America's Army 3, Pre-Loaded at Steam

America's Army 3 is near release. If you have a Steam account, you can download it now and play right away on June 17th. Please follow this link.

The Army creates and distributes America's Army so that young Americans can virtually explore Soldiering in the U.S. Army like Soldiers experience it - as individuals and as members of teams. Through the Game's virtual experiences, young Americans can explore the Army from basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and medic training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas to operations in defense of freedom. Along the way, they can join elite Army units and experience the strength of Army teamwork, values and technology within an engaging environment. The game has become an online phenomenon, consistently ranking among the most popular PC action games played online. The games are rated T for Teen and can be downloaded free from various partners listed on the www.americasarmy.com site. They are also distributed at local Army Recruiting stations, ROTC Detachments and Army events.

In the America's Army game, players are bound by Rules of Engagement (ROE) and grow in experience as they navigate challenges in team-based, multiplayer, force on force operations. In the game, as in the Army, accomplishing missions requires teamwork and adherence to the Army's core values. Through its emphasis on team play, the game demonstrates these values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage and makes them integral to success in America's Army.

The Army launched America's Army in July of 2002, and has released major updates to the game every few months. These releases feature new technologies, missions, Army units and occupations. In keeping with the dynamic nature of Soldiering, the America's Army game will continue to expand and will allow players to explore the Army of today, tomorrow and the future. An entirely new version of the game, America's Army 3, will be released in 2009.

From America's Army website

I never played AA, out of concerns about the maturity of the other players. But this time I'm going to give it a whirl.

Does any of you have any experiences to share about AA?

Cheers,

The M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle at the 2009 Joint Services Open House

Boy, so many pictures to share from that event!
Today, the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle.





Cheers,

DCS Black Shark: The Ka-50 model in the Simulation is not Equipped for Conventional Wars

Very shortly after its release, several threads appeared in the official forums asking why the Ka-50 didn't have thermal imaging, radar or even radar detector. The most people were prone to compare the Ka-50 to the AH-64D Apache, with its lavish target acquisition systems.

Because important points at the official DCS forums most of the times get lost in the squelch, the reason of this entry is to state very clearly that the Ka-50 we fly in DCS Black Shark is not intended for deployment in conventional wars.

A beta-tester made it clear at the official forums:

The Ka-50 is intended for low-intensity operations. It is not intended for and will NOT be deployed in an actual war. That is the Mi-28's job.

From a post by GGTharos

Another, beta-tester (this one an actual AH-64 pilot), commented about the lack of RWR and the missions in which the Ka-50 might be deployed.

The mission for which the Ka-50 is intended implies that the adversary will not be advanced enough or have the resources necessary in order to deploy radar-guided air defenses. Because of that, the aircraft is not equipped with any kind of defense against radar-guided threats.
From a post by AlphaOneSix

Black Shark, on who shall we unleash your firepower today?

The mission for which the Ka-50 is intended implies that the adversary willnot be advanced enough or have the resources necessary in order to deploy radar-guided air defenses. Because of that, the aircraft is not equipped with any kind of defense against radar-guided threats.

Based on our virtual flight hours with the DCS Black Shark, we may feel like the Ka-50 model simulated may do more than OK in a conventional war. I'm sure you have busted many enemy tanks in this simulation. We should recognize though that the less than stellar AI ground units are just too happy to walk into our engagement areas and be blown up into oblivion. If the virtual tanks in DCS Black Shark would react a bit more competently, they would just hide in heavy forested or urban areas at the first sign of trouble.

The baptism of fire of the Ka-50 was during the second Chechen War. Please refer to this article.

