly connect to the unmanned platforms to record, enhance
and exploit motion imagery data and create intelligence reports from live
and recorded motion imagery. 2d3’s stabilization, super-resolution, and
contrast enhancement capabilities were brought to bear on typical scenarios
encountered in flight.
Development
The Weapon Systems Technology Information Analysis Center
(WSTIAC), operated by Alion Science and Technology, was awarded
a $4.3 million task order to identify and explore new and emerging
technologies on behalf of the Joint and Special Operations
Program ( JSOP) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Navy Crane
in Crane, Ind.
Under the three-year Special Operations Forces Technology
Transition (SOF T2) task order, Alion will perform system modeling
and simulations, component design review and improvements.
Additionally, the company will test equipment and techniques,
implement data collection software and perform materials studies.
The JSOP Program Management Office is utilizing Alion’s research
and simulation expertise in night vision, ammunition, accessory
power, material replacement and noise/flash suppression.
The technologies are being developed at commercial, industry,
academia and DoD research facilities. SOF T2 will focus on
facilitating increased communication between the technology
developers and end users, ensuring that new technologies suit
end-user needs.
“JSOP is being proactive in developing weapons systems for
special operations forces warfighters,” said Chris Amos, Alion
senior vice president and manager of the Technology Solutions
Group. “Alion is supporting this effort by identifying new and
emerging technologies to enhance the capabilities of SOF weapons
and weapons systems accessories. This critical work will help give
our warfighters a great advantage on tomorrow’s battlefield.”
The contract runs until September 1, 2011. Subcontractors
supporting Alion include Advanced Automation Corp. and the
Wexford Group International, a CACI company.

Special Ops Aviation Support 528th Sustainment

The Air Force has awarded DynCorp International a delivery
order under the Contract Field Team program to support special
operations aviation. The delivery order has a potential value of $45.2
million over two years.
DynCorp International will provide aviation support for the
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Work will include orga-
nization-level, intermediate, and depot-level aviation maintenance,
special repairs, and servicing of electronic components. A total of 184
helicopters are supported under this delivery order, including the MH/
AH 6 series, MH-60 and MH-47, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., Hunter
Army Airfield, Ga., Fort Lewis, Wash., and other locations worldwide.
In addition, DynCorp International will maintain training aircraft
for the Special Operations Aviation Training Company.
The delivery order is firm-fixed-price, with a value of $22.6
million per year for two years. DynCorp International was the
incumbent.
Brigade
Effective February 2, 2009, the
Sustainment Brigade (Special Operations)
(Airborne), of Fort Bragg, N.C., was officially
re-designated as the 528th Sustainment
Brigade (Airborne). Along with the name
change, the brigade will be assuming the
lineage of the 528th Support Battalion
(Special Operations) (Airborne), which was
activated December 15, 1942. The battalion
has a long history, seeing service in World
War II, Vietnam and the Gulf War.
The brigade will continue to serve in its
previous role as the only organic sustain-
ment and support unit within the U.S. Army
Special Operations Command.

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 3

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Senator John W. Warner

ASDS Transport Awarded USSOCOM Medal
Naval Special Warfare Group ONE (NSWG-1) has announced an inten-
tion to award a sole source contract for a study of the designs of the Advanced Senator John W. Warner Jr. was presented the U.S. Special
SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) and the Land Transport Vehicle (LTV) from its Operations Command Medal by Navy Admiral Eric T. Olson,
storage facility to local and remote areas by transporting by land and C-17 commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, at a ceremony
aircraft. With this announcement, they stated that they believe that only held at the Pentagon January 5, 2009. Olson presented Warner the
one responsible source, Martinez and Turek Inc., are able to perform the medal in recognition of his support to special operations forces
study without significant additional cost to the government. throughout his years of public service, especially during his 30
Martinez and Turek delivered its first study on the ASDS and LTV and years in the U.S. Senate.
all procedural documents for the on-and-off loading procedures for the
C-17 in 1998.
Although not soliciting competitive quotes, any firm that believes that
they can meet the study requirements on the ASDS and LTV may give written
notice via e-mail to the contracting officer. Response received will be
evaluated; however, a determination by the government not to complete the
proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within
the discretion of the government.

The senator played an important role in the establishment

of U.S. Special Operations Command in 1986 and has remained
a knowledgeable, vigilant and persuasive champion of special
operations.
Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Senator Warner’s public
service started when he enlisted in the Navy during World War II
and served as an officer in the Marine Corps during the Korean
War. He also served as under secretary and secretary of the Navy
from 1969 to 1974. Warner was elected senator for Virginia in 1978
and during his Senate tenure, he served more than six years as
chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
USSOCOM presents the medal to people who have made excep-
tional and distinctive contributions to special operations forces
during either war or peacetime operations. Medal recipients also
exemplify the personal values and standards of those who serve in
special operations units.

SOF Vehicle Support

The program manager (PM) Family of
Special Operations Vehicles (FOSOV) is respon-
sible for evaluation of emerging vehicle tech-
nologies, testing of candidate commercial and
tactical vehicle systems, research, development,
engineering, procurement and sustainment of
FOSOV material solutions. PM-FOSOV is respon-
sible for central program management of SOF
ground mobility platforms from cradle to grave.
Standard engineering and testing services along
with associated test courses, facilities, ranges
and instrumentation must be available to
support the PM. This PWS outlines those engi-
neering and testing tasks that the PM requires
in order to properly execute the program respon-
sibilities of SOF ground mobility acquisition.
Under a systems technical support (STS)
contract, PM-FOSOV is looking for a contractor
to provide engineering, logistics and related
technical support functions for all special opera-
tions forces ground mobility platforms. The SOF
Ground Mobility Platform series of vehicles,
which is supported by this STS contract includes
but is not limited to: the light tactical all-terrain
vehicle, internally transportable vehicle, ground
mobility vehicle, mine resistant ambush protected
vehicles and non-standard commercial vehicles.

4 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
The Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) has released some information
on its anticipated Mission Adaptive Rotor (MAR)
program broad agency announcement (BAA).
The goal of the MAR program is to develop
on-the-fly morphing rotor technology and
demonstrate the dramatic benefits possible using
this capability to reconfigure the rotor in flight,
either during each rotor revolution, between
mission phases, or both. Applications for both tilt
rotors and edgewise rotors are equally acceptable
to DARPA.
DARPA believes that dramatic improvements
in rotorcraft attributes—performance (range,
payload, speed, maneuverability, agility, etc.),
survivability (against acoustic and other threats)
and availability (vibration, etc.)—over those
possible with a single, fixed geometry rotor can
be achieved by actively varying the shape and/
or properties of a rotor between disparate flight
conditions. Adaptation between segments of a
mission allows optimization of the configuration
to maximize the desired attributes during each
flight phase. Similarly, adaptation during each
rotor revolution enables an optimized design
for each of the dramatically different conditions
experienced.
The program seeks to: 1) develop a robust
design for a morphing rotor system that maxi-
mizes military utility by actively reconfiguring in
flight to provide best performance during a range
of missions or mission segments and per revolu-
tion; 2) mature critical enabling technologies;
and 3) validate through simulation, ground test
and flight demonstration that rotor adaptation
and morphing is feasible, practical, of military
value and sufficiently mature for application to
the next U.S. military rotorcraft development
effort.
Phase I
A BAA for Phase I activity would include rotor
system design to a systems requirements review,
development of demonstration plans, and any
appropriate component and/or sub-scale tech-
nology risk reduction. Phase I would focus on the
conceptual design of an objective rotor system
on a notional future rotorcraft that exhibits the
desired mission-adaptive rotor benefits defined
here.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Mission Adaptive Rotor
The improvements are to be shown analyti-
cally relative to a future rotorcraft using fixed
(non-adaptive) technology. Rotor design maturity
and level of detail should be consistent with
the use of state-of-the-art high-fidelity aero-
mechanics analysis, which have demonstrated
accuracy improvements beyond lifting-line-
based comprehensive analysis (e.g., CAMRAD II,
RCAS, etc.). Tools such as those developed in the
DARPA Helicopter Quieting Program, utilizing
as a minimum Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes
Computation Fluid Dynamics coupled with finite
element structural dynamics analysis, for this
effort are considered credible toward substanti-
ating performance and attributes of an advanced
rotor system design.
Beyond Phase I
Potential subsequent phases would fund the
risk reduction program to develop and test an
affordable, large-scale technology demonstrator
rotor through ground and flight test. This is
intended to provide data for the analysis of
whether the objective rotor is feasible.
Improving Current
Capabilities
DARPA wants to understand whether the MAR
program capability improvements sought for an
objective rotorcraft, over a current technology
state-of-the-art fixed (non-adaptive) technology
rotor, are achievable. The objective attributes are:
• 30% increase
increase in payload or 40%
in specific range
• 50% range
reduction in acoustic detection
• 90% reduction in vibration
Improvements in other key system attri-
butes—availability, speed, maneuverability
and agility, and marinization (e.g. capability to
effectively operate from an Arleigh Burke-class
destroyer in high-sea states, folding, corrosion
resistance, etc.)—are desirable, but maintaining
at or near current levels is important. DARPA
seeks to understand the trade space available and
the impacts of adaptive technology on the ability
to achieve these characteristics. Notional Army,
Navy and Marine Corps mission profiles have
been put forth to assist in analyzing performance
of the fixed and MAR objective rotor, in addi-
tion. Additionally, DARPA has invited industry to
propose additional operationally-relevant military
mission profile(s) that demonstrate the compel-
ling capabilities of a mission-adaptive rotor.
New General and
New Command
During a ceremony in late February,
Army Colonel Edward M. Reeder Jr. was
promoted to brigadier general by Admiral
Eric T. Olson, commander of USSOCOM.
Reeder, formerly Olson’s executive officer,
departed the same afternoon to assume
duties as commander of the newly estab-
lished Combined Forces Special Operations
Component Command—Afghanistan in
Kabul.
“Ed Reeder is an extraordinary officer
and a man of real character. People like
to be around him, and people like to work
for him,” Olson said during the ceremony.
“Ed Reeder epitomizes the SF officer,” he
added.
Reeder credited his success to his
friends, family, former co-workers and
superiors, and even high school class-
mates who filled the room at the cere-
mony. “The reason I am up here today is
due to the people I have worked for and
worked with,” Reeder said.
SOTECH 7.2 | 5
MANUFACTURERS The importance of supplying forces with adequate

body armor made headlines during the early days of

CONSIDER DIFFERENT
WARFIGHTERS’ SPECIFIC
Operation Iraqi Freedom. The idea that ballistic vests

ought to be equipped with flotation capabilities is

NEEDS IN A PERSONAL
FLOTATION DEVICE.
less obvious for troops deployed to the desert. While

the need may be obvious for Navy and Coast Guard

BY PETER BUXBAUM
SOTECH CORRESPONDENT personnel, land forces can also operate near bodies of

water—rivers, lakes and pools, for example—and can, if

something goes wrong, end up in the drink.

