Space Development Agency Director Plans to Join Space Force
U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center personnel and civilian ground crews load the fifth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-5) communications satellite onto a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft, at Sunnyvale, Calif., April 22, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jonathan Carnell)
January 23, 2020 --- Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk
The Space Development Agency (SDA) is on track to become part of the U.S. Space Force the same year it plans to launch a series of tracking and targeting satellites known as "Tranche 0" into orbit. "October [2022] was the date that was put forward for when the SDA would transition into the U.S. Space Force, and that is still the timeline we are working under," Dr. Derek Tournear told reporters.
"Primarily, that will allow us to have 'Tranche 0' operational and to be able to demonstrate the capabilities of proliferated system and how that fits in." The satellites will be able to detect targets and give service members on the ground "beyond line-of-sight targeting" information, Tournear said.
Related: Space Force Has Its First Launch: An Official Website
The satellite network will grow every 2 years following "Tranche 0," as more satellites with different upgrades are put into orbit. For example, some will be able to detect and track adversarial missile launches -- eventually even hypersonic missiles. "'Tranche 0' is several dozen [satellites]," Tournear said. "The plan from that point on is to [add] on the order of one satellite a week to the current layer, so 'Tranche 1' would have several hundred satellites ... and you'll add new capabilities."
The life expectancy for the satellites, which cost roughly $10 million each, is about 5 years, he added. When the Space Development Agency stood up in March 2019, it was tasked with overseeing procurement of new satellites for the Defense Department.
Tournear said the agency has set an ambitious goal to move quickly beyond standard acquisition practices to create a robust satellite presence. By 2026, the satellites will provide "full global coverage" for battle management and navigation -- among other key capabilities -- for warfighters on the ground.
"We're taking technology that is available to fly within 18 to 24 months," he explained. The SDA is working with other agencies, such as the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Army, which are already developing similar sensing, tracking and tactical communication equipment. "The SDA transport layer is going to be the mesh network that is kind of the backbone that all of these entities can use to get data on and off for targeting solutions," Tournear said.
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Here's the New Light Machine Gun SOCOM Is Evaluating
Sig Sauer showed off its new Sig MG 338 machine gun, chambered in the potent .338 Norma Magnum round, at a pre-SHOT Show 2020 range day in Las Vegas, Nevada. U.S. Special Operations Command recently selected the Sig MG 338 for evaluation. (Matthew Cox/Staff)
January 21, 2020 --- Military.com | By Matthew Cox
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Sig Sauer gave a live-fire tour of its new .338 Norma Magnum machine gun -- a lightweight weapon that U.S. Special Operation Command (SOCOM) recently selected for evaluation. The Sig MG 338 general-purpose machine gun weighs just over 21 pounds and fires at a rate of 600 rounds per minute, delivering potent .338 Norma Magnum rounds out to ranges of 1,500 meters.
The Army and Marine Corps-issue M240 machine gun in 7.62 x 51mm NATO can weigh up to 27 pounds, and has an effective range out to approximately 800 meters. "Our impetus is we wanted to provide one machine gun that could do both jobs," Sig Sauer's Jason St. John.
"So, when you compare the .338 Norma Magnum to the 7.62mm -- 7.62 has an effective range of 800-plus meters and .338 Norma Magnum has a range of 1,500-plus meters --- twice the distance and about 4 pounds lighter than what we currently have."
The new machine gun has come a long way from the prototype that Sig unveiled at SHOT Show last year. Earlier this month, Sig delivered 10 MG 338 machine guns, .338 Norma Magnum ammunition and its proprietary suppressors to U.S. Special Operations Command for evaluation, St. John said.
Related: Sig Sauer Live-Fires its Hard-Hitting New Ultra-Light Machine Gun
The MG 338 features a short-stroke gas piston system and a proprietary recoil mitigation system which radically reduces the felt recoil of the larger .338 round. It features a collapsible AR-style buttstock that folds and locks into position for more compact transport.
The MG 338 also comes with an AR-style pistol grip and selector switch which can be set to full-automatic and semi-automatic. "This machine gun has the capability to shoot in full-auto and semi-auto; the primary purpose for that is if you wanted to have 800, 1,200 and 1,500-meter ... more accurate fire, you could fire one shot at a time," St. John said.
The MG 338 features ambidextrous controls as well as a switchable feed tray and charging handle that can be alternated to either side depending on operator preference. Instead of a traditional flip-up design, the feed-tray cover flips open to the side, so it doesn't interfere with optics and other accessories mounted in front of the feed tray.
"I can also load this whether the feed tray is open, or the feed tray is closed," St. John said. The belted ammunition features a clip-on "spoon" designed to make it easier to push the belt into the feed tray when the cover is closed. St. John demonstrated by pushing 2 rounds into the weapon -- "I go 1 click, 2 clicks and I am loaded ... it's a one-hand operation," he said. "I can also load it traditionally, setting the rounds on the feed tray and close the feed tray cover."
A box-style, 50-round magazine mounts to the underside of the weapon by pushing the special adapter up into the magazine well until it clicks. The MG 338 also features a free-floating barrel with a quick-release latch to change barrels to control overheating.
Many of the features of the MG 338 were designed into the automatic rifle prototype that Sig submitted as part of its entry into the Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon competition. "There is a lot of shared technology; this machine gun was first built three years ago, and we used lessons learned and design features from this one into our Next Gen Squad Weapon," St. John said.
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We Must Combat Russian Attempts to Influence U.S. Troops Online
A U.S. Marine works on his laptop during the Cyber Guard 2017 exercise June 13, 2017. (U.S. Cyber Command photo/Dennis Herring)
January 15, 2020 --- Military.com | By Gina Harkins
Russian misinformation efforts are reaching into the U.S. military ranks, and it appears to have led some to view Russia as more friend than foe. A survey released last month shows that nearly half of military households -- 46% -- polled by the Reagan National Defense Survey said they view Russia as a U.S. ally. Last year, more than a quarter of active-duty households polled in the organization’s annual survey said they had an unfavorable view of NATO.
The survey is commissioned by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to promoting the legacy of the late Commander-In-Chief. Voice of America first reported on the 2019 findings. U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Lori Reynolds is one of the top Pentagon leaders working on policies and strategies for operating in the information space. That includes what Russia might be doing to influence U.S. troops and their families on social media, smartphone apps and other sites.
Related: U.S. Troops Using Russia-Connected FaceApp Urged to Be Cautious
"We need to do a better job of making sure that Marines of all ranks are understanding what the strategic environment really is," she told reporters at the Pentagon last week. "Our Marines are going to be victims of what's happening in the information environment as well as anybody else." U.S. intelligence agencies found that Russia used sophisticated misinformation methods to influence the 2016 U.S. election. Kristofer Goldsmith, a Chief Investigator with Vietnam Veterans of America, has researched Russia's reach with the military and veteran communities.
His findings are detailed in a 192-page report called "An Investigation Into Foreign Entities Who Are Targeting Servicemembers and Veterans Online." It includes alarming examples of full U.S. veteran brands being created online -- only they're fake and managed outside the U.S. One example Goldsmith detailed in his report was the "Being Patriotic" Facebook page with hundreds of thousands of followers that regularly posted divisive political memes under the guise of supporting U.S. troops.
But as Goldsmith notes in his investigation, the page was managed by a troll agency based in Russia that sought to spread Russia’s political and business interests. The "Being Patriotic" page was also cited in Robert Mueller's report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
"When Russia creates, say, a fake Facebook page, they aren't only creating that single entity -- they're also creating supportive websites that look like news and reporting websites," Goldsmith said. "They create and use the same brand, so in the same way the U.S. Marines are really good at branding and having consistency across platforms and every piece of material that they produce, the Russians have also been really good at creating brands that over time ... become trusted."
Goldsmith has alerted both the Pentagon and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to his findings on Russian influence among the U.S. active-duty and veteran populations. U.S. Cyber Command has been in touch with him since but follow-on action has been slow. The Defense Department did not respond to questions from Military.com about foreign attempts to influence service members, the Reagan National Defense Survey poll results about favorable views of Russia, Goldsmith's report, or steps being taken to counter Russia's efforts.
Reynolds said training can't just start and end around an exercise. U.S. Marines must understand that threats in the information environment never end -- they are persistent and widespread, she said. "People think Russia is a good guy, so how do we teach people?" Reynolds asked. "This is a whole-of-government issue that people need to understand. The environment has changed, and warfare has changed. ...The conditions are being set right now whether we want to accept it or not."
Goldsmith said Americans need to acknowledge Russia's efforts to influence U.S. elections and be more responsible about sharing and spreading false information. "It is deeply offensive when someone thanks me for my service or defending democracy when I went to Iraq and then in the same breath will deny Russian major interference in our elections," said Goldsmith, a former soldier. "The core of American society is our democracy, our Constitution. The very sanctity of our American elections is the most important thing to maintaining our democracy."
People don't like to admit that they're duped and alert their followers that they've shared something that wasn't what it seemed, he said. While he'd like to see social media sites do more to show who is behind certain accounts, he said U.S. troops and U.S. veterans can do more to check their sources. On Facebook, for example, he recommends checking the page transparency to see where the information is originating. That will tell users whether the posts are originating in the U.S. or a foreign country.
The U.S. military could also consider more widespread phone hygiene checks, Goldsmith said. "As much as it might suck to have to show the U.S. Army your Twitter feed, he said, "frankly we've reached a stage where, if it keeps our soldiers safe, we should start making sure that their cyber hygiene is up to par."
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U.S. Army says text messages saying ‘You’ve been selected for the military draft’ are fake
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Paratroopers load aircraft bound for the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg, N.C. on January 4, 2020. (Spc. Hubert Delany III/Army)
January 10, 2020 --- Kyle Rempfer
Don’t fall for any text messages saying you’ve been selected for a military draft, U.S. Army Recruiting Command warned in an urgent news release. Fraudulent texts were sent throughout the country this week informing individuals they have been selected for a military draft. The phony messages come amid heightened tensions with Iran and after the emergency deployment of 3,500 paratroopers to Kuwait.
Officials have not yet identified the originator of the messages or the reason for sending them. Army Recruiting Command received multiple calls and emails about the fake texts, and although they reference actual recruiting battalions, they were not sent by Army.
"We have forwarded it on to our security personnel and they’re looking into it," Lisa Ferguson, chief spokeswoman for the service’s recruiting command, told Army Times. "We received 3 screen shots but I’ve heard from several other recruiters and public affairs officials about it as well." The texts instruct recipients to first call the sender before reporting to the nearest branch office "for immediate departure to Iran." One of the messages threatened a recipient with a fine and jail time if they did not reply.
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The draft is not being reinstated, the Army cautioned this week, as scammers appear to zero in on hysteria. (Army Recruiting Command). The draft was abolished in 1973, and the U.S. military has remained an all-volunteer force since then, though men 18 and older still register for the possibility of conscription. However, registering for the Selective Service does not enlist a person into the armed forces. Were a draft to actually be enacted, it would be managed by the Selective Service and not the Army.
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