From stop-loss to VEERP. lol I would be very curious as to how many Marines are willing to actually use this option? The Marines are also trying to shed surplus officers. Here is the quote:
The Marine Corps is preparing to shed what it calls a “surplus” of senior field-grade officers with 20 or more years of service by forcing as many as 111 to retire. About 60 of those will be selected by a lieutenant colonel Selective Early Retirement Board and about 51 by a colonel SERB.
Both of these moves are part of the force reduction goals of the Marines and of the services. Here is a quote that talks about how many Marines they plan on cutting specifically.(Jan. 26, 2012)
The Marine Corps will slash 20,000 Marines as part of Defense Department-wide budget cuts, reducing its end strength to about 182,000, top Pentagon officials announced Thursday.
The thing here is how will this impact our industry? Well for one, we will see an increase in interest from unemployed veterans. The reason here is the guys will want to get out of the service to go to school or whatever, and get away from ‘all things military’. But once the reality of a lack of jobs sinks in, that they will be defaulting to work they know they will be qualified for–and that is contracting. Which is great, and this industry has a lot of areas for veterans to get into.
Also, I am seeing an increase of emails from unemployed veterans, seeking advice about how to get into the contracting world. Matter of fact, I am seeing an increase world wide from folks interested in this type of work.
The other thing that needs to be mentioned is that this sea of unemployed veterans is a battle hardened and younger group. Doom on those companies who fail to recognize this demographic, or fail to reach out and understand how to work with them. These guys are the wartime generation, where all they have known is war in the services. They have some incredible experiences, both in combat and in leadership, and companies need to recognize the value of this.
I would also guess that most are Generation Y types or millennials, mixed with a few retirees of the Generation X group. Who knows, but from my personal experience working in the industry, this is what I am starting to see.
Interesting stuff and good luck to all of them with their job search. –Matt
VEERP allows Marines to exit service early
8/7/2012
By Lance Cpl. Derrick K. Irions
Officials from Manpower and Reserve Affairs recently released a revised Voluntary Enlisted Early Release Program that provides eligible applicants an opportunity to exit military service up to one year ahead of their scheduled separation date.
Marine Administrative Message 371/12 promotes force shaping measures in accordance with budget cutbacks and personnel reduction plans.
Marines with an end of active service date within fiscal year 2013 (Oct. 1, 2012 through Sept. 30, 2013) are eligible to utilize VEERP from 90 to 365 days before their original EAS, said Sgt. Cassandra Espinoza, a career planner with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Some eligibility requirements include the completion of the transition readiness seminar, not being stabilized for a deployment and being eligible for honorable or general (under honorable conditions) discharge.
“I’m using VEERP because I want to relax and let the transitional impact set in,” said Cpl. Kayla M. Hermann, a combat photographer with H&S Bn., here.
For the first time they will have their own organic ability to engage targets [with a UAV],” he said. Units that identify potential targets typically have to call for air support, a multistep process. Enemies often slip away by the time an armed unmanned aerial vehicle, attack helicopter, fighter-bomber or quick-reaction force arrive on station. Marines also compete with other allied units for mission priority or those taking enemy fire, so missions are not always filled. “Think about it — pairing switchblade aerial munitions with an [unmanned surveillance drone like a] Raven, Wasp or Puma — a small team with those tools can know what is going on around them within about 15 klicks,” Gitlin said. “Once they identify a threat, Switchblade lets them engage that threat immediately.”
This is outstanding and I am glad to see the troops get their hands on these things so they can play around with them. All in all, it will be the grunts on the ground that find the true usefulness of this weapon. Their feedback is what will be most important, and I certainly hope the military and Aerovironment listens to what they have to say. I am sure the SF units that have already used this thing, are giving their input as well. So it will be fascinating how this evolves and turns out.
As to the reaction by the troops so far? Well, here are the two quotes from both the Army and Marines about it, from both of these articles below.
“I’ve worked with the Raven B, Raven DDL, but I feel that the practicality of this system is through the roof. This system is just the bee’s knees,” said Spc. Andrew Christensen, gunner and raven trainer, 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. “This UAV has the capabilities to be used numerous ways in Afghanistan. Being able to set the warhead to one, five or seven meters could lower the collateral damage and save lives.” (Army)
The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab is leading research into the aircraft’s potential to serve with Marine units. The aircraft showed promise during recent testing at Fort Pickett, Va., according to Brig. Gen. Mark Wise, head of the lab. He characterized the aircraft as highly accurate. “The Marine who was flying it, it was his eighth flight. So if you want to talk about intuitive capabilities, those are the kinds of things we are starting to generate,” Wise told a crowd of defense industry representatives May 1 at a conference in Norfolk, Va. (Marines)
Notice some of the points that the Army and Marines mentioned? ‘This UAV has the capabilities to be used numerous ways in Afghanistan’ and ‘intuitive capabilities’. These are important, because you want a weapon that is useful and easy to use–or intuitive. This is really important during the fog of war, and anything to make it very simple to use in high stress situations is good.
Along those lines, I posted some of the capabilities built into the Switchblade that makes it intuitive. Check out the video below if you want to see what I mean. If this UAS can pick up movement and ID that movement with a red box in the view finder, then that will help in the ‘observe’ portion of that soldier’s OODA.
Not only that, but these things will probably evolve to have all sorts of capability built in as the technology gets smaller/better/faster (Moore’s Law). For example, a sensor package that could pick up on gun shots would be fantastic. Also, an automatic loiter system would be great as well. Ultimately, a soldier should be able to deploy the Switchblade above the battle space, and the munition would intuitively pick up the gun shots of the enemy and circle around them from a high angle–ready for the drone archer to pull the trigger for a strike. Kind of like a weaponized bird of prey.
The other point is to let those who specialize in hunting on the battlefield use these things. Or at least play around with them. I am talking about sniper teams. These folks specialize in killing the enemy or spotting the enemy from far distances. A sniper might be better trained to pick up the details in a viewfinder, and the sniper is already trained in working with others in a battle space. Which also leads to an interesting thought–imagine if a sniper team killed an insurgent with a Switchblade from 5 kilometers and at BLOS or beyond line of sight. That would be quite the shot….
Although it looks like the Army and Marines are training guys to be the UAS folks on the ground. I think it would be really cool if this weapon could be used by anyone, if they were handed the thing on the battlefield. Of course you would want specialists who can control and properly use the things. But to turn this weapon into an upgraded version of a LAW or AT-4, where entire units could use them as they see fit, should be a consideration.
On the other hand, having a UAS flying in the same air space as an Apache or Kiowa, or whatever aircraft, must be a well managed and controlled event so there are no accidents. And maybe as the technology evolves, these small UAS’s will be able to integrate with these aircraft automatically and share that air space with no problems. So in the beginning, it is wise to have some squared away folks controlling these things so they can at least hammer out the bugs and apply continuous improvement to the whole system. –Matt
Spc. Thomas Gonzales, kneeling, and Spc. Andrew Christensen, both with Troop A, 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., load the coordinates into the system before launching the kamikaze UAV, also known as the Switchblade, March 27. The 4th IBCT is one of two U.S. Army brigades being fielded the drone during its deployment.
The Marine Corps is taking steps to procure its first “kamikaze” drone in an effort to provide small units the ability to quickly strike soft targets such as IED emplacement teams.
The Switchblade, produced by California-based AeroVironment, can be guided into a target and explode on impact, almost like a hand grenade, said company spokesman Steven Gitlin.
“For the first time they will have their own organic ability to engage targets [with a UAV],” he said.
Units that identify potential targets typically have to call for air support, a multistep process.
Enemies often slip away by the time an armed unmanned aerial vehicle, attack helicopter, fighter-bomber or quick-reaction force arrive on station. Marines also compete with other allied units for mission priority or those taking enemy fire, so missions are not always filled.
“Think about it — pairing switchblade aerial munitions with an [unmanned surveillance drone like a] Raven, Wasp or Puma — a small team with those tools can know what is going on around them within about 15 klicks,” Gitlin said. “Once they identify a threat, Switchblade lets them engage that threat immediately.”
The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab is leading research into the aircraft’s potential to serve with Marine units. The aircraft showed promise during recent testing at Fort Pickett, Va., according to Brig. Gen. Mark Wise, head of the lab.
He characterized the aircraft as highly accurate.
“The Marine who was flying it, it was his eighth flight. So if you want to talk about intuitive capabilities, those are the kinds of things we are starting to generate,” Wise told a crowd of defense industry representatives May 1 at a conference in Norfolk, Va.
The Switchblade, weighing just 5.5 pounds, can fit into an ALICE or similar pack. When needed, a single Marine can pull it from his pack, set up a small tube containing the aircraft and automatically launch it with a remote controller. It can take flight from the ground, a vehicle, ship or aircraft. After being fired from the tube, the Switchblade’s four wings spring open — lending the aircraft its name — the prop begins spinning, and it is off with a one-way ticket.
Once a target is designated and a kill order is given, the aircraft locks in on the target and follows, even if the target moves.
Designed with low collateral damage in mind, the aircraft can also be called off at the last minute and re-engage later, Gitlin said. If the target is a sniper, for example, and children wander into the area, Switchblade can disengage and reacquire the target once civilians have moved on.
Another advantage of the Switchblade is that it uses a controller common with several of the Marine Corps’ other UAVs also produced by AeroVironment. That includes the Shadow, Wasp and Raven, a capability that matches the service’s efforts to develop a single remote control that will cut down on the weight and amount of equipment Marines carry into combat.
The need for faster reaction by armed UAVs also has led the Marine Corps to push for arming the RQ-7 Shadow. The Corps has aggressively pursued an 18-month timeline to field Shadows downrange that can carry small munitions of up to 25 pounds after commanders in Afghanistan issued an urgent-needs statement last June.
But Marines calling on the Shadow still must rely on unmanned squadrons for support. With Switchblade, they can identify targets, launch and engage on their own.
The Army, also pursuing Switchblade, awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million contract in September and plans to send soldiers to Afghanistan with the aircraft this year.
Story here.
—————————————————————-
‘Dragon’ Brigade trains with more reliable equipment
By FORT RILEY
4/6/2012
As the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, prepares for deployment later in the spring, units are being fielded with more reliable, technically proficient equipment.
The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment; and the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment have been training on the new back-pack sized lethal miniature aerial munitions system, or LMAMS, – the Switchblade – from March 26 to 30.
This active warhead kamikaze drone is faster, lighter and more precise than previous drone systems used in the Army today. Normally used by Special Forces units, the 4th IBCT is one of only two brigades being fielded this weapons system for its deployment this year.
The shift comes as 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, a Reserve unit out of Fort Devens, Mass., prepares to wrap up a deployment in which it guarded all three bases. As part of the drawdown, the Corps canceled the deployment of a replacement unit, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. Marines with 1/24 would have replaced 1/25 this year.
So this part of the story was at the very end, and this is what I focused on. In essence, the Marines would have used 1/24 to do this work, but perhaps the latest defense cuts have forced them to not use them? I am also wondering if the Marines are putting this information out there as a message to congress that says ‘hey, if you are going to cut our funding, then we are going to have to find another means of protecting our bases in Afghanistan–so don’t be surprised if we turn to contractors’.
The reason why I say this is that Marines are famous for ‘first in, last out’. To have civilians perform base security at their top three bases in a war zone during a draw down, just does not go well with that famous quote and image. lol
But hey, I am not complaining. If the Marines trust security contractors to do this job, then the industry is thankful and honored. These are jobs that security contractors will be very happy to accept and do (as long as the companies treat them well….). The contractors that will do this work will also be veterans from all over the world, with probably more than a few of them being US Marine vets.
I just hope that the Marines have learned the lessons out there on how to set up these contracts properly, and provide plenty of oversight over the whole thing to make sure this becomes a good deal for them and the tax payer. Semper Fi. –Matt
Civilian guards wanted at more war-zone bases
By Dan Lamothe
Saturday Jan 14, 2012
Marine commanders have expanded a request for civilian contractors to provide military security at Marine bases in Afghanistan as U.S. forces withdraw.
Civilians will be needed to guard Camp Dwyer and Camp Delaram II, Marine officials said. The request, announced Jan. 3 by U.S. Army Contracting Command, comes after the military announced in November that at least 166 civilian contractors were needed to help guard Camp Leatherneck, the sprawling, 1,500-acre-plus installation that serves as the Corps’ main hub of operations in Helmand province. It is home to II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), headed by Maj. Gen. John Toolan.
“Security is the number one concern for service members deployed to Afghanistan,” said Navy Lt. Joseph Nawrocki, a command spokesman. “An efficient and orderly redeployment of U.S. Marines will eventually take place, and contractors will play an important role to ensure existing U.S. bases remain safe and secure.”
“We are taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving it to guys known to stab us in the back,” Sgt. Meyer wrote to Mr. McCreight, according to the lawsuit. “These are the same people killing our guys.” While in the Marines, Sgt. Meyer had served along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Many in the military who have served on the border have said in interviews they view Pakistan as an unreliable ally, as likely to help Taliban insurgents as they are to aid American troops.
Wow, Smedley Butler eat your heart out. lol Although in this case, this is pretty common with contracting. Guys sue their former employers, bosses, and coworkers all the time–some with success, and some without. Although in Dakota’s case, he has a lot of visibility and celebrity backing him up. I would imagine a pretty solid law firm has backed him up as well, just because of that celebrity and visibility.
The other thing that needs to be mentioned is that Dakota is a contractor and is very much a part of this industry. That’s cool and I hope Dakota is able to use his celebrity to promote good leadership and work ethic within this industry. If anyone has anything to add to this story, please feel free to do so in the comments section below. –Matt
Edit: 12/16/2011- Well it looks like BAE and Dakota settled. Here is a quote from CNN about what the settlement said. No word on any monetary settlement.
“BAE Systems OASYS and I have settled our differences amicably,” Meyer said in a joint statement issued by the company, referring to the company by its full name. Meyer praised the defense firm’s support for veterans and generosity to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. There were no details of any possible monetary settlement. “During my time there I became concerned about the possible sale of advanced thermal scopes to Pakistan. I expressed my concerns directly and respectfully,” Meyer said. “I am gratified to learn that BAE Systems OASYS did not ultimately sell and does not intend to sell advanced thermal scopes to Pakistan.”
Decorated Marine Sues Contractor
NOVEMBER 29, 2011
By JULIAN E. BARNES
Two months ago, Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama for his service in Afghanistan, the military’s most prestigious award. On Monday, Sgt. Meyer alleged that a defense contractor has called him mentally unstable and a problem drinker, ruining his chances for a job in the defense industry.
Sgt. Dakota Meyer alleges BAE Systems blocked him from a defense-industry job by claiming he is mentally unstable and has a drinking problem.
In legal papers filed Monday, the Marine claims that BAE Systems, where he worked earlier this year, retaliated against him after he raised objections about BAE’s alleged decision to sell high-tech sniper scopes to the Pakistani military. He says his supervisor at BAE effectively blocked his hiring by another defense contractor by making the claims about drinking and his mental condition.
Sgt. Meyer’s complaint is likely to pose a more difficult challenge for BAE, a British company with extensive U.S. operations, than a typical employment dispute. In the September White House ceremony, Sgt. Meyer was hailed for braving enemy fire as he tried to save the lives of fellow Marines who had been trapped in a Taliban ambush.
BAE said it would defend itself, but comments by BAE officials Monday made clear they don’t want to be seen as denigrating a Medal of Honor recipient. “Although we strongly disagree with his claims, which we will address through the appropriate legal process, we wish him success and good fortune in his endeavors,” said Brian J. Roehrkasse, a BAE spokesman. He declined to discuss any specifics of the suit.
Through a lawyer, Sgt. Meyer declined to comment on his suit. Representatives of the Pentagon and Marine Corps said they weren’t aware of the suit.
