The meeting minutes are provided at Tab A, the agenda is provided at Tab B and the attendees list is at Tab C.
1. Day One - November 7, 2001. The semiannual Joint Robotics Program Working Group (JRPWG) Meeting was held at Harmon Hall, Fort Knox, Kentucky from 0900 on November 7, until 1700 November 8, 2001.
a. A "Newcomer's Brief" was given prior to the start of the meeting by Mr. Lew Goldberg. The charts used are at Tab D.
b. Opening administrative comments were made by Mr. Jeff Kotora. BG Robert W. Mixon, Deputy Commanding General, US Army Armor Center & Fort Knox gave the official welcome. He spoke about the importance of teamwork in the transformation.
CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS
c. The Joint Robotics Program Coordinator, Mr. Michael Toscano, opened the meeting with preliminary remarks. He summarized the purpose of the program and provided a preview of discussion subjects for the meeting. He concluded by emphasizing the road ahead in robotics and welcoming everyone to the meeting. Mr. Toscano's slides can be viewed at Tab E.
MANEUVER SUPPORT CENTER (MANSCEN):
d. Mr. Bill Adams, MANSCEN DCD, spoke briefly and introduced the MANSCEN team represented in the meeting. He provided a pre-introduction prior to Mr. Dave Knichel's briefing. He emphasized transforming America's Defense and brought forth the importance of everyone within the robotic community working together as a team.
e. Mr. Dave Knichel, MANSCEN DCD Robotics Division, described MANSCEN's vision of the future, and presented several robotic systems as part of a campaign plan. An action item was derived from the briefing, which stated that MANSCEN should communicate with the EOD community. Mr. Knichel's briefing charts may be found at Tab F.
MOUNTED MANEUVER BATTLE LAB (MMBL):
f. LTC Scotty Abbott, MMBL, briefed on Future Combat Command and Control and set the stage for the afternoon Demo. He introduced numerous technology systems and displayed them as a Unit of Action structure displaying their unmanned characteristic. LTC Abbott's slides can be viewed at Tab G.
FUTURE JONT FORCE EXPERIMENT DEMONSTRATION:
g. During lunch, Mr. Larry Budge gave an introduction to the demonstration, which was held at the Simulation Warfare Center. The demonstration consisted of a Future Joint Force Experiment managed by CDR Tom Clemons, IDA. The simulation had soldiers manning stations for both friendly and threat forces that were integrated into a broader scenario. The soldiers developed Command and Control Concepts and TTPs to fight a battle making heavy use of robotic systems, both UAVs and UGVs, fighting next to manned units.
MARINE CORPS COMBAT DEVELOPMENT COMMAND (MCCDC):
h. Mr. Robert Parks, MCCDC, UGV/S JPO Support, discussed Marine Corps requirements in relation to several systems to include the Gladiator, Assault Breacher Vehicle, EOD Robotics System, and Dragon Runner. The benefits, goals and objectives were given for these systems. Mr. Parks' briefing charts are at Tab H.
PM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE PAYLOADS:
i. Mr. Keith Konop, PM for UAV Payloads, introduced his organization to Working Group attendees. He gave an overview of their duties, and provided direction as to where they were headed. Mr. Konop's charts are at Tab I.
2. Day Two - Thursday, November 8, 2001.
HEADQUARTERS, U.S. ARMY TRAINING AND DOCTRINE COMMAND (TRADOC):
a. Day two began with Mr. Kerry Pavek, DCD US Army Armor Center, representing Al Morison, TRADOC. Mr. Pavek provided an update on the Mission Need Statement and possible Capstone Requirement Document. He also portrayed the road ahead in an Unmanned Systems viewpoint. Mr. Pavek's briefing charts can be view at Tab J.
DIRECTORATE OF COMBAT DEVELOPMENT MANEUVER SUPPORT CENTER:
b. SFC Terry O'Donoghue represented the Engineer Division, DCD, MANSCEN, by presenting Future Robotics Requirements from a User's standpoint. He focused on the robotics vision, philosophy, and projected the road ahead. SFC O'Donoghue's slides are at Tab K.
c. Mr. Robin Simino, MANSCEN NBC Division, briefed on three phases of the Unmanned Ground Vehicle Rapid Obscuration Platform Program (UGVROP). He also covered the uses and availability of NBC Sensor Modules. Mr. Simino concluded by introducing thermobaric robotics as an effective explosive flame weapon. Mr. Simino's charts can be viewed at Tab L.
d. Mr. Bob Reaves, another representative from MANSCEN, represented the Military Police Division. He reported on the Limited User Test with MDARS and lessons learned from the test. Mr. Reaves briefing charts are at Tab M.
NAVEODTECHDIV:
e. Mr. Rollie Webb, NAVEODTECHDIV, provided an update on the Joint Service EOD Robotic Programs. He concluded by projecting future plans and milestones for the programs. Mr. Webb's slides can be viewed at Tab N.
f. Following Mr. Webb was SFC David Platt, who is assigned to TARDEC at Picatinny Arsenal. SFC Platt briefed a real world operation where he and several other soldiers transported robots' to New York to aid in rescue at the World Trade Center site. SFC Platt's briefing charts were filled with pictures displaying the robots work in New York. His slides can be viewed at Tab O.
AIR COMBAT COMMAND:
g. Mr. Jim Russell, Air Combat Command, provided an update on AF EOD Robotics. He re-introduced the types of robots, their current status and forecasted their future efforts. Mr. Russell's slides are at Tab P.
DCD, US ARMY INFANTRY CENTER:
h. Ms. Sara Faye Anderson, DCD Ft. Benning Support, provided a robotics program update. She projected the year ahead, with MPRS and TUV, and the issues that have been identified. Her briefing slides can be viewed at Tab Q.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND (SOCOM):
i. Mr. Dan Bernard, SOCOM, briefed Pathfinder ACTD goals and objectives. He concluded by summarizing a timeline illustration of Pathfinder's schedule. Mr. Bernard's charts are at Tab R.
DARPA:
j. Mr. Mac Dorsey, DARPA Support, represented LtCol Doug Dyer and provided an update of Tactical Mobile Robots (TMR). He listed TMR's accomplishments from FY 98 to FY 02. Mr. Dorsey also showed a video that covered DARPA's support of New York City rescue efforts. Mr. Dorsey's briefing can be viewed at Tab S.
TACOM:
k. Mr. Curt Adams and Dr. Grant Gerhart, TACOM, provided a TARDEC update to the group. He discussed TARDEC's robotic systems to include the Robotic Follower and ODIS. Their slides are at Tab T.
PM FOR NETWORKED SENSORS FOR THE OBJECTIVE FORCE:
l. The Working Group meeting closed with Mr. Mike Jennings, PM for Networked Sensors for the Objective Force. Mr. Jennings provides various types of sensors for many robotic systems. He summarized his briefing by stating what networked sensors will do for robotics and the challenges that may be faced. Mr. Jennings' briefing charts can be viewed at Tab U.
NEXT MEETING
3. The next meeting will be held in May 2002 in Detroit, MI.
ADJOURNMENT
4. The meeting adjourned at 1700.
Approved,
Michael Toscano
Joint Robotics Program Coordinator