Nicholas Irving is a retired US Army Ranger sniper who has served in Afghanistan. Irving, author of "Way of the Reaper," discusses the scariest part about being a sniper.
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This is the scariest part about being a sniper
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An Army Special Operations veteran explains a key lesson professionals can learn from the military
What's the hardest part of transitioning from the world of Army Special Operations to the private sector?
This question, posed by a grizzled, ten-year veteran of a West Coast-based Navy SEAL Team, hung in the air.
It was in response to my address to a group of Navy SEALs from The Honor Foundation, an organization dedicated to "bridging military and private sector careers … for members of the Special Operations Forces community."
I had been invited to talk about my successful transition into the private sector after serving in two wars, including five combat deployments in the 75th Ranger Regiment, the Army's premier Special Operations raid unit. I currently work at MuleSoft, a San Francisco-based enterprise software company.
After pausing to reflect, I replied, "You can generally expect people in the private sector to demonstrate a drastically lower level of receptivity to negative feedback than you would encounter in the military."
Veterans are the products of an extremely direct culture, profoundly different from the traditional, corporate environment. This directness is necessary when serving in combat, as the stakes for a miscommunication or misunderstanding can be the difference between life and death. It must, therefore, be ingrained into every aspect of military training.
In my own experience, I often challenged senior field officers — offering candid feedback to help mitigate the very real possibility of danger to my team. On one occasion, equipped with knowledge from my pre-mission planning, I responded directly to a brigadier general who happened to be sitting in on a pre-mission brief.
He'd suggested an alternative location to employ my sniper team. Having conducted a thorough map reconnaissance of the area, I explained that not only would his suggested position silhouette my team against the full moon, but that the position would also restrict my ability to provide overwatch for the main body of the assault force. Standing firm in my challenge to his reasoning, I proceeded with employing my team as planned.
When veterans get out of the military and make the switch to engaging with civilian colleagues, they are frequently surprised to find this new audience much less receptive to such brusque feedback.
In conversations with friends in similar situations, I've come to recognize a key theme: Veterans transitioning to the private sector often run the risk of coming across as overly direct. While veterans are excellent at providing direct feedback — a skill in which I think the private sector would benefit from developing — we often find ourselves ill-equipped to convey it in a way that demonstrates empathy.
Radical Candor in action
Kim Malone Scott of Candor, Inc. coined the phrase Radical Candor, which is "the ability to give both praise and criticism in a way that challenges people directly and shows you care about them personally."
Scott shared a great example about a time when her boss criticized her early in her career at Google, after she presented to the founders and the CEO. While Scott felt that the meeting went well, her boss, Sheryl Sandberg, approached her to go for a walk and debrief after the meeting.
She started off discussing the positive things in Scott's presentation but gave feedback that Scott said "um" a lot. During the conversation, Sandberg could tell that Scott wasn't getting it, so she decided to be even clearer, saying: "When you say um every third word, it makes you sound stupid." At that moment, Scott understood the feedback. While it wasn't positive, the constructive criticism showed that Sandberg cared about Scott's professional growth.
Scott adds that for most professionals, offering this kind of feedback is an "unnatural act." But for many veterans, Radical Candor comes much more naturally to them than other kinds of responses. Unfortunately, it leads to many veterans delivering feedback that Scott describes as "obnoxiously aggressive."
For example, I once found myself going over the top in my criticism toward a team member who was presenting in a team meeting. After the meeting, I realized that, without context, this type of negative feedback in front of the broader team had likely bordered on "obnoxious aggression."
Recognizing this, I found that individual and started off with sharing my intent in giving the feedback during the presentation. I then asked if I could share "radically candid" feedback and discussed how the presentation had felt unrehearsed and off-message at certain points.
I further inquired as to whether or not that individual felt the same. And they agreed, citing that they were overwhelmed at the time and had crafted the presentation last minute. I empathized, sharing my own experience on delivering under tight timelines and offering to coach them through their next iteration. The team member then understood where my feedback came from and appreciated me for holding them accountable.
Transitioning veterans may struggle with this culture clash, trying to reconcile delivering effective, direct feedback in the private sector while demonstrating that they care on a personal level. Many view the delivery of this feedback as their duty. But if they omit the demonstration of empathy, they widen the gap between themselves and their colleagues.
Why the best bosses deliver direct feedback
In conversations with other veterans and through my own personal experience transitioning into the private sector, I've come to understand that the level of Radical Candor can vary — not just from one organization to another, but also from one individual to another.
At MuleSoft, for example, our executive team made a commitment to be more radically candid. We foster a culture where giving and receiving feedback creates a "healthy dose of friction"– something that is written into MuleSoft's cultural manifesto and greatly valued.
Instead of being perceived as a weakness, a veteran's ability to deliver criticism and push back when warranted needs to be recognized as a business strength. Sydney Finkelstein, author of "Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent," writes, "Superbosses are all about giving feedback anywhere and everywhere, and if employees don't get it, they've got a problem." Veterans, already comfortable with this, are well on their way to establishing themselves as exceptional leaders and should encourage others to follow suit.
Even at a company that espouses Radical Candor, however, delivering it isn't always easy. While many top-performing members of the private sector view direct feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow, not all of them are as receptive to it. This can create a gap in how comfortable veterans and members of the private sector are in balancing direct feedback with a level of personal caring.
Recognizing this gap is critical — both for transitioning veterans who wish to succeed in the private sector, and for executives hoping to tap into this crop of potential "superbosses." Once a balance is reached, veterans can turn the military culture into a corporate advantage and become a powerful asset to any company.
