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An F-35 tears through the sky during a rehearsal performance for the 2020 OC Air Show in Ocean City, Md., Aug. 14, 2020. The airshow featured numerous performers including the Air Force Thunderbirds, F-22 Raptors, A-10s, and F-35 demonstration teams.
Aug. 20, 2020 | BY MARINE CORPS LANCE CPL. KOLBY LEGER
Reveille was at 5:30 a.m. on the morning of July 25. Combined Anti-Armor Team 1 had completed its platoon internal training at Kin Blue, Okinawa, Japan, the night before. The Marines were all tired and ready to go home, but CAAT 1 had one more task to complete.
CAAT 1 is part of Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. After spending three days and nights patrolling and practicing basic infantry skills in the heat, the team spent the morning clearing the beach of trash and debris that had washed up over time.
Marines and sailors who use the area for training are expected to clean it after training is complete, but CAAT 1 decided to take it a step further by cleaning the beach and all the washed-up trash as well. The Marines were happy to volunteer and show appreciation to the community.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, all personnel assigned to the 31st MEU are required to maintain a strict bubble. Interactions between MEU and non-MEU personnel were strictly prohibited following the appearance of case clusters throughout Okinawa. While unable to interact with anyone from the local community, the Marines of CAAT 1 hope to demonstrate gratitudes and respect for the island through simple actions whenever possible.
Although Kin Blue is a training area, the beach is opened to the public in March every year for an event called Hama Uri. At the traditional Okinawan event, women go to the ocean to pray for their health and purify themselves by dipping their feet and hands in the water. Camp Hansen and Kin Town have been opening Kin Blue to local residents during Hama Uri for more than 20 years.
''With all the negativity going on in the world, even one positive action can help in a major way,'' said Marine Corps Sgt. Collin Rogers, a squad leader with CAAT 1, ''As leaders, we can't just think about ourselves.''
Rogers said that after the training was complete, CAAT 1 cleaned the entire training area as expected. Noticing the beach was covered in trash that had washed up from the ocean, platoon leadership decided to leave the beach better than they found it to demonstrate respect for the environment they are allowed to operate in.
Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Steven Habon, platoon sergeant of CAAT 1, said he wants his up-and-coming leaders to know that this is how Marine leaders are expected to act.
''Hopefully, we become the example for the battalion,'' Habon said. ''Our goal is to inspire the units that come after us, to demonstrate service through action in order to strengthen the bond between the Marine Corps and the people of Okinawa.''
''It really was a great way to end training,'' said Marine Corps Sgt. Michael Asbell, a squad leader. ''Given the current circumstances, I don't think there's a better way to show respect to the community.''
The Marines of the 31st MEU hope that, by similar actions, they can continue to express gratitude for the opportunity to be in Okinawa, Asbell said.
The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. The 31st MEU has implemented strict health protection measures and will continue to conduct mission essential training in support of regional security and stability, officials said.
(Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kolby Leger is assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.)
Aug. 20, 2020 | BY Maria Pinel , Joint Task Force Bravo
U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Bravo donated personal protective equipment and medications through Southcom's humanitarian assistance program to support the municipalities of Villa de San Antonio, La Paz, Ajuterique and Lejamani in Honduras.
The donation included KN95 masks, gloves, gowns, booties, head covers, disinfecting supplies and medication to benefit the health care providers of the Roberto Suazo Cordova Hospital, a regional hospital that receives patients from all over La Paz. Donations were also provided to the emergency committees in the municipalities of Villa de San Antonio in the department of La Paz, and Ajuterique and Lejamani in the department of Comayagua for distribution to local health care clinics. The donations are valued at more than $52,000.
The task force continuously works to build partnerships to foster security, stability and prosperity for Honduran citizens through a variety of missions, including personal protective equipment donations in response to COVID-19 throughout the country, officials said.
Army Col. John Litchfield, the new task force commander, personally delivered the donations to meet with local mayors, health care leaders and authorities and to underscore the task force's commitment to supporting its partners and hosts in this time of need.
"We are committed to supporting your efforts in the fight against COVID-19," Litchfield said. "We are part of this community, and we are in this together. Your success is our success, and I look forward to continuing strengthening our partnership. We are together in this fight, and we are committed to supporting you as friends and neighbors."
Aug. 20, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News
For the first time, the Defense Department and the entire federal government will have access to secure, trusted, and American-made commercial drones on the General Service Administration schedule, Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Kratsios announced at a virtual event hosted by the Defense Innovation Unit.
This new DIU initiative, dubbed Blue sUAS, is the culmination of 18 months of work by the Army and DIU to tailor the best technology from U.S. and allied companies to develop small unmanned aircraft systems that can be safely adopted by men and women in uniform. During the Aug. 18 DIU event, Kratsios said it also has important impacts for the nation's broader economic and national security.
"UAS technologies have incredible promise and potential to not only provide great economic benefit for the American people, but also to enhance safety and security for our nation. We need a strong, secure domestic UAS manufacturing base to ensure American leadership in this critical field," he said. "Blue sUAS represents a tremendous first step toward building a robust and trusted UAS domestic industrial base that ensures sustained delivery of highly-capable, secure UAS to the warfighters that depend on it."
DOD recognizes the growing value and capabilities of sUAS, from providing on-demand intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities in contested battle spaces, to routine monitoring of critical infrastructure, to transporting products, he said. However, until now, the Department was not able to adopt these systems safely due to security and supply chain concerns posed by Chinese-made sUAS, he added.
Through the work of Blue sUAS, five U.S.-manufactured drone configurations will be made available to provide trusted and secure sUAS options to the military and U.S. government.
Blue sUAS also showcases how DOD partners with industry and allies to quickly pilot and scale cutting-edge technologies across the joint force and the other federal agencies.
Haven Wynne, General Services Administration supply chain management branch chief and program manager, said GSA is drawing up a 20-year contract, to include five-year options. He noted that the contract allows for the growth of additional accessories to be added to the platforms at a later time if required.
"Blue sUAS is a great example of DOD acquisition reform by lowering the barrier to entry for nontraditional companies to rapidly iterate shoulder to shoulder with warfighters to deliver highly capable sUAS tailored to mission needs," Ellen M. Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said at DIU's virtual event.
Chris O’Donnell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, platform and weapon portfolio manager, said that warfighter experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrated the importance of small UASs to warfighters on the battlefield.
DOD awarded $13.4 million to five companies to begin producing sUASs beginning next month: Vantage Robotics, Skydio, Parrot, Teal and Altavian.
According to DIU's website, the sUASs will have a range of at least 3 kilometers, 30 minutes or more flying time, the ability to fly through rain and dust, assembly time of two minutes or less, a weight of under 3 pounds on takeoff, high-resolution day and night optics, thermal imaging, open source protocol architecture, and simple integration with ground controllers.
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