Thursday, August 30, 2018 • APG News B3 WASHINGTON -- The Army's No. 1 modernization priority -- long-range preci- sion fires -- is a collaborative science and technology effort between the Army and the other services, said Dr. Thomas Russell. Russell, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for research and technology, spoke at a National Defense Industrial Association- sponsored science and technology forum here, Aug. 22. Already, a long-range precision fires cross- functional team is working on a number of near, intermediate and long-range technology demonstrators, Russell said. Those demonstrators include land-based, anti-ship missiles; single, multi-mission at- tack missiles; multiple, simultaneous engage- ment technologies; extended-range cannon artillery; low-cost, tactical extended-range missiles; cluster munition replacement tech- nologies; and long-range maneuverable fires. One promising area of long-range preci- sion fires that is still in the science and technology phase is hypersonics, he said. Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds of Mach 5 or greater and are adept at changing course to evade interception. The Army's interest in hypersonics is in the ground-based version. The cross-functional team's efforts into hypersonics include re- search in propulsion, warheads, glide bodies and other areas, he said. Mary Miller, now performing the duties of assistant secretary of Defense for research and engineering, said the Department of Defense's No. 1 priority is both offensive and defensive hypersonics. Hypersonics takes the top spot, she said, because competitors are already demon- strating their own hypersonic capabilities, and are expected to field hypersonic weapons that are land-, sea- and air-based by the early 2020s. "The U.S. has been outpaced in hypersonic development," she added. If those nations succeed -- and they are expected to -- U.S. aircraft carriers might be threatened, she said. The U.S. is also on track to get hypersonic weapons fielded by the early 2020s, Miller said, though there will be many challenges along the way. "You need to be able to see a target, track the threat, do intercept, and many other aspects along the kill chain," she said. Another challenge with hypersonics is developing materials that can endure ex- tremely high temperatures. Hypersonic pro- jectiles travel at extremely high speeds, and the friction they encounter while moving through the air creates incredible heat. Miller also said cost is a challenge. Miller, whose previous assignment was deputy assistant secretary of the Army for research and technology, said the Army's six modernization priorities -- long-range preci- sion fires, next generation combat vehicle, future vertical lift, network, air and missile defense, and Soldier lethality -- nest nicely with the National Defense Strategy and the DOD's own top modernization priorities, including hypersonics, directed energy, net- work, space, cyber, microelectronics, and artificial intelligence. A Soldier with the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade loads a Stinger onto an Avenger Air Defense System during a live fire training exercise at Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, July 24, 2018. U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CAPT. RACHAEL JEFFCOAT Long-range precision fires modernization a joint effort, Army tech leader says By David Vergun Army News Service The Army's No. 1 modernization priority is long-range precision fires. U.S. ARMY GRAPHIC The high complexity clinical laboratory recently established at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense has received full accreditation after a thorough quality and technical audit by an approved international accred- iting body, the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). As a result, the MRICD becomes the first DOD institute to achieve Clinical Laboratory Improvement Plan (CLIP) accreditation through the A2LA. According to Maj. Gen. Barbara Hol- comb, commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, “This new capability at the USAMRICD is a significant asset for the Department of Defense in that it addresses a previously unmet need.” “Given the recent world events involv- ing the use of chemical warfare agents, it is more important than ever for rapid and secure exposure-confirmation testing to support real-time missions, and for testing results to be included in their Military Service Member Health Records,” said Holcomb. The MRICD established its clinical capability, received a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Plan certificate of regis- tration, and its full accreditation with A2LA in a notably short period of six months. Additionally, the MRICD had an unprecedented “zero deficiencies found” during the accreditation process. MRICD’s Quality Management Office chief, Dr. Cheri Roseberry, outlined the accreditation process. “The institute had to demonstrate an ability to monitor all aspects of the clinical laboratory to rigorous international stand- ards through a regimented quality man- agement program. All aspects of the quality and laboratory systems were scru- tinized: equipment, records, personnel files, standard operating procedures and laboratory processes. In addition to all of the preparation and internal audits, the clinical laboratory and quality program were inspected and evaluated by outside agencies.” Col. Denis Descarreaux assumed com- mand of the USAMRICD in late July, just prior to its receipt of full accreditation from A2LA. “Establishing this new capability is an impressive accomplishment for the MRICD,” said Descarreaux. “Its impor- tance to the DOD cannot be overstated.” MRICD clinical lab receives full accreditation By Cindy Kronman MRICD