Officials for the US Army are worried that its soldiers are getting to fat and to combat that issue they plan on injecting soldiers with fat.

While it might seem odd to think that fat injections can help soldiers lose weight there are actually two types of fat, the first is white adipose tissue which causes weight gain while the second is brown adipose tissue which actually helps lose weight.

A recent study has found that brown adipose tissue can burn up to 250 calories in a three hour period and even more special is the fact that it uses conventional fat cells to fuel it’s work, burning energy from those cells. The study also found that exercise can help create additional brown fat cells.

Researchers are now attempting to create the brown adipose cells in a laboratory at which point they will be injected into overweight soldiers.

If you aren’t in the Army and you want weight loss injections you might be in luck, a Boston-based company is already working on a commercial treatment.

In the Army’s researcher note in which they granted money to examine the use of brown adipose tissue they wrote:

“Obesity and its associated metabolic complications…are becoming increasingly prevalent in military personnel. Increasing [brown fat] by about 50 grams in obese patients could induce strong weight loss and improve metabolic status.”

If all goes as planned researchers will isolate brown adipose progenitor cells which they will then use to generate new adipose cellsin the lab. If all goes as planned soldiers will receive “transplantation therapy” to shed their extra pounds.

Would you be willing  to undergo this type of treatment to shed some extra weight.

Army To Fight Soldier Obesity With Fat Injections is a post from: The Inquisitr

Army officials on Thursday announced that they are closer to identifying the remains of soldiers who were misplaced at Arlington National Cemetery, according to reports information is still being confirmed for 62,000 burial sites. Officials also announced that a new smart phone and computer GPS app will soon allow families and friends of fallen soldier to more quickly locate their tombstones exact location.

When the smart phone and computer GPS program rolls out maps will be made available through a front office kiosk after a user finds the relative or friend they wish to visit.

Along with their investigation Army officials say they have discovered more than 400,000 bodies are located on the premises, not the 330,000 originally believed to exist at Arlington.

When not searching for missing bodies officials are attempting to located nearly $12 million that had been appropriated to Arlington National Cemetery over the years but has went missing among a myriad of accounting problems on the Army level.

When pressed about the missing cash McCaskill promised to get to the bottom of the mix-up while noting:

“I don’t think there has been any indication of people walking away with money. It was just incompetence.”

In the meantime cemetery watchdog Sen. Clair McCaskill revealed:

“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last 18 months. We’re not there yet.”

McCaskill, D-Mo., took over the job of straightening out cemetery concerns after hundreds of graves were discovered to be unmarked, mislabeled or wrongly identified on maps available through the cemetery’s office.

At this time executive director of the Army National Cemeteries Program Kathryn Condon says 210,076 graves are confidently confirmed for veterans and family members to find while her group is cross-checking data for other graves located on the 624-acre property.

Do you think officials at Arlington National Cemetery are taking the strides need to make a change for the better.

Arlington Cemetery Missing $12 Million As Officials Are Still Locating Misplaced Graves is a post from: The Inquisitr

The military loves its technology and being the military they get to play with all the new tech goodies first. For some time now they have been using that access to cutting edge technology to create some pretty realistic virtual reality worlds for their soldiers to train in.

The only problem is that like the rest of us who get to play the public versions of those first person shooters in virtual worlds getting blown up or shot doesn’t really hurt all that much. This is something that the Army wants to change – and soon.

To help move that idea along the Army has put out a request for some technology that will “create an impulse force that simulates the feel of debris … or bullets flying“; or getting blown up by an bomb perhaps.

The technical term for the request is actually “Haptic Feedback for a Virtual Explosion” with the idea being to make training exercises as realistic as technologically possible so that soldiers will have a better idea of what the reality of warfare is like, short of actually getting shot or blown up.

This idea is a lead up for the real military wet-dream – fighting with fake humans that feels real or in more techie terms “tactile interaction with three dimensional interactive holograms“.

via io9

The Army wants some realistic virtual reality pain for training soldiers is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Department of Defense announced on Thursday that the first test of the Army’s hypersonic weapon, dubbed the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, was a success.

The hypersonic rocket blasted off from Pentagon’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii on Thursday and successfully reached its target Kwajalein Atoll, some 2,500 miles away, in just about half an hour.

The Department of Defense describes the hypersonic weapon as a “first-of-its-kind glide vehicle”. A three-stage booster system propels the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon far up into the atmosphere, where it achieves speeds of over five times the speed of sound.