6 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

 Should that occur, the additional
weight being carried by personnel in
the form of armor can work against
survivability in a watery environment.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in three feet
or 30 feet. If you’re pinned, drowned is
drowned,” said Frank Borelli, principal
in Borelli Consulting, in Lusby, Md., an
organization that performs
product evaluations for U.S.
military and law enforce-
ment organizations.
“A U.S. soldier who falls
into a river in Baghdad is
likely to sink,” Borelli added,
“especially if he is wearing
heavy trauma plates.”
“Warfighters and secu-
rity forces are increasingly
boarding vessels for search Sean Martin
and seizure operations
and doing more work on
maritime docks,” said Sean
Martin, director of business
development at BAE Sys-
tems’ individual equipment
group. “This has also led
to the need to marry flota-
tion technology and body
armor.”
In the past, devices that
combined buoyancy with Thomas Kuehnlein
ballistic protection were
built around the traditional t.kuehnlein@m-v-s.de
foam vests worn in naval and
maritime environments. These proved
too cumbersome for a ground soldier
who might be carrying 60 pounds of
equipment and armor.
“Picture a personal flotation device
from the recreational boating industry
sewn into a ballistic structure,” said
Martin. “It would be very bulky and
would restrict movement.”
“In the past, a foam vest was typi-
cally used for buoyancy because of its
reliability,” added Steve Seybold, who
works in military business development
out of Annapolis, Md., for Mustang Sur-
vival Inc., a company based in Rich-
mond, British Columbia. “But these
foam devices ended up compromising
the performance of the individual.”
The challenge for manufacturers,
then, was to achieve a desired level
of ballistic performance and buoyancy
in a smaller package with less bulk. A
number of different approaches have
emerged.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
One approach involves a modu-
lar design, which allows armor to be
inserted into a flotation vest when the
need calls for it. A variation on that
theme is to design a flotation vest that
allows its inserted armor to be easily
ditched once personnel found them-
selves in a liquid environment. A third
approach is to develop
specialized armor that
itself provides inher-
ent buoyancy. Yet a
fourth approach is to
develop inflatable flota-
tion devices that can be
integrated with protec-
tive vests.
There is probably no
right or wrong answer
to the question as to
which type of device is
best. It depends instead
upon the specific situ-
ation and application
that is being addressed.
“One factor to con-
sider is what level of
ballistic protection
is needed,” said Mar-
tin. “The degree of
buoyancy is also an
issue.” Some devices
can achieve true, self-
righting buoyancy, so
that the wearer’s face is
above water, and can save the wearer’s
life if he is unconscious. Other devices
can provide neutral buoyancy, so that
the wearer can force himself underwater
in order to evade some form of threat.
Some products would not be recom-
mended, Martin added, when the user’s
work takes him over or near water as
one of his primary functions.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s deployable
specialized forces has determined that
modular vest design best suits its pur-
poses. “A modular flotation design per-
mits the operator to wear the flotation
device with or without ballistic protec- Two damage tolerant life preservers from Mustang Survival.
tion,” explained Lieutenant Commander [Photos courtesy of Mustang Survival]
David Jelin, chief of equipment standard-
ization for the Coast Guard’s Deployable
Operations Group. “This permits greater
muscle memory, with the same equip-
ment in the same location, whether in
training or any operation.”
The Coast Guard has managed to ful-
fill these requirements with commercial
SOTECH 7.2 | 7
and government off-the-shelf (COTS/GOTS) equip-
ment. “A study of global armed threats in paral-
lel with COTS/GOTS ballistic protection revealed
ample ballistic protection identified to meet these
threats,” said Jelin. “The flotation equipment iden-
tified is designed to keep the weight of the ballistic
protection system and operator afloat.”
BAE Systems has taken the approach of devel-
oping an outer tactical vest that incorporates
a quick release feature that allows the ballistic
Brian Henley
inserts within the vest to be discarded. The U.S.
Army Special Forces Command is currently pro-
curing that model.
“Much of design for this product crossed over from air surviv-
ability devices and materials used in that design,” said Martin.
“The release allows the wearer to cut away the ballistic protection
and be left with flotation.”
Mehler Vario System of Fulda, Germany, is one manufacturer
that has developed an integrated product, which includes ballistic
protection in a vest that provides inherent buoyancy. “We have
designed this vest to provide movability in water,” said Thomas
Kuehnlein, the company’s sales manager for ballistic products. “It
is not something that guarantees 100 percent rollover to provide
lifesaving properties in case a person is unconscious. It empha-
sizes more the aspect of a good flotation aid and allows movement
in water to be ready for action.”
The MVS device consists of a shell, which itself is a soft armor
vest and which can be supplemented with armor plates to provide
protection up to Level 3. Those armor plates, which are designed
and manufactured by MVS and made from high performance
polyethylene, provide positive buoyancy.
“We put a larger plate in front and a smaller one in the back
to get a special lift in the front part of the vest,” Kuehnlein noted.
“We also added some foam in the shoulder and chest area to give
the product some additional lift. The flotation devices and armor
panels are sealed watertight.”
MVS sells its protective devices to military and law enforce-
ment organizations, primarily in Europe and Asia, and has been
tested in action in places like Afghanistan, Kosovo and Africa.
Kuehnlein noted that the company is completely integrated and
performs all functions related to the fabrication of its products,
from research and development to the procurement of materials
to manufacturing.
Mustang Survival develops flotation devices that are easily
integrated with ballistic vests used by many military organiza-
tions. The company was originally contacted by the Kuwaiti mili-
tary to develop a life preserver that could be integrated with body
armor and tactical vests. Soon thereafter, the company also began
to receive orders from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy’s Expe-
ditionary Combat Command. In addition, the U.S. Army’s combat
engineers now use a similar vest developed by Mustang Survival.
The tactical life preservers supplied to those services feature
both manual inflation and automatic inflation variants. Manual
inflation is required in aviation environments, noted Seybold.
The company then moved on to develop a damage-tolerant life
preserver (DTLP). These devices were designed for users operating
in hostile environments to provide emergency flotation even after
a direct hit from a firearm, ballistic fragmentation or stabbing
puncture. “The DTLPs were developed with a dual cell design, so
8 | SOTECH 7.2
that if one cell that is compromised; the other can
be inflated to provide emergency flotation,” said
Seybold. “The DTLP is designed for those who need
full flotation to offset heavy gear. If the primary cell
is damaged, a fully integrated secondary cell offers
the same 65-pound buoyancy.”
DTLPs also come in less bulky, compact ver-
sions, which provide 65 pounds of buoyancy when
fully inflated or 35 pounds if one cell is compro-
mised. The DTLPs can be seamlessly integrated with
tactical gear and are available with a manual infla-
tion option or with automatic hydrostatic inflation.
The hydrostatic technology uses a pressure valve to inflate the life
preserver when immersed in four inches or more of water.
The DTLPs are also equipped with a ballistic pouch in order
to mitigate the effects of direct ballistic impact, which can cause
a CO2 cylinder to rupture. “The containment pouch disperses
the force of the CO2 and prevents the cylinder from becoming a
projective, while containing dangerous fragments,” said Seybold.
“Inflatable life preservers contain 30 to 37 grams of compressed
gas. When the bottle is compromised by a foreign object or bal-
listic round, it can cause a pretty violent explosion. The bottle
is shatterproof but the explosion can still cause damages to the
flotation device as well as to the individual wearing it. The ballistic
pouch contains the damage and protects the wearer as well.”
Mustang Survival is currently in the process of introducing a
new horse-collar type of life preserver. Traditional collar flotation
devices contain redundant systems with two bladders that are situ-
ated side by side, noted Mustang Survival’s Brian Henley. “When
one side gets compromised, it renders both useless,” he said. “Our
new product made the two bladders redundant but independent of
each other. If one bladder is damaged, one still gets full circum-
ferential inflation, where in the past the user would just be sitting
there with a unit that didn’t work.”
Other organizations are also working on innovations to their
product lines. BAE Systems will be introducing a group of prod-
ucts later this year that Sean Martin describes as both modular
and scalable. The scalability feature involves the ability to accom-
modate ballistic protection at Level 3 or at Level 4 and above. “It
can also be configured to include a flotation collar to provide full
self-righting buoyancy in the water,” he said.
MVS’s Kuehnlein said his company seeks to improve its prod-
uct quality on a yearly basis. “We have two shooting ranges that
enable us to test product quality in house,” he said. MVS’s cus-
tomers constantly demand that the company reduce the weight of
the armor plates that it manufactures, he added, and the company
generally succeeds in doing so every year or two.
The Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces, for its part,
continues to research and identify suitable ballistic and flotation
devices through the Office of the Commandant, the Coast Guard
Research and Development Center and Department of Defense
agencies, according to Jelin. The aim of these efforts, he said, is
“to develop future requirements and identification of equipment
toward increased mission success and officer safety.” ✯
For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or
search our online archives for related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
LANGUAGE & TRANSLATION

Translation Devices BY TOM MARLOWE

SOTECH CORRESPONDENT

DARPA SEEKS TECHNOLOGICALLY BASED SOLUTIONS TO TRANSLATING IN THE FIELD.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

has awarded contracts to language technology companies over
the past several years to develop two-way speech translation tools
under its Spoken Language Communication and Translation Sys-
tem for Tactical Use (TRANSTAC) program.
“They have moved the state of the art ahead enormously well.
There are a lot of neat things there and we are very glad to be
associated with it,” Tim McCune, president of Integrated Wave
Technologies (IWT), told Special Operations Technology.
IWT, a TRANSTAC contractor based in Fremont, Calif., mean-
while has moved forward with revising its popular Miltrans Voice Integrated Wave Technologies’ voice response translator shown here in use in Kosovo in December
Response Translator (VRT), which offers hands-free, eyes-free 2008. [Photo courtesy of IWT]

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 9

LANGUAGE & TRANSLATION

translation capabilities to U.S. warf- S-MINDS also provides a Rapid

ighters who must communicate to Interview Translation editor that per-
foreign populations around them in mits incorporation of new modules
Iraq and Afghanistan. or topics in a new language in a
“We have been focusing on the short time with the assistance of a
core things that make it effective for linguist. An image processing mod-
people to use,” McCune said. “We ule enables users to take pictures of
have completely redone the basic people, places or things and inquire
software application. The recognition about them.
has improved. We have expanded the The total S-MINDS system, which
number of languages. There are 50 runs on Microsoft Windows, weighs 3
languages on it now in response to pounds and is ruggedized.
requests. There are SOF folks all over
the place. We also have increased the IMPORTANT PHRASES
number of phrases on it.”
IWT has expanded the capability Voxtec International Inc. of
of the system to hold up to 199 lan- Annapolis, Md., manufactures one of
guages and to go 65 hours between the preeminent translation devices
recharges. in use by U.S. military forces today—
“You have guys from the 1st Group the Phraselator.
who go from the Philippines to Indo- Voxtec is continually adding new
nesia to Afghanistan, and they will languages and translation domains
never have to change the software to its devices, based upon ongoing
because we can plug in the whole deployment of the systems, Voxtec
group of languages they are going to The current version of the Phraselator P2mX-2 is the fifth generation President John Hall told SOTECH.
need,” McCune noted. “The design hardware Voxtec]
platform, since the original Model 1000. [Photo courtesy of
The company also has added lan-
parameters that we have been able to guage training tools to the P2 to help
meet that no one else has met are pretty key for a warfighters practice speaking and reading a
certain group of SOF users.” language.
The company also is testing a stealth version “No one can promise that these systems are
of the VRT, inspired by soldiers who have worn going to replace a human interpreter any time
it as a throat microphone under their clothes, soon, but we’ve made tremendous improvements
thereby disguising the presence of the VRT. to the capabilities over the past several years,”
Hall commented. “We like to think our systems
INFLUENTIAL APPLICATIONS are a force multiplier on the battlefield, freeing
up human ‘terps to do more critical, complex
Fluential Inc., based in Sunnyvale, Calif., also language tasks as the translation systems are
participates in the DARPA TRANSTAC program. used for more general, quick interactions. These
John T. Hall
The company claims to have two-way speech systems are just one part of the solution to
translation applications ready to field today with clayton.millis@voxtec.com breakdown critical language barriers.”
its Speaking Multilingual Interactive Natural Dia- The current version of the system, the
logue System (S-MINDS). Phraselator P2mX-2 is the fifth generation hardware platform,
S-MINDS is a system that provides two-way speech applica- since the original Model 1000. The P2mX-2 is running the
tions for specific missions, enabling Americans and Iraqis to company’s sixth generation software application, referred to
collaborate in training exercises, for example. Fluential bills simply as version 3.0.
S-MINDS as a means to train Iraqis without an interpreter, as From its holster, the SQUID SQ.200 provides hands-free,
the device understands English phrases (which it translates into eyes-free translation, offering up to 2,400 phrases for commu-
Iraqi phrases) as well as Iraqi phrases (which it translates to nication to foreign speakers.
English). In March 2008, Voxtec International sold 105 SQ.200 wear-
S-MINDS offers a means of communication with a high able translation systems to soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. The
degree of accuracy for a broad range of interaction for train- devices were configured to supply warfighters with one-way
ing missions for Iraqi soldiers or police officers, according to translation capabilities in the languages of Arabic, Duri, Iraqi,
Fluential. The system consists of a notebook and a hands-free Kurmanji, Pashto and Urdu.
microphone, and it listens to each respective speaker and then The SQ.200 devices came in kits supplied by Atlantic Div-
transcribes the speech. The system can operate wirelessly, which ing Supply Inc., which supplies special operations equipment
means the computer does not have to be with the operator, pro- to warfighters in all services. These kits, known as Escalation
viding users with a hands-free, eyes-free translation capability. of Force kits, were specifically designed to reduce casualties

10 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

caused by improvised explosive devices or suicide bombers. The
SQUID SQ.200 comes with more than 2,000 preloaded phrases,
Talk With
which were recorded by professional linguists. The phrases are
organized by categories for easy searching and access.
In May 2008, Aardvark Tactical Inc. fielded the Phraselator
Foreign
P2 in many of its kits, including the Force Protection Capabil-
ity Set for the Marine Corps; Brigade Combat Team Set for
Nationals.
the U.S. Army; and the Escalation of Force set for the Army.
Soldiers and Marines with these sets could use the Phrasela- In Any Language.
tor P2 for crowd control, riot control, convoy operations and
checkpoint operations.
The U.S. military currently uses more than 6,000 Phrasela-
tor devices overseas.
Voxtec International’s recently redesigned Website offers
users of the Phraselator P2 and SQUID SQ.200 to explore the
devices in 360 degrees with the ability to learn about specific
features. They also can learn how to build custom language
modules with the Voxtec Module Builder Pro software.

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Several prominent applications make use of the commer-
cially available iPod products from Apple Inc. to convert the
devices into language tools.
Vcom3D Inc. of Orlando, Fla., has introduced its Vcom-
municator Mobile as such a device. The Vcommunicator kit
modifies an iPod by attaching it to a small speaker by a cord.
Both parts fit into a pouch that straps to a soldier’s arm. The
Vcommunicator also comes with a solar charger.
The company recognized the need for soldiers to com-
municate when confronted with unknown languages in Iraq
and Afghanistan, so it developed an application to go onto an MilTrans Combat Language
iPod that uses scenario-specific phrases to assist soldiers in
language training. It also offers video of behaviors that are
Translation System.
culturally appropriate to teach warfighters appropriate man-
ners when in foreign nations. s/NE WAYVOICETO
TO
U.S. military servicemembers have employed more than VOICETRANSLATION

700 Vcommunicator-configured iPods in Iraq, Afghanistan and s4RUEEYES FREE
Sudan. Warfighters also can opt to use the Vcommunicator HANDS FREE
Authoring Suite to create and modify content in the Vcommu- operation.
nicator Mobile software. The authoring suite allows warfight- sSupports 199
ers in the field to easily add content such as maps, photos or languages.
audio to the Vcommunicator. s-ORETHAN
The device is preloaded with support for specific preset deployed.
missions such as raids, patrols, cordon and knock, and others. Integrated
tegrated Wave
Wave Technologies,
Technologies Inc.
Inc
It’s easy to use and requires no training to get started, accord-
ing to Vcom3D. The Vcommunicator offers realistic dialog Combat proven.
and emotion in its phrases, teaching warfighters how to speak
appropriately.
The cultural training videos of the Vcommunicator offer a
searchable library of gestures and expressions. Preset charac-
ters in the video animations include soldiers and civilians.
The Army’s 1st Cavalry Division received the Vcommunica-
tor Mobile prior to deployment to Iraq last year with a demon-
stration at Fort Hood, Texas. Vcom3D equipped their devices
with Iraqi Arabic, Kurdish, Dari, Pashto and Modern Standard www.miltrans.com 510-353-0260
Arabic.

