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God’s original intent for Christianity? To spread throughout the earth and save as many as possible.How did Christianity change the world forever? That is a very long list. Most of Christianity’s impact are things we take for granted now, here in the West, as part of our cultural heritage. But they weren’t always part of culture. As the article says, the world Christianity came into was a very different place.Here is something I wrote on Wikipedia that surveys some of that long list of how Christianity changed the world forever. (Since I wrote it, I felt free to steal it accordingly. :-) )Christianity has deeply impacted our belief in Human ValueThe world's first civilizations were Mesopotamian sacred states ruled in the name of a divinity or by rulers who were themselves seen as divine. Rulers, and the priests, soldiers, and bureaucrats who carried out their will, were a small minority who kept power by exploiting the many.If we turn to the roots of our western tradition, we find that in Greek and Roman times not all human life was regarded as inviolable and worthy of protection. Slaves and 'barbarians' did not have a full right to life and human sacrifices and gladiatorial combat were acceptable... Spartan Law required that deformed infants be put to death; for Plato, infanticide is one of the regular institutions of the ideal State; Aristotle regards abortion as a desirable option; and the Stoic philosopher Seneca writes unapologetically: "Unnatural progeny we destroy; we drown even children who at birth are weakly and abnormal... And whilst there were deviations from these views..., it is probably correct to say that such practices...were less proscribed in ancient times. Most historians of western morals agree that the rise of ...Christianity contributed greatly to the general feeling that human life is valuable and worthy of respect.This value extended to everyone—including women and children. Women were not simply second class but were seen by many in ancient Greece and Rome as a kind of sub-species—not fully human in the way of men. It was common in the Greco-Roman world to expose female infants because of the low status of women in society. The church forbade its members to do so.Greco-Roman society saw no value in an unmarried woman, and therefore it was illegal for a widow to go more than two years without remarrying. Christianity did not force widows to marry and supported them financially.Pagan widows lost all control of their husband's estate when they remarried, but the church allowed widows to maintain their husband's estate.Christians did not believe in cohabitation. If a Christian man wanted to live with a woman, the church required marriage, and this gave women legal rights and far greater security.Finally, the pagan double standard of allowing married men to have extramarital sex and mistresses was forbidden. Jesus' teachings on divorce and Paul's advocacy of monogamy began the process of elevating the status of women so that Christian women tended to enjoy greater security and equality than did women in surrounding cultures.Christianity embeds a presumption in favor of preserving life, but concedes that there are circumstances in which life should not be preserved “at all costs", and it is this which provides the solid foundation for law concerning end of life issues.Christianity saved civilization after the Fall of RomeThe period between 500 and 700, often referred to as the "Dark Ages," could also be designated the "Age of the Monk". After the Fall of Rome in 476, (which had nothing to do with Christianity), culture in the West returned to a subsistence, agrarian, form of life. What little security there was in this world was provided by the Christian church.Western civilization suffered a collapse of literacy as well as economics and order. Following the collapse of Empire, small monastic communities were practically the only outposts of literacy in all of Western Europe. Disciplined Christian scholarship carried on in monasteries by literate monks became some of the last preservers in Western Europe of the poetic and philosophical works of Western antiquity.The “Rule of Benedict” became the foundation of thousands of monasteries that spread across what is modern day Europe;"...certainly there will be no demur in recognizing that St.Benedict's Rule —(poverty, simplicity, generosity: “work and pray”)—has been one of the great facts in the history of western Europe, and that its influence and effects are with us to this day."Monasteries were models of productivity and economic resourcefulness teaching their local communities animal husbandry, cheese making, wine making and various valuable skills. They were havens for the poor, hospitals, hospices for the dying, and schools. For centuries, nearly all secular leaders were trained by monks. These monks preserved classical craft and artistic skills while maintaining intellectual culture. By 800 AD, these monasteries were producing illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells, by which old learning was re-communicated to Western Europe.Christian monasteries and nunneries changed social power foreverThe formation of these organized bodies of believers—distinctly separate from traditional power centers and behavioral controls such as political authority and familial authority—especially for women, gradually carved out a series of social spaces with some amount of independence. People could be responsible for themselves and their own choices—within reason. This revolutionized social history in ways we take for granted today.Christianity prevented Europe from becoming Islamic.Whatever else might be thought of the crusades, they did keep the Muslims from taking over much of the European continent. If they had not, the world would be a very different place now. My feeling is that the Enlightenment, and all that it brought, including the scientific revolution and many of the advances of Western civilization, would not have occurred otherwise.Christianity influenced sex and marriage more positively than most knowChristianity changed sexual mores forever, and while many disagree now, the sexual ethical structures of Roman society were built on status and inequality and what we perceive now as terrific injustices.Slaves had no status, therefore, it was not thought that they had any internal ethical life at all. Abusing them was therefore acceptable. Sexual ethics meant something different for men than it did for women, and for the well-born, than it did for the poor, and for the free citizen, than it did for the slave—for whom the concepts of honor, shame and sexual modesty could be said to have no meaning at all. Christianity sought to establish equal sexual standards for men and women and to protect all the young whether slave or free. This was a transformation in the deep logic of sexual morality. Paul made the body into a consecrated space, a point of mediation between the individual and the divine. Status and wealth became meaningless in this new view.The Greeks and Romans said our deepest moralities depend on our social position which is given to us by fate. Christianity "preached a liberating message of freedom. It was a revolution in the rules of behavior, but also in the very image of the human being as a sexual being, free, frail and awesomely responsible for one's own self to God alone.”During the Gregorian Reform, the Church developed and codified a view of marriage as a sacrament. In a departure from societal norms, Church law required the consent of both parties before a marriage could be performed, and established a minimum age for marriage, protecting “child brides” from being forced into unwanted marriages.Christianity influenced science and educationThe influence of the Christian Church on Western “letters and learning” has been formidable.One view against this idea is that the Church's doctrines are entirely superstitious and have hindered the progress of civilization through holding to its irrational thinking. The most famous incidents cited by such critics are the Church's condemnations of Copernicus, Galileo and Johannes Kepler.The evidence for the other side of that view overwhelmingly outweighs that argument. Not only did monks save the remnants of ancient Greco-Roman civilization during the barbarian invasions, but the Church actively promoted learning and science for hundreds of years throughout its history (even with those three notable exceptions).It is not unreasonable to claim the scientific revolution would not have happened without the Christian church. It did not happen elsewhere, anywhere in the world, in quite the same way as it did under the influence of Christianity.Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler all considered themselves Christian. St.Thomas Aquinas argued in the 12th century that reason is in harmony with faith, and that reason can contribute to a deeper understanding of revelation. The church adopted his views.The Church's priest-scientists, many of whom were Jesuits, have been among the leading lights in astronomy, genetics, geomagnetism, meteorology, seismology, and solar physics, many becoming some of the "fathers" of these sciences.Examples include important churchmen such as the Augustinian abbot Gregor Mendel (pioneer in the study of genetics), the monk William of Ockham who developed Ockham's Razor, Roger Bacon (a Franciscan friar who was one of the early advocates of the scientific method), and Belgian priest Georges Lemaître (the first to propose the Big Bang theory).Other notable priest scientists have included Albertus Magnus, Robert Grosseteste, Nicholas Steno, Francesco Grimaldi, Giambattista Riccioli, Roger Boscovich, and Athanasius Kircher. Even more numerous are Catholic laity involved in science: Henri Becquerel who discovered radioactivity; Galvani, Volta, Ampere, Marconi, pioneers in electricity and telecommunications; Lavoisier, "father of modern chemistry"; Vesalius, founder of modern human anatomy; and Cauchy, one of the mathematicians who laid the rigorous foundations of calculus.Many well-known historical figures who influenced Western science considered themselves Christian such as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Boyle.According to 100 Years of Nobel Prize (2005), a review of Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000, 65.4% of Nobel Prize Laureates, have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference (423 prizes). Overall, Christians have won a total of 78.3% of all the Nobel Prizes in Peace, 72.5% in Chemistry, 65.3% in Physics, 62% in Medicine, 54% in Economics and 49.5% of all Literature awards.The church is responsible for beginning the University system and is responsible for directly founding most of them. The Reformation is largely responsible for our modern commitment to literacy and the concept of public education. It was based on the idea every man should be able to read the Bible for themselves.A Pew Center study about religion and education around the world in 2016, found that Christians ranked as the second most educated religious group around the world after Jews.Christianity influenced art and architectureSeveral historians credit the Church for what they consider to be the brilliance and magnificence of Western art. "Even though the church dominated art and architecture, it did not prevent architects and artists from experimenting…” Important contributions include its cultivation and patronage of individual artists, as well as development of the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles of art and architecture. In the late Middle ages, in name of Christianity, monumental abbeys and cathedrals were constructed and decorated with sculptures, hangings, mosaics and works belonging to one of the greatest epochs of art in all of history.Christianity impacted music and literatureIn music, Catholic monks developed the first forms of modern Western musical notation, leading to the emergence and development of European classical music, and its many derivatives. Without that invention there would be no modern music. An enormous body of religious music has been composed for God and church through the ages. The list of Christian composers and sacred music which have a prominent place in Western culture is extensive. Similarly, the list of Christian authors and literary works is also vast.Christianity affected politics and economicsCharlemagne instituted political and judicial reform that led to many modern concepts and practices.Christianity influenced economic theory through Scholasticism and the Protestant work ethic.Calvin resisted political absolutism and paved the way for the rise of modern democracy.Among several influences, it is still fair to say Protestants created both the English and the American democracies.Christianity developed the concept of human rightsThe philosophical foundation of the liberal concept of human rights is Christian. It is most specifically connected to Thomas Aquinas and Hugo Grotius."...one cannot and need not deny that Human Rights are of Western Origin. It cannot be denied, because they are morally based on the Judeo-Christian tradition and Graeco-Roman philosophy; they were codified in the West over many centuries, they have secured an established position in the national declarations of western democracies, and they have been enshrined in the constitutions of those democracies."David Gushee says Christianity has a "tragically mixed legacy" when it comes to the application of some of its own ethics. He examines three cases of "Christendom divided against itself": the crusades and Pope Frances' attempt at peacemaking with Muslims; Spanish conquerors and the killing of indigenous peoples and the protests against it; and the on-again off-again persecution and protection of Jews.Christianity founded hospitals and the practice of charityHistorians record that, prior to Christianity, the ancient world left little trace of any organized charitable effort. Christian charity and the practice of feeding and clothing the poor, visiting prisoners, supporting widows and orphan children has had sweeping impact.Albert Jonsen, University of Washington historian of medicine, says “the second great sweep of medical history begins at the end of the fourth century, with the founding of the first Christian hospital at Caesarea in Cappadocia, and concludes at the end of the fourteenth century, with medicine well ensconced in the universities and in the public life of the emerging nations of Europe.”Basil, as bishop of Caesarea, established the first formal soup kitchen and hospital. It was a homeless shelter, hospice, poorhouse, orphanage, reform center for thieves, women’s center for those leaving prostitution and more. Basil was personally involved and invested in the projects and process giving all of his personal wealth to fund the ministries. Basil himself would put on an apron and work in the soup kitchen. These ministries were given freely regardless of religious affiliation. Basil refused to make any discrimination when it came to people who needed help saying that “the digestive systems of the Jew and the Christian are indistinguishable.”The Catholic Church established a hospital system in Medieval Europe to cater to "particular social groups marginalized by poverty, sickness, and age." During the Middle Ages, the church “conducted hospitals for the old and orphanages for the young; hospices for the sick of all ages; places for the lepers; and hostels or inns where pilgrims could buy a cheap bed and meal". It supplied food to the population during famine and distributed food to the poor.The Industrial Revolution brought many urban workers deteriorating working and living conditions. Christianity responded by building hospitals, universities, orphanages, soup kitchens, and schools, in order to follow Jesus' command to spread the Good News and serve all people.In Western nations, governments have increasingly taken up funding and organization of health services for the poor, but the Church still maintains a massive network of health care providers across the world. In the West, these institutions are increasingly run by lay-people after centuries of being run by priests, nuns, brothers and Christian others. In 1968, nuns or priests were the chief executives of 770 of America's 796 Catholic hospitals. By 2011, they presided over 8 of 636 hospitals.In 2009, Catholic hospitals in the USA still received approximately one of every six patients.Christianity spread the Word of God and HopeThe impact of Christian missions throughout the world is immeasurable. According to a PEW study, "there is a large and pervasive gap in educational attainment between Muslims and Christians in sub-Saharan Africa." Muslim adults in this region are far less educated than their Christian counterparts, with scholars suggesting that this gap is due to the educational facilities created by Christian missionaries.Christianity has done more for gender equality than most realizeAccording to the same PEW study, Christians have a significant amount of gender equality in educational attainment, and the study suggests that one of the reasons is the encouragement of the Protestant Reformers in promoting the education of women, which led to the eradication of illiteracy among females in Protestant communities. Female literacy is still relatively low in the world outside the West.That’s how Christianity changed the world forever.Every now and then I contemplate what the world would have looked like without Christianity—with all its failures and all its problems and all its inadequacies—and I see that overall, Christianity has done substantively more good than harm. I wonder if perhaps that is the best that can be said of any venture involving humans.Would Europe have become Muslim and would that have prevented the scientific revolution? The Muslims built a great civilization but they repressed the kind of development that led the West. They never had a scientific revolution of their own. Colonialism was driven by economics and most certainly would have occurred even without Christianity, but without Christian missionaries to speak up for the rights of the conquered, how much worse would things have been? We like to think things such as charity and the founding of hospitals were inevitable, but world history doesn’t support that comfortable notion.It’s a completely fruitless exercise of course. But I look back in response to all those who advocate eliminating Christianity as we go forward, and I know without doubt—if the past is any clue— it would not make the world a better place.

The next twenty years are going to showcase some of the most monstrously terrifying while holistically awe-inspiring feats of engineering in the history of warfare.To set the scene, imagine a time in the not so distant future. A despotic regime in the Horn of Africa is growing wealthy as their people toil though life in comparatively medieval conditions. A once nameless local warlord has grown to become a regional threat, disturbing the balance of power and trade from Central Africa to the waters on the far end of the Indian Ocean. He is backed by powerful Eastern allies caring enough for his nation's mineral wealth to ignore his history of human rights violations to the neighboring peoples who have fallen under his shadow. Emboldened by the regime's newly acquired military hardware, the dictator invades his neighbor to the South.AirSatellite imaging has shown diplomatic initiatives to prevent the invasion have failed. The dictator has already started his attack. Ground forces have crossed the border simultaneously with a series of air strikes. Armed with next generation aircraft, they are an imposing threat to dated military of their targets. As the air raid sirens blow, they scramble to arm and launch their small force of outdated warplanes built more than 40 years ago. In previous wars these planes were considered to be invincible, but today many of the pilots wonder if they now are little more than their own glorified coffins.Elsewhere, on a base in the the Arabian Sea the order has been given to launch a squadron of hypersonic fighter drones.Son of the BlackbirdEnvisioned as an unmanned aircraft, the SR-72 would fly at speeds up to Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound. At this speed, the aircraft would be so fast, an adversary would have no time to react or hide.“Hypersonic aircraft, coupled with hypersonic missiles, could penetrate denied airspace and strike at nearly any location across a continent in less than an hour,” said Brad Leland, Lockheed Martin program manager, Hypersonics. “Speed is the next aviation advancement to counter emerging threats in the next several decades. The technology would be a game-changer in theater, similar to how stealth is changing the battlespace today.”A hypersonic plane does not have to be an expensive, distant possibility. In fact, an SR-72 could be operational by 2030. For the past several years, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® has been working with Aerojet Rocketdyne to develop a method to integrate an off-the-shelf turbine with a supersonic combustion ramjet air breathing jet engine to power the aircraft from standstill to Mach 6. The result is the SR-72 that Aviation Week has dubbed “son of Blackbird,” and integrated engine and airframe that is optimized at the system level for high performance and affordability."Meet the SR-72" - Lockheed Martin Press ReleaseAs the drones take off a nervous international film crew in a hotel more than 3200 km away prepare for the impending attack. As the minutes tick by a lucky cameraman on the balcony spots the enemy's planes in the distance. The tiny specs of silver grows ever more dangerous in the sky as four squadrons of enemy fighters become visible. Twenty six minutes after the invasion began the warplanes are now visible to the capitol city. As their profile becomes clearer the camera captures something its operator can't even see. He sees the jets in the distance and then a flash of light and smoke - first the lead plane followed soon after by all of the other fifteen in his formation. He thinks that they have fired their missiles, but then sees in the distance through his camera's zoom the puffs of smoke were actually explosions in the sky. Sixteen white clouds were showering debris on the city outskirts. A few moments later the city is rocked by a violent tremor and the deafening roar of a thousand screaming lions as windows throughout the city shatter and fall to the ground. No enemy planes are anywhere to be seen as the clouds of fallen invaders dissipates into nothingness. A few minutes later a second boom can be heard, this time much more faint. As its echoes fade the sirens are quieted and silence is all that is heard throughout the city.CyberspaceThe dictator sat at the head of a granite top table in the situation room of the jewel of his domain, the Republican Guard Headquarters Building with his most accomplished and senior staff to either side. They looked above the massive table to monitors on the far wall. As their forward strike fighters continued on their doomed mission, little did these leaders know that an enemy agent had already infiltrated the deepest recesses of their most guarded strongholds, and in fact, that very room. As they gleefully watched their monitors in the situation room, expecting to see the results of a stunning victory, the room abruptly went dark. Sudden night fell on the leadership with the deafening silence of the sudden halting of every light, screen, computer, and air vent in the building. The after image of the screens in the pitch blackness of the room was the only thing the dictator and his Generals could see. As the dim green square in their vision faded, fear and confusion took over when they realize that they are cut off from their information of the battlefield and their command over it."United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) plans, coordinates, integrates, synchronizes and conducts activities to: direct the operations and defense of specified Department of Defense information networks and; prepare to, and when directed, conduct full spectrum military cyberspace operations in order to enable actions in all domains, ensure US/Allied freedom of action in cyberspace and deny the same to our adversaries."Stuxnet is a computer worm that was discovered in June 2010. It was designed to attack industrial Programmable Logic Controllers or PLCs. PLCs allow the automation of electromechanical processes such as those used to control machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or (most infamously) centrifuges for separating nuclear material. Exploiting four zero-day flaws, Stuxnet functions by targeting machines using the Microsoft Windows operating system and networks, then seeking out Siemens Step7 software. Stuxnet reportedly compromised Iranian PLCs, collecting information on industrial systems and causing the fast-spinning centrifuges to tear themselves apart. Stuxnet reportedly ruined almost one-fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges. Stuxnet has three modules: a worm that executes all routines related to the main payload of the attack; a link file that automatically executes the propagated copies of the worm; and a rootkit component responsible for hiding all malicious files and processes, preventing detection of the presence of Stuxnet. Israel, through Unit 8200, has been speculated to be the country behind Stuxnet in many media reports and by experts such as Richard A. Falkenrath, former