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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 | VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

A publication of science and technology news from the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command

PLUS

INTERVIEW WITH

MARY J. MILLER

DASA(R&T)

JANUARY/FEBRUARY | VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

IN THIS ISSUE

ACRONYM GUIDE

AMC

RDECOM

ARL

ARDEC

AMRDEC

CERDEC

ECBC

NSRDEC

TARDEC

ASA(ALT)

ARCIC

DARPA

DASA(R&T)

U.S. Army Materiel Command

U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command

Army Research Laboratory

Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering

Center

Communications-Electronics Research, Development and

Engineering Center

Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering

Center

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and

Technology

Army Capabilities Integration Center

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and

Technology

FEATURES

THE FUTURE OF ARMY SENSORS

An exclusive interview with Mary J. Miller, Deputy Assistant

Secretary of the Army (Research and Technology).

SENSING THE FUTURE

Sensors in military applications gather data that U.S. Army

researchers hope will give Soldiers the decisive edge.

BY DAVID MCNALLY, RDECOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS

AUTONOMOUS FUTURE

Sensors make the Army’s ground vehicle fleet more

intelligent.

BY MATT DECEMBER, TARDEC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

OWN THE WEATHER

Army aviators fly in degraded visual environments with help

from sensor technologies.

BY BILL CRAWFORD, AMRDEC PUBLIC

AFFAIRS

INTEGRATING SOLDIER SENSORS

Researchers develop a mobile platform to provide shared

sensor information.

BY JEFF SISTO, NSRDEC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Senior research leaders discuss sensors vision and challenges.

RDECOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS

SENSORS KEEP THE ENEMY IN SIGHT

Project Manager for Soldier Sensors and Lasers gets high-

tech equipment to American troops.

BY PEO SOLDIER PUBLIC

AFFAIRS

COMMON OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

Sensors move the Army one step closer to foundational

software architecture.

BY EDRIC THOMPSON, CERDEC PUBLIC

AFFAIRS

EARLY BIO-THREAT DETECTION

ECBC works with Soldiers to provide handheld biological

detectors.

BY ECBC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

BIOSENSORS

ARL scientists work to mimic antibodies and detect harmful

particles.

BY JOYCE P. BRAYBOY, ARL PUBLIC AFFAIRS

DARPA’S EXOSUIT

DARPA selected ARL to evaluate Warrior Web prototypes.

BY DAVID MCNALLY, RDECOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Maj. Gen. John F. Wharton, RDECOM commanding general, outlines his priorities

for the workforce at an organizational town hall meeting at Aberdeen Proving

Ground, Maryland, Nov. 24, 2014. (U.S. Army photo by Conrad Johnson)

Front and back cover designs by Joe Stephens

LIGHTWEIGHT ANTENNA

Inflatable ground satellite antennas enabling high-bandwidth

network connectivity anywhere in the world.

BY AMY WALKER,

PEO C3T

QUICKER, MORE ACCURATE MORTARS

Picatinny engineers use advanced sensor technologies.

BY ERIC KOWAL, ARDEC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

DEPARTMENTS

ACRONYM GUIDE

EXECUTIVE DEPUTY TO THE COMMANDING GENERAL

NEWSBRIEFS

Download the magazine, view online

or read each individual story with

additional content and links at Army

Technology Live:

http://armytechnology.armylive.

dodlive.mil

EXECUTIVE DEPUTY TO THE COMMANDING GENERAL

At RDECOM, we understand

how science and technology bring

the power of American innova-

tion to everything we do. I am

proud that RDECOM researchers,

engineers and support person-

nel provide our nation, both at

home and abroad, the technology

and capabilities to win anywhere,

anytime.

The successful efforts of the

Edgewood Chemical Biological

Center workforce using their

technical skills and knowledge

to design and build the Field

Hydrolysis Disposal System, and

then deploying with it to destroy

Syria’s declared chemical weap-

ons stockpile, is an example of

American innovation.

In this issue of

Army

Technology Magazine,

we hope to

highlight how sensors are integrat-

ing into military gear and vehicles

in ways that will empower, unbur-

den and protect our Soldiers.

Greater situational awareness

leads to improved threat detec-

tion in most battlefield environ-

ments. Future smart sensors will

give us a decisive edge.

At the Communications-

Electronics Research,

Development and Engineering

Center, our Night Vision and

Electronics Sensor Directorate

is developing new technologies

to provide Soldiers with unprec-

edented sight. Our researchers

have expanded Soldier viewing

capability in total darkness, even

through battlefield obscurants.

We partner with the

Program Executive Offices for

Soldier; Intelligence & Electronic

Warfare; and Command, Control,

Communications-Tactical to transi-

tion this research into programs of

record that can make an immedi-

ate difference in the fight.

RDECOM also works closely

with the Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency, or

DARPA, to move forward with the

Multifunction Radio Frequency

technology that will help Soldiers

fight effectively in low visibility

environments. The MFRF has

an onboard sensor system that

helps Army aviators cope with

brownout or whiteout conditions,

thereby giving pilots the ability to

prevent collisions with other air-

craft, cables and power lines. This

is critical research that will save

lives and preserve our command-

ers’ combat power.

In the future sensors will be

everywhere. Army researchers

are working on flexible plastic

sensors that could be attached

to individuals, gear or vehicles.

With this technology, Soldiers

will gather information on the

chemical-biological environment,

troop movements and signal

intelligence.

For example, in Army weapon

systems, future sensors will allow

for pinpoint accuracy and scalable

effects lethality in GPS-denied

environments.

The Army of 2025 and beyond

calls for advanced sensors that can

locate and identify threats, enable

protection systems to counter

those threats and make it less likely

an enemy will detect our vehicles.

Developing algorithms and

software to manage the next wave

of data coming from smart sensors

continues to be a scientific chal-

lenge. Researchers are developing

solutions to introduce a common

architecture that our partners in

industry will build upon, ultimately

for a variety of platforms.

Our science and engineering

partners at the U.S. Army Medical

Research and Materiel Command

foresee the Soldiers of 2025 hav-

ing sensors that help to detect and

prevent threats such as dehydra-

tion, elevated blood pressure and

cognitive delays from lack of sleep.

The Chief of Staff of the

Army vision has mentioned, “Our

modernization programs will

remain centered on assuring the

American Soldier remains the most

discriminately lethal force on the

battlefield. We will prioritize the

procurement of proven technolo-

gies that enhance Soldier and unit

lethality, their survivability, their

mobility, and network functionality

and improve our premier ground

and air combat systems. Science

and technology investments will

seek to maximize the potential

Jyuji D. Hewitt

RDECOM Executive Deputy to

the Commanding General

of emerging game-changing

technologies.”

The S&T efforts focused on

developing and maturing smart

sensor technologies enables the

Army to continue to be the most

versatile, agile, rapidly deployable

and sustainable strategic land

force in the world.

Editor’s note: Jyuji D. Hewitt is

the RDECOM executive deputy to

the commanding general. He pre-

viously served as executive direc-

tor for support, Office of Security

Cooperation-Iraq in Baghdad,

Iraq. Also, he was deputy to the

commander and executive director

for ammunition, U.S. Army Joint

Munitions Command, Rock Island

Arsenal, Ill. The Army selected him

for the Senior Executive Service

in January 2007. Read his bio-

graphy at http://www.army.mil/

article/108766.

ARMY

EDITORIAL STAFF

Maj. Gen. John F. Wharton

RDECOM Commanding General

TECHNOLOGY

RDECOM ON THE WEB

http://www.army.mil/rdecom

SOCIAL MEDIA

http://about.me/rdecom

PUBLISHER

Carol Ramirez,

Command Publishing

carol@command-publishing.com, (301) 938-8364

Kirk Brown,

VP Sales and Marketing

kirk@command-publishing.com, (301) 938-8363

Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert O. Beharie

Senior Enlisted Advisor

Joseph Ferrare

RDECOM Public Affairs Officer, (410) 306-4489

David McNally

Managing Editor, david.e.mcnally2.civ@mail.mil

Dan Lafontaine

Associate Editor, daniel.e.lafontaine2.ctr@mail.mil

Army Technology Magazine is an authorized, unofficial publication

under AR 360-1 for all members of the Department of Defense.

