FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Two Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers supported an unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, demonstration for a senior Army official recently at U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Reed and Sgt. 1st Class Brent Wehr supported a UAS demonstration Jan. 20 for Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology and Army Acquisition Executive Brent Ingraham.
“The UAS lethality demonstration for ASA Ingraham was an overwhelming success,” said Reed, the UAS Training and Innovation Facility commander at Fort Indiantown Gap. “ASA Ingraham was impressed with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s UAS team and gave high praise for our efforts in helping to move the Army UAS program forward and achieving the guidance set forth surrounding drone dominance.”
The Pennsylvania National Guard UAS Team has an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, in which it supports DEVCOM’s development efforts on UAS systems and payloads, Reed said. Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers test DEVCOM’s systems while providing feedback and modifications to create products for the Army’s UAS transformation efforts.
Ingraham visited DEVCOM to get updates on the UAS technologies under development and how they are evolving.
After the demonstration, Ingraham asked Reed about the Pennsylvania National Guard’s relationship with DEVCOM activities and whether it was recurring.
“I relayed that we have been working with their team directly since last summer, providing data and feedback on emerging technologies and payloads by putting systems directly in the hands of our warfighters and assisting in modifying designs to fit the mission sets we foresee in the future fight,” Reed said.
Ingraham also asked what the Pennsylvania National Guard’s main UAS efforts are beyond its work with DEVCOM.
“I expressed that we have tremendous support from our leadership and that it is a main priority of our adjutant general to continue leading the way not only in the National Guard, but the Army as a whole in terms of innovation and UAS capability,” Reed said.
Reed also told Ingraham that the Pennsylvania National Guard UAS Training and Innovation Facility helped develop the UAS Lethality course, and that Pennsylvania is postured to take on the 15X MOS transition course as a regional training site.
Additionally, Reed told Ingraham that Pennsylvania is working with the Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama, to develop the first standardized first-person-view drone training course in order to better facilitate a training pipeline for the UAS Lethality course, with the potential to also take on the Lethality course as a regional training facility.
Prior to Ingraham’s visit, Reed and Wehr met with several organizations involved in UAS operations at Picatinny Arsenal. Among them was the CATYLYST team, a collaborative initiative merging private and public sectors for the Army’s benefit.
“The Pennsylvania National Guard UAS Training and Innovation Facility’s relationship with DEVCOM continues to be of great benefit to both parties,” Reed said. “Our collaborative efforts continue to shape the future of UAS in the Army as we move forward in the modern fight. We couldn’t be happier with the successes we have had together, and the Pennsylvania National Guard looks forward to continuing to strengthen this relationship in the future.”