The M320 40mm Grenade Launcher Module issued to the 82nd Airborne Division recently may do the trick. Specs for the M320 called for something more reliable, more ergonomic, more accurate, and safer than the so-so M203 launcher troops have been using for more than four decades. Heckler and Koch, who was awarded the contract, delivered a parcel of clever, if heavier, improvements.

For starters, the 320 can be deployed as either a stand alone or attached under the barrel of an M16 rifle or M4 carbine. (PDF)

It comes with its own pistol grip–no more using the host weapon’s clip as a hand grip. Slicker still, it’s double action–if it misfires, the operator can pull the trigger again–unlike the 203, which requires a re-jacking.

The mojo, however, is expected to be delivered by the new integral day/night sighting system produced by Insight Technology Inc. It also comes with a separate infrared laser pointer that’s actually supposed to make the weapon more accurate at night than daytime, project engineer Bob Phung told the Army News Service.

At the very least, the new setup interferes less with the sights of whatever it happens to be mounted on than did that of its predecessor. It also eliminates the need to re-zero every time it’s reattached to a weapon.

But it’s hard to image an experienced gunner pausing to fiddle with a laser pointer in the heat of battle. Army brass may suspect as much. On the range, instructors admonished paratroopers to use the weapon as it was designed to be used.

“Many times, guys get new equipment, and they second guess it,” Staff Sgt. Joseph Foti of Fort Benning’s 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment admitted. “But the engineers who developed this weapon have already removed the guesswork. This stuff works. Trust it.”

[source: CNET]

It has been lauded by the New York Times as “the best action movie of the summer.” The New Yorker calls it “quite a feat. A classic … that will be studied 20 years from now.” And Time gushes that it’s “a near perfect movie.”

Makes me wonder if any of those reviewers even know what EOD stands for.

The latest film from the director best known for the surfing bank heist flick Point Break, Hurt Locker is a duly admirable first attempt at an Iraq war action movie. Director Kathryn Bigelow’s skill at delivering action, explosions and digital mayhem come through, but the film will strike most military viewers as a bit tone deaf.

But that’s Hollywood, right?

Sure there are bomb suits, PackBots, plenty of red, green and black trigger wire, enough C4 to bring down the Green Zone and scores of tweaked out Joes waiting for the bomb squad to see what’s under that block of Styrofoam on the side of the MSR.

And it’d be fine if it all stopped there.

The film’s strength comes from the intensely psychological approach taken by the screenplay, with the interplay between an EOD tech’s studied intellect, selflessness and inherent recklessness moving the action in unexpected directions. James leads his team – Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spec. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) –through a smoldering cauldron of daisy-chain IED ambushes, suicide vest defusing and bomb-making terror cells.

And all that excitement is fine. But the movie jumps the tracks when the team gets involved in a bizarre sniper duel with a team of contractor Saddam hunters, sponsors a booze-fueled combatives tournament in their hooch and when James embarks on an impromptu off-FOB outing with a pistol on his belt wearing ACU trousers and a civilian sweat shirt.

[...]

It’s understandable when Hollywood doesn’t get it quite right. They want drama, action and flow so they take some artistic license. I’m not begrudging them for relying so heavily on the bomb suit (I’ve never once seen an EOD tech wear one to diffuse a roadside bomb) or fudge the radio chatter or get the raid stack wrong – there’s no nit picking here. But Hurt Locker is not the “best action movie of the summer” and it will not “be studied 20 years from now.” Some of the scenes are so disconnected with reality to be almost parody. And that’s where a film plugging along just fine breaks down.

It’s a good first attempt at an Iraq war movie that finally does some justice to the men and women who fight there. Maybe we’ve come through the long dark period of Abu Ghraib guilt-ridden films that tell us how bad we are as Americans and how bad an idea the Iraq war was. There’s plenty of heroism, drama and excitement in the Iraq narrative that lends itself well to the silver screen without having to engage in moral critique.

[source: military.com]

Previously, non-American citizens wanting to join the service had to hold a green card, which is a permit for lawful permanent residence.

Recruited for their specialties, the Defense Department has ever-so-slightly cracked the door to what could one day be a vast recruiting pool of uniquely qualified immigrants.

The program is not necessarily new, just a rehashed version of old policy that Defense Department officials were failing to take advantage of during the past eight years. Under the program, known as MAVNI, the military is allowed to widen its recruiting pool to non-citizens with critical skills during a time of war.

In this case, the wars have been long established with no clear end in sight. And the lack of critical skills is widely known: language experts and medical specialists, according to Army Lt. Col. Peter Badoian, project officer for the pilot program.

Green card holders have long been a sizable minority in the military, often earning their citizenship at tearful ceremonies aboard ships at sea or at combat zone installations.

But there are no less than 78 different kinds of temporary visas that non-residents can hold that allow them to remain in the United States for years without a path toward citizenship.

It took an immigration attorney who serves in the Army Reserve and teaches at West Point to connect all the dots and diplomatically advance renewing the MAVNI enlistments through the Defense Department.

That was no small effort. The immigration attorney, who declined to be identified, spent more than five years working behind the scenes to make it happen.

“It takes a long time to get buy in,” Badoian said of the attorney’s efforts.

The work paid off, and in February the Pentagon created a pilot program that allows 1,000 immigrants to enlist.

Since it launched five months ago, the Army, which filled more than 80 percent of available slots, has been inundated with applications.

“There’s a very significant population that is here legally and wants to serve, but has lacked the legal ability to enlist,” Badoian said. “We now have the opportunity to recruit from that population if they can meet these conditions.”

But MAVNI is not open to any non-native resident. Certain language skills get priority, meaning a Pashtu or Persian speaker is more likely to be accepted or receive greater priority than a Russian speaker. Spanish doesn’t even make the third tier priority list.

And despite the language priority, the recruits will be limited to certain jobs in the military open to non-citizens, thus excluding an intel billet for even a native Arabic speaker.

The language specialists must serve a five-year tour in the active Army while the medical specialists may serve a similar tour in the active or Reserve forces. Anyone who joins under the program can immediately apply for full citizenship, which may be revoked if they fail to complete their commitment.

So far, the quality of the recruits has allowed the Army to be very selective. Nearly 70 percent of the candidates accepted this year entered basic training with a bachelor’s degree.

“We are finding very educated, very talented people knocking on our doors wanting to take advantage of this program,” Badoian said. “Some of these folks have scored off the charts on the entry exams and we envision a very bright future for them in the Army.”

Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis have joined immigrants of Korean, Chinese and European ancestry thus far.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. administered the oath of enlistment to a group of MAVNI recruits earlier this year in New York City’s Times Square.

Ji, who began basic training last month, said at first her Korean friends were apprehensive of her decision.

“A lot of tem are worried about me. Joining the Army, first thing that pops in their mind is that I am going to war,” she said. “But once I explain my situation, and what is going to happen to me over the next 20 years, they are very excited for me to have this opportunity. A lot of them want to join now, too.”

[source: military.com]

The home state of the Patriot Missive bloggers:

Three members of the Illinois Army National Guard died this week in northern Afghanistan, two in a roadside bomb attack Monday, and the third in a similar attack Tuesday.

All were members of the guard’s 33rd Infantry Brigade, a group of about 3,000 soldiers that has had 17 deaths during a yearlong deployment scheduled to end early this fall.

First Lt. Derwin Williams, 41, of Glenwood and Spc. Chester Hosford, 35, of Ottawa died Monday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Konduz, according to the Guard.

On Tuesday, Spec. Christopher Talbert, 24, of Galesburg, died in an attack near Shinbad.

“The deployment of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team has been tough on all of us, especially on the families of these heroes,” Maj. Gen. William Enyart, adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard, said in a printed statement.

Williams worked as a correctional officer with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. He’d served in Iraq for one year in 2004 and was slated to return from his tour in Afghanistan in August, his wife said. Williams also is survived by two stepdaughters, ages 18 and 22; two daughters, who are 9 and 19; and an 8-year-old son.

Hosford, who the Guard says also was due home around August, was a former Marine on his first National Guard deployment. He graduated from Sage Creek High School, in Peyton, Colo., in 1993. He was single.

Talbert, too, was single and on his first deployment. He was a 2003 graduate of Galesburg Christian High School.

He wrote on his MySpace page that he’d been home on leave in late May and early June. On Wednesday, the page included more than a dozen notes of condolence.

“Good Night Talby … know you’ll be missed,” one friend wrote.

The 33rd Infantry Brigade started moving into Afghanistan last August, training Afghan police and military across the country. Attacks resulting in multiple deaths and injuries haven’t been uncommon.

In March, three brigade members died in a roadside bomb attack — Spc. Norman Cain III, 22, of Mount Morris; Sgt. Christopher Abeyta, 23, of Midlothian; and Sgt. Robert Weinger, 24, of Round Lake Beach.

Thirty-two members of the Illinois Guard have been killed since the U.S. went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[source: armytimes]

Engineers in England have come up with a product to save a few bob for those who work in semi-dangerous occupations–cement body armor.

The vests combine “super strong” cement with recycled carbon fiber, making the vests tough enough to withstand most bullet calibers, according to researchers at the University of Leeds’ School of Civil Engineering.

Currently, top-of-the-line bulletproof vests are made with alumina plates–the raw material used to make aluminum–through a costly process called sintering, which involves heating the material for up to two weeks at 1600 degrees Celsius to harden it.

The cement vest, on the other hand, would offer a cost-effective level of protection for people in semi-risky occupations short of full-on combat.

“By using cement instead of alumina we are confident we can deliver a cost-effective level of protection for many people at risk,” said research team leader Philip Purnell. “It should be good enough for people like security guards, reporters, and aid workers who are worried about the odd pot shot being taken at them.”

British and U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have faced shortages of the alumina plate-based vests in the past due to worldwide demand, according to the team.

“The fact is many of the armored vests sold today are over-engineered for the threats (soldiers) face,” Purnell said. “Cement-based body armor would not only create a whole new market, but it would also take some of the pressure off the demand for hi-spec alumina models so that people like soldiers, who really need this kit, can get it.”

The cement vest project is still in the early research stages and is part of the university’s three-year search–dubbed “Cementing the future”–for new and novel uses of the 2,000-year-old material.

The team is soliciting suggestions from other researchers, engineers, scientists, designers, or even sculptors and artists. Ideas to date include “cement-based pump-less fridges, a new type of catalytic converter and improved bone replacements.” Here’s a tip–chances are, they already know about the shoes.

[source: CNET]

Vice President Joe Biden signaled that the Obama administration would not stand in the way if Israel chose to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, even as the top U.S. military officer said any attack on Iran would be destabilizing.

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Biden was asked whether the U.S. would stand in the way if Israel – viewing the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb as a threat to the existence of the Jewish state – decided to launch a military attack.

“Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do,” he said.

Biden’s remarks suggested a tougher U.S. stance against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Nonetheless, administration officials insisted his televised remarks Sunday reflected the U.S. view that Israel has a right to defend itself and make its own decisions on national security.

[source: Military.com]

Better late than never, Newsweek:

Josh Eller, a military contractor stationed in Iraq in 2006, was driving through Balad Air Base when he spotted the wild dog. He wasn’t sure what was in its mouth—but when Eller saw two bones, he knew he was looking at a human arm. The dog had pulled the limb from an open-air “burn pit” on the base used to incinerate waste. Eller says it’s “one of the worst things I have seen.”

Since hearing Eller’s story, lawyer Elizabeth Burke has signed on 190 additional clients with complaints about burn pits at 18 military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. By now, she says, all pits should have been replaced by pollution-controlled incinerators. She’s filed suits in 17 states against KBR, the company contracted to provide waste-disposal services at these bases, accusing it of negligence and harm. Burke was shocked to learn what her clients saw incinerated: Humvees, batteries, unexploded ordnance, gas cans, mattresses, rocket pods, and plastic and medical waste (including body parts, which may explain the arm). Fumes containing carcinogenic dioxins, heavy metals, and particulates, according to an Army–Air Force risk assessment, waft freely across bases.

Burke’s plaintiffs mostly suffer from chronic or unusual medical complications that they believe were caused by burn-pit exposure. Shawn Sheridan, who served two tours at Balad, says black smoke from the pit was so thick at times he couldn’t see through it with night–vision goggles. Sheridan, 26, was healthy when he enlisted six years ago. Now he has a kidney disease, chronic bronchitis, and a painful skin condition.

KBR won’t discuss burn pits while it reviews the suits. A spokeswoman e-mails that KBR isn’t responsible for the Balad pit (Burke alleges it is) and that “any burn pit operated in Iraq or Afghanistan is done pursuant to Army guidelines.” But Kevin Robbins, a former KBR employee who ran a pit near Al Kut, says he got no guidelines on what could be burned when he arrived.

The May 2008 risk assessment of the Balad pit suggested “as much as several hundred tons” of waste was burned each day, but CentCom tells NEWSWEEK it’s now down to about 54 tons. The report found allowable levels of toxins in its air samples. Still, two members of Congress have introduced a bill instructing the DOD to end the practice and monitor the health of service members exposed to fumes. “We certainly would not allow these burn pits in our own country,” says Rep. Tim Bishop.

[source: Newsweek]

The Congressional black sheep have spoken:

Graham, McCain, and Independent Senator Joe Lieberman said they aimed to boost US-backed radio news broadcasts into Iran and help skirt Iranian restrictions on cellular phones and Internet access.

“We want the Iranian people to be able to stay one step ahead of the Iranian regime, getting access to information and safely exercising freedom of speech and freedom of assembly online,” said Lieberman.

McCain said the legislation aimed to boost funding to Radio FARDA, a part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, to help the Farsi-language outlet battle Iranian jamming, and to make cellular telephone crackdowns more difficult.

“The fact is that the Iranian government is now illegitimate,” he charged.

Other goals include boosting Voice of America broadcasts in Farsi and helping Iranians preserve access to social networking Internet sites like Twitter and Facebook and the video-sharing site YouTube, which protestors used to organize and disseminate images of the government’s crackdown, said McCain.

“During the Cold War, we provided the Polish people and dissidents with printing presses. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are the modern-day printing presses. They are the way to spread information and keep the hope of freedom alive amongst the Iranian people,” said McCain.

The bill, to be written over the congressional break for the July 4 US independence day celebration, would seek to give Iranians the tools “to evade the censorship and surveillance of the regime online,” he said.

And McCain vowed to investigate charges that non-Iranian firms helped Tehran monitor and block cellular and online traffic “and even track down sources of political content deemed off limits by the regime.”

All three lawmakers praised US President Barack Obama for making his toughest remarks yet on Iran during a press conference Tuesday, denouncing the crackdown and warning of worsening relations with the international community.

“I appreciate it,” said McCain, who had sharply criticized Obama’s previous remarks, while Graham declared: “I’m very proud of my president, about what he said.”

[source: raw story]

Before a U.S. Special Forces Soldier heads out for battle in Afghanistan, he can’t forget equipment that is essential to his survival.

Assault rifle? Check.

Grenades? Check.

Cell phone? Check.

This scenario, or something like it, could be in the near future if technology now being evaluated in Suffolk by U.S. Joint Forces Command makes it onto the battlefield.

The tactical cellular phone, or TACTICELL, is one of 21 battlefield technologies being put through a series of rigorous tests as part of an international demonstration aimed at giving U.S. and NATO fighting forces an edge.

The super cell phone employs a roving van that acts like a mobile cell tower, and the special operations Soldier carries an off-the-shelf cell phone that handles voice, data and video.

But instead of sending text message to friends, he receives a video, shot from the sky, that shows the rear of a building he’s about to assault. The Soldier can spot traps and assess the enemy’s strength. With the van patrolling several miles away, it allows Soldiers to have a more complete picture of the battlefield as they venture away from base and into trouble.

The 10-day event, which ends today, is known as CWID, which stands for Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration.

Other technologies on display include a high-tech tracker that fits under the U.S. flag emblem of a uniform and allows commanders to pinpoint individuals and units, limiting the chance of death by friendly fire.

The “coalition” part of CWID certainly applies.

The Italian navy and Finland have fielded surveillance or communications tools, and demonstrations are being played out at several U.S. locations besides Suffolk, including the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren.

International participants are based in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Norway.

As the previous examples imply, CWID is not about testing tanks and missiles, but technology that increases battlefield awareness and allows different systems — and different countries — to communicate more effectively with each other.

The worldwide demonstrations played out in USJFCOM’s Joint Systems Integration Center, a short drive from Suffolk fast-food restaurants and shopping centers.

Among the players was Capt. Mario Marques of the Portuguese navy.

He was particularly interested in the Italian and Finnish projects, which performed a scenario that tracked vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction.

Navy Capt. Kirk Hornburg said the testers in CWID — all military personnel with battle experience — face a thought process similar to a civilian who buys a new home computer.

During those first few minutes in the store, a computer might seem like the perfect, do-it-all tool.

After a couple of weeks at home, you notice a few things that could be improved, or you find that it doesn’t run all of your favorite programs at once.

Over the course of CWID, testers have the chance to get over their fascination with the “newness” of a technology and push it to its limits, Hornburg said.

A communications tool might work well with five people, but not with 50. A surveillance program might require too many keystrokes to reach a certain point.

Only extended testing can spot those problems.

“We are not successful in CWID if things work,” he said.

[source: military.com]