Category: Army News

According to CNBC, the Army has banned the use of Chinese-made drones, citing “increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities.”

“Cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media from devices, and secure equipment for follow on direction,” reads the memo from Lt. Gen. Joseph H. Anderson, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for plans and operations. The memo was obtained by the publication Defense One, which said it was also confirmed by two Army officials.

According to the publication, the Army document cites “increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products.”

Defense One also quoted Brett Velicovich, whom it described as a former Army intelligence soldier, as indicating the Army’s comments “could have a huge impact on DJI.” Velicovich now runs a Virginia-based consumer drone firm, Expert Drones.

“There are U.S. special operators in Syria using DJI products,” Velicovich told the publication.

Who would have thought that using Chinese-made technology would cause cyber vulnerability? Well, besides anyone.

Adam Lisberg, a New York-based spokesman for DJI Technology, told CNBC in an emailed statement: “We are surprised and disappointed to read reports of the U.S. Army’s unprompted restriction on DJI drones as we were not consulted during their decision. We are happy to work directly with any organization, including the U.S. Army, that has concerns about our management of cyber issues.”

Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.

Stars & Stripes reports that an Alaska-based Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) intercepted a ballistic missile that had been launched from a C-17 aircraft somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.

Soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade out of Fort Bliss, Texas, conducted launcher, fire-control and radar operations using the same procedures they would use in a real-world scenario, the statement said. The team was not aware of when the target missile would be launched.

“In addition to successfully intercepting the target, the data collected will allow MDA to enhance the THAAD weapon system, our modeling and simulation capabilities, and our ability to stay ahead of the evolving threat,” Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves, MDA’s director, said in the statement.

From UPI, the South Korean government is eager to establish more THAAD sites in spite of local protesters;

Seoul’s defense minister also said South Korea’s self-developed defense systems are not currently adequate enough to strike incoming North Korea missiles, including the “intercontinental ballistic missile” Pyongyang launched Friday.

Song added it is too early to tell whether the test resulted in successful atmospheric re-entry of a North Korean warhead, and it is unknown whether North Korea has the capability to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile tested over the weekend.

Protesters are worried about THAAD radar’s electromagnetic radiation. I wonder how they feel about thermo-nuclear radiation.

There’s a debate being waged within the upper echelons of our government as to whether or not and/or to what extent, America’s military forces should retain control on that ultimate aspect of waging war: taking human life. Through advances in Artificial Intelligence, armed robots are becoming so effective that they are now fully capable of autonomous, deadly combat according to multiple sources. That venerable Russian arms manufacturer, Kalashnikov, a company which has probably accounted for more gunshot deaths than any other arms manufacturer in history, with its series of AK rifles, most notably, the AK-47, has announced its plans to unveil such a fully autonomous robotic weapon system at their upcoming Army-2017 show.

Meanwhile, Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs, General Paul Selva, recently testified to Congress that we must never give AI robotic systems such full control over taking human life lest we lose contol of them and create uncontrollable killing machines. So what do we do? Do we allow our enemies to gain the battle advantage by restricting ourselves with rules of engagement similar to those that have so often hamstrung our forces in the past? Or do we loose these digital dogs of war to roam and fight, unimpeded by human masters? Must our binary beasts fight muzzled by microprocessors awaiting digital approval from human controllers while a free ranging robotic enemy force ravages the battle area unconcerned with such moral niceties as inflicting collateral damages or covering behind human shields?

And it’s not like we have decades to decide this thing; as the Russian announcement makes clear, robotic combat is upon us and if the Russians can actually back up their boast of putting a fully autonomous robotic fighting machine on the battlefield in the next year or so, we’d best have a national discussion soon to develop a national policy to determine:

Who will, quite literally, call the shots?

Crossposted at American Thinker

The Department of Defense identifies a soldier killed in Afghanistan the other day;

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom Sentinel.

Pfc. Hansen B. Kirkpatrick, 19, of Wasilla, Alaska, died July 3, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, from wounds received during an indirect fire attack. The incident is under investigation.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

The Columbus, Georgia Ledger-Enquirer reports that four women graduated from the 17-week training so that they can be 19-Delta Cavalry Scouts.

The soldiers of the 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment completed the 17-week training and earned the Military Occupational Specialty of 19D, Cavalry Scout during a ceremony at Freedom Hall. As part of gender integration, the four women will continue their jobs at the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, and the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., said Nate Snook, a public affairs spokesman at Fort Benning.

[…]

Each soldier was held to one standard throughout the training, said Col. John Cushing, commander of the 194th Armored Brigade. “We spent a great deal of time making sure that we were ready to accept females into our formation,” he said. “Female drill sergeants were on board for about 18 months prior to the execution, which prepared us for the integrated training.”

Congratulations, ladies.

Chief Tango sent us the link and he noticed that the Ledger-Enquirer committed a Freudian slip when they categorized the article to appear in their “Crime” section.