The folks at Gibbs Technologies showed off their Phibian—an all-terrain vehicle that can drive right into a body of water and continue its work there—before the American Society of Naval Engineers conference Tuesday in Virginia.
Gibbs Technologies Chairman Neil Jenkins told London’s The Daily Mail that the vehicle would be especially useful to first responders.
“Natural disasters in recent memory, such as the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and elsewhere in Asia—as well as the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans—illustrate the need for amphibians as capable, versatile and efficient as Phibian,” Jenkins said.
Read more in There’s no escape from the Phibian, which can switch from highways to waterways at the touch of a button.
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It’s never too late to go back to school and make a difference. And the Pat Tillman Foundation can help.
The Tillman Military Scholar program’s application window opens Monday, February 13. Veterans, active-duty service men and women, spouses of vets and active-duty troops, and spouses of fallen troops who are looking to pursue an undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate degree on a full-time basis are all eligible to apply.
Applications must be received by Friday, March 16.
For more information, visit their website here or email scholarships@pattillmanfoundation.org.
The average person would find service men and women performing plenty of unexpected jobs if they just strolled onto a military base. You can add snow sculpting to that list.
In what has become an annual cultural exchange, an American military team participated for the 28th time last week in the Sapporo Snow Festival on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.
But according to Stars and Stripes, this year’s trip was especially poignant because of prior events:
This year was different, however, as some of the sailors involved carried with them the emotions and fellowship of having participated in relief operations after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan.
As the six-sailor delegation finished their bust reprisal of the Navy’s iconic “Lone Sailor” statue, which is located at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Christopher “Billy” Knox said they decided to make a last-minute addition to the meticulously planned work of art.
Read more about their trip—and see photos of the snow sculptures—in Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team.
In other news around the military:
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta suggested Wednesday that coalition forces would shift combat responsibility to Afghan forces by mid-2013, nearly 1½ years earlier than expected.
The chatter—which developed during this week’s NATO meeting in Brussels—came one day after a leaked report suggested Taliban fighters feel they’re in good position to re-take the country once coalition forces leave. The Associated Press reported Thursday that coalition officials are concerned over the depth of Taliban infiltration into Afghanistan’s security forces, which have expanded in preparation for the eventual handover of responsibility.
The coalition still plans on staying in Afghanistan through the end of 2014. But instead of being first to every fight, it will become an advise-and-assist partner to the Afghan military, much like it did with Iraq’s armed forces.
More on Afghanistan:
One day after the annual U.S. intelligence threat assessment declared al-Qaeda is weakening, news of a report from Afghanistan has surfaced saying Taliban fighters would have a reasonable chance at retaking the country once coalition forces depart for good.
A NATO spokesman confirmed the existence of a document, but said it was “a compilation of Taliban detainee opinions,” according to Reuters.
News of the document comes at a particularly bad time, as news reports have indicated coalition forces are working toward setting terms of peace negotiations with the Taliban.
According to the Washington Post, the report also says Pakistan intelligence is still giving aid to the Taliban.
Read more in Taliban “poised to retake Afghanistan” after NATO.
The annual United States threat assessment report released Tuesday says al-Qaeda is weakening, but cyber security threats and Iran’s nuclear aspirations are creating growing security issues.
“The United States no longer faces - as in the Cold War - one dominant threat,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in prepared testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, according to CNN.
The report paints Iran as a destabilizing influence in the Mideast. The intelligence community believes Iran will do all it can to block continued progress between the U.S. and Afghan governments.
There are also suggestions in the report that Iran, Russia and China are all potential threats when it comes to American cyber security.
Read more in Intel report cites strides, threats.
In other news around the military:
The litany of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, along with new rules on Vietnam-era injuries, left the Department of Veterans Affairs with 853,831 unresolved cases heading into last weekend.
The volume is staggering. The VA says its processed nearly 1 million claims in the last year, but that another 1.3 million people have filed claims in that time period.
The VA expects thousands more claims to be filed over Iraq and Afghanistan, but has been set back by nearly 200,000 new cases involving Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam brought under new rules that make it easier to file.
Read more in VA struggling with disability backlog.
In other news around the military: