www.APGNews.com THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017 Vol. 61, No. 24

www.APGNews.com

twitter.com/USAGAPG

facebook.com/

APGMd

flickr.com/photos/

usagapg/

online

APG History | B4 Crossword | B5 Did You Know? | B7 Classified | B6index

The Joint Light TacticalVehicle, or JLTV, program is aU.S. Army-led, jointmodernization program. TheJLTV family of vehiclesperforms multiple missionroles and provides protected,sustained, networked mobilityfor personnel and payloadsacross the full range ofoperations in two variants andfour mission packageconfigurations.

The Army equips Soldiersto fight and win across alldomains as part of the JointForce, and JLTV will provideSoldiers and Marines a flexiblepackage with:§ Connectivity as the firstvehicle purpose-built forbattlefield networks.§ Protection similar to theMRAP All-Terrain Vehicle(M-ATV) and substantiallygreater than the High MobilityMultipurpose Wheeled Vehicle(HMMWV) but in a lighter andmore transportable packagethan the M-ATV.§ Transportability by CH-47,CH-53, and inside amphibioustransports.§ Sustainability designed intothe system with integrateddriver's smart display unit andhealth management systems.

The Army and Marine Corpshave successfully transitionedthe JLTV program intoproduction with an emphasison stable requirements,mature technologies, andaffordability.

The Army anticipatescompleting testing in FY 2019and achieve initial operatingcapability in early FY 2020.

newsbrief

JOINT LIGHT

TACTICAL

VEHICLE

PROGRAM

By PEO Combat Support& Combat Service

LEADERSHIP

The Army names Dr. PhilipPerconti, a member of thesenior executive service, asthe fifth director of theArmy Research LaboratoryArmy | B2

RESEARCH

Army researchers areteaching robots tounderstand naturallanguage so one day robotscan be effective membersof a team, rather than atool used by Soldiers.Robots | B3

STEM

Scientists from theEdgewood ChemicalBiological Center mentorstudents from the Scienceand Mathematics Academyat Aberdeen High School.ECBC | B4

inside

Army researchers are leveraging multipletechnologies, including a tactical radio net-work and ranging techniques, to producereliable positioning, navigation and timing, or

PNT.Both technologies fall under the broad

Collaborative Navigation umbrella, whichdescribes technologies that allow GPS-en-abled Soldiers to share critical PNT dataderived from surrounding assets to Soldierswho are temporarilywithout a signal.

“Soldiers have trouble acquiring GPS sig-nals in a variety of situations, such as signalinterference or after maneuvers when build-ings, tunnels, or deep foliage block the signal,”said Kevin Johnson, PNT engineer with theU.S. ArmyMateriel Command’s Communica-tions-ElectronicsResearch,Development and

Engineering Center, or CERDEC. “When theSoldier startshis orher receiver itmay takeupto several minutes to locate the GPS signal,based onwhere the space satellite is orbiting.”

Moving seamlessly in and out of GPScoverage is critical for expeditionary missioncommand maneuvers, so acquiring a “fix,” orusable satellite signal, must occur withinseconds, Johnson said.

CERDEC is the Army’s research anddevelopment lead for Soldier and groundplatform PNT needs, and supports DirectReporting ProgramManager PNT.

Soldiers are never alone when their GPS signal becomes degraded or denied. CERDEC’s Collaborative Navigation technologies will allow GPS-enabled Soldiers to share critical PNT data derived from surrounding assets to Soldiers who are temporarily without a signal.

U.S. ARMY PHOTO

Teamwork offsets threats to GPSArmy looks to researchers forseamless movement in andout of GPS coverage

By Kathryn BaileyCommunications-Electronics Research, Developmentand Engineering Center

See PNT, page B7

The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team,3rd Infantry Division (1/3 ID) is the first unitto train with the Army’s Secure Wirelesscapability at the National Training Center, orNTC, at Fort Irwin, California.

Throughout the unit’s NTC rotation,Soldiers successfully utilized the SecureWireless solution to provide untetherednetwork connections to the brigade maincommand post, enabling secure wirelessvoice, video and data exchange, and wirelessmission command on systems such asCommand Post Of the Future.

“From a mission standpoint, as a brigadecommander, the ability to have a mobilecommand post and exercise mission com-mand with Secure Wireless continues to bean enabler,” said Col. Phil Brooks, command-er for 1/3 ID. “When facing a near-peer threat

Army brigade trains with SecureWireless at National Training CenterBy AmyWalkerPEO Command, Control, Communications - Tactical

Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division (1/3 ID) demonstrateSecure Wireless capability in the brigade main command post as part of a pilot of the capabilityduring the unit’s training rotation at the National Training Center, at Fort Irwin, California, in April2017.

U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY AMY WALKER, PEO C3T PUBLIC AFFAIRS

See WIRELESS, page B7

ECBC, NSRDEC partner for Soldier respiratory protectionECBC has partnered with the U.S. Army Natick Sol-

dier Research, Development and Engineering Center(NSRDEC), Battelle Memorial Institute, and PriorityDesigns, to develop an improved neck-up personal pro-tective equipment (PPE) concept.

The new concept will improve the historically chal-lenging interface where a warfighter’s protective maskand hoodmeet, in order to provide greater protectionfrom exposure to chemical and biological warfare agents.

The prototype, like a second skin which sits over thetop of theM50mask respirator, offers many enhance-ments such as an added ridge and interface for the hood.In addition to the second skin, the team has developedseveral prototypes for an upgraded hood can work intangent with theM50 second skin. The second skinneeds to be properly integrated with hoods, which are akey part of a warfighter’s PPE. Hoods are designed toprovide chemical agent liquid splash and aerosol protec-tion over theWarfighters head and upper shoulders.When worn with the protective suit, the hood offerscomplete coverage from exposure.AGSANDREW/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO