The Defense Department has been reaching out to bloggers for some time now, in an effort to reach around traditional media gatekeepers to access the public. And taking a cue from the new administration, DOD leaders have embraced social media. For example, Adm. Mike Mullen tweets. And now he’s using YouTube to solicit questions from military members and their families — and the general public — on issues surrounding the military.
Category Archives: tech
Afghan Army and Police get a helo simulator
A bit of propaganda from the Armed Forces Network: a video on the delivery of anMi-17 flight simulator.
The simulator, from Bucharest-based Simultec, is an Mi-17 Full Mission Simulator (FMS). It will give Afghan pilots the ability to train under a wide range of simulated conditions to prepare them for flying counter-narcotics and military operations. Whether this gives them a “technological edge over the bad guys” as the report says or not, it will undoubtedly save the lives of pilots and their trainers. The US bought the $4.5 million system, which was installed at the international airport at Kabul.
The US has been providing training for Afghan Mi-17 pilots for some time. As an old Cold Warrior, the irony of that is not lost on me.
Sean M. Gallagher 