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 11

LANGUAGE & TRANSLATION

VISUAL LANGUAGE
Alexandria, Virginia-
based Gaia Communica-
tions LLC, (Kwikpoint),
has created a non-elec-
tronic but successfully
field-proven foreign lan-
guage communication
tool, the Kwikpoint Visual
Language Translator (VLT).
Several million VLTs have
been supplied throughout
the U.S. military, includ-
ing special ops units of the
U.S. Army, Marines and
Air Force; and the Joint
IED Defeat Organization
(JIEDDO). VLTs are cus-
tom-designed, multi-panel,
double-sided lightweight
graphical pocket guides
printed on durable syn-
thetic paper and designed
to assist U.S. forces in
quickly and accurately
communicating with and
Kwikpoint has created a non-electronic but successfully field-proven foreign language communication tool, the Kwikpoint Visual Language Translator. [Photo
obtaining intel from non- courtesy of Kwikpoint]
English speaking locals.
Using carefully researched and illustrated graphics, VLTs allow images regarding the manufacture, concealment, targets and
for a sequenced and rapid interactive two-way dialogue between emplacement of IEDs as well as weapons caches and enemy
people who do not share the same language by pointing to pictures positions. VLTs are used alone or as a compliment to transla-
to communicate. tion devices or interpreters. They provide an additional means
JIEDDO’s Iraq and Afghanistan VLTs for IED detection were of overcoming language barriers when graphical images are
designed to foster communication using easily recognizable necessary for increased understanding.

12 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

 OVERCOME LANGUAGE BARRIERS

INSTANTLY.
Kwikpoint collaborates closely with customers to create
new VLTs for specific requirements. Special ops, for example,
contracted for a sanitized VLT version of its survival evasion
resistance escape product. The U.S. Army worked with Kwik-
point to create Iraq and Afghanistan VLTs that incorporate
From Afghanistan and Iraq to Southeast Asia,
graphics and icons together with supplemental text transla-
Voxtec equips military forces with two rugged,
tions and phonetics of critical command and control words and
reliable, voice-activated language translation systems,
phrases for the soldier to communicate with locals. Curt Henry
enabling service members engaged in both tactical
a U.S. Navy commander and former DARPA program manager
and humanitarian operations to overcome language
described Kwikpoint products as “a basic leap-ahead technol-
barriers and achieve their objectives.
ogy” and a “valuable resource” for use in the battlefield by
“boots-on-the-ground troops who have direct contact with the
local population deployed anywhere in the world.”

NAVIGATION DEVICES
VoiceBox Technologies Inc., based in Bellevue, Wash., offers
a peek of the future with voice navigation in vehicles. The com-
pany develops applications such as its VoiceBox Conversational
Voice Search Platform for use in personal automobiles, but it THE ULTIMATE MOBILE
has made terrific strides in voice recognition for its platforms. TRANSLATION SYSTEM
The company kicked off 2009 with an announcement that » 9WIVWGERGSQQERHQSVIXLER
XVERWPEXMSRWMRSZIV
it had received a U.S. patent on its conversational voice search PERKYEKIW
applications. The technology relies upon speech-based queries » %HHRI[XVERWPEXMSRWSRHIZMGI
to find information for users. It tries to learn from its environ- ERHGYWXSQM^ITLVEWIWIXWXS
ment and its users’ preferences as to the exact meaning of the ]SYVWMXYEXMSR
commands it receives. » %GGIWW:S\XIG«WSRPMRI9WIV
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Last year, VoiceBox Technologies added the languages of WSJX[EVIYTHEXIW[SVPH[MHI
Dutch, British English, French, Italian, German and Spanish to
support already being provided for American English, Canadian
French and Mexican Spanish. The company worked with pho-
netic transcribers to determine the appropriate pronunciation
of words for its systems, based on the work of native speakers
of those languages.
As such, the VoiceBox gained extended capabilities for tasks
such as voice destination entry for navigation, local search and
points of interest, as well as location-based address requests
using city and street names. The increase in the number of
languages provides the VoiceBox applications with functionality
while operating in nations where those languages are spoken.
VoiceBox Technologies first introduced its language set in its
personal navigation devices and followed that up with its auto-
motive telematic systems.
The VoiceBox devices determine context and intent from HANDS FREE, EYES FREE
regular conversational speech and then determines a speaker’s
TACTICAL TRANSLATION
SYSTEM
intent to determine the nature of the request. Users of a
» %GGIWWYTXSXVERWPEXMSRWMRQYPXMTPIPERKYEKIW[MXLE
VoiceBox system simply state their goal to the device, which LMKLTIVJSVQERGILIEHWIXSVPETIPQMGVSTLSRI
then figures out destinations without the use of preset com- » 1MPMXEV]WTIGGYWXSQLSPWXIVEPPS[WYWIVWXSWIGYVIP]MRXIKVEXI
mands. The devices work well even in noisy environments, W]WXIQSRXLIMVIUYMTQIRX
according to the company. ✯ » 9WIVMRHITIRHIRX%YXSQEXMG7TIIGL6IGSKRMXMSR%76 ¦ZSMGI
XVEMRMRKMW238VIUYMVIH

:S\XIG-RXIVREXMSREP-RG
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For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or 8
search our online archives for related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com. [[[ZS\XIGGSQ


www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 13

LANGUAGE & TRANSLATION

Language
Training

14 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

 LANGUAGE-LEARNING
PROGRAMS GIVE SOF THE
RESOURCES THEY’LL NEED
FOR THEIR MISSIONS.
BY TOM MARLOWE
SOTECH CORRESPONDENT

Special operations forces travel to

a lot of countries, and while they are
there, they need to know the lan-
guage—at least enough of the language
to achieve their missions, at any rate.
To meet that need, Air Force Special
Operations Command (AFSOC), Navy
Special Operations Command (NAV-
SOC), and Marine Corps Special Opera-
tions Command (MARSOC) turn to
language training companies like Shee
Atiká Languages LLC of Fayetteville,
N.C. Shee Atiká Languages provides
roleplayers for warfighters engaged in
training classes to prepare them for
speaking to or dealing with people in
foreign countries.
Shee Atiká Languages has a
standing contract with USSO-
COM, whereby they provide services
as needed, Ron Haynes, Shee Atiká
Languages general manager, told
Special Operations Technology.
“They might say, ‘we need 50 role-
players with authentic Afghanistan cos-
tumes, and we need them to speak
Dari,’” Haynes explained. “We support
the Advanced Special Operations Train-
ing Course here in local areas. In the
way that runs, we provide roleplayers
that are sometimes not qualified lin-
guists and sometimes they are. They
will give them scenarios to play out
with the special forces students.”
Scenarios could include things like
defending or taking a dam or interview-
ing medical personnel entering and
exiting a denied area to ascertain the
situation in that area, Haynes added.
Training can occur at regularly sched-
uled intervals or on an ad hoc basis.

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 15

LANGUAGE & TRANSLATION
The Advanced Special Operations Training Exercises are
regular events, but they do not necessarily occur every
month.
“We just finished up one, then we have them for the next
three months, and then we will get another task order for the
next few,” Haynes described. “For the MARSOC exercises and
some of the special forces group exercises, they will just call
us up and ask if we can do it. Then we’ll go from there. They
will give us the parameters of what they are looking for, and
we’ll provide the people at the location.”
Military clients routinely give Shee Atiká Languages very
high marks, which come as no surprise to Haynes. As much of
the company’s headquarters staff is made up of retired mili-
tary servicemembers, they are personally invested in provid-
ing the best service possible to their clients.
Shee Atiká Languages also provides linguistic support to
the Joint Military Information Support Command, a unit of
USSOCOM.
“We feel very strongly that adds a lot to our national
defense and security. That consists of a lot of subject mat-
ter experts—regional and cultural guys—who provide advice
to anyone that needs it, but oftentimes at a very high level,
to explore how a particular culture will react to certain U.S.
actions or perceived actions,” Haynes remarked.
World Leader
Cultural and Language Immersion
Bilingual SMEs
Civil Military Operations Support
Training Development and Support
Intelligence Support Operations
WWW.USEOSS.COM
16 | SOTECH 7.2
IMMERSIVE LEARNING
Ken Fortune, vice president of LINC Government Services,
served in U.S. Special Forces when he gained significant lan-
guage proficiency traveling throughout Eastern Europe and the
former Soviet Union.
“I noticed that my language skill increased much more rap-
idly when I was in the country rather than when I was sitting
in a language classroom in Fort Bragg or Monterey, California,”
Fortune told SOTECH. “However, that only could have been true
because I had a baseline capability to springboard from.”
So Fortune eventually joined Operational Support and Ser-
vices (OSS), now a part of LINC Government Services based in
Hopkinsville, Ky., to assist with the development of immersive
language training. OSS views immersion as the placement of a
student in a foreign country, living with a local family and com-
muting to work every day, in order to learn the local language.
Classroom instruction is provided at the end of the day to provide
structure and guidance in the language immersion.
“Our program has never been for beginners because they will
drown. Generally speaking, you need to be at a 1/1 level, which
consists of having a vocabulary of 750-1,000 words; forming
basic sentences; understanding the past, present and future of
the verb system; writing at about five words a minute and read-
ing at about fifteen,” Fortune explained.
In the last 15 years, no other process available to the U.S.
government statistically increases Defense Language Profi-
ciency Test (DLPT) scores faster than the OSS program, Fortune
asserted.
The DLPT tests are written by native linguists, who possess
backgrounds of moving around in the foreign society in ques-
tion. So the OSS program goes beyond language training to
furnish a knowledge of how to move around inside the society,
including dealing with checkpoints, using the local transporta-
tion and communication systems, and getting a meal. It is far
beyond a language proficiency thing; they actually experience
existing within the culture.
OSS has been offering the courses for 17 years now in 52
different countries to special forces, who refer to it as Live Envi-
ronmental Training; the Air Force Attaché System, which calls it
Language Area Studies Immersion; Civil Affairs personnel; psy-
chological operations; foreign area officers; military intelligence;
and the entire range of listeners, speakers and interrogators at
government agencies.
The OSS program is available on about 25 different federal
contracting vehicles, making the company the largest contractor
to provide immersive services to the federal government. Prior
to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the company was handling
about 400 military students per month. That has dropped to
about 225 per month in recent times due to the high operations
tempo of warfighters who would benefit from the program.
“Both the Air Force and the Army have embraced the concept
of growing their linguists during the ascension phase,” Fortune
noted. “So we have been working with ROTC and Academy cadets
for about eight years now, attempting to increase their language
proficiency to the 2/2 level on the DLTP score prior to them leav-
ing their institution. Then the military can work on improving
and maintaining that capability.”
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
 VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS
Given that military forces are highly mobile, it’s not always
possible for warfighters to participate in exercises with lan-
guage professionals, however. In those cases, they turn to
companies like Progressive Expert Consulting (PEC) Inc. of
Syracuse, N.Y.
PEC replicates a physical classroom virtually, enabling stu-
dents to engage instructors over a broadband connection from
anywhere in the world, Mike Feng, director of systems integra-
tion, told SOTECH.
“We have given instructors and students the ability to have a
language training class and to be able to talk face to face, to see
each other’s facial expressions, and really to be in a small group
up to six students per class wherever they can get access to a
Windows PC, a Web cam, headphones and broadband Internet
access,” Feng said.
The PEC system is not intended to operate over secure
Department of Defense networks. So the company works
around the security issues of distance learning by encouraging
students to participate from home. Many active duty service-
members as well as defense civilians already have broadband
access at home, enabling them to participate in classes from
remote locations.
“That allows us to permit soldiers, airmen and Marines to
participate in a language class without going anywhere. So they
don’t have to TDY to a base for four months. They can take it
whenever they need to,” Feng commented. “This is also very
good for Reservists as well. If you are a Reserve member, mem-
bers of your unit could be anywhere. That’s the nature of the
Reserves. So getting them to be able to access a language class
without having to move them around is a very good thing.”
PEC Inc. has been in business providing language training
since 1987, but only recently shifted into providing its virtual
classroom training around 2001.
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SOFTWARE-BASED TRAINING
Warfighters training remotely also can turn to software-based
solutions. For example, Rosetta Stone offers both Farsi and Pashto
among its 31 available languages. Rosetta Stone supports special
operations forces through Army and Marine Corps total force-
wide contracts and provides a military-specific Arabic edition to
all DoD online contracts. Along with these forcewide contracts,
the company supports numerous commands within the Air Force
and Navy.
Another company offering language training courses is Aura-
log Inc. of Phoenix, Ariz. The company’s Tell Me More language
training solutions are popular with language training centers of
the military services, Chris Brightwell, an Auralog military sales
representative, told SOTECH. The company does a lot of work with
the Naval Special Warfare Center and SEAL teams in San Diego.
Auralog can tailor its software and services to fit with military
programs, meeting their initial language acquisition requirements
and maintenance and sustainment needs. The company’s software
started as a stand-alone self-paced system but has grown to include
linguistic support services.
“It started as a self-paced language training program,” Bright-
well recalled. “Over the past three years, we have migrated to a
services company, where we provide not only software but also
tutors and instructors to help the learners progress to whatever
particular level they need to be at—whether that is intermediate
or advanced or expert speaker.
“We now have services wrapped around the software so they
can be tracked and monitored. Somebody is following the stu-
dents’ learning path and helping them to achieve different levels
of language success,” he continued. “Not everybody needs to be
completely fluent—maybe their job is to translate a few things
here and there, or maybe they are an interrogator. They may
not need as high a language level as someone else that is doing
another job. Our programs are self-paced, but then they have
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LANGUAGE & TRANSLATION
services wrapped around them to help learners achieve different
levels of language training.”
Auralog is working on large contracts with the Army National
Guard and the Coast Guard. It also is negotiating an enterprise
license with the Air Force and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The company has been doing a lot of work at Camp Pendleton for
the Marine Corps recently. The growing Marine Corps Language
Program is generating a lot of demand for Arabic, French, Ger-
man and Italian in its mobile language centers lately, Brightwell
observed.
While the company does not yet offer Farsi and Pashto lan-
guage training, it is developing programs to support the military’s
demand for it. Auralog’s standard Arabic training program is its
most popular among military customers, Brightwell said.
“We are taking the requests we have from our current clients
and trying to provide them with what they need,” he added. “Even
though we already have an Arabic program, Pashto becomes some-
thing people request because that’s the primary language they
speak in Afghanistan and that’s where we are starting to gear up
our forces.”
SPECIFIC PROGRAMS
Specific military commands may even include language-train-
ing services on their consolidated purchasing contracts. The Army
Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumen-
tation (PEO STRI), for instance, awarded Alelo Inc. of Los Angeles a
seat on its STRI Omnibus Contract (STOC) II on January 27.
The overall contract, valued at $17.5 billion over the next 10
years, includes 142 contractors for various services, prequalify-
ing those companies to compete for simulation and training task
orders. Alelo won seats in both the full and open category and the
small business category of STOC II.
Alelo touts its capabilities in instructional design methodolo-
gies for language training in addition to technologies for language
tutoring systems, game-based learning environments, and arti-
ficial intelligence for conversational learning. In the past, the
Army has praised Alelo’s Tactical Language and Cultural Training
System (TLTS), which offers targeted language training in Iraqi,
Pashto, Dari and French.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to serve the Army as
one of its preferred training system vendors,” Dr. W. Lewis John-
son, Alelo’s president and chief scientist, said of STOC II.
The contract award followed on the heels of demonstrations of
new offerings from Alelo at the I/ITSEC show in Florida in Decem-
ber 2008. There, the Marine Corps program manager for Training
Systems (PM TRASYS) demonstrated expanded editions of the
Tactical Iraqi and Tactical French software, which now include
more lessons and scenarios to train users to an intermediate level
of language proficiency. Alelo also announced a new version of its
Tactical Dari software.
In addition, Alelo introduced new Web-based courses for
language and culture training, including courses in Chinese.
The company announced the development of a Virtual Cultural
Awareness Trainer focused on the region of the Horn of Africa—an
area for which every company interviewed for this article noted
increased U.S. military interest.
Finally, the company showcased the development of a first
edition of a plug-in for Bohemia Interactive’s Virtual Battlespace
2. The plug-in software, called the Automated Language Training
System, puts users in multi-player scenarios to test their lan-
guage and culture skills. The first scenario developed by Alelo
places trainees in a situation where they must speak to a sheik
in Arabic to encourage his cooperation in providing informa-
tion on local insurgents. ✯
For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or
search our online archives for related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.

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18 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Swimmer
W S H S
Detection
D M
AYS TO POT OSTILE WIMMERS ARE EVELOPED TO ONITOR
AND CONTROL THE LITTORALS.
BY TOM MARLOWE
SOTECH CORRESPONDENT

The terrorist attack on the city

of Mumbai, India, at the end of
November 2008 demonstrated a
need to protect waterways and ports
from threats approaching from
above or under the water. Suspected
terrorists entered the city from an
inflatable RIB boat, but they also
could have approached individually
by swimming underwater.

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 19

 The U.S. military has long been aware
of the challenge of dealing with the threat
posed by individual divers hostile to U.S.
assets, but it hasn’t been until recent
years and advances in computing power
that units small enough to detect such
divers have become practical. The U.S.
Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)
Division, based in Newport, R.I., has been
focused over the last year on fielding an
integrated solution to detect and deter div-
ers from attacking sensitive assets.
Last September, NUWC demonstrated
its Integrated Swimmer Defense (ISD) Sys-
tem, designed to provide harbor security
and vessel protection. The complete sys-
tem uses a combination of sonar, radar and
optics along with infrared sensors to detect
the approach of hostile swimmers on or
under the water.
“Once we’ve detected these threats,
we have to do something to engage them
because their mission is to destroy the
high-value asset,” said James Pollock,
director of Homeland Defense Programs
at NUWC Newport in a statement. “The
underwater sensors are typically active
sonar devices that put acoustic energy out
into the water. That energy is reflected
back off of all the surfaces that are out
there. We then process the information
and take action.”
A NEW APPROACH
The Navy’s ISD system utilizes the Sen-
tinel sonar system developed by Sonardyne
Inc., which has a global headquarters in
Yateley, England. Sonardyne successfully
detected swimmers and divers at a long
range, providing the Navy with informa-
tion to deter hostile individuals arriving
via the water.
Nearly three years ago, Sonardyne
assembled a team of professionals from
other companies involved in detecting
swimmers via sonar to examine the prob-
lem from the ground up, Eric Levitt,
Sonardyne’s business development man-
ager for maritime security, told Special
Operations Technology. Sonardyne, long
involved in underwater acoustics for posi-
tioning operations on the ocean floor, saw
the need to go outside existing sensors and
hardware to tackle the threat of underwa-
ter swimmers.
The result was the Sentinel system,
Levitt said. It’s a small, portable, easy-to-
deploy system that requires only one man
20 | SOTECH 7.2
to carry it. Operators can lower it over the
side of a boat or put it on a tripod on the
seafloor in a port and let it go to work.
“It has ranges equal to or better than
any of our competitors and a very sig-
nificant target tracking capability,” Levitt
declared.
Competing systems might cost from
$700,000 to $900,000, Levitt estimated, but
Sentinel is only about $270,000, providing
a much more economic means of address-
ing the swimmer threat. While other sen-
sors systems weigh 300 to 800 pounds, the
Sentinel sensor weighs a mere 70 pounds.
Sentinel works much like any other
sonar device; it pings then listens for a
result. The small system then performs
analytics that would have been impossible
for a system of its compact size 10 years
ago, Levitt described.
“Underwater environments are very
complex,” Levitt commented. “There is so
much else going on with sonar that you
have to compensate for likely daily changes
in water temperature and tidal changes. All
of that affects the performance of the sonar.
We take all of those factors into account.
Using our patented technology, we have
employed that level of processing with Sen-
tinel to get the results that we get.”
Sentinel is pretty much ready to work
out of the box, he added, but operators
must determine how to best position the
system to get the results they seek. They
may place it at the end of a pier, hang it
off a ship, or place it on a sea floor. It can
sit in a fixed location or ride on a trolley.
The Sentinel system comes ready for any of
these applications.
Operators also could network Sentinel
systems together to expand their range
and to feed the information into a central
command and control station. Sonardyne
had demonstrated a network of 10 units.
They communicate with one another and
ping simultaneously. Using several units in
conjunction is ideal for protecting an asset
like an aircraft carrier in dock or at anchor,
Levitt noted.
Sentinel alone provides only swimmer
detection. Sailors, once they detect hostile
swimmers, could then turn them back
with powerful air guns or with an under-
water announcement. Sonardyne has just
unveiled a sound system that connects to
Sentinel for making underwater announce-
ments to approaching divers.
“That confirms a threat’s intent,” Levitt
remarked. “If you announce underwater
that it is a restricted area and the swimmer
keeps coming, then you know this is really
a hostile threat and not someone out snor-
keling or scuba diving.
“So we have incorporated an underwa-
ter hailer as an attachment to the Sentinel
head. It is a speaker that plugs directly into
the sound head and we can now broadcast
that message from the sound head. So if
the sound head is 300 meters offshore on
a tripod, we can attach the speaker to the
tripod, and now we have dual capability for
alerting a target. Now it’s all in one system
as opposed to having another system with
different cabling and telemetry into a loud-
speaker,” he added.
The company also plans to add blue
force tracking capabilities so operators can
distinguish friendly divers from hostile div-
ers. The Navy plans to use the system, and
private clients can order it as well, Levitt
revealed.
“Say you have a mega-yacht that is
anchored out in a bay and your boss is
out there swimming around and you see
another target,” he said. “If you have blue
force tracking on, you know who is good
and who is not. Then you can redirect your
people. We can send a text message under
water now as well to say you have a threat
200 meters behind you that we are picking
up. That is all technology that is coming on
line early this year.”
TIERED SECURITY
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is
working with other technology providers
as well to explore alternative technologies.
For example, ONR has funded QinetiQ,
based in Farnborough, England, to produce
a smaller, lighter and less expensive version
of its Cerberus diver detection sonar.
Cerberus currently is a device slightly
larger than an oil drum in size. It can detect
underwater intruders at a distance of about
700 meters on a 360-degree axis, Chris
Brook, QinetiQ’s maritime sonar business
lead, told SOTECH. Cerberus also has the
flexibility to be placed off a boat or on a
seabed. The idea is to place it in shallow
water in a chokepoint or a sensitive area to
maximize its effectiveness, Brook noted.
QinetiQ began developing Cerberus
in 2003 in the wake of the 9/11 terror-
ist attacks on the United States, Brook
recalled. Several nations and companies
began asking QinetiQ if it could start help-
ing them with protecting their ports and
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
vessels. Although the 9/11 attacks occurred
through an air attack, military and private
officials recognized that another successful
attack could occur via water as well.
In such situations, QinetiQ recognized
the need to react quickly, so it developed a
simplified display for Cerberus that is very
simple by default. Military officials or tech-
nically savvy individuals can change the
display for a more complicated readout, but
the goal of the system is to provide easily
understood information for rapid response.
About half of QinetiQ’s customers use it
in the simplified display, designed for easy
reading and comprehension by security
guards on patrol.
Once Cerberus detects divers approach-
ing, it then tracks them. Operators can use
a tracking mode to follow the direction and
speed of swimmers as they approach their
targets. Given this information, the opera-
tors can react with confidence and deal
with hostile swimmers in an appropriate
manner, Brook said.
Hostile swimmers of course may
approach their targets above or below the
water, so Cerberus is typically deployed in
combination with a small surface radar.
It is often more useful to detect the small
boat that is dropping divers off at a distance
before detecting and tracking the individual
divers, Brook acknowledged.
“A lot of security involves tiered effect,”
Brook explained. “It’s no good having one
layer of physical security to protect some-
thing. You need to have multiple layers
of security acting standoff so that you can
track insurgency from land, sea or air,
above and below, at varying degrees. It’s
no good necessarily knowing that you have
somebody at the 700-meter mark if your
surface radar didn’t pick up the launch
vessel at 10 kilometers out. You tie the two
together.”
Special operators can carry Cerberus
with them from location to location, Brook
noted, because its small size allows it to
be portable. Cerberus also has networking
capabilities available through an Ethernet
connection. Operators can connect the unit
to a central command center to track sen-
sor feeds from several different sources.
Cerberus is in use worldwide on several
different continents, but Brook could not
reveal exactly where due to the sensitive
nature of operations connected to its use.
It is completely operational and provid-
ing vital information to the nations that
have deployed it, he observed. Cerberus is
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Developed by Sonardyne, the Sentinel detection system can
work in one of several different configurations including a
tripod stance shown here. [Photo courtesy of Sonardyne]
extremely durable, enabling it to provide
continual information for long periods.
One customer has deployed it on a seabed
for about eight months or so as of press
time, and it continues to provide informa-
tion upon demand.
COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS
Some systems offer integrated options
so that military forces need not deploy
companion systems for swimmer detection.
In the case of the technologies discussed so
far, operators may resort to separate radar
systems to detect swimmers and other
threats approaching on or above water.
Not so with the Vessel Image Process-
ing System (VIPS) available from Stratech
Systems Limited, headquartered in Singa-
pore.
VIPS was developed to provide an all-in-
one solution that overcomes the weakness
of other options, Dr. David K.M. Chew,
Stratech Systems’ executive chairman, told
SOTECH. VIPS can detect both vessels and
swimmers, above and below water.
“Stratech recognizes that there is an
emerging demand for next-generation
coastal/waterway surveillance system
for vessel traffic management as well as
enforcement of safety and security regula-
tions and standards,” Chew explained.
“The prevalent solutions in the mar-
ket are non-vision based; for example, the
radar-based systems and Automatic Infor-
mation System, where there are limita-
tions to be overcome to further improve
safety and security at coastal waterways.
For example, existing radar-based surveil-
lance systems have limitations such as
blind spots, limited resolutions, and a lack
of an accurate and factual visual image of
potential threats.”
For vessel tracking, VIPS acts as a
comprehensive and accurate waterway sur-
veillance system, which provides a cost-ef-
fective alternative to radar and AIS systems
for small vessel containment areas like
fisheries, ports, harbors and marinas, Chew
asserted. Working alone, VIPS can provide
surveillance from 5 to 10 km.
VIPS can also cooperate with radar
and AIS systems for surveillance at ranges
greater than 10 km. The system employs
“intelligent vision” technology and integra-
tion with radar and AIS to automatically
detect, identify, track and predict vessels’
path in real time. It has intelligent algo-
rithms to provide static information such
as length, height, name, shape, vessel clas-
sification, as well as dynamic information
like latitude, longitude, velocity, heading
and time, Chew explained.
For swimmer detection, VIPS incorpo-
rates advanced underwater sonar to detect
underwater threats. The sonar offers excel-
lent underwater threat detection capabili-
ties even in shallow waters. It has an
extended range of up to 2,000 meters.
VIPS was developed and tested, in col-
laboration with Maritime and Port Author-
ity of Singapore (MPA), in 2001. The version
developed for MPA includes features like
using vision-based technology to perform
real-time detection and tracking of ves-
sels, measuring position, speed and course
of vessels. Stratech is marketing VIPS to
potential clients globally—targeting off-
shore nuclear plants and refineries, hydro-
electric dams, sea border stations, and
military installations.
“We believe that there is tremendous
demand for VIPS due to the rapid buildup
and expansion of port facilities in the world,
as well as global emphasis on security,”
Chew concluded. “VIPS has the ability to
set the trend for next-generation coastal
and waterway surveillance, which over-
comes the challenges faced by prevalent
technologies.” ✯
For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan
at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for
related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.
SOTECH 7.2 | 21
Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
Keeping the
EC-130H Compass
Call Cool
The Air Force’s EC-130H Compass
Call aircraft fleet will be equipped
with Fairchild Controls’ vapor cycle
cooling system, which will provide
environmental control for the
onboard mission systems.
Fairchild Controls’ Special
Systems Air Conditioner (SSAC) will
provide 62 kW of cooling power for
the EC-130H. This system will consist
of a mission-critical, twin-redundant
vapor cycle pack with lightweight
helical screw compressors and an
integrated motor/system controller.
Fairchild Controls will supply the
cooling system to L-3 Communications
Integrated Systems, which will retrofit
it as part of upgrades being performed
on the fleet of Compass Call aircraft.
“The SSAC is our latest product
for the legendary C-130, and it incor-
porates increased efficiency resulting
from our company’s ongoing
research and development,” said Scott
Selle, Fairchild Controls. “We’ll be
combining our competency in ultra-
compact and rugged military vapor
cycle systems with the efficiency of
Fairchild Controls’ larger commer-
cial aircraft supplemental cooling
systems. I am proud to add a great
new partner, L-3 Communications
Integrated Systems, to our roster of
customers.”
22 | SOTECH 7.2
Express Blast
Remington is adding to its tactical shotgun line with the Model 870 express Tactical. With an
18.5-inch barrel, the Model 870 express Tactical with XS Ghost Ring sights is optimized for rapid target
acquisition and precise shot placement with the XS blade sight and XS Ghost Ring sight rail (fully adjust-
able for windage and elevation), which accepts optics and sight systems as well. It loads seven rounds of
2.75-inch or 3-inch 12-gauge shells with the factory-installed two-shot extension.
The Model 870 Tactical Desert Recon series shotguns are equipped with Tiger Stripe Products Digital
Tiger desert camo stocks and fore-ends, and military-style olive drab powder-coated metalwork.
Both come with the special ported Tactical Extended Rem choke tube. Remington’s all-black Model 870
SPS tactical shotguns are offered with 18-inch and 20-inch barrels, three stock options, including a Knoxx
SpecOps folding stock with recoil-reducing springs and two- or three-shot magazine-tube extensions.
info@remington.com
Mobile Firepower
The Viper gun system (VGS) is a
family of enhanced crew-served gun
mounts, which bridge the gap between
traditional crew-served gun mounts and
more costly remote weapon stations. The
VGS has an innovative weapons inter-
change platform, which allows the warf-
ighter to interchange up to six weapons
(M230LF, LW25, MK19, MK47, M3P3 and
M134 Dillon mini gun) in under 15
minutes utilizing the same mount.
“The Viper Gun System bridges the
gap between a standard gun mount
and a remote weapon station, providing
enhanced optics, stabilization and the
ability to interchange different weapons
utilizing the same mount,” said Larry Cozine, Nobles Manufacturing’s director of business development. “The
system provides scalable lethality to the warfighter, allowing the matching of a weapon system to a mission
requirement without changing mounts and at a third of the cost of a remote weapon station.”
The VGS also incorporates a patent-pending gun mount braking system, which allows for superior weapon
stabilization during firing. The VGS has an open footprint to allow installation on multiple platforms and incor-
porates an integrated flex chute and ammunition magazine into a compact and versatile weapons platform. The
system also incorporates enhanced optics with both night vision and laser range finding options.
The first in this series is the VGS30, utilizing the M230LF 30 mm chain gun, which fires the linked M789
series high explosive dual purpose ammunition and provides superior armor penetration at ranges from 150
to 4,000 meters. Combined with blast, concussion and fragmentation effects against soft targets, it provides a
superior multi-role, multi-target capability. The M230LF fires at a rate of 200 SPM in two firing modes, single
shot and full auto and incorporates an anti-hang fire safety protection system.
Larry Cozine: lcozine@noblesmfg.com
www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Vehicle Adapter Amplifier
Thales Communications Inc. has completed the delivery of multiple orders for its new
50-watt dual vehicular adapter/power amplifier to the Air Force’s Tactical Air Control Party
Modernization Office (TACP-M) at Hanscom Air Force Base.
The Air Force procured more than 700 50-watt AN/VRC-111 vehicle adapter amplifiers
(VAAs), which are two-channel systems with software-defined radio flexibility. It provides 50
watts of power in the 30- to 88-MHz frequency range and 20 watts of power in the 90- to
512-MHz frequency range. As part of these orders, Thales also delivered more than 200 of its
20-watt AN/VRC-111 systems.
Each VAA incorporates two AN/PRC-148 JTRS enhanced multiband inter/intra team
radios and provides the unique capability of rapid, cable-free radio dismount in less than
two seconds. Shifting between mounted and dismounted operations with no loss in commu-
nications is critical to TACP survival.
Most of the VAAs will be installed in
TACP’s new mine resistant ambush
protected vehicles and in their
already-fielded AN/GRC-206
communications pallets, where
they will be used as an interim
replacement for existing legacy
radios.
“The TACP community has been
turning
tur to us for a long time for essential
communications products that do what they are designed to do,” said Ray Bruhn, business
development manager for Air Force programs at Thales Communications.
Ray Bruhn: ray.bruhn@thalescomminc.com
On Target
Sig Sauer Inc., a manufacturer of commercial, law enforcement and military fire-
arms now has a rotary diopter sight system optimized for the SIG556 rifle. This new sight
system provided four site stations for accurate engagement at varying distances including
CQB, 100 meters, 200 m and 300 m, all with tool-less windage and elevation adjustment.
Designed to work in conjunction with the hooded front sight, the rotary
diopter sight system attaches to the receiver’s M1913 rail.
Made of durable steel construction, the
sight system retrofits all existing SIG556
rifles. The front and rear sight co-witness
with the Sig Sauer mini red dot sight
and are optimized for M855 and M193
ammunition. The sight features 0.5
MOA click adjustments and 34-inch
windage/25-inch elevation adjustment
range at 100 meters.
The sight is standard on the SIG556
SWAT and Classic rifle models. This feature
now provides serious shooters with a high-
quality indexed set of iron sights with CQB
capabilities.
Dane Davis: dane.davis@sigsauer.com
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Autonomous Refueling
The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded an
industry team led by Boeing a four-year contract worth $49
million to continue developing technology that will enable
an unmanned air vehicle to autonomously rendezvous with
a tanker aircraft and refuel.
Under Phase II of the Automated Aerial Refueling
(AAR) program, the industry team, formally named the AAR
Integrator Team, will coordinate flight tests that will include
autonomous multiship operations and the actual delivery of
fuel to a manned surrogate UAV.
“We are very pleased that our team has been selected
for the AAR Phase II Integrator Contract,” said David Riley,
Boeing Research and Technology program manager for AAR.
“This team, which covers a broad industrial base, has many
strengths and capabilities to ensure that AAR technologies are
developed effectively to support future UAV system develop-
ment programs for the U.S. Air Force.”
The AAR Integrator Team includes prime contractors
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems,
plus aerospace suppliers Northrop Grumman Electronic
Systems, GE Aviation, Rockwell Collins and the Sierra Nevada
Corp. As team leader, Boeing will be responsible for program
execution and product delivery.
Phase II will be divided into two spirals.
During Spiral 1, the team will work collaboratively to
design, build and integrate a multichannel precision global
positioning system (GPS)-based navigation system, an auto-
mated flight control system, and AAR-specific command
and control system components to accomplish boom and
receptacle aerial refueling testing to be conducted by AFRL.
All of this will be based on non-proprietary, hypothetical
aircraft models that represent a variety of current and future
Air Force missions.
During Spiral 2, the team will conduct trade studies and
will evaluate non-GPS, sensor-based navigation measure-
ment systems to augment the Spiral 1 GPS sensors. Once
added to the system, the non-GPS sensors potentially will
provide support for probe and drogue refueling.
SOTECH 7.2 | 23
Knowledge Manager
Synchronizing Information, Technology and Business Processes for USSOCOM
Q& A
Brigadier General
Steven A. Hummer
Chief of Staff
U.S. Special Operations
Command

Brigadier General Steven A. Hummer was born in Pennsyl-

vania to a former Marine and civilian pastor who later became
a Navy chaplain. Upon graduation from high school, at the age
of 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1970 and was trained
as a cryptographic technician. He left the Marine Corps as a
sergeant, attended college and was commissioned in 1977.
Hummer served as an infantry platoon commander and a
company commander in 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines in Hawaii.
Following that assignment he served as a ceremonial company
commander at Marine Barracks, 8th and I streets, Washington,
D.C. Then, he attended the Marine Corp’s Amphibious Warfare
School in Quantico, Va., and graduated with honors. Next, he
was assigned as the Small Boat Company commander with
1st Battalion, 9th Marines, which was the first battalion to
deploy from Camp Pendleton, Calif., in the Marine Corps’ new
Marine Expeditionary Unit–Special Operations Capable (SOC) mand, he was assigned as the chief of staff of U.S. Joint Spe-
program. From there, he was assigned to the 1st Marine’s Regi- cial Operation Command. His next assignment, having been
mental Enhanced Training School, which taught eight special selected for promotion to brigadier general, was as the deputy
operations skills to deploying battalions. His next assignment Marine Forces Pacific and the Marine Corps Base commander
was the Marine Corps’ Command and Staff College. From there in Hawaii. From there he was assigned as the chief of staff of
he was assigned as the operations officer to the 31st Marine U.S. Special Operations Command.
Expeditionary Unit (SOC). After 18 months, he was assigned to Hummer’s award and decorations include the Defense
the III Marine Expeditionary Force Special Operations Train- Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, one with V Device
ing Group as the Special Missions Section Head for training and two gold stars, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious
Marines in hostage recovery, direct action and other special Service Medal with two gold stars, the Joint Commendation
missions. Selected for battalion command, he transferred to Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with gold
1st Battalion, 1st Marines and served not only as the battalion star, the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Combat
commander but also as the Maritime Special Purpose Force Action Ribbon, and the Presidential Unit Citation along with
commander responsible for conducting hostage recovery, gas other unit and personal decorations.
and oil platform seizure, and VBSS missions. After 27 months
as a battalion commander, he attended the Air War College
and was subsequently assigned to the Expeditionary Training Q: Could we start with how you became the knowledge
Group–Pacific in Coronado, Calif., where he lead a training manager for Special Operations Command as the chief of staff?
cadre responsible for training in close air support and Naval
gunfire missions as well as computer wargaming. From there A: The chief of staff of U.S. Special Operations Command is
he was selected to command 7th Marines, an armored/mecha- responsible for information flow within the headquarters that
nized regiment at Twentynine Palms, Calif. He commanded 7th moves throughout the chain of command—up, down and
Marines for the initial invasion of Operation Iraqi Freedom and laterally. Moreover, he is responsible for the external informa-
seized almost one-third of Baghdad. Upon completion of com- tion flow to the headquarters from OSD, the Joint Staff, other

