Federal - Executive Branch
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from the U.S. Executive Branch, covering all aspects of the Obama administration including cabinet departments, federal agencies, regulatory and independent agencies.
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baseflow: a MATLAB and GNU Octave package for baseflow recession analysis
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
`baseflow` is a MATLAB(r) [@matlab_2020_] toolbox that facilitates baseflow recession analysis, a set of methods used in hydrologic science to infer aquifer properties that cannot be measured directly [@brutsaert_1977_WRR].
The widespread availability of streamflow measurements means that baseflow recession analysis can be used to estimate aquifer properties and their variations globally over the modern instrumental stream gage record.
This
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
`baseflow` is a MATLAB(r) [@matlab_2020_] toolbox that facilitates baseflow recession analysis, a set of methods used in hydrologic science to infer aquifer properties that cannot be measured directly [@brutsaert_1977_WRR].
The widespread availability of streamflow measurements means that baseflow recession analysis can be used to estimate aquifer properties and their variations globally over the modern instrumental stream gage record.
Thistoolbox offers easy-to-use functions for baseflow recession analysis using measured values of streamflow recorded on a daily timestep.
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Original text here: https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/baseflow-matlab-and-gnu-octave-package-baseflow-recession-analysis
Travis AFB: 60th Maintenance Group Spearheads New Drone Aircraft Inspection Program
TRAVIS AFB, California, July 26 -- The U.S. Air Force's Travis Air Force Base (60th Air Mobility Wing) issued the following news:
By Airman 1st Class Robert Nichols, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affair
The 60th Maintenance Group began training on the U.S. Air Force's first drone aircraft inspection program, July 16-19.
This program aims to improve aircraft inspections with the aid of Skydio X2D drones and create a training template to be used by Air Force maintenance units.
"(Drone inspections) will cut down on time," said U.S Air Force 1st Lt. Sawyer Hodson, 60th MXG executive officer.
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TRAVIS AFB, California, July 26 -- The U.S. Air Force's Travis Air Force Base (60th Air Mobility Wing) issued the following news:
By Airman 1st Class Robert Nichols, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affair
The 60th Maintenance Group began training on the U.S. Air Force's first drone aircraft inspection program, July 16-19.
This program aims to improve aircraft inspections with the aid of Skydio X2D drones and create a training template to be used by Air Force maintenance units.
"(Drone inspections) will cut down on time," said U.S Air Force 1st Lt. Sawyer Hodson, 60th MXG executive officer."Normally when maintainers have to inspect the tops of aircraft panels, they've got to get up on man lifts, wear harnesses and clip into points on the aircraft to walk around. It takes a very long time."
A current exterior inspection of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft by Airmen can take approximately eight hours. With the X2D drone, an inspection would only take 40 minutes.
Currently, two instructors and two operators are training through the program, with a three-day training schedule for instructors and a two-day schedule for operators.
Amanda Gullett, Skydio training consultant, is administering the training. She explained that the Skydio X2D drone used for the training is identical to the drone that will be used for aircraft inspection but with less capabilities.
The drone that will be used for aircraft inspection is a multiband Skydio X2D. It is capable of autonomous 3D capture/modeling and has 360-degree obstacle avoidance for close inspections. It is also equipped with a thermal camera.
Tech. Sgt. Jacob Costello, 60th MXG continuous process improvement manager, is overseeing the training program.
"From start to finish, we have our Skydio training to do our initial qualifications," said Costello. "After that, we'll have our initial training and then we'll have mission specific training. That'll be for each drone platform that we operate."
Once the program is set up and there are daily drone flights without issue, according to Costello and Hodson, the goal is to allow other bases to copy and paste the training program so they have a fully vetted system to use.
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Original text here: https://www.travis.af.mil/News/Display/Article/3849976/60th-mxg-spearheads-new-drone-aircraft-inspection-program/
N.M. U.S. Attorney: Eight Members of Lopez Human Smuggling Organization Operating in Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States Indicted and Two Arrested
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, July 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico issued the following news release on July 25, 2024:
Today, U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, and Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Scott Good of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, announced the unsealing of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2024, charging eight members of the leadership and middle management of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization,
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, July 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico issued the following news release on July 25, 2024:
Today, U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, and Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Scott Good of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, announced the unsealing of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2024, charging eight members of the leadership and middle management of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization,a transnational criminal organization operating in Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. Law enforcement officials effected the arrest of two alleged members of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization in California and Florida in a coordinated, multistate enforcement operation.