Senior Director for Policy and Plans within the U.S. Office of Homeland Security.The helpless dictator and his highest ranking officials clumsily scurry and stumble amid the confusion and chaos of the situation room. Groping in the darkness one finally reaches the door, opening to reveal a likewise dimmed out hallway, stirring with frightened secretaries and officials. So deep in the building was the central administration section of the Republican Guard Headquarters that natural light from the outside had no chance of reaching them. The first few minutes ticked away as they fingered their ways down the hall, led by the soft glow of lighters in their pockets and the few flashlights that had been found in the office. The dictator's security team stormed the room as they grabbed their leader to take him to his secure command center. The Generals, now left behind, guided themselves to a point of light at the end of the hall. An exit sign was visible at the end of a hall above a door, natural light peeking out from around its perimeter. They opened the door to the blinding light of the setting sun.As they regained themselves, they looked out over the balcony of the building. They could see their dictator being rushed into a car and it screaming into the street. Within the car the dictator desperately tried to regain control of his country. He and his closest secretaries pulled their phones from their pockets to realize all the devices were now dead. All communication lines had been lost. One of them screamed out to destroy their phones since they may be being tracked. Frustrated, he threw his phone to floorboard and stomped it with his foot, followed by all the rest. As his car made its way down the momentous parade route of the Ministry of Defenses's new complex of buildings he saw that none was lit as it should be at this hour. Each had gone dark. In the distance he could see only the dark silhouettes of the National Palace and the Headquarters of the National Police, contrasted greatly by the bright lights in full illumination of the city behind them. Behind him he saw his grand Republican Guard building, now just a shadow, backlit by the rising of the full moon.He could never have known that days before a secret agent had slipped deep into nation's defense system. It had arrived when he had made one of his grand propaganda broadcast in the days and weeks leading up to today's attack. After a digitally broadcast display of his army on parade he gave a speech, invigorating his populace. After the grandiose display a commercial was broadcast telling his citizens of a news application where they could learn more about their great leader's plan to empower the people of their nation. A link was displayed on the screen where his citizens were asked to download the free news and information source. Tens of thousands of his people did as they were instructed. Had he only known that the program they downloaded was not the one he had provided. Unbeknownst to anyone, they were redirected through a series of proxies to a new program, one similar in every way, from look to functionality to the one the dictator had mentioned... that is, except for major difference. Embedded in the program was a new process. This additional program tracked the information of everyone who downloaded it. From a base far away, an information network was being created with the ID's, contacts, messaging identifiers, locations, bank account activity, medical history and locations of thousands of different users. Subtle messages were being generated and sporadically sent out across all user's social media and email accounts. Faithful believe in the words of their friends, family and coworkers endorsement of the very real, well-known and verified national news source encouraged millions of people to download the application. This truly viral media campaign had, in fact, been among the nation's most successful advertising campaigns. His national secretaries believed the great success was due to the people's great faith in the dictator and his dream for their nation. In days building up to right now, a virtual map of all the most influential systems and people had been developed automatically by the intrusive worm. Information on millions of his people was now accessible, most importantly many of his top aides, officials and officers. Entrances had been created into the most important networks in his country, from his military networks, the national banking system, his secret police force and intelligence networks and even into the power and sewer grids. As darkness fell over his city, a shadow that had loomed in his presence began to rise.His car made its way to his secure bunker deep within the Ministry of Defense's Complex in the capital. Helplessly he looked out his window when his car came to a stop. He screamed at the driver for an explanation of the delay when he looked ahead to see the streets ahead in hopeless gridlock. As the lights when dark in the Ministry, so did the traffic lights throughout the entire city. Now there was nothing directing the millions of people heading home from work on what seemed like a normal day. It was the only civilian system affected, yet it left the entire city and all its people in a complete standstill. As he looked out he saw the line of cars clustered before him and the growing congestion building behind him. He was trapped and completely vulnerable. Most were just normal commuters but now many were desperate government officials fleeing the Ministry. Realizing the danger he was in, his security team opened his car door and rushed him out of the vehicle. They would have to make the rest of the three mile trip on foot.He wouldn't reach his destination though. Among his entourage was the driver of his vehicle and his personal confidant. Not realizing the danger it posed, he had never thought to destroy his phone. Though the device appeared to be broken and disabled, as he discovered when attempting to reach Central Command, a message was still being sent.........."9°00'49.2"N, 38°45'44.9"E"..."Heading North by Northwest"..."3.2 meters per second"...SpaceAn overland invasion force has yet to receive word of their forward air strike's failure and the collapse of the Ministry of Defense in the capital. They view the radio blackout as a temporary interruption and continue on their mission as ordered until command can come back online. Formations of tank and troop carriers storm in through the African savanna. They can be seen nearing a local village by villagers high in the mountains. The dust their convoy column has risen is visible for miles. As the village comes in sight from the top of the hill, their column reforms and goes offroad. Spread out across the valley they loom upon the frightened villagers.High in orbit above the continent a satellite shifts into position.Project Thor is an idea for a weapons system that launches kinetic projectiles from Earth orbit to damage targets on the ground. Jerry Pournelle originated the concept while working in operations research at Boeing in the 1950s before becoming a science-fiction writer.[1][2] The most described system is "an orbiting tungsten telephone pole with small fins and a computer in the back for guidance". The weapon can be down-scaled, an orbiting "crowbar" rather than a pole. The system described in the 2003 United States Air Force (USAF) report was that of 20-foot-long (6.1 m), 1-foot-diameter (0.30 m) tungsten rods, that are satellite controlled, and have global strike capability, with impact speeds of Mach 10.[3][4][5]The time between deorbiting and impact would only be a few minutes, and depending on the orbits and positions in the orbits, the system would have a world-wide range. There is no requirement to deploy missiles, aircraft or other vehicles. Although the SALT II (1979) prohibited the deployment of orbital weapons of mass destruction, it did not prohibit the deployment of conventional weapons. The system is prohibited by neither the Outer Space Treaty nor the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.[4][6]The idea is that the weapon would inflict damage because it moves at orbital velocities, at least 9 kilometers per second. Smaller weapons can deliver measured amounts of energy as small as a 225 kg conventional bomb. Some systems are quoted as having the yield of a small tactical nuclear bomb.[5]In the case of the system mentioned in the 2003 USAF report above, a 6.1 m × 0.3 m tungsten cylinder impacting at Mach 10 has a kinetic energy equivalent to approximately 11.5 tons of TNT (or 7.2 tons of dynamite). The mass of such a cylinder is itself greater than 9 tons, so it is clear that the practical applications of such a system are limited to those situations where its other characteristics provide a decisive advantage. Some other sources suggest a speed of 36,000 ft/s (11,000 m/s),[8] which for the aforementioned rod would amount to a kinetic energy equivalent to 120 tons of TNT or 0.12 kt. With 6-8 satellites on a given orbit, a target could be hit within < 12–15 minutes from any given time, less than half the time taken by an ICBM and without the warning.As the raid nears the city, frightened villagers look back to their assailants. As they do they see a series of streaks dart across the sky. The momentary points of light rain havoc upon the enemy vehicles. Tanks are flattened and thrown across the landscape as troop vehicles disintegrate in plumes of dust. As they watch with awe three more flashes of light steak across the sky. They collide the Earth with a massive eruption of violence and astonished bewilderment. With fear and amazement, massive dust clouds rise from the impact sights as each eject a wave of force emanating from their points of impact. The waves spreads across the plain, felling trees and kicking up the grasses. The waves continue on towards the village, first one, then another and then another. They are knocked from their feet and look back on the blast. The area is nothing more than a massive cloud of dust which is now settling everywhere around them. Their attackers are all gone. [1]SeaCombating a rise in piracy within their maritime jurisdictions, various world governments have adapted to be responsive with faster, lighter navies armed with fleets of advanced new ships combining stealth capabilities with high fire power armaments and speeds outmatching their agile rivals.As the regime begins to breakdown in Africa weapons and soldiers flow out and join up with local pirate factions looting shipping lanes across the Indian ocean. Little did one ship know, that it was already being closely followed by the US Navy's next generation of naval weapons.The littoral combat ship (LCS) is a class of relatively small surface vessels intended for operations in the littoral zone (close to shore) by the United States Navy.[1] It was "envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals."[2]The Freedom class and the Independence class are the first two variants of LCS by the U.S. Navy. LCS designs are slightly smaller than the U.S. Navy's guided missile frigates, and have been likened to corvettes of other navies. However, the LCS designs add the capabilities of a small assault transport with a flight deck and hangar large enough to base two SH-60B/F or MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters, the capability to recover and launch small boats from a stern ramp, and enough cargo volume and payload to deliver a small assault force with fighting vehicles to a roll-on/roll-off port facility. The standard armament for the LCS are Mk 110 57 mm guns and Rolling Airframe Missiles. It will also be able to launch autonomous air, surface, and underwater vehicles.[3] Although the LCS designs offer less air defense and surface-to-surface capabilities than comparable destroyers, the LCS concept emphasizes speed, flexible mission module space and a shallow draft.The concept behind the littoral combat ship, as described by former Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England, is to "create a small, fast, maneuverable and relatively inexpensive member of the DD(X) family of ships." The ship is easy to reconfigure for different roles, including anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, homeland defense, maritime intercept, special operations, and logistics. Due to its modular design, the LCS will be able to replace slower, more specialized ships such as minesweepers and larger assault ships.[11]The pirates are occupied hunting down civilian traffic in the area... to busy to notice the ship rapidly gaining on them. Traveling at more than 50 knots these next generation littoral ship is one of the fastest vessels in existence. In little time at all it has closed with the pirate's ship. Desperate to evade, the pirates attempt to flee. Wishing to avoid a confrontation the Captain issues an edict for the ship to shut off it's engines using its latest version of the Long Range Acoustic Device in twelve of the major languages of the region. Fearing capture and acting in desperation the pirates turned their boat towards the US Navy ships. It was clear that they were attempting to ram the vessel. Warning shots were fired from the 110 cannons across the enemy bow. The ship continued to close. The cannons were zeroed on the ship and with the Captain's command the ship was torn to shreds by successive bursts of the overwhelming cruiser.A life raft was spotted behind the wreckage. The XO informed the Captain that it appeared they had jumped ship hoping that the ramming would sink the LCS. If the pirates were able to get back home having captures a video sinking the US Navy ship they could become wealthy men for the bounties that circulated among the area's various black market cartels. Today, however, they wouldn't be so fortunate and tonight they would be spending the night in the ship's brig. This was the second such arrest this week by the fleet with another seven expected before the end of the month. [2]MedicineCorporal "Cy" Fannon is augmented with an artificial eye and hand after losing his in Venezuela. The "Cy" stands either for cyborg or cyclops. No one really knows which and no one is brave enough to ask. He's quiet, but when he looks at you with that creepy as hell robot eye, you'll do whatever he asks just to get him to stop eyeballin' you.After Venezuela, Fannon was given the opportunity to be med-sepped with full medical benefits from the VA. He was also presented with the opportunity to prototype some new of the DARPA tech ready for the field. He took the road of fool hardy and stayed in to be a human guinea pig for some robomed company's hopes of creating the future of robot warriors to put the rest of us out of a job.Futurists and researchers in prosthetic technology say that nearly everything depicted in [science fiction] films is possible; indeed, current advances in robotics, neuroscience, and microelectronics are bringing the visions of science fiction closer to reality every year. Over the next two decades, scientists expect to introduce bionic appendages that respond to thoughts, and chips implanted in the brain with the potential to download data directly into human memory banks.Devices including "neuroprosthetic" limbs for paralyzed people and "neurorobots" controlled by brain signals from human operators could be the ultimate applications of brain-machine interface technologies developed under a $26 million contract to Duke University sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The contract is part of DARPA's Brain-Machine Interfaces Program (http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrust/sp/bmi.htm), which seeks to develop new technologies for augmenting human performance by accessing the brain in real time and integrating the information into external devices.His first major augmentation was his neural unit installed into his skull. You can see the scar under his high reg, but it's not like the brick they've been installing in amputees for the past decade. Even if they don't have to move their arms and legs like robots anymore, half of them would fall over from the stupid giant controller unit. I don't even know how they sleep. Cy's got it all on the inside. I really don't know that all works. What powers the damn thing? Half of us wonder if the thing is fryin' his brain or something, either with microwave transmissions or just because he has a stinking computer console in his grape, but as long as he doesn't short circuit, I guess he's fine.Next, he got his arm. They've really perfected the art form with arms like his. Honestly, I didn't even know he had the thing until we went out to the bar one day back in San Diego. He crushed a beer can into a marble. I thought I was going to piss myself. It wasn't until he pulled off a flesh panel to show the gears, wires, and techogizzitry that I realized he had the prosthetic limb. It was all Star Wars or something. It's honestly a bit of an advantage. I know you're not supposed to say that a dude who got his hand blown off has an advantage, but as long as he keeps his arm still he always