Category: Defense

Source: United States Navy

Upon first learning about the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) as a junior high school student, Senior Chief Damage Controlman Andrae Sutherland knew he wanted to be part of it.

Sutherland, a Recruit Division Commander (RDC), was among 60 Recruit Training Command (RTC) Sailors who volunteered at the NJROTC Area 3 West Regional Academic, Athletic and Drill Competition, Feb. 26 at Zion-Benton Township High School.

NJROTC cadets participate in extra-curricular activities designed to stimulate learning with hands-on experiences to reinforce the program’s curriculum. Cadet extra-curricular activities include community service projects, drill competitions, academic competitions, visits to naval installations, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) training. Retired military members instruct the program at accredited secondary schools.

“I’m passionate about molding young minds and the future of our Navy,” said Sutherland, who serves as the RTC Volunteer Coordinator. “I’m looking to become an instructor after I’ve retired.”

More than 25 RTC staff, RDCs, instructors and division officers joined Sutherland as volunteer judges during the second day of the event, which included drill and uniform inspection.

“We do a uniform inspection and that’s where a lot of the RDCs play a key part,” Sutherland said. “There is a tight timeline and you’re inspecting groups of 20 to 40 cadets. The uniform inspection is similar to what the recruits experience at RTC.”

While unable to join NJROTC as a high school student, Sutherland jumped at the chance to volunteer during his first tour as an RDC in 2010. He renewed his commitment when he returned for a second tour in 2018. Connecting with the cadets on a personal level holds deep meaning for Sutherland.

“We get to interact with them and talk to them about their future,” Sutherland said. “The program emphasizes education – that’s a big focus. There are so many scholarship opportunities for them and it is very competitive. If they decide to go to college, or join the Navy, or both, they have a lot of tools to become a better student or Sailor or officer.”

RTC’s strong turnout didn’t surprise Sutherland.

“It’s an example of how we are involved in our communities,” he said. “The RDCs and instructors do like to look sharp and be out there involved with the community. We’re involved with our communities and we want to get to know our community members better. These interactions place a positive spotlight on RTC and the Navy.”

Wheeling (Illinois) High School won the 10-team competition, which included eight events. Each competing unit was judged on academic testing, drill events (color guard, armed and unarmed individual drill routine, and an unnamed exhibition), personnel inspection, and physical fitness (curl-ups, push-ups and shuttle-run relay).

Being a judge provides additional opportunities for RTC staff, especially the RDCs, to use drill knowledge and mentoring skills.

“These men and women are amazing,” said retired Navy commander Steve Schulte, Senior Navy Science Instructor of the Zion NJROTC unit. “Not only are they experts in evaluating drill events, but they also serve as inspiring role models for our NJROTC cadets. We cannot thank them enough for volunteering to spend most of their weekend to give our cadets a meaningful experience.”

RTC staff members have been volunteering at the NJROTC event for more than 15 years and RTC hosted the event before the coronavirus pandemic. 

Approximately 60 percent of NJROTC cadet graduating seniors continue to higher education. Many choose to enlist in the Navy and those with multiple years of NJROTC experience are eligible to receive advanced promotion.

Construction Electrician 2^nd Class Derek Drummond, an RDC ‘C School’ instructor, said NJROTC cadets frequently stand out at the Navy’s only boot camp and often earn recruit leadership roles.

“NJROTC is an awesome experience,” Drummond said. “It builds upon the mentorship that we do here at RTC. The recruits who have been (NJROTC) cadets have had drill instruction and have a strong mind-set. You can spot the leadership. They’re locked in and prepared. They’re ready to strive and hit the ground running when they step off that bus.”

Boot camp training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. About 40,000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.

Source: United States Navy

The two-day event consisted of an exchange of briefs, small group discussions, static displays, and familiarization embark flights.

“VQ-1 and VQ-81 have a long history of cooperation and mission success and I am incredibly honored to participate in this valuable partnership based on shared vital interests and values,” said Cmdr. David Van Kampen, VQ-1 commanding officer.

VQ-1 hosted the event in coordination with their JMSDF partners.

“We are thankful for the opportunities that the Raijin exchange offers to work with our Japanese counterparts and refine our capabilities,” said Lt. Cmdr. David Wilson, officer in charge of VQ-1. “The face-to-face interaction is an invaluable part of that process.”

VQ-1 and VQ-81 have a deep history of cooperation. Their first exchange was almost 30 years ago, in 1994. Bilateral exchanges improve tactical skills and the interoperability between the JMSDF and the U.S. Navy.

VQ-1 is part of Commander, Task Force 72. Based out of Whidbey Island, Washington, the “World Watchers” are currently operating from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The squadron conducts naval operations as part of a rotational deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

Source: United States Navy

When inspiration strikes at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), the Fleet Support Team’s Advanced Technology and Innovation (ATI) Team stands ready to help translate ideas into reality. In the team’s Innovation Lab, engineers and artisans can find the various technologies and resources they need to imagine creative solutions to issues facing the Fleet and depot.

Now, following a robust investment in equipment upgrades, the Innovation Lab boasts expanded capabilities that can address more challenges in the areas of military aviation maintenance, repair, overhaul and engineering. Bigger, faster equipment and the ability to 3D print with newer, chemical resistant materials have resulted in increased applications for the lab’s products, said Randall Lewis, Innovation Lab lead. A new laser cutter and development of an etching process for 3D-printed parts add additional possibilities.

“We now have materials in the lab that are chemical-resistant and able to withstand contact with jet fuel,” he explained. “Other materials are electrostatic discharge safe, allowing for use in electronics applications. We are also able to address high-temperature applications and, with the larger printers, we can produce larger parts as well.”

With these additional capabilities on-site, the Innovation Lab is able to produce not only prototype items, but also usable end items. Having the ability to use 3D printing – also known as additive manufacturing – to produce a wide variety of items has helped reduce turnaround times and costs associated with developing new and improved tools, support equipment, components and more. 

“We’re very quickly moving from only being able to make engineering prototypes to a reality where many of the parts we make are being put into service when a specific application allows, such as support equipment, or as shop aids or job aids,” Lewis said. “A lot of our parts get used in the depot and Fleet environments, and that’s one of the cool things about the Innovation Lab.”

One of the items that found its way into a real-world application, a port cover for the F402 engine’s digital engine control unit (DECU), helped keep production moving on the engine that provides the power for the Marine Corps’ AV-8B Harrier.

“There was a backlog of DECUs that the depot couldn’t release to the Fleet or original equipment manufacturer due to a lack of port covers,” Lewis said. “These small aluminum covers had a lead time of over one year. We were able to 3D print fuel-safe replacements from a chemical-resistant polymer, and the depot was able to clear that backlog within a few days, at a small fraction of the cost of sourcing the original aluminum covers. We were able to use our Innovation Lab capabilities to get components off the shelf much faster than waiting on the supply system.”

Another additive manufacturing solution seeing real-world use is a drill template set used to help squadron-level H-60 helicopter maintainers install a new omni-directional antenna mount onto the airframe, which was developed and 3D printed in the Innovation Lab. The antenna mount itself was also prototyped at FRCE, then manufactured by an outside contractor.

Using 3D printing to develop prototypes rather than traditional manufacturing has helped engineers cut production times of these items – often to just hours, compared to times of up to 60 days or more when using traditional manufacturing methods.

“The Innovation Lab was built around the reality that we didn’t have a good way to make quick-turn engineering prototypes,” Lewis said. “Using the advanced technologies available, we’ve been able to drastically reduce times and the material costs.”

The Innovation Lab also does work supporting 3D printed applications that will eventually be sent to squadrons across the Fleet, which will then print the final item using their own 3D printers.

“A lot of our engineers are developing items here that they know they’ll want the Fleet to print whenever they need one,” Lewis said, explaining that the Innovation Lab conducts the initial prototyping and testing, and then the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Additive Manufacturing Integrated Product Team assists with the creation of a technical data package. “That data then gets released to the Marines and Sailors, who have the same printer at their level that we have here.”

A rubber H-1 helicopter seat boot went through this process not long ago, Lewis said, and plans for that are now being used by Marine squadrons to print the part on-site.

“These seat boots were hard to get, so a Fleet Support Team engineer designed one that could be 3D printed,” Lewis said. “Now the Marines are printing them at the squadron level, and they’re being installed on H-1 helicopters.”

All of the items prototyped and produced by the Innovation Lab undergo rigorous review and testing prior to approval and implementation, but the gains in turnaround time still make the 3D printing process faster and more efficient than could be achieved with traditional manufacturing, Lewis noted.

The Innovation Lab is a key component of the ATI Team, and its expanded capabilities help support the team’s focus on developing technology programs and applications for FRCE and the broader NAVAIR enterprise.

“The Innovation Lab is a key tenet in our mission to identify, develop, demonstrate and support the qualification, certification and transition of advanced technology solutions and modern industrial capabilities to improve Fleet Support Team and maintenance, repair and overhaul activities,” said ATI Team Lead Jamaine Clemmons.

Lewis said the lab’s continued development puts the ATI team’s philosophy into practice.

“We are finding applications where we have a deficiency in technology, and then we go out, find a solution and bring it into the lab,” he added.

In putting this new technology to work, Lewis and the Innovation Lab team helped produce about 1,600 parts off their machines in fiscal year 2021. For a program that didn’t exist two years ago, Lewis said, the results have been impressive.

While the Innovation Lab specializes in 3D printing applications, it doesn’t focus its efforts on one specific area – rather, innovations of all sorts are welcome, whether or not the final product ends up as a 3D-printed item.

“Being able to have an environment in which the workforce can imagine, innovate and, most importantly, implement creative solutions within their respective areas of responsibility is the ultimate goal,” Clemmons said.

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

Source: United States Navy

Intrinsic Defender is a bilateral exercise between U.S. and Israeli naval forces. The exercise focuses on maritime security operations, explosive ordnance disposal, health topics and unmanned systems integration.

More than 300 U.S. personnel are participating, including a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal dive team, U.S. Coast Guard maritime engagement team, and global health engagement team. U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67), dry cargo ship USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) and various unmanned vessels are also scheduled to participate in the exercise.

“USS Cole looks forward to partnering with the Israeli Navy during the exercise,” said Cmdr. Jim Welsch, Cole’s commanding officer. “Working with our partners allows us to strengthen our bonds and increase our interoperability. This exercise will allow us to fortify our continued partnership in the region.”

Cole has been operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet region since Jan. 4 in support of maritime security and stability.

The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses nearly 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb.

Source: United States Navy

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Electronics Science and Technology Division (ESTD) actively performs research and development in a variety of materials science, physics, and engineering fields pursuing technological advances crucial to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) future high-performance electronic systems.

Research topics span all aspects of electronics, such as advanced fabrication methods for radio frequency (RF) devices, growth and characterization of exotic electronic materials, quantum information science, neuromorphic computing, power devices and solar cells, nanofabrication, and solid state and vacuum electronic RF sources.  

“NRL’s ESTD aims to harness 3D printing for electromagnetics, such as antennas, metamaterials, and millimeter-wave with RF amplifiers operating in very high frequency bands, such as 5G and beyond,” said Alan Cook, Ph.D., Head of Vacuum Electronics and Material Section.  “With precision build capabilities of these machines ranging in resolution from small fractions of a millimeter down to the 100-nanometer scale, NRL’s ESTD aims to foster DoD and Department of Navy concepts.”
 
Several types of wireless devices make use of radio frequency fields like cordless and cell phones, radio and television broadcast stations, satellite communication systems, Bluetooth module and Wi-Fi, and two-way radios all work in the RF spectrum.

The ESTD significant achievements in past decades have grown into the current cutting-edge research that are areas of leadership for NRL.  

“After pioneering gallium nitride (GaN) as a material for high-power RF devices and helping develop it into the industry-standard high-performance replacement for silicon electronics in many systems, ESTD is developing other wideband gap semiconductors to usher in the next generation of electronic devices for DoD systems,” Cook said. “ESTD research on quantum materials provided the foundation for the newly-minted Navy Quantum Information Research Center all housed at NRL’s facilities.”

Within its branches, ESTD carries out research to demonstrate new basic scientific phenomena and electronic component prototypes, to enable new capabilities for future Navy electronic systems.

Additive Manufacturing (AM), which includes 3D printing, is a method for building a 3D object bit-by-bit by depositing small pieces or layers of material using computer control. “AM is an area of Navy interest, spans a wide range of different technologies and materials, and has become important in nearly every sector of engineering,” Cook said.

Specific advantages of AM include manufacturing flexibility, the ability to combine many parts into one, and rapid production of parts in the field. Recent investment in new AM capabilities brings a variety of general-use 3D printer machines to NRL used for research by multiple divisions. Within the lab, ESTD often collaborates with other divisions and the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (LASR) to develop new programs and research opportunities based on these capabilities.

“In terms of future production, ESTD is interested in using AM to advance Navy RF systems and other areas of electronics, and has unique 3D printing capabilities acquired specifically for NRL research programs,” Cook said.
         

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
 
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.