This wasn’t the first time the military tested a weapon of this nature, but it is the first successful one. Over the past year, DARPA attempted to test out their own hypersonic weapon, the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, on two separate occasions. Both failed.

The report from the Department of Defense didn’t say exactly how fast the AHW is, but the FHTV 2 boasted speeds of Mach 20, or about 13,000-mph, according to DARPA.

The Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 may have been a disappointment for the military, but the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon marks a step forward in the military’s “Conventional Prompt Global Strike” initiative, which aims to develop the capabilities to strike at any point on the Earth as quickly as possible.

The Department of Defense notes that at least part of the successful test of the Advanced Hypersonic Vehicle is in no small part due to the lessons learned by DARPA’s failed attempts with the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2.

Source: Department of Defense

[Image: The Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2]

Army successfully tests new Advanced Hypersonic Weapon is a post from: The Inquisitr

While it might be more in the realm of science fiction and Lord of the Rings fantasy the idea of an invisibility cloak is a holy grail type of discovery for researchers, and various military organizations.

Well it seems that BAE Systems might be on the path to discovering just that, or at least something equally incredible, which they are calling Adaptiv panels technology.

Apparently this technology can make a tank look like anything from a cow to a truck by mimicking their individual heat signatures to anyone looking through heat sensitive scopes.

The hi-tech camouflage uses hexagonal panels or pixels made of a material that can change temperature very quickly. About 1,000 pixel panels, each of which is 14cm across, are needed to cover a small tank.

The panels are driven by on-board thermal cameras that constantly image the ambient temperature of the tank’s surroundings. This is projected on to the panels to make it harder to spot. The cameras can also work when the tank is moving.

Its developers would not discuss exactly how the panels are heated and cooled.

Field trials of the thermal cloaking system showed that it made a tank resemble background scenery best from a distance of 300-400m.

BAE Systems has also produced a library containing the heat images of other objects, such as trucks, cars and large rocks, that can be projected on to the panels.

via BBC

I can bet there’s a general somewhere getting a giant woodie just thinking about this.

BAE testing night time invisibility cloak, sorta. is a post from: The Inquisitr

The U.S. Army is not afraid to take advantage of new video gaming technology in the slightest given that they already have a video game, America’s Army, that they use as a recruitment tool but they are definitely diving into the deep end with a new training system.

The training system is being built by Intelligent Decisions and is estimated to cost $57 million dollars but what makes this really cool is that they are going to be using the CryEngine 3 from Crytek, developers of the Crysis game franchise, as the graphics engine powering the training system.

“What we’re trying to do with infantry squad-level training is suspension of disbelief, and the CryEngine 3 is the best video game technology on the market today,” said West. “With CryEngine 3 being used for Crysis 2 and the capabilities that game engine provides, it allows us to make the most realistic simulation possible. We’re able to transport soldiers to accurately recreated locales like Afghanistan and Iraq, where we can simulate everything from visuals to 360-degree sound.”

The simulator can be used for more than just simulating all-out warfare with the enemy; it can also handle things like peace operations. Participants are graded with a high score after completing a mission — it is, essentially, a videogame, after all.

via 1UP.com

Now if we could just get a few of those nanosuits.

U.S. Army to use Crysis 2 game engine in a new training system is a post from: The Inquisitr

PCs running military simulations have long been used for training purposes in the Army and Marines. However, that nearly changed in 2006, when Microsoft was reportedly approached by the U.S. Army to supply it with Xbox 360 consoles. Despite the lure of a big fat contract with a government agency, Microsoft politely refused.

Supposedly, Microsoft had three reasons for not wanting to get involved:

- The fear that the military would snap up loads of consoles, but would buy only a single game for each. As platform holders make their money from games, not hardware, that’d bring in a big loss for Microsoft.
- A mass purchase by the military would result in an Xbox 360 shortage.
- Third, and most obviously, Microsoft didn’t want the 360 to become synonymous with killing. If it had been used as an Army training device, it may not do much for its image in the eyes of game-wary parents.

I’ve already read a couple of bloggers saying Microsoft were wrong on the third reason, but I beg to differ. I think the firm was spot-on in this case. We all know how the batshit right-wing media reacts over violent videogames.

The Xbox 360 literally being used to train soldiers to kill would have been manna from heaven for the likes of Fox News. A wise move, methinks.

