Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defence Artillery Regiment are positioned alongside four Directed Energy Manoeuvre-Short Range Air Defence (DE M-SHORAD) prototype systems. Photo: 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defence Artillery Regiment.

The four directed energy manoeuvre-short range air defence prototype systems were delivered to Fort Sill by the US Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office under the DE M-SHORAD Project Management Office.

Personnel have previously prepared for the laser weapon systems during training in 2022 using surrogate M-SHORAD vehicles designed to mimic the DE M-SHORAD prototype’s size, weight, and power; as well as completing a ‘kill chain’ attack using Virtual Crew Trainer Operating Systems equipment.

In addition, a successful live fire exercise was held between crews from 4-60th ADAR and the DE M-SHORAD prototype team in Arizona during March this year.

“The delivery of DE M-SHORAD prototypes to the 4-60th ADAR represents a transformational milestone in the Army’s modernisation campaign. It’s an achievement that adds what was often thought of as a next-generation capability, now,” according to Colonel Steven D Gutierrez, who leads the DE M-SHORAD office.

“These high energy laser systems will be a game changer on the contemporary battlefield, a critical component of an integrated, layered, and in-depth air missile defence for division and brigade manoeuvre formations.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team. The Directed Energy Project Office took nascent technologies and accelerated their maturation and development to put hardware in the hands of soldiers in record time.

“This will prove to be a deterrent as well as an effective weapon system against relevant threat sets that requires minimal logistical support versus traditional and legacy systems.”

The US Army plans to employ the prototypes in a Soldier Touchpoint in 2024 in partnership with the Army Test and Evaluation Command. The testing and feedback insight will allow soldiers to determine how tools and equipment under development will be used practically in the field.

“The delivery of the DE M-SHORAD prototypes marks an extraordinary advancement in our military capabilities,” according to former 4-60th ADAR battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Alex Corby.

“Delta Battery etches its name in the annals of military history as the Army’s first-ever tactical directed energy capable unit. With cutting-edge technology at their disposal, they are pioneers, forging a path towards a more formidable and agile future for our forces.”

By: Robert Dougherty – Defence Connect

Photo credit: Army Staff Sgt. John Miller captures Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew Sponagle as he scans the ground for metal indications at a suspected crash location.

30-year-old Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Matthew Sponagle, from Reading, Pennsylvania, is part of a dedicated 25-member unit from the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency. They’re on a mission in northern Germany, looking for 10 lost airmen of a B-24H Liberator bomber that met its end in 1945.

Sponagle’s dual roles include identifying personal belongings and remains of the fallen crew and ensuring the safe handling and disposal of explosives as the team’s explosive ordnance disposal specialist.

Upon landing in Germany on Aug. 1, Sponagle promptly coordinated with local law enforcement and German bomb disposal teams, preparing them to manage any discovered munitions or explosives.

Sponagle’s journey began in September 2011, post his graduation from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. He then honed his skills for eight months at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal in Florida. But for him, learning is an ongoing process. “Every site offers a new lesson,” he remarked. For this mission, he meticulously researched the ordnance of the WWII bomber to ensure the team’s safety, studying details down to the 50-calibre machine gun’s ammunition.

He recounts his previous three recovery expeditions: The first was a challenging mission in Panama’s jungles, seeking two naval pilots lost during training. Though some personal items and aircraft fragments were retrieved, the absence of remains made it emotionally taxing. His subsequent missions led him to Thailand, searching for WWII airmen, and then to the Solomon Islands, pursuing the remains of Marines from the Guadalcanal campaign.

Considering his future, Sponagle envisions a long tenure with the Marine Corps, followed by humanitarian work abroad with NGOs.

He expressed his motivation behind volunteering for these missions, “It’s about offering closure to families whose kin made the ultimate sacrifice.”

The Defence Department-affiliated agency conducts searches in 45 nations to locate lost service members from WWII onward, covering events like the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. An estimated 81,000 service members remain unaccounted for. After successfully identifying any recovered remains, the agency informs the family and plans a military burial.

In my recent posting to the FRONTLINE website, I discussed Ross Eastgate’s comments on Australian military involvement in battles at Hamburger Hill (May 1969), Khe Sanh, and Hue.

On Australian participation at “Hamburger Hill”, I stated that I did not believe that our forces had been involved in that engagement close to the Lao border – but that “I could be wrong”. I have now been advised by Ross Eastgate that an AATTV member was involved at Hamburger Hill – ie referring to WO2 Max Kelly (b.26 April 1922) who served with AATTV in the period May 1968 to August 1969. Post-War, Max Kelly collaborated with historian Chris Coulthard-Clark in an article: “An Australian at Hamburger Hill”- see the AWM on-line holdings: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/LIB54111 (an AWM magazine article was published in 2002).

Abstract: “A Vietnam veteran recalls a little-known connection with a famous battle.”

