The U.S. Army is introducing its first fully immersive virtual simulation program for dismounted soldiers and small tactical units. The Dismounted Soldier Training System will provide virtual environments for soldiers to increase combat preparedness and reduce traditional training expenses. And the system’s advanced graphics and tools utilize video game elements and skills already familiar to young soldiers.

At a time when almost all of government is being squeezed by efforts to lower spending, a new report from a congressional watchdog agency strongly suggests that the Defense Department needs to do a better job of managing its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. "Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance: Actions Are Needed to Increase Integration and Efficiencies of DOD's ISR Enterprise," (GAO 11-465) warns that the department must improve its control over disparate ISR efforts if it is to provide effective ISR support to the force.

Anyone who has not read the INSA report "Smart Change: Lessons of the Past, Direction for the Future" should do so. Led by Joan Dempsey of Booz, Allen, Hamilton, INSA's Smart Change Task Force has produced a document that should have significant shelf life over the next several years. Or so we should hope.

As chat capabilities threaten to overtake voice radio as the preferred means of communication on the battlefield, military officials in Afghanistan are countering the proliferation of chat rooms available on the coalition network. Chat capabilities offer several advantages over voice communications, according to military officials in Afghanistan. But thousands of chat rooms available to warfighters have proven to be too much of a good thing.

The Secretary of Defense signed a memorandum on 19 April 2011 which articulates the Science and Technology (S&T) priorities for the Department of Defense (DoD). This memo flows from extensive planning including reviews of all defense missions and architectures to support those missions. The result: seven S&T priorities have been identified for strategic investment. These [...]

Since we last gathered around the AFCEA URL, the President has nominated CIA Director Leon Panetta to be the next Secretary of Defense and named General David Patraeus to take over the CIA. In a surprising development neither Vice Chairman Marine General James Cartwright nor European Command Commander Admiral James Stavridis were selected to relieve Admiral Michael Mullen as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs - - - instead the President selected Army General Martin Dempsey, who has been Army Chief of Staff only since 11 April. Former DNI Denny Blair testifying before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about the status of intelligence reform since 9/11 opined that "As DNI, I could have led this process [intelligence reform] had I enjoyed the support of the President and his staff. However, their past experience, priorities, and the White House-centric style of national security governance never offered me the opportunity."

I am back from the DoDIIS Conference in lovely downtown Detroit... I noticed an eerie lack of hustle and bustle in the downtown district, in spite of the conference's success. Cool architecture kept my interest as well as some inviting eating establishments. Here are my Must Do Items and "Must Not Do" for these kind of conferences:

A week ago, I spent three nights in the hospital with my 17-year-old son, who was suffering from severe headaches and uncontrolled nausea. One test after another revealed nothing, and we ended up with a diagnosis of, “Get him some rest, keep something down and hydrate him with IVs [intravenous fluids], and we’ll see.” Needless to say, his dad—a trained submarine nuclear officer and former chief information officer of Navy Medicine—was ready to stand the watch in the hospital. “Get him some rest and fluids…”—a simple assignment—or so it seemed.