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 25

combatant commands, and the various agencies as well as to
and from the special operations components.
In many organizations, knowledge management is a func-
tion of the J-6, communications; however, the role of managing
information is much larger than the technical role of building
and managing networks through which we push and pull infor-
mation. The chief of staff should have the 50,000-foot view of
the command across the staff, including the special staff, and
should rightfully be the one held responsible for the manage-
ment of the information policies that lay the conduits through
which information flows for the best effect in supporting the
commander and other leaders throughout USSOCOM.
Q: With that in mind, how do you as the knowledge manager
define the function of knowledge management?
A: Now, that’s a great question. There are many definitions
floating around out there. Many are very good. If we take a
moment to just focus on information and what it actually is,
we can see that information alone is not enough. We usually
start with some sort of data. This can be figures or facts, but
it alone is not necessarily helpful. Data is compiled to become
information.
That is a step in the right direction, but more is required.
Information is compiled and synchronized to become knowl-
edge. Knowledge is something wonderful to have, but it alone
cannot help leadership make decisions. Knowledge must be put
into context. One can have all the knowledge there is regarding
a certain topic, but only when that knowledge is put into context
with the requisite background and history of that issue can one
achieve understanding. That’s the key, gaining an understand-
ing. We should actually call it “understanding management”!
Nevertheless, it is understood that complete knowledge is
not achievable and therefore we must constantly question the
26 | SOTECH 7.2
limits of existing knowledge. Much of this process of developing
understanding includes the prioritization of information. There
is so much information out there, that without some method
of prioritization—elevating the most relevant or important
information to the top—we become overwhelmed in sheer vol-
umes of information that may or may not be useful in making
decisions.
Knowledge management is the filtering and prioritizing of
information and knowledge, putting it in context, and present-
ing it in an appropriate format that will yield understanding
toward making decisions. The challenge is doing this across a
myriad of subject areas in a command as complex as USSOCOM.
Understanding complex operational and strategic problems and
conceiving solutions is a constant struggle.
Q: So how does information technology fit into knowledge
management?
A: There are many functions that I would place in the realm
of knowledge management. Task management, which is the
management of the numerous tasks on which a command such
as USSOCOM spends much of its time, is a key function of any
headquarters.
Records management is another. It’s been stated that infor-
mation doubles every 18 months; moreover it is estimated that
information is growing at such a rate that by the year 2012
information will double every two hours. What we save and
what we delete is a real challenging question. The countless
PowerPoint briefs and Word documents with which we deal
daily must be managed.
My vision of successful records management is a “Raiders of
the Lost Arc” digital warehouse in which documents are archived
but with a robust retrieval capability. Information security is also
important. USSOCOM has many networks with varying levels of
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
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classification. How information is managed within each network
as well as how information is managed between networks is
critical to the appropriate protection of valuable information.
Personnel databases, into which critical personal informa-
tion is categorized, is another. Our business processes within
the command and between components form another valuable
domain. There are countless business processes upon which
the command thrives. They are living, moving processes
that require supervision and oversight; many, if not all, are
designed to move and configure information for the intended
user and to undergird potential decisions by command leader-
ship. Information technology is the hardware and the software
that supports the digital manipulation and storage of informa-
tion.
In many cases, information technology provides for the
automation of information. However, information technology
does not stand outside of the realm of knowledge manage-
ment. So, to answer your question, all of the functional areas
above, including information technology, rightfully fall under
knowledge management. In many cases, knowledge manage-
ment is the design and information technology is the engi-
neering of the design—but they are complementary. Oh, and
did I fail to mention power? The hardware required to support
knowledge management requires power—backup power and
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x Professional development exchange of ideas on state-
of-the-art SOF and conventional mission-oriented
technology with defense industry representatives.
x Professional development discussion panels with
Army leaders on topics to include the future of Army
contracting and support requirements for our forces.
x Complimentary attendance at the Keynote and
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28 | SOTECH 7.2
uninterrupted power depending on the information being
supported. So, electrical power is also critical to knowledge
management.
Q: Since humans are the ones handling information, what
is the human element in making knowledge management
work?
A: One of my sayings is, “Human communication is bad at
best!” In the digital world there are many ways to commu-
nicate—an individual face-to-face conversation, e-mail, VTC,
telephone, text messaging, meetings, “snail mail” and more.
Exchanging information is having a conversation—developing
a shared understanding. Information flow in the headquarters
and across components is about having many conversations.
Being human and all of us coming from our own back-
grounds and experiences, all means of communication are not
equal. Face-to-face communication is probably the best with
the next being meetings, VTC, then telephone, e-mail, text
messaging and snail mail.
Members of any staff are “information brokers,” and how
they handle the means of passing information is critical to
reaching understanding. Education and training are key. Not
only must staff members understand how to use information
tools, they must also understand command business processes,
how to store and retrieve information, how to respond to a
task, how to use a networked portal, and how to tee up infor-
mation to their leadership for a decision. Because information
is always moving, business processes are frequently being
adjusted, and new tasks replace completed ones; the education
and training of staff members is continuous.
Q: What do you see as the way ahead for Special Operations
Command in the area of knowledge management?
A: It’s the commander’s intent to communicate better. I believe
that means better collaboration of information. In a collabora-
tive environment it’s not good to be different. Therefore, we
are developing enterprise solutions to knowledge management
between the headquarters and the components. The headquar-
ters does not have all the answers and much of what we do
is discovery learning at the pace of new developments in the
information technology and knowledge management fields. In
that light, the headquarters has held several knowledge man-
agement conferences with the components to capture their
insights and to develop a better understanding of what direc-
tion we as a SOCOM enterprise should go.
To date, the components have developed and purchased
their own tools to conduct their headquarters business. With
their assistance and input, SOCOM will develop a robust
enterprise based on a variety of tools, which will encompass
the actions and effects we all desire. I’m energized with the
response received to date from the components in developing
a collaborative enterprise. I also envision the theater special
operations commands linking into our collaborative enterprise
sometime in the future.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Q: Much of what you tell us seems to be staff-oriented;
is there an operational aspect to knowledge management?

A: Absolutely, there are processes, business rules, technology

applications and decision-making processes for operational
commands, which fully rely on the management of knowl-
RIVALRY
edge—operational knowledge management.
Lessons learned are a prime example. In past wars, most
of the learning was done before and after the war. The body of
lessons learned represents decades of experience to be absorbed
and applied as relevant. Real-time learning during combat is a
SYNERGY
must. We know that the enemy is learning and adjusting con-
tinually; they are an intuitive learning organization. Learning
mechanisms are crucial for coping with an asymmetric rival.
The quicker that lessons or other information can be “pushed”
to our forces and commanders, the quicker the learning and
decision cycle becomes. The quick-cycling and pushing of les-
sons learned during a very short conflict or engagement only
becomes more important.
Operational knowledge management and the enabling func-
tions inherent to it are imperative in contemporary warfare and Pelican Protector Cases Hardigg Specialty Applications
should characterize it.

Q: Is there anything that you would like to add?

A: Expertise in an area such as knowledge management is, and

will continue to be, a challenge. It’s like being an expert on the
Internet. But, regardless of the technology and the automation,
the human element is paramount. Business processes have to
be managed, the tools of technology have to be managed— Storm Carry Cases Hardigg Single Lid Cases
automation doesn’t mean automatic. There is no auto pilot in
knowledge management. In the end, it’s the individual behind
the information and knowledge who makes the difference—
from the special operator furthest from the headquarters to the
executive officer for the commander.
Thanks for the opportunity to discuss such a critical func-
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www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 29

 ic
am
y n t MA
JO
R AM
YY
OU
NG

e D on
BY

Th F r

A scared little boy with his father coming to the

local clinic in Mali, Africa, for treatment of an
infected burn on his leg. A civil affairs medic (in
baseball cap) performing debridement of the
burn, under Major Amy Young’s tutelage. [Photo
courtesy of the 97th CA Battalion]

30 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

 THE ROLE OF
SOF CIVIL
AFFAIRS
MEDICINE
IS CRITICAL.

As long as terrorism exists,

there will be a continued need
for direct action operations to
eliminate high-value targets
(HVTs). As one is eliminated,
however, it seems that several
others are created in terror-
ist training camps and urban
cells.
As the global war on ter-
rorism grows and evolves, so
must our approach. A more
gradual, comprehensive
approach based on indirect
effects may also allow us to
capture those on the precipice
of terrorism and offer them
a legitimate alternative, and
possibly even prevent the cre-
ation of future terrorists.
Identifying and addressing
these core problems in their
infancy and preventing other
potential problems is the key
to the civil affairs (CA) mis-
sion. Indeed, it is becoming an
underlying theme for most of
our military’s forces.
President Barack Obama,
on his first day in office,
placed major emphasis on
this very concept. On Janu-
ary 21, 2009, he posted the
new defense agenda on the
whitehouse.gov Web page.
The opening paragraph states,
“Obama and Biden believe that
we must build up our special
operations forces, civil affairs,

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 31

information operations, and
other units and capabilities
that remain in chronic short
supply; invest in foreign
language training, cultural
awareness, and human intel-
ligence and other needed
counterinsurgency and sta-
bilization skill sets; and cre-
ate a more robust capacity
to train, equip and advise
foreign security forces, so
that local allies are better
prepared to confront mutual
threats.”
Civil affairs operations
(CAO) are rooted in five
core tasks: 1) civil infor-
mation management, 2)
foreign humanitarian assis-
tance, 3) nation assistance/
civic action, 4) populace and
resource control and 5) sup-
port to civil administration.
SOF CA teams deploy
worldwide and conduct CAO
in support of global combat-
ant commanders and U.S.
ambassadors. CAO repre-
sents one SOF capability to
an overall U.S. government
(USG) effort. It enables part-
ners (USG/host nation) to
deter and erode conditions
and environments decisive
to counterterrorism objec-
tives. The end state is devel-
oped infrastructure (human
and physical) and capable
partners that can find, fix,
engage and analyze condi-
tions and other threats to
U.S. interests and its allies.
Conducting CAO facili-
tates isolating extremists,
terrorists and other lawless
elements from vulnerable
populations that insulate
them from the rule of law
and security forces. This
type of sustainable opera-
tion is key to truly gaining
ground on the GWOT.
EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF SOF CA
The last two years have been a time of
unprecedented growth for SOF CA. The
U.S. Army first saw a need for a CA unit
32 | SOTECH 7.2
in 1945, activating the 96th Civil Affairs
Group.
In 1971, it reorganized into a battalion
and in 2006 became a direct reporting
unit to USASOC. Soon after, CA soldiers
transitioned from the 18-series
designators, to a distinct MOS
(38-series) with its own quali-
fication pipeline. In 2007, the
first active duty CA brigade
formed, the 95th CA Brigade
(A), and another battalion
formed, the 97th CA Battalion
(A). In 2008, two more battal-
ions were formed, the 98th and
the 91st. In the next year or so,
a fifth battalion will form, and
two more companies will be
added to each battalion.
In fact, CA units are open-
ing in other branches of the
U.S. military, and even in for-
eign militaries. One robust
example is in the Armed
Forces Philippines (AFP).
While acknowledging the con-
tinued need to eliminate HVTs,
they realized the importance
and sustainability of indirect
effects. In this way, they cre-
ated the National Defense Sup-
port Command (NDSC), which
is actively conducting civil
military operations in con-
junction with its counterparts
in the JSOTF-P.
SOF CA MEDICINE
In SOF CA, there is a bat-
talion surgeon and one spe-
cial operations combat medic
(SOCM) per four-person CA
team. Each medic completes
the six-month SOCM course
and an additional six weeks of
the Civil Affairs Medical Ser-
geant (CAMS) course.
Subsequently, there is fre-
quent recertification training
for the SOCM course (Spe-
cial Operations Combat Medic
Skills Sustainment Course
every two years), the CAMS
course (Nontrauma module
every year), and medical pro-
ficiency (medical proficiency
training every two to four
years). With this training, they
have several medical-specific tasks includ-
ing the direct care of their team members,
medical plans and operations, and con-
ducting dental, preventive medicine and
veterinary operations. In addition, they
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
are an integral part ties, and a nearby level
of the four-person CA 3 medical facility. It is a
team and conduct civil much larger feat to cre-
military operations on ate an assessment for a
a regular basis. theater accessed only by
small watercraft, with
THE EVOLVING teams that live and eat
BATTLEGROUND with indigenous popula-
tions, with high medical
In general, U.S. threat from infectious
forces are becom- disease and where a
ing familiar with the medevac to a level 3
traditional GWOT facility would require
battlefield in Iraq days and complicated
and Afghanistan. Our logistical coordination.
theaters are becom- The CA medic must
ing more mature, and gather intelligence on
along with it, our med- these various levels
ical resources. More and collate them into
A physician and dentist from 1st Special Forces Group (and Major Young) meet with doctors and dentists in a local
and more, however, we hospital in Cotobato, Philippines, and discuss future joint endeavors. [Photo courtesy of the 97th CA Battalion] tangible recommenda-
are sending our forces tions for their teams.
into less established Even further, today’s
theaters. SOF CA medic must
For SOF CA, and gather intelligence on
much of the SOF com- the environment, dis-
munity, missions are ease trends, and local
now taking place in medical and civil infra-
very austere environ- structure to assist the
ments, with significant team with targeted civil
medical threat but military operations.
very little in the way
of established, first- ILLNESS/INJURY AS
world medical facili- CRITICAL MISSION
ties. Additionally, on IMPACT
a traditional CA team,
there are four person- As the wise dictum
nel, one of which is a of the first SOF truth
SOCM medic. reminds us, SOF person-
Many CA missions Meeting (on Basilan Island, Philippines) with the minister of tourism and a prominent local physician to set up nel are our number-one
now, however, consist a medical education program for the local citizens. Utilizing the “By, With and Through” concept of civil affairs priority and their illness
of only one- or two- operations, the local physician was the lead presenter in the operation. [Photo courtesy of the 97th CA Battalion] or injury is always sig-
person elements, nei- nificant. On this evolv-
ther of which is a medic. This evolving more areas, including routine outpatient ing battlefield with high medical threat,
battleground has several implications for care, tropical medicine and preventive minimal organic medical resources, and
SOF CA medicine, and indeed, the larger medicine. small deployed elements, this has never
community. In the past year alone, our battalion been truer. Having even one soldier suc-
has had such cases as dengue fever, ven- cumb to illness or injury can become a
EXPANDING ROLE OF THE CA MEDIC omous snake bites, and parasitic diarrhea. mission-critical event.
At present, this additional training must The most common forward-deployed
First, this creates an expanding role for come from the battalion surgeon, but element in SOF CA is a one-, two-, or
the CA medic. On the one hand, CA teams efforts are under way to enhance the for- four-person team. The medical recom-
are force multipliers to direct action units mal curriculum. Additionally, their medi- mendations that physicians and medics
for lethal operations on the traditional cal area threat assessment is both more must make to commanders have become
GWOT battlefield. challenging to complete and more crucial exponentially important. The bottom line
The SOCM course prepares the CA to the team’s mission. for this soldier is whether he redeploys or
medic well for this scenario, with heavy It is difficult enough to create an stays in the fight.
emphasis on trauma management. On assessment for a mature theater where A recent case of dengue fever in our
this evolving austere battlefield, however, the unit has deployed to several times, battalion illustrates the complexity of
the CA medic must be proficient in several with running water, modern dining facili- such a decision. This soldier was one of

