US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

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World Maritime News said:

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the US Navy the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) departed the dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyards (PSNS) and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF), on April 25.

The event marked the conclusion of the nine-month dry dock portion of Stennis’ Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) maintenance period.

To date, Stennis, PSNS and IMF personnel completed more than 11,000 critical repair jobs including the restoration of Stennis’ multi-ton propellers, shafts and rudders, as well as refurbishing all four aircraft catapults.

Stennis also began installing the Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise Services communications platform and is in the process of upgrading the ship’s Phalanx Close-in Weapons Systems to the Block 1B baseline 2 variant, designed to improve the ship’s defense against close-range threats, including surface and air targets.

”A tremendous amount of work has been accomplished by the entire project team,” said PSNS and IMF employee John Simpson, Stennis’ project engineer planning manager, from Spokane, Wash.

Millions of gallons of water entered the dry dock Aug. 23 as Stennis, PSNS and IMF personnel conducted safety and water integrity inspections throughout the ship. Once the dry dock was fully flooded, the caisson, a barrier separating the dry dock from the bay, was removed and Stennis, with the assistance of several tugboats, was safely transited to an adjacent pier where the ship will continue its DPIA.

”Flooding and exiting the dry dock takes a large orchestrated effort between the ship’s crew, docking officers and other support personnel,” said PSNS and IMF’s engineering duty officer, Lt. Rebecca Wright, from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Stennis is scheduled to complete its DPIA after conducting sea trials this fall.

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World Maritime News said:

The future joint high-speed vessel of the U.S. Navy USNS Yuma (JHSV 8) was named on Friday, April 25 in Yuma’s Gateway Park.

Secretary of the U.S. Navy Ray Mabus, who attended the ship naming ceremony, chose the name Yuma as a tribute to the residents of the Arizona city and their close ties with the military.

“The real reason we’re here today is the people of Yuma,” said Mabus. “For 86 years you have been supporting military aviation here in the heart of Arizona, and for 55 years you have been the desert home of Marine Corps aviation.”

“The ships we build today will be a part of fleet for more than three decades. Sailors not yet born will serve in her,” he said. “With her ability to operate in areas that might be otherwise inaccessible, USNS Yuma may well be the only part of America, and her Sailors the only Americans, some people in the world will ever see.”

The future USNS Yuma will be built on a catamaran hull that can operate in shallow waterways. It will feature a flight deck able to support day and night helicopter and unmanned aircraft operations.

JHSVs also have, according to Mabus, “a whole lot of space inside,” an important aspect of future operations.

“That space is what makes these ships so important for our future,” he said. “It gives our Marines and Sailors an opportunity to come up with new and innovative ways of operating. These ships will carry Marines across the vast Pacific, operating with our partners and helping to build up our allies.”

JHSVs will also deploy to the Caribbean and South and Central America as well as work with Special Operations forces among other missions.

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Singapore Airshow 2014: AFSOC explores gunship-variant Osprey, marines show interest

Gareth Jennings, Singapore - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
12 February 2014

AFSOC is looking at giving its CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft a gunship capability, although no details have yet been released. Source: US Air Force
The US Air Force Special Operational Command (AFSOC) is to develop a gunship variant of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor that also has the US Marine Corps (USMC) interested, a senior service official revealed on 13 February.

Speaking at the Singapore Airshow at the Changi Exhibition Centre, USMC Lieutenant Colonel Eric Ropella, PMA-275 Program Manager International Programs, said that AFSOC is looking at developing a prototype gunship-version of its CV-22 aircraft, and that the USMC is following developments with regard to its MV-22.

"[AFSOC] is looking at a number of different options [in terms of weaponry and configurations] for a gunship. The marines are always interested in every new capability [for the V-22]," he said.

While the concept is still in its early stages, Col Ropella hinted that the CV-22 may be fitted with forward-firing missiles, but beyond that he did not reveal any further details. However, when asked about the possibility of high-energy weapons, such as lasers, being fitted, he said: "All things are on the table. Some engineers at NAVAIR [Naval Air Systems Command] probably have dreams about [lasers] on the V-22."

Given the V-22's tiltrotor configuration and nearly 12 m diameter rotorblades, forward-firing munitions could not be carried on underwing hardpoints. Instead, the aircraft would either have to employ ramp-mounted or cargo bay-stored canister munitions, similar to those carried by the USMC's KC-130J Harvest HAWK Hercules gunship, or sponson-mounted stub-wings.

A side-firing cannon/machine gun could be fitted, but this would involve some structural re-modelling as the V-22 does not have a paratrooper door on the left-side aircraft fuselage, and the door on the right side is located forward of the rotors, which would present safety issues for the aircraft.

The gunship is one of a number of special mission variant V-22s being considered, Col Ropella noted, with aerial refuelling (already demonstrated), command and control, surveillance, and executive transport roles also being explored. "There are a seemingly endless number of applications that exist [for the V-22]," he said.

With regard to the MV-22's current role, Col Ropella said that crisis response "is quickly becoming its bread and butter mission".

In May 2013, the USMC stood up a detachment of six MV-22s and two Lockheed Martin KC-130J aerial refuelling aircraft in southern Spain to respond to emergency contingencies within the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility. In addition to the aircraft, 500 marines and other personnel are on standby at Morón Air Base under the auspices of the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, Crisis Response (SP-MAGTF CR).

The SP-MAGTF CR has been created as a result of lessons learned following the death of the US Ambassador to Libya and three other staff members after militiamen overran the consulate in Benghazi. With unrest and instability continuing across North Africa, Col Ropella said that the duration of the mission has yet to be decided, although he noted that Morón will not be a permanent basing location for the USMC.

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Army expands involuntary separations of problem NCOs
May. 1, 2014 - 07:45PM |


By Jim Tice

The Army is casting a wider net to identify problem soldiers and give them an unceremonious boot-kick out the door.

Under new direction signed by Army Secretary John McHugh, staff sergeants with black marks in their record since being promoted to E-6 will be considered for involuntary separation, whether they are retirement eligible or not.

The service also is targeting senior noncommissioned officers who have failed to complete required NCO Education System Courses.

The changes fall under the Army’s Qualitative Management Program. While it is not technically a drawdown tool, the program is helping in the Army’s efforts to shrink by 30,000 soldiers over the next 18 months.

QMP is a quality control process that can result in the involuntary separation or retirement of Regular Army and Active Guard and Reserve (Army Reserve) soldiers who fail to comply with Army standards for behavior and/or performance.

In other words, it helps the Army keep the best soldiers — by weeding out less desirable ones.

Variations of QMP have been used in years past, but they were put on hold during the force buildup for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. QMP was reimplemented in 2009, and since then, 1,534 retirement-eligible Regular Army and 226 Active Guard and Reserve soldiers in the ranks of sergeant first class through sergeant major have been screened by QMP boards.

Those reviews, held in conjunction with senior NCO promotion boards, have resulted in the involuntary retirement of all but 250 of those soldiers.

Soldiers will be selected for involuntary separation or early retirement when their moral or ethical conduct is deemed incompatible with the values of the NCO corps and the Army ethic, or when they lack the potential to perform NCO duties in their current rank.

They also are subject to involuntary separation if they have a decline in efficiency and performance over a continuing period, as evidenced by adverse evaluations or failure of NCOES courses; recent or continuing disciplinary problems as evidenced by court-martial, non-judicial punishment or administrative reprimand; or other discriminators, such as a commander’s bar to re-enlistment, inability to meet Army physical fitness standards, or failure to comply with Army weight control measures.

QMP should not be confused with the Qualitative Service Program, which was introduced in 2012, and targets soldiers in overstrength specialties who otherwise are fully qualified for retention. In the past two years, 1,145 soldiers have been separated as a result of QSP.

Another 880 soldiers are expected to be separated in 2015 as a result of QSP screenings to be conducted this year by senior NCO promotion boards.

Screening soldiers
In screening soldiers for possible involuntary separation, QMP boards will review the contents of their official file, the board version of their Enlisted Record Brief, the official photograph and, as appropriate, any mitigating information submitted to the board president by the soldier.

The board also will review any documents in the restricted section of the official file that generated the referral to QMP. The board will not review any restricted documents unrelated to the QMP referral.

Documents in the restricted folder of a file are not available to career managers and commanders, and only rarely are seen by centralized selection boards.

“Because commanders do not have access to the [official file], past matters of indiscipline or [poor] performance that occurred during a previous assignment, or under a different commander, are not taken into consideration when new instances occur,” said an official in explaining the QMP policy on restricted documents.

“This lack of visibility may inadvertently result in retention of NCOs whose conduct or performance is inconsistent with the profession of arms, and this expansion of QMP addresses that,” the official said.

Items in the restricted folder might include Article 15s and other Uniform Code of Military Justice actions that have not been set aside, Department of the Army Suitability Board filings of unfavorable information, and punitive or administrative letters of reprimand, admonition or censure.

Next steps
While the new policies were approved April 10, they will be implemented in phases so as not to disadvantage soldiers who may want to submit mitigating correspondence to a QMP board regarding derogatory information in their official file.

It is Army policy to notify soldiers of a QMP review at least 30 days in advance of their board. Soldiers then have the option of submitting letters of mitigation to the board in hopes of avoiding early separation.

Retirement-eligible soldiers who are identified for QMP processing have the option of submitting a voluntary retirement request in lieu of being screened for involuntary retirement.

Such requests must be approved no later than the results of the QMP board are approved by the director of military personnel management in the Office of the Army G-1 (Human Resources).

Soldiers who are denied continued service by a QMP board have the option of appealing that decision. But they must indicate their intention to do so no later than seven days after being notified of the board results.

Appeals must be filed within 30 days after the QMP notification, and must be based on newly discovered evidence, missing documents or material error in the file reviewed by the QMP board.

All command sergeants major, sergeants major, first sergeants and master sergeants affected by the new policies will be subject to review by the QMP panel held in conjunction with the active and reserve sergeant major training and selection boards that convene June 3.

Sergeants first class affected by the new policies will be reviewed for retention by the master sergeant promotion boards that meet in February 2015 for the Regular Army and Active Guard and Reserve.

Staff sergeants who are designated for QMP processing will be reviewed beginning with the sergeant first class promotion boards that meet in June 2015.

In future years, soldiers designated for QMP processing will be screened by the next selection board, regardless of rank level, provided they can be given at least 30 days’ advance notice of the screening.

The policy changes ordered by McHugh will be incorporated into an upcoming revision to Chapter 19 of Army Regulation 635-200 (Active Duty Administrative Separations).

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173rd paratroopers arrive in Poland, Baltics for unscheduled exercises
April 30, 2014

By Sgt. A.M. LaVey

American and Lithuanian Soldiers practice gaining proficiency on each other's weapon at Rukla Training Area, Lithuania, April 30, 2014.

ADAZI, Latvia (April 30, 2014)-- Approximately 600 paratroopers, from the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), deployed for training rotations in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, April 23-28, to enhance ongoing military-to-military relationships and demonstrate assurance of America's commitment to its NATO allies.

These exercises in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are part of a series of expanded American land force training activities with European partners that are scheduled to take place in the next few months and beyond.

The 173rd Airborne, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting forces to conduct the full of range of military operations across the United State European, Central and Africa Commands areas of responsibility.

The first group of paratroopers, from Company C, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, landed at Swidwin Air Base in Poland, April 23, to train with the Polish army's 6th Airborne Brigade, which is a sister brigade of the 173rd.

"This is a great day for NATO, a great day for the USA and a great day for Poland," said Maj. Gen. Richard C. Longo, deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Europe and commander, U.S. Army NATO. "Poland joined NATO in 1999, and since that time has been a major contributor. When NATO needed Poland, Poland was there. Poland was capable, Poland was committed and Poland had the will to live up to its obligations to the alliance. The beginning of this training exercise demonstrates that the NATO alliance is committed to Poland as well."

The two brigades have a close relationship built over a series of training events, including airborne operations in Poland and Germany.

These American paratroopers "with their Polish brothers from the 6th Airborne Brigade, are a tangible manifestation of the U.S. commitment to this region," said Longo. "They have come to train with their elite airborne comrades, to learn from each other and to continue their on-going persistent partnership that has been ongoing."

At the ceremony, the assembled troops were reminded of what it means to be brothers in arms when the Polish minister of national defense, Tomasz Siemoniak, spoke of an ultimate sacrifice that an American Soldier made for his Polish comrade.

The relationship between the Poland and America is one thing Polish forces value, said Siemoniak.

"We have served together, and we have shed blood together and Iraq and Afghanistan. [Staff Sgt.] Michael Ollis fell last year in Ghazni [Afghanistan], saving the life of his Polish colleague. Polish soldiers shall not forget him."

Ollis, a Soldier with the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), died protecting a Polish soldier from a suicide bomber during an attack on Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Aug. 28, 2013, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Ollis was posthumously decorated for his valor by the Polish state with the Polish Army Medal in gold, the highest award a non-Polish service member can receive.

April 24, paratroopers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, arrived in Riga, Latvia, to conduct small unit and leader training with members of the Latvian Land Forces Infantry Brigade.

"This will be intensive training that will promote cooperation and increase the interoperability of our two forces, as well as enhance overall security in the region," said Lt. Gen. Raimonds Graube, Latvian chief of defense.

At the ceremony, attended by Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujumaas, as well as other senior officials and the American ambassador, Straujumaas said that by hosting paratroopers from the 173rd, "one of the best American military's best," Latvia feels NATO's solidarity and how important Latvia is to the other partners of the alliance.

Soldiers from both countries said that they're looking forward to the combined training.

"It's good that the Americans are here. It's a good experience working here together," said Latvian army Sgt. Morris Efners, a soldier with the 1st Infantry Battalion.

After two days of training together, an American Soldier gave his perspective.

"It's going really, really well working shoulder to shoulder with the Latvians," said Sgt. Simon Mendoza, a paratrooper with Company A. "I'm here to train my Soldiers, train their soldiers, train together and improve our relations."

On April 26, paratroopers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), arrived at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania, to begin training with the Lithuanian army's "Iron Wolf" Mechanized Infantry Brigade at the Rukla training area.

"American and Lithuanian Soldiers have stood in formation before," said Lt. Gen. Arvydas Pocius, the Lithuanian chief of defense. "They've served in the Balkans, Iraq and now are working shoulder to shoulder in Afghanistan."

Americans in the audience echoed the strong partnership bonds that have been forged through deployments with multinational partners.

"These exercises send a strong message: We stay true to our word with our NATO allies," said 2nd Lt. Joseph Dunfy," a paratrooper also with Company B. "Just like they were there for us in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq, we're here for them."

During the ceremony, Pocius recalled a connection between the Lithuanian people and the U.S. Army: The U.S. Army's Sabalauski Air Assault School is named after Lithuanian-born, master-rated jumpmaster U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Walter J. Sabalauski, a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

"This is an opportunity to reassure Lithuania that we are here to be committed to them and that we'll stand next to [our partners] no matter what," said Sgt. Jonathan Grant, a paratrooper with Company B. "This is a great experience for us, to see the country and train with these awesome people."

The two brigades have trained together, most recently in NATO Exercise Steadfast Jazz in November in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland.

The fourth groups of paratroopers to arrive in the Baltic region were from the brigade's Company C, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, who arrived at Amari Air Field, Estonia, Monday.

"Have you heard of the 173rd Airborne Brigade?" asked Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves during his opening remarks. "With boots on the ground and dirt on our face, we'll defend your freedom anytime, anyplace' -- [it] is the song of the 173rd Airborne Brigade."

"Here in Estonia we like that song," Ilves continued. "The transatlantic link is not something that Estonians take for granted. Rather, we see it as a vital element of security in an unsecure world. This is why we so appreciate allied boots on the ground here. Estonia is a country that has always appreciated and liked the United States of America."

The four companies from the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) are scheduled to remain in the region until the end of the year, completing bilateral training with the brigade's partners and participating in multinational European land force exercise like Saber Strike, later this summer.

These training rotations "are an obvious manifestation of the commitment between our countries and this alliance," said Longo. "It's all about commitment. It's all about capability, and it's all about trust. This is the beginning, not the end [of our military relationships] - so let's get started."

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Natick researchers develop combat cooler
April 30, 2014

By Alexandra Foran, NSRDEC Public Affairs

NATICK, Mass. (April 30, 2014) -- Army researchers answered the call for insulated bottled water containers for Soldiers in the field. The result may be a life-saving product to protect Soldiers in vehicles during combat missions when water bottles could become dangerous projectiles during explosions.

Researchers from the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center responded to the Joint Program Office for Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected vehicles with a container to not only insulate and protect the water bottle, but also make bottled water easy to reach and cool enough for Soldiers to want to consume it.

The prototype is known as the Insulated Containers for Bottled Water, or ICB. The NSRDEC Aerial Delivery Directorate and the Combat Feeding Directorate worked together on the project.

"We came up with initial prototypes that were large, medium and individual with minimal funding using the project manager's concept and Combat Feeding's concept, so we just fabricated it," said Laurra Winters, team leader for the Aerial Delivery Design and Fabrication Team, Aerial Delivery Directorate.

Through their work on systems that have to survive intense airdrops, Winters' team has developed the skills and equipment necessary to handle creating a prototype with blast survivability for water bottles and rations, which will most often be Meals-Ready-to-Eat, or MREs.

Initial concepts for the system included a zipper that went around the storage bag.

Unfortunately, zippers tend to fail, and if the zipper breaks, the bag will no longer keep water cool and protected.

"You need some level of redundancy with this system because if one fails, then the system is no good," Winters said.

The final prototypes utilize webbing wrapped around the bag to encase the material instead of relying on a zipper, or seams, to hold the bag together. The webbing has a minimum breaking strength of 6,000 pounds, which provides the necessary strength to the overall system to successfully retain all contents.

"Your weakest link is going to be your closure and your seam, so by reinforcing it with the webbing, you are improving the strength and the performance of it," Winters said. "We also put in hook and loop, too, just so that there is some level of redundancy if the closure system fails."

The large system holds 36 water bottles, or 28 MREs. The medium bag holds 15 water bottles, or six MREs, and the small individual bag holds five water bottles. NSRDEC is working with the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's Occupant Centric Protection, or OCP, on integrating the ICBs into the next generation of vehicles. User evaluation testing and blast testing should occur this year.

"We've done drop testing, vibration testing, flammability testing, performance testing at the Doriot Climactic Chambers, and abrasion testing," said Ben Williams, ICB project officer on the CFD Systems Equipment and Engineering team.

"We also linked up with Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Lab to conduct in-vehicle blast testing, because our customer's number one requirement was that these bags needed to be blast-proof in an [improvised explosive device] scenario."

Containing the bottles within the bag ensures that they do not become projectiles that could harm Soldiers. Keeping water palatable is the other concern.

"The temperature of the water is a big factor when keeping the Soldiers hydrated," Williams said. "We've done lots of studies on what water temperatures are most palatable for Soldiers. Soldiers drink more water when it's cold and remain hydrated for longer periods of time because they are consuming more water. This improves Soldier endurance. We consider it a force multiplier."

Temperatures in areas of operation can reach 95 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit on average in the summer months, creating an even greater demand for cool water as Soldiers exert themselves every day.

Drinking water, safely contained and cool, is often taken for granted by many in the U.S. For Soldiers serving abroad, however, it is an extremely valuable commodity.

ABOUT NATICK RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING CENTER

NSRDEC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.

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RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.

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Authentic Navy fleet dukes it out with Godzilla
Apr. 30, 2014 - 06:00AM |
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By Jeff Schogol
Staff Writer
FILED UNDER
News
The filmmakers for “Godzilla” were given access to Navy flattops and other support from the Defense Department to make sure the movie’s portrayal of sailors and other U.S. service members was as accurate as possible, said Navy Capt. Russ Coons, of the Navy Office of Information West.

“The thematics of the storyline are supported by our core values; and so you see in every instance the honor, courage and commitment of DoD men and women as they realize that certain tactics, techniques and procedures don’t have an effect on their ability to counter the effects of the monster, so they improvise, adapt and overcome,” Coons told Military Times on Wednesday.

Not only did DoD review the “Godzilla” script and provide experts to help portray the military accurately, the filmmakers were allowed to film interior and exterior scenes aboard three aircraft carriers: the Ronald Reagan, the Carl Vinson and the Nimitz, Coons said.

[video=youtube;vIu85WQTPRc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIu85WQTPRc[/video]


After helping the production of “Captain Phillips,” which tells the story of a real-life ship captain freed from Somali pirates by Navy SEALs, DoD was looking for other ways to tell the military’s story, Coons said.

“Believe it or not, an opportunity to partner with a 600-foot lizard gave us another opportunity to educate and inform the American public,” he said.

Enter the sea dragon
Over the past 60 years or so, “Godzilla” films have usually portrayed members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and other troops as cannon fodder. But in the latest incarnation of the franchise, the hero is Navy Lt. Ford Brody, an explosive ordnance disposal technician played by Aaron Taylor Jones. Brody is returning home when the monster attacks, Coons said.

“At every turn that he’s challenged, he makes a conscious decision to stay and fight and protect and defend the citizens of the United States,” he said.

The Navy expertise is extremely important to filmmakers because Hollywood’s perception of the U.S. military is heavily influenced by World War II, Coons said.

“We definitely corrected the record and got accurate portrayals as much as possible,” he said. “You know, it’s not a documentary. It’s fiction. At the end of the day, the movie is all about the monsters; but we’re not window dressing and we’re not cannon fodder. We actually are integral to the fight.”

“Godzilla” allows DoD to showcase the might of Navy, which has not received as much attention as the Army and Marine Corps over the past decade, Coons said. A trailer posted Feb. 25 features a snippet of the sea monster surfacing next to an aircraft carrier and later shows fighter jets tumbling from the skies into the ocean.

“This film gave us an opportunity to demonstrate how we respond to a crisis,” Coons said. “It really showcases it at the level at our young men and women. Our hope is — the demographics for this audience are roughly 14- to 18-year-old teenagers who are watching movies — they are going to take their family to this film and they’re going to walk out of the theater and say: ‘You know, I never knew the Navy was such a sophisticated, professional organization; I really want to go explore it; they have some amazing UAV’s [unmanned aircraft] and technology and professionalism and honor and courage and valor; I never knew that, and maybe it’s something I want to do with my life.’”

Will all the carriers survive? You’ll have to catch it in theaters starting May 16 to find out.

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Experiment grows new muscle in men's injured legs
May. 1, 2014 - 04:32PM
By Lauran Neergaard
The Associated Press
FILED UNDER
News
Congress & DOD
WASHINGTON — Scientists implanted thin sheets of scaffolding-like material from pigs into a few young men with disabling leg injuries — and say the experimental treatment coaxed the men’s own stem cells to regrow new muscle.

The research, funded by the Defense Department, included just five patients, a small first step in the complex quest for regenerative medicine.

But the researchers described some of the men improving enough to no longer need canes, or to ride a bicycle again, after years of living with injuries that today have no good treatment.

“The real rush for someone like myself is to see this patient being able to do these things and not struggle and have a smile on his face,” said Dr. Stephen Badylak of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He led the study, which was reported Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Muscles have some natural ability to regenerate after small injuries. But if too much is lost — from a car accident, a sports injury or, for soldiers, a bomb blast — the body can’t heal properly. Hard scar tissue fills the gap instead. Called volumetric muscle loss, a severe enough injury can leave an arm or leg essentially useless.

The new experiment combines bioengineering with a heavy dose of physical therapy to spur stem cells that are roaming the body to settle on the injury and turn into the right kind of tissue to repair it.

First, surgeons remove the scar tissue.

Then they implant something called an “extracellular matrix” derived from pigs. It’s the connective scaffolding that remains after cells are removed from a tissue. (Without cells, the immune system doesn’t reject it.) Such material has been used for many years as a kind of mesh in treatments for skin ulcers and in hernia repair.

What’s new here: The matrix temporarily fills in the injury, between edges of remaining muscle. As the scaffolding slowly degrades, it releases chemical signals that attract stem cells to the site, Badylak said.

Then physical therapy puts tension on the spot, in turn signaling the stem cells that they need to form strong, stretchy muscle tissue, he said. Without the exercise, Badylak cautioned, those cells won’t get the message to boost muscle mass, and scar tissue could return.

To start proving that’s what happens, Badylak’s team first removed chunks of leg muscle from mice and administered the treatment. In-depth tests showed which cells moved in, and showed that they created working muscle.

Then it was time for human testing, with three military veterans and two civilians. Each had lost between 60 percent and 90 percent of an affected leg muscle — two from the thigh, the rest from the lower leg — anywhere from about a year to seven years earlier.

The men, in their 20s and 30s, underwent a few months of customized physical therapy to get their muscle function to its maximum capacity.

Then they received the implants, followed by more physical therapy that began within 48 hours after surgery.

Six months later, biopsies and medical scans showed some new muscle grew in all the men. Three patients were officially deemed a success because their legs were stronger by 20 percent or more after the surgery. They had dramatic improvements in tests showing they could hop or squat on the injured leg. Badylak said the two other men had some improvement in balance and quality of life, but not enough to meet the study’s definition of success.

Nick Clark, 34, of Youngwood, Pa., suffered severe muscle loss after he broke his lower leg in a skiing accident. He had a hard time balancing and taking stairs, and sometimes needed a cane. He tried to ride his bike but his left leg was too weak to pedal far.

He received the experimental therapy in 2012. It didn’t restore him to normal, but he now reports biking “quite a distance” and playing pingpong, his left leg finally strong enough to pivot around the table.

“Day to day, that’s had a pretty big impact just to be able to walk that much better,” Clark said. “It’s been a significant difference. I was hoping for more improvement when I first did it, but yeah, I’m definitely still pleased with it.”

Researchers around the country are exploring different ways to spur the regeneration of various body parts, and many focus on injecting stem cells or tissues grown from them. Wednesday’s approach is more novel.

“This strategy obviously has some merit,” said professor George Christ of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, who wasn’t involved with the new study. While larger studies must verify the findings, “the concept of physical therapy coupled with these regenerative strategies is going to be really important.”

The Pittsburgh study is continuing, and Badylak would like to test as many as 50 more patients. He said that the technique probably would work better after a recent injury but that researchers needed to begin with old injuries to prove that physical therapy alone couldn’t explain the muscle regrowth.

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MANILA (Reuters) - Up to five Philippine military bases will be made available for U.S. forces to rotate aircraft, ships, equipment and troops, Manila's chief negotiator of a new security pact said on Friday, as the Philippines looks to counter China's rising power in the region.

A new 10-year military agreement, which also covers storage of equipment for maritime security and humanitarian assistance, was signed with the United States last week, hours before President Barack Obama arrived for a two-day visit to Manila.

"Right now, the discussions would be ranging from three to five Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) bases," said Pio Lorenzo Batino, a defense undersecretary and head of the negotiating panel, told a news conference. "That's not final."

He said the army's jungle training base in Fort Magsaysay, north of Manila, was "ideal location" for the United States because the two oldest allies in the region regularly hold joint exercises there.

Military sources familiar with the discussions said the United States has also requested access to three former U.S. bases -- Clark airfield, Subic bay, Poro Point -- and Camp Aguinaldo, the military general headquarters in Manila.

The United States is also considering whether to seek access to four civil airports - Palawan, Cebu, General Santos, and Laoag - as well as Batanes airfield for refueling and emergency servicing, the sources said. There are also nearby bases in Cebu and Palawan.

Defense and military officials said the new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will boost the Philippines' defense capabilities.

Territorial disputes have made the South China Sea, believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas, a potential flashpoint for the region.

Other countries with competing claims include Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China has become increasingly assertive in the disputed waters, seizing control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and has been blockading Second Thomas Shoal, where a Philippine Navy transport ship was deliberately run aground in 1999 to establish a presence.

(Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moor

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

Authentic Navy fleet dukes it out with Godzilla
Apr. 30, 2014 - 06:00AM |
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By Jeff Schogol
Staff Writer
FILED UNDER
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The filmmakers for “Godzilla” were given access to Navy flattops and other support from the Defense Department to make sure the movie’s portrayal of sailors and other U.S. service members was as accurate as possible, said Navy Capt. Russ Coons, of the Navy Office of Information West.

“The thematics of the storyline are supported by our core values; and so you see in every instance the honor, courage and commitment of DoD men and women as they realize that certain tactics, techniques and procedures don’t have an effect on their ability to counter the effects of the monster, so they improvise, adapt and overcome,” Coons told Military Times on Wednesday.

Not only did DoD review the “Godzilla” script and provide experts to help portray the military accurately, the filmmakers were allowed to film interior and exterior scenes aboard three aircraft carriers: the Ronald Reagan, the Carl Vinson and the Nimitz, Coons said.




After helping the production of “Captain Phillips,” which tells the story of a real-life ship captain freed from Somali pirates by Navy SEALs, DoD was looking for other ways to tell the military’s story, Coons said.

“Believe it or not, an opportunity to partner with a 600-foot lizard gave us another opportunity to educate and inform the American public,” he said.

Enter the sea dragon
Over the past 60 years or so, “Godzilla” films have usually portrayed members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and other troops as cannon fodder. But in the latest incarnation of the franchise, the hero is Navy Lt. Ford Brody, an explosive ordnance disposal technician played by Aaron Taylor Jones. Brody is returning home when the monster attacks, Coons said.

“At every turn that he’s challenged, he makes a conscious decision to stay and fight and protect and defend the citizens of the United States,” he said.

