March 11, 2022

U.S. Africa Command Civilian Casualty Assessment Quarterly Report; 4th Quarter, 2021

In the latest quarterly civilian casualty assessment report period ending Dec. 31, 2021, U.S. Africa Command received no new reports of civilian casualties and no open reports were carried over from previous quarters. There are currently no assessments open or under review.

March 10, 2022

Historic 4-60 ADA reactivated with Fort Sill ceremony

An Air Defense Artillery battalion, which can trace its lineage back to World War I and Vietnam, reactivated March 4 in an uncasing ceremony on the Old Post Quadrangle. “We’ll be the first and only, for the time being, directed energy, or laser weapon battalion that’s out there,” said Corby. “We are the first M-SHORAD unit to start integrating this capability here at Fort Sill. We will begin the proof-of-concept demonstration this coming fall and we’re very excited for that opportunity.”

Feb. 25, 2022

Dahlgren Focuses Energy Weapons on Target

The U.S. Navy has been researching and perfecting directed energy weapons to include railguns, high-powered microwaves and lasers, along with hypervelocity projectiles — to make futuristic weapons a reality on ships today. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Dahlgren, Virginia, has been leading the way in creating capabilities to give warfighters a high-tech advantage at sea, to include directed energy weapons.

Feb. 25, 2022

AFRL awards contract for drone killer, Mjölnir; brings new drone “hammer” to the fight

The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded a contract for Mjölnir, a next-generation counter electronics weapon system, to defend against adversarial drone activity, to Leidos Inc. Building upon the success of the Tactical High-Power Operational Responder (THOR) technology demonstrator, Leidos will build an advanced high power microwave (HPM) weapon system to bring the newest technology to bear against the growing threat from unmanned aircraft.

Feb. 17, 2022

NSWCDD Develops Safer Weapons Alternative

Videos of U.S. military personnel stopping drug-smuggling boats are exhilarating and frightening. They are not Hollywood movies but real-life, dangerous encounters on the high seas. In each of those instances, the use of force applies. The High Power Microwave (HPM) Weapon Systems Division at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) makes those encounters safer for everyone involved.

Feb. 15, 2022

AFRL holds directed, kinetic energy wargaming experiment

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate recently hosted a collaborative wargame with its sister AFRL unit, the Munitions Directorate, at Kirtland Air Force Base. The Directed Energy and Kinetic Energy Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment, or DEKE DEUCE, explored synergies between directed energy and kinetic concepts in the future battlespace.

Feb. 14, 2022

Kentucky Soldiers conduct riot control training in Germany

Soldiers assigned to Kentucky Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 29th Infantry Division, reacted to improvised incendiary weapons during multinational fire phobia training at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center Feb. 11. The training, hosted by members of the Slovenian military, involved reacting to Molotov cocktails and simulated rioting during a mission rehearsal exercise before the 1-149th Infantry Battalion’s deployment to the Balkan region. The Slovenian military familiarized the Kentucky Soldiers with tactics to respond to riots and civil unrest should they encounter such a situation while deployed.

Feb. 8, 2022

DARPA Seeks Next-Gen Scalable Laser Weapon Systems

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has issued a request for scalable, high-energy laser (HEL) technology proposals to build a new generation of laser weapon systems. The proposed five-year, $60 million Modular Efficient Laser Technology (MELT) initiative categorically excludes research aimed at improving current technologies, requesting “revolutionary advances in devices.”

Feb. 7, 2022

SECAF, CSAF visit 16 AF to discuss gray zone-focused competition

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. visited 16th Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) Feb. 2 to learn more about the numbered air force’s capabilities in gray zone warfare.

Jan. 31, 2022

Air Force Research Laboratory Hosts Collaborative Wargame Experiment With Munitions Directorate At Kirtland AFB

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL/RD) hosted a collaborative wargame with its sister AFRL unit, the Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW) Jan. 24-28 at Kirtland AFB. The Directed Energy and Kinetic Energy Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment, or DEKE DEUCE, explored synergies between directed energy and kinetic concepts in the future battlespace.

Jan. 20, 2022

Defense Research and Engineering Explores Joint Experimentation

A pair of classified efforts in FY23 will aim to develop and push prototypes into rapid experimentation to fill a joint operational capability gap. These are part of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s (USD [R&E’s]) Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve, or RADER, activity. It is designed to conduct a campaign of joint experimentation, explains Heidi Shyu, the USD (R&E).

Jan. 19, 2022

Security Forces always training, always ready

It does not matter what situation 88th Security Forces Squadron Defenders find themselves in. Members of Team Wright-Patt can rest assured they are trained and ready to respond. The squadron is responsible for all law enforcement around the installation, to include base housing, as well ensuring access points are properly manned and the airfield is secured, 365 days a year.

Jan. 5, 2022

NSWCDD Department Stands Up High Powered Microwave Division in Directed Energy Refocusing Efforts

Under the Directed Energy (DE) umbrella, there are two significant areas of interest: high-energy laser and high-power microwave (HPM) weapon systems. At Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), the growing demand from the operational community for novel DE weapon systems resulted in a corresponding growth in NSWCDD’s technical capability in this area. During a recent reorganization of the Integrated Engagement Systems Department, leadership looked at the two DE areas historically maintained in a single division and made the strategic decision to split them into respective divisions, recognizing the need for continued growth and development in both areas that have similar technical roots.

Jan. 4, 2022

GEN. DAVID H. BERGER ON THE MARINE CORPS OF THE FUTURE

Gen. David H. Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps, had Ryan Evans over for a discussion on the service he leads. As rising great powers and transformative technologies reshape warfare, presenting marines with new challenges, how should the Marine Corps adapt? From talent management to force transformation, listen to their wide-ranging conversation about what the service needs to become in order to remain a top-tier fighting force.

Dec. 30, 2021

Guardians of the Fleet

To pass this portion of the training, the students were sprayed in the face and asked to open their stinging eyes long enough to see how many fingers the instructor holds in front of them. Once the potential master-at-arms provided the correct number, they traversed a course where they demonstrated basic non-lethal weapons mastery learned during training to fend off simulated assailants.

Dec. 15, 2021

NUWC Division Newport inventors showcase cutting-edge technology during collaborative event at URI

Three Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport technologists shared information on undersea warfare-inspired inventions during the Technology Commercialization, Research and Development Showcase held Dec. 6 at the University of Rhode Island (URI). A number of dignitaries — including U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse (both D-RI) and URI President Marc Parlange — and members of the 401 Tech Bridge, URI, industry and R.I. Commerce community received presentations about exciting new technologies that have a broad range of potential commercial applications.

Dec. 13, 2021

Navy and Local Dignitaries Welcome First and Only Directed Energy Lab to Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu

The Navy’s exclusive Directed Energy Systems Integration Laboratory (DESIL) is officially open for business at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu as Navy senior leaders, and local officials, including Camarillo Mayor Charlotte Craven and representatives from Harper Construction Co. Inc. attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new facility on Dec. 3.

Dec. 13, 2021

NPS Researchers Use High-Tech Optics, Artificial Intelligence to Advance Laser Weapons Systems

Researchers at NPS are using every tool at their disposal to reduce atmosphere-induced aberrations, or “clean” the laser beam, so it has a chance to reach a target farther away in a deep turbulence environment.

Nov. 30, 2021

AFRL’s drone killer, THOR wins Popular Science “Best of” award

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is celebrating the success of its counter drone weapon, the Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR), after being named the Popular Science “Best of What’s New” in the security category.

Nov. 15, 2021

China and Russia Are Waging Irregular Warfare Against the United States: It is Time for a U.S. Global Response, Led by Special Operations Command

America’s adversaries already are fighting a sophisticated, enduring, low-intensity war against the United States and its allies. China and Russia’s ongoing campaigns demand the United States restructure its agencies, strategies, policies, and resources to better employ irregular warfare (IW) and meet the challenge. The U.S. government’s current approach to strategic competition is problematic, but there are military, technological, interagency, and combined approaches that would enable the nation to stay ahead of its adversaries and keep competition from escalating to kinetic warfare. Fortunately, the Department of Defense has a large, capable organization, with forces deployed around the world, that can employ IW to prevail in great power competition (GPC): U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF).