By Debbie Gregory.

Most soldiers carry a heavy burden in the field, including an 80-pound backpack filled with essential supplies and tools.

If that’s not heavy enough, soldiers often carry an additional 20 to 30 pounds in backup batteries to power their radios and other necessary electronics.

A new mini-generator about to make its debut might allow one member of a small unit serve as a recharger for the rest of the squad or platoon to save on batteries and lighten loads, according to Veronika Stelmakh, co-founder, along with Walker Chan, of Mesodyne Inc.

Mesodyne’s high-energy-density ultra-quiet portable power generator, about the size of a soda can, reduces the battery load of dismounted warfighters by 75% so they can carry 2 extra gallons of water or 20 extra magazines of ammunition. Developed at MIT’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies and incubated at Argonne National Lab, the technology converts fuel to electricity in the 1-300 W range.

“It could be just one soldier, and a lot of people could recharge off him,” said Stelmakh.

The device, which weighs about one pound, would run off fuel, most likely propane or butane, to generate electricity through a conversion process using infrared radiation to drive specialized photovoltaic cells.

According to an Army release, its Research, Development and Engineering Command is experimenting with wearable solar panels that could recharge batteries and allow soldiers to carry fewer of them.

The command is also looking at backpacks that generate electricity from the soldier’s movements.

Lightning Pack—a 2017 R&D 100 Award Winner—is able to generate electricity as soldiers walk and run through the field, eliminating the need for them to carry batteries. The backpack works by harvesting kinetic energy, while also reducing the heavy load soldiers have to carry around the field. The pack is currently undergoing stringent field tests on the backpacks.

By Debbie Gregory.

Microsoft is partnering with the U.S. Government in the journey to the cloud.

Microsoft officials announced that the company had achieved the required security levels to host secret U.S. military and intelligence data on its cloud computer network, Azure Government.

Azure Government was the first government-only cloud to be awarded Information Impact Level 5 DoD Provisional Authorization by the Defense Information Systems Agency. It delivers a physically isolated cloud that is DoD Impact Level 5-ready for infrastructure, platform, and productivity services serving every branch of the military and the defense agencies the greatest number L5 services in the market.

“We’re taking our public cloud Azure and sending our FedRamp moderate coverage to cover 50 of those services,” said Julia White, corporate vice president of Microsoft Azure, referring to cybersecurity framework for cloud hosting for government. “By the end of the calendar year, those 50 services will have FedRamp high certification.”

Azure Government Secret is meant to provide multi-tenant cloud infrastructure and cloud capabilities to U.S. Federal Civilian, Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and U.S. Government partners working within Secret enclaves.

The biggest cloud companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, IBM and Oracle, all have been jockeying for bidding position for the winner-take-all Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract.

Google has dropped out of the race for the Department of Defense’s $10 billion, 10-year cloud contract, citing an inability to meet the security levels required and because they could not be “assured that it would align with our AI Principles,” according to a Google spokesperson.

Whatever company they choose to fill this contract, this is about modernizing their computing infrastructure and their combat forces for a world of the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and big data analysis, while consolidating some of their older infrastructure.

Google’s abdication leaves Amazon and Microsoft as the two most likely contenders for the JEDI contract.

The Top 10 List

The Top 10 Disabilities Claimed by Veterans are:
1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
2. Sleep Apnea
3. Diabetes Type II
4. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
5. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
6. Tinnitus
7. Peripheral Neuropathy
8. Depression
9. Anxiety
10. Various Skin Disorders

Veterans who have served and have these conditions need to pursue their benefits. Often, veterans don’t do so. Some of the main reasons include the following:

I don’t trust the government: Many veterans have indicated that they don’t trust their Government in matters of confidentiality and privacy, and therefore, have no interest in pursuing benefits. Veterans from the Vietnam era are particularly sensitive regarding their distrust of the government. Many veterans from that era have indicated that they had a very bad experience while in uniform, and felt as though the government is not really inclined to assist or help them.

I didn’t know I was eligible: Far too many veterans are unaware of their eligibility status. Many veterans assume that since they aren’t registered to use VA services, they are automatically ineligible for benefits.

I am not eligible: Military discharge status plays in big role in determining if a veteran is potentially eligible for benefits. Honorably discharged veterans are 100% eligible for benefits if they meet the criteria. Veterans with a Bad Conduct Discharge are not eligible for benefits. However, some veterans fall some place between an Honorable Discharge and a Bad Conduct Discharge. For instance, a veteran with a General Discharge is oftentimes eligible for benefits. Check with your Veterans Service Officer to find out if you qualify.

I don’t want to go through the “red tape”: Many veterans are of the belief that pursuing benefits from the VA is a matter of navigating a very complex and confusing system that involves mounds of documentation. While it may be true that there is a lot of paperwork, most, if not all is handled by a competent VSO and not the veteran. The VSO is trained to work with the bureaucracy, not the veteran, and takes much the complexity away from the veteran.

By Debbie Gregory.

The U.S. Army is looking for a new vehicle to quickly transport troops across the battlefield. Qualified applicants must carry nine fully-armed infantry soldiers, work after being pushed out of an airplane, and enjoy a road speed of 55 mph.

The Army recently released a market survey for what it’s calling the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV). The ISV is meant to be an ultra-light vehicle capable of hauling troops across the battlefield. Unlike other vehicles, the ISV is merely a people hauler and won’t actually do any fighting. The solicitation states that the Army wants to buy new vehicles along with hardware and services, at a total quantity of around 2,065.

The Army has several ways to move infantry soldiers in wartime. At the high end of warfare soldiers are transported in M2A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

At the next level down soldiers in Stryker brigade combat teams ride in Stryker interim armored vehicles. Faster moving but with less protection than a Bradley, Strykers can transport up to nine soldiers meant to dismount before the battle in order to fight.

The next level down is where the new Infantry Squad Vehicle comes in.

The Army and the Marine Corps continue to struggle to find ways to lighten the load of infantry soldiers, a problem that the Defense Department’s newly-formed Close Combat Lethality Task Force has made a priority to address.

“The ISV is all about mobility. Previously, if paratroopers, light infantry or air assault troops wanted to quickly secure their objective they needed to land close by—and become a target for guns and surface-to-air missiles.

The ISV “should be capable of “traversing longitudinal grades up to 60 percent,” but will offer no armor protection for soldiers, according to the solicitation.

“Survivability will be achieved through high mobility, a roll cage and occupant restraints,” the document states.

So if you’ve got a vehicle that could fit the bill, the deadline to respond is October 26, 2018.

By Debbie Gregory.

Building an online presence from the ground up can be very intimidating for a small business owner. Gone are the days when just having a Facebook page and Twitter account was all you needed. Customers are choosing to shop online now more than ever.

Here are some tips as to the best way to bring your business online:

First of all, focus on getting your business off the ground and on the internet. Concentrate on your website. Make sure it is functional. If buttons aren’t working or your website is not responding, your potential customers will move on to your competitors’ websites. Because your website is a reflection of your business, it’s worth investing in making it up to date and easy to navigate. And don’t forget to offer a mobile app as well.

Depending on the type of business you run, think about setting up an e-commerce site that allows customers to purchase your products online.

Blogging is the best way to keep your customers in the loop on topics such as sales, deals, events, and much more. You don’t have to bombard your customers with posts every day, but don’t neglect fresh content.

Make sure your products and services have a price point that covers all of your costs and allows for a profit.

Keep in mind that there are many professional groups that you can join to find potential business contacts, as well as to stay on top of trends happening in your industry. LinkedIn is probably one of the best for accomplishing this.

Offer something to your visitors in exchange for their email addresses, like a percentage off or a free download.

Know before you start, building and running any business, online or brick and mortar, means you will be working long and hard in the beginning stages.

Hopefully, at some point, it will get easier and smoother.