Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) FY2007
Application Deadline: May 29, 2007, 23:59EDT
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) is an important component of the Administration's larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation's overall level of preparedness. CEDAP transfers specialized commercial equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance directly to smaller jurisdictions and eligible metropolitan areas.
TThe FY 2007 CEDAP will provide equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance valued at approximately $33.7 million to first responder organizations across the Nation. This competitive program is a direct assistance program, not a grant program, and FEMA will provide the equipment and technical assistance directly to the selected jurisdictions.
CEDAP's equipment offerings include:
Personal Protective Equipment
Thermal Imaging, Night Vision, and Video Surveillance
Chemical and Biological Detection
Information Technology and Risk Management Tools
Interoperable Communications Equipment/Technology
Eligible Agencies
Eligible applicants include law enforcement agencies, fire, and other emergency responders who demonstrate that the equipment will be used to improve their ability and capacity to respond to a major critical incident or work with other first responders. Awardees must not have received equipment/funding under the Urban Areas Security Initiative or the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program for which the Award Date is October 1, 2005 or later. Awardees that have received grant assistance from FEMA under FEMA's Interoperable Communications Equipment (ICE) program are not eligible for interoperable communications equipment under CEDAP. Organizations must submit applications through the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at www.rkb.mipt.org.
Agencies and departments are allowed to submit only one application per year under CEDAP. Receipt of multiple applications from different divisions or units of the same agency or department will automatically disqualify the applicant from consideration for all CEDAP applications submitted. Applicants should select items from the CEDAP Equipment Catalog that they have been unable to acquire through other DHS programs.
Apply Online
The CEDAP application is online at the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at www.rkb.mipt.org.
You must register as an RKB user before you can access the application form.
For More Information
Prospective applicants should direct any questions regarding CEDAP, the application process, or the awards process to the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498 or via e-mail at askcsid@dhs.gov.
Article sponsored by police officers who have written books on law enforcement jobs; as well as those involved in writing on leadership.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Guard Responding to Domestic Crises Nationwide
American Forces Press Service
May 9, 2007 – While President Bush toured the site of a deadly tornado in Kansas today, the National Guard continues to demonstrate its readiness as it responds to natural disasters from coast to coast. In Missouri, more than 100 National Guardsmen have assisted in flood-response efforts. About 40 soldiers worked overnight to protect a water plant in the town of Craig from rising waters. An additional 60 soldiers are mustering in the towns of Lexington and Richmond to form a quick reaction force to respond to any communities in need. These mobilizations are a result of an executive order signed by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt on May 7 in preparation for the storms.
"As always, these soldiers are anxious to help their neighbors through this crisis," said Army Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard.
In South Dakota, 47 soldiers are on state active duty in support of local emergency management agencies in ongoing flood-relief efforts in eastern parts of the state.
"The community knows the Guard is there to help," said Army Maj. Bruce Carter, commander for Task Force 2-147, with headquarters in Watertown, S.D.
South Dakota Guardsmen hauled non-military generators and water pumps to relieve pressure on local water treatment plants in the towns of Groton and Warner, placed about 700 sandbags to save a resident's home in Redfield, and built a 1,000-foot-long wall to protect lift-stations, which pump waste water to treatment plants, and electrical substations in Aberdeen.
At the peak, Carter said, 75 soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 147th Field Artillery; the 665th Maintenance Company; and the 740th Transportation Company were involved in the relief effort.
"Guardsmen have left their own homes that were being flooded to help others," said Army Master Sgt. Todd Rose, noncommissioned officer in charge of Task Force 2-147. "This shows the quality of the South Dakota National Guard. They put the needs of the community before their own."
In Florida, 50 National Guardsmen used two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to fight a fire that has ravaged thousands of acres in three central Florida counties. One of the aircraft, dubbed a "Fire Hawk," features a 1,000-gallon tank attached to the belly of the aircraft, which can drop water over a specific target or spread water throughout a larger area. The other Black Hawk assigned to the mission is equipped with a large bucket that can drop more than 600 gallons of water to douse flames.
The two flight crews from Company C, 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation, of Brooksville, Fla., are based at Flagler County Airport, in Palm Coast, the site of the largest fire. As of yesterday, the crews had flown 126 sorties and dropped about 101,240 gallons of water.
"With these helicopters, we can put more water on the fire," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Tenaro, a pilot with the 244th.
The helicopters not only help with fire control, but also provide a quick means of assisting in an emergency, officials said. With such an extensive fire, helicopters can often reach a problem area or assist firefighters on the ground faster than any other mode of transportation.
In California, the National Guard has not been requested to help fight a rapidly moving wildfire in the Griffith Park area near the Los Angeles Zoo. However, the state's Joint Force Headquarters continues to monitor the situation.
(Compiled from state National Guard news releases. Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke contributed to this article.)
Article sponsored by police officers who have written books on law enforcement jobs; as well as those involved in writing on leadership.
May 9, 2007 – While President Bush toured the site of a deadly tornado in Kansas today, the National Guard continues to demonstrate its readiness as it responds to natural disasters from coast to coast. In Missouri, more than 100 National Guardsmen have assisted in flood-response efforts. About 40 soldiers worked overnight to protect a water plant in the town of Craig from rising waters. An additional 60 soldiers are mustering in the towns of Lexington and Richmond to form a quick reaction force to respond to any communities in need. These mobilizations are a result of an executive order signed by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt on May 7 in preparation for the storms.
"As always, these soldiers are anxious to help their neighbors through this crisis," said Army Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard.
In South Dakota, 47 soldiers are on state active duty in support of local emergency management agencies in ongoing flood-relief efforts in eastern parts of the state.
"The community knows the Guard is there to help," said Army Maj. Bruce Carter, commander for Task Force 2-147, with headquarters in Watertown, S.D.
South Dakota Guardsmen hauled non-military generators and water pumps to relieve pressure on local water treatment plants in the towns of Groton and Warner, placed about 700 sandbags to save a resident's home in Redfield, and built a 1,000-foot-long wall to protect lift-stations, which pump waste water to treatment plants, and electrical substations in Aberdeen.
At the peak, Carter said, 75 soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 147th Field Artillery; the 665th Maintenance Company; and the 740th Transportation Company were involved in the relief effort.
"Guardsmen have left their own homes that were being flooded to help others," said Army Master Sgt. Todd Rose, noncommissioned officer in charge of Task Force 2-147. "This shows the quality of the South Dakota National Guard. They put the needs of the community before their own."
In Florida, 50 National Guardsmen used two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to fight a fire that has ravaged thousands of acres in three central Florida counties. One of the aircraft, dubbed a "Fire Hawk," features a 1,000-gallon tank attached to the belly of the aircraft, which can drop water over a specific target or spread water throughout a larger area. The other Black Hawk assigned to the mission is equipped with a large bucket that can drop more than 600 gallons of water to douse flames.
The two flight crews from Company C, 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation, of Brooksville, Fla., are based at Flagler County Airport, in Palm Coast, the site of the largest fire. As of yesterday, the crews had flown 126 sorties and dropped about 101,240 gallons of water.
"With these helicopters, we can put more water on the fire," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Tenaro, a pilot with the 244th.
The helicopters not only help with fire control, but also provide a quick means of assisting in an emergency, officials said. With such an extensive fire, helicopters can often reach a problem area or assist firefighters on the ground faster than any other mode of transportation.
In California, the National Guard has not been requested to help fight a rapidly moving wildfire in the Griffith Park area near the Los Angeles Zoo. However, the state's Joint Force Headquarters continues to monitor the situation.
(Compiled from state National Guard news releases. Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke contributed to this article.)
Article sponsored by police officers who have written books on law enforcement jobs; as well as those involved in writing on leadership.
Kansas Guard Troops Respond to Tornado Disaster
By Maj. DeAnn Barr, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Kan., May 9, 2007 – Within four hours of the deadly tornado that struck this town under the cloak of darkness, Kansas National Guard servicemembers were called to duty to bring relief to their devastated neighbors. Before the sun rose May 5 to allow responders to clearly see the extent of damage, 15 security forces personnel from the Kansas Air National Guard in Wichita were on the scene, providing law enforcement assistance to local authorities.
"We arrived to utter devastation," said Master Sgt. Frank Cook, one of the first-wave responders with the 184th Security Forces Squadron, 184th Air Refueling Wing, Kansas Air National Guard, McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. "We worked to make a difference and protect what little property these people have left."
The Air Guard security forces were joined by about 30 soldiers from the Battery E, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas Army National Guard, from Great Bend, Kan.
The state's new C2V Mobile Incident Response Vehicle was mobilized early May 5 and placed next to the Greensburg Court House, one of the few buildings in the town left standing. Air Force Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general of Kansas and the director of emergency management, was on site in the early hours, setting the stage for timely communication response in support of local authorities.
"We were fully operational within 12 minutes of arriving, and had on-board computers, phones, satellite internet, UHF, VHF, HF and 800 MHz radios. Emergency management personnel and the highway patrol utilized the vehicle extensively throughout the recovery," said Sgt. John Staiert, a Kansas Army Guardsman from Joint Forces Headquarters in Topeka.
Also on the first wave of responders from the Kansas Air Guard was the 134th Air Control Squadron from McConnell Air Force Base. Their 15 personnel arrived on the scene during the wee hours following the EF-5 tornado that hit Greensburg head-on at 9:45 p.m. May 4, bringing with them many mobile communication assets.
In short order, they established a command center complete with power, phones, video and teleconferencing capabilities. Generators, lights, water, fuel, a wrecker and heavy equipment operators also were on site.
"The connection, coordination, and communication between the Air Guard and our Army counterparts have been fantastic," said Air Force Maj. Tim Smith, 134th ACS and on-site commander for the Kansas Guard resources.
In response to numerous national and local media flocking to the area, the 184th Air Refueling Wing also sent a four-person public affairs team. They facilitated news conferences hosted by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and other officials.
"Kansans are resilient," Sebelius said as she toured the area the evening of May 6. "I am so thankful for the prayers of not only Kansans, but from people across the nation."
Air Guardsman Senior Airman Shane Clarke of Derby, Kan., has been a security forces troop for four years, but this was the first disaster he was called to serve in.
"I got the initial phone call at 3 a.m., and at first I was nervous because I didn't know exactly what was going on. Once I went in and learned the full situation, I was eager to lend a hand. I want to help these people who must feel helpless and a little desperate. I want to let them know we care."
Kansas National Guard personnel, along with local, state and federal emergency management agencies, will remain in the area throughout cleanup and recovery.
(Maj. DeAnn Barr is assigned to Kansas Air National Guard Public Affairs.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Kan., May 9, 2007 – Within four hours of the deadly tornado that struck this town under the cloak of darkness, Kansas National Guard servicemembers were called to duty to bring relief to their devastated neighbors. Before the sun rose May 5 to allow responders to clearly see the extent of damage, 15 security forces personnel from the Kansas Air National Guard in Wichita were on the scene, providing law enforcement assistance to local authorities.
"We arrived to utter devastation," said Master Sgt. Frank Cook, one of the first-wave responders with the 184th Security Forces Squadron, 184th Air Refueling Wing, Kansas Air National Guard, McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. "We worked to make a difference and protect what little property these people have left."
The Air Guard security forces were joined by about 30 soldiers from the Battery E, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas Army National Guard, from Great Bend, Kan.
The state's new C2V Mobile Incident Response Vehicle was mobilized early May 5 and placed next to the Greensburg Court House, one of the few buildings in the town left standing. Air Force Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general of Kansas and the director of emergency management, was on site in the early hours, setting the stage for timely communication response in support of local authorities.
"We were fully operational within 12 minutes of arriving, and had on-board computers, phones, satellite internet, UHF, VHF, HF and 800 MHz radios. Emergency management personnel and the highway patrol utilized the vehicle extensively throughout the recovery," said Sgt. John Staiert, a Kansas Army Guardsman from Joint Forces Headquarters in Topeka.
Also on the first wave of responders from the Kansas Air Guard was the 134th Air Control Squadron from McConnell Air Force Base. Their 15 personnel arrived on the scene during the wee hours following the EF-5 tornado that hit Greensburg head-on at 9:45 p.m. May 4, bringing with them many mobile communication assets.
In short order, they established a command center complete with power, phones, video and teleconferencing capabilities. Generators, lights, water, fuel, a wrecker and heavy equipment operators also were on site.
"The connection, coordination, and communication between the Air Guard and our Army counterparts have been fantastic," said Air Force Maj. Tim Smith, 134th ACS and on-site commander for the Kansas Guard resources.
In response to numerous national and local media flocking to the area, the 184th Air Refueling Wing also sent a four-person public affairs team. They facilitated news conferences hosted by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and other officials.
"Kansans are resilient," Sebelius said as she toured the area the evening of May 6. "I am so thankful for the prayers of not only Kansans, but from people across the nation."
Air Guardsman Senior Airman Shane Clarke of Derby, Kan., has been a security forces troop for four years, but this was the first disaster he was called to serve in.
"I got the initial phone call at 3 a.m., and at first I was nervous because I didn't know exactly what was going on. Once I went in and learned the full situation, I was eager to lend a hand. I want to help these people who must feel helpless and a little desperate. I want to let them know we care."
Kansas National Guard personnel, along with local, state and federal emergency management agencies, will remain in the area throughout cleanup and recovery.
(Maj. DeAnn Barr is assigned to Kansas Air National Guard Public Affairs.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
VA Chief Outlines Panel's Recommendations on Services for Wounded Vets
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 9, 2007 – There's a new era of cooperation within the federal government to work together to provide services for troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson told the House Veterans Affairs Committee today. Nicholson reported on recommendations of the Interagency Task Force on Returning War on Terror Heroes. President Bush formed the group in early March, following revelations about problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to assess federal services and benefits for returning combat troops.