In addition, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization today as part of its ongoing efforts to address the national security threat posed by human smuggling. Pursuant to Executive Order 13581, as amended, OFAC has taken action to freeze assets and limit financial transactions of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization.
According to the indictment, Ronaldo Galindo Lopez-Escobar, aka "Tio Roni," 46, of Malacatan, Guatemala, leads and oversees the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization from Guatemala.
Elvis Bersai Lopez-Ambrosio, aka "Pepe," and Whiskey Hans Lopez-Ambrosio, aka "Hands," coordinated with Mexican human smugglers, including Jumilca Sandivel Hernandez-Perez and a La Linea Cartel member known as "Chikis," "Chiquis," "Enano," and "Chicken" to cross undocumented aliens from Guatemala through Mexico, and into the United States through Southern New Mexico.
Upon smuggling undocumented aliens into the United States through Southern New Mexico, Elvis and Whiskey would oversee and direct a network of mid-level smugglers including Eli Adonis Esteban-Lopez and Wenry Gabriel Gomez-Lopez, who assisted in carrying out the day-to-day operations of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization, and Karen Stefany Hernandez-Vanegas, who received deposits and made payments to co-conspirators through the United States banking system, peer-to-peer money transfer applications, and bulk cash that were derived from the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization.
Furthermore, Elvis would instruct co-conspirators to open U.S. bank accounts in order to receive smuggling fees from smuggled aliens on Elvis's behalf and in a manner that would be untraceable to Elvis. Elvis would then instruct co-conspirators to withdraw the funds and either: give the funds to Elvis, convert the funds into assets including real estate, or send funds to Lopez-Escobar or his nominees in Guatemala, utilizing money service business money wires, to minimize the trackability of the funds to Lopez-Escobar.
Federal investigators have uncovered evidence suggesting that the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization generated between $104 million and $416 million in illicit proceeds from their human smuggling activities between September 2020 and April 2023.
"Border security is about neighbors taking care of neighbors, reaching across jurisdictional and agency boundaries to protect our community," said U.S. Attorney Uballez. "With this indictment, we bring the fight across borders to the transnational criminal organizations and their leadership. No longer will you profit in safety while migrants suffer and load-drivers take the risks, and the fall, for your greed. We are coming for you and your bank accounts."
"HSI remains steadfast in vigorously using our broad investigative authority and international footprint to pursue transnational criminal organizations that not only put the lives of migrants at peril, but pose a threat to our national security," said Jason T. Stevens, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI El Paso. "This case exemplifies a coalesced commitment among our federal law enforcement partners to ensure public safety by locking up violent criminal elements associated with these networks. Our message is clear: Human smugglers will not operate with impunity in our communities."
"On behalf of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the U.S. Attorney's Office and our local law enforcement partners for their role in this significant criminal apprehension," said Anthony Scott Good, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector. "The successes in the investigation of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization represents our unified goal as law enforcement partners: protecting the very communities we live in. Border Patrol's mission extends beyond immigration; we strategically collaborate with local law enforcement to deter and address criminal threats."
If convicted of the current charges, Lopez-Escobar faces up to 20 years in prison. Lopez-Escobar and nine co-defendants were charged with conspiracy to bring in, transport and harbor illegal aliens on May 24, 2023. Lopez-Escobar remains a fugitive.
If convicted of the current charges, Elvis Bersai Lopez-Ambrosio faces up to 20 years in prison.
If convicted of the current charges, Whiskey Hans Lopez-Ambrosio faces up to 10 years in prison.
If convicted of the current charges, Hernandez-Perez faces up to 10 years in prison.
If convicted of the current charges, Chikis faces up to 10 years in prison.
If convicted of the current charges, Esteban-Lopez faces up to 10 years in prison.
If convicted of the current charges, Gomez-Lopez faces up to 10 years in prison.
If convicted of the current charges, Hernandez-Vanegas faces up to 10 years in prison.
HSI El Paso led U.S. investigative efforts, with enforcement assistance from HSI in the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California. HSI received investigative assistance from HSI Long Beach and San Jose, U.S. Border Patrol Deming, Lordsburg, Blythe, El Centro, Yuma, and Tucson, the U.S. Marshal Service's Organized Crime and Gangs Branch, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection's National Targeting Center/Operation Sentinel, and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. The Justice Department's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) of the Department's Criminal Division also provided support in this matter.
The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Ramirez for the District of New Mexico.
The indictment of these defendants is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico is part of JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Justice Department, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and most recently in the Darien to include Colombia and Panama. The task force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime. JTFA is comprised of detailees from U.S. Attorneys' Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California. Dedicated support is also provided by numerous components of the Justice Department's Criminal Division that are part of JTFA, led by HRSP, and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT), the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), MLARS, the Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO), the Office of International Affairs (OIA), and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other partners. To date, JTFA's work has resulted in over 310 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; over 250 U.S. convictions; over 185 significant sentences of 30 years or more in prison imposed; and substantial seizures and forfeiture of substantial assets and contraband, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs; multiple indictments and successful extradition requests against foreign leadership targets.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/eight-members-lopez-human-smuggling-organization-operating-guatemala-mexico-and-united
IDB, EIB Approve Guarantees to Support Climate and Fiscal Resilience in Barbados
WASHINGTON, July 26 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have approved guarantees totaling US$300 million to support an innovative debt-for-climate operation that will help Barbados unlock much-needed resources to invest in critical climate adaptation projects, while safeguarding other priorities such as social spending on health and education.
The boards of the IDB and the EIB each approved a US$150 million guarantee, marking the first time the two institutions have provided
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WASHINGTON, July 26 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have approved guarantees totaling US$300 million to support an innovative debt-for-climate operation that will help Barbados unlock much-needed resources to invest in critical climate adaptation projects, while safeguarding other priorities such as social spending on health and education.
The boards of the IDB and the EIB each approved a US$150 million guarantee, marking the first time the two institutions have providedjoint guarantees for a single operation in the Caribbean. This combined effort on innovative climate financing and project preparation will amplify the scale and impact of Barbados' investment in climate-resilient infrastructure.
The guarantees will be used in a debt-for-climate conversion plan first announced late last year. The plan creates the fiscal space that allows the government to make investments in resilience that would not be otherwise possible given the current fiscal limitations.
The guarantees will also help Barbados advance its resilience plans outlined in the country's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, and in the Roofs to Reefs Programme, by increasing water availability and food security and enhancing the country's resilience in a holistic manner. The guarantees support the implementation of the European Union's Global Gateway investment strategy and enable Barbados to access crucial water and climate financing.
"This groundbreaking collaboration between the IDB and the EIB marks a historic moment for Barbados and sets a powerful, scalable model for other vulnerable nations. With these loan guarantees, we are not only securing our nation's water and food resources but also fortifying our resilience against the ever-looming threat of the climate crisis. This initiative exemplifies how innovative climate financing can drive meaningful change, ensuring a sustainable future for our people and our planet," said Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley.
"The EIB has consolidated its role as the Climate Bank, supporting investments that reinforce the resilience of most-affected countries," said Nadia Calvino, President of the European Investment Bank. "I am really proud that the EIB Group participates in the first ever debt-for-climate conversion and, through our partnership with the European Commission, the IDB and the government of Barbados, set an important milestone in innovative financing for climate action."
"This operation exemplifies how the Global Gateway Investment Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean is delivering innovative solutions to enhance partner countries' resilience and direct benefits to the citizens. These crucial resources help Barbados address climate vulnerabilities and invest in resilient infrastructures," said Jutta Urpilainen, European Union Commissioner.
"Our partnership with the EIB, and Barbados, shows how international development organizations are working together as a system with governments to devise innovative financial solutions to mobilize more resources for more impactful climate-resilient investments,'' said Ilan Goldfajn, IDB President. "Barbados is on the forefront of financial innovation and partnerships. We reached this important major achievement because of the country's strategic vision and commitment to a climate-resilient future."
The operation will provide Barbados with the resources for infrastructure investments, including the South Coast Water Reclamation Project, which will increase the island's water security in the context of climate change impacts and improve sanitation services. The project will upgrade the South Coast sewage treatment plant, allowing it to reclaim water used in irrigation. This will allow local aquifers to recharge while preventing untreated wastewater from being discharged into the ocean, helping protect marine ecosystems and nearshore reefs and safeguarding public health.
Under the guarantee program, Barbados has developed a set of policies that will strengthen the government's capacity to prepare and implement new climate investments, protect and augment scarce groundwater resources, and boost agricultural production. The government will also commit to adopting measures to improve tax and debt management and develop strategies to enhance the country's financial resilience to natural disasters such as hurricanes and flooding. Complementary investments by the government in reducing water losses in the supply network ensure a comprehensive water security investment program.
The recent impacts of Hurricane Beryl highlight the vulnerability of the Caribbean region and small island developing states to climate change. The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be unusually active and intense, driven by exceptionally warm ocean temperatures. In becoming a Category 5 hurricane so early in the season, Beryl set a historical record. This operation is the result of collaborative efforts among Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to provide innovative tools to address the challenges and effects of climate change.
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About the EIB
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.
EIB Global is the EIB Group's specialised arm dedicated to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance. EIB Global is designed to foster strong, focused partnership within Team Europe, alongside fellow development finance institutions, and civil society. EIB Global brings the Group closer to local people, companies and institutions through our offices across the world.
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About Global Gateway
Global Gateway is the European strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world. Through a 'Team Europe approach', Global Gateway brings together the EU, its Member States and their financial and development institutions to mobilise the private sector to leverage investments for a transformational impact. It aims to mobilise up to Euros300 billion in investments. Global Gateway is fully aligned with the UN's Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the Paris Agreement.
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About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public- and private-sector clients throughout the region. Take our virtual tour.
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URL: European Investment Bank
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/idb-eib-approve-guarantees-support-climate-and-fiscal-resilience-barbados
FCC Wireline Competition Bureau Issues Public Notice: Urban Rate Survey 2025 Timeline
WASHINGTON, July 26 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 10-90) on July 25, 2024:
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The Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) and the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) hereby initiate the urban rate survey for 2025./1 The information collected in this survey will be used to develop voice and broadband reasonable comparability benchmarks that will be in place in 2025.
In accordance with the URS Order, to set next year's benchmarks, we will be collecting the rates offered by a random sample of providers of
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WASHINGTON, July 26 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 10-90) on July 25, 2024:
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The Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) and the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) hereby initiate the urban rate survey for 2025./1 The information collected in this survey will be used to develop voice and broadband reasonable comparability benchmarks that will be in place in 2025.
In accordance with the URS Order, to set next year's benchmarks, we will be collecting the rates offered by a random sample of providers offixed services identified using December 2023 data filed in the FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC). We will collect separate samples for fixed voice and fixed broadband services in up to 500 urban census tracts for voice services, and up to 2,000 urban census tracts for broadband services./2 Because some providers serve many urban census tracts, these providers may receive surveys for multiple census tracts. Notifications that a provider is required to complete a survey will be sent via email to each selected provider's BDC contact person and certifying official on or about July 25, 2024. The survey consists of an online reporting form, which will be accessible only to the selected providers. The email notification will contain detailed information on how to access and complete the survey online and how to obtain technical assistance. Completed surveys will be due no later than August 30, 2024.
Additional information on the urban rate survey, including the URS Order referenced in this Public Notice, can be found on the Commission's urban rate survey webpage at https://www.fcc.gov/general/urban-rate-survey-data-resources.
For questions about the urban rate survey, please contact Craig Stroup in the Industry Analysis Division of the Office of Economics and Analytics at Craig.Stroup@fcc.gov or (202) 418-0989. For additional information about this Public Notice, please contact Suzanne Yelen at Suzanne.Yelen@fcc.gov or (202) 418-0626.
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Footnotes:
1/ In April 2013, WCB adopted an Order setting the form and content for the annual survey of urban rates for fixed voice and fixed broadband residential services. Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, Order, 28 FCC Rcd 4242 (WCB/WTB 2013) (URS Order).
2/ For this year's survey, on our own motion, we again find good cause to waive, to the extent necessary, the use of 2010 census tracts, as specified in the URS Order. See id. at 4244, para. 10; see also Urban Rate Survey Timeline for 2023, WC Docket No. 10-90, Public Notice, DA 22-859, at 1 n.2 (OEA/WCB Aug. 15, 2022). While we are using 2020 census tract boundaries for this year's survey, WCB released a public notice seeking comment on the use of 2020 census tract boundaries, as well as various other issues pertaining to future surveys. See Wireline Competition Bureau Seeks Comment On Modifying The Calculation Of Broadband Benchmarks, WC Docket No. 10-90, Public Notice, DA 23-274 (WCB May 8, 2023).
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-24-724A1.pdf
Army Space and Missile Defense Commander Addresses Association of the U.S. Army Coffee Series
PETERSON AFB, Colorado, July 26 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's U.S. Space Command issued the following news:
By Jason Cutshaw, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command's leader said the command has the lead role in the Army's Space Vision supporting multidomain operations and defending the United States.
Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general, spoke at a Coffee Series event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army at AUSA's headquarters, July 23, in Arlington.
"Right now based off of where the Army has moved
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PETERSON AFB, Colorado, July 26 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's U.S. Space Command issued the following news:
By Jason Cutshaw, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command's leader said the command has the lead role in the Army's Space Vision supporting multidomain operations and defending the United States.
Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general, spoke at a Coffee Series event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army at AUSA's headquarters, July 23, in Arlington.
"Right now based off of where the Army has movedin some of our demand requirements, we feel we are on path to meet our modernization goals," Gainey said. "Depending on how we move forward potentially impacts modernization. As of right now, we're moving on the right path. There are no issues at this time progressing forward with the force structure plan that we have and the growth that we have in place."
He discussed the command's initiatives to lead a proof-of-concept demonstration for using C-UAS in the homeland to help U.S. Northern Command determine how to move forward with C-UAS capabilities across the continental United States.
"Warfare is changing drones and all the capabilities that they may need," Gainey said. "We do our own internal science and technology work so we're able to do the gap analysis across the space and missile defense portfolio through our (Space and Missile Defense) Center of Excellence. Then our Center of Excellence is able to walk down and document to our Technical Center from an S&T perspective.
"They can go out and work closely with industry and see what's out there to help get after some of the challenges that we have moving forward," he added. "We're having to leverage more capability for a mission set with our modernization. We're building based off knowing that there's a 360-degree threat."
Gainey said everybody is involved in space and has to be prepared to fight in a degraded denied environment and be able to leverage space.
"We at SMDC developed an Army Space Training Strategy that essentially focuses on how do you get space capability and space awareness, all the way down to the tactical level," Gainey said. "We leverage that with our space experts inside of formations in our divisions. We are essentially building it inside of the schoolhouse and initial training, always through the training pipeline, and integrating space as part of awareness."
Gainey talked about the future space operations military occupational specialty and how it will benefit the Army and its future space branch.
"You have an initiative on the space MOS," Gainey said. "A lot of great work by the leaders in vision that came before me seeing that we can no longer continue to do business as usual in the way we operate right now as we pull Soldiers from air defense.
"We will change those Soldiers to 40 delta MOS to where now they're space Soldiers and they're experts," he added. "So they get basic training all the way up, and then you get a professional noncommissioned officer, which we're really excited about. We believe this is a stepping stone to a space branch."
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Original text here: https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/3848971/smdc-commander-addresses-ausa-coffee-series/
307th Bomb Wing Jets Get Innovative Treatment
ROBINS AFB, Georgia, July 26 -- The U.S. Air Force Reserve Command issued the following news:
By Senior Master Sgt. Theodore Daigle, 307th Bomb Wing Public Afairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Representatives from Boeing, SEMPRE, Northrop Grumman, Skydio, and Near Earth Autonomy demonstrated multiple technologies on the B-52 Stratofortress here, July 16.
Leadership and B-52 maintainers from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Mobility Command, and the 8th Air Force were on hand as the various companies demonstrated potential maintenance capabilities for the 60-year-old airframe using a combination
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ROBINS AFB, Georgia, July 26 -- The U.S. Air Force Reserve Command issued the following news:
By Senior Master Sgt. Theodore Daigle, 307th Bomb Wing Public Afairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Representatives from Boeing, SEMPRE, Northrop Grumman, Skydio, and Near Earth Autonomy demonstrated multiple technologies on the B-52 Stratofortress here, July 16.
Leadership and B-52 maintainers from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Mobility Command, and the 8th Air Force were on hand as the various companies demonstrated potential maintenance capabilities for the 60-year-old airframe using a combinationof unmanned aerial systems (UAS), AI software, stand-alone networks, and augmented reality devices.
Several of the demonstrations revolved around improving physical scans of the aircraft, a time-consuming and potentially dangerous process for maintainers.
"Our maintainers do physical scans of the aircraft every 180 days and again every 450 flight hours, but there are areas that are difficult and time-consuming to inspect due to access," said Master Sgt. Brett Jordan, the 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent.
One proposed solution involved a two-person team from Near Earth Autonomy scanning the surface of two Air Force Reserve Command B-52s with a proprietary, 35 pound drone, which sent information via a secure network to Boeing's artificial intelligence enabled software.
The software then provided instant feedback on problem areas on the jet's surface.
The network, provided by SEMPRE, served as the backbone of the demonstration by providing a self-contained unit called the SEMPRE T.
The transportable unit is hardened against electromagnetic pulses and combines a 5G cellular network, decentralized hybrid cloud, and satellite gateway in remote and contested environments.
"Things that would normally knock a network off the air won't affect the SEMPRE T," said Jon Huppenthal, SEMPRE chief technology officer. "It can be unpacked from a plane and be fully operational from a remote location with no connectivity in approximately 15-20 minutes."
Barksdale maintainers beat Huppenthal's estimates, getting the SEMPRE T operational in 10 minutes, providing Boeing, Near Earth Autonomy, and Northrop Grumman with a secure network augmented by anti-tamper sensors, a zero-trust architecture, and end-to-end encryption.
Using the SEMPRE T network, the Near Earth Autonomy's drone used a pre-programmed flight pattern to scan the B-52's surface in a few minutes, a task that would ordinarily take several maintainers hours to complete.
Hundreds of photos from the drone were sent in real-time to Boeing's Automated Damage Detection Software (ADDS), which employs an advanced AI algorithm to sift through the data and quickly detect anomalies in the jet's skin, including corrosion, missing seals, and paint delamination.
"ADDS pinpoints anomalies so that when maintainers have to harness up and put themselves in danger by going 40 feet up to work on a tail, they know exactly where to go and how to fix it," said Scott Belanger, a retired Air Force maintenance officer who now works on Boeing's Contested Logistics Solutions Team.
NEA and Boeing have employed ADDS on C-17 Globemasters at Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as part of a three-pillared inspection program for the past three years.
"Home station checks on a C-17 used to take eight to nine hours, not including harnessing up and bringing in lifts," said Belanger. "We've been able to reduce that time to three hours, and the process is exponentially safer."
Beyond safety and efficiency, Belanger said the data improves accuracy, citing studies that show the average anomaly detection rate on aircraft by humans is 50%.
"We've been able to bring that rate up to 94%," said Belanger. "The technology doesn't replace maintainers; it just elevates their ability to find problem areas and remedy them."
Like Near Earth Autonomy, Skydio also provided scanning capabilities, but in a smaller, more deployable UAS that can be used in garrison as well as remote and contested environments.
That UAS includes an X10D drone, which weighs under five pounds and can be folded into a package 13 inches long and hand-carried in a small case.
Peyton Knippel, Skydio's Director of Business for Air and Space Forces, said the company's UAS is designed for ease of use even if the operator has no previous drone experience.
"The XD10 uses a series of steps to set up the scan in only four minutes, so cognitive load in a stressful environment is significantly reduced," he said. "You just have to follow the steps."
Knippel cited a recent event where maintainers who had never flown a drone had to fly the XD10 on short notice.
"We taught them the fundamentals, they followed the steps, and they had the mission flown in 30 minutes," he said.
The Skydio UAS records aircraft photos on a micro-SD card, which can be directly transferred to ADDS after a flight without a network.
While drones and AI played a significant role in the demonstration, so did augmented reality.
Northrop Grumman showcased the ability to combine AR in a wholly encrypted environment to ensure maintenance accuracy.
Their team demonstrated how maintainers in remote environments could use AR-enabled glasses to collaborate with subject matter experts in other parts of the world through the SEMPRE T to address maintenance problems on the B-52.
Michael Hinkley, Northrop Grumman's Sector Manager for Advanced Manufacturing, said the AR system allows maintainers to reach across the world to get real-time help without fear of unfriendly forces finding out a B-52 is currently inoperable and using that information against them.
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Original text here: https://www.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3850147/307th-bomb-wing-jets-get-innovative-treatment/
