The threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or street bombs is ever growing, especially on the streets of Iraq and detecting them has always been a problem. Now the Navy is trying to take bomb disposal to the next level by requesting proposals and offering grants for new technologies that can predict where bombs will actually be placed.

The office of Naval Research says it is looking for theoretical and technical approaches to:

• Permit the prediction of bomb emplacements
• Identify and localize bomb makers, storage nodes, safe zones and caches
• Identify or predict changing or emerging threat tactics.
• Track components, practices and procedures used in fabrication and assembly.

The project will possibly use any combination of statistical, logical, chemical, and psychological data to predict where the next bomb will be placed and is all part of a broader push to develop “fundamentally new theories, data, concepts, and principles that could one day help U.S. forces detect, neutralize, and guard themselves against improvised bombs.

Other ideas include “advanced sensor networks” to automatically detect bomb-placing, with “minimal” human involvement, technologies to “quickly and remotely destroy explosive devices without necessarily having to detect them” and methods to identify the “behavioral [and] physiological” signatures of the bombs’ “human initiators and observers.”

The closing date for proposals is 20th of July with grants being given sometime before Halloween, perhaps it won’t be too long before this technology is more than just an idea.

American soldiers have been using laser scopes for a long time, to make their shots more accurate. But what if the bullets themselves were steered by lasers, and able to turn on a dime? That’s the idea behind a new, $7.5 million Darpa initiative to be a “laser-guided bullet” recently unclassified. DARPA have justified plans to begin funding research into designing a laser guided bullet, the 7.5 million dollar initiative could see science fiction become a reality with bullets actually able to change trajectory in mid-flight. The hope with this technology is that the compact targeting systems embedded in the projectiles will enable,

Overmatching fire power and significantly improve first site effectiveness in engaging distant enemy forces.

The goal appears to be to “enable low-cost, high performance guided projectiles” that take advantage of “guidance and targeting systems.” While the idea of a laser-guided bullet conjures images of soldiers marching across fields, spraying ammo that never misses, the report mentions that the technology is intended to be used by Special Forces and Army Sniper Teams. So, boiled down, we’re talking a bullet that’s going to be fired at long range by a sniper and be able to adjust its trajectory mid-flight, as to have a better chance of hitting the target.

To make this possible researchers will have to design whole new guidance technologies, such as MEMS based thrusters and initial side thrusting technologies with sufficient authority to move projectiles in flight. The bullet will need high stress tolerant electronics and new targeting systems robust to field operations under a variety of conditions.

The developments in fire power have continued to make warfare more precise, could laser guided-bullets be the next generation of ammunition?

Great video of an AC-130 Gunship in Action Over Afghanistan. Silently Hovering Taking the Taliban Out!!

Going through my Emails to help organize files and eliminate unnecessary files, I found a Flash presentation that I enjoyed very much. I did not post it on this Blog yet, but I am sure many have seen it already. However, for those who have not yet seen it I wanted to make sure I post it. It is a poetic presentation of pictures and sayings of a memorial service honoring Marines that made the ultimate sacrifice during the Iraq War. Click the image below to launch the Flash presentation in a new window:

It is often said that amphibious assaults are the hardest of all military operations to coordinate. High Speed Amphibians enable a transformation of operational maneuvers from the sea to the land like never before. An amphibious operation is a military operation launched from the sea by naval and landing forces embarked in ships or craft involving a landing on a hostile or potentially hostile shore or beachhead. Modern U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) / Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG). The two nations that have made by far the most amphibious assaults during the past century are the United States and the United Kingdom. From the great assaults of World War II to the recent attack on the Al-Faw Peninsula in Iraq, both countries have been at the forefront of developing amphibious assault doctrine and shipping. From small swift reconnaissance missions to truly amphibious expeditionary and support vehicles, High Speed Amphibians have the ability to realize the vision of the future fighting force. The transition from land to sea, and vice-versa, is seamless, eliminating operational pause in ship to objective maneuvers.

(Click Here To Read More…)

I came across some great Naval pictures of the USN I wanted to post real quick. Eventually I want to add update the photo gallery and get some of these pics up.

Naval Fleet Crusing Near Guam

PACIFIC OCEAN (June 18, 2006) — USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) carrier strike groups steam in formation during a joint photo exercise (PHOTOEX) in preparation for Valiant Shield 2006. The PHOTOEX featured 14 ships as well as 17 aircraft from Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corp including a B2 bomber. The Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is currently participating in Valiant Shield 2006, the largest joint exercise in recent history. Held in the Guam operating area (June 19-23), the exercise involves 28 Naval vessels including three carrier strike groups, more than 300 aircraft and more than 20,000 service members from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Jarod Hodge)

US Army has started implementing Microsoft’s newest gaming system, the XBox 360, to help train soldiers with simulated combat and war games. The United States military has always been aware of the synergy between gaming and its new weapons systems. On a side note I read that when the Department of Defense was designing the new Air Force jet F22 Raptor, it brought in the expertise of young gamers to give suggestions on the layout and configuration of the interface to make it more intuitive for the Airmen of the future.

Recently, the US Army conducted its first live-fire exercise, Experiment 1.1, using Future Combat Systems (FCS) technologies and equipment. The military exercise was apart of the most comprehensive Army modernization effort and was held at Oro Grande Range at Fort Bliss, Texas. This included a robot designed to take out snipers and code named the RedOwl. The inventory of military robots and unmanned vehicles doesn’t stop there though. The XBox controller is used to control and maneuver robots. The controllers are not completely wireless however. It looks like the controller goes to a pack on the soldier which communicates wirelessly to the robot. Not only does having a wired controller save on batteries, it simplifies the system, by only having one wireless system versus two, which cuts down on points of failure.

(Click Here To Read More…)

It’s been said that one picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is this one worth? Priceless! This photo of Christian Golcznski shows so much courage in such a young man. Unfortunately, photos like this one are absent in most daily news and media programs today. As a military brat of two Marines, this story especially hit home.

Marine Staff Sgt. Marcus “Marc” Golczynski, was killed in Iraq on March 27. At his funeral in April, Daily News Journal photographer Aaron Thompson captured Marc Golczynski’s teary-eyed son, 8-year-old Christian, accepting a U.S. flag from his father’s casket.

Click Photo to Enlarge

This amazing picture has drawn a lot of comments from readers of the Nashville paper, The Tennessean. Below is two:

Dear Tennessean:

The Tennessean’s April 5 photograph of young Christian Golczynski accepting the American flag from Marine Lt. Col. Ric Thompson is one of the most moving and emotion provoking images I have ever seen.

My wife and I attended funeral services for Christian’s father, Staff Sergeant Marcus Golczynski, on April 4, along with our six year-old son, dozens of Marines, and several hundred others who came to pay tribute to this fallen hero.

As one would expect, many of your readers were touched by this incredible picture. Staff Sergeant Golczynski had previously served one full tour in Iraq. Shortly before his death on March 27 he wrote to his family that he had volunteered to do this a second time due to our deep desire to finish the job we started. In his letter he said, “We fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to.” Tragically, Staff Sergeant Golczynski had only two weeks remaining on his second tour. We look at the photograph of Christian every day. It is displayed prominently in our home. Our hearts ache for Christian and for all those who have lost loved ones in this controversial conflict.

Our nation is at a historical crossroads. Do we call an end to the struggle in Iraq or press on? Staff Sergeant Golczynski eloquently told his son how he felt about not giving up. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this man’s life and the choices he made. He was undeniably a man of tremendous courage and conviction. America must now choose whether to complete the job.

When looking at the face of Christian Golczynski I am reminded that doing what is right is not always easy and doing what is easy is not always right. Christian’s dad knew that too.

James Drescher

Franklin, TN

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Staff Sergeant Golczynski had previously served one full tour in Iraq . Shortly before his death on March 27 he wrote to his family that he had volunteered to do this a second time due to our deep desire to finish the job we started. In his letter he said, “We fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to.” Tragically, Staff Sergeant Golczynski had only two weeks remaining on his second tour. Our hearts ache for Christian and for all those who have lost loved ones in this controversial conflict.

Our nation is at a historical crossroads. Do we call an end to the struggle in Iraq or press on? Staff Sergeant Golczynski eloquently told his son how he felt about not giving up. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this man’s life and the choices he made. He was undeniably a man of tremendous courage and conviction. America must now choose whether to complete the job.

When looking at the face of Christian Golczynski we are reminded that doing what is right is not always easy and doing what is easy is not always right. Christian’s dad knew that too.

Our country is free right now due to the heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifices when their country called them to action. Many great wars ago or even the most recent ones, it never mattered to the men and women in uniform when the call was made. What mattered was the honor and devotion to our great country. We should never let our guard down to anyone who wishes to take from us our most prized possession; freedom. Many have fought and died for that one goal, to defend our country, one nation, under God and never allowing our freedom to cease to exists.

Say a prayer this memorial day, for all those who have served or are serving our great country. Say a prayer for those who will never come home and to their families who also have gave the ultimate sacrifice for us all.

God Bless America!!!

The “Cobra Gold” live-fire military exercises, the largest US war games in Asia, are set for May 8 to 18 in eastern Thailand with a focus on multinational peacekeeping operations. The war games were launched 26 years ago and originally limited to US and Thai troops. This year, 3,090 personnel from Thailand would take part along with 2,000 US forces. Japan will send 47 troops, with 70 from Singapore and 27 from Indonesia. Forces from those three nations will only participate in computer simulations and observe humanitarian projects. In earlier years, some 20,000 personnel participated in the war games, but the scale has gone down considerably in recent years as a result of US Military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. This year’s event will be mainly sponsored by the United States and Thailand, with the former contributing 6 million U.S. dollars while the latter 20 million Thai Baht (about 590,000 dollars).

For those of our Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, and Crew Members who will participate in this military exercise, we are offering a limited time special offer. This offer is available only to those participating in the Cobra Gold exercise and you guys can find out more information at participating Internet Cafes that are offering FREE internet service for you! For those of you who do not have a computer, laptop, camera, video camcorder or iPod (hint hint) here is the perfect opportunity to get it done. Wouldn’t you have liked to catch all those great moments on film and share them with family back home while staying in contact with them on your private laptop? Order now, get our special promotion and have your gear waiting for you when you get back home without even putting any money down! Low monthly payments and customer/technical support well beyond the call of duty is still included with every order. For those of you out there at Sattaheap, Uttapao, BCK or Pattaya area get a hold of me and I can get you some more information, but hurry up as this offer ends May 31, 2007!!

Below is a great picture of a sign in a Marine’s Barracks over in Iraq. We just added the missing text at the bottom. Just thought it would fit well on our new blog and help show our support for what our Military is doing!

I am sure most of you have heard of this story, but I thought I would post about it since it has been circulating on the internet. Kevin Garrad of the 3rd Infantry Division looks to have gotten a little assistance from an unexpected source while on a street patrol in Iraq. While he came around a corner of a building, the iPod in his pocket got in the path of a bullet fired at close range by an insurgent. This caused the bullet to slow down enough that it didn’t pierce his body armor. Even more unlikely was that the fallen iPod an HP iPod! HP no longer sells Apple’s iPod making it somewhat of a limited edition series. Incidentally, HP is now selling a new lineup of electronic gadgets.

From what I have gathered, the insurgent fired a AK-47 making it a 7.62×39 bullet that made contact. Most likely, the iPod played little or no role in saving this soldier’s life. However the fact still remains that a bullet did puncture the iPod allowing for a great story that the solider almost didn’t get to tell. Ballistics test show that the iPod most likely deformed the round so that the energy was dispersed and ensured that the bullet did not pierce the body armor. Normally, body armor can only stop a bullet fired from an AK-47 from long range.

iPod Takes A Bullet