quals expert at the range and has the grip of a bear. Ok, he has to oil himself like some sort of freaky Marine Corps version of the Tin Man, but still I kind of wonder if he is better off with the robot arm.Lastly, and most obviously, is his freaky robot eye. He didn't take the natural ones. No, he went full Terminator. It's an on board camera with multiple sensors that far outperform us "norms". He can see with that thing far beyond normal people. He can focus the thing to full zoom at better than 20/1 vision, more than 20 times farther than any of the rest of us. What'll really freak you out is that he can see in infrared and night vision. It isn't as good as the installed unit of helmets, but he can see heat, which is so freaky. I don't really know what one would do with all that, but I suppose it's nice that he always knows which beer is coldest. I guess that is a good trade off. What's probably the most important though is that he can record everything. At night he'll go through and plug this cable into the port of his eye, review and upload all the important stuff he saw that day. I kind of wonder what he does with it. Makes me really worried to change in front of the guy, but oh well. His depth perception is still off though. When he is letting the system idle with the range finder off, Sergeant has fun throwin' stuff at him, knowin' that he has no hope of reacting correctly. In a way it helps us remember that he has vulnerabilities and isn't some sort of ubermensch gearing up to lead the robots in their take over of Earth. [3]Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager, Pontz has been almost completely blind for years. Now, thanks to a high-tech procedure that involved the surgical implantation of a “bionic eye,” he’s regained enough of his eyesight to catch small glimpses of his wife, grandson and cat.The artificial implant in Pontz’s left eye is part of a system developed by Second Sight that includes a small video camera and transmitter housed in a pair of glasses. Images from the camera are converted into a series of electrical pulses that are transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes on the surface of the retina. The pulses stimulate the retina’s remaining healthy cells, causing them to relay the signal to the optic nerve. The visual information then moves to the brain, where it is translated into patterns of light that can be recognized and interpreted, allowing the patient to regain some visual function.In any case, Corporal Cy is one messed up freak, but he is a crazy good Marine. He's specialized in ways the rest of us couldn't compete with. He is special and a great asset to the squad. He's unique in the Corps and all his augments make him perfect for his role with the team... as the squad's field operator.LandIn a valley to the South of the recently created Camp Mēga a pack of autonomous robots maneuvers through the valley. They are delivering supplies to the recently activated forward operations base. The four robots run in line through the dry river beds and plains, navigating the rocky feet of mountain cliffs. These are the GammaDogs, the latest's version of transportation vehicles built by the robotics firm Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of SoftBank. They make thousands of these runs delivering the gear and equipment across the thousands of miles of terrain in the scope of military operations. They deliver everything from gear and equipment to medical supplies and food for the local villages and even care packages from home. They also have specialized combat variants which support the front line patrols by carrying packs and heavy ordinance of the troops in the field. When on their own, each time they make the journey it is a new one, so that their patterns are never discovered by enemy insurgent forces.BigDog is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the hopes that it will be able to serve as a robotic pack mule to accompany soldiers in terrain too rough for conventional vehicles. Instead of wheels or treads, BigDog uses four legs for movement, allowing it to move across surfaces that would defeat wheels. The legs contain a variety of sensors, including joint position and ground contact. BigDog also features a laser gyroscope and a stereo vision system.Built onto the actuators are sensors for joint position and force, and movement is ultimately controlled through an onboard computer which manages the sensors. Approximately 50 sensors are located on BigDog. These measure the attitude and acceleration of the body, motion and force of joint actuators as well as engine speed, temperature and hydraulic pressure inside the robot's internal engine. Low-level control, such as position and force of the joints, and high-level control such as velocity and altitude during locomotion, are both controlled through the onboard computer.On March 18, 2008, Boston Dynamics released video footage of a new generation of BigDog known as AlphaDog.[4] The footage shows BigDog's ability to walk on icy terrain and recover its balance when kicked from the side.[5] The refined equivalent has been designed by Boston Dynamics to exceed the BigDog in terms of capabilities and use to dismounted soldiers. In February 2012, with further DARPA support, the militarized Legged Squad Support System (LS3) variant of BigDog demonstrated its capabilities during a hike over tough terrain.Starting in the summer of 2012, DARPA planned to complete the overall development of the system and refine its key capabilities in 18 months, ensuring its worth to dismounted warfighters before it is rolled out to squads operating in theatre. BigDog must be able to demonstrate its ability to complete a 20 mi (32 km) trek within 24 hours without refuelling while carrying a load of 400 lb (180 kg), whereas a refinement of its vision sensors will also be conducted.From one of these cliffs a shepherd watches with amazement. These must have been the "mule cars" he had heard spoken of at the market the last time he visited the village. Now he could see them in his valley. He marveled how at times they reminded him of the bison stampeding as they maneuvered through the valley below. Only these bisons moved too perfectly. Every action was with intent and with purpose. In a perfect line they leaped, bound, climbed and ran faster than he could believe possible of a machine. The small train of robots continued without pause where there was no road nor trail, leaving only puffs of smoke where their feet impacted the dry earth. Wanting to show his friends and family the wonder he saw today, he pulled out the phone from his pocket to capture the moment. [4]IntelligenceAbove surveillance drones escort the train of GammaDog transport vehicles. They're armed with a battery of cameras and other detection equipment, able to see in 3D and infrared detection. Sonar systems allow them to make three dimensional maps of the area for battlefield planners. This latest model can fly in two modes, as a glider for endurance surveying or flapping its wings as a bird or, more precisely, as a bat. These bats measure just two feet in length. They are capable of surveillance silently from several hundred feet above the target to perching indiscriminately on the ledge of any building. It's powered through a solar membrane on its wings providing hours of additional flight time after the battery would have run dry. The COM-BATs are equipped with networking capabilities to share view points across multiple angles and a wide area. They communicate everything in real time to operators or higher level intelligence programs. Traveling in flights groups of four or more, they provide numerous layers of immediate information to troops in the field, war planners, and battlefield observers.Scientists at the University of Michigan College of Engineering are developing a six-inch robotic spy plane, modeled after a bat. Colloquially known as the COM-BAT program its purpose is gathering data such as sights, sounds, and smells in urban combat zones and transmitting the information back to combatants in real time. A $10 million grant was given for this project, which is being developed in the Center for Objective Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology. The robotic bat is planned to perform short-term surveillance missions supporting advancing troops in the battlefield. It could perch at a street corner and send data regarding its immediate surroundings, or could land on a building for longer surveillance assignments. Real-time reports of its activity will constantly be sent to the commanding unit.The University of Michigan researchers are focusing on the microelectronics. They will develop sensors, communication tools, and batteries for the new “Bat” micro-aerial vehicle. Engineers envision tiny cameras for stereo vision, an array of mini microphones that could home in on sounds from different directions, and small detectors for nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. The robotic bat will also have the ability to navigate at night, using low-power miniaturized radar and a very sensitive navigation system. Its lithium battery will recharge using solar energy, wind, and vibrations, and the bat will communicate with the troops using radio signals.The robot’s body is designed to be about six inches long and to weigh about a quarter of a pound. Its expected energy consumption will be 1W. They will work to develop quantum dot solar cells that double the efficiency of current solar cells. Furthermore, they expect their autonomous navigation system, which would allow the robot to direct its own movements, to be 1,000 times smaller and more energy efficient than systems in use today. If the planned improvements will indeed be successful, the researchers believe they will provide the bat with a communication system ten times smaller, lighter and more energy efficient than currently available systems.Today, one of the tiny planes has spotted something through its on board infrared camera. There is a man on the ledge above the pass. One of the BATS leaves the group of escorts to investigate. With his cameras the plane circles above the unsuspecting man. The plane relays images to a remote operations intelligence server. The server's image recognition software sees that the target is a military aged male. He has with him an AK-47, though this is common in such a dangerous country. However now the man has pulled from his pocket a device the program recognizes from its database to be one of the old phones of a few decades ago. The system analyzes the angular projection and determines that this man could have attempting to capture images from the mule team down below. The event is flagged "Orange".The Orange rating triggers the server to initiate a series of queries to determine more information on the target. The GPS location was cross-referenced with the country's land listings and it was found that the land was leased to a family by their patriarch Solomon Selassie. Another query to the nation's record office of public health pulled a birth certificate and health care history information. That information indicated Solomon to be too old to be the man seen in the recording, however, Solomon had a son, Yared. Yared's age and medical information matched the apparent height and age of the target. Further investigation of his record showed school records with photos. Facial recognition with aging calculated a high probability that the target in question was indeed Yared Selassie. A search for information on Yared connected the search program to his account with the local phone company service provider. A data package had indeed just been sent from Yared's device to another device in Yared's network.Fortunately for Yared, he had no known background with the now displaced regime. He also had no criminal record and was not connected with any known agents of the regime in the last 10 years. His ID had not been one of those gathered during the initial cyber infiltration a few weeks ago so no logs of him existed yet in the military's watch list, which indicated that he had little contact with the rest of the world and with the regime at all. By all known accounts, the program results seemed to indicate that he was indeed a peaceful shepherd farmer living deep in the African savanna. The event would be logged as Yellow for cautionary and suspicious activity. He would have an identity file created under the database where his information would be easily accessible and the event would be called any time in the future if Yared may come into investigation. Any future suspicious actions by him would likely result in his apprehension.His GPS location was also flagged Yellow. In the event of future activity there, Yared would likely be a source of information if not also suspect. The Selassie home was also flagged White - for informational - along with the rest of the family and known contacts of Yared. If Yared were to ever become considered dangerous, they would be considered sources of potential information or potential accomplices and the house would be watched. Today, however, Yared was not in danger of arrest. Logs were created in all the relevant databases and a report was generated on Yared, the location and infraction in question. The report would be delivered to the Provisional Constable's email. The entire process up to this point had been automated and no human would have any knowledge of the event until the Constable read his email. It would be one of a few dozen he would receive that week. He would probably forward this one on to one of his deputies and in a few weeks the deputy would dispatch an officer with security detachment to investigate the Selassie house. They would discover the reason for taking the photo and if everything was determined to be all clear the family would be advised not to take any more photos of military equipment again. The family would be scanned with the Biometric Automated Toolset. Their photos, fingerprints, DNA and numerous other identifiers would be logged to their identifying files. After that the Selassie family's life would go back to normal, though a new mountain of information on them would be readily available for intelligence agencies and perhaps more dangerously, the new regime to come once the Americans left.As the report was generated and sent to the Constable, the BAT was directed to call off its surveillance of Yared and return to escorting the transports. Yared watched the train move out of the valley completely unaware of what had transpired. He returned his phone to his pocket, gathered his things and moved his small flock down the mountain back towards his home.Light InfantryCommand is nervous following an up-tic in civilian protests throughout the region. Numerous activist groups are coming out as they attempt of built something resembling a government to replace the shattered regime. Most are harmless and benevolent. Many want to bring about real change for the region and are anxiously seeking to take advantage of their first real chance at leadership roles in more than a decade. Others, however, push for more dangerous agendas. Remnant forces still vie for power, sometimes through democratic means and other times in the form of a new brewing insurgency. Many of the old leadership in the defunct regime escaped overseas and are now channeling money, and propaganda into the country. Enough of the old regime's officers saw the coming storm and saw to it that stockpiles of weapons and ammunition mysteriously disappeared prior to our arrival. Now, many of those weapons, along with thousands more are being smuggled in through the unregulated black market, and are finding their way to the quickly organizing insurgency forces.That's where we come in. We are Marines expeditionary rifle squad of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines. We were stationed in the area to ensure that stability is maintained while a constitution is drafted. The squad's marching orders were to conduct an unmounted patrol through the city. Tensions are high since there is currently a massive rally taking place all along the parade route of the old Ministry of Defense's complex. The streets of the complex are crowded with tens of thousands of people. Marine platoons are on patrol in the event that this peaceful rally turns into something far worse. You'd probably have guessed that by now all military activity would have been replaced by all the drones flyin' around, but history has shown us that some jobs, just like these, you just can't trust a rumba to replace boots on the ground. Not that they haven't tried, but after the mess in 2022, they realized the only real future was one that married the drones with infantry into a holistic combat unit. So that explains why there are still morons like me trudging around in places like this.Marine Expeditionary Rifle SquadPurpose: Significantly increase future Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) ability to conduct squad level combat operations in an uncertain environment across the ROMO for the Joint Force. Improved ability to operate in both traditional and irregular warfare environments while retaining the ability to conduct forcible entry operations from the sea.Attributesgreater lethalityaccurate identification and classification of targetsunencumbered mobilitysecure, reliable, MAGTF- integrated command and controlballistic and fragmentation protectionclimate and terrain protectionability to administer low level medical aidimproved training and leadershipProvide greater improvement to the current rifle squad’s ability as a total package to engage the enemy across a wider range of operations with an increase in survivability and better access to support forces.- LtCol Chris Woodburn, USMCThe squad was composed of the ten of us, nine Marines and a doc in two fire teams and the Staff Sergeant.Our fire team leaders are Sergeant Nguyen and Corporal Piers. They each carry an M-35 Infantry Automatic Rifle attached with M-207 grenade launchers. For the 207, they carry an assortment of goodies they can launch depending on the mission requirements. For today, they are armed with tear gas, flares, and one grenade that can be fired above, through a window or into a dark alley, bursts open and out pops a tiny little drone cam to check out what overhead drones might miss. They also have regular explosive varieties and incendiaries, but today is just supposed to be a routine patrol. More important than their armaments, they're also equipped with networked Tee-Cud helmets. Tee-Cuds are the common name for the Tactical Command Heads Up Display integrated combat helmet systems. They are complete helmet systems with a ballistic visor that covers their entire face. Inside is a broad spectrum networking node that communicates information to and from the higher ups. This feeds into a heads up display that projects an augmented reality layer over everything they see. Team members, allies, non-combatants and enemies are highlighted with a colored filter to seek to avoid identity confusion in the heat of battle. They also have combat relevant data on each of the members of their team from ammunition count to a 3D geographic mapping projection complete with possible fields of fire. The Tee-Cuds run off of the Layar based MZ Scout Systems. Scout is an augmented reality browser and AI that coordinates all the networked visual data. The entire system is voice activated, sensitive enough to a whisper, so different commands will initiate different actions from Scout. Each Marine goes through a certification week where they have to speak a ton of random lines and sentences to create a unique voice ID and only the ID's on the team can operate the system. The team leaders can say "Squad" which will temporarily open a channel with their squad. "View..." can open any viewpoint from different squad members to overhead observation or strike drones, as well as other personnel within the area of operations. Saying, "Command" or the command's designation can open a direct channel with command headquarters for requests of information, backup or to send out a nine line request. The Tee-Cuds give the team leaders an unmatched view of the battlespace and their own team's condition warfighters of only a few decades prior would have died to get their hands on.Next, there are the SAW gunners. SAW stands for Squad Automatic Weapon, which used to be the name of an old weapon system the position used to use, but being that they even today they can somewhat reliably cut whatever they want to in half, the name stuck. That said, they are armed with M3, the largest non-crew served weapon in the Corps' history. The M3 is the automatic machine gun currently used for squad suppression fire. Depending on the situation, the M3 can fire a belt of high velocity rounds, or high mass yield rounds for heavy impact. In the semi-automatic setting it can fire a kinetic impact round that can punch through walls from six hundred yards. The gunners themselves would never be able to lift the damn thing, though, if it weren't for the exoskeleton assist. With the rigging the SAW gunners can carry a load of over 400 lbs for six hours and never break a sweat. SAW gunners, as well as the other members not equipped with Tee-Cuds, wear Scouters. Scouters are units that attach into the helmets over one ear and have a small ballistic visor that completely covers one eye. The Scouters operate on the same Layar based Scout system. It can project limited amounts of information in the same way as the Tee-Cuds on the ballistic lens, but with less detail and scope. It is also voice activated and the commands are all the same. The only difference between the leadership level Tee-Cuds and the scouters is that the scouters don't come with the full heads up display and can be worn separately without the helmet. [5]After the SAW gunners are the assistant light machine gunners. The A-gunners assist the the SAWs. They provide direct fire back-up and can provide emergency assistance to the SAW gunners' equipment in the field. They are armed with the M1300 CSASS, a compact semi-automatic sniper system rifle engineered for squad level sniper support. The weapon can deliver a variety of rounds to the enemy from sixteen hundred yards or deliver deadly fast accuracy with mid-range engagements.The newest members of the squads are designated riflemen. They are equipped with standard M-35 Infantry Automatic Rifles and extra ammo. They also carry the M-483 Light Infantry Missile System. It's a small pod you drop on the ground and arm. Once armed, the squad leader, or the operator, will designate a target and issue the command to fire. From there, the system will fire a self-guided missile about the size of two soda cans directly into the air before it directs itself to the target from above. Besides that, they are boots and if you're lucky they will only almost get you killed once a day. They're really good for getting ammo from the Heavy Dog and digging holes when you don't want to tire out the robots.Last are the field operators. In the mid to late 2020's infantry integration with drone warfare became paramount. As I mentioned before, militaries around the world realized that there are just too many things you can't do with a drone that require on the ground support to accomplish. Swarms of robot jets overhead and mini tank guns look cool in movies, but 90% of the time wars are fought by you actually walking up and asking a bystander if something jacked-up is going on that the good guys should know about. When the bean counters in Washington finally realized that a drone can't exactly prevent looting or arrest someone without having their onboard camera's kicked in by a six year old, they realized that next generation infantry integration was the way to go. With that came the field operators.Field-ops have constant command of drone escorts during patrols and missions. They are equipped with the same Tee-Cuds as the team leaders, but their systems are set up to direct the feeds of information from surveillance and attack drones overhead, paint targets as either hostile or non, coordinate battlefield intelligence with the squad and to also directly command drones in combat. They are equipped with sidearms for immediate emergency protection, but their main offensive weapons are their gloves. Hundreds of sensors in the gloves catch every subtle movement as a command to manipulate drone movement and observational capabilities. At any given moment, the Field-ops are overseeing dozens of nodes all around the battlefield. They are aware of hundreds of moving objects from people, vehicles and drones. They have as close to a complete holistic view of the battlefield as has ever been available to a frontline infantry unit. Working Field-ops is supposedly like nothing else. Even though they are right there with us, many describe their job as an out of body experience. The role used to go squad and fire team leaders, but the tsunami of data bombarding them left them unable to manage both the drones and their teams, so the tasks were delegated to the newly created unit. Their omnipotence is flushed down the toilet, though, when their focus is so deep on planes buzzing overhead that they completely lose track of where they are, trip, and fall flat on their face. Obstacle avoidance is their most requested new feature since they'll find themselves on the ground all the damn time. It's honestly a little embarrassing that they are the future of warfare. A field-ops' idea of a good day is hunkered on a rooftop or in the back of a vehicle controlling the battlefield without