DefenceTalkFuture versions of the Distributed Common Ground System – Army, or DCGS-A, will be less complex and easier to use, Army leaders told lawmakers. The DCGS-A system is an intelligence collection, processing, and dissemination tool that Army leaders have acknowledged is “complex” but “complete.” They say coming iterations of the tool will address the issue […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-plans-intelligence-system-to-be-lighter-weight-easier-to-use-63886/

DefenceTalkMilitary personnel and defense contractors celebrated delivery of the first low-rate initial production M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer to the Army during a ceremony here, April 9. “The M109A7 stands at the vanguard of a series of ground combat modernization upgrades, which will significantly enhance the Army’s combat fleet for decades to come,” said Heidi Shyu, the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-accepts-delivery-of-first-m109a7-self-propelled-howitzer-system-63817/

DefenceTalkThe Army will update its policy on tattoos during the coming weeks, making it more accommodating to current social norms, the Army’s chief of staff said. During a press conference during the Association of the United States Army Global Force Symposium and Exposition here, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said the service regularly […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-to-revise-tattoo-policy-63723/

DefenceTalkThe Army’s vice chief of staff said the $613 billion Overseas Contingency Operations, or OCO, funding does not allow the Army the flexibility required to get at home-station readiness for units that are not deploying. Gen. Daniel B. Allyn testified before the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness, March 25. “It also does not allow […]https://www.defencetalk.com/allyn-army-needs-predictable-consistent-funding-to-get-at-readiness-63685/

DefenceTalkManned-unmanned operations using helicopters linked with unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, have been used by the Army for a number of years. However, no single unit has ever actually been assigned to both assets until now, said Lt. Col. Tory Burgess, product manager for Shadow Tactical UAS. Burgess and others spoke during a media roundtable […]https://www.defencetalk.com/first-unit-fields-apache-shadow-combo-63620/

DefenceTalkA Patriot missile battery from U.S. Army Europe’s 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, or AAMDC, began arriving here, March 18, after a 1,200-kilometer tactical road movement, as part of a combined air and missile defense exercise with its Polish allies. Delta Battery, 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is participating in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-europe-air-defense-unit-deploys-to-poland-for-exercise-63611/

DefenceTalkDespite cancelling its quest for an Armed Aerial Scout, or AAS, aircraft – a replacement for the OH-58 Kiowa – an Army leader told Congress there is still a valid need for that type of aircraft. During a March 19 hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, subcommittee on tactical air and land forces, Maj. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/armed-aerial-scout-still-valid-requirement-us-army-says-63605/

DefenceTalkThe board of directors for the largest science and technology library in the Army met March 11 at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, or AMRDEC. Redstone Scientific Information Center, or RSIC, is a unique, national asset containing a collection of specialized materials including technical reports, contractor reports, technical memorandums, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-armys-largest-technical-library-collaborates-to-define-its-future-63590/

DefenceTalkUnrelenting budget constraints have degraded Army readiness and modernization to historically low levels, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told a Senate panel here today. Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee alongside Army Secretary John M. McHugh, Odierno discussed the impact of sequestration on the Army’s readiness and modernization, and the risks […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-chief-readiness-degraded-to-historically-low-levels-63482/

DefenceTalkThree Army technologies were in play at the recently conducted Army Expeditionary Warfighter Experiment, or AEWE, on Fort Benning, Georgia. “AEWE is [Training and Doctrine Command, or TRADOC] live, prototype experimentation campaign,” said Harry J. Lubin, chief of the experimentation branch, Maneuver Center of Excellence. This year, 66 industry and military technologies participated in AEWE. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-warfighter-experiment-highlights-new-technologies-63430/