A look at the Marine Corps' Project Tripoli: Weapons and Warfare

Hello and welcome to Weapons and Warfare

For Straight Arrow News, I'm your host, Ryan Robertson. Just ahead on this week's episode, I go for a ride in the Paracin

And when you're ready, go ahead and pull that handle. Nice throw

Excellent. It's a setup that would elevate any man cave to legendary status

See how this VR parachute simulator is preparing special forces troops for stand-up jumps and emergency bailout slash ejection training at a fraction of the cost in a completely safe environment

And we check in with the folks from Blue Halo to get the 411 on the Locust laser weapon system

Built with reliability and lethality in mind, it can track, identify, and engage all sorts of targets using high-energy lasers

But we start with our debrief. While we were at this year's Modern Day Marine event, we met some Marines from 29 Palms Marine Base

who were there to spread the word about some of the training opportunities available at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

But more than spreading the word, they offered a taste of the experience

So today, we're going to conduct an unclassified demonstration of the training capability that we are delivering

If you're new to the simulated training environment scene, the setup looks like a gamer's paradise

Interactive simulators offering the type of experience rarely available to the general public

It's part of a larger effort called Project Tripoli, and it combines live, virtual, and constructive training to prepare Marines for future conflicts

We leverage a lot of different emerging technologies, as well as some more traditional training methods

to bring people up from the most basic level of kind of tasks that they need to train to

to more complex collective training tasks where they're coming together. Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Attig is the modeling and simulation officer for the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command

It's the Corps' primary training facility focused on enhancing the readiness of Marine Air Ground Task Forces

So we're preparing Marines in simulation before they go out and do it in the live environment

so that we can optimize that time that we have in the live. We're not wasting gas and flight hours and bullets and all the different things that go into it

so that we get the most out of that rep. Colonel Adig says they think of the training like a team sport

where Marines build up their individual skill sets, then work in smaller groups, building up to going against potential adversaries

bringing units to 29 palms throughout the year for different types of training exercises

We will run Marines through, think some very basic stuff with a laptop type of configuration

where they're practicing the process and the communication procedures for how they're going to communicate with one another

So they'll do that in a sterile type of environment. They're looking through a virtual environment

They can see what the enemy is going to look like. They can transmit on different doctrinal radio nets

but then they go out and do it in the live environment. Consisting of 16 components

Project Tripoli creates a complete and modern battlefield training environment. So you'll see elements of live, virtual, and constructive

Each one of those, we use those in different ways to maybe train specific park task capabilities

but then we'll composite them together in a more collective, distributed training environment

to really achieve that team effect that we need to for that collective mission set

that we really have to have the Marines prepared to do before they go out and go forward. Among the many reasons why the Marines value the ability to conduct virtual training

It allows units to put in the work out of sight of potential adversaries, possibly using reconnaissance satellites

Like the U.S., it's no secret other governments are gathering intelligence and monitoring the activities of America's national defense

Every time we train out in a live environment, while it may be a higher fidelity type of training that we get

there's an aspect of it, though, that we're showing the rest of the world what we're doing. For those that might be thinking virtual training is nice, but it's just a big video game where mistakes don't have any real consequences, Colonel Adig says they thought of that too

We do penalize appropriately to help drive the point home. So, you know, for an individual Marine, if they get killed, it's not that we just resurrect them right back to life and they're back in the fight

We actually have an entire process of how they have to go through a series of different kinds of regeneration We make the staff deal with the process of how they would deal with the casualty collection and the processing of all of that So it adds a little bit more of a realism to it

It's not just a, okay, hey, hit, reset, we do this again. While the roadshow was no doubt of interest to the modern-day Marine attendees

Attic says the long-term goal for Project Tripoli is to improve Marines' warfighting skills by emphasizing realistic scenarios

using advanced tactics with the use of technology, ultimately preparing the next generation of Marines

for whatever combat environments they might face. All right, let's go ahead and hit some headlines you may have missed

Britain signed an agreement to hand sovereignty over the contested Chagos Islands

to Mauritius in East Africa. It's a move the government says ensures the future of a U.S.-U.K. military base that is vital to British security

The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain

From deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific

The base is right at the foundation of our security and safety at home

The Indian Ocean archipelago is home to a strategically important naval and bomber base

on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the agreement, saying it secures the long-term

stable, and effective operation of the Diego Garcia base, a critical asset for regional and global security

NATO held a military training exercise at the Krivilek Army Base in central North Macedonia

earlier this month. 2,200 soldiers from participating NATO countries took part in the

training, including American troops. Dismounted soldiers and armored vehicles took part in the

immediate response exercises. Looking around, I see a powerful demonstration of commitment

A commitment to readiness, to interoperability, and to shared values that bind us together as allies

This exercise is a testament to the strength and lethality of our collective defense

and our dedication to a stable and secure Europe. North Macedonia, a former Yugoslav republic, became the 30th member of the U.S.-led military alliance in April 2020

The Pentagon is reaching out to the various branches of the military to create plans that would help reduce the number of moves military families have to make every few years

According to a memo from Jay Hurst, the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness

The DOD wants to identify which permanent changes of station moves can be considered lower priority

The line from the Pentagon is the shift would help families achieve more stability and cut costs

According to the Pentagon, a recent survey found one-third of active duty service members and their spouses

identified PCS moves as a significant issue. Military families have long expressed concerns over the challenges of relocating, such as finding new child care and schools or dealing with employment disruptions for spouses

You know, for most jobs in the military, learning starts in the classroom

Eventually, though, things switch to a more hands-on approach. The theoretical gives way to the practical

But what if those practical lessons require jumping out of an airplane

We've got an answer for that in our Weapon of the Week. Five four three two one go go go On the big screen skydiving can look almost effortless but that the movies

In real life, it takes hours of instruction and practice to become proficient

Fortunately for America's Special Operations Troops, there's a way to build that proficiency

without ever getting more than a few feet off the ground. This is the Parasim, and for more than three decades, it's helped men and women in uniform

go from the basics of parachuting to ironing out the wrinkles of in-depth mission planning

We've been around 35 years now. It started in 1990, and trees were triangles, and you had to

steer and avoid obstacles. And it was just basically, there was a lot of injuries

and we were just trying to keep people safe. And it's now developed with the technology to become more of a mission planner, emergency trainer

and understanding the canopy before you've got to do it in real life. Russ Lesink is Parasim's VP of Sales and Military Training

He tells us their setup allows for hands-on training in a safe environment

for a fraction of the cost of an actual jump. We're using virtual reality, and the biggest component is the instructor

And it's taking that knowledge from the instructor to a new person or experienced person

and put them in a challenging situation to test their skills and make sure that they're doing the proper procedures in order that they need to be done in

Naturally, I had to try it for myself. All right, you ready? Yep

It's uncomfortable. Is it all right? No, it's good. Yeah. Okay. We're going to free fall all the way down to 4,000

Pull your head back. Why don't you try one of those turns when you get a chance

Look at that. That's great. And when you're ready, go ahead and pull that handle

Nice throw. Excellent. Nice. You're doing it. To the left 90 and head down the bridge there or whatever the road is there

Let it fly, baby. Look at you coming in on your target. I'm going to have you pull both toggles now. Hold them down

Hold them down. That was good, man. How do you do that

Years of Call of Duty. another reason why the military leaned on the southern california-based company for more than

three decades is its willingness to collaborate to make sure students are getting the kind of

training they'll need once they step out of an actual airplane the soft community really brought

us along because they're the subject matter experts and they told us they wanted 25 different

scenarios correctable non-correctable they gave us youtube videos and snapshots and we were able

to physically model that than sim so they that way they could practice it and after you try twice

to fix something then you know you got to cut away and pull your next reserve or the landing

site picture of uh landing understanding the downwind base final pattern and what that site

picture looks like at all times of day is super important according to le sink parasim uses

special head tracking technology with independent trackers instead of the built-in ones found in

gaming goggles. That's because they want to minimize latency in the simulator, with the team

focusing on making sure the motion feels accurate. So, when a user moves their head or body

it syncs perfectly with the simulation. People feel more confident in the success rate at Yuma

Freefall School has been higher because they've been able to experience that parachute before doing

it live the first time. Also, people are more confident for their jumps when they're doing

high wind scenarios where they actually have to fly backwards with an mc6 parachute and understand

that that's a reality you're going to have to land going backwards and face into the wind so uh or

being able to understand hey it's night i can barely see my canopy and i need to look at certain

areas to make sure i have a good canopy uh and i'm not just going to ride in a bad one because i

don't i'm not confident in my procedures le sink says over the years nearly 400 parasim setups were

installed not only for American troops around the world, but for NATO and Allied airborne units as

well. If you're a repeat watcher of weapons and warfare, you have no doubt heard us talk about the

work that's being done by the team at Blue Halo. It's been a big year for the Virginia-based

