Staff Sgt. Paul Lincoln Olmstead was the second Green Beret to drown during dive-related training in 2021. An airman also drowned at his service’s dive school in 2020 under circumstances similar to those of Olmstead.

The new programmable vests ― which are found on the civilian market ― automatically inflate using carbon dioxide, or CO2, cartridges when a swimmer sinks below a set depth.

That could have saved Olmstead’s life after he went unconscious for unknown reasons and drowned Sept. 21, 2021, according to an investigation report obtained by Army Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Investigators found that the “primary contributing factor” to Olmstead’s death was the “inadequacy of the Aqualung Scout Swimmer Vest,” which requires a drowning victim to be conscious to activate the CO2 cartridges in their vest.

Investigators also raised concerns about other practices at 5th Special Forces Group’s Maritime Assessment Course, which prepares soldiers for formal combat diver training.

Although instructors running the course weren’t negligent or in violation of any regulations, the risk mitigation measures “were not adequate to prevent SSG Olmstead’s death,” the report reads. “Specifically, allowing swimmers to swim without a buoy attached contributed to the instructors’ and students’ inability to locate SSG Olmstead after he had gone subsurface.”

Because Fort Campbell’s Joe Swing Quarry is such a confined space, 5th SFG abandoned the use of buoys years ago, the report added. An unnamed individual from 5th SFG said in the report that the buoys risked causing swimmer entanglement.

Previous deaths

Olmstead’s death came months after another Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Micah Walker, drowned at the Army’s combat diver school in Key West, Florida, and a year after an airman drowned at the Air Force’s combat diver school in Panama City, Florida.

None of the deaths involved breathing compressed gas or actual diving.

Walker’s death occurred during a water treading exercise, according to a dive official with John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. The official spoke with Army Times days after the death on condition of anonymity due to an ongoing investigation.

Safety swimmers had Walker out of the pool within three to five seconds of losing consciousness and slipping underwater, the official said in July 2021. He also disputed an Army Safety Center press release that called Walker’s death a drowning.

However, Army casualty records prepared this summer and obtained by Army Times via a Freedom of Information Act request stated that Walker’s death was indeed a drowning.

Maj. Rick Dickson, a spokesman at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, declined to comment further on the incident and said the investigation into Walker’s death remains ongoing.

A third recent drowning death in Panama City involving Air Force Special Tactics trainee Airman 1st Class Keigan Baker occurred during an open ocean swim.

Similar to Olmstead’s case, investigators found no indication that Baker attempted to activate his CO2 cartridges before drowning, meaning he likely was unconscious. Also like Olmstead’s case, investigators did not definitively determine why he went unconscious, though overexertion was one possible explanation.

Wear and tear

After Baker’s death in 2020, the Air Force Special Warfare Training Wing tested several commercially available automatic inflating swim vests, said wing spokesman 1st Lt. Xiaofan Liu.

However, the wing ultimately decided not to acquire any of them.

“The automatic inflating swim vests that the Special Warfare Training Wing initially tested were not designed for the continual wear and tear of the combat swimming conducted by trainees at the Air Force Combat Dive Course,” Liu wrote in an emailed statement.

“These automatic inflating swim vests were designed to save someone if he or she were to fall overboard from a vessel or aircraft … [and] didn’t hold up well to the strenuous activities conducted by the trainees,” Liu added, which include “open water swims, water jumps from fixed-wing aircraft, hoisting patients out of the water, and fast-roping into the water.”

The Air Force did implement some changes, though, because there were problems found after Baker’s death that also echo issues later found in Olmstead’s case.

The investigation into Baker’s death found that instructors had special tactics trainees conduct a 2,000-yard open water swim without lines tethering them to swim buddies to ensure they didn’t become separated.

The Air Force now requires dive trainees to swim within six feet of a swim buddy at all times so a teammate can inflate a distressed swimmer’s vest if they go unconscious. Trainees also must wear buoys during swims after it took hours to find Baker’s body.

Olmstead was also lost for some time underwater despite vigorous efforts by teammates to locate him.

The investigation into Olmstead’s death stated that he was close to finishing the quarry swim when he drowned. An instructor spotted Olmstead pass by his boat, then turned to observe other students.

“When he passed by, it was clear he was putting out incredible effort, typical of students sprinting the last couple hundred meters of the swim when close to cut off time,” an instructor’s witness statement reads. “The noise was typical of a soldier exerting great physical effort. It was not a sound of distress.”

When the instructor looked back at where Olmstead had been, he realized the student was missing. Instructors dove underwater and students waded in the shallow areas in search of him. The fire department and scuba teams were called in to sweep the quarry for him.

Olmstead’s scout swimmer vest was “without defect” and inflated as designed when investigators later manually activated the CO2 cartridges to test it out. Investigators determined that Olmstead most likely went unconscious before drowning.

In addition to recommending new swim vests, the investigation called out how difficult it had been for soldiers to find Olmstead in a timely manner, which may have saved his life. Army special operations officials said they’ve reviewed those findings and made changes.

“At this time, the command is looking at acquiring the recommended vests for further testing and evaluation to determine suitability,” said Maj. Russell M. Gordon, spokesman for 1st Special Forces Command. “In the meantime, the command took immediate action to mitigate risks by requiring students to wear an attached buoy for easy identification in the water, increase the number of safety boats, and increase the number of safety swimmers and also safety personnel outside the water.”

“The loss of SSG Paul Olmstead was an absolute tragedy, and he will always be a valued member of our Army special operations family,” Gordon added.

“There have been times where the Shadow is too loud to fly too close to an enemy, so we can’t get many details on them,” said Pfc. Jacob Owens, a drone operator at the 1st Infantry Division who has been testing Arcturus UAV’s JUMP 20 at Fort Riley. “Quieter can be a huge advantage to us because we can get closer to get details on the camera, like read a license plate on the back of a car.”

Five brigades across the Army were selected to test unmanned aircraft systems and provide feedback to Army leadership looking to replace the RQ-7 Shadow, which was introduced in the mid-2000s. Owens and other soldiers spoke about the assessments they’ve participated in during a telephone call on Wednesday.

Information gleaned from the assessments will inform the Army’s future vertical lift cross-functional team as they develop specifications for a a future tactical unmanned aircraft system, which is supposed to sport advances in maneuverability, agility, lethality and reach, according to Army Futures Command.

Futures Command began fielding the new drones to the five brigades across the force this spring, with 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, receiving Arcturus UAV’s JUMP 20 in mid-March.

JUMP 20 is the largest of the four drones being tested, weighing in at 210 pounds with an 18-foot wingspan, which is roughly similar to the Shadow.

The 17-hour flight time, vertical takeoff ability and reduced noise while in-flight will be a game-changer, said Sgt. 1st Class David Rodriguez, a platoon sergeant and standardization operator.

“Without the noise, it allows us to get closer to targets and identify them over longer periods without being identified by the sound of the motors as we fly overhead,” Rodriguez added.

The Army is looking for a Shadow replacement with reduced noise signature to retain the element of surprise and prevent targets from scattering if they see or hear the drone, noted the 1st Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade commander Col. Bryan Chivers, citing his experience in Afghanistan.

“You could have a Gray Eagle or Predator [drone] on station, observing a particular target, and when the Shadow would come on-station, you knew because somebody announced it and if you were privy to the operation, you could see them looking up to the sky and sometimes hearing this system,” Chivers said.

Vertical take-off is another specification the Army is seeking. It will allow launch and recovery at more locations, including austere ones without runways, and it should reduce the amount of equipment needed by soldiers.

Soldiers at the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, have been testing out Martin UAV’s V-BAT. The V-BAT is unique in that it sits on its tail end during launches. It has a lot less equipment, soldiers said, but its flight time is roughly the same as the Shadow.

“We can pretty much operate it anywhere; We don’t need a runway,” said Spc. Alexander Albritton, a drone operator at Fort Campbell.

A lot of the requirements the Army has put forth stemmed from an increasingly important operational need to be more “expeditious,” according to Maj. John Holcomb, the future tactical unmanned aircraft systems assistant product manager.

“One requirement we looked at for all the systems is the entire system could be loaded up on two Air Force 463L pallets and fit inside of a CH-47 [helicopter],” Holcomb said. “A Shadow system takes C-130s to get into theater and move around all the equipment that’s required.”

These future drone systems will allow tactical commanders to not rely on airfields, noted Lt. Col. Brian Angell, a squadron commander at Fort Riley involved in the tests.

That could be important in a future fight against peer competitors like China and Russia that are able to pound stationary airfields and hangers with long-range weapons.

“It opens up options,” Angell said. “We’ll be less predictable. We’ll be able to maneuver this system on the battle space quicker, set it up, operate it and move it to another location faster. So that’s a survivability standpoint, as well, that we’ll gain with this system.”

A brigade at the 2nd Infantry Division on Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, began their own assessment of a third drone, Textron Systems’ Aerosonde HQ, this week, according to Army Futures Command.

Later in the summer, the 1st Armored Division at Fort bliss, Texas, is scheduled to test L3 Harris’ FVR-90 drone. Futures Command hopes to complete the fielding process with a brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division in September, when the paratroopers will test a second version of Arcturus UAV’s JUMP 20 with different payloads.

The assessments will culminate with brigade-level combat training center rotations at Fort Polk, Louisiana, or Fort Irwin, California. Army officials have tentatively stated previously that the plan is to have the first unit equipped with a Shadow replacement sometime in fiscal year 2024.

The Space Force is currently made up of units that previously fell under Air Force Space Command before the new service was officially established in December.

Transferring services doesn’t involve any physical movement for either units or their billets, officials said in a media release. Unit missions will simply transfer to the Space Force while remaining in their same geographic locations.

Although 1,840 billets will transfer to the Space Force from the 23 units, people assigned to the units will not change services. Airmen will remain in the Air Force, although assigned to a unit in the Space Force, for the time being. As the transfer goes forward, some airmen will be given the chance to volunteer to transfer to the Space Force.

If airmen choose not to transfer, they’ll remain in the Air Force while assigned to the newly minted Space Force unit until their rotation there is completed. All civilian employees will remain under the Department of the Air Force.

The following locations were identified for a transfer action:

• 17th Test Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• 18th Intel Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• 25th Space Range Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 328th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
• 527th Space Aggressor Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 705th Combat Training Squadron OL-A, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 7th Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland, (Partial mission transfer)
• 16th AF/Advanced Programs, Schriever AFB, Colorado, (Partial mission transfer)
• 32nd Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland, (Partial mission transfer)
• 566th Intel Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colorado, (Partial mission transfer)
• 544th ISR Group Staff & Detachment 5, Peterson AFB, Colorado
• Detachment 1, USAF Warfare Center, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 533rd Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California
• National Security Space Institute, Peterson AFB, Colorado
• AFRL Research Lab Mission Execution, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, (Partial mission transfer)
• AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, (Partial mission transfer)
• AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division, Edwards AFB, California, (Partial mission transfer)
• AFRL Electro-Optical Division, Maui, Hawaii & Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, (Partial mission transfer)
• AFRL Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, (Partial mission transfer)
• Counter-Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 4, Peterson AFB, Colorado
• Air Force Safety Center – Space Safety Division, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico

“Building the U.S. Space Force represents a top priority for the Department of the Air Force,” said Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett in a prepared statement. “These mission transfers incorporate existing forces into the agile Space Force, which stands ready to defend American and allied interests.”

All of it is designed to increase survival rates for casualties in the field and treat the wounded during their recovery process at home.

The technology isn’t quite at the level in which a bio-printed organ can be implanted into the body. However, Lt. Col. Jason Barnhill, the life science program director at West Point, was able to bio-print within just five minutes a number of bandages designed to slowly release antibiotics into wounds while on a trip to Africa recently, according to several Army news releases.

Bio-printing isn’t all that different from 3D printing using plastics. To start, a model is created on a computer and split into printable parts that can be built layer-by-layer, according to the West Point news release. Rather than using plastic, though, bio-printing uses a “bioink” made up of collagen and stem cells.

During Barnhill’s trip abroad, he was also able to bio-print a meniscus, the disk-shaped piece of cartilage that absorbs shock inside a joint. Barnhill printed the cartilage using an image that was sent electronically from the United States to his remote location.

It was the first demonstration of cyber manufacturing where complex designs were transmitted and produced in a remote location, according to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, which is partnering with West Point on its bio-printing initiatives.

Barnhill was also fabricating surgical objects that could be manufactured and sterilized on-site, such as scalpel and hemostat — a tool that helps control bleeding. He’s now leading West Point cadets working on seven different capstone projects this year that take on different aspects of bio-printing, including the production of bio-bandages and viable organs.

Cadets are still in the research phase but they will start printing cells after spring break. The bio-bandage, meniscus and liver teams are aiming to print a real-life product before graduation.

A meniscus created in the field would treat a common injury among athletes and troops, and the liver could be used to test medicines. However, the meniscus and liver created by West Point cadets this year won’t be able to be implanted and used, according to Cadet Thatcher Shepard, a life science major working on the meniscus project.

“[We have to] make sure the body doesn’t reject the new bioprinted meniscus and also the emplacement,” Shepard said in the release. “There can be difficulties with that. Right now, we’re trying to just make a viable meniscus. Then, we’ll look into further research to be able to work on methods of actually placing it into the body.”

Cadets are also researching how to print blood vessels, which would be key to helping organs achieve blood flow.

“It’s kind of like putting the cart before the horse,” Cadet Michael Deegan, a life science major working on one of the blood vessel projects, said in the release. “You’ve printed it, great, but what’s the point of printing it if it’s not going to survive inside your body? Being able to work on that fundamental step that’s actually going to make these organs viable is what drew me and my teammates to be able to do this.”

The bio-bandages being developed by cadets are a little further along in terms of feasibility.

Bio-bandages are intended to work by taking cells from an injured soldier who just suffered severe burns, such as those seen in the aftermath of IED attacks. Those cells would then be used to print a bandage catered specifically to a soldiers’ wound from a field-expedient printer in a Humvee or other vehicle.

“Introducing a bandage could kickstart that healing process. The faster you start healing, the less scarring and the more likely you’re going to recover,” said Cadet Channah Mills, a life science major working on one of the bio-bandage projects.

More than half of the cadets working on these projects are planning to attend medical school after they graduate from West Point. Before then, the bio-printing projects will be presented at West Point on April 30 — a day devoted to showcasing cadets’ year-long capstone projects.

The use of the encrypted messaging applications Signal and Wickr by the 82nd Airborne Division’s Task Force Devil underscores the complexity of security and operations for U.S. forces deployed to war zones where adversaries can exploit American communications systems, cell phones and the electromagnetic spectrum.

But it also raises questions as to whether the Defense Department is scrambling to fill gaps in potential security vulnerabilities for American forces operating overseas by relying on encrypted messaging apps available for anyone to download in the civilian marketplace.

“All official communication on government cell phones within TF Devil has been recommended to use Signal or Wickr encrypted messaging apps,” Maj. Richard Foote, a spokesman for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, told Military Times.

“These are the two apps recommended by our leadership, as they are encrypted and free for download and use,” Foote said.

Foote added that there is no operational discussions via the apps and an extra layer of security is provided because users must go through virtual private networks.

However, there are government transparency concerns with the use of encrypted messaging apps like Signal and Wickr, which feature auto-delete functions where messages are erased after a set period of time. Electronic communications and text messages sent as part of official government business are part of the public record, and should be accessible via a Freedom of Information Act request.

DoD did not respond to queries from Military Times regarding government records keeping policies and whether Signal and Wickr have been audited for security flaws. Military Times has reached out to the National Security Agency, and has yet to receive a response.

Operational planners and military commanders rely on government cell phones for basic menial tasks from scheduling and daily muster even when deployed overseas.

Foote told Military Times that there is “no requirement for extensive use of cell phones for work communication” for the deployed 82nd paratroopers.

“If cell phones are used, we have taken the best steps, readily available, to ensure the best security of our transmissions,” Foote explained.

“To be clear, the term “official communication” in this setting refers to coordination of assets, sharing of meeting time changes, etc,” he added. “There is no operational discussion on these platforms.”

Adversaries like Iran, which boast robust cyber and electronic warfare capabilities, can glean much information from phone collections and basic text messages that could highlight daily patterns on an installation or sudden shifts and changes in schedules — potential indications of pending operations.

But Foote explained that the 82nd’s government cell communications include an extra layer of security.

“When official business is being conducted via cell, it is done on the apps over VPN-protected [virtual private network] connections…systems reviewed and recommended by our Communications and Cyber sections,” he said.

In 2016, Signal received a positive security review when it was audited by the International Association for Cryptologic Research.

“We have found no major flaws in the design,” IACR said in its 2016 security audit of Signal.

A former military intelligence operator who has extensive experience working with the special operations community told Military Times that the Signal app was “very secure,” with no known bugs.

He explained that the 82nd Airborne’s reliance on the app for government cell communications wasn’t necessarily an indication that the DoD was behind the curve on protecting cellphone security for deployed troops. The former intelligence operator said he believed the DoD was just being lazy.

“Unfortunately, those apps are more secure than texting in the clear, which is more or less the alternative,” a former U.S. defense official told Military Times. “Granted, if a hostile party has access to the handset, that encryption isn’t particularly helpful.”

The former U.S. defense official, who spoke to Military Times on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record, said the DoD should use commercial applications as long as they are tested and meet security requirements.

“I don’t have confidence that DoD could build a unique texting system with proper security protocols that would beat any commercial, off the shelf, version,” the former official said.

With regards to transparency and records keeping requirements, Foote said he “cannot confirm if any personnel have Signal or Wickr settings which allow auto-delete of messages at this time.”

Military Times has not been able to confirm if Signal and Wickr have been audited for security flaws and vulnerabilities by the DoD.

Officials from Signal and Wickr did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed to Kuwait in early January as part of an emergency response to the region over heightened tensions with Iran.

“Families have reported instances where they have received unsolicited contact with some menacing messaging,” said Lt. Col. Mike Burns, a division spokesman.

“We have done several things to inform our paratroopers and families of these risks and ways that they can protect themselves,” Burns added. “I also personally spoke to the brigade [Familiy Readiness Group] leaders today.”

The 82nd has told family members to be vigilant and practice smart behavior online. Family members should check their social media settings and reference the U.S. Army’s social media handbook, Burns said. In addition to distributing social media pamphlets, the division has held information forums for families. Burns could not comment on the reports that WiFi access was suspended for brigade paratroopers in Kuwait.

Separately, two U.S. sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Military Times the WiFi access was suspended over fears of a potential hacking and leak of sensitive contact information. One defense source said the MWR network was compromised, that contacts were pulled from service member’s devices and family members have been getting threats and disturbing messages from hackers.

The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record, said family members stateside have been getting threats and disturbing messages.

One of the messages obtained by Military Times appears to be a typical psychological operations-styled warning. It references Iran, but there is no indication it is actually a state-sponsored message.

“If you like your life and you want to see your family again, pack up your stuff right now and leave the Middle East. Go back to your country. You and your terrorist clown president brought nothing but terrorism,” the message reads. “You fools underestimate the power of Iran. The recent attack on your [expletive] bases was just a little taste of our power. By killing our general, you dug your own grave. Before having more dead bodies, just leave the region for good and never look back.”

The message was sent over Instagram by an account that used deceased Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani’s portrait as a profile picture. Soleimani was killed by a U.S. airstrike on Jan. 3 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Other messages included fake scenarios about kidnappings intended to scare family members. A separate official noted that some messages appear to look more like phishing attempts.

The extent of the possible compromise is unknown. One defense official said it’s unknown at this time when and where the potential hacking may have taken place.

But the Department of Homeland Security has warned that “Iran maintains a robust cyber program” and “is capable, at a minimum, of carrying out attacks with temporary disruptive effects.”

U.S. Central Command and Operation Inherent Resolve have yet to respond to requests for comment.

Roughly a brigade of 82nd Airborne troops deployed to Kuwait in early January as tensions with Iran mounted over rocket attacks in Iraq by Tehran’s proxies and attempts by Iran-backed Shia militias and their supporters to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

The brigade took various security precautions before deploying by telling the paratroopers to leave behind personal communications devices, phones and laptops.

“Anything considered a personal electronic device. All those things,” Burns previously told Army Times. “But banned is a harsh word. The decision was made so soldiers weren’t put at risk.”

The decision was intended to both ensure that sensitive information pertaining to the deployment and mission was not shared outside official channels, and also to prevent any potential cyberattacks against the soldiers.

Defense budgets in the future are going to be pretty much flat, Gen. James McConville said during a talk at the Atlantic Council. So the service will have to make every dollar count, and that could impact jobs like armor crewmen loading ammunition, maintainers on tracked vehicles, soldiers planning logistics and Rangers flying to the objective in a heavy-lift helicopter.

“A lot of people look at artificial intelligence and machine learning and think we’re going to have all autonomous vehicles or aircraft out there fighting the future fights,” McConville said. “I don’t see it that way.”

“What I see, especially in the near term, is where we’re going to be able to go to maybe more minimum manning — where we have less people in aircraft, less people in some of our armored vehicles,” he added.

Future tank crews may not require a loader, for instance, just like the navigator role in aircraft has already become less necessary with GPS developments. Automated maintenance on vehicles, such as a robotic pit crew, also could handle tasks like changing out tracks that have fallen off.

Robots also aren’t likely to be leading future fights from the front. Instead, McConville sees them as a major boon to the logistics and baggage train that the United States takes to every conflict.

“We’ve done some pilots on preventive maintenance with our helicopters and we’re finding that having artificial intelligence and a lot of data allows us to save money on parts,” he said. “We’re also going after additive manufacturing so we don’t have to carry as many parts with us. And then all our programs are after some sort of fuel efficiency because, again, we understand the logistics tail.”

The term “optionally manned” has also gained some traction as of late, meaning that a vehicle can conduct remote-controlled operations while the crew is off-platform. The Army is exploring this capability to replace its aging M-2 Bradley fighting vehicles.

“We talk about optionally manned, but I’m more into the minimally manned capability,” McConville said. “We got a Ranger unit or something like that going in, I don’t necessarily see us putting them in an aircraft and having no one up front. You got 30 Rangers going somewhere and they look out front and there’s no one there? … I don’t see that.”

What he does see as a possibility is a reduction in crew members piloting that aircraft thanks to automation.

That could also help with the Army’s long-term problem of finding talent in a competitive job market. The service has been trying to grow to a 500,000-strong active-duty force by the end of the next decade, but recruiting woes have hindered that plan.

“If you put four people in a vehicle, you have to hire four people,” McConville said. “The second thing is you’ve got to protect them and build around them. Then you have to start thinking about all the other things that go in that. So if every person counts and a machine can do it, then let the machine do it.”

The move was made to ensure operational security was maintained during the emergency deployment, which saw 3,500 paratroopers from 1st Brigade Combat Team begin to fly out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, over the first week of January.

“Anything considered a personal electronic device. All those things,” Lt. Col. Mike Burns, division spokesman, told Army Times. “But banned is a harsh word. The decision was made so soldiers weren’t put at risk.”

Burns confirmed that the decision was intended to both ensure that sensitive information pertaining to the deployment and mission was not shared outside official channels, and also to prevent any potential cyberattacks against the soldiers.

In a security bulletin posted Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security warned that “Iran maintains a robust cyber program” and “is capable, at a minimum, of carrying out attacks with temporary disruptive effects.”

The bulletin primarily is concerned with threats to U.S. infrastructure and private companies.

While Iranian cyber attacks are “on the table, the most consequential capability may be cyber espionage,” John Hultquist, an analyst at the cybersecurity firm FireEye, has warned.

“This is not the normal kind of deployment. The decision [is] 100 percent an operational security and force protection measure,” Maj. Gen. James Mingus, commanding general of the division, told CNN’s Pentagon correspondent.

The paratroopers began deploying to the region following a rapid increase in tensions between the United States and Iran in early January, which culminated in a Thursday night U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Pentagon officials said at the time Soleimani was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members,” but has yet to provide proof to support that claim.

Before the strike, an American contractor was killed and several service members were wounded by Katyusha rockets allegedly fired by Iranian-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militiamen in Iraq. Rocket attacks have continued after the airstrike that killed Soleimani. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, was killed in the strike that also killed Soleimani.

A source at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad previously told Military Times that the recent rocket attack against the embassy compound appears to be more than the usual scare tactic, and that the volley of rocket fire appears to be increasing.

The 82nd Airborne Division’s deployment fell under the auspices of an Immediate Response Force mission. The deployment model emphasizes joint operations and brings more air assets, cyber capabilities and logistical support to paratroopers, according to a primer for the new model viewed by Army Times.

The new plan replaces the Global Response Force model that the division previously utilized, but appears to more heavily emphasize joint forcible entry operations and airborne assaults into denied environments, like that which Iran can produce through air defense systems and cyberattacks.

Soldiers will evaluate new systems at the platoon-level while their units are at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, or the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“The intent is for each unit to evaluate their assigned system in a realistic, tough training environment,” said Sarah Tate, a spokeswoman for the Army’s Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team. The data gathered during the evaluation will inform the acquisition process, she noted.

The participating units are:

• 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
• 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
• 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.
• 1st Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

“At this time, we haven’t identified which units will get what systems,” Tate added. “Units will only have one system assigned to them. Soldiers will provide direct feedback to the Army on lessons learned and new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, which they develop while using the system during field training.”

The Army is searching for a replacement for its current RQ-7 Shadow drone, which is launched from a trailer-mounted catapult to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and battle damage assessments.

This spring and summer, four companies were selected to test replacement drone aircraft that can operate independently from a runway, transport easily on CH-47 Chinooks and fly with a lower acoustic signature.

The four companies are Martin UAV, Textron/AAI Corp., L3 Harris and Arcturus UAV. Each of their drones are considered “commercial off the shelf technology,” meaning the acquisition process is truncated.

The fielding and demonstrations are staggered for each of the five brigades to deconflict fielding new equipment.

Each platoon will have the systems for up to two six-month periods, according to Tate. The actual demonstration period will last a minimum of one year due to the offset schedules.

“We anticipate the first prototype being ready for an April 2020 fielding to the 1st ABCT, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley,” Tate said.

These demonstration will serve as “soldier touchpoints” for the acquisition process, according to Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, director of the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team.

“Gaining soldier input early in the developmental process provides our cross functional team invaluable feedback needed in defining the best capabilities for our warfighters,” Rugen said in a prepared statement accompanying the announcement.

The RQ-7 is a higher echelon asset. But the Army has also been testing smaller “Black Hornet” helicopter drones for squads to use in short-range reconnaissance situations.

The Black Hornet drone deployed to Afghanistan with soldiers from 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, this summer. Miniature drones like it could help free up larger assets like the RQ-7 replacement to be tasked out more judiciously.

The demand for cyborg-style capabilities will be driven in part by the civilian healthcare market, which will acclimate people to an industry fraught with ethical, legal and social challenges, according to Defense Department researchers.

Implementing the technology across the military, however, will likely run up against the dystopian narratives found in science fiction, among other issues, the researchers added.

The report — entitled “Cyborg Soldier 2050: Human/Machine Fusion and the Implications for the Future of the DOD” — is the result of a year-long assessment.

It was written by a study group from the DoD Biotechnologies for Health and Human Performance Council, which is tasked to look at the ripple effects of military biotechnology.

The team identified four capabilities as technically feasible by 2050:

• ocular enhancements to imaging, sight and situational awareness;
• restoration and programmed muscular control through an optogenetic bodysuit sensor web;
• auditory enhancement for communication and protection; and
• direct neural enhancement of the human brain for two-way data transfer.

The study group suggested that direct neural enhancements in particular could revolutionize combat.

“This technology is predicted to facilitate read/write capability between humans and machines and between humans through brain-to-brain interactions,” an executive summary reads. “These interactions would allow warfighters direct communication with unmanned and autonomous systems, as well as with other humans, to optimize command and control systems and operations.”

Cyborg technologies are likely to be used among civil society as well over the next 30 years, the researchers noted.

Development of these capabilities will probably “be driven by civilian demand” and “a robust bio-economy that is at its earliest stages of development in today’s global market,” the group wrote.

But it’s after the year 2050 that the implications of cyborg capabilities become concerning.

“Introduction of augmented human beings into the general population, DoD active-duty personnel, and near-peer competitors will accelerate in the years following 2050 and will lead to imbalances, inequalities, and inequities in established legal, security, and ethical frameworks,” the summary reads.

The study group proposed seven recommendations, listed in no particular order, for Pentagon leaders to consider:

• The military should take a second look at the global and societal perception of human-machine augmentation. Americans typically imagine China or Russia developing runaway technologies because of a lack of ethical concerns, but “the attitudes of our adversaries toward these technologies have never been verified,” researchers wrote.
• U.S. political leaders should use forums like NATO to discuss how cyborg advancements could impact interoperability between allied forces during operations.
• The Pentagon should start investing in legal, security and ethical frameworks to anticipate emerging technologies and better prepare for their impact. Leaders should support policies that “protect individual privacy, sustain security, and manage personal and organizational risk, while maximizing defined benefits to the United States and its allies and assets,” the study group wrote.
• Military leaders should also work to reverse the “negative cultural narratives of enhancement technologies.” It’s no secret that science fiction’s depiction of cyborg technologies revolves around dystopian futures. Transparency in how the military adopts this technology will help to alleviate concerns, while capitalizing on benefits, according to the study group.
• The Pentagon should use wargames to gauge the impact of asymmetric biotechnologies on tactics, techniques and procedures. DoD personnel can support this through targeted intelligence assessments of the emerging field.
• A whole-of-nation, not whole-of-government, approach to cyborg technologies is preferred. As it stands, “federal and commercial investments in these areas are uncoordinated and are being outpaced by Chinese research and development,” the study group wrote. If Chinese firms dominate the commercial sector, the U.S. defense sector will also be at a disadvantage.
• Finally, the long-term safety concerns and the impact of these technologies on people should be monitored closely.

“The benefits afforded by human/machine fusions will be significant and will have positive quality-of-life impacts on humankind through the restoration of any functionality lost due to illness or injury,” the study group wrote.

But as these technologies evolve, “it is vital that the scientific and engineering communities move cautiously to maximize their potential and focus on the safety of our society,” the study group added.