The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is a maritime variant of the Air Force’s high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) RQ-4B Global Hawk (Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2015). The Triton, previously known as the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAS, is a component of the Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Force (MPRF) family of systems (Naval Air Systems Command [NAVAIR], 2014). It “…is intended to provide persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability” (GAO, 2015, p. 115) in order to increase the intelligence capability and situational awareness of tactical, operational and strategic units (NAVAIR, 2014). Triton mission capabilities include, but are not limited to: • Maritime and port surveillance, • Battle damage assessment, • Support of maritime and littoral operations, and • Communication relay (NAVAIR, 2014). MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Operations Infrastructure Once fully operational, two operational squadrons will operate and maintain the MQ-4C UAS, which consists of the MQ-4C unmanned aircraft (UA), Mission Control Systems (MCS) and service support systems (SS), from two Main Operating Bases (MOB) (NAVAIR, 2014). The MOB will, in turn, support a total of five Forward Operating Bases (FOB) (NAVAIR, 2014). The MOB MCS, designated MD-3A, will be permanently located within the Continental United States (CONUS) at MPRF fleet concentration centers on the East and West coasts
NAVAIR is headquartered in Patuxent River, MD, but has eight different locations throughout the continental United States that provide continuous Atlantic and Pacific fleet support. NAVAIR is commanded by Vice Admiral Paul Grosklags; however, Mr. Garry Newton is the senior most civilian member (NAVAIR Leadership). The joint operations between military and civilian personnel allows for ideas to be maximized and fair in distribution to the public. Plus, the delegation of leadership is vital to the success, improvement, and development of any individual or organization. According to the Department of Defense in the United States and NAVAIR, NAVAIR’s mission is to “provide full life-cycle support of naval aviation aircraft, weapons and systems that are operated by Sailors and Marines” (About NAVAIR). The significance of this is that Sailors and Marines are guaranteed continuous support from NAVAIR. With constant support, Sailors and Marines are able to perform their duties on naval ships, land-based operations, and naval aircraft with excellence. NAVAIR explicitly states that “because we develop, deliver, and sustain aircraft, weapons, and systems – on time, on cost, with proven capability and reliability – Sailors and Marines succeed in every mission and return safely home” (About NAVAIR). Since NAVAIR provides diverse support to the Navy and Marine Corps, wartime
In addition to Talisman Sabre 2013, I Corps developed and tested Pacific Pathways, which is a model similar to the Marines’ UDP. I Corps will deploy a HQs, tactical force, with an aviation detachment and enablers will deploy to the USPACOM AOR to participate in exercises and to respond to a contingency. Therefore, the regional alignment of I Corps, represents an opportunity to scale
As the political landscape in the United States continues to include increasing levels of immigration reform and border security rhetoric, an understanding of current capabilities and operations becomes a vital component when forming an educated opinion. Army National Guard soldiers and aircraft provide a crucial layer of border security, employing the UH-72A Lakota helicopter equipped with technology designed to assist law enforcement agencies in drug interdiction and undocumented immigrant apprehension. Shortfalls in United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) capabilities opened the door for military involvement to stem the influx of illegal immigrants, as well as slowing
This, in fact, could prove to be very limiting for its use in military operations outside of the U.S. Navy. At one point during the development of the MQ-8 series, the U.S. Army briefly tested a four bladed version of the MQ-8A, but quickly halted testing concluding that the smaller and cheaper Raven could provide the same capabilities (CITE). Although the MQ-8C has improved lifting capacity, the Army has not shown renewed interest in the new platform. The Avenger on the other hand has a massively configurable weapons delivery system. Capable of carrying weapons as large as 2,000 pounds, such as hellfire missiles, and a variety of smaller weapons, the Avenger stores its weapons payload inside a bay in its fuselage. This highly configurable bay allows up to seven different kinds of weapons to be easily reconfigured in order to support a wide variety of hunter-killer type missions (CITE). In addition, the weapons package can be completely swapped out for a sensors package, furthering its already superior ISR
Employment and Operations of the Patriot Missile System are dramatically impacted by its host environment. When the a unit is deployed to a permissive environment, treaties and political agreements often restrict exactly where the Patriot battery can be emplaced and what assets it will cover. In a non-permissive environment, the Patriot unit can position itself in the optimal position as long as it is adequately defensible and nests within the higher commander’s plan. A second major difference for employment is mobility. It is typical for Patriot to be
The mission of U. S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Air and Marine (CBP/OAM) is to protect the American people and Nation’s critical infrastructure. CBP/OAM achieves this mission through the coordinated use of integrated air and marine force-mix surveilling the nation’s border. OAM’s focus of effort is to monitor, detect, track, classify, identify, and prevent acts of terrorism, unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs, and other contraband toward, across, and within the borders of the United States. To accomplish the fundamentals of the agency’s strategic mission, CBP/OAM has a critical mission need for Persistent Surveillance. Persistent Surveillance is the ability to have continuous sensor coverage spanning a fixed geographic
Unlike other surface combatants with conventional ammunition, aircraft carriers can safely remain hundreds of miles off the coast of a nation and strike farther inland by utilizing their embarked air wing (Thompson). Also unlike other surface combatants that sail closer to shore, the air wing of the carrier cannot be torpedoed or hit by an enemy mine; the small size and advanced deception technology on the carrier’s various aircraft also make them much more difficult for the enemy to detect than a visible destroyer or cruiser parked directly off their coast. When analyzing the US’s supercarriers, each of their 70 aircraft fulfill a certain role in the theater of war, but they all provide the Navy with the means to dominate the enemy in the sky, on the sea, and on land through electronic and conventional offensive and defensive means