Content is not necessarily the official view of, or endorse by the

U.S. Army , DoD or the U.S. Government. The mention of a com-

mercial product, service or firm is not meant to imply endorsement

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in this publication, including inserts and supplements, does not

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paper with vegetable ink and is recyclable.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MARY J. MILLER

Future of

Army Sensors

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MARY J. MILLER, DEPUTY ASSISTANT

SECRETARY OF THE ARMY (RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY)

Since February 2013, Mary J. Miller has served as the Deputy Assistant

Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology. She is responsible

for the entirety of Army research and technology programs, spanning 16

laboratories and research, development and engineering Centers, with more

than 12,000 scientists and engineers and a yearly budget of more than $2

billion dedicated to empowering, unburdening and protecting Soldiers.

She earned an Army Research and Development Achievement Award in

1988 for her technical achievement in the “Development of Nonlinear

Materials for Sensor Protection.” She has been awarded four patents for

sensor protection designs, with two additional patents pending. Miller has

published more than 50 papers and has addressed over 30 major commands

and international groups with technical presentations. She holds

master of science degrees in business administration from

the University of Tennessee and in electrical engineering,

electro-physics from the George Washington University.

Her undergraduate degree is a bachelor of science

in electrical engineering from the University of

Washington in Seattle. The Army selected her for the

Senior Executive Service in August 2005.

Army Technology: What is the Army’s vision for sen-

sors research?

Miller:

From my perspective, I think that Army S&T is looking at a

broad number of approaches for what sensor capabilities we will

need to meet future challenges. We’re looking to improve situational

awareness, mobility, lethality and even improve the maintainability and

effectiveness of our systems.

To achieve these capabilities, we are conducting research in areas

such as networked Soldier helmet sensors. For mobility, we have a

large effort in establishing Degraded Visual Environment capabili-

ties that will ensure our rotorcraft can fly in any environment such as

brownout, snow or just low-light levels. We’re also looking at ways to

increase lethality. We just recently transitioned the third generation

FLIR [short for Forward Looking Infrared], to the Program Executive

Office for Intelligence Electronic Warfare and Sensors. This system

gives us the ability to do identification at longer ranges than we have

ever before. Identification is required for our rules of engagement in

the Army. This is an example of a capability that was transitioned from

the S&T community and has been very successful in early operational

demonstrations.

Regarding maintainability and effectiveness, we’ve been research-

ing sensors that can be put in the skins of platforms to understand the

environment they’ve been in—measuring vibration, ballistic impact or

even thermal cycling. We can even determine battle damage assess-

ment with embedded sensors. We put sensors in our missiles as well to

better assess their status. By understanding what they have experi-

enced, we can determine what capacity they have going forward or

whether they have been degraded. Finally, sensors can

enable better power management by telling us when we

need to have more power in a particular sub-system and less in

another. We can then divert energy to improve effectiveness overall.

Army Technology: What’s the value in this research? How does it

empower Soldiers?

Miller:

Sensors and situational awareness are the keys to our Soldiers

being effective. I think we’ve all seen the reports that have come out

of Afghanistan where unfortunately a majority of the engagements our

Soldiers (at the squad and team level) had with the enemy is because

they were surprised. That is a situation in which we do not want to put

any of our Soldiers. Holistically the work we have been doing in our

sensor technology areas is to help ensure that never happens.

Whether the Soldier is dismounted in a squad fighting in

Afghanistan, or is a helicopter pilot having to land and pick up Soldiers

in an austere environment, or even a ground platform driver traveling

unfamiliar roads at night, we want to provide all of these Soldiers the

best capabilities that we can—the capability to conduct their mission

with full situational awareness in any situation.

Army Technology: In realizing the Army’s vision of the future, how

critical are S&T investments?

Miller:

The Chief of Staff of the Army and the Secretary of the Army

have looked at science and technology (S&T) and our portfolios of

investments as the enablers for the future.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 | ARMY TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | 3

Army Technology - January.February 2015.pdf

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