The Navy expertise is extremely important to filmmakers because Hollywood’s perception of the U.S. military is heavily influenced by World War II, Coons said.

“We definitely corrected the record and got accurate portrayals as much as possible,” he said. “You know, it’s not a documentary. It’s fiction. At the end of the day, the movie is all about the monsters; but we’re not window dressing and we’re not cannon fodder. We actually are integral to the fight.”

“Godzilla” allows DoD to showcase the might of Navy, which has not received as much attention as the Army and Marine Corps over the past decade, Coons said. A trailer posted Feb. 25 features a snippet of the sea monster surfacing next to an aircraft carrier and later shows fighter jets tumbling from the skies into the ocean.

“This film gave us an opportunity to demonstrate how we respond to a crisis,” Coons said. “It really showcases it at the level at our young men and women. Our hope is — the demographics for this audience are roughly 14- to 18-year-old teenagers who are watching movies — they are going to take their family to this film and they’re going to walk out of the theater and say: ‘You know, I never knew the Navy was such a sophisticated, professional organization; I really want to go explore it; they have some amazing UAV’s [unmanned aircraft] and technology and professionalism and honor and courage and valor; I never knew that, and maybe it’s something I want to do with my life.’”

Will all the carriers survive? You’ll have to catch it in theaters starting May 16 to find out.

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Japanese fans say new American Godzilla is too fat

Fans of monster movies or big Hollywood blockbusters are no doubt aware that a reboot of the famous Godzilla franchise is due to hit theaters this summer. As you might imagine for a movie featuring one of their most beloved pop culture icons, the Japanese are deeply interested in how America is going to bring their national monster to the screen.

When clear pictures of the creature hit the Internet this week, the response was probably not what studio execs were hoping for. Some Japanese fans are apparently calling this incarnation of Godzilla “fat”.

The pictures, released by Warner Legendary through the Los Angeles Times, were immediately picked up by fan sites here in Japan. While some commenters said this Godzilla looked stronger than his ancestor, others were not as impressed.

“He’s so fat, I laughed.”

“Where’s his neck?”

“He’s gone and supersized himself!”

“I’m not surprised. A spare tire is expected in middle age.”

“Gee, even Godzilla has metabolic syndrome these days…”

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Airbus: US Army's Extra Lakota Helicopter Buy Boosts Foreign Sale Potential
May. 1, 2014 - 03:45AM | By MARCUS WEISGERBER | Comments
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Airbus officials say US Army plans to use the UH-72A Lakota for pilot training boosts international and domestic sales potential.
Airbus officials say US Army plans to use the UH-72A Lakota for pilot training boosts international and domestic sales potential. (Airbus Group)
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Americas
WASHINGTON — The US Army’s decision to purchase 100 additional Airbus UH-72 Lakota helicopters for pilot training increases the potential for international sales of the aircraft, according to company officials.

“If you look at the other opportunities both in the US and allies, commonsense would say, if you have the largest rotary wing operator of aircraft in the world and they’ve made this selection, that takes a lot of risk out of your decision making,” John Burke, Airbus Group’s Lakota program manager, said at a luncheon with reporters on Thursday.

The Lakota, which Airbus builds in Columbus, Miss., is a militarized version of the commercial EC145. The Army does not use the aircraft in combat and instead uses them for homeland security, drug interdiction, general support, logistics and medical evacuation.

The Army had planned to conclude its purchase of 340 Lakota UH-72s in 2015. The Pentagon cut back Lakota purchases in its 2014 budget proposal, however, its 2015 spending plan adds 100 aircraft, for pilot training.

Using the aircraft for pilot training also increases the possibility for additional sales in the US and internationally, Burke said.

“Being a training helicopter is just huge,” he said. “It’s something every rotary wing pilot and the largest user of rotary wing aircraft is going to become initially familiar with.”

The Pentagon last year gave American Eurocopter, now Airbus Helicopters, the OK to sell six Lakota aircraft to Thailand. Five of the aircraft have already entered production, Burke said. Thailand plans to have aircraft flying by mid-2015.

“We think that other countries will look at that [sale] very favorably,” he said.

Burke would not say which countries are interested in the aircraft, but said there are numerous nations in different regions of the globe.

The company plans to deliver the 300th aircraft to the Army in the coming weeks.■

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