Defense Technology Company, so we recently caught up with Jonathan Moneymaker for a comms check

In early May, AeroVironment announced its acquisition of Blue Halo was complete

saying the move reinforces its status as a global leader in defense technology across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains

bringing projects like the Locust laser weapon system under the AeroVironment umbrella

Hello Jonathan Moneymaker Blue Halo former CEO and now strategic advisor to Aerovironment says Locust is a key component of an integrated layered defense strategy against counter UAS and drones

The core guts of it is that acquisition tracking and pointing component that we're world class at

And then we've now built that into a completely vertically integrated laser weapon system

You see here a fixed installation that can be roll on, roll off

for something like a carrier in a maritime environment to a Ford operating base

Moneymaker says one of the biggest features of the Locust is the ability to use it with multiple platforms

And whether that's something that we've been working on with DRS, where we're combining kinetic and laser weapon systems onto a common vehicle

or looking at it from just a more ubiquitous gun sight mount

if you can have that level of precision tracking for a threat, whether it's a laser or kinetic system

the increase of effectiveness just goes through the roof. As with any new system, the big question is what kind of range can users expect

Blue Halo tells us that depends on the configuration of the deployment

but Moneymaker says it's in the 20 to 30 kilowatt range. Our approach around focusing on that advanced stabilization allows us to be far more effective

at lower power grades, which makes the system more affordable, easier to maintain

and as it's been operationally deployed very, very successfully. So as we're looking at kind of the threats that we're getting after

you're really looking at up to Group 3 threats from a counter-US standpoint and starting to expand into that counter-rock-and-mortar market

It's no secret the Navy put a big emphasis on making projects like Locust a priority

emphasizing its desire to use affordable, effective means to meet the threats

like the ones being used in the Red Sea by groups like the Houthis

The great thing about LOCUS is that it's operationally proven. The fact that it can be deployed in a roll-on, roll-off capability allows it to support a carrier group that may be changing plans and deploying into an area like the Red Sea where you need that type of protection

You can deploy it on the fantail of a ship and have it area of responsibility and defend the ship against incoming counter UAS or applications on the surface of the water as well

The Army started using Locust to counter drone threats in 2022, even sending it overseas and using the Locust in its palletized high-energy laser system, making the move to the fleet the next logical evolution of the system

We're excited to be expanding into the maritime application. And again, I think it fits solely into our broader layer defense strategy from our Titan

counter US products all the way up to our Freedom Eagle missile. And that laser weapon system right in the middle gives it the kind of the full complement

to defend our nation. All opinions expressed in this segment are solely the opinions of the contributors

Alright folks, that's going to do it for us this week at Weapons and Warfare

As we always do at the end of the show, we want to remind you all to please like and subscribe to all of our social media feeds

and download the Straight Arrow News app today to make sure you don't miss out on anything from the show or from Straight Arrow News

For my wrap this week, I'm going to keep it short and sweet and spend just a little bit of time reflecting on the importance

of not taking yourself too seriously. because the benefit of learning to laugh at yourself will be with you for the rest of your life

So, in our Weapon of the Week segment that you just saw with Parasim

well, you may have noticed I looked a little ridiculous at times during that shoot

Pretty, pretty, pretty goofy. Oh my god, there's two Larry Davids. A fact super producer Brett Baker picked up on quickly

and was sure to share with our colleagues here at Straight Arrow

I mean, who wouldn't want to see a funny-looking bald guy hanging from a weird rack in the middle of a convention center

Am I right? But jumping into that simulator was one of the cooler things I've got to do in my career

It was so much fun. I really want to track down those folks again at a future show just for another go at it

And honestly, folks, when I look back on my life, some of the most fun I've ever had was when I looked the most ridiculous

when I didn't care how anyone else saw me because I was too focused on the fun I was having

Yes, there is a time and a place for proper etiquette, but we can't lose touch with the ability to enjoy little moments

even if we look a little goofy. For senior producer Brett Baker

video editor Brian Spencer, and graphics artist Dakota Patio, I'm Ryan Robertson with Straight Arrow News, signing off