Shooter-detection ‘Boomerangs’ helping i
Tools help warfighters test water for chemical, biological hazards
TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. — Employees here are fabricating and populating more than 1,700 kits that will enable warfighters throughout the world to test water samples.
Add comment December 21, 2009
Shooter-detection ‘Boomerangs’ helping i
‘It’s an anti-sniper detection system,’ said Pierre Jackson, an installer of Boomerang systems for the firm D3M.
‘Basically, if someone is firing at you, it picks up exactly where they’re firing from,’ he said.
When a Soldier is on patrol, the device is passive. It signals Soldiers with an audible and a visual warning if it detects an incoming, supersonic round.
It relays the direction, distance, and azimuth to the shooter.
Training only takes a half-hour.”
Add comment December 21, 2009
Shooter-detection ‘Boomerangs’ helping i
‘It’s an anti-sniper detection system,’ said Pierre Jackson, an installer of Boomerang systems for the firm D3M.
‘Basically, if someone is firing at you, it picks up exactly where they’re firing from,’ he said.
When a Soldier is on patrol, the device is passive. It signals Soldiers with an audible and a visual warning if it detects an incoming, supersonic round.
It relays the direction, distance, and azimuth to the shooter.
Training only takes a half-hour.”
Add comment December 21, 2009
Find military and patriotic images on te
Add comment December 21, 2009
The Navy officially accepted delivery of
“Today marks a critical milestone in the life of the LCS 2,” said Rear Adm. James Murdoch, the LCS program manager in the Navy’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The Navy and our industry partners have worked diligently to deliver a much-needed capability.”
Prior to delivery, the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) conducted Acceptance Trials aboard LCS 2 on Nov. 13-19, and found the ship’s propulsion plant, sea-keeping and self-defense performance to be “commendable,” and recommended that the chief of naval operations authorize delivery of the ship following the correction or waiver of cited material deficiencies.
Between now and sail away in February 2010, the contractor will correct most of the trial cards received during trials. Any remaining cards will be corrected during scheduled post-delivery maintenance availabilities including the post-shakedown availability scheduled for completion in 2011.
Delivery is the last shipbuilding milestone before commissioning, scheduled for Jan. 16 in Mobile, Ala.
The LCS class is designed from the keel up to deliver efficient capability, capacity, and flexibility to the warfighter. Independence, a high-speed aluminum trimaran, is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. The 417-foot Independence will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly. These mission packages focus on three mission areas: mine counter measures, surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.
PEO Ships is responsible for the development and acquisition of U.S. Navy surface ships and has delivered eight major surface ships to the fleet since the beginning of 2009. PEO Ships is working in conjunction with its industry partners to achieve steady production for all programs to increase production efficiencies and leverage cost savings. Delivering high-quality war fighting assets ¯ while balancing affordability and capability ¯ is key to supporting the Navy’s Maritime Strategy and building the Navy’s 313-ship force structure. PEO Ships is committed to delivering quality ships at an affordable price.
Add comment December 19, 2009
The Hundred Years War: An Analysis of the Causes and Conduct of the Longest European War
The Hundred Years War: An Analysis of the Causes and Conduct of the Longest European War
by Patrick J. Shrier
The Hundred Years War between England and France from 1337-1453 is best viewed as a series of interconnected wars with the same basic objective instead of as one long war. There was not continuous fighting during the period nor did England and France keep armies constantly in the field, rather it was almost a game between the two countries with clearly defined rules as to when to fight and when to rest. The period was marked by many truces some for just a season and some lasting years. The most striking thing when one studies the wars of the period is how the English army was almost invariably superior to the French in capabilities yet somehow the English managed to lose the war. Read more…
For in-depth reading consider Desmond Seward’s The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453
, or — if you like it a little heavier — Cristopher Allmand’s The Hundred Years War: England and France at War c.1300-c.1450 (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks)
Add comment February 15, 2009
The Emergence of Seapower in the Yuan Dynasty
by John J. Trombetta and Steven C. Ippolito
John Keegan views the Mongolian war-making polity as a fusion of the “horse and human ruthlessness[.]” The great khans, Chinggis, Ogodei, Mongke, and Khublai Khan, gathered the martial energies of the steppe nomad in the quest for Empire, and released them like so many dogs of war upon Asia, Europe, China, Korea, the Middle East of Persians and Arabs, and Japan. Results were startling: extraordinary political changes that reworked the map of the thirteenth century Asia, and a transformation of war in the Asian steppe “making it for the first time,” in the view of Keegan, “‘a thing in itself.’”
| Read more… | 15,245 words |
For an in-depth picture of medieval Chinese military history see War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900-1795 (Warfare and History)
by Peter Lorge
Add comment January 30, 2009
Museum opens exhibit dedicated to ‘Warrior Airmen’
A new exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force now gives visitors a chance to see not only the service’s past, but also its present and future.
Called “Warrior Airmen,” the new exhibit highlights how today’s Airmen are contributing to the war on terrorism, both in the air and on the ground.
The exhibit includes more than 400 artifacts, three dioramas with fully dressed and equipped mannequins, an audiovisual presentation on a 15-foot wide screen, and compelling firsthand accounts
“The Air Force has always been an adaptive service,” said Dick Anderegg, the director of Air Force history and museums. “This exhibit is a testament to this adaptability and serves as an opportunity for future generations to see what we already know our Airmen are capable of.”
The exhibit, which opened to the public Jan. 12, is divided into three sections, each highlighting a way the Air Force is supporting efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The first section, “Battlefield Airmen,” is dedicated to Air Force special operations forces such as pararescuemen, tactical air controllers and combat weather personnel. The section opens with an immersive video recreation of the battle for Takur Ghar, where several Air Force pararescuemen were either killed or wounded while attempting to rescue a Navy SEAL who had fallen out of his helicopter when it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The next section, “Expeditionary Combat Airmen,” highlights other ground operations Airmen perform on a daily basis in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. These Airmen include security forces personnel, convoy operators and explosive ordnance disposal teams.
The final section, “In the Air,” demonstrates how pilots and aircrews continue to perform important missions in the air, providing close-air support, flying rescue aircraft and dropping bombs on target.
“The Air Force is truly engaged in the war on terrorism,” said Jeff Duford, the museum’s research historian. “But not many people realize how many Airmen are working on the ground. This exhibit will hopefully educate a lot of people on this fact.”
All of the uniforms, items and photos in the exhibit were donated by Airmen who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan. For them, this exhibit is a way to honor all Airmen and keep the memory of their sacrifices alive.
“This place, this exhibit, defines legacy and heritage,” said Senior Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, a pararescueman who donated several items he used and wore while in Afghanistan. “Our legacy now lives on for our sons and daughters.”
The exhibit also includes several firsts at the museum. There are several digital touch screens that allow visitors to interact with the displays and the donated items include numerous special operations “tools of the trade.”
The exhibit itself is also an original at the museum. It is not a monument to the past, but to the present and future of Air Force operations.
“The past is static and never changes,” said retired Maj. Gen. Charles D. Metcalf, the museum’s director. “This exhibit is a contemporary one, though. It will change and grow with the mission as long as the mission continues.”
The “Warrior Airmen” exhibit is a permanent display at the museum and will be open year-round.
“More than 1 million people will see this exhibit each year and our hope is that they will better appreciate the courageous sacrifices of today’s Airmen and gain a better understanding of how they make a difference in the world,” Mr. Duford said.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Admission and parking are free.
Matthew Bates (AFNS)
Add comment January 17, 2009
All (Virtual) Roads Lead to Rome
One million Latin-speaking citizens, 7,000 authentic buildings re-created by historians using very old books, all the glorious monuments in 3D — Google-Earth now offers the opportunity to visit ancient Rome (AD 320) in (virtual) person. Puts a whole new spin on that old question “where do you want to go today?”
Add comment January 15, 2009
