The U.S. Army is conducting a series of tests to evaluate the ability of next-generation weapon systems to meet the service branch’s requirements for long-range precision fires.

Army Futures Command’s cross-functional team for LRPF is leading efforts to demonstrate precision-strike missiles, missile launchers, long-range artillery and other weapons included in the military’s top modernization program.

Among the weapons included in the LRPF portfolio is the Lockheed Martin-built Precision Strike Missile, which was flight-tested at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to showcase its ability to cover range beyond 499 km.

The service branch is also assessing the Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher, an unmanned C-130 transportable launcher designed for remote fire control operations and autonomous navigation, and the Extended Range Cannon Artillery, a self-propelled artillery system that can hit targets at a far distance.

The Army plans to deploy the operational systems in 2023.

“Improving the strength and agility of the Army’s field artillery systems and munitions will allow our Soldiers to deliver more precise and punishing effects on future battlefields,” said Maj. Gen. John Rafferty, Director of the Army Futures Command Long Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team.

Savannah River National Laboratory has formed a new center of excellence to help Department of Energy sites address regulatory and stakeholder challenges, advance cleanup and reduce liability and environmental risk.

Connie Herman, director of environmental and legacy management at SRNL, said in a statement published Wednesday the Regulatory Center of Excellence will develop collaborative approaches and strategies to regulatory interaction.

“The RCE draws upon the collective expertise of the Savannah River Laboratory, Longenecker and Associates and SRNL’s university partners, to serve as a critical resource for connecting research developments and regulatory compliance strategies,” added Herman.

Stephanie Jacobs will serve as director of the new center, which will form a network of researchers and experts to support the department’s interactions with community leaders and regulators to address technical communication, policy, community and regulatory compliance challenges.

The center will use the experience and best practices of DOE’s office of environmental management to support other missions. 

The RCE will also recommend strategies to build on community interactions to mitigate concerns and improve communications and offer counsel to federal partners, state regulators, local and tribal governments when it comes to developing risk-informed strategies for environmental cleanup.

Battelle Savannah River Alliance operates and manages SRNL for DOE.

Lt. Col. Gabe Arrington and Col. Christopher Mulder of the U.S. Air Force said the Department of Defense should embrace the potential of wearable devices and empower each military branch to adopt such technologies.

“Clearly, expanding the use of wearable technology in the DoD could have positive implications for both military capability and general health research,” Arrington and Mulder wrote in an opinion piece published Tuesday on Breaking Defense.

They mentioned the Rapid Analysis of Threat Exposure system developed by the Defense Innovation Unit with Philips Healthcare in 2020 and how the technology provides DOD with an opportunity to broaden the operational use of wearable devices.

Mulder and Arrington discussed how wearables could aid military leaders in their leadership and decision-making and how such devices could help monitor and track warfighters’ physical and mental health conditions and tailor training activities.

“As with any new technology, there are going to be challenges. The obvious downside to overly scaling wearables is the question of who has access to the data and for what purpose,” they wrote.

“While the DoD has an opportunity to partner with the commercial sector to operationalize wearables, it must also establish processes and infrastructure to protect this data from breaches in security, particularly from potential adversaries, as well as preventing use outside of official DoD purposes,” they added.

Arrington is a national defense fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Mulder is a graduate of the Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, where he conducted research on holistic health.

The Department of State has authorized $700 million in additional military support for Ukraine as the Eastern European country continues to counter Russia’s invading forces. 

The latest package marks the 11th drawdown of military equipment from the Department of Defense’s inventories in support of Ukraine’s defense and brings the total U.S. security assistance to the country to about $4.6 billion since the start of Russia’s invasion in February, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a previous Wash100 Award winner, said in a statement published Wednesday.

Military capabilities in the security assistance package include High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition; counter-artillery radars; air surveillance radars; Mi-17 helicopters; Javelins and command launch units; tactical vehicles; and anti-armor weapons.

Blinken said the package is part of new funding worth more than $40 billion that was authorized through the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022, which was signed into law on May 21.

“U.S. military assistance will strengthen Ukraine’s position to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, secure victories on the battlefield, and ultimately strengthen Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table,” said Blinken.