As you may know, I have written and published several books and articles on the Vietnam War – principally focused on NVA/VC in Phuoc Tuy and more broadly on MR3 ie: books include on D445 (two), D440, 33rd NVA Regiment (two), and the 275th VC Regiment – Long Tan (2022). I have also published a 75-page account: “The Fall of Phuoc Tuy – 1975” (with photographs and maps). If you’d like a complimentary copy as an email attachment, contact me at [email protected].

I am still grinding along with my 400+page “opus” on intelligence operations against the communist underground in Phuoc Tuy province.

Regards,

Ernie Chamberlain

In a recent address to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Australia’s Chief of Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, highlighted the growing threats to Western democracies from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in spreading disinformation.

General Campbell specifically singled out Russia, emphasizing its use of disinformation as a potent tool in statecraft. “We are in an era where information and, unfortunately, misinformation are more accessible than ever,” stated General Campbell during the ASPI event on 14th September, as covered by The Guardian. He noted, “While we take pride in our open, diverse, and liberal society, it also leaves us vulnerable.”

He underscored the importance of a well-informed public for thriving democracies. “A post-truth era, where emotions often overshadow facts, can be detrimental to informed decision-making,” Campbell added.

Reflecting on the past, General Campbell spoke of Russia’s disinformation tactics during the Cold War, aimed primarily at the US and its allies. He drew parallels between those strategies and the contemporary methods being employed to influence Western perceptions, referencing events like the Brexit vote and the 2016 US elections as examples of Russian interference.

The distinction, he noted, between past and present campaigns lies in the modern tools and technologies employed by the Russian Federation. “Utilizing AI-driven methods such as bots, troll farms, and fabricated online identities, they’ve managed to fuel mistrust, create divisions, and erode confidence in key democratic institutions,” he remarked.

General Campbell also touched upon the evolving menace of AI-generated deepfakes, suggesting a foreseeable future where “distinguishing reality from fabrication becomes an everyday challenge.”

“This technological trajectory can expedite the erosion of collective public discernment, posing significant threats to public trust in leadership and the cohesive fabric of our societies,” he warned.

Furthermore, he acknowledged China’s readiness to deploy disinformation tactics, emphasizing their approach as a method for achieving victory without direct confrontation. “The most sophisticated strategies aiming to ‘win without confrontation’ are evident in non-Western entities, notably in the People’s Liberation Army with its comprehensive Three Warfares strategy,” Campbell concluded.

European settlement brought a level of civilisation to this continent that the original nomadic inhabitants had failed to achieve despite tens of thousands of years living here.

That European-style civilisation continues to thrive today, and provides all Australians – especially Aborigines, through generous grants and concessions from the government – with the opportunity to achieve standards of education and prosperity that are the envy of the world.

Also, our bureaucracies are riddled with advisory bodies and indigenous representatives with tens of billions of dollars to spend.

And yet… we are now being asked to rewrite our Constitution to add another permanent body for, in Alan Jones’ words, “the whinging, whining, ungrateful minority of Aboriginal activists”.

It’s time Australians stood up and said, enough! From the Alan Jones Show, 8pm AEST Tuesdays and Wednesdays on ADH.TV.

We grew up in the 40s-50s-& 60s. 

We studied and dated in the 50s-60s-70s.

We got married and discovered the world in the 60s-70s-80s.

We ventured into the 70s-80s.

We stabilised in the 90s.

We got wiser in the 2000s.

And went firmly through the 2010s.

Turns out we’ve lived through NINE different decades…

TWO different centuries..

TWO different millennia…

We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long-distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world.

We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and WhatsApp…

From live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, and then to HDTV…

We went to Blockbuster and now we watch Netflix…

We got to know the first computers, punch cards, diskettes and now we have gigabytes and megabytes in hand on our cell phones or iPads…

We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long pants, oxfords, Bermuda shorts, etc.

We dodged infantile paralysis, meningitis, H1N1 flu and now COVID-19…

We rode skates, tricycles, bicycles, mopeds, gasoline or diesel cars and now we ride hybrids or 100% electric…

Yes, we’ve been through a lot, but what a great life we’ve had!

They could describe us as “exennials” people who were born in that world of the forties, who had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood.

We’re kind of Ya-seen-it-all.

Our generation has literally lived through and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life.

It is our generation that has literally adapted to “CHANGE”.

A big round of applause to all the members of a very special generation, which are UNIQUE.

Here’s a precious and very true message. 

TIME DOES NOT STOP!

Life is a task that we do ourselves every day.

When you look… it’s already six in the afternoon;

When you look… it’s already Friday;

When you look… the month is over;

When you look… the year is over;

When you look… 50, 60, 70 and 80 years have passed!

When you look… we no longer know where our friends are.

When you look… we lost the love of our life and now, it’s too late to go back.

Do not stop doing something you like due to lack of time.

Do not stop having someone by your side, because your children will soon not be yours, and you will have to do something with that remaining time, where the only thing that we are going to miss will be the space that can only be enjoyed with the usual friends. This time that, unfortunately, never returns…

The day is today!

WE ARE NO LONGER AT AN AGE TO POSTPONE ANYTHING.

Don’t leave it for later!