[Via Wired]

Microsoft refused to sell Xbox 360s to U.S. Army for troop training is a post from: The Inquisitr

Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Lee A. Archer, known for being the first and only black ace pilot, died in New York City Wednesday at the age of 90.

Archer was born in Yonkers in 1919 and grew up in Harlem. At the time of his death, Archer was one of the few surviving Tuskegee Airmen- only around 50 to 60 of the nearly 1,000 men are believed to still be living. A fellow Tuskegee Airman spoke to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution about Archer’s accomplishments:

“It is generally conceded that Lee Archer was the first and only black ace pilot,” credited with shooting down five enemy planes, Dr. Roscoe Brown Jr., a fellow Tuskegee Airman and friend, said in a telephone interview Thursday.

Archer left NYU to enlist with the Army AirCorps in 1941, but was initially rejected on the basis of race, said Brown:

“A War Department study in 1925 expressly stated that Negroes didn’t have the intelligence, or the character, or the leadership to be in combat units, and particularly, they didn’t have the ability to be Air Force pilots,” said Brown.

After finally retiring from the military in 1970, Archer went on to become one of the first black corporate Vice Presidents when he joined General Foods. Later in his career, he founded the venture capital firm Archer Asset Management. Archer is survived by three sons, and was predeceased by his wife Ina in 1996. Cause of death has not yet been determined.

Tuskegee ace pilot Lee Archer dies at 90 is a post from: The Inquisitr

With the G.I. Joe movie hitting the theaters this weekend we will probably be treated to all kinds of really cool weaponry that might seem more sci-fi than real but you would be wrong. Even though the U.S. military might have some of the coolest toys around they aren’t resting on their laurels as they are working hard to turn what might be science fiction into hard core reality.

Here’s just a few items that are either in the testing phase or on the drawing board.

The XM-25 Rifle – designed to replace the standard issue Colt M4 rifles the XM-25 is designed to use smart bullets that would let soldiers fire around corners or into trenches. The new rifles are expected to be deployed by 2012.

Aurora Excalibur – the next generation drones are planned to take over for the current flock of Predator drones that are seeing extensive action around the world. The Aurora is supposed to have a top speed of 460 mph, be able to take off and land vertically and carry 4 hellfire missiles – all by remote control.

100kW Laser Cannon – obviously meant to replace tradition guns on battleships this free electron laser uses a superconducting electron accelerator to focus its beam in order to take down cruise missiles, planes or ships.

F-35 Lightening II – meant to replace much of the current line-up of the military’s aging air fleet. At only $83 million per plane this is consider the cheaper alternative but also the most versatile. The F-35 is three designs rolled into one: takes off normally, short runway take-off with vertical landing, and finally launchable from aircraft carriers.

Battlesuits – this is probably one of the most sought after battle tech items but Lockheed-Martin is already hard at work on the Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) which is basically a wearable computer that senses the direction the wearer wants to go and then accelerating that movement using its battery powered titanium frame.

hat tip to DVICE

All those G.I. Joe cool weapons aren’t so futuristic is a post from: The Inquisitr

There is no doubt that in a military force of the size of the US Army there are bound to be a few borderline crackpots. However I think that the idea that a fair number of them are also members of white supremacist social networking services should be just a tad discomforting.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a Alabama base watchdog service that tracks hate groups has compiled a book that contains the online profiles of at least 40 newsaxon.org users who proudly display that they are members of the US Armed Forces. On Friday  the SPLC will be presenting its finding to the key members of congress who chair the House and Senate committees overseeing the armed forces. At that point they well be urging the Pentagon to crack down on these affiliations.

“In the wake of several high-profile murders by extremists of the radical right, we urge your committees to investigate the threat posed by racial extremists who may be serving in the military to ensure that our armed forces are not inadvertently training future domestic terrorists,” Morris Dees, SPLC co-founder and chief trial counsel, wrote to the legislators. “Evidence continues to mount that current Pentagon policies are inadequate to prevent racial extremists from joining and serving in the armed forces.”

Source: Stars & Stripes – Watchdog group: Dozens of active-duty troops found on neo-Nazi site.

Mark Potock the editor of the report isn’t expecting much of a reaction from the Pentagon given past experiences where the Pentagon has basically shrugged it off and refused to look into the matter in any serious fashon.

On the newsaxon.org website, which Potok termed “a racist version of Facebook run by the National Socialist Movement,” many participants list their branch of service, base location and hometown on colorful pages festooned with Nazi art and Confederate battle flags. Some say they have served or will soon be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Several include pictures of themselves in camouflage combat uniforms.

One participant under the username “WhitePride85,” who said he is a 24-year-old staff sergeant from Madison, Wis., wrote: “I have been in the Army for over 5 years now … I am a SSGT … I have been in Iraq and Kuwait … I love and will do anything to keep our master race marching. I have been a skinhead forever.”

Source: Stars & Stripes – Watchdog group: Dozens of active-duty troops found on neo-Nazi site.

If this kind of thing is prevalent in the arm forces it makes one wonder just how may deaths in places like Iraq and Afghanistan were honest mistakes or the result of supremacist hatred.

Some active-duty soldiers members of white supremacist social network is a post from: The Inquisitr

You know for all we as individuals complain about viruses, trojans and other such nasties imagine how it must be for government agencies where people don’t care for the most part about what lands on their machines. This has proven to be enough of a problem I guess that the U.S. Army through its Research Office has gotten into fighting malware on its own instead of using off the shelf solutions.

According to Angela Moscaritolo of SCMagazineUS the tool was developed by SRI International and funded through a Cyber Threat Analytics research grant from the USARO and has been getting high marks across all platforms

“It works so well that it has even found infected Mac computers, much to the embarrassment of the Mac owners who, of course, swear that their computers cannot be infected with bots,” Marcus Sachs, director at SANS Internet Storm Center, told SCMagazineUS.com Tuesday in an email.

[...]

 

It reportedly helps Windows, Mac and Linux users detect malware-infected hosts on their networks by tracking interactions that typically occur when a PC is infected with malware, Porras said. The tool will generate an infection profile with all the forensic evidence that was gathered.

The infection profile report will then allow users to determine which machines on the network are acting like they are infected. The tool anonymizes infection profiles and passes them back to SRI, where they go into a repository that is used to help generate new threat intelligence.

BotHunter will not clean up machines. If infected, Porras recommended removing the machine from the network and running various removal tools –  including anti-virus and spyware solutions – to try and clear up infection.

 

To date there have been 35,000 downloads of BotHunter.

[hat tip to -=David=-]

U.S. Army in the anti-malware biz – for free is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Army isn’t messing around anymore.

While many may have thought that America’s Army: Operations game was a bold move when it first came out it is nothing compared to what the Army has up its sleeve. According to Seth Robson of Stars and Stripes the Army has created its own video game unit and plans on investing some $50 million over five years. the investment will be spent on designing game systems used to prepare soldiers for combat.

Lt. Col. Gary Stephens who is the product manager for air and ground tactical trainers said that the $50 million has been approved through the Project Executive Office – Simulation Training and Instrumentation starting in 2010

 

“The Army takes this seriously,” Stephens said of PEO-STRI and its Army gaming unit, which will handle military video game requirements. “We own gaming for the Army — from requirements through procurement,” he said.

 

In addition to the $50 million the Army gaming unit has an undisclosed budget to purchase a state-of-the-art commercial video game system that will be fielded for training in February. It would seem like Col. Mark McManigal, the capabilities manger for gaming under the Training and Doctrine Command, says

“We are just starting on the tip of the spear of where this is going to go,”

I’ll say .. it also seems like all those hours kids are spending playing Battlefield might just give them a jump one day.

$50M to be invested in combat training games is a post from: The Inquisitr

US Army recruiting offices are reporting increased interest in signing up as the economic crisis worsens.

Atlanta recruiting offices are the most recent to see an increase in numbers, and potential recruits are smarter as well. The Army reported that 83% of its recruits in the year ending Sept. 30 had high school diplomas, up from 79% the previous year.

The percentage of young people who said they would probably join the military increased from 9% to 11% in the first half of this year, according to a Pentagon-sponsored survey.

According to WBSRadio, Sgt. 1st Class Fabian Byrd at the Smyrna Army Recruiting office (Atlanta) says it’s easy to see why the Army is attractive: “you have a guaranteed job, a guaranteed medical benefits, a guaranteed paycheck and you have 30 days of vacation every year.” While we honor the service of any person in the army, Byrd seems to forget a few other things, like you could get sent to a shit hole and get killed, but hey, it’s a pay packet right

Nothing like a recession to boost Army numbers is a post from: The Inquisitr