Steven Broudy is the head of account development for the Americas at MuleSoft, provider of the leading platform for building application networks. He was formerly in the U.S. Army, where he spent nearly six years in the 75th Ranger Regiment serving, among other positions as a Sniper Team Leader. Connect with Steven on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.
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The US Air Force may not have recovered all the nukes its lost
Retired Air Force Colonel and author of Breaking the Trust Barrier JV Venable told us the US Air Force has lost nuclear weapons.
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US tanks have fallen far behind Russia in a key area
In 2006, Israel sent its top tier Merkava tanks to fight against largely unarmored Hezbollah divisions, but they still faced considerable losses owing to the proliferation of advanced antitank rounds, many of which originated in Russia.
Fast forward to the 2014 Gaza conflict with Hamas. Despite Hamas having similar weapons and backing, not a single Merkava or Israeli armored fighting vehicle was lost. The reason being that Israel had perfected the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) to defend its tanks.
The US, on the other hand, has not faced a peer or near-peer adversary in ground combat in decades, and, as a reflection of that, the US's main combat tank, the M1 Abrams, lacks an APS.
Today, limited US forces advise and assist forces in Syria, where no fewer than eight antitank missile systems are in play, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service.
The most worrisome of these systems originate in Russia and use clever means to defeat tank-armor systems. This highlights the need for the US to modernize its armored-fighting-vehicle defenses.
But finding an APS for the US Army and Marine Corps' global ground force is fraught with difficulties. Even if the US were to buy and deploy Israel's tested Trophy system, there are many additional considerations to be made.
The Marines, for instance, need an APS that can be deployed on boats and resist salt-water corrosion. The systems, with their advanced sensors needed to detect and destroy incoming threats in the blinding speed of real-time conflict, may interfere with each other or malfunction.
Because the systems need to operate in milliseconds, no human can deploy them. Therefore they need to be automated, and collateral damage is a real risk. APS uses a hail of shrapnel to thwart incoming rockets, filling the area outside the tank with explosions and flying debris that could potentially harm friendly troops.
Because of the US's high standards of protecting lives and property, public and private, they must come up with a satisfactory solution to these issues.
Meanwhile Russia claims to have developed the T-14 Armata, a truly next-generation tank fitted with a bigger gun, better armor, and APS all around.
While there is reason to doubt the overall capabilities of the T-14, antitank weapons systems are proven to be effective and in the hands of militias around the world.
For the US to retain its asymmetrical advantage in ground warfare, as it has done for decades, the issue of protecting armored vehicles must be addressed.
SEE ALSO: Why Iran is 'playing with fire' in the Persian Gulf against US Navy ships
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The US military has a major weight problem
A new report from Andrew Tilghman of the Military Times states that the US's obesity epidemic has spread to the military, with a whopping 7.8% of US military members now being clinically overweight.
Having a body mass index (BMI) of over 25 defines one of being overweight by the military's standards, though reason exists to question the accuracy of BMI in predicting overall health.
While weight problems affect a much smaller portion of the military than the US's population at large (70% overweight), the figure, nonetheless, is troubling.
“If I have to climb up to the top of a mountain in Nuristan, in Afghanistan, and if I have someone who is classified as clinically obese, they are potentially going to be a liability for me on that patrol,” Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxel told the Military Times.
Read the full report here»
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Britain 'will oppose any idea of an EU army'
Bratislava (AFP) - Britain will oppose all EU plans for increased military cooperation that could interfere with
NATO, despite being about to leave the union, Defence Minister Michael Fallon said Tuesday.
"We are going to continue to oppose any idea of an EU army or an EU army headquarters which would simply undermine NATO," Fallon said at a meeting with his 27 counterparts in Bratislava, where European Union leaders earlier this month agreed to step up joint military efforts.
Asked if Britain could veto the plans while it still remains a member of the European Union ahead of Brexit, Fallon said: "There is no majority here for a EU army."
"There are a number of other countries who believe with us that cuts across the sovereignty of individual nation states," he added.
"We agree Europe needs to do more, it's facing terrorism, it's facing migration, but simply duplicating or undermining Nato is the wrong way to do it."
EU leaders met without Britain in the Slovakian capital on September 16 to discuss plans to move forward in the wake of the stunning British vote to leave the bloc on June 23.
They agreed on a six-month roadmap to create a new "vision" for the EU, including beefed up defence cooperation, which Britain has always opposed.
Fallon insisted however that Britain would continue to contribute to European defence as a member of NATO.
"We are leaving the European Union but we remain committed to the security of Europe and putting more troops into Estonia or Poland next year."
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Abrams tanks are being outfitted with high-tech systems that can destroy incoming enemy fire
The Army is fast-tracking an emerging technology for Abrams tanks designed to give combat vehicles an opportunity identify, track and destroy approaching enemy rocket-propelled grenades in a matter of milliseconds, service officials said.
Called Active Protection Systems, or APS, the technology uses sensors and radar, computer processing, fire control technology and interceptors to find, target and knock down or intercept incoming enemy fire such as RPGs and Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, or ATGMs. Systems of this kind have been in development for many years, however the rapid technological progress of enemy tank rounds, missiles and RPGs is leading the Army to more rapidly test and develop APS for its fleet of Abrams tanks.
“The Army is looking at a range of domestically produced and allied international solutions from companies participating in the Army's Modular Active Protection Systems (MAPS) program,” an Army official told Scout Warrior.
The idea is to arm armored combat vehicles and tactical wheeled vehicles with additional protective technology to secure platforms and soldiers from enemy fire; vehicles slated for use of APS systems are infantry fighting vehicles such as Bradleys along with Stykers, Abrams tanks and even tactical vehicles such as transport trucks and the emerging Humvee replacement, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
“The Army's expedited APS effort is being managed by a coordinated team of Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center engineers, acquisition professionals, and industry; and is intended to assess current APS state-of-the art by installing and characterizing some existing non-developmental APS systems on Army combat vehicles,” the Army official said.
General Dynamics Land Systems, maker of Abrams tanks, is working with the Army to better integrate APS into the subsystems of the Abrams tank, as opposed to merely using an applique system, Mike Peck, Business Development Manager, General Dynamics Land Systems, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
Peck said General Dynamics plans to test an APS system called Trophy on the Abrams tank next year.
Being engineered as among the most survivable and heavily armored vehicles in existence, the Abrams tank is built to withstand a high degree of enemy fire, such some enemy tank rounds, RPGs, rockets and missiles. Abrams tanks can also carry reactive armor, material used to explode incoming enemy fire in a matter that protects the chassis and crew of the vehicle itself.
However, depending upon the range, speed and impact location of enemy fire, there are some weapons which still pose a substantial threat to Abrams tanks. Therefore, having an APS system which could knock out enemy rounds before they hit the tank, without question, adds an additional layer of protection for the tank and crew. A particular threat area for Abrams tanks is the need the possibility of having enemy rounds hit its ammunition compartment, thereby causing a damaging secondary explosion.
APS on Abrams tanks, quite naturally, is the kind of protective technology which could help US Army tanks in tank-on-tank mechanized warfare against near-peer adversary tanks, such as a high-tech Russian T-14 Armata tank. According to a report in The National Interest from Dave Majumdar (Click Here for Story), Russian T-14s are engineered with an unmanned turret, reactive armor and Active Protection Systems.
A challenge with the technology is to develop the proper protocol or tactics, techniques and procedures such that soldiers walking in proximity to a vehicle are not vulnerable to shrapnel, debris or fragments from the explosion between an interceptor and approaching enemy fire.
“The expedited activity will inform future decisions and trade-space for the Army's overarching APS strategy which uses the MAPS program to develop a modular capability that can be integrated on any platform,” the Army official said.
Rafael's Trophy system, Artis Corporation's Iron Curtain, Israeli Military Industry's Iron Fist, UBT/Rheinmetall's ADS system, and others.
Trophy
DRS Technologies and Israeli-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are asking the U.S. Army to consider acquiring their recently combat-tested Trophy Active Protection System, a vehicle-mounted technology engineered to instantly locate and destroy incoming enemy fire.
Using a 360-degree radar, processor and on-board computer, Trophy is designed to locate, track and destroy approaching fire coming from a range of weapons such as Anti-Tank-Guided-Missiles, or ATGMs, or Rocket Propelled Grenades, or RPGs,
The interceptor consists of a series of small, shaped charges attached to a gimbal on top of the vehicle. The small explosives are sent to a precise point in space to intercept and destroy the approaching round, he added.
Radar scans the entire perimeter of the platform out to a known range. When a threat penetrates that range, the system then detects and classifies that threat and tells the on-board computer which determines the optical kill point in space, a DRS official said.
Trophy was recently deployed in combat in Gaza on Israeli Defense Forces’ Merkava tanks. A brigade’s worth of tanks used Trophy to destroy approaching enemy fire such as RPGs in a high-clutter urban environment, he added.
“Dozens of threats were launched at these platforms, many of which would have been lethal to these vehicles. Trophy engaged those threats and defeated them in all cases with no collateral injury and no danger to the dismounts and no false engagement,” the DRS official said.
While the Trophy system was primarily designed to track and destroy approaching enemy fire, it also provides the additional benefit of locating the position of an enemy shooter.
“Trophy will not only knock an RPG out of the sky but it will also calculate the shooter’s location. It will enable what we call slew-to-cue. At the same time that the system is defeating the threat that is coming at it, it will enable the main gun or sensor or weapons station to vector with sights to where the threat came from and engage, identify or call in fire. At very least you will get an early warning to enable you to take some kind of action,” the DRS official explained. “I am no longer on the defensive with Trophy. Israeli commanders will tell you ‘I am taking the fight to the enemy.’
The Israelis developed Trophy upon realizing that tanks could not simply be given more armor without greatly minimizing their maneuverability and deployability, DRS officials said.
Trophy APS was selected by the Israel Defense Forces as the Active Protection System designed to protect the Namer heavy infantry fighting vehicle.
Artis Corporation’s Iron Curtain
A Virginia-based defense firm known as Artis, developer of the Iron Curtain APS system, uses two independent sensors, radar and optical, along with high-speed computing and counter munitions to detect and intercept approaching fire, according to multiple reports.
Iron Curtain began in 2005 with the Pentagon’s research arm known as DARPA; the APS system is engineered to defeat enemy fire at extremely close ranges.
The systems developers and multiple reports – such as an account from Defense Review -- say that Iron Curtain defeats threats inches from their target, which separates the system from many others which intercept threats several meters out. The aim is to engineer a dependable system with minimal risk of collateral damage to dismounted troops or civilians.
The Defense Review report also says that Iron Curtain’s sensors can target destroy approaching RPG fire to within one-meter of accuracy.
Iron Curtain’s radar was developed by the Mustang Technology Group in Plano, Texas.
“Iron Curtain has already been successfully demonstrated in the field. They installed the system on an up-armored HMMWV (Humvee), and Iron Curtain protected the vehicle against an RPG. Apparently, the countermeasure deflagrates the RPG’s warhead without detonating it, leaving the “dudded” RPG fragments to just bounce off the vehicle’s side. Iron Curtain is supposed to be low weight and low cost, with a minimal false alarm rate and minimal internal footprint,” the Defense Review report states.
Israel’s IRON FIST
Israel’s IMISystems has also developed an APS system which uses a multi-sensor early warning system with both infrared and radar sensors.
“Electro-optical jammers, Instantaneous smoke screens and, if necessary, an interceptor-based hard kill Active Protection System,” IMISystems officials state.
IRON FIST capability demonstrators underwent full end-to-end interception tests, against all threat types, operating on the move and in urban scenarios. These tests included both heavy and lightly armored vehicles.
“In these installations, IRON FIST proved highly effective, with its wide angle protection, minimal weight penalty and modest integration requirements,” company officials said.
UBT/Rheinmetall's Active Defense System
German defense firms called Rheinmetall and IBD Deisenroth, Germany, joined forces to develop active vehicle protection systems; Rheinmetall AG owns a 74% share, with the remainder held by IBD Deisenroth GmbH.
Described as a system which operates on the “hard kill” principle, the ADS is engineered for vehicles of every weight class; it purports to defend against light antitank weapons, guided missiles and certain improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“The sensor system detects an incoming projectile as it draws close to the vehicle, e.g. a shaped charge or antitank missile. Then, in a matter of microseconds, the system activates a protection sector, applying directed pyrotechnic energy to destroy the projectile in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. Owing to its downward trajectory, ADS minimizes collateral damage in the zone surrounding the vehicle,” the company’s website states.
SEE ALSO: 17 reasons why the M1 Abrams tank is still king of the battlefield
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The US Army is drastically scaling up the firepower of its Stryker infantry to counter Russia
The US Army will soon receive its first prototypes of a newly-engineered up-gunned Stryker infantry vehicle armed with a more lethal, longer-range 30mm cannon as compared with the currently installed .50-cal machine guns.
Called the Stryker Enhanced Lethality Program, the effort was implemented as a rapid-development acquisition program to better equip 9-man infantry units with combat arms to support their missions, maneuvers and ground-attacks.
“It is really about mobile protected fire power for the Infantry Brigade Combat Team. In the Combat Vehicle Modernization Plan it talks about every vehicle having an organic blend of those capabilities… mobility, protection and firepower,” Maj. Gen. David Bassett, Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), which builds and engineers the new enhanced lethality Stryker vehicles, will deliver the first eight prototype vehicles in December of this year, Wendy Staiger, Stryker Program Director, GDLS, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
Compared to an existing M2 .50-cal machine gun mounted from Strykers, the new 30mm weapon is designed to improve both range and lethality for the vehicle. The new gun can fire at least twice as far as a .50-Cal, Tim Reese, Director of Strategic Planning, General Dynamics Land Systems, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
“It shoots at a rapid rate of one, three or five-round bursts when you pull the trigger,” Resse explained.
The 30mm cannon, made by Kongsberg, can use a proximity fuse and fire high-explosive rounds, armor piercing rounds and air burst rounds, Reese added. During live-fire testing at Fort Benning, Ga., the 30mm cannon was able to demonstrate firing ability out to ranges of 3,000 meters. Also, while the .50-Cal is often used as a suppressive fire "area" weapon designed to restrict enemy freedom of movement and allow troops to maneuver, the 30mm gun brings a level of precision fire to the Stryker Infantry Carrier that does not currently exist.
Dismounted infantry units are often among the first-entering “tip-of-the-spear” combat forces which at times travel to areas less-reachable by heavy armored platforms such as an Abrams tank or Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Certain terrain, bridges or enemy force postures can also make it difficult for heavier armored vehicles to maneuver on attack.
As a result, having an up-gunned, highly-mobile wheeled Stryker vehicle can massively supplement Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) on the move in hostile warfare circumstances, Basset explained. Also, a gun with greater range and fire-power could better allow forward-positioned infantry units to attack enemies and conduct operations with massively enhanced fire support.
“IBCTs are great in terms of getting Soldiers to the fight but they do not have that staying power unless there are combat platforms that will let them do that. They can hit targets that otherwise they would be engaging with Javelins(Anti-Tank Missiles),” Bassett said.
The new gun, to be fully operational by 2018, incorporates a number of additional innovations for Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles and Reconnaissance Vehicles.
“The medium cannon has a feed system with links pulling into the breach. This is a link-less feed system. The ammo is in canisters attached to the breach of the gun and rounds are pulled into the breach one at a time. It is much less prone to jamming,” Reese said. “It Uses the same firing control handle as the current machine gun and same physical display channels.
Deterring Russia
The new, more-powerful Orbital ATK XM 81330mm 30mm cannon, which can be fired from within the Stryker vehicle using a Remote Weapons Station, will first deploy with the European-based 2nd Cavalry Unit.
While US Army leaders did not, quite naturally, specify that the weapon is intended to counter Russian forces on the European continent, they do often speak candidly about Russian aggression in Ukraine and other areas. In fact, a RAND study months ago determined that the Russian military could invade and over run the Baltic states in merely 60-hours given the small amount of NATO forces in the area. It is not surprising, given this scenario, that the Pentagon and NATO are amidst various efforts to strengthen their force posture in Europe.
It appears to be no accident that this initiative to better arm Stryker infantry carriers comes at a time when the US Army and US European Command are deliberately revving up arms, multi-national training exercises with NATO allies and armored mobility for its forces in Europe – as a direct counterbalance or deterrent to Russia’s aggressive posture in the region.
For instance, last year’s US European Command’s Dragoon Ride convoy across Europe was, among other things, designed to demonstrate the mobility, deployability and responsiveness of NATO armored forces across the European continent. There have been several additional exercises, involving US Army collaboration with Eastern European NATO allies since this convoy and many more are planned for the immediate future.
SEE ALSO: Russia is openly taunting the US to militarily intervene in Syria
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A Navy SEAL reveals what 'American Sniper' got wrong
Former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb knew the real "American Sniper," Chris Kyle, and helped design the training course that Kyle took. When he watched Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper's movie he had a lot to say about it.
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The war in Afghanistan is 15 years old — here are 29 photos of one of the US's longest wars
From October 7, 2001, until December 28, 2014, US and NATO forces carried out combat operations in Afghanistan.
While those operations were meant to end and the US had begun withdrawing troops from the country by the end of 2014, the Taliban continued success on the battlefield, coupled with the ineffective performance Afghan security forces, led the US to continue its deployment in the country, which has seen decades of wars fought by numerous combatants.
Overall, the US has a force of nearly 10,000 Afghanistan, though President Barack Obama intended to reduce that force to 5,500 in 2017, the continued Taliban threat has caused a change of plans, with some 8,400 troops slated to remain in Afghanistan at the end of next year.
Most NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan at the end of 2014.
By the end of that year, foreign-military losses amounted to 3,500 killed and 33,000 wounded. Those loses included 2,400 dead and 20,000 wounded for the US; 453 and 7,500 for Great Britain; 159 and 1,859 for Canada; and 89 and 725 for France, though those numbers do not include private-security contractors.
Since 2001, the US has spent about $110 billion on Afghanistan's reconstruction, more than the cost of the Marshall Plan that reconstruct Europe after World War II. Washington has allocated more than $60 billion since 2002 to train and equip Afghan troops.
The US money spent in Afghanistan has yielded limited results, however.
Security in the country remains precarious and the Taliban is believed to control more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since 2001. A record 5,100 civilian casualties, including 1,600 deaths, were recorded in the first half of 2016, according to the UN.
Below, you can see a selection of photos documenting the last 15 years the US's war in Afghanistan.
SEE ALSO: Watch a US-led coalition airstrike wipe out an ISIS bomb factory in Iraq
Osama bin Laden is seen at an undisclosed location in this television image broadcast Sunday, October 7, 2001. Bin Laden praised God for the September 11 terrorist attacks and swore America "will never dream of security" until "the infidel's armies leave the land of Muhammad," in a videotaped statement aired after the strike launched Sunday by the US and Britain in Afghanistan.
The US and Britain on October 7, 2001, launched a first wave of air strikes against Afghanistan and then US President George W. Bush said the action heralded a "sustained, comprehensive and relentless" campaign against terrorism.
Eyewitnesses said they saw flashes and heard explosions over the Afghan capital of Kabul in the first phase of what the US has said will be a protracted and wide-ranging war against terrorism and the states that support it. The attack had been prepared since the September 11 suicide attacks on the US.
Mohammed Anwar, left, and an unidentified boy in Kabul, Afghanistan, display pieces of shrapnel from bombs dropped Monday morning, October 8, 2001.
The US and Britain hit Afghanistan and key installations of the Taliban regime with cruise missiles Sunday night for harboring suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden. Many residents of Afghanistan seem unfazed by the bombing after living in war like conditions for more than 20 years.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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An Army Ranger describes the toughest exercise at the US military’s elite sniper school
Nicholas Irving is a retired US Army Ranger sniper. Irving, author of "Way of the Reaper," discusses the most challenging part of the military's elite sniper school.
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GREEN BERET: This is how we're different from US Navy SEALs
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The US Army is outfitting its Stryker infantry with mounted laser weapons
The Army and General Dynamics Land Systems are developing a Stryker-mounted laser weapon aimed at better arming the vehicle to incinerate enemy drones or threatening ground targets.
Concept vehicles are now being engineered and tested at the Army’s Ft. Sill artillery headquarters as a way to quickly develop the weapon for operational service. During a test this past April, the laser weapons successful shot down 21 out of 23 enemy drone targets.
The effort marks the first-ever integration of an Army laser weapon onto a combat vehicle.
“The idea is to provide a solution to a capability gap which is an inability to acquire, track and destroy low, slow drones that proliferate all over the world,” Tim Reese, director of strategic planning, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
The weapon is capable of destroying Group 1 and Group 2 small and medium-sized drones, Reese added.
The laser, which Reese says could be operational as soon as 11-months from now, will be integrated into the Fire Support Vehicle Stryker variant designed for target tracking and identification.
General Dynamics Land Systems is now working on upgrading the power of the laser from two kilowatts of power to five kilowatts. The laser weapon system uses its own tracking radar to acquire targets in the event that other sensors on the vehicle are disabled in combat and has an electronic warfare jamming system intended to jam the signal of enemy drones. Boeing is the maker of the fire-control technology integrated into the laser weapon. The laser is also integrated with air-defense and field artillery networks
“The energy of the laser damages, destroys and melts different components of the target,” Reese explained.
The Army is now in research and test mode, with a clear interest in rapidly deploying this technology. Reese added that GDLS anticipates being able to fire an 18-kilowatt laser from the Stryker by 2018.
One of the challenges with mobile laser weapons is the need to maintain enough exportable power to sustain the weapon while on-the-move, developers have explained.
“As power goes up, the range increases and time to achieve the melt increases. You can achieve less than one-half of the burn time,” he said.
This initiative is of particular relevance given the current tensions in Europe between Russia and NATO. US Army Europe has been amid a large-scale effort to collaborate with allies on multi-lateral exercises, show an ability to rapidly deploy armored forces across the European continent and up-gun combat platforms stationed in Europe such as the Stryker.
Lasers at Forward Operating Bases
The Army is planning to deploy laser weapons able to protect Forward Operating Bases (FOB) by rapidly incinerating and destroying approaching enemy drones, artillery rounds, mortars and cruise missiles, service leaders told ScoutWarrior.
Forward-deployed soldiers in places like Afghanistan are familiar with facing incoming enemy mortar rounds, rockets and gunfire attacks; potential future adversaries could launch drones, cruise missiles, artillery or other types of weapons at FOBs.
Adding lasers to the arsenal, integrated with sensors and fire-control radar, could massively help U.S. soldiers quickly destroy enemy threats by burning them out of the sky in seconds, Army leaders said.
Laser weapons have been in development with the Army for many years, Mary Miller, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Research and Technology, told Scout Warrior in an interview several months ago.
"We've clearly demonstrated you can takeout UAVs pretty effectively. Now we are not only working on how we take out UAVs but also mortars and missiles--and eventually cruise missiles," she said.
The emerging weapons are being engineered into a program called Indirect Fire Protection Capability, or IFPC Increment 2. Through this program, the Army plans to fire lasers to protect forward bases by 2023 as part of an integrated system of technologies, sensors and weapons designed to thwart incoming attacks.
At the moment, Army soldiers at Forward Operating Bases use a system called Counter Rocket, Artillery, Mortar – or C-RAM, to knock down incoming enemy fire such as mortar shells. C-RAM uses sensors alongside a vehicle-mounted 20mm Phalanx Close-in-Weapons-System able to fire 4,500 rounds per minute. The idea is to blanket an area with large numbers of small projectiles as a way to intercept and destroy incoming artillery, rocket or mortar fire.
Also, lasers bring the promise of quickly incinerating a wide range of targets while helping to minimize costs, Miller explained.
"The shot per kill (with lasers) is very inexpensive when the alternative is sending out a multi-million dollar missile," Miller said.
Boeing's Avenger Laser weapon successfully destroyed a drone in 2008 at White Sands Missile Range. Army weapons developers observed the test.
The Army is also developing a mobile high-energy solid-state laser program called the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator, or HEL MD. The weapon mounts a 10 kilowatt laser on top of a tactical truck. HEL MD weapons developers, who rotate the laser 360-degrees on top of a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, say the Army plan is to increase the strength of the laser up to 100 Kilowatts, service officials said.
“The supporting thermal and power subsystems will be also upgraded to support the increasingly powerful solid state lasers. These upgrades increase the effective range of the laser or decrease required lase time on target,” an Army statement said
In November of 2013, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command used the HEL MD, a vehicle-mounted high energy laser, to successfully engage more than 90 mortar rounds and several unmanned aerial vehicles in flight at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
“This was the first full-up demonstration of the HEL MD in the configuration that included the laser and beam director mounted in the vehicle. A surrogate radar (Enhanced Multi Mode Radar) supported the engagement by queuing the laser,” an Army statement said.
Miller explained how the Army hopes to build upon this progress to engineer laser weapons able to destroy larger targets at farther ranges. She said the evolution of laser weapons has spanned decades.
"We first determined we could use lasers in the early 60’s. It was not until the 90’s when we determined we could have the additional power needed to hit a target of substance. It took us that long to create a system and we have been working that kind of system ever since," Miller added.
SEE ALSO: The US Army is drastically scaling up the firepower of its Stryker infantry to counter Russia
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The Army just made history and got 10 new female infantry officers
The Army just graduated 166 new infantry officers from its basic leadership course at Fort Benning, and for the first time in history, that number includes women.
Ten female lieutenants graduated from the Infantry Officer Basic Leadership Course on Wednesday, marking the close of the first class that was gender-mixed. The women earned the infantry blue chord and join only one other female infantryman: Capt. Kristen Griest, a former military police officer who transferred to the infantry in April after she became one of the first women to graduate from the Army's Ranger School.
The 17-week course consists of classroom instruction, live-fire training, physical fitness, land navigation, and other fundamentals for officers who will later be tasked with leading a platoon of some 30 soldiers. After graduating IBOLC, most will go through additional training such as Ranger or Airborne school before being assigned to an infantry unit.
“We are in the business of producing leaders and it doesn’t matter if they are male or female," Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Davis, the senior enlisted soldier at IBOLC, told Army Times.
The military has been slowly integrating females — previously excluded from some occupational specialties — into combat jobs such as infantry and armor, following policy changes initiated by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in 2013.
Most of those changes affect the Army and Marine Corps, which have the majority of combat-related jobs. While the Marines have graduated some enlisted females through its infantry training pipeline, it has had no women graduate its own infantry officer course, though more than 30 have tried.
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A fashion photographer captured powerful photos of wounded military veterans
One of the world's leading photographers has shot a series of photographs as part of a campaign to help raise money for veterans.
Rankin — who has worked with the Queen, Madonna, and David Bowie— photographed both physically and mentally wounded soldiers who have served in the British military.
The photos will be published alongside their inspirational stories in a new book called "For Queen and Country," and the proceeds will be donated to the "Coming Home" campaign.
The initiative is spearheaded by Haig Housing — a charity which buys and adapts housing for former members of the armed forces.
In a press release, London-based Rankin said: "It is impossible to even begin to comprehend what these men and women have been through, both in theatres of war and their extensive recuperation periods.
"It made their bravery and zest for life all the more humbling."
At 19 years old, Michael Swain lost both his legs in a Taliban bomb blast in Afghanistan. He has since raised £250,000 for charity and won an MBE, but soldiers like Swain who suffered life-changing injuries often need their homes to be specially tailored to suit their needs.
That's where Haig Housing comes in. They have been providing adapted housing for severely wounded veterans for more than 100 years. Ex-servicemen and women who may be homeless or threatened with impending homelessness can also seek help through the charity.
Explaining the striking simplicity of his photos, Rankin said: "I made a conscious decision to photograph them against a white background with the focus on their faces – I wanted to strip away the stigma and show them as real people."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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This is why veterans are backing Donald Trump despite his many military gaffes
Donald Trump has trashed-talked Senator John McCain, who as a POW was tortured during the Vietnam War.
He has skipped a GOP primary debate before the Iowa caucuses, instead holding a fund-raising event for vets. Then the money he raised had to be pried out of his small hands.
He has said he knows more about ISIS than the generals.
He has called the American military “a disaster.”
He has accepted a Purple Heart awarded to one of his supporters, saying he always wanted one – as if a medal for getting wounded in battle were the Flexible Flyer he didn’t get for Christmas in 1950.
He has been at war with the Muslim parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004 as he cautioned his men to stand back while he moved to examine a suspicious vehicle. It was a car bomb.
He has said he learned all about being a soldier when he was sent to a military-themed boarding schoolbecause he was a badly behaved boy.
And yet, as The New York Times reports , the man of the people who called in sick to the Vietnam draft while getting five deferments counts military veterans — many of whom served in Iraq or Afghanistan — as his most loyal supporters.
Why would an overweight Twitter jockey who couldn’t low-crawl on his belly under barbed wire if he wanted to or pilot anything more complicated than a Cadillac Escalade appeal to America’s former fighting men and women?
It’s simple: They resent having been sent cavalierly to fight again and again in senseless conflicts that don’t leave them proud, just exhausted and broken.
Politicians like to puff out their chests, pledge allegiance and wrap themselves in the Stars and Stripes when veterans are mentioned, but it usually seems like a drill you learn at snag-a-vote school — along with phony smiling, hand pumping and talking out of both sides of your mouth.
But if the personally bellicose Trump can be taken seriously about anything, it’s that he doesn’t want to be a war president, that he doesn’t want America to be the world’s sentry, that he doesn’t want to send troops into harm’s way with abandon.
In this election year, no candidate other than Bernie Sanders has talked more forcefully about not getting involved in foreign adventures than Trump. And in some ways, he has gone further, suggesting — sometimes ham-handedly or even frighteningly -- that countries defend themselves, or at least pay for their own defense.
The media has played “gotcha!” with him over his claim that he never supported the invasion of Iraq, trotting out a half-hearted endorsement of the war in a passing moment during an interview with Howard Stern in 2002.
But he wasn’t a senator who got a briefing and voted against the war, like Sanders -- or a senator who got a briefing and authorized the war, like Hillary Clinton.
If middle and upper-class Americans are surprised that those who defend them are turning to Trump, that’s understandable: The all-volunteer enlisted men and women have become an easily ignored underclass with whom many people never have much contact.
The Times story Thursday examining why so many veterans are backing Trump pointed out that less than 1 percent of Americans serve their country these days.
For all its faults, a conscripted military was more representative of the nation because it included soldiers, sailors and Marines from all backgrounds, ethnicities and economic circumstances. Sure, the wealthier were always better able to come up with ways to avoid the draft, but it didn’t always work.
Now instead of being an army of your sons and daughters or the children of your relatives, friends and co-workers, the military is made up of hired guns who don’t have the same connection to the population at large. They are our national bodyguards. We trust them to protect us. We honor their service. But at the end of the day, the sorry truth is we treat them as expendable.
It is fair to ask if George W. Bush and Dick Cheney would have been as quick to start the Iraq War and commit troops to a dangerous mission far from home if those soldiers were draftees.
With an all-volunteer military, the danger of a political blowback is significantly lower, and so the temptation to play cowboy with other people’s lives is much higher.
In Clinton, many of those who have been grunts on the ground no doubt see yet another politician who could have an itchy trigger finger and who already made one wrong decision about going to war.
In Trump, if they take him at his very dodgy word, they see an outsider who says he wants to strengthen the military enormously but keep American troops out of conflicts that don’t threaten national security. He has also promised to upgrade the care that former soldiers are getting from a still-troubled Veterans Administration.
Trump has said to another group of Americans: “What the hell have you got to lose?”
Surely a lot of veterans backing him have asked that question of themselves.
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How the US military trains to take any airbase, anywhere in the world, in just 18 hours
What happens when all hell breaks loose and the US military needs to act within hours?
Enter the 5,000 specialists of Global Response Force, from the Army's 82nd Airborne Brigade, Joint Special Operations Command, and the US Air Force, capable of deploying to any location on earth within 18 hours.
"We need to have demonstrated legitimacy in this capability. It's our muscle. It's us flexing our muscle. Nobody wants to get in the ring with the undefeated heavyweight champion," Staff Sgt. Dillon Heyliger said of the GRF.
In the slides below see how the GRF trains to take enemy airfields with overwhelming force.
SEE ALSO: The world's largest maritime exercise just got bigger
The first wave is an airborne assault with the goal of taking control of an enemy airfield.
Within minutes, paratroopers are on the ground putting heavy lead downrange.
As with any good military exercise, casualties and injuries are simulated to help train field medics.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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Former US intelligence official sentenced to 20 years in prison for child porn
(Reuters) - A former U.S. intelligence official was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography following his guilty plea to the charge in August, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Army Lieutenant Colonel Steven Frederiksen, 42, of Stafford, Virginia, was also sentenced in U.S. District Court to 20 years of supervised release for luring four girls ages 14 to 17 into producing pornography through social media and messaging applications on his government-issued computer, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement.
Frederiksen, an employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency, tried to do the same thing with two other underage girls. He also possessed more images of child pornography and swapped child pornography with people online, the statement said.
Frederiksen pleaded guilty in August to producing child pornography and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, holds a master's degree in nuclear physics and is the father of three children.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Alan Crosby)
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13 signs that you grew up in a military family
WASHINGTON, DC — Children who grow up with one or both parents in the military and spend time on or around bases — otherwise known as military brats — get used to things that seem weird to everyone else.
Since I was born at William Beaumont Army Hospital on Fort Bliss, Texas, with years spent there and subsequent deployments to Kaiserslautern, Germany and Osan, South Korea, I've become very familiar with this lifestyle.
In honor of Military Family month, here's 13 tell-tale signs you grew up in the military:
1. You learned the phonetic alphabet along with your ABCs
The phonetic alphabet is a list of specified words used to identify letters in a message transmitted by phone or radio.
For example, the word "Army" would be "Alpha Romeo Mike Yankee" when spelled using the phonetic alphabet.
Just like the military, you also refer to countless things with acronyms. Military slang and acronyms are tossed around in conversations with ease and as a child you learn to pick them up quickly.
For instance, no one ever explained the meaning of "Hooah" (pronounced WhoAh) to you but you knew that it was short for "Heard, Understood, and Acknowledged."
2. Your pantry was always stocked with rations.
The self-contained, individual ration called Meal Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a typical military family household commodity.
MREs contain a main course, side dish, bread, dessert, and a flameless ration heater.
These instant dishes, like "beef ravioli in meat sauce" and "pork chop formed in Jamaican style sauce with noodles," are designed to give service members in the field well-balanced meals.
Sometimes a packed lunch was an MRE shoved into your backpack.
3. Along with a school ID, you had a military ID.
Military ID cards are golden tickets and misplacing one meant perpetually waiting with a sponsor in a small ID card office.
The khaki-colored "identification and privilege card" is the key to a military base and all of its goodies — gym, commissary (grocery store), swimming pool, etc.
4. People ask you where you grew up and it takes you five minutes to answer.
Not having one permanent home for more than five years can make for a lengthy response to the question, "Where are you from?" Living in different states and sometimes foreign countries makes, "I'm from all over" the simplest answer.
That is because military families don't have much of a say as to where they go.
Some families luck out and get amazing placements to installations like the Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, with sailing and surfing classes at the on-base marina and ample views of paradise.
5. At "colors" you drop everything and look for an American flag.
The flag is raised briskly and lowered slowly on American military bases every morning and evening while a patriotic song is played through a loudspeaker, usually "To the Color" or the National Anthem, depending on the base.
This time is referred to as "Colors." Military personnel are required to stop, face the direction of the base flagpole, stand at attention, and render a salute until the music stops.
Moreover, you're used to singing the national anthem everywhere, even in movie theaters after the previews finish.
6. Your church had an American flag inside it.
No different from an American flag hanging inside of a school classroom, America's Stars and Stripes are also recognized inside military installation chapels.
These chapels are designed to be convertible in order to accommodate various religious beliefs of service members.
For example, the chapel may offer a Catholic Mass at 8 a.m. and then a Protestant service at 11 a.m.
Service ended with singing "God Bless America" or "America the Beautiful."
Also, the priest was referred to as chaplain.
7. Calling everyone by last names seems normal.
It is almost as if this behavior is innate, because remarkably, military brats quickly begin to refer to anyone by their last name.
That is because troops refer to each other by their last name, a practice originating from their training in boot camp.
Calling an adult "ma'am" or "sir" is another natural mannerism.
8. Your doctor wears combat boots.
Service members and their families largely use the hospitals and clinics on base as their primary care providers, and those clinics are staffed with military doctors and medics.
A far cry though from the white lab coat with the cold stethoscope, many of these health care providers have seen the worst of the worst.
9. Your chores were mandatory.
Mom never had to come in and make your bed because every morning before school it was your responsibility.
Failing a parent-conducted room inspection resulted in more chores or pushups.
So you learned how to do things the "right way" quickly.
10. If you aren't 15 minutes early, you're late.
Being "tardy" doesn't exist in the military world. You were early to school, doctor's appointments, ceremonies, and parties — no exceptions.
11. You are a bit of a perfectionist, especially in your appearance.
Appearance represents a form of self-discipline, and in the armed forces, it is a requirement that a soldier is neat and well-groomed when in uniform.
Leaders ensure that personnel under their command present a conservative military image.
Similarly, this practice was echoed into your childhood and that meant you didn't get to sport a trendy haircut, loud fingernail polish, and especially an unsightly untucked shirt.
12. You had holiday dinners in a chow hall.
Instead of heading over to grandma's house, military families often go to a dining facility for a cafeteria-style Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
This is either because travel is too difficult or expensive, or because the family lives on an installation in a foreign country.
13. You have immediate respect for anyone in uniform.
Respect for individuals serving in the armed forces is strongly encouraged in military family upbringings.
Possibly because you catch a glimpse of your personal experiences as a military brat, and that kind of relation isn't possible with civilians.
I always look twice when a young troop is in an airport terminal — not because of the enormous rucksack, but to figure out if they're heading home, to an overseas deployment, or to a combat zone.
SEE ALSO: 31 phrases that only people in the military will understand
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29 American presidents who served in the military
Serving in the military isn't a prerequisite for becoming president. Nonetheless, out of the 44 presidents of the United States, 29 had some military experience in their background, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
These are the presidents who served in the armed forces in some capacity, from the modern day to the American Revolution:
SEE ALSO: America's 9 Greatest War Hero Presidents
George W. Bush
Service: Texas Air National Guard
Rank: First Lieutenant
Conflict: Stateside during the Vietnam War
George H. W. Bush
Service: United States Naval Reserve
Rank: Lieutenant (junior grade)
Conflict: World War II
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross
Ronald Reagan
Service: United States Army Reserve, United States Army Air Corps
Rank: Captain
Conflict: Stateside during World War II
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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