Dating back to the introduction of the original Hercules in 1954, Lockheed Martin has persistently continued to demonstrate perpetual enhancements to the performance of the most veteran line of aircraft platforms in martial history and the transition from the KC-130F to the KC-130J was no exception. The enhancements to its avionics systems, engines, and the addition of the Harvest HAWK weapons kit in 2010 has produced a state-of-the-art platform appropriate for modern day operations. The KC-130J’s improvements in speed, efficiency, and overall combat readiness were demonstrated in the aircraft’s participation in many missions undertaken by Marine aviation. Its first deployment took place in February 2005 with the Marine Aerial Transport Squadron 252 to Al Asad, Iraq in continued support of Operation Iraqi Freedom by conducting aerial refueling and aerial deliveries (Oki, 16). The Harvest HAWK weapons system was first put to the test by KC-130Js deployed with Marine Aerial Transport Squadron 352 in 2010, ordered to provide support for ground Marines in Sangin, Afghanistan (Flurry, “Marine Corps Teaches Old Plane New Tricks in Afghanistan”). The KC-130J also played an important role in the operation, Odyssey Dawn as a part of a pilot rescue mission (Lamothe,
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) , through the Office of Air and Marine (OAM), conducts Air Surveillance and Air Domain Awareness operations by coordinating law enforcement and other air assets to detect, track, intercept, and interdict cooperative and non-cooperative aircraft. The core of CBP’s air domain awareness architecture resides at the Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC). The AMOC is chartered as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Integrated Domain Awareness Law Enforcement Center of Excellence and is a key element in CBP’s counter-network strategy. The AMOC is an international, multi-domain federal law enforcement center that strengthens the execution of CBP’s global mission.
“An air assault is the movement of friendly assault forces by rotary-wing aircraft to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain” (JP 3-18). These air assaults would not be an air assault without the attack aviation element supporting them. Additionally, the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems support air assaults by providing continuous helicopter landing zone “soaks” prior to infill as well as patterns of life observations. The attack aircraft that conduct quick reaction force operations stationed at remoted forward operating bases rely on the utility and cargo aircraft to supply ammo, fuel, POL, and parts to maintain flight operations. Again, Unmanned Aircraft Systems work directly with the attack aviation platforms employing manned unmanned teaming concepts in order to dispatch enemy elements. “An air movement is the air transport of units, personnel, supplies, and equipment including airdrops and air landings” (JP 1-02). “Security operations are those operations undertaken by the commander to provide early and accurate warning of enemy operations to provide the force being protected with the time and maneuver space to react to the enemy, and to develop the situation to allow the commander to effectively employ the protected force “(ADRP 3-90). The early and accurate warnings and the intelligence that these operations provide ensures that the air movements are traversing in as “safe” an environment as
At the strategic level I developed an operational plan that consisted of AMOC’s Project and Plans, Operations, and Systems Directorates, AMO Headquarters (HQ) Test and Evaluation (T&E), and the South East Region to participate in the Maritime Lab Demonstration. The Maritime Lab intends to demonstrate the use of a tethered aerostat outfitted with a maritime radar to improve maritime security operations. The demonstration will also include the use of the Minotaur Mission Management System to share surveillance data among aircraft, vessels and command centers. I developed the desired Critical Operational Issues for the Maritime Lab with the Program Manager Rob Brown. The plan I provided consisted of roles and responsibilities, action items, goals and expectations of activities during the maritime demonstration. As the Lead Maritime Operational Representative for Customs and Border Protection, and Deputy Project Manager for the Dark Vessel Detection Project (DVD-P), I initiated the activity to develop a maritime sensor database and coordinated with DHS components and offices with maritime equities to ensure inclusion as the database is developed. I queried the United States Coast Guard, United States Border Patrol, and National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office to obtain their functional needs in using the maritime
God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and the son’s of Israel had grown into a nation that was exceedingly numerous. However, pharaoh had forgotten Joseph, and began to impose hard physical labour on the Israelites. A boy named Moses (A Levite) was born during a decree from pharaoh to kill all of the baby Hebrew boys. Moses was delivered from death and was raised in the royal household. Moses fled to Midian after he killed an Egyptian taskmaster. After forty years of living in Midian God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and commanded him to return to Egypt to fulfill his promise to Abraham to deliver his people (The Israelites) to the promised land.
In today’s society, the defining moment of high-risk populations occurs on a daily basis due to unprecedented and precedent situations out of person’s control. The lives of individuals who are victims of substance abuse are running of the events of turmoil either from the past or at the present moment.
“Things without all remedy should be done without regard; what’s done is done” This quote nicely captures our cultural unquestioned belief about regret that states that lamenting what has already occurred is foolish and that it is better to simply move on and forward. The initial thought when hearing this quote is that it is an admirable philosophy that people should follow, however, that is until I tell you who said it and in what context. This quote was spoken by Lady Macbeth convincing her husband to stop feeling sorry about murdering people. Maybe not a role model after all. I believe that instead of forgetting, it is important for people to remember the regret they felt in these instances, so they can make better decisions in the future.
Public Intelligence, a non-profit that advocates for free access to information, released a map of military UAV activities in the United States on Tuesday. Assembled from military sources €" especially this little-known June 2011 Air Force presentation (.pdf) - it is arguably the most comprehensive map so far of the spread of the Pentagon 's unmanned fleet. What exact missions are performed at those locations, however, is not clear. Some bases might be used as remote cockpits to control the robotic aircraft