"Black Sharks" in Chechnya, by Andrey Zinchuk. Military Technology 09/2005

The article is a brief history of the Ka-50/Ka-29 Combat Attack group in Chechnya. The take home lessons from this article are:

• Ka50s used in conjunction with Ka-29s that provide target data

• Ka50 used in conjunction with Ka-29s in a low intensity conflict (enemy didn't have radar guided SAMs or other conventional anti-aircraft weaponry)

• Ka-50 excelled at maneuverability in highly mountainous regions

• Enemy targets included parking sites, rebel camps, ammo depots, field fortifications, shelters, trenches, etc.

• The Ka-50 is extremely reliable mechanically.

Cheers,

HPS Simulations, 3 New Wargames Out!

Good news from HPS Simulations, 3 new titles are out!
Please follow the links below for more details.
Screens are directly from HPS's website and used without authorization but without monetary gain. If this is a problem please comment below.

• Alexandrian Wars

• War in the Southern Front

• Dien Bien Phu

Cheers,

USMC to Open Military Academies Across the US

This morning, the Army Times published an article about the US Marine Corps leading a movement to open military academies across the country and how they are talking to civilian education district leaders to combine efforts to do so.

The Marine Corps is wooing public school districts across the country, expanding a network of military academies that has grown steadily despite criticism that it’s a recruiting ploy.

The US Marine Corps leading some innovation. Nothing new here, move on. Sometimes it appears that the USMC are they guys with the bigger fire in their feet when it comes to attitudes of change. I'm not surprised, but kudos anyway.

And then, off course, the backlash.

In DeKalb County, which includes part of Atlanta, protests by parents and threats of lawsuits began almost as soon as the school board announced last year that it planned to open a Marine Corps high school. The district wanted to open it this fall, but the approval process in Washington has delayed that. The district hopes to open the school in fall 2010.

Critics like Mike Hearington, a 56-year-old Vietnam War veteran whose son attends Shamrock Middle School in DeKalb County, say the schools are breeding grounds for the military.

“To pursue children like they are is criminal in my mind,” Hearington said.

Some degree of controversy is always good. Good debate about something new has to be a given.
But what worries me is that the the detractors are using language that reflects something beyond the mere fear of some day seeing our sons go into harms way.

"Breeding grounds for the military"? This sounds like something sinister will come out from the proposed academies. Like potential recruits. The horror!

“To pursue children like they are is criminal in my mind ...”. We indoctrinate our children in lots of things way before they can make rational decisions by their own. None of these indoctrinations are considered "criminal". Thus, if indoctrination per se is not criminal, is the word "criminal" used here implying that eventually becoming recruits and later waging the wars of our country is somehow "criminal"?

In his book "The Culture of War", van Creveld wrote:

... in today's self-styled "advanced" countries, for the culture of war to be held in such high esteem is rare. Soldiers, war gamers, collectors of militaria, and even military historians know the score. At best, their culture is seen as a quaint leftover from a previous, presumably less rational, less utilitarian, and less humane past. At worst, it is denied, put aside, ignored, ridiculed, or denounced as childish "warmongering".

The dangers of embracing opposition to anything military are only to be known when our enemies are too close to the gates of our cities.

Cheers,

Point of Attack 2 (HPS Simulations): The Ultimate War Simulation

Point of Attack 2 (PoA2) is a simulation of modern warfare by Scott Hamilton that was made for the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research. It is a turn-based, tactical level simulation featuring regular armies (US, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria) and irregular forces.

The level of detail of PoA2 is very deep. The screen-shot above shows a Combat Phase Report window (you will have to click the screenshot to be able to read), where every move and fire is recorded. Taking into account that this simulation is used by the US Air Force, the algorithms used to solve fire and movement must be really top-notch.

One could spend a lot of time trying to summarize all the gadgets and goodies this simulation has. Yet today I want to show you something that I have never seen in other off-the shelf simulation.
Take a look at the screenshot below (again, you will have to click the screenshot to be able to read).


The window on top shows tabs for all type of staff officers. The "Commo" (communications tab), has a detailed summary of the communication status of every unit. Yes, the simulation keeps track of communications sent back and forward, and if the comms network is saturated, the messages start to fall within the cracks. The highlighted unit in the screenshot (1st AP Section) could not send its SITREP (situation report) and as a result of that, the 1st AP Section position shown in the map will not be accurate. This is called "friendly fog of war", something in the lines of "you don't know where your forces are unless they have an effective communications means with you".

Before I end this entry, a very important clarification: PoA2 is not for everybody. This is not a "beers and pretzel" game. Indeed, I don't even think this is a game in the entertainment sense of the word. I would label PoA2 as an analytical tool to simulate warfare at a very realistic level.

Cheers,

2009 Joint Services Open House: Assorted Images (Part 2)

Some more images from the event.

The cockpit of an F/A18

This close-up of the cockpit didn't work out very well ...

Awesome bird ...

The F/A 18 from where you can admire it at all its splendor

The HUD of a USMC's Super-Cobra attack helicopter

Next year I promise I will get a better camera! :)

Cheers,

DCS Black Shark Review by RAES Includes Comments by Ed Macy

In its latest Aerospace International issue, the Royal Aeronautical Society has published a review of DCS Black Shark (link downloads a pdf file).

Ed Macy, the attack helicopter pilot and author of "Apache", has been consulted for this review and his comments are basically a big thumbs up for the flight simulator.

Mr. Macy commented on the Ka-50 pilots' high workload, and the dangers of target fixation. His expert advice includes also tips for how to use the Ka-50 in air-to-air combat. He also praised the mission editor's flexibility. About scenario editing, his comment on how to add an RPG ambush in an scenario caught my attention. Accoring to him, the RPGer should pop up when the helicopter steps within 1,000 meters. This scenario-editing trick has been scolded many times before, but I always felt it was right. Ambushes are not supposed to be seen until they fire at you.

The following comment by Mr. Macy really made my day:

"I would recommend the Army buy a few copies of this and study it and learn its weaknesses"

DCS Black Shark is a product that warrants praise and recommendation as a study tool from a professional attack helicopter pilot.

On a side note, Ed Macy is a member of the official DCS Black Shark forums. I am looking forward to read more of his expert opinion on how the Ka-50 should be used in different combat situations.

Cheers,

Armed Assault 2 (Arma 2): The German Version is Out

People in Germany have already started receiving their Armed Assault 2 (ArmA 2) DVD copies.

Arma 2 (German version) is also available for download from this webstore. Cost is Eu 49.99. The release in the US is going to be on June 19th.

First impressions are being posted in dedicated forums all around the globe. The sim is receiving a big thumbs up so far. The out of the box German version of ArmA 2 had some issues. But a patch has been released to address the most serious ones.

Can't wait for the US release. I'm debating with myself about getting the German version rather than waiting until June 19th.

Marines in Chenarus. Screenshot above is from Bohemia Interactive's Press kit.

Cheers,

Counterinsurgencies, Should We Keep them "Short and Lively"?

In the last entry of his blog, Dr. Jack Kem (US Army Combined Arms Center) has a great recoup on how the armed forces of Sri Lanka had defeated the Tamil Tigers, who controlled vast regions of the country's north.

A side note: Dr. Jack's blog is listed in this page at the "blogs of interest" section. I encourage you to visit Dr. Jack's blog frequently, the information and insights there are superb. Please also check his entries on design applied to operations planning, this concept is very new to US Army doctrine.

Long story short, there was a decades-long insurgency that was defeated in a couple of years after a politically-backed strategy was put in place. The armed forces also changed tactics accordingly. Hasta la vista ... Tamil Tigers.

This is a conflict that I definitvely need to dig more into. Any pointers from the readers will be appreciated. But the speed by which this insurgency was defeated is impressive.

Frederick the Great once said that wars should be "kurz und vives" (short and lively). This is an approach the Germans have been very keen to as they ravaged Europe during the first two years of World War II. What would a "counter-insurgency blitzkrieg" look like?

Cheers,