2 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
Inside This Month’s Issue:
Awareness: National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day - December 7
pg.3|ECBC Supports its Customer the Warfighter pg.4-11|ECBC Engineering Designs, Builds, Tests and Supports Chemical Biological Defense Solutions pg.4-5|Design
pg.6-7|Build
The USS Arizona Memorial, located at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii is a monument in honor of the sailors who lost their lives in the attack. 1,177 sailors lost their lives on the USS Arizona, many of them still entombed on the ship. On Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise military strike against the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack led directly to the United States’ involvement in World War II, when on Dec. 8, 1941, the U.S. declared war on Japan.
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On Aug. 23, 1994, the U.S. Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day to honor those who lost their lives. It is customary to fly the American flag at half-mast on this day to remember those who have died.
Safety Quiz: Winter Weather Safety pg.10-11|Support
1. Space heaters on Aberdeen Proving Ground are required to be equipped with a safety tip-over switch and require a 36-inch clearance around the heater. (True or False) 2. It is a good idea to use cruise control on icy roads. (True or False)
pg.12|Exchange Program Opens Doors at ECBC Engineering for International Collaboration, Partnerships
This newsletter was published through the Balanced Scorecard. For article suggestions, questions or comments please contact Ed Bowen at ed.bowen8.civ@mail.mil.
3. Bend with your back while shoveling snow off of driveways and walk ways. (True or False) For more information on staying safe this winter, visit: www.cdc.gov
Answers: True, False, False
Ask a Tech Tip: WD-40, the Solution to Nearly Every Household Challenge Mike Kauzlarich, of the Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch, reveals how the techniques and lessons learned in labs can help you solve your household problems. Submit a question to him at usarmy.APG.ecbc.mbx.engineering-directorate@mail.mil. WD-40 is one of those miracle compounds that should be kept in every home – a handy household staple, like duct tape. As its name implies, WD-40 is a water displacing compound. While it is most commonly known for silencing squeaky doors, it is more of a solvent than a lubricant. A better use for WD-40 is to remove stains or dissolve tough residue. Do you have a decal on a car you want to remove without damaging the paint job? Spray on WD-40 until the decal glue softens. Do you have a heavy grease stain from your car on your favorite pants? Scrape the excess grease off and soak the stain in WD-40 until the heavy grease dissolves, rub a little liquid dish soap into the stain and wash. While WD-40 works great for some household challenges, there are others you should not turn to WD-40 for. These include car door locks, as it may corrode some of the metals in the locks. WD-40 should never be applied to bike bearings, as it will soften the grease and cause it to sling out. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
The Engineering Edge |December 2012| 3
ECBC Supports its Customer - the Warfighter sending engineers and scientists to the RFAST program in Afghanistan, where Warfighters visit the PIF on a daily basis to get assistance with equipment and other technology that RDECOM organizations develop. The banners were decorated with photos of ECBC employees and with photos of their loved ones who have served in the military, giving the messages a personal touch. “It’s nice to see that some people really care about those in the field trying to help and make a difference,”said Glenn Wetherell, an ECBC Advanced Design and Manufacturing engineer currently working with RFAST. “Thank you, to all who made the effort to thank us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Wetherell said receiving the banner was a reminder of the committed men and women whom he worked with at ECBC, and the support system he is looking forward to returning to at the end of his term. “I’m glad to know that this banner is coming from where I’m going back to. ECBC is made of many dedicated employees who want to make a positive difference in helping the Warfighter. It’s nice to know that we have the support of our home base and people. The Warfighters who come to the PIF for help, can also see the great support that this team has,” Wetherell said. The men and women working at the Research Development and Engineering Command Field Assistance Technology Program (RFAST) in Afghanistan received the ECBC military appreciation banner.
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he engineers and scientists at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) provided a different kind of support than usual to the Nation’s Warfighters this year. In addition to the life-saving equipment and ChemBio expertise ECBC provides to the Warfighter on a daily basis, the Center sent words of encouragement and gratitude in the form of appreciation banners to Warfighters in the Homeland and abroad to thank them for their service and commitment to our country. The effort was sponsored by the Center’s Engineering Directorate.
“It’s like having a trophy. Every time someone comes in to the Production Integration Facility (PIF), I want them to see it. It adds an extra sense of pride in the Facility that will reflect in our work and support for our customers.” – Charlie Kranz, an engineer with Army Research Laboratory deployed to the Afghanistan Research Development and Engineering Command Field Assistance technology Program (RFAST). “It’s like having a trophy,” said Charlie Kranz, an engineer with Army Research Laboratory who is deployed to Afghanistan. Kranz works alongside Warfighters in theater, helping them solve technical equipment issues at a facility with the Research Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Field Assistance Technology Program (RFAST). “Every time someone comes in to the Production Integration Facility (PIF), I want them to see it. It adds an extra sense of pride in the Facility that will reflect in our work and support for our customers.” In May 2012, as part of Military Appreciation Month, employees at the Edgewood, Md. and Rock Island, Ill., ECBC sites wrote heartfelt messages on large vinyl banners that were sent to two locations that directly support Warfighters abroad and at home. Rock Island’s banner was presented to a Community Based Warrior Transition Unit (CBWTU) in Rock Island, Ill., where wounded Warfighters are recovering as they make the transition back home. Edgewood’s banner was shipped to Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan, where Kranz and other employees from RDECOM and ECBC support Warfighters with solutions to technical equipment challenges they are having in theater. Since the summer of 2011, ECBC along with other RDECOM organizations have been
“Everyone appreciates a job well done,” said Steven Tucker, an engineer with Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. “But the best recognition is the smile on a Soldier’s face when we give them a solution to a pressing problem they have.” ECBC helped initially set up the Bagram Airbase PIF in 2011 and since then has sent five engineers to the program. Despite the hardships of being away from home, the engineers working at the PIF find it a small price to pay in exchange for the round-the-clock support they give, and the invaluable experience of working on the scene with Warfighters. “I can utilize my fabricating skills and help the Warfighter’s immediate need for assistance. Sometimes it’s the little things that get done now, that make a big difference. I can’t get any closer to a Warfighter without becoming a Warfighter. “Being informed of having lost a soldier, Warfighter or any supporter of Operation Enduring Freedom is the hardest thing about working over here,” said Wetherell. “The loss of human life is the greatest sacrifice anyone can make. Being here has shown me just how good we have it back home. The temporary, but extended separation from family and friends is difficult, but it is a small price to pay for the freedom and security of all.” Jill Logsdon, with RFAST, said receiving the banner created a bonding moment for the engineers in the PIF. “We were able to work together and joke around with one another while setting up for the team picture and finding a location to display the banner in the shop, all thanks to ECBC for their efforts and support.” While receiving the banner helped RFAST engineers get to know each other and feel more at home, Rock Island’s banner was used to welcome Warfighters back home after deployment. Nan Ramsey, Associate Director of Engineering and Rock Island Site Manager, delivered Rock Island’s banner to a CBWTU at Rock Island Arsenal where Warfighters come for medical attention while still on active duty. Col. Nathaniel Jones of Rock Island CBWTU is happy to have a display of appreciation for all who come through the Unit. “Now we have something we can display where a Soldier can actually read ‘thank you for your service to this country’ while they are receiving the help they need,” Col. Jones said. WHBF CBS Quad Cities was on the scene when Nan Ramsey delivered Rock Island’s banner to the Community Warrior Based Transition Unit. View the footage here: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=20Qeztbg1-U&feature=youtu.be
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
4 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
ECBC Engineering Designs, Builds, Tests and Supports Chemical Biological Defense Solutions
Design
We design our products to protect Warfighters and equip First Responders so they can perform their jobs effectively and safely. We provide customers with comprehensive design, analysis and prototyping services. We design for lifecycle engineering support, ensuring the accuracy of technical data. We redesign fielded items to meet new technical and operational challenges. We address maintainability, reliability and supportability.
1. M12A1 Terrain Decontamination Spray Bar
ECBC Engineering’s Decontamination Engineering Branch (DCEB) worked closely alongside business partners at the Tank Automotive Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM-LCMC) and the Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA), to complete the development of the M12A1 Terrain Decontamination Spray Bar (TDSB). The TDSB, which mounts to the front of the M1083 Medium Tactical Vehicle, allows the Warfighter to perform terrain decontamination operations from the bed of the vehicle improving both the safety and consistency of the operation while also reducing the manpower required to execute the operation. DCEB members worked with TACOM-LCMC during development and testing to assess the TDSB design against capability requirements, to make design decisions and to develop training material. Testing was performed with the support of both the Aberdeen Test Center and the West Desert Test Center. DCEB members also worked integrally with PBA to refine the design and ensure producibility. Members from both the DCEB and PBA traveled to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait in May 2012 to support the initial fielding of the TDSB and to provide M12A1 training.
2. M48A1 Gas-Particulate Filter
3. M8 TA Smoke Pot Improved Fuze Adapter
At the request of the PM Close Combat Systems (PMCCS), the ECBC Engineering Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch designed an improved adapter for the M8 TA Smoke Pot. Due to the very short suspense to develop a solution to the incompatibility of the new fuse with the new smoke pot interior design upgrade, a prototype adapter was fabricated from readily available materials. The initial success of the design was rapidly manufactured to a final design by the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division. The design was proven in smoke pots to be 100 percent effective in solving the problem.
4. Low Flame Red Phosphorous Smoke Pot
ECBC Engineering’s Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch successfully demonstrated a patent pending design of a nearly flameless smoke pot. The smoke pot uses an internal venture design which allows the normally large flame, when burning red phosphorous in a smoke pot, to be reduced by nearly 90 percent. The design separates the red phosphorous from the pyrotechnic heat and gas generator, which significantly reduces the amount of phosphine normally generated during smoke pot storage when the two are combined.
ECBC Engineering helped the Project Manager Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (PM MRAP) save thousands of dollars creating an National Stock Number (NSN). The MRAP is a new vehicle that the military designed to handle the effects of Improvised Explosive Devices. PM-MRAP chose the M48A1 Gas-Particulate Filter for chemical-biological protection inside the vehicle. However, PM MRAP initially decided not to buy the filter from the Tank Armament Command (TACOM), the designated item manager. Instead, they chose to create their own NSN and buy the same filter from the same producer and one additional middleman, while outsourcing the buying to Defense Logistics Agency. This nearly doubled the price of the filter. With patience over an extended period, ECBC convinced the PM-MRAP that the filter they were buying and the filter that TACOM supplies, were exactly the same and would provide the same protection. PMMRAP canceled their NSN to buy the M48A1. Expected savings for PM MRAP will be $500k to $1M per year.
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The M48A1 Gas-Particulate Filter. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
The Engineering Edge |December 2012| 5
5. ECBC Collaboration with Joint Munitions Command (JMC)
ECBC Engineering’s Obscuration and Nonlethal Engineering Branch recently discovered a potential problem with fielded M110A2 155mm Smoke Artillery rounds during a surveillance test at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The Branch personnel investigated and discovered that residual cosmoline lubricant, used as a rust inhibitor, remained in the threads of some of the burster cases, resulting in incomplete adhesion of the loctite compound that holds the cap assemblies into place. The Engineering Branch personnel worked with Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas, to devise a robust cleaning procedure to ensure that any residual cosmoline would be removed during assembly of the rounds to prevent any interference with adhesion. The Branch also recommended a change to the Load Assemble and Pack specification and the PBA Assembly Standing Operating Procedure to add a detorque inspection to ensure proper fastening of the cap at assembly. PM Combat Ammunition Systems (CAS) and the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Integrated Product Team leader entrusted ONE Branch personnel to design an inspection method to verify proper seating of the cap assembly in stockpiled M110A2 projectiles as part of periodic surveillance. The Engineering Branch designed an inspection gage, and is currently working with Engineering’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division and Joint Munitions Command’s surveillance division to manufacture and deploy a number of inspection gages for the Quality Assurance Specialists in Ammunition Surveillance (QASAS) to use during routine surveillance at Continental United States and Outside the Continental United States ammunition storage facilities.
6. ADM Uses Additive Manufacturing to Create Customized Orthotics
ECBC’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division and the University of Delaware are working together to expand the Rapid Manufacture of Personalized Rehabilitation Devices (RaMPeRD) project to develop orthoses for lower limbs. The project utilizes ADM’s 3D laser scanning capabilities to create custom made orthoses for Warfighters and civilians. The laser scanning process will result in a more affordable, faster manufacturing process that will provide optimal patient function through a customized rehabilitation orthosis.
7. ECBC Engineers Collaborate Across Branches to Create Lightweight, Cost-effective Training Options for Warfighters ECBC Engineering’s Conceptual Modeling and Animation Branch, Technology and Systems Integration Branch and the Engineering Drawing Branch worked together to design two mobile applications for the Husky Mounted Detection System Surrogate (HMDSS). One application simulates the HMDSS allowing the user to refresh on how to operate and get acclimated with parts of the vehicle. The other application recreated the Mobile Counter Improvised Explosives Device Training (MCIT), a series of modified 40-foot Conex boxes containing a series of virtual HMDSS training stations. While the closest MCIT is stationed in Kentucky, the mobile application brings the training activities to Warfighters everywhere, saving time and money.
8. Joint Service Aircrew Mask-Apache
During the design phase of the Joint Service Aircrew Mask (JSAM) MPU-6A(V)/P, the JPM-Protection JSAM Apache Team collaborated with ECBC Engineering’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Division to develop prototype masks that were used to assess integration with the newly developed helmet for the Apache Helicopter, AH-64D Block III aircraft upgrade. The prototype masks were invaluable assets that were used to reduce the integration risk associated with the development of chemical-biological masks prior to “cutting steel” of expensive plastic and rubber injection molding tools.
9. Joint Service Aircrew Mask-Rotary Wing
Throughout development of the Joint Service Aircrew Mask (JSAM) Rotary Wing (RW), MPU-5(V)/P mask system, members of JPMProtection collaborated with the Advanced Design Manufacturing (ADM) Division on various design improvements. ADM team members were able to rapidly deliver prototype face plates and hood rings to the JSAM-RW team for use in platform integration and evaluation. The integration efforts allowed for significant risk reduction in cost and schedule prior to the investment in production tooling. JSAM-RW team members and ADM were also collaborating to design a vision correction system for the mask that supported the test and evaluation phase of the program.
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APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
6 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
ECBC Engineering Designs, Builds, Tests and Supports Chemical Biological Defense Solutions
Build
We leverage our integrated design capability’s Product Development Facility (PDF) to provide rapid prototyping and manufacturing services. We specialize in manufacturing and Pyrotechnics, with the capability for precision machine manufacturing, metal fabrication, patterns and plastics, and electrical wiring and cabling.
1. Palm-sized Automated Chemical Agent Detector (PACAD) project The ECBC Detection Engineering Branch (DEB) and the Japan Ministry of Defense (MOD), Technical Research and Development Institute, Advanced Defense Technology Center (TRDI-ADTeC) partnered together to cooperatively research, design, fabricate and test a chemical agent detector prototype. This prototype, known as the Palm-sized Automated Chemical Agent Detector (PACAD), is based on the chemistry of the U.S. M256A1 Chemical Agent Detector and Japanese expertise in micro-fluidic, electro-optical, and miniaturization technologies. The prototype was tested at ECBC in October-November 2011, with additional testing conducted at the Japan Ministry of Defense Chemical School. The PACAD prototype was a successful demonstration and proof of concept, which resulted in an excellent working relationship between the Centers. The last phase of the PACAD project will be completed by March 2013.
2. 155mm WP Replacement Smoke Canister Engineering’s Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch (PEB) successfully demonstrated the smoke cloud resulting from a highly Modified Terephthalic Acid (MTA) white smoke composition. The composition is environmentally friendly and was developed by PEB for NASA’s use in jet fighter aerodynamics research. The artillery shell can carry three equally-sized core burning canisters which provide copious amounts of white smoke with both a low inhalation toxicity and an extremely low fire hazard to the environment.
3. HX Smoke Application Expands From Hand Grenades to Larger Canisters ECBC’s Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch continues to work to reduce and eliminate remaining toxicity issues with the HC Screening Smoke compositions, which were used in both World Wars through the development and testing of an HX Smoke Composition. The HX Smoke Composition (zinc and lead-free HC Smoke Composition) showed its successful application in a canister containing two kilograms of the composition. Chamber testing of the modified HX Smoke Composition has shown slight superiority over the HC Screening Smoke Composition. The HX Smoke Composition is an order of magnitude safer than the older formulation.
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The PACAD All-In-One Prototype with Reaction Ticket.
The U.S. partnered with the Japan Ministry of Defense to build a chemical agent detector.
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
The Engineering Edge |December 2012| 7
4. Engineering Directorate Collaborates to Prototype Nerve Agent Technology
5. Visual and IR Screening Smoke Pots
After earning a U.S. Patent for the Rapid Agent Identification of Nerve Agent detector (RAIDON) in late 2011, the Engineering Innovative Development Engineering Acquisition Team, Protective Factor Testing Chamber Branch, the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division and the Applied Detection Technology Branch teamed up to begin prototyping the RAIDON. The detector is being developed for the Joint Project Manager for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Contamination Avoidance (JPM NBC CA). The RAIDON uses colorimetric technology to detect and classify nerve agent within a matter of minutes. The detector’s technology is modeled after the design of the M256A1 and Chemical Reconnaissance, Explosive Screening System (CRESS).
ECBC’s Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch, in support of a large scale test conducted by the U.S. Navy, provided the design and fabrication expertise to develop, build and deliver 120 smoke pots capable of screening in both the visual and infrared wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. The smoke pots had a performance achievement of 100 percent and resulted in a second order for additional smoke pots for future use.
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“Engineering’s Pyrotechnics and Explosives branch worked to expand the HX Smoke application from hand grenades to larger canisters.
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A single canister of Modified Terephthalic Acid (MTA) smoke composition at the height of its smoke output.
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The RAIDON detector developed for the JPM NBC CA. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
8 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
ECBC Engineering Designs, Builds, Tests and Supports Chemical Biological Defense Solutions
Test
We test product performance in both surety and non-surety environments. We create representative test environments to allow user interface for logistics demonstrations, human factor evaluations, and proper equipment employment. We offer a full range of test services for non-Department of Defense entities under test Service Agreements (TSAs) for evaluating commercial and military equipment. These test results are provided to the design team for continuous product improvement.
1. SNIFFER Project The Department of Homeland Security Office of Health Affairs (DHS OHA) funded the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center to develop protocols for testing stationary autonomous chemical point detectors for indoor applications. DHS OHA requested that the existing Sensing Nodes Inform and Facilitate Fast Emergency Response (SNIFFER) chemical detection system be used as a test case for validating these test procedures. Testing was performed as a collaborative effort between ECBC’s Engineering Directorate and the Research and Technology Directorate from August to December 2011. A total of 202 test trials were completed, which included trials using two chemical warfare agents, twelve toxic industrial chemicals and eight interfering chemicals at various environmental conditions. The validated test methodologies will be used by ECBC to test a chemical detector selected for the Baltimore Demonstration project in 2013 on behalf of the Maryland Transit Administration and DHS OHA.
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2. ECBC Helps Improve Chemical Detectors Through the M3TD Program ECBC participated in a program that will benefit the Warfighter by helping to improve the performance of chemical agent detectors. The Joint Project Manager for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Contamination Avoidance funded the Multi-Mission Multi-Threat Detection (M3TD) program. M3TD provides multiple chemical agent detector companies an opportunity to utilize ECBC expertise and laboratories to test their detectors against a broad range of chemical challenges. This program will help to improve the industrial knowledge base and assess the technical maturity of systems designed to detect and identify Chemical Warfare Agents and emerging threat compounds. The M3TD program supports the Analysis of Alternative for the Next Generation Chemical Detector (NGCD), and will assist in NGCD’s goal of improving upon the detection and identification of emerging threats. All three ECBC Directorates collaborated on this program. The detector expertise and laboratory operations were provided by the Engineering and Research and Technology (R&T) Directorates; technical reachback to R&T was required for the basic Science and Technology data on emerging threat compounds, R&T’s Technology Evaluation Branch was the independent evaluator/ assessor for the testing, and the Program Integration Directorate was heavily involved in safety, surety, security and environmental support leading up to the testing phases of the program.
SNIFFER chemical detector system in ECBC test hood ready for testing.
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APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
Tom Hughes, analytical chemist with the Applied Detection Technology Branch, works on the M3TD project.
The Engineering Edge |December 2012| 9
3. Test Division Branches Collaborate to Reduce Customer Costs ECBC’s Permeation and Analytical Solutions Branch (PASB), Protective Equipment Test Branch (PET) and Test, Reliability and Evaluation Branch (TREB) teamed up to create a process in which the three branches will work together to share resources for the Joint Equipment Assessment Program (JEAP) customer. In 2010, the JEAP customer, funded by the Tank Automotive and Armaments Command, approached the Engineering Test Division. There was no established preventative maintenance program at that time. PASB, PET, and TREB joined forces to establish a unified test focal point to make it easier for the customer to establish test procedures, deliver test items and obtain test data. The branches share detailed data about the project’s progress via ECBC’s SharePoint portal.
PET, TREB, and PASB teamed up to share resources and ultimately reduce costs for the JEAP customer.
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APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
10 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
ECBC Engineering Designs, Builds, Tests and Supports Chemical Biological Defense Solutions
Support
We support our customers by providing trained acquisition professionals to support the Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO) for Chemical Biological Defense current and future needs. We provide engineering support to continuously maintain item readiness. We provide acquisition service support in all phases of the acquisition lifecycle.
1. Decontamination Expeditionary Bag ECBC’s Decontamination Engineering Branch, in coordination with Joint Program Manager Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Contamination Avoidance (JPM NBC CA) and JPM Protection (JPM P), has supported the development of the Decontamination Expeditionary Bag (DEB) as part of the Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets Kits and Outfits (DR SKO) program. The DEB is a self-contained, tactical, and independent decontamination system to be used against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear agents, Toxic Industrial Chemicals and Toxic Industrial Materials for personnel decontamination. ECBC and JPM P have collaborated closely with the DR SKO program office and the services to ensure the DEB kits contain the necessary equipment for each respective service to complete their mission. Further, ECBC has been designated by JPM P and JPM NBC CA as the lead for the development and assembly of all future DR SKO DEB requirements as well as for the development of the DEB specification.
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2. M327 Light Vehicle Obscuration Smoke System (LVOSS) Under the direction of the Joint Program Manager for Reconnaissance & Platform Integration (JPM RP), ECBC’s Rock Island site has been fielding the M327 Light Vehicle Obscuration Smoke System (LVOSS) since April 2011. The fieldings have been conducted in conjunction with the TACOM LCMC Total Package Fielding Office. More than 2100 M327 LVOSS have been fielded to the U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Army Reserve Command and the Army National Guard. Some of the units fielded had the Vehicle Emergency Exit (VEE) window installed on the M1151 High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). The VEE upgrade required a new bracket to be designed, manufactured and added to the supply system. Initiated in August 2011, the design and logistics work for the VEE bracket was supported by ECBC’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division and ECBC Acquisition Logistics Group. One thousand VEE Adapter Kits were manufactured by the Aberdeen Test Center, packaged by the ECBC Test Facility at Rock Island and added to the supply system in order for the soldiers to install LVOSS onto M1151 HMMWV with the VEE window. The fielding of the M327 LVOSS is scheduled to be completed by September 2013.
3. Rapid Area Sensitive-Site Reconnaissance (RASR) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD)
Members of the Decontamination Engineering Branch supported development of the Decontamination Expeditionary Bag.
ECBC’s Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) Branch served as the Technical Manager for the Rapid Area Sensitive-Site Reconnaissance (RASR) ATD. The RASR ATD enhances situational awareness by allowing the Warfighters to perform initial entry, tactical perimeter monitoring, tactical and non–tactical initial site characterization functions on an unmanned ground vehicle, remotely using integrated sensors. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency Joint Science and Technology Office sponsored RASR ATD and operated as the Program Manager. The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command conducted technical testing and provided the system assessment. The Marines Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) led the Operational Manager team with assistance from the 20th Support Command (SUPCOM). The Joint Project Manager (JPM) Nuclear Biological Chemical Contamination Avoidance and JPM Guardian served as the Transition Managers.
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The RASR ATD enhances situational awareness on an unmanned ground vehicle, remotely using integrated sensors. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
The Engineering Edge |December 2012| 11
5. Materiel Fielding Tracking Tool
During the Operational Demonstration, at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, IN, the RASR ATD integrated system demonstrated its military utility by performing Sensitive Site Assessment in an operational environment. Its employment will provide significant enhancement to U.S. CBRN operations and reduce the threat to personnel from Chemical Warfare Agents, Toxic Industrial Chemicals and Materials, and Non-Traditional Agents. The evaluation of the technology continues with the Extended User Evaluation by MARFORPAC and 20th SUPCOM units in FY13. ATD also received support from ECBC’s Research and Technology Directorate in the evaluation of the RASR ATD chemical sensor technology.
ECBC Engineering’s Information and Technology Solutions Branch (I&TSB) participated as a member of the Materiel Fielding Tracking Tool (MFTT) Integrated Process Team (IPT). The IPT includes representatives from the Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO) Knowledge Management (KM) Directorate, JPEO Logistics Directorate, and users from Joint Project Manager Offices. The IPT considered 18 proposed changes, including a large effort to standardize installation and fielding location data of the more than 13,000 fielding events already in the tool. These changes were reviewed, clarified, approved, and prioritized by JPEO KM in April 2012. The ITSB began releasing the changes in June 2012 and will complete the effort in December 2012.
4. Hazard Mitigation, Materiel And Equipment Restoration (HaMMER) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD)
6. JACKS-RW
The Hazard Mitigation, Materiel and Equipment Restoration Advanced Technology Demonstration (HaMMER ATD) is a Defense Threat Reduction Agency Joint Science and Technology Office sponsored effort to demonstrate a family of systems approach to decontamination and hazard mitigation. ECBC is the Technical Manager, Joint Program Manager Protection is the Transition Manager, and United States Army, Pacific is the Operational Manager. The HaMMER ATD started in 2009 by identifying promising technologies, which were finalized in 2010. Integration work began in 2011 and was completed by 2012 to be evaluated by way of Technical and Operational Demonstrations. Overall, the HaMMER ATD integrated new decontaminants, indicator sprays, and strippable coatings into three suites of equipment scaled to support operations at the crew, battalion, and dedicated CBRN platoon levels. The overall Joint Military Utility Assessment is expected in 2QFY13, but initial indications show that a family of systems approach is far more effective than stand-alone technologies used as a “silver bullet.” HaMMER is the first program to demonstrate this approach with new technologies, and will pave the road for future doctrine updates that incorporate these technologies.
Since 2007, the ECBC Information and Technology Solutions Branch (I&TSB) located at Rock Island Arsenal has been working with members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Defense Logistics Agency to develop and sustain the Joint Acquisition CBRN Knowledge System-Reporting Warehouse (JACKS-RW). JACKSRW is the authoritative tool used by all service branches to collect, consolidate, and report CBRN asset quantities and serviceability. The consolidated data stored in JACKS-RW is also used as input to the Annual Report to Congress.
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JACKS-RW is the authoritative tool used by all service branches to collect, consolidate, and report CBRN asset quantities and serviceability.
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HaMMER is a family of systems approach to decontamination and hazard mitigation.
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
12 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
Exchange Program Opens Doors at ECBC Engineering for International Collaboration, Partnerships
T
he Engineer and Science Exchange Program (ESEP) is an effort of the US Department of Defense to promote international cooperation in military research, development, and acquisition through the exchange of practical experience of defense scientists and engineers. The program affords opportunities for U.S. military and civilian engineer and scientist personnel to work on-site in allied and friendly countries. Alternatively, the program provides for reciprocal assignment of foreign engineers and scientists to U.S. defense establishments. The active participation of the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) Engineering Directorate in the ESEP has been an opportunity to share ideas, experiences, and best practices with other chemical biological organizations abroad without the need to deal with geographical borders. It is also opening doors for international relationships and partnerships between ECBC’s Engineering Directorate and its international counterparts. “I see it as an excellent opportunity for collaboration with colleagues at other organizations that share our same goals,” said Jorge Christian, Chief of the Protection Engineering Division. “It also helps us strengthen relations with all those organizations by broadening our perspectives in research, development, engineering support, test and evaluation techniques and methods.” Christian hosted a scientist from the Republic of Korea, Dr. Haewan Lee, two years ago under the ESEP. Dr. Lee is a team leader and Principal Researcher at the Republic of Korea (ROK) Agency for Defense Development (ADD), Chemical Biological Radiological (CBR) Directorate. The ADD is the only government funded defense research and development organization in the ROK. The CBR Directorate is responsible for the overall research, development, test, evaluation, and technical support of all CBR equipment fielded to the ROK Armed Forces. Dr. Lee spent six months supporting Christian in the Engineering Directorate, reviewing performance specifications in the areas of individual and collective protection, and drawings for standard items currently fielded. He then spent six months of handson work supporting the Center’s Research and Technology Directorate, CBR Filtration Branch conducting performance characterization of novel absorbents. When Dr. Lee returned to Korea at the conclusion of his participation in the ESEP, he discussed his work with his manager, Dr. Hong Kyu Lee, Director of the ADD, CBR Directorate. Kyu invited Christian to attend and speak at a CBR Protection Seminar, hosted by ADD in October 2012, as an expert on CBR protection technologies. “ADD invites the distinguished foreign engineers and scientists to hear and discuss expertise on high technologies every year,” wrote Dr. Hong Kyu Lee, in his invitation. “I am sure your visit would be very helpful for our work and finding the cooperation area mutually beneficial to both countries.” After a 14.5-hour plane ride from Washington Dulles Airport to Seoul, and a 2.5-hour bus ride to the town of Deajeon, Christian spent three days at the seminar, briefing on topics including an ECBC capabilities overview, individual and collective protection technology trends, and design considerations for collective protection system integration in
mobile platforms. This seminar on Protection was the first of its kind given at ADD. Christian also received a tour of the laboratory and facilities at ADD. “The information discussed was well received since the majority of the seminar attendees were not familiar with the ECBC mission and the engineering aspects of Individual and Collective Protection,” Christian said. In the week following the seminar, Dr. Hong Kyu Lee and Dr. JuHyun Kim, a Team Leader and Principal Researcher at ADD, visited ECBC under the auspices of a current Data Exchange Agreement that is in place between the United States and the Republic of Korea. This opportunity allowed Christian to provide more in-depth information and for Drs. Lee and Kim to see the work at ECBC up close. This collaboration has led to interest in future cooperation in the areas of filter testing and new adsorbent chemical characterization. Both ECBC and ADD are currently exploring the possibility of working toward the establishment of a Project Arrangement for further collaboration on these topics. Dr. Lee was not the first scientist that Christian hosted through ESEP. The work Dr. Lee conducted during his time at the Engineering Directorate was actually started by a German scientist also sponsored by Christian through the ESEP. Dr. Andreas Kruegar is a scientist at Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut für Schutztechnologien - ABC-Schutz, which translates to the Armed Forces Scientific Institute for Protection Technologies. Dr. Lee was able to continue the effort, maintaining and updating the data, as needed, while retaining the same level of technical proficiency established by Dr. Kruegar. “The beauty of this partnership was that there was continuity of support using scientists from different countries without experiencing a drop in performance or delays in the task schedule,” Christian said. Christian refers to himself as “an ECBC ambassador,” and was willing to take on the challenge of traveling to a foreign country, not knowing the native language, which caused some stress along the way in the form of navigating the country as well as the dining implements. Christian said the experience of using metal chopsticks, which made them more slippery than the wooden ones that are offered at Asian restaurants in the States, made things very interesting at dinner time. He recalls being jetlagged after the long flight and getting on the bus to Deajeon, noticing he was the only person who spoke English, but unsure of the correct stop for his destination. Seeing a look of despair on his face, another young man was quick to provide assistance by pointing him to the correct bus stop and making sure of the location where Dr. Haewon Lee was to meet him. “The cultural benefit of learning more about a country from the history, the culture, and the people to the food – those things are invaluable in terms of how much they expand your perspective,” Christian said. “That’s what I love the most about this whole thing.” (On left side) Jorge Christian, Protection Engineering Division Chief, met with scientists and engineers from the Agency for Defense Development, to speak on Individual and Collective Protection at a Seminar in the Republic of Korea. (On right side) Christian was invited to speak on Collective and Individual Protection at a Seminar in the Republic of Korea.
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