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FORT STORY, Va – Dragon Spear is a U.S. Special Operations Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Research, Development, Acquisition Experiment (RDAX). Service members from across the joint force, interagency partners, and industry communities came together to ensure unity of effort, shared understanding, and assess new technologies in realistic, threat-informed, scenarios at Fort Story, Va. From October 22-26, 2023.
“The global deterrence network we have enjoyed since the end of the Cold War has fractured. That has emboldened enemies who would use these weapons” said Michael Dudas, Deputy J10.
The experiment was made of four realistic targets based on threats USSOCOM expects operators to face in the future. They simulated enemy chemical, biological, and radiological manufacturing and weapons production facilities.
The theme was to send sensors first to minimize operator time on target.
This was done through innovative technological solutions provided by over 30 companies. These solutions included 3D mapping of the target by small drones, quadruped robots capable of breeching doors and taking sensitive chemical samples, and protective suits paired with wearable sensors that provide unprecedented levels of protection and agility to the operators.
“Nearly 160 companies submitted technologies to test. We selected about 30 technologies that can be in the hands of operators by 2030 that make sense and will integrate with systems we already employ.” CW4 Jarret Davis, USSOCOM Deputy CBRN Officer.
The innovative application of the technology the operators used was made possible by interagency partners from the Joint Program Executive Office-CBRN, Defense Thread Reduction Agency, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Command, Threat Reduction Arms Control, and over 30 industry partners.
After the CBRN teams completed the targets, they spoke with interagency and industry partners about what pieces of equipment worked and what did not. The direct feedback from operator to technology developer will create better solutions for CBRN operators on the future battlefield.
Dragon Spear enables modular joint Special Operations Forces, conventional, and interagency organizations to provide combatant commanders tailorable options to fight and win in CBRN contested environments.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2023 16:20 |
| Story ID: | 457427 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Send a Sensor Before an Operator, by MAJ William Brink, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