34 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

a two-man element, deny the sustainment of
in the middle of a violent extremist organi-
six-month deploy- zations (VEOs) and their
ment to a third-world networks. This equates
country. He became to removing VEOs from
significantly ill with the environment and
dengue fever, in an increased capacities of
area with no unit partner nations to pre-
medical provider. The vent the emergence or
U.S. Embassy nurse re-emergence of once
diagnosed and stabi- defeated VEOs. This
lized him, and began requires understand-
dialogue with me, the ing and consensus that
battalion surgeon, success relies on joint,
about the potential of interagency and com-
redeploying this sol- bined action to isolate
dier. extremists, terrorists and
There were three other lawless elements
arguments in favor of from vulnerable human
Working with and teaching local Filipino student nurses some principles of pediatric medical care. These nurses
redeployment. First, become force multipliers in the local health infrastructure. [Photo courtesy of the 97th CA Battalion] and physical terrain that
in the case of dengue insulates them from the
fever, there was still a rule of law and security
potential for clinical forces.
deterioration. Hav- Our challenges are
ing this occur in a unique. Our medical
setting with minimal team, in concert with
medical resources the interagency, will
could potentially continue to promote the
have severe conse- U.S. government’s diplo-
quences. Addition- macy, development and
ally, with DF, even defense model to enable
after initial improve- our host-nation partners
ment, the soldier may to emerge from the fires
experience weeks or of conflict, violence and
months of fatigue, extremism.
muscle and joint As the GWOT battle-
aches, lack of appetite field continues to grow
and depression. These and evolve, so does SOF
prolonged limitations CA medicine.
in one of a two-man From the 97th Civil
team could have been Affairs Battalion, I would
mission critical. Fur- like to thank Sergeant
Meeting with village elder in rural Mali, Africa, coordinating a MEDCAP run mainly by local host nation providers.
ther, while this sol- Major Amy Young on left. [Photo courtesy of the 97th CA Battalion] Jason Spencer for his
dier now has lifelong assistance in pulling
immunity to this specific dengue serotype, flight medical attendant, a requirement in some of the photos together, and Lieuten-
a future infection with one of the other this case. The final consideration was the ant Colonel James Brown and Sergeant
three serotypes carries the risk of a more desire of the individual team member. He First Class Thomas Borton for their tech-
severe infection. did not want to abandon his mission and nical assistance. ✯
Conversely, three factors weighed voiced this strongly to the commander.
heavily on the side of remaining down- Ultimately, this soldier remained in place Major Amy Young is the battalion
range. First, he would have been difficult and recovered over the course of a few surgeon for the 97th Civil Affairs Battalion
to replace. As one of only two men, there weeks. (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
was no one downrange that could step in As we continue to take the fight to
and fill his slot. Preparing another soldier the terrorists in the extreme corners of
from the rear would involve up to 120 days the world, this type of dilemma will con-
of pre-deployment training and a large tinue to bear on mission. Success in the
learning curve in the middle of an ongo- long war is contingent on the results of For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan
ing mission. Secondly, evacuation logistics our actions, specifically with respect to at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for
were challenging, especially with an in- populations that will either support or related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 35

 NEW SOLUTIONS WIDEN THE DEPLOYABLE
COMMUNICATIONS PALETTE.
BY ADAM BADDELEY
SOTECH CORRESPONDENT

36 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

 Rapidly deployable SATCOM—flyaway, suitcase and increas-
ingly manpack—provides a self-evident capability in the SOF
inventory. Exactly how this is met however is in a state of flux.
Requirements were driving the size of terminals ever downward.
Things have now changed with larger aperture dishes now being
seen as having greater utility.
Other issues, many interrelated, create further options. Tech-
nically there continues to be a move to mesh-based networks,
allowing each SATCOM terminal to communicate directly with
another. In contrast, legacy SCPC-based hub and spoke systems
connect users—the spokes—via a single large hub, but which
requires two hops: from one terminal to the hub and then to the
second terminal. Both solutions have their adherents and advan-
tages, with many users needing to switch between them according
to mission.
The modems that create either network type today largely defy
interoperability, which is still largely only within the same manu-
facturer’s system. DoD is now moving manufacturers to common
standards to ease the training and logistics burden.
L-3: SDN PROVIDER
L-3 GCS is currently satisfying USSOCOM’s require-
ment for terminals under the Ku-band SDN (medium)
program. Robert Jacobson, general manager, L-3 GCS,
explained, “We have been in continuous delivery of 1
m Hawkeye Lite and sub-1 m Cheetah terminals to
USSOCOM since the beginning of the contract in 2007.
Our deliveries are backlogged for another four to six
months. In our opinion, it has gone great. Reliability
has been great; customer satisfaction with the terminals
has been great. They have continued to buy the 1 m and
sub-1 m in quantities that either meet or exceed our Robert Jacobson
expectations of the program.”
L-3 GCS is releasing several new terminals to the market, which
are available in Ku, Ka, X and C-band. Jacobson said, “We offer 1 m to
2.4 m terminals, and we currently have delivered them to customers
in three of the four bands. The 2.4 m and 1.6 m versions have recently
been ARSTRAT pre-certified for Wideband Global SATCOM [WGS].”
The next solution to go through the certification pro-
cess is really customer driven. Jacobson reports that most
customers requiring X-band are currently using the U.S.-Spanish
XTAR constellation. He explained, “We offer to do the accreditation,
and it’s up to the customer when they want to fund ARSTRAT.”
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
Military requirements for ever-smaller terminals are continuing
to increase; this includes 1.6 m to 2.4 m terminals. These terminals
are downsized if a customer is currently using a larger system today.
Jacobson stated that L-3 is currently designing the latest line, the
Hawkeye III, with that in mind. “If you told me two years ago that
people would want us to do a new line of 2 m and 2.4 m terminals,
I would have never believed that, because everyone then wanted
smaller and lighter. If you use an antiquated 2.4 m system today, I
could now offer you the same throughput on a 2.4 m system, which
packs in to 50 percent of the case volume with a similar savings in
weight. We have traditionally offered sub-1 m, 1 m and 1.2 m termi-
nals; we are now introducing the Hawkeye III line, which includes a
1.6 m, 2.0 m and 2.4 m because we have a lot of customers who now
want that solution.”
L-3 has recently added iDirect’s new Evolution E800 modems,
which include a DVB-S2 capability, integrated into the terminal’s
chassis. Via an L-band interface port, L-3 terminals can also integrate
additional modems such as the MPM 1000, standard in the WIN-T
program and offering the Network Centric Waveform.
While the Hawkeye used in SDN(M) was Ku only, the new Hawk-
eye III will be offered in all four bands. “When I say multiple bands,”
Jacobson commented, “it is not a big quad band with
a ton of transit cases. We are making our systems
interchangeable. You could take the same positioner
out with a Ku band kit and take it out tomorrow with
an X or Ka-band kit. You minimize your expenses by
having multiple RF kits you can deploy with a single
system.”
That said there is still an enduring need for some
users for an ultra-compact solution—enter the new
Panther terminal. Jacobson added, “This is our pri-
mary focus today—a robust manpack type terminal
in which we are confident is the smallest, lightest
weight, highest throughput manpack in the market.”
He characterizes the Panther as a BGAN-sized terminal that deliv-
ers T1 (1.544 Mbps) data rates. Deliveries to a number of customers
began in late 2008.
SWE-DISH
Swe-dish terminals have been a staple among SOF for several
years, their compact design lending themselves to rapid, discrete
deployment. For its next-generation, CommuniCase Technology
(CCT) design, the DataPath-owned company has drawn together
SOTECH 7.2 | 37
requirements from different users to create a modular scalable
product, on which all Swe-dish future products will be based, and
which can operate across four commercial and military bands: C,
Ku, X and Ka.
Exactly how DoD uses those bands is still evolving. Mike
Creamer, chief technology officer at Swe-dish, explained, “SOF have
tended toward commercial capacity in the past. Now we’re seeing
them buy equipment that is capable of transition to WGS. They
are not transitioning yet, but they are going to go that way. We
think that the trend is toward X-band for smaller terminals, and
Ka-band will be used for larger terminals and UAVs. Because Ka is
so adversely affected by weather attenuation, it isn’t ideal for small
terminals.”
“If you want terminals to be small and light you can’t do every-
thing; there are some limitations due to the laws of physics. As you
go to a mesh architecture, then you really need to maximize the
performance of small terminals. We are seeing more popularity in
our 1.2 m antenna systems than the 90 cm, which was traditionally
more popular when used in a hub and spoke configuration.”
CCT provides flexibility; nobody, commercial or military, knows
what the future holds. Creamer said, “If users decide that they want
a larger antenna, they can come back and buy another antenna; we
have 90, 120 and 150 [cm]. If they start off in Ku-band and decide
to transition to WGS with X or Ka-band, then come back and buy a
new transceiver module. It’s the same with modems. We have differ-
ent types of modems, and we are expanding that range all the time.
We can cover not only iDirect and traditional SCPC models but also
DVB RCS and a number of more specialized networks. You never
throw the old modem away because we see that a lot of users aren’t
transitioning overnight, so we are giving them multiple capabilities.
It is not like they have to change forever. If they have to change the
original capability, they can change back when they need to.”
One of the most recent developments is the Flyaway version
with a 1.2 m antenna. Creamer explained, “That is not as small and
light as the Suitcase 120. It’s aimed at a lower-cost terminal, for
users who are more interested in cost rather than size and weight.
Swe-dish produces the antenna, RF and control system, and DataP-
ath adds the power and baseband and tests the complete terminal.
The user can plug his secure phone and transmit either in a TDMA
network or SCPC, mesh or hub and spoke; it doesn’t matter.” The
system is currently available in Ku-band, adding X and Ka-band in
mid-2009.
Satcom on the move (SOTM) is another new capability in
the CCT product family. The Swe-dish/Saab—four axis stabilized
parabolic SOTM antenna, at 90 cm—is larger by SOTM standards.
Creamer explained that this SOTM solution is “just another CCT
terminal.” No special waveforms or modulation are needed to com-
municate with existing terminals. He added, “We have had a lot of
interest from the riverine boats and inshore vessels.” The SOTM ter-
minal accesses close to worldwide coverage to almost any commer-
cial Ku-band satellite in service today for up to 10 Mbps broadband
communication while moving in rough terrain on land or sea.
Swe-dish’s SOTM solution is built using CCT modules. Creamer
explained, “What the user sees, when he sees the user interface, is
exactly the same as the suitcase of Flyaway or Drive Away products.”
The system is truly interoperable with legacy systems due to fully
meeting FCC and worldwide satellite operator requirements in
legacy transmission modes, such as SCPC and TDMA, without the
need to employ bandwidth hungry and proprietary spread spectrum
38 | SOTECH 7.2
modulation to overcome terminal deficiencies. For the foreseeable
future operation within the common infrastructure is essential for
networking with thousands of existing legacy terminals deployed
worldwide.
GD SATCOM TECHNOLOGIES
“Some of the biggest challenges we face are getting the size down
to 1 m and smaller while still keeping it sufficiently robust for it to
deploy around the world,” explained Fred Rieck, product line man-
ager, Warrior, General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies. “The system
has to be put up and taken down numerous times, while maintaining
repeatable specifications such as data throughput. Any design must
reduce the inherent degradation that normal wear and tear causes
to a system.”
General Dynamics’ Warrior terminals, widely used across
DoD, allows mesh networks to be formed using apertures as low
as 0.96 m, through a combination of improvements to power
output as well as greater focal efficiency from the antenna.
Reductions in size pose challenges both in terms of engineering and
from the realm of basic physics. Dr. Robert Hoferer, director of RF
engineering, GD SATCOM Technologies, explained, “As the antenna
gets smaller, the challenges are increasing both for mechanical pack-
aging as well as RF performance. As it becomes smaller, it is more
difficult to design because you have less electrical size to play with,
and you have more electrical interaction among the antenna parts. At
the same time we have to keep mechanical packaging in mind to keep
it light, rugged, stable and rigid. To do that, we use the best materials
at hand to meet specific requirements.”
It’s not just developments on the grounds that explain improved
performance. Rieck added, “We are also benefiting from higher power
satellites. That gives us the ability to have more users at lower power
rates, which lends itself to smaller dishes and smaller amplifiers.”
Conversely, data throughput from the smaller Warrior dishes has
risen to 5 Mbps. Higher efficiencies at the satellite level also ease off-
axis emission concerns, allowing antenna size to drop further, with-
out risk of signal interference with nearby satellites. Hoferer added
that there has been a trend among the rest of the world to adopt the
most demanding standards in this area.
Aiding further shrinkage is the continuing role of Turbo-coding.
Fred Rieck explained, “That helps out a lot with smaller antenna sizes.
They are able to receive lower strength signals and are still able to
decode them.”
Increased compactness has resulted in SATCOM Technologies’
most recent design, the X-Band Microsat. Its phased array, flat panel
antenna and transceiver design are currently in the final stages of
testing, with deliveries due from June 2009.
Rieck explained, “It looks like a BGAN terminal, but it is able
to operate in X-band. It’s an 18-inch square terminal that fits into
a rucksack and can be pulled out and operated remotely and can
transmit between 1 and 1.544 Mb throughput over a hub-and-spoke
network.”
This complements larger Warrior designs currently in service. GD
won the Marine Corps’s original Ku-band Support Wide Area Network
(SWAN) program in 2007. This was followed up in 2008 by follow-on
work to add Ka band operation to the system for use with WGS.
The first three systems, the 1.2, 1.8 and the 2.4 trailerized dishes,
are now going through accreditation by the Army Space and Missile
Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, the agency
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
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New from L-3 GCS

The L-3 Panther – a rugged X-Band VSAT Terminal with
the size and rucksack portability of a manpack radio. The
Panther provides data speeds up to T1 rates for use on
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innovative use of a flat panel phased array antenna for
optimum performance in disadvantaged coverage areas and
is DVB-S2 capable. For ease of pointing, there is a simple
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SPECIALIZED PRODUCTS > C3ISR > GOVERNMENT SERVICES > AM&M

Global Communications Solutions (GCS)
that is in charge of certification In a full duplex environment,
for Ka band communications the LinkWayS2 modem through-
over WGS. The initial work cov- put is about 5 Mbps. The final
ers development and testing of upgrade, easy to upgrade by soft-
proof of concept designs. Once ware in the field or over the air
through the ARSTRAT process, reprogramming, will support full
a larger contract encompassing duplex burst rates of 20 Mbps
over 150 1.2 m, another 40 1.8 using 8PSK and turbocodes.
m and 40 to 50 2.4 trailerized Other features include TRANSEC,
terminals will follow. Outside improved IP QoS, internal TCP
the Marine Corps, GD is about acceleration, internal IP routers
halfway through delivery of and full compatibility with WGS.
terminals for Warfighter Infor- LinkWayS2 also includes
mation Network-Tactical incre- a second demodulator that will
ment 1/Joint Network Node Lot operate with any DVBS2 broad-
10-14, which will continue to cast, including receiving the
Mounted in the back of a pickup truck, the Swe-dish SOTM can be extraordinarily mobile.
2012. [Photo courtesy of Swe-dish] Global Broadcast Service.
ViaSat’s second family of
VIASAT modems, the LinkStar has also been upgraded to the S2 standard
including full DVB-S2 with an ACM (Adaptive Coding and Modula-
ViaSat provides many of the key modems used to support tion) capability for the broadcast part of the signal.
DoD SATCOM connectivity amongst rapidly deployable users, being
selected by both prime contractors as well as being tasked by the DoD EBEM
itself to develop standard modems for use across the force.
The company’s LinkWay modem was originally chosen for the ViaSat was chosen a few years ago to develop the Army’s next gen-
JNN Lots 1–9 (Now called WIN-T Increment 1), with over 3,000 eration FDMA (or single channel per carrier) modem, known as the
modems in the field. For JNN Lot 10, the improved LinkWayS2 has Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) or MD-1366. EBEM
been fielded. Discussing this new modem, Larry Taylor, director contains backward compatible modulation and coding schemes
Strategic Business Development, ViaSat explained, “We did some allowing it to operate with many legacy DoD modems, but also incor-
very significant upgrades to the LinkWay waveform, including sig- porates the latest in modulation techniques including turbo codes
nificantly higher burst rates, 8PSK modulation and turbo codes, and advanced modulation of 8 PSK and 16 APSK.
plus a lot of features that give significantly improved throughput. We Its AES-256 TRANSEC is endorsed by NSA, and it is WGS certified
also improved the hardware platform itself, including the processor, by DISA. It also features Information Rate Adaptation, also known as
so that we are no longer limited in terms of how many bits the CPU ACM. ACM allows the link to always operate at the highest possible
can crunch. The CPU is now oversized and very powerful in order to throughput configuration for the current link conditions, and auto-
accept even more upgrades in the future.” matically adapts the code rate and modulation when link conditions

40 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

change, such as when rain begins. This allows link margin to be used
only to enhance throughput rather than being wasted in clear sky
conditions. A Navy version of EBEM allows for error-free antenna
handover. EBEM is the basis for a soon-to-be-released military stan-
dard, MIL-STD 188-165B. Over 2,500 EBEM modems have been Failure Is Not
fielded so far.

JIPM An Option.
An even more important development, according to Taylor, is the
Joint IP Modem (JIPM). In early 2008, ViaSat was awarded the JIPM KMW1031
contract through the prime contractor, Globecomm Systems, under 20 - 30 Watts,
30 - 512 MHz
the Worldwide Satellite Systems Program to develop a new Secure
DVB/DVB-RCS based hub-spoke modem standard for the DoD. Built
to a DISA specification, JIPM is administered through Army PM
DCATS. Taylor describes JIPM as combining the best of both the
KMW1030HP
LinkWay and LinkStar network systems families. 20 Watts Manpack,
Taylor outlined progress so far, as JIPM nears completion. “We 40 Watts Vehicle Mounted,
30 - 512 MHz
are now in the process of installing eight LinkStar hubs around the
world in DISA Teleports, something we call pre-JIPM, to begin the AR amplifier modules and systems have
training and familiarization with that type of product before being been on the front lines, in the toughest battle
upgraded to a full JIPM capability. Some 70 to 80 percent of that hub conditions. They’re not only tough and KMW1040
is reusable, once we convert to JIPM. Once we complete the develop- dependable, they’re lightweight, versatile, 50 Watts CW,
ment of that modem and it is fielded and proven, then the JIPM air and easy to use. And they’re ready for 30 - 512 MHz
interface belongs to the government and becomes an open standard;
anything. Always.
MILSTD-188-165B.”
An earlier “165A” standard exists and which Taylor describes as • Booster amplifiers for tactical military
a “benign” standard. He added, “The 165B adds a lot of meat to that radios from 30 – 512 MHz (VHF and
specification, including turbocoding, multiple modulation types and UHF bands) – from 12 to 200 watts
TRANSEC. The 165B is reoriented more toward the WGS and its • High-Efficiency Modules for Jamming KMW2030
higher bandwidth and dynamic ranges.” applications / Electronic Warfare / ECM / 125 Watts CW,
This standard is also being reviewed as a NATO STANAG and could 30 - 512 MHz
ECCM / Improvised Explosive Devices
be released as such by mid-2009.
• Man-Pack / Vehicle-Mount
Taylor outlined the background and rationale for the develop-
• Self-Tuning / Multi-Band KMW2050
ment of JIPM. “For years, different government organizations went 200 Watts CW,
• Ultra-Compact 225 - 400 MHz
different ways to accommodate IP. It was a free-for-all. They ended
up with a whole hodge-podge of manufacturers and systems in the
• Exceed MIL-STD 810F
field, which is difficult from a training and logistics perspective.
• Compatible with virtually every
Consequently, the government is trying to consolidate into a set of military transceiver
standardized products. Rather than reinventing the wheel, they have • Backed by the strongest, most
taken a commercial standard and are adapting it. In the case of the comprehensive warranty in the
JIPM, they have focused on the secure DVB and DVB-RCS waveforms, industry and a global support
deviating in some areas in order to accommodate their special needs.” network that’s second to none KMW1092
5 - 10 Watts CW,
One of those is TRANSEC, adding an AES 256 capability. 25 - 1000 MHz
ViaSat plans to introduce additional features throughout JIPM’s When failure is not an option, AR amps are
spiral development, including ACM in one of the out-year spirals, your only choice.
and adding a spread spectrum capability to it to allow it to do SOTM.
For more information, call us at 425-485-9000 or visit us
Taylor said, “There are a lot of features that are going into JIPM, not
necessarily in the first phase, but the spirals and again in software
at www.ar-worldwide.com. KMW1095
30 Watts CW,
upgrade spirals.” 10 - 1000 MHz
ViaSat has produced close to a million modems in its 22-year his-
tory and continues to be the leading edge in modem technology. The
company also is increasingly moving toward system integration as the
demand for complete network systems continues to grow. ✯

modular rf
Other ar divisions: rf/microwave instrumentation • receiver systems • ar europe
For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or Copyright© 2008 AR. The orange stripe on AR products is Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM. Off.
search our online archives for related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 41

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Ballistic Shields
The Russian firm of Armokom-Tsentr, Fragmenting-Bundle Shell
TsNIISM OOO NPP has released information
on its design process for ballistic framing
and in particular incorporation of ballistic
protection in a personal shield. From
appearances, the most likely users of this
shield would be military law enforcement
for crowd control or hostage-type situations.
The proposed method of producing the
shield comprises creating stacked forma-
tions by laying facing layers of material
impregnated with a synthetic binder onto
the substrate, a layer of ceramic plates
and ballistic layers impregnated with the
same synthetic binder and made of aramide From MGTU imeni N.Eh. tile. What the company calls
fabric. Once put together the shield is then Baumana of Russia comes the fragmenting enclosure is
processed under pressure to sure the binder and other agents to create the this version of a munition filled with what appears to be
lightweight protective shield. for either artillery or mortar ball-bearing-type segments. At
The ceramic plate layers are arranged in rows, the latter being shifted applications with a warhead the bottom of the fragmenting
relative to each other by half a plate to form steps in the plates’ rows along designed for maximum frag- enclosure (tail-end of the
the edges and to form peripheral zone with no plates. These plates are mentation and shrapnel artillery shell and mid-way
glued together, while the steps in the plate rows are filled with triangular effect. Two basic designs have down the mortar round) is a
ceramic plates glued therein. The peripheral zone appears to have no been illustrated although burster charge that is timed to
plates but is filled with aramide fabric ballistic layers impregnated with the both carry almost identical detonate at a specific interval
binder. The fabric total thickness in this area exceeds that of the ceramic descriptions and one appears in relation to the primary
plate by 0.4 to 0.8 mm. to be a mortar round while the explosion for maximum width
According to company documents, the main benefits to this design are other is an artillery projec- of coverage.
“higher manufacturability” of the shields and a higher level of protection
and “efficiency.”

Bar Armor
Medwell in the United Kingdom has released information on its vehicle bar armor
design. According to company documents, “It is an aim of the invention to provide
bar armor that can mitigate the threat from rocket propelled grenades to the
same extent as the known bar armor without the considerable areal density
of that armor.”
For manufacturing, the company expects that at least the majority of
the bars would be formed from carbon fiber. Some of the bars, in particular
vertical bars, of the grid, may be metallic, aluminum, for example. Thus the
grid may consist of metallic vertical bars and horizontal carbon fiber bars.
The carbon fiber bars may be pultruded and may extend through slots
in the metallic bars.
The areal density of the grid can be less than about 20 kg/m2, e.g., less than
about 15 kg/m2, and in particular 10–12 kg/m2, as compared with the known bar
armor, having an areal density of about 40 kg/m2.

42 | SOTECH 7.2 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

 The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.

ADVERTISERS INDEX
Abaxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
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AR Modular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
www.ar-worldwide.com
Base-X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
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Cases2Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
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Cera Products Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
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Combat Medical Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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Fort Bragg AUSA Symposium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
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Skedco Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 7.2 | 43

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
Chief Operating Officer/Vice President
Military Systems Group
Lydia Horton is the daughter of Kath-
ryn Horton, one of the founders of Military
Systems Group, and is a native of Nashville,
Tenn. Born in 1963, she began working part-
time at age 14 at the family company that at
that time manufactured .50 caliber machine
guns. Over the next seven years, Lydia entered
full-time employment with the company and
was responsible for a variety of tasks, includ-
ing assisting in test-fire of the weapons, sub-
assembly of parts, packing of weapons, and
various administrative functions.
When Military Systems Group was formed
in 1984, she continued working in adminis-
tration and operations. Over the years, she
has been responsible for quoting, purchasing,
ATF and export licensing, contract adminis-
tration, and general accounting and admin-
istrative functions. In 2007, upon the death
of her mother, Kathryn Horton, she inherited
part ownership of the company and currently
oversees the day-to-day operations of Military
Systems Group.
Q: Let’s start with a little background on the
company.
A: Military Systems Group Inc. [MSG] is
a majority woman-owned small business
founded in 1984 by Pony Maples and Kathryn
Horton. Located in Nashville, Tenn., MSG
is an enterprising company experienced in
the design, testing, manufacture and system
integration of minor caliber weapon systems
for various applications. In 1977, the two
MSG principals formed a company that was
the first to manufacture the .50 caliber M2HB
machine gun since 1945. Between 1977 and
1984, more than 3,000 M2HBs were built
along with major parts of the MK19 MOD3
40 mm grenade launcher under contract to
the U.S. Navy.
Kathryn Horton died in May 2007, and
Pony Maples retired in December of the same
year, but the company they started continues
on under the leadership of Kay’s children—
William Horton and myself.
At MSG, we believe that the understand-
ing of weapons and how they work is vital and
foundational to the design and manufacturing
of our gun mount systems. MSG’s products
have included naval and vehicular mounting
44 | SOTECH 7.2
Lydia Horton
systems for 5.56 mm through 40 mm, and
over 100 other enhancements for military
vehicles. We maintain our own supply of
weapons under 25 mm to aid in design, proto-
typing and testing.
We also believe the end-user is the best
source of information for the design and
improvement of its products. Toward this end,
MSG routinely interviews troops returning
from combat to determine unmet needs or
problems they are experiencing in the field.
Using this information, MSG designs equip-
ment that will increase the effectiveness of
those troops when they are called upon again.
We truly believe that it is the troops in the
field we are supporting. Therefore, MSG is
committed to supplying the best mounting
systems and platform enhancements to our
troops every day and in every way that we
can.
Q: What do you consider your main product
line?
A: While we have numerous items in our
product line, the main product we provide
is knowledge, information and the ability to
provide a solution for the customer’s need.
Whether it is an existing product, a modifica-
tion of an existing product, or a new product,
it is our focus to provide the customer with
the best mounting solution for their applica-
tion.
Q: In a crowded marketplace, how do you
make yourself stand out?
A: What makes our product stand out is the
knowledge base it is designed on—we under-
stand how weapons work, and we make it a
priority to understand how the user wants
SPECIAL OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY
the application to function. We then strive
to come up with the best solution for that
application.
Q: What is your position in the market sec-
tor?
A: Military Systems Group Inc. is the indus-
try leader in weapon mounting solutions for
military, government and original equipment
manufacturers. We lead our domestic and
foreign competitors in mounting solutions for
land platforms and are aggressively establish-
ing ourselves as a leader in solutions for sea
and air platforms.
Our quality and dependable product deliv-
ery has established us as a competitive market
force and is setting the standard for the indus-
try. MSG’s extensive knowledge, operator’s per-
spective, and cutting-edge engineering holds
us in high regard with our customers and is
emphasized by the demand for our integra-
tion and consulting services. MSG is a flexible,
progressive company that will continue in its
leadership of the mounting solutions market.
Q: When did you start doing business with
the military?
A: Military Systems Group is an established
player in the military market supplying gun
mounts and related equipment since 1984.
Q: Any recent successes you can share?
A: One example of success has been our work
with the U.S. Marine Corps. They came to us
needing a solution for mounting the M240
machine gun up on the turret of the vehicle,
and we were able to quickly come up with
a solution for their needs. This solution has
become the standard for the USMC and has
recently been issued an NSN.
Q: What do you do to stay relevant to the
military community?
A: We work hard to stay current on all vehicle
programs and military requirements to ensure
that our mounting solutions are compatible
with those programs. ✯
lhorton@milsysgroup.com
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
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Discover the latest initiatives,

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Exclusive interviews with

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Extensive industry updates

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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW SOTECH ONLINE CONTACT:

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