The chairman gave the task force, chaired by Nicholson, 45 days to review federal benefits and processes to identify gaps in services that could be filled quickly without the need for additional legislative authority or funding.
The goal, Nicholson said, was to find ways to immediately improve services for returning troops and to better reach out to them and their families to make the aware of services available to them.
"So all in all, our focus is really very simple," Nicholson told the committee. "It is to make the existing services that are there in the federal government the very best they can be for our veterans and for their families and for the survivors of those who paid the ultimate price."
Nicholson reported the group's 25 recommendations to President Bush 23. In today's testimony, he highlighted some of the most significant ones.
These include new cooperative arrangements between the VA and Defense Department to improve wounded troops' transition between the two departments' systems, he said. Among new initiatives are:
-- A new joint process to be developed to provide more consistent and faster processing of disability determinations.
-- Screening of all global war on terror veterans who seek VA support for any form of brain injury resulting from concussive blasts or other combat conditions. "We want to identify it as early as possible and begin treatment," Nicholson said.
-- A simpler enrollment process - both online and in person - to enroll for health care services and benefits.
-- Continued development of what Nicholson calls VA's "world standard" in electronic medical records.
-- More action within the Defense Department to increase attendance at Transition Assistance Program briefings to better educate veterans about their benefits. "The more our veterans understand about their benefits, the more successful their transition to civilian life will become," Nicholson said.
Other U.S. government agencies will collaborate to provide additional or more complete services, Nicholson said. Examples include:
-- VA and the Department of Health and Human Services will work to improve access to care for returning servicemembers in remote or rural areas.
-- The Small Business Administration is expanding eligibility for the Patriot Express Loan Program. This will help provide a full range of lending, business counseling and procurement programs for veterans, service-disabled veterans, reservists and families seeking to become self-employed, Nicholson explained.
-- The Defense Department and Department of Labor are working to improve civilian work force credentialing and certification. This, Nicholson said, will help servicemembers translate their military experience into civilian job opportunities.
-- The Department of Housing and Urban Development is expanding access to the National Housing Locator for servicemembers. "By expanding its use, returning servicemembers will have a resource that provides safe, affordable, and if needed, disability-accessible housing to ease a potential relocation to a new geographic area," Nicholson said.
-- The Department of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Labor, will participate in Defense Department job fairs. The goal, Nicholson told the committee, is to provide returning servicemembers and their families more awareness of post-secondary-education benefits available to them.
-- The Department of Education will provide education benefits training to the 211 Transition Assistance Program sites that service more than 150,000 transitioning servicemembers every year.
-- The Office of Personnel Management will expand its military treatment facility outreach to promote the availability of federal employment and veterans preference rights.
Nicholson said these collaborative efforts will help ensure returning war veterans receive the services and care they deserve. The goal, he said, is "to assure that our veterans receive the very best care possible in an environment of care that is appropriate to that care."
The task force included Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alfonso Jackson, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman, Small Business Administration Administrator Steven Preston and Office of Personnel Management Director Linda Springer.
Another group, led by former Sen. Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, is slated to report its findings to Bush by late July.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 9, 2007 – There's a new era of cooperation within the federal government to work together to provide services for troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson told the House Veterans Affairs Committee today. Nicholson reported on recommendations of the Interagency Task Force on Returning War on Terror Heroes. President Bush formed the group in early March, following revelations about problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to assess federal services and benefits for returning combat troops.
The chairman gave the task force, chaired by Nicholson, 45 days to review federal benefits and processes to identify gaps in services that could be filled quickly without the need for additional legislative authority or funding.
The goal, Nicholson said, was to find ways to immediately improve services for returning troops and to better reach out to them and their families to make the aware of services available to them.
"So all in all, our focus is really very simple," Nicholson told the committee. "It is to make the existing services that are there in the federal government the very best they can be for our veterans and for their families and for the survivors of those who paid the ultimate price."
Nicholson reported the group's 25 recommendations to President Bush 23. In today's testimony, he highlighted some of the most significant ones.
These include new cooperative arrangements between the VA and Defense Department to improve wounded troops' transition between the two departments' systems, he said. Among new initiatives are:
-- A new joint process to be developed to provide more consistent and faster processing of disability determinations.
-- Screening of all global war on terror veterans who seek VA support for any form of brain injury resulting from concussive blasts or other combat conditions. "We want to identify it as early as possible and begin treatment," Nicholson said.
-- A simpler enrollment process - both online and in person - to enroll for health care services and benefits.
-- Continued development of what Nicholson calls VA's "world standard" in electronic medical records.
-- More action within the Defense Department to increase attendance at Transition Assistance Program briefings to better educate veterans about their benefits. "The more our veterans understand about their benefits, the more successful their transition to civilian life will become," Nicholson said.
Other U.S. government agencies will collaborate to provide additional or more complete services, Nicholson said. Examples include:
-- VA and the Department of Health and Human Services will work to improve access to care for returning servicemembers in remote or rural areas.
-- The Small Business Administration is expanding eligibility for the Patriot Express Loan Program. This will help provide a full range of lending, business counseling and procurement programs for veterans, service-disabled veterans, reservists and families seeking to become self-employed, Nicholson explained.
-- The Defense Department and Department of Labor are working to improve civilian work force credentialing and certification. This, Nicholson said, will help servicemembers translate their military experience into civilian job opportunities.
-- The Department of Housing and Urban Development is expanding access to the National Housing Locator for servicemembers. "By expanding its use, returning servicemembers will have a resource that provides safe, affordable, and if needed, disability-accessible housing to ease a potential relocation to a new geographic area," Nicholson said.
-- The Department of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Labor, will participate in Defense Department job fairs. The goal, Nicholson told the committee, is to provide returning servicemembers and their families more awareness of post-secondary-education benefits available to them.
-- The Department of Education will provide education benefits training to the 211 Transition Assistance Program sites that service more than 150,000 transitioning servicemembers every year.
-- The Office of Personnel Management will expand its military treatment facility outreach to promote the availability of federal employment and veterans preference rights.
Nicholson said these collaborative efforts will help ensure returning war veterans receive the services and care they deserve. The goal, he said, is "to assure that our veterans receive the very best care possible in an environment of care that is appropriate to that care."
The task force included Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alfonso Jackson, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman, Small Business Administration Administrator Steven Preston and Office of Personnel Management Director Linda Springer.
Another group, led by former Sen. Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, is slated to report its findings to Bush by late July.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Pentagon Channel Documentary Focuses on Futuristic Military Technology
By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service
May 9, 2007 – On a military installation near Dayton, Ohio, not far from where Orville and Wilbur Wright designed a powered aircraft that would be the first in history to successfully fly, scientists are working around the clock to develop amazing future technology for tomorrow's war fighters. Breakthrough work of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the focus of a new edition of Pentagon Channel's monthly documentary, "Recon."
"Inventing for the Future" debuts May 11 at noon Eastern Time and will be made available via podcast and video on demand.
"Today, thousands of American men and women are in the midst of a war zone," said Recon host Air Force Master Sgt. Daniela Marchus. "They're better equipped and trained than ever before, but there is always room for improvement."
Those improvements are under way at AFRL thanks to a team using everything from chemistry to aerodynamics to nanotechnology to better equip servicemembers.
"The United States Air Force science and technology not only leads the Air Force but really leads the country and the world in promoting relevant science and technology advancement," said Dr. Mark Lewis, chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force. "Number 1, we want to provide the warfighter with technology that meets their immediate needs. Number 2, we want to provide them with technology that will meet their far-term needs. That means we're always looking at evolving our current systems, finding ways to make it better. But we're also looking for the revolutionary concepts that might be complete game-changers."
One of these game-changers may be a program called "X-51," which explores hypersonic flight.
"That is flight in excess of five, six times the speed of sound," said Lewis. "Now, to put that in perspective, a jet fighter will fly at one and a half, maybe twice the speed of sound, Mach 2. What we're interested in is a range of aircraft and spacecraft that can operate in the atmosphere in the speed range of approximately Mach 6, 7, 8."
Another breakthrough AFRL project explored in this Recon is development of the next generation of unmanned aerial vehicles which have been extensively used in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
AFRL sensorcraft project manager John Perdzok envisions "a platform that can do the air-to-air surveillance, also provide surveillance to the ground and to do that somewhat seamlessly so the platform can perform whatever function is needed at the time and to do that over very large quantities of airspace and ground space."
AFRL also is actively working on problems servicemembers are experiencing in war zones as the fight goes on. One such problem is known as "brown-out" which is blinding conditions helicopter pilots face when landing in arid regions like Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Once you set up for the approach, you're really just setting yourself up for a controlled crash," said Air Force Maj. Michael Grub, who is featured in the documentary and showed Pentagon Channel producers dramatic video of these terrifying scenarios. "Once you're engulfed in the dust, you're in the landing attitude, and you just continue until you hit the ground."
These damaging landings so alarmed Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, that he contacted AFRL asking for urgent help. A team of scientists working with the pilot who had experienced "brown-outs" first-hand took just three months to come up with a solution.
"It's an incredible technology, really," said Grub. "They've taken an 11-megapixel camera, take a picture of the landing zone, use the aircraft's navigation system, which for us is extremely accurate, takes a picture, maps it out in space, and then overlays your position onto the landing site. We were seeing guy's shoelaces at one football field distance ... at night."
In addition to solving battlefield crises at lightning speed, "Inventing for the Future" demonstrates how AFRL scientists are leading the way in alternative energy production, such as batteries that can be recharged in the field no matter how remotely a servicemember is deployed, synthesized fuels that can power tomorrow's military jets, even complex microbiology that could help save servicemembers' lives.
"Clearly we're interested in protecting our airmen and airwomen from chemical and biological attacks," said Lewis. "But it's much more than that."
"The mission of AFRL basically is we lead the discovery and integration of affordable warfighting technology in air, space and cyberspace," said retired Air Force Col. Jack Blackhurst, who works with AFRL's plans and programs directorate. "We're the single agency that looks long-range at what might be possible for the Air Force in the future."
"In 1903, the Wright brothers started a revolution, one that gave them access to the skies," Marchus said. "We've come far in our development of aircraft, but the process started by the Wright brothers more than a century ago continues."
(David Mays works at the Pentagon Channel.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Special to American Forces Press Service
May 9, 2007 – On a military installation near Dayton, Ohio, not far from where Orville and Wilbur Wright designed a powered aircraft that would be the first in history to successfully fly, scientists are working around the clock to develop amazing future technology for tomorrow's war fighters. Breakthrough work of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the focus of a new edition of Pentagon Channel's monthly documentary, "Recon."
"Inventing for the Future" debuts May 11 at noon Eastern Time and will be made available via podcast and video on demand.
"Today, thousands of American men and women are in the midst of a war zone," said Recon host Air Force Master Sgt. Daniela Marchus. "They're better equipped and trained than ever before, but there is always room for improvement."
Those improvements are under way at AFRL thanks to a team using everything from chemistry to aerodynamics to nanotechnology to better equip servicemembers.
"The United States Air Force science and technology not only leads the Air Force but really leads the country and the world in promoting relevant science and technology advancement," said Dr. Mark Lewis, chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force. "Number 1, we want to provide the warfighter with technology that meets their immediate needs. Number 2, we want to provide them with technology that will meet their far-term needs. That means we're always looking at evolving our current systems, finding ways to make it better. But we're also looking for the revolutionary concepts that might be complete game-changers."
One of these game-changers may be a program called "X-51," which explores hypersonic flight.
"That is flight in excess of five, six times the speed of sound," said Lewis. "Now, to put that in perspective, a jet fighter will fly at one and a half, maybe twice the speed of sound, Mach 2. What we're interested in is a range of aircraft and spacecraft that can operate in the atmosphere in the speed range of approximately Mach 6, 7, 8."
Another breakthrough AFRL project explored in this Recon is development of the next generation of unmanned aerial vehicles which have been extensively used in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
AFRL sensorcraft project manager John Perdzok envisions "a platform that can do the air-to-air surveillance, also provide surveillance to the ground and to do that somewhat seamlessly so the platform can perform whatever function is needed at the time and to do that over very large quantities of airspace and ground space."
AFRL also is actively working on problems servicemembers are experiencing in war zones as the fight goes on. One such problem is known as "brown-out" which is blinding conditions helicopter pilots face when landing in arid regions like Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Once you set up for the approach, you're really just setting yourself up for a controlled crash," said Air Force Maj. Michael Grub, who is featured in the documentary and showed Pentagon Channel producers dramatic video of these terrifying scenarios. "Once you're engulfed in the dust, you're in the landing attitude, and you just continue until you hit the ground."
These damaging landings so alarmed Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, that he contacted AFRL asking for urgent help. A team of scientists working with the pilot who had experienced "brown-outs" first-hand took just three months to come up with a solution.
"It's an incredible technology, really," said Grub. "They've taken an 11-megapixel camera, take a picture of the landing zone, use the aircraft's navigation system, which for us is extremely accurate, takes a picture, maps it out in space, and then overlays your position onto the landing site. We were seeing guy's shoelaces at one football field distance ... at night."
In addition to solving battlefield crises at lightning speed, "Inventing for the Future" demonstrates how AFRL scientists are leading the way in alternative energy production, such as batteries that can be recharged in the field no matter how remotely a servicemember is deployed, synthesized fuels that can power tomorrow's military jets, even complex microbiology that could help save servicemembers' lives.
"Clearly we're interested in protecting our airmen and airwomen from chemical and biological attacks," said Lewis. "But it's much more than that."
"The mission of AFRL basically is we lead the discovery and integration of affordable warfighting technology in air, space and cyberspace," said retired Air Force Col. Jack Blackhurst, who works with AFRL's plans and programs directorate. "We're the single agency that looks long-range at what might be possible for the Air Force in the future."
"In 1903, the Wright brothers started a revolution, one that gave them access to the skies," Marchus said. "We've come far in our development of aircraft, but the process started by the Wright brothers more than a century ago continues."
(David Mays works at the Pentagon Channel.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates Urges Congress to Approve Defense Budget, Wartime Spending Request
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 9, 2007 – Delays in getting an emergency supplemental war-funding bill approved are causing disruption within the Defense Department, particularly among programs at home, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. The Army has slowed spending in numerous areas to free up money to fully fund wartime costs since President Bush vetoed war-spending legislation because it set a date for the return of combat forces from Iraq, Gates told the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee.
The bill included $93.4 billion to help fund U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the global war on terror, but stipulated that U.S. combat troops be out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2008. It also included costs unrelated to the war.
Bush vetoed the bill because he rejects establishing a deadline for troop withdrawals, insisting that such decisions must be based on conditions in the war zone.
Gates told Congress today that delays in getting a spending bill approved are having "a growing impact here at home."
"The Army is already trying to cope with this," he said. Spending in various programs has slowed or stopped altogether, he said. Defense contracts are being withheld; hiring of civilian employees has slowed; and bases have begun resorting to month-to-month service contracts for services and supplies.
Gates noted several stopgap measures taken to close the funding gap: The Senate committee approved a $1.6 billion reprogramming from the Air Force and Navy to the Army yesterday, he said, and the Defense Department expects to make another reprogramming request within the next several days.
"That kind of a reprogramming will extend us about a week," Gates said.
Ultimately, this type of effort will stretch the Defense Department's capabilities only so far, he said.
"If we pulled out all the stops (and) used everything possible available to us, we could probably fund the war into July," Gates said. "But I would tell you, the impact on the Department of Defense in terms of disruption and cancelled contracts and programs would be huge if we had to do that."
Gates told committee members the costs of defending the country are high, but not as high as the cost of not doing so. "The only thing costlier, ultimately, would be to fail to commit the resources necessary to defend our homeland interests around the world and to fail to prepare for the inevitable threats of the future," he said.
He urged committee members to move quickly to approve the fiscal 2008 defense budget request, which includes the base budget requests as well as wartime operating costs.
Gates said the budget requests would accomplish several important objectives. Approving them would allow:
-- Modernizing and recapitalizing key capabilities, to include funding increases for the next generation of ships, strike aircraft and ground combat systems;
-- Sustaining the all-volunteer military by reducing stress on the force and improving the quality of life for troops and their families;
-- Improving readiness through additional training and maintenance, and by resetting forces following their overseas deployment;
-- Building capabilities of partner nations to combat extremists within their own borders by using new train-and-equip authorities to ultimately reduce the potential demand for U.S. troops; and
-- Funding U.S. military operations for fiscal 2008 in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the ongoing campaign against violence jihadist networks around the world.
Gates acknowledged the combined price tag of these efforts -- more than $700 billion -- gives new meaning to "sticker shock." But funding these operations is critical, he said, in light of current threats and those the country will face in the future.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 9, 2007 – Delays in getting an emergency supplemental war-funding bill approved are causing disruption within the Defense Department, particularly among programs at home, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. The Army has slowed spending in numerous areas to free up money to fully fund wartime costs since President Bush vetoed war-spending legislation because it set a date for the return of combat forces from Iraq, Gates told the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee.
The bill included $93.4 billion to help fund U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the global war on terror, but stipulated that U.S. combat troops be out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2008. It also included costs unrelated to the war.
Bush vetoed the bill because he rejects establishing a deadline for troop withdrawals, insisting that such decisions must be based on conditions in the war zone.
Gates told Congress today that delays in getting a spending bill approved are having "a growing impact here at home."
"The Army is already trying to cope with this," he said. Spending in various programs has slowed or stopped altogether, he said. Defense contracts are being withheld; hiring of civilian employees has slowed; and bases have begun resorting to month-to-month service contracts for services and supplies.
Gates noted several stopgap measures taken to close the funding gap: The Senate committee approved a $1.6 billion reprogramming from the Air Force and Navy to the Army yesterday, he said, and the Defense Department expects to make another reprogramming request within the next several days.
"That kind of a reprogramming will extend us about a week," Gates said.
Ultimately, this type of effort will stretch the Defense Department's capabilities only so far, he said.
"If we pulled out all the stops (and) used everything possible available to us, we could probably fund the war into July," Gates said. "But I would tell you, the impact on the Department of Defense in terms of disruption and cancelled contracts and programs would be huge if we had to do that."
Gates told committee members the costs of defending the country are high, but not as high as the cost of not doing so. "The only thing costlier, ultimately, would be to fail to commit the resources necessary to defend our homeland interests around the world and to fail to prepare for the inevitable threats of the future," he said.
He urged committee members to move quickly to approve the fiscal 2008 defense budget request, which includes the base budget requests as well as wartime operating costs.
Gates said the budget requests would accomplish several important objectives. Approving them would allow:
-- Modernizing and recapitalizing key capabilities, to include funding increases for the next generation of ships, strike aircraft and ground combat systems;
-- Sustaining the all-volunteer military by reducing stress on the force and improving the quality of life for troops and their families;
-- Improving readiness through additional training and maintenance, and by resetting forces following their overseas deployment;
-- Building capabilities of partner nations to combat extremists within their own borders by using new train-and-equip authorities to ultimately reduce the potential demand for U.S. troops; and
-- Funding U.S. military operations for fiscal 2008 in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the ongoing campaign against violence jihadist networks around the world.
Gates acknowledged the combined price tag of these efforts -- more than $700 billion -- gives new meaning to "sticker shock." But funding these operations is critical, he said, in light of current threats and those the country will face in the future.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
DoD Announces Release of Implementation Plan for Pandemic Influenza
The Department of Defense announced today the release of its implementation plan for preparing, planning and responding to a potential pandemic influenza outbreak.
This plan implements the White House "National Pandemic Influenza Strategy Implementation Plan." It provides strategic guidance to all Department of Defense components for preparation and response to an outbreak of pandemic influenza.
The plan can be found on the Web at: http://fhp.osd.mil/aiWatchboard/pdf/DoD_PI_Implementation_Plan_August_2006_Public_Release.pdf .
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
This plan implements the White House "National Pandemic Influenza Strategy Implementation Plan." It provides strategic guidance to all Department of Defense components for preparation and response to an outbreak of pandemic influenza.
The plan can be found on the Web at: http://fhp.osd.mil/aiWatchboard/pdf/DoD_PI_Implementation_Plan_August_2006_Public_Release.pdf .
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Limb Deficient Youth Earns Eagle Scout Award
May 9, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) On May 26, 2007, Zachary James Foster will be honored for having earned the Eagle Scout award, the highest advancement rank in Scouting. Only 2 in 100 scouts will achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. This is especially significant since Zach did it with only one arm; he was born missing his right forearm. That obviously did not stop him. As a member of Boy Scout Troop 423, Zach has earned merit badges in such taxing physical skills as canoeing, rowing, swimming, and horseback riding. He also completed the arduous Mile Swim twice. With the use of a prosthesis, he has rappelled down cliffs, gone rock climbing, boulder jumping, practiced archery, gymnastics and learned to tap dance.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank, a boy scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills by earning at least 21 merit badges. Zach earned 24 merit badges. Not satisfied with just scouting, he volunteers for “A Touch of Love,” a support group for limb deficient children, and for Congressman David Drier’s office. Zach is a member of the nationally acclaimed Bonita High School Chamber Singers, has taken mostly Honors or Advanced Placement classes in high school, has learned to read and write Spanish fluently, is in the Bonita Book and Kung Fu Movie Clubs. Zach is now teaching himself Japanese because he is also in the Anime Club.
Zach’s Eagle Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 26, at 11:00 a.m., at the Via Verde Country Club in San Dimas. For more information on limb deficient support groups, contact “A Touch of Love” at 1(800) 493-5462. For more information on scouting, contact San Gabriel Valley Council at (626) 351-8815.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank, a boy scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills by earning at least 21 merit badges. Zach earned 24 merit badges. Not satisfied with just scouting, he volunteers for “A Touch of Love,” a support group for limb deficient children, and for Congressman David Drier’s office. Zach is a member of the nationally acclaimed Bonita High School Chamber Singers, has taken mostly Honors or Advanced Placement classes in high school, has learned to read and write Spanish fluently, is in the Bonita Book and Kung Fu Movie Clubs. Zach is now teaching himself Japanese because he is also in the Anime Club.
Zach’s Eagle Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 26, at 11:00 a.m., at the Via Verde Country Club in San Dimas. For more information on limb deficient support groups, contact “A Touch of Love” at 1(800) 493-5462. For more information on scouting, contact San Gabriel Valley Council at (626) 351-8815.
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