May 6, 2020

Navy’s Only Directed Energy Lab on a Sea Test Range Breaks Ground at NBVC Point Mugu

Demonstrating that Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) remains open for business despite the global pandemic, Navy leaders and private contractors broke ground Tuesday, May 5 at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC)’s Point Mugu for what will become the fleet’s only dedicated facility to test, fire and evaluate complete laser weapon systems in a maritime environment.

April 24, 2020

8th Security Forces Squadron innovates with virtual reality training

The 8th Security Forces Squadron training office has a Multiple Interactive Learning Objective System, giving service members the opportunity to accomplish their weapons training when a firing range isn’t available. The MILO system is a virtual reality firing range, designed to train all branches of law enforcement, military, security and public safety agencies throughout the U.S. and the world, as well as all inbound members for their annual training.

April 15, 2020

AFRL researchers win STAR recognition

The Air Force Research Laboratory recently announced eight Air Force Office of Scientific Research STAR Team Award winners. The award recognizes excellence in basic research across AFRL’s technology directorates, and identifies those researchers who have demonstrated world class scientific or engineering achievement. Two of the STAR Team winners, Dr. Brad Hoff and Dr. Angel Flores, are from AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate located at Kirtland AFB.

April 6, 2020

AFRL gives warfighters new weapons system

The Air Force Research Laboratory has set up the Air Force’s first high-energy laser weapon system overseas for a 12-month field assessment. The Air Force Strategic Development Planning & Experimentation (SDPE) Office located here is leading the project. “The receiving combatant command will utilize this system as an operational asset against small unmanned aircraft systems for the duration of the field assessment,” said Dr. Michael Jirjis, the SDPE Base Defense Experimentation director.

April 2, 2020

435 SFS recognized: best small security forces unit

The 435th Security Forces Squadron received the Best Small Security Forces Unit Award for 2019 in all of U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA).

March 22, 2020

Training to Defend

NSFS and SRF-B cover a wide variety of skills for watchstanding such as training on non-lethal weapons, gun qualifications, unarmed self-defense, use of force, common terrorist tactics, tactical team movements, room entry and clearing, and working together as a team to respond to a security alert.

March 19, 2020

Chinese military expert advocates using lasers to paralyze US warships in South China Sea

The Chinese military should consider using non-lethal lasers on U.S. Navy warships to discourage their transits through the South China Sea, a state-run newspaper in China said Tuesday. Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told Global Times that the use of electromagnetic weapons, such as low-energy laser devices, could “send a strong warning” by temporarily paralyzing weapon and control systems on U.S. ships — all done “without visible conflict.”

March 9, 2020

Top SMDC officer uses drone-zapping lasers, says missile defense remains top focus

A wrecked drone sits on the desk of the Army's senior air defender after being shot down during a test at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, a few weeks ago. The pile of vaporized plastic is evidence of the firepower behind the Army's cutting-edge, drone-blasting laser technology.

March 8, 2020

178th Security Forces Squadron leads security execution in domestic operations exercise

When disaster strikes, chaos can easily ensue. Protecting life and property can be a daunting task for local law enforcement when their own communities are decimated by a natural disaster. That is why members of the National Guard train to assist at a moment’s call and support local law enforcement. A commitment to training and readiness brought 30 members of the 178th security forces squadron to train for and lead a security execution during a simulated hurricane for the domestic operations exercise known as Patriot South, February 7 to March 7.

Feb. 28, 2020

Train-the-trainer course challenges U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center security guards

The course, the first of its kind at ERDC, was designed not only to train guards in their duties, but also to teach them the skills necessary to pass that knowledge on to their peers. “It was a multi-pronged approach,” said Rick Maillet, chief of security and law enforcement at ERDC. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters came to us with the opportunity to do some Department of the Army Security Guards training, and we asked if we could do train-the-trainer.”

Feb. 18, 2020

Farragut Sailors complete OC certification course

Twenty Sailors completed the Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) certification course on the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) on Jan. 18 to qualify for shipboard watches. To graduate the course, the Sailors had to complete a five-station fight-through drill involving the employment of the baton to include strikes, blocks and retention, threat assessment, Mechanical Advantage Control Holds involving subject control, takedowns and compliance, and OC contamination and decontamination.

Feb. 11, 2020

Camp Lejeune Provost Marshal’s Office conducts law enforcement tactics training

U.S. Marine and civilian military police officers with the Provost Marshal’s office (PMO), Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune conducted a law enforcement defensive tactics and sustainment training session on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 11, 2020.

Feb. 3, 2020

NUWC Division Newport engineer serves as brigadier general in RI National Guard

Javier “Alex” Reina, country manager for Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Foreign Military Sales, spends his off-duty hours in service to another branch of the military – the R.I. Army National Guard. In May, Reina, a resident of East Freetown, Massachusetts, was promoted to brigadier general.

Jan. 24, 2020

The law of land warfare handbook is now available as a ‘pocket guide’

The Army has issued a new 200-page handbook for general officers and judge advocates in the service as it looks to update a more than 60-year-old guide for ground-pounders that may find themselves wading through complex legalese. The manual, called the Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Land Warfare, is a fraction of the Defense Department’s 1200-page Law of War manual and a necessary update to the 1956 volume it replaces, according to service leadership.

Dec. 16, 2019

NATO renews pledge to strengthen training on International Humanitarian Law

Last week in Geneva (9-12 December 2019), a NATO delegation attended the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, in an observer capacity. The Organization formally pledged to continue a substantive dialogue with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to identify areas where training and education provided by NATO on international humanitarian law may be further enhanced.

Dec. 14, 2019

435th SFS bolsters global security

The 435th Security Forces Squadron hosted a security forces specialty training course to enhance defenders’ skillsets at the Ground Combat Readiness Training Center, Dec. 6 to 14. The Leader Led Training Course allowed defenders from around the Air Force to receive instructor certification in ground combat skills. Newly certified instructors returned home, creating a force multiplier for a standard training baseline across the security forces career field.

Dec. 13, 2019

US Marines, sailors aboard MCB-Camp Butler take part in Security Augmentation Force Training

U.S. Marines and sailors aboard Marine Corps Base-Camp Smedley D. Butler took part in the Security Augmentation Force Training from Dec. 2 to Dec. 12 on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan.

Dec. 3, 2019

Army pursuing improved realism in live and virtual training

One conundrum to providing a realistic and immersive virtual training experience for Soldiers is portraying computer-generated people and objects behind real things, and doing so in real time from multiple perspectives as actors and objects move around. Addressing this challenge, known as dynamic occlusion, is one focus as the Army works with industry and academia partners to build the Synthetic Training Environment.

Dec. 15, 2009

Light and Sound Experiments Show Non-Lethal Applications

DAHLGREN, Va. – The Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) recently sponsored combined non-lethal light and sound human effects and military utility experiments. The Directed

Dec. 15, 2009

Researchers Test Non-Lethal Laser Windshield Obscuration Technology

DAHLGREN, Va. – The Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) is working to meet warfighter needs by developing technologies to fill identified capability gaps. One of the