May 13, 2021

NSWC Dahlgren Division Engineer Brings New Capabilities to High Power Microwave Technology through DoD Scholarship Program

While Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) is well-known for its work in both lasers and pulsed power systems, incorporating lasers into pulsed power is a new area of research. As such, the basic requirements of the research effort must be built from scratch. Dr. Jon ‘Cameron’ Pouncey of the High Power Microwave (HPM) Technology Development Branch, E13, of the Gun and Electric Weapon Systems Department (E Department) at NSWCDD is the principal investigator of a new project, funded through a grant initiated by the Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship program.

May 12, 2021

NSWC Carderock inventors patent Device for Non-Lethal Stoppage of Water Jet Propelled Craft

The problem they tried solving was how to stop a personal watercraft, such as a Jet Ski, in a non-lethal manner. “There’s a lot of reasons you might want to stop one — it could be something that could be headed toward a naval asset, they could be drug-running and could be getting away,” Bretall said. “The simplest conventional way, of course, is to use kinetics and artillery, but that’s only appropriate in some situations … there’s a lot of reasons you might want to stop a Jet Ski non-lethally.”

April 22, 2021

Introducing the Emerging Technologies Institute

That’s why the National Defense Industrial Association has created the NDIA Emerging Technologies Institute, or ETI. It is a non-partisan organization dedicated to research, analysis and open discussion about emerging technologies and their role in the defense industrial base.

April 22, 2021

Brief History of the Evolutions of Counter-Personnel Non-Lethal Weapons

Over the past 50+ years, a number of terms (e.g., non-lethal, less-lethal, less-than-lethal, sublethal) [1] have been used to describe weapons that are intended to incapacitate targeted personnel or materiel immediately while minimizing fatalities or permanent injury to personnel [2]. However, it has been acknowledged that no weapon can be entirely non-lethal, as discussed in a 1972 published report to the National Science Foundation (NSF) regarding non-lethal weapons (NLW) for law enforcement [3].

April 10, 2021

Can We Win in the 'Gray Zone'?

The gray zone is the space between peace and war involving coercive actions that fall outside normal geopolitical competition between states but do not reach the level of armed conflict.... They usually seek to avoid a significant military response, though are often designed to intimidate and deter a target state by threatening further escalation. [B]ut do liberal democracies in the 21st Century have the political will to do the dirty work that is necessary to win?

April 7, 2021

Navy Installing More Directed Energy Weapons on DDGs, Conducting Land-Based Laser Testing This Year

The Navy continues to learn more about a pair of directed energy weapons, as the service installs the fourth and fifth dazzler system this year and begins land-based testing of a high-energy laser weapon, the program executive officer for integrated warfare systems told USNI News. The Navy has been in parallel working on an Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) program, a nonlethal weapon that can confuse instead of shoot down drones, which will become part of the High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) program that Lockheed Martin has been developing since 2018.

April 6, 2021

Joint Intermediate Force Capabilities

Intermediate Force Capabilities The requirement for Non-Lethal Weapons (NLW) emerged during U.S. military operations in Somalia. Consequently, the Department of Defense (DoD) NLW Program was created in 1996, the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) was designated as the DoD NLW Program Executive Agent, and the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) was established to manage the daily activities of the program.

March 23, 2021

AFRL Directed Energy Industry Days— rolling out new rapid contracting vehicle

The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate will host a Virtual Briefing for Industry to introduce the new Directed Energy Technology Experimentation Research (DETER), Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) April 13 – 14 from 10 a.m. to noon Mountain Standard Time each day. “We are looking forward to hosting our first briefing for industry days,” said Marcella Cantu, DETER Program Manager. “DETER is an innovative acquisition tool that will offer industry and academia a new rapid and agile contracting vehicle to work with Directed Energy in nine topic areas. Day one is designed for industry and day two for academia.”

March 17, 2021

JBLM Soldiers, Airmen tased, pepper sprayed during Dragon Fighter Academy

Soldiers from the 504th Military Police Battalion “Dragon Fighters,” 42nd Military Police Brigade and Airmen from the 627th Security Forces Squadron participated in a nonlethal weapons training course for military police March 12 on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

March 4, 2021

Report on Navy Laser, Railgun and Gun-Launched Guided Projectiles

Three new ship-based weapons being developed by the Navy—solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the gun-launched guided projectile (GLGP), also known as the hypervelocity projectile (HVP)—could substantially improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against surface craft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and eventually anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs).

