
FORT DEVENS, Mass. — When a Soldier takes his or her Oath of Enlistment, they pledge to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Whether in a quick strike unit like the 82nd Airborne Division or stationed at a research and development facility like the Natick Soldier Systems Center, a Soldier must hone their Soldiering skills.
Soldiers from the U.S. Army Institute of Environmental Medicine and The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s
Headquarters Research and Development Detachment tested some of their Soldier Skills at Fort Devens, Mass.
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Posted in 5 P's, People, Training.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– September 1, 2010

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center partnered with the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education and the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command’s Minority College Relations Program this summer to facilitate the second session of the 10-week Minority Undergraduate Student Internship Program with great success.
“Now in its second year, MUSIP has already yielded excellent results,” said MUSIP coordinator Debbie Buckless. “With 25 percent of last year’s participants returning and another 25 percent finding employment with ECBC, we believe that both the students and the Center have realized a great opportunity.”
In support of the Center’s ongoing goal to strengthen its workforce, promote diversity and encourage students to pursue careers in science and engineering, MUSIP provided ten undergraduates from across the country with the opportunity to enhance their education by working on challenging, real-world science, technology and engineering research projects with top scientists and engineers.
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Posted in 5 P's, People.
Tagged with Aberdeen Proving Ground, APG, ECBC, EEO, People, Processes, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– September 1, 2010

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., — Christina Blankenship, aerospace engineer, and John Bush, engineering technician, Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center employees, received a design patent for their invention: the Boat-Shaped Fork Lift Receiver Hitch.
The invention converts the pintle hook system to a ball receiver, allowing the driver to tow a trailer with a forklift in the standard driving position and improving safety while moving other than palletized materials.
Sometimes, inventions happen out of necessity.
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Posted in 5 P's, People, Products.
Tagged with AMRDEC, inventors, People, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– September 1, 2010

FORT MONMOUTH, N.J. — A U.S. defense department goal is the creation of a Network Operations capability that is ‘born joint,’ to increase interoperability among military services, said Dr. Cynthia Dion-Schwarz, the Director of Information Systems and Cyber Security for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, during one of her visits to the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center’s Network Operations Interoperability lab.
Part of achieving this goal means providing a test-bed that enables joint testing and evaluation of NetOps capabilities in a virtual environment, a task taken on by CERDEC’s NetOps lab team in their development of the Virtual Ad-hoc Network (VAN) test-bed.
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Posted in 5 P's, Products.
Tagged with CERDEC, network, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– September 1, 2010

“You better get down here,” said the caller.
Dr. Gerardo Melendez returned the phone to the cradle. Some special operations Soldiers were downstairs in his building at Fort Monmouth, N.J.,where he served before his new assignment here as director of the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center.
The “Green Berets” wanted to see the people involved with fitting specialized equipment on their vehicles operating in Iraq.
Melendez hadn’t heard much specific information about how the equipment was performing.
“I guess because of the nature of their operations,” said Melendez.
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Posted in 5 P's, People.
Tagged with ARDEC, director, leader, leadership, People, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– September 1, 2010

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 30, 2010) — Renewable energy sources will soon be powering batteries, vehicles and other pieces of equipment that give Soldiers an edge on the battlefield.
Providing Soldiers with greater flexibility, implementing renewable energy, and developing fuel cells and biological power sources are top priorities for the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center’s Army Power Division.
Rafael Casanova, battery team leader for the power division at CERDEC, said the center has been tasked with contributing to the modernization of infantry brigade combat teams.
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Posted in 5 P's, Products.
Tagged with batteries, battery, CERDEC, SecArmy, technology.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– September 1, 2010

Soldiers and Army civilians have many options to get current information. The Army recently unveiled version 2 of MilBlog, a community blog for AKO/DKO users. Authors post news, events and announcements to a worldwide internal audience in a smartly designed, modern blog format.
Its purpose is to “provide the AKO/DKO community a secure internal channel to broadcast its messages to a greater audience,” according to milBlog administrators. “MilBlog can be used to share knowledge regarding Department of Defense exercises, events, system/product announcements, and community interest stories.”
The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command is a featured contributor and fully supports the community with daily posts.
Check it out!
Log into milBlog… (Note: AKO/DKO username/password or CAC are required for access)
Posted in 5 P's, Processes.
Tagged with communications, milBlog.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 31, 2010

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Aberdeen Proving Ground’s senior leader talked with Army acquisition officers Aug. 30 at the at the Top of the Bay Club.
Major Gen. Nick Justice, Research Development and Engineering Command and Aberdeen Proving Ground commanding general is also the Senior Regional Acquisition Official. The commander discussed the regionalization process and his role as the Senior Regional Acquisition Officer.
The information session was open to all acquisition officers on APG and their supervisors, both civilian and military. This briefing was mandatory for all acquisition officers in the grades of captain and major who are involved in the regional process.
Justice is dedicated to sound financial management and developing timely products.
“We must focus on developing and executing a balanced portfolio of resources and maximize delivery of capabilities,” Justice said. “This is critical as we deliver timely, innovative, integrated solutions to modernize the Army.”
Posted in 5 P's, Products, Purse.
Tagged with acquisition, APG, justice, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 31, 2010
RDECOM Deputy Commanding General Brig. Gen. Harry Greene recently talked with the Boston Globe about Natick. “The Army recently opened its Natick installation to the public to unveil a modernization plan that it says will allow the circa-1950s facility to attract top talent to research and design food, shelter, and gear for America’s soldiers,” writes Megan McKee for the Globe.
“Though the installation has no money earmarked for the changes, developing the plan is the most important step to secure funding from the government, officials said. The Natick Soldier Systems Center, or Natick Army Labs, as it’s commonly known, is responsible for developing the bulk of the food, shelter, and clothing used by the military branch.”
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Posted in 5 P's, Places.
Tagged with greene, natick, NSRDEC, NSSC, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 31, 2010

BALTIMORE — What Soldiers need to be successful on the battlefield and how the technology should be developed were questions the Army and industry met to talk about during Panel Session One at the Team C4ISR Symposium in Baltimore yesterday.
Technology is changing so fast, and the acquisition process traditionally has been so slow, the topic raises more challenges than solutions at present.
The Army C4ISR concept, or “Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance,” supports Soldiers fighting every day, upgrading and modernizing existing systems, incorporating new technologies, and ensuring the operational readiness of these systems that both protect our Warfighters and give them a technological advantage over the enemy.
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Posted in 5 P's, Processes.
Tagged with C4ISR, CECOM, CERDEC, panel, RDECOM, symposium.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 26, 2010

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Employees from the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center’s Smoke and Target Defeat Branch, in support of the Joint Project Manager Nuclear Biological Chemical Contamination Avoidance Obscuration Team, recently hosted more than 50 interested parties during a “proof of concept” demonstration of futuristic, non-lethal battlefield capabilities at the APG’s M-Field.
The “performance test” demonstrations were pulled together in 90 days ― in collaboration with the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Howe and Howe Technologies, Inc. and Saab South Africa ― and included a manned and unmanned Ripsaw ground vehicle with mounted smart launchers and cutting-edge portable obscurant generators.
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Posted in 5 P's, In the news, Products.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 26, 2010

ABERDEEN, Md. — Senior civilian leaders met with up-and-coming Aberdeen Proving Ground managers for a panel discussion on human capital, mentorship and transformation issues Aug. 25 at the Aberdeen Higher Education and Conference Center.
This is the second iteration of the APG Leadership Cohort Program. Twelve Army organizations from the installation selected 29 motivated managers to participate in a year-long professional development program designed to develop future civilian leaders.
“The Army is going to depend on all the leaders it has to look for ways to be more efficient in what they do every day,” said Gary Martin, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command executive deputy to the command general. “When I look at where the opportunities are for leaders, it’s in everything we do.
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Posted in 5 P's, People, Training.
Tagged with APG, brac, cohort, leader development, People, professional development, SES, Training.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 26, 2010

- Artist’s Conception: GCV Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Following a comprehensive review of its Ground Combat Vehicle program, the Army today announced that it has cancelled the original contract solicitation and will issue a revised Request for Proposals that will better ensure an achievable, affordable and timely infantry fighting vehicle.
The review was conducted by both the Army and Office of Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics as part of a continuing effort to ensure that all Army acquisitions effectively and affordably meet the needs of our soldiers. The contract cancellation was made at the earliest stage of the acquisition process, resulting in up to a six month delay of the program, which will best ensure the long-term success of the Ground Combat Vehicle program by better aligning vehicle capabilities with the anticipated needs of future combat operations.
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Posted in 5 P's, In the news, Products.
Tagged with GCV, Products.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 26, 2010
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — The arsenal is getting a new, state-of-the art pyrotechnics facility that will house the only organization responsible for pyrotechnic research, development and engineering within the U.S. Army. This $18 million, 27,000-square-foot facility will support all branches of the U.S. military, as well as other government agencies, academia and industry.
Pyrotechnics made here include counter-measure flares, illuminating candles for mortars and artillery, primers, tracers, delay mechanisms for hand grenades and fuzes, expulsion charges for payload munitions, Soldier signaling devices, and training simulators. “Almost everything we do at this facility either helps increase Soldier survivability or helps train them to be more prepared to win on the battlefield and come home,” said James L. Wejsa, chief of the Pyrotechnics Technology and Prototyping Division, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center.
The facility will be dedicated Sept. 8 in memory of fallen N.J. Marine, 2nd Lt. John Thomas Wroblewski, who was the first service member from Morris County, N.J., to make the ultimate sacrifice in the Iraq war.
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Posted in 5 P's, In the news, Places.
Tagged with ARDEC, Army, engineering, marines, Picatinny, Places, pyrotechnics, research, technology.
By Tracy Robillard
– August 25, 2010

DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. — Under Secretary of the Army Joseph Westphal will meet with local military and government officials and automotive company executives here 12 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26. The meeting is part of a continuing effort to underscore the role the domestic auto industry plays in continuing technology research, development and systems engineering for the Army’s and the Department of Defense’s combat and tactical vehicle fleets.
Hosting Under Secretary Westphal is U.S. Senator Carl Levin (Mich.). Levin serves as the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During his Michigan visit, Westphal will hear perspectives on Army collaboration initiatives from General Motors and Ford, and he will tour the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center’s research labs and testing facilities at the historic Detroit Arsenal. The Nation’s systems engineering and integration Ground Vehicle Center of Excellence, TARDEC and its collaborative partners influence the life cycle of every military wheeled, tracked and unmanned ground vehicle system. TARDEC Director Dr. Grace Bochenek will lead the by-invitation-only tour.
Currently, government employment at the U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal stands at about 6,900 people today. By 2014, those numbers are expected to swell to 8,400 government positions.
Construction taking place at the Arsenal includes TARDEC’s Ground Systems Power and Energy Laboratory. The Army broke ground on the 30,000-square-foot facility August 2009. The eight-labs-in-one complex will be unlike any other lab in the world. Its research and testing capabilities will advance power and energy for ground vehicles, further research into alternative energy and propulsion systems, and focus efforts to address critical combat vehicle requirements. The new lab is scheduled to open by September 2011.
Media interested in attending the question and answer session must RSVP to TACOM PAO Eric Emerton (586) 282‑5663 or Don Jarosz (586) 282‑8820.






Posted in In the news.
Tagged with Media Advisory, RDECOM, TARDEC, VIP.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 25, 2010

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — Hundreds of high school and college students spend their summers working on Redstone; it is a great way to earn money and gain experience.
For one of these students, recognized by the University of Tennessee Knoxville as a top graduate in 2010, it was an awesome 2nd summer at AMRDEC that had him jumping.
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Posted in 5 P's, In the news, People.
Tagged with AMRDEC, intern, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 23, 2010

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — The battle lines were drawn. The teams were ready. Four motors lay silent waiting.
Dr. Jay Lilley, chief of the propulsion technology function at Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center, masterminded a competition called Rocket Wars.
In its second year, Rocket Wars teams were comprised of summer hire students from Purdue University, Tuskegee University, Vanderbilt University, Lee University, Auburn University, University of Alabama, University of Alabama-Huntsville, and Guntersville High School.
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Posted in In the news, Outreach.
Tagged with AMRDEC, outreach, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 23, 2010

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — What do most of you remember about June and July 2010? The heat! Yeah me too, but I also remember the 107 students who participated in the Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science program.
Over the summer, there were 54 GEMS I students in June, 33 GEMS II in July, and 20 GEMS III students for one week in July.
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Posted in Outreach.
Tagged with AMRDEC, education, GEMS, outreach, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 23, 2010

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Meeting the nutritional needs and taste preferences of 1.9 million Warfighters every day is vital to America’s success in battlefield missions, combat feeding officials said.
“The most important thing on the battlefield is to unburden, empower and protect the Soldiers,” said Jeremy Whitsitt, program outreach and education coordinator for the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center.
CFD personnel are continually trying to improve field rations to please their customers — Warfighters.
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Posted in 5 P's, In the news, Products.
Tagged with Combat Feeding, NSRDEC, RDECOM.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 23, 2010

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The people behind the often secret technology that makes America’s Soldiers safer and more effective might not seem a likely group to be going online to engage in social media tweeting, updating and posting, but that’s where you will find the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.
While the Department of Defense was taking its first steps in the social media realm RDECOM was plotting a strategy to engage in what the command sees as an increasingly important medium.
By the time DoD released an official social media policy Feb. 25 RDECOM and many other military units had already established thriving presences online.
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Posted in In the news, Processes.
Tagged with RDECOM, social media.
By RDECOM Public Affairs
– August 23, 2010