Despite pandemic, mission changes, 829th soldiers on overseas

 By Spc. Nathan Metz | Wisconsin National Guard | August 19 |  2020

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 829th Engineer Company, spread across the Middle East and Southwest Asia, remains hard at work on a vast array of projects for coalition forces.

The Ashland and Spooner, Wisconsin-based unit mobilized for deployment in October and began its construction mission in support of an Army National Guard engineering battalion from Indiana.

The approximately 150 Soldiers have been spread across multiple locations throughout the region and work on a variety of projects improving facilities or completing construction projects.

The unit’s Soldiers have served in seven countries at 21 bases ranging from Afghanistan and Iraq to Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

The Soldiers still work and complete missions during the COVID-19 epidemic. The members of the 829th are implementing health and safety precautions to avoid the spread of the virus. They’ve even assisted with the construction of a COVID hospital in Afghanistan in addition to deconstructing facilities, building command posts, and completing other horizontal and vertical projects.

“The 829th will continue to take on any mission given with optimism and professionalism moving into the later months of this mobilization,” said company 1st Sgt. Sean Ringer of Wisconsin Rapids. “All the command staff throughout the Indiana-attached 113th Engineer Battalion have been thoroughly impressed with the eagerness of the 829th EVCC as well as the toughness that the Wisconsinites bring to Task Force Ironman Engineers.”

“I am most proud of the troops’ ability to remain resilient in an environment that has been restricted of simple conveniences,” Ringer said. “The gym’s shut down, bazaar’s closed up, and physical distancing makes maintenance of morale a difficult challenge.”

But as the overseas deployment nears its conclusion, Capt. Joe Tadisch, commander of the 829th Engineer Company, said the Soldiers have persevered and remained steadfast in completing their mission.

The command team emphasized the importance of communicating back home, ensuring that Soldiers are keeping in touch as much as possible with their families.

The 829th Engineer Company is one of several Wisconsin Army National Guard units deployed overseas now in support of the Guard's federal mission as the Army’s primary combat reserve.

The 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Headquarters and approximately 160 Soldiers deployed to Ukraine last fall as part of Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, where it served as the headquarters element for the training group at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in western Ukraine. That unit returned to the U.S. in recent weeks.

The 400 Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, returned after a 13-month mobilization to Afghanistan, where they are serving as the security element for an Army Security Force Assistance Brigade.

The 924th Engineer Facilities Detachment and the 1967th Contracting Team also mobilized for deployments to Kuwait and the Horn of Africa, respectively, in January and continue their missions overseas.

The Wisconsin National Guard simultaneously remains busy at home. More than 1,000 Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen continue serving the state in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guard also served as poll workers for April, May and August elections and responded to requests for assistance from cities across the state during civil disturbances in May and June.

NY Army Guard Soldiers win NE Best Warrior 3rd straight year

 

By Eric Durr | New York National Guard | August 19| 2020 

JERICHO, Vt. - For the third time in three years, two New York Army National Guard Soldiers are the best Guard Soldiers in the northeast.

The two Soldiers won in both the junior enlisted and noncommissioned officer categories of the Army National Guard’s Northeast Region Best Warrior Competition.

 Staff Sgt. Matthew Ortiz and Cpl. Troy Perez each bested seven Soldiers from the New England states and New Jersey during the August 13-16 competition run by the Vermont Army National Guard at Camp Ethan Allen in Jericho.

They will now compete in the nationwide Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition Sept. 13-16 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

Ortiz and Perez are members of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, based in Manhattan. Ortiz is assigned to the Headquarters Company, while Perez is a member of Alpha Company.

They’re also both emergency medical technicians in the New York City Fire Department who met while training at the city’s Emergency Medical Services Academy.

Their experience as EMTs and the bond they share outside the National Guard helped them do better at the Best Warrior events, Perez and Ortiz both said.

“Being an EMT, especially someplace like New York City, where the call volume and the workload is very high, it forces you to deal with extreme stress,” Perez said. “Other peoples’ lives are in your hands, so you have to be prepared to come to work and be mentally agile and fit for duty.”

In 2019, New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Martin Cozens and Cpl. Joseph Ryan, now a sergeant, won the Northeast Region Best Warrior Competition. Cozens is a member of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, while Ryan is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry.

In 2018, Spc. Ilya Titov, who is also now a sergeant, and Sgt. Quentin Davis, both members of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, won the regional event.

“It’s a pretty big deal over at the unit right now,” Ortiz said.

“We are following in the footsteps of these guys who came before us. It means a lot to us to make them proud of us,” he added.

Their route to the national Best Warrior Competition began when they took first place at the New York State Best Warrior Competition July 24-26 at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill.

The event was postponed from May due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there was a chance it would be canceled, but the Joint Force Headquarters NCOs who run it figured out how to do a pandemic-sensitive contest, said New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski.

“The contestants wore masks during events that were not highly physical,” Piwowarski said. “And the staff wore masks, disinfected surface areas, worked to maintain social distancing and thermometers were available.”

Four to five days of competition was crammed into 30 hours of activity to lessen exposure to each other and make up for the last-minute scheduling, Piwowarski said.

“This year‘s competition was limited in some ways by COVID-19 protocols. However, there was no limit to the intensity of the competition or the contestants,” Piwowarski said.

Ortiz, from Bethpage, New York on Long Island, and Perez, who lives in Yorktown Heights in the Hudson Valley, trained together to get ready for the New York Best Warrior Competition and then to hone their technique for the regional event at Camp Ethan Allen.

“We stayed motivated and pushed each other every day,” Perez said.

They would also pick different places to run and train for the ruck march part of the competition.

“We’d take the American flag and run it across the Brooklyn Bridge,” said Ortiz. “It helped keep our morale up.”

Both men credited Ryan, one of the regional winners in 2019, with helping them prepare for the competition.

Ryan suggested ways to train and prepare and worked with Command Sgt. Maj. Shaun Butcher, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, who once won New York’s competition, to get the resources they needed to compete.

The regional competition, like the New York Best Warrior, included a fitness test, combat lane, day and night land navigation courses, an appearance board, Army warrior tasks, a written test, an essay and rifle and pistol course and a 12-mile road march with a full pack.

The surprise event – held between the day and night land navigation courses, was ax throwing.

The event, Ortiz explained, was included as a salute to Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys, the state’s first militia, which took Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775.

A tomahawk, or small ax, was part of their equipment and they were expected to keep it sharp and clean and be able to use it to start a fire or kill an enemy scout, he said.

The Soldiers were given a chance to practice and then threw axes at silhouette targets. Surprisingly, both Ortiz and Perez excelled in ax throwing.

“That was fun,” Perez said. “I had never thrown an ax in my life.”

“It turned out Ortiz and I both placed first in the ax throwing,” he added.

Now, their emphasis will be on getting ready for the national Army Guard Best Warrior event at Camp Shelby and see if they can replicate their wins there, and go on to the Army-wide Best Warrior.

“Our goal is to find our weak points by looking back at the other competitions and knowing what we did and what we can improve on,” Perez said. “We need to look at the minor details now to really perfect our training.”

Two Early-American war veterans honored in Michigan

 

By Bruce Huffman | Michigan National Guard | August 19 | 2020

PINCKNEY, Mich. – The graves of father and son Claudius Britton II and III, who both fought in Early-American wars and died in Michigan, were marked and dedicated at the Pinckney Cemetery Aug. 8.

Claudius Britton II enlisted in the militia in 1777 at the age of 16 and served as a scout with Vermont’s Green Mountain Continental Rangers in the Revolutionary War. He was captured by the British in 1778 and imprisoned in a Quebec dungeon until 1783. His son, Claudius Britton III, briefly fought for the Vermont militia during the War of 1812, sometimes referred to as the “Second War of Independence” because it was the first large-scale test of the American republic since the Revolutionary War.

In 1824, the Brittons moved to the mid-Michigan area and established a family farm in what is now Ann Arbor. According to Elijah Shalis of the Huron Valley Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, when Britton II applied for his war pension, John Allen, one of the cofounders of Ann Arbor, vouched for his character. Unfortunately, his pension was denied because of the time he spent as a British prisoner of war.

According to records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, at most only 3,000 Revolutionary War veterans drew any pension because the Continental Congress did not have the money to make the payments. This obligation was carried out in varying degrees by the states. Michigan was not officially admitted to the union until 1837.

The Brittons moved to Pinckney in 1836 where they spent the rest of their days. The father died in 1850, and Claudius Britton III died one year later, finding their final resting places side-by-side in Pinckney Cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It is important that we recognize people for their service, especially these two wars,” said Shalis.

Bronze emblems were installed to mark the graves and the headstones were repaired. Military honors were provided at the ceremony by the Sons of the American Revolution, the Michigan Society of the War of 1812, and the American Legion Post 419 in Pinckney. Michigan National Guard Army Command Sgt. Maj. Catherine A. Farrell was among those who spoke at the event.

“Just as it was for the Brittons in 1824, Michigan is still a great place for veterans to settle, work and raise a family,” Farrell said. “The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and Veterans Homes serve as the central coordinating point for all veterans in Michigan. We’re committed to connecting all veterans and their families to the programs, initiatives and benefits they deserve.”

The oldest component of America’s armed forces, the National Guard was etched from the Early-American militias responsible for protecting the English colonies.

“Today, we honor two of our own,” said Farrell. “The Michigan National Guard considers all veterans and their families ’Members for Life’, at every stage of their service. It begins the moment they put on the uniform, and lasts a lifetime.”

The Dubois Family Doubles Down

 CAMP BUEHRING |  KUWAIT | 08.21.2020 | Story by Sgt. Sydney Mariette 

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT— “I wouldn't say that military service is a tradition in my family,” said Spc. Sarah Dubois. “But it’s pretty nice having all my siblings serve.”

As an airfield management specialist with Alpha Company, 834th Aviation Support Battalion, Sarah is currently deployed with her sister, Pfc. Nicole Dubois, an automated logistic specialist with the same unit. Both sisters are extremely new to the unit, having both come to Alpha Company straight from their Advanced Individual Training (AIT) courses.

“I still had a month left of AIT when our company began to mobilize at Fort Hood,” said Sarah. “It's been super reliving to have my sister here, as I didn't know anyone when I got here.”

Not only do the sisters have support of each other in theater, they also have their three other siblings, Heidi, Matthew, and Sarah’s twin sister Samantha, at home in Minnesota. With all the Dubois having served with the Minnesota National Guard, it forges a strong bond of understanding for the siblings both in and out of uniform.

“It began with my eldest sister, Heidi, and eventually we all joined,” said Nicole. “It’s helpful because we can talk to them and they can all relate to our experiences.”

Their eldest sister Heidi deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in 2018-2019 with the 34th Infantry Division, and provided some much-needed insight into what to expect on a deployment to the Middle East to her younger sisters. She completed her first enlisted contract and has since decided to pursue other career paths outside of the National Guard.

Spc. Matthew Dubois and Pfc. Samantha Dubois are both military police with the 34th Military Police Company based out of Stillwater, Minnesota. They anticipated a busy year in 2020, as they prepared for their first deployment in August to the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in support of Joint Task Force Guantanamo to provide base security. However, with the escalation of civil unrest in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, Matthew and Samantha joined the more than 5,000 other Minnesota National Guard members called up to protect life, property and maintain order within the city of Minneapolis and surrounding areas in May 2020.

“The riots made me nervous for my siblings,” said Nicole. “I knew that people were throwing rocks at them and I just didn’t want them to get hurt.”

“I was shocked,” said Sarah. “I didn’t realize how severe things were getting at home.”

Shocked and anxious for their family and fellow service members at home, Sarah and Nicole watched the rising tensions in the Twin Cities and the COVID-19 pandemic sweep through their state and nation from afar. Every Soldier deployed with the 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade felt this anguish and tension at home. When preparing for deployment, military families expect the deployed Soldier to face the majority of the hardships. However, in many ways 2020 has tested us all at home and abroad.

“While on deployment it feels like your whole life stops for a year,” said Nicole. “But, with COVID-19 and everything I feel like everyone else at home had to put their life on hold as well.”

As Sarah and Nicole enter into the final stage of their 10-month deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield, Matthew and Samantha have just begun theirs. The overlap in deployments means that the Dubois family will not be fully present for over two years.

“It truly is heartbreaking knowing that I won't see them for two years,” said Sarah. “Especially my twin sister, I'm going to miss her a bunch. We've never missed a birthday together until this year.”

Despite the challenges they face as a military family, the Dubois continue to serve proudly, with Sarah even volunteering to extend her deployment with the incoming aviation unit for another year.

“My siblings are my best friends,” said Sarah. “We’d pretty much do everything together.” Serving their state and nation in the Minnesota National Guard is just one of the many things the Dubois siblings do together as a family.

Imagery Available: U.S. Coast Guard carries out support of joint Arctic missions

 ATLANTIC OCEAN | 08.21.2020 | Story by Senior Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir 

KITTERY, Maine — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Campbell (WMEC 909) will relieve the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma (WMEC 908) on Arctic patrol, Sunday near Greenland.

In mid-July, Tahoma began operations for the overall two-month patrol to the Arctic in support of joint operations Nanook and Argus, to secure the maritime domain, protect resources, and strengthen partnerships.

"I've been doing this for more than 33 years and thought I'd seen everything until I saw how positively this crew responded. There's nothing more humbling than being surrounded by such a great crew. Their families and friends should all be proud of them; that they accomplished something important and accomplished it with style. They represented themselves, their families, their Service, and their country as well as could ever be expected. The finest traditions of the Coast Guard are alive and well within the Tahoma crew," said Cmdr. Eric Johnson, commanding officer, Tahoma.

As the Nation's primary maritime presence in the Polar Regions, the Coast Guard advances our national interests through a unique blend of polar operational capability, regulatory authority, and international leadership across the full spectrum of maritime governance.

"The Coast Guard has been in the Arctic for over 150 years," said Capt. Thomas Crane, commanding officer, Campbell. "This signature exercise began in 2007. We are committed to enhancing our multinational capability to operate effectively in the dynamic Arctic domain, strengthening the rules-based order through the presence and joint efforts, and adapting to promote regional resilience and prosperity. We are proud to bring USCGC Campbell back to Greenland as the previous Campbell (W32) supported Coastal Operations in and around Greenland during World War II."

These exercises evaluate interoperability and build relationships between responders to identify shortfalls in communication and coordination of efforts. Each agency holds individual capabilities that complement each other's efforts and bolsters the overall success of the regional defense and SAR system. The purpose is to continue building and improving operational cohesion between different agencies and the Coast Guard.

Tahoma participated in patrols and mutual exchanges with partners as part of Operation Nanook. Inuit for polar bears, Nanook is an annual joint exercise and the Canadian armed forces' signature northern operation, which comprises a series of comprehensive, joint, interagency, and multinational activities designed to exercise regional defense and secure our polar regions. The Coast Guard is primarily supporting Nanook-Tuugalik, a defense readiness and security exercise, with multiple foreign partners off Northern Canada involving U.S. Navy 2nd Fleet, Royal Canadian navy and coast guard, the Danish navy, French navy, Royal Canadian air force, and multiple Canadian federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. This year crowns a decade of Operation Nanook.

Tahoma participated in Operation Argus, a three-day search and rescue exercise in Greenland's coastal search area with the Danish navy, French navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Air Greenland. Campbell will also conduct exchanges, fisheries boardings to safeguard resources and protect domestic fisheries and serve as a platform for research and innovation.

"We continue to work with our allies and partners to ensure a safe, secure, and cooperative Arctic, even as our aspiring near-peer competitors maneuver for strategic advantage in the area," said Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area. "We are leaning forward, and our persistent presence continues to counter those entities' efforts as the strategic value, economic, and scientific importance of the Arctic grows."

Tahoma and Campbell's home port is the historic Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Both cutters have a crew of roughly 100 who regularly patrol the Atlantic from Canada to the Caribbean. Like the other Famous-class cutters, they are designed and built for multi-mission operations, including law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and defense readiness.

Due to COVID-19, the service is taking extensive precautions and closely monitoring all operations. As needed, unit schedules adapted to ensure missions occur as planned. Any port calls or personnel exchanges are evaluated for risk and conducted in close coordination with the host nation and relevant agencies.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & IMF successfully undocks USS Columbia (SSN 771)

 PEARL HARBOR | HI | UNITED STATES | 07.16.2020 | Story by Ashleigh Whitney 

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) successfully undocked Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) July 16, 2020. The undocking was a major milestone in completing the submarine’s engineered overhaul (EOH) availability.

To achieve this milestone, the project team, ship’s force, and shipyard docking team collaborated to complete all required work, testing and documentation to ensure a safe and timely evolution.

“Thanks to the hard work of the project team, ship’s crew, and docking team, Columbia is now one step closer to completing her EOH,” said Shipyard Commander Captain Greg Burton. “We are looking forward to getting Columbia completed and her warfighting capabilities back to the fleet.”

An EOH is a major multi-year overhaul near the mid-point of a submarine's service life to perform necessary repairs, maintenance and modernization to certify the submarine for unrestricted operations and to ensure the submarine is operating at full technical capacity and mission capability for its entire designed service life.

Columbia has been at PHSNY & IMF since October 2018. The ship’s EOH will require approximately 359,000 work-days to complete all required maintenance, modernizations and certifications necessary to return the ship to the fleet.

The team supporting Columbia’s EOH has a broad spectrum of skills that spans across the shipyard. Team members include project management, contracting specialists, quality assurance, engineering, shop and waterfront mechanics, docking officials and private industry all working together with a shared vision to achieve each milestone throughout the availability.

Commissioned in 1995, Columbia was the last 688-class submarine to be built at Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. Columbia is one of the most versatile weapons platforms ever placed in the world's oceans, capable of long-range Tomahawk strike operations, anti-submarine and surface shipping operations, surveillance and intelligence gathering, and special forces insertions.

56th CES works ahead of schedule, garners $1.4 miliion in funding toward Luke's infrastructure

 By Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler | 56th Fighter Wing | Published August 20 | 2020

Senior Airman Natalee Barker, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Element operations manager, speaks with a customer to obtain needed infrastructure data for the requirements and optimization team Aug. 11, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Engineers use the data to determine the order of priority of work orders before assigning teams to take action. The 56th CES builds, maintains and protects the future of airpower through ensuring a safe work environment for nearly 7,000 personnel who live and work on base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

Staff Sgt. Kenny Chung, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Element heating, ventilation and air conditioning subject matter expert, inventories and inspects HVAC equipment Aug. 11, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. HVAC systems provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. The 56th CES builds, maintains and protects the future of airpower through ensuring a safe work environment for nearly 7,000 personnel who live and work on base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

Second Lt. Ben Rieben, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Element requirements and optimization officer in charge, presents a base map on the current status of infrastructure across the installation Aug. 11, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. The color of each building indicates the relative state of that facilities overall infrastructure. The 56th CES builds, maintains and protects the future of airpower through ensuring a safe work environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

PHOTOS: Laughlin pilots honor families of CBP lost to COVID-19 with flag flight

 By Senior Airman Anne McCready | 47th Flying Training Wing | Published August 20 | 2020

Maj. Camber Governski, 96th Flying Training Squadron T-6A Texan II chief pilot, and 1st Lt. April Wilcox, 85th Flying Training Squadron executive officer, raise the flags they are about to take on their mission of the T-6 she prepares to fly on Aug. 14, 2020 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The flags they are to fly are for the families of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service members who were lost to COVID-19. Governski said the experience was a sobering reminder that no one is safe from the virus, and the community must continue to come together and do everything possible to prevent more deaths in the community and globally. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anne McCready)

First Lt. April Wilcox, 85th Flying Training Squadron executive officer, Maj. Camber Governski, 96th FTS T-6A Texan II chief pilot, and 1st Lt. Will Friedman 85th FTS A-flight scheduler, pose in front of a T-6 on Aug. 14, 2020 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, with the flags they are to fly for the families of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service members who were lost to COVID-19. As they flew the flags, they practiced flying in formation to increase proficiency in order to train the student pilots more effectively. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anne McCready)

Maj. Camber Governski, 96th Flying Training Squadron T-6A Texan II chief pilot, rested her helmet and a flag on her dashboard of the T-6 she prepares for flight on Aug. 14, 2020 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The flags they are to fly are for the families of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service members who were lost to COVID-19. Governski said, “Flying the flags for our brothers in Border Patrol was an honor, and it made us feel a part of something bigger and true members of the community.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anne McCready)

National Guard Soldiers Keep Mission Rolling in Kosovo

 KOSOVO | 08.19.2020 | Story by Maj. Wayne Clyne  | 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team  

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - On a crisp Balkans spring afternoon, Maintenance Officers Capt. Angela Davis and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Paul Miller heard the closing of tools chest and the slamming of shop doors. The two went out to investigate and witnessed local Kosovo contracted mechanics were leaving earlier than usual.

Davis, the Material Management Center Officer In Charge with the responsibility of Providing centralized and Integrated Support for Kosovo Force (KFOR) Regional Command-East (RC-E), discovered that the contractors were being dispelled from the base to protect the force from the COVID-19 outbreak in the local population.

Davis thought "Missions are still running, how are we going to keep it all going. For more than 20 years, contractors have provided vehicle maintenance support for the KFOR RC-E mission. Solders have been rotating through on nine-month rotations, but most of the vehicles have been there since the start."

The maintenance officers soon realized they had no one to repair the command's vintage mission-critical vehicles since there are no maintenance assets assigned to RC-E.

Miller, the Senior ground Maintenance Officer for RC-E, also shocked at the predicament, said: "I felt like the decision was a knee jerk reaction; it would have really helped to keep some of the contracted mechanics, but I understood we're dealing with a corporation headquartered halfway around the world and no one saw this pandemic coming."

Miller fell into a similar situation in Afghanistan, deployed in 2014-2015. "We had a contractor with no place to work, and I was able to integrate U.S. mechanics with contractors into one facility and got better results. We knew the force was made out of many different MOSs for the peacekeeping mission." So Miller blasted out an email to the subordinate units asking for volunteers with mechanic experience.

The urgency was great since the Soldiers still needed to dispatch from RC-E installations to keep a pulse on the communities and the administrative boundary in their areas of responsibility. They needed to conduct their assigned mission of contributing to the safety and security, ensuring freedom of movement for all Kosovo inhabitants.

Following Miller's email, four Soldiers contacted him to turn wrenches and keep RC-E on the road.

Among the four Soldiers were Sgt. James Lobato, assigned to the operations section of 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion, Colorado Army National Guard. Three of the Soldiers coming from from the Oregon Army National Guard, Sgt. Joshua Maplethorpe, brigade commander's driver, Sgt. Jason Bergstad, RC-E operations section and Sgt. Nicholas Vestal, the maintenance liaison for the RC-E Maneuver Battalion.

"We all started as volunteers to join the National Guard," said Miller, who was impressed by the Soldier's response. "These Soldiers heard the call for mechanics, and they volunteered again to keep RC-E rolling."

The four started laboring in the contractors' dated shop with non-standard toolsets, replacing 16 of the local contractors. They discovered the vehicles were maintained differently than the U.S. Army standard. The group also faced an additional challenge in tracking the repairs and parts, even obtaining the key to the shop door was a challenge.

RC-E 1st Sgt. Jacin Koop covered down on the production control, taking over the job of two contracted production controllers and one Parts Clerk. He started imputing maintenance status into the Global Combat Support System-Army (GCSS-Army) computer system that tracks Army maintenance and parts.

Klopp quickly organized the data to track the repairs and worked with the team to accurately organize the parts on hand to keep the mechanics working.

"These volunteers were able to repair 27 tactical vehicles across multinational forces in two weeks, effectively bringing us to a sustainable operational readiness rate. These volunteers showed the importance of our diversity and the skill set of maintenance soldiers. If they were not here, we wouldn't have been able to keep going and allowing RC-E to continue the KFOR mission," said Capt. Angela Davis, "I think this speaks to the National Guard's adaptability and flexibility; we never quit and just keep going."

All the Volunteers have something in common, along with Miller and Klopp. Aside from their guard jobs typically one weekend a month, they all work as maintenance technicians for their state's National Guard repairing vehicles during the week. Federal technicians are civilian employees required to maintain a membership in the guard as part of their employment and provide support to both the State and Nation working as civilians.

Newly promoted Sgt. Nicholas Vestal, a prior security guard, said, I joined the national guard to become a mechanic and was thrilled to do something that could end up helping my local community in natural disasters, besides getting a new skill."

Vestal now works during the week as a technician with the job title Field Supervisor for the Technical Manual Verification Team in association with United States Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) out of Salem, Ore.

When Vestal heard what happened, he said, "I'm a 91B Light-Wheel Vehicle Mechanic. I'm willing to do it. I've worked with Chief Miller before; he knows I would rather work in the shop then be on a desk. "

Vestal had to keep doing his maintenance liaison job but now became a parts clerk and mechanic. He enjoyed working in the shop and commented, "The fact that I know the vehicles are fixed to the army standard and know that my fellow Soldiers are safe in the vehicles that I fix gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

I believe private contractors are essential, but all soldiers retain their Military Occupation Skill (MOS) and need to be able to do it. COVID showed us we can't always count on the contractors, but if we maintain our skills, we can overcome anything."

Army assesses Soldier-to-Soldier communications resiliency during annual experiment

 By Jasmyne Douglas | CCDC C5ISR Center | August 11, 2020

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Aug. 11, 2020) – Army Futures Command (AFC) engineers are evaluating technologies that protect Soldier-to-Soldier communications from outside interference during this year’s Network Modernization Experiment (NetModX 20), taking place at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, from July 20 through Oct. 2.

The capabilities are part of the Army’s non-traditional waveforms effort, which is dedicated to improving communications capabilities in electronic warfare operating environments. This effort includes the Dismounted Distributed Tactical Beamforming System (D2TBS) and Squad Area Network (SQAN) projects.

Dr. Michael Brownfield, Future Capabilities chief of the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center – a component of AFC’s Combat Capabilities Development Command – said assessing the capabilities in NetModX 20’s fail-safe environment will ensure the technologies are properly aligned with the Army’s requirements before they are placed in Soldiers’ hands for operational testing.

“The systems are still in the development phase, so this is not a Soldier hands-on event,” he said. “It’s better for ‘white-coat’ engineers to go out, figure out how their systems work together and optimize them before putting Soldiers on them because Soldier time is precious.”

The Dismounted Distributed Tactical Beamforming System provides dismounted Soldiers with reach-back to the platoon level and higher by incorporating affordable technologies for voice and data communications with low probability of intercept, low probability of detection and anti-jamming capabilities.

Jeremy Scott, the C5ISR Center engineer leading the effort, described current handheld tactical radios as being “the size of a slim brick,” and said they typically weigh around two or three pounds.

“D2TBS enables communications to be sent at a lower power than radios currently used in tactical environments, which means radios can be smaller and lighter,” Scott said. “The ability to transmit at a lower power also makes communications more difficult for adversaries to detect because the transmitted signal is intended to be coherent at the location of the intended receiver instead of at other locations.”

The Squad Area Network delivers an intra-squad radio communications network that operates in the presence of electronic interference in challenged environments.

“SQAN radios are small in size and weight, low in battery usage, and low in cost. This enables the Army to bring communications capabilities that were previously unaffordable to every Soldier in the squad formation, while minimizing the burden of carrying extra equipment,” Scott said. “This also allows for more effective operations by increasing situational awareness and coordination within squads.”

The C5ISR Center’s main objective is to use NetModX 20’s field environment to collect performance data and validate the non-traditional waveform systems’ abilities to meet key performance parameters. Brownfield emphasized the importance of analyzing this data “as early in the process as possible,” to ensure technology developers are meeting the Army’s operational needs.

“We’re pushing real mission command data through the systems to make sure they meet the needs of the network,” he said. “We have to make sure that throughout this process, discovery-based learning informs the requirements, and that outcomes are shared with the requirements’ writers and used by industry capability developers to ensure they are postured to deliver.”

For more information regarding non-traditional waveforms, contact the C5ISR Center Public Affairs Office at usarmy.apg.ccdc-c5isr.mbx.pao@mail.mil.

Army senior leaders and industry partners interested in receiving reports generated as a result of this and other experiments at NetModX 20 should contact the C5ISR Center's Future Capabilities Office at usarmy.apg.ccdc-c5isr.mbx.stcd-ost-fco@mail.mil.

The C5ISR Center is the Army’s applied research and advanced technology development center for C5ISR capabilities. As the Army’s primary integrator of C5ISR technologies and systems, the center develops and matures capabilities that support all six Army modernization priorities, enabling information dominance and tactical overmatch for the joint warfighter.

The C5ISR Center is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.

Army testing zero-trust environment amid cloud computing push

 By Sean Kimmons | Army News Service | July 20 | 2020

WASHINGTON -- Army network leaders highlighted progress on cloud computing efforts Wednesday, including a pilot that is testing a zero-trust environment to bolster cybersecurity.

Run by the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, the pilot is using zero-trust principles with Microsoft Office 365, a cloud-based version of its software that is being rolled out to the entire Defense Department.

“We stood up a team that’s actually trying to implement a zero-trust environment using an MS365 environment that’s going to help inform our zero-trust architecture,” said Patrick Dedham, deputy to the NETCOM commander.

Today, the Army has a perimeter security-based network that will eventually be replaced with zero-trust security, he said, meaning all users and devices must be authenticated before connecting to the network.

“Zero trust is going to be a journey,” he said during an online panel for the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Conference. “So really the starting point is where do we want to end up on that zero-trust architecture and this pilot will help us inform that.”

Dedham called “zero trust” a poor term in describing the process, and should rather be referred to as “implicit trust.”

In addition to the pilot, NETCOM also expanded its mission after Army Cyber Command shifted its daily network operations to the command in June. NETCOM has a fusion center at Arizona’s Fort Huachuca that now secures and operates the Army’s portion on the DOD Information Network, he said.

NETCOM also has about 15,000 people globally to run its missions at nearly 300 camps, posts and stations that provide support to all Army elements.

Current NETCOM efforts aim to broaden its support to tactical units in a much quicker way.

“We need to get to a DODIN-based zero-trust architecture and cloud-enabling infrastructure, so that we can really access data and apps from anywhere, any device, securely and safely,” he said.

Digital overmatch

The vision of the Enterprise Cloud Management Office, which was formed late last year to consolidate the Army’s cloud capabilities, is to deliver digital overmatch.

By achieving that, the Army would become stronger, more skilled and better armed in information technology to compete and win against a near-peer adversary, said Paul Puckett, the office’s director.

“In order for us to compete and fight, we need to be able to share data from the foxhole to the enterprise and back,” Puckett said during the panel. “And that requires our systems, our architecture and our cloud to be designed and built to be a global asset and not just a capability at the enterprise.”

Puckett said the Army has already been using cloud computing systems for years.

“In the ECMO, we’re really trying to determine how and where we can achieve repeatability and effectivity in leveraging cloud computing,” he said, “so that we can then scale that effectiveness across the rest of the Army.”

As part of the Army Cloud Plan, which will be released later this year, the office is working on six strategic objectives for using cloud computing to the greatest extent possible, he said.

Among them include accelerating the Army’s data-driven decisions, decreasing the time it takes to field solutions, and establishing cloud design as a core competency. The plan also seeks to optimize the authority to operate, or ATO, process; build adaptive software; and enable transparency of IT assets and their costs.

“These capabilities cannot be isolated to the enterprise, only found in the continental U.S. where we have 5G,” he said. “We need these capabilities for our ability to have online, on-demand computing resources in a network architecture, even at our tactical edge in disconnected environments.”

Soldiers will also need to learn to not rely too much on the cloud, especially on a contested battlefield where there may be intermittent access and very low bandwidth, said Maj. Gen. Peter Gallagher, director of the Army Network Cross-Functional Team.

“That’s just the nature of the beast when the enemy gets a vote,” Gallagher said. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out, is to make sure that we can leverage the cloud so we can be enabled, but not be overly dependent on the cloud.”

The general also mentioned an ongoing pilot that places several warfighting systems into a containerized environment to help Army Reserve and National Guard units train when they don’t have access to their tactical server.

Soldiers can log into those systems through a web browser to meet training requirements more efficiently.

“They can train in their armories, fire up the systems and be smart about how they do warfighting and decision making,” he said. “The intent there is to leverage the cloud to make our units more effective.”

U.S. and Poland continue to grow air defense powerhouse

 POLAND | 08.12.2020 | Story by Staff Sgt. Andrew Mallett  | 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command  

U.S. and Poland continue to grow air defense powerhouse

By Staff Sgt. Andrew Mallett

Brig. Gen. Gregory Brady, the commander of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, visited Poland on Aug. 11-12 at the request of Polish Col. Kazimierz Dynski, commander of the 3rd Surface to Air Defense Brigade, in order to facilitate the planning and execution of future exercises in the European theater.

The two countries will be conducting the Astral Knight 20 exercise in September. Astral Knight 20 is the second iteration of a U.S. Air Force led exercise intended to produce a valid theater-wide integrated air and missile defense architecture. The U.S. and Poland are focusing on reinforcing NATO deterrence measures and reassuring NATO Alliances and Partners of a combined tactical defense of Europe.

The U.S. and Poland will also be simultaneously participating in the Tobruq Legacy 20 exercise in Lithuania along with 11 other NATO Allies. Tobruq Legacy 20 is a multinational air defense exercise. Lithuania will both host and direct the exercise.

During the exercise U.S., allies and partners will safely deploy and redeploy all equipment and personnel to host nation country and establish a combined U.S. and European Surface based Air Defense. The exercise will enhance the combined U.S. and European task force’s ability to control defensive fires in central and Eastern Europe and refine the NATO kill chain. It will also enable the development of standard operating procedures. The purpose of this exercise is to enhance interoperability with NATO forces and increase readiness through the integration of land component air missile defense capabilities.

"A trained and ready alliance deters real threats.” Brady said. “Participation in Astral Knight 20 and Tobruq Legacy 20 enhances our professional relationships and interoperability with ally and partner militaries. It also allows us the opportunity to demonstrate air and missile defense mission command, while simultaneously executing these exercises in Poland and Lithuania. We are proud of our strong relationship with our Polish counterparts in the 3rd Surface to Air Defense Brigade who will also be receiving the Patriot system in the near future. We look forward to enhancing our air and missile defense capability, increasing security along NATO's eastern flank, and preserving peace."

The Polish Army will be receiving Patriot missile systems in the next two to five years, according to an article in Defense News. The purchase of American made air defense systems has been part of an initiative to deter threats from foreign adversaries. In 2018, President Duda announced a $4.75 billion deal to purchase and co-produce a mix of air and missile.

This visit has been part of an ongoing relationship to pursue enhancement of Poland’s overall air defense capabilities. Polish Soldiers assigned to the 37th Air Defense Squadron, 3rd Surface to Air Defense Brigade visited the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in order to gain more understanding of the Patriot mid-range air and missile defense system and enhance their own training program on August 8-10, 2020 at the Baumholder Training Area, Germany.

“We have a long and proud history of friendship and partnership with the Polish air defense forces”, Lt. Col. Justin Logan, Commander of the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, said. “We wanted to take advantage of current training to continue to build and strengthen our partnership.”

Polish and American integration into the battalion has been a valuable tool in continued learning for everyone involved, Logan explained. Training, logistics, and maintenance operations improve drastically when multinational soldiers can collaborate.

“We are excited to reach the highest level of interoperability as we can with the U.S.” Polish Army Capt. Daniel Pyza, assigned to the 37th Air Defense Squadron, said. “We want to obtain wisdom and experience as much as we can while we are here. We have always had great cooperation, and this is a continuation of that relationship.”

TAGS

ADA,USAREUR,USArmy,10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command,USArmyEurope,European Defenders,5-7 ADAR