Feb. 22, 2021

Sustaining the force: MCAGCC PMO trains Marines in security guard course

Every six months, Marines from around the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center supplement the MCAGCC Provost Marshal’s Office with personnel through the Fleet Assistance Program. “The Fleet Assistance Program is an often misunderstood assignment,” said Maj. Braden Trainor, the MCAGCC Provost Marshal. “It is not an ‘extended working party’ where Marines are sent to conduct menial tasks unspecific to military occupational specialty.” “At MCAGCC, the Provost Marshal’s Office is a supported organization that receives Marines that meet selective requirements from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. PMO trains those Marines to conduct a real-world security and law enforcement mission in support of the installation,” he said.

Feb. 21, 2021

178th Augmentee program steps up to defend the base

In 2020, our nation faced an era of great uncertainty. A global pandemic plagued nations worldwide. Many countries went into lockdowns while frontline workers worked tirelessly to control the spread of the virus. America was not spared as the virus swept across the states. In the midst of battling a deadly virus, civil unrest unraveled. Protesters speaking out against injustice took to the streets to have their voices heard. In order to provide relief efforts for the pandemic and help maintain order in response to civil unrest, the National Guard was called to assist local and state agencies.

Feb. 15, 2021

JBER defenders host commander immersion

U.S. Air Force Col. Kirsten Aguilar, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and 673d Air Base Wing commander, and U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Lee Mills, JBER and 673d ABW command chief, participated in a 673d Security Forces Squadron immersion tour at JBER, Alaska, Feb. 2, 2021. The tour kicked off at the base defense operations center, or BDOC – the command-and-control facility for all security and law enforcement operations on the installation.

Feb. 10, 2021

NSWC Dahlgren Division Engineer Honored for Impacting Laser Weapon Technology with Leadership, Rigor, and Agility

Every year across the United States, high school seniors must decide their futures. For some, they head straight to college. Others forego more schooling entirely and join the workforce. For Ronald ‘Flats’ Flatley, he chose to join the Navy. Flatley spent 21 years in the Navy, eventually becoming a Naval Flight Officer. He deployed overseas three times, and eventually landed a job at the Joint Warfare Analysis Center (JWAC) before joining Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) as a government employee.

Jan. 27, 2021

AFRL holds new directed energy wargaming event

The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate recently held its newest wargaming, modeling and simulation event at Kirtland Air Force Base. The Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment, or DEUCE, under the leadership of the directorate’s wargaming team, brought together F-16 pilots, F-15E weapon systems officers and an Airborne Warning and Control System air battle manager, with the goal of evaluating the capabilities of directed energy for the future battlefield.

Jan. 20, 2021

Watch commander – ensuring safety for all

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Staling Amador, a watch commander with the Camp Foster Provost Marshal’s Office (PMO) and a native of Miami, Florida, shares his story as a Marine within Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific – Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler. PMO watch commanders are responsible for responding quickly and effectively to emergency calls while ensuring the safety of Marines, Status of Forces Agreement personnel, and local nationals on and off base. In addition, they oversee the training and mentorship of their patrolmen, to ensure they possess the knowledge, physical endurance and mental fortitude to successfully respond to a variety of situations.

Jan. 8, 2021

DOD details National Guard response to Capitol attack

Once the reality of the assault on the U.S. Capitol became apparent, National Guard troops responded appropriately and with alacrity, Department of Defense officials said in a phone briefing on Jan. 7. "Yesterday was a horrible and shameful day here in the capital, and the nation at large," Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said on the call. "The District of Columbia asked the Army for help, and our National Guard responded."

Jan. 6, 2021

Littoral Combat Ships for Maritime COIN

The U.S. Pacific Fleet is embracing its role in countering China’s maritime insurgency against the rule of international law and freedom of the seas. Persistent presence to safeguard Southeast Asian civilians from China’s depredations against their rights is the new order of the day and already is delivering favorable political-diplomatic results.

Dec. 31, 2020

In Your Face GW’s In-Port Security Force gets OC Sprayed

Eyes burning. Vison blurry. Snot dripping. Instructors screaming. With all of these distractions after getting sprayed by oleoresin capsicum (OC), Sailors go through a course allowing them to practice taking down and defending themselves against attackers.

Dec. 24, 2020

Report on Navy Laser, Railgun and Gun-Launched Guided Projectiles

Three new ship-based weapons being developed by the Navy—solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the gun-launched guided projectile (GLGP), also known as the hypervelocity projectile (HVP)—could substantially improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against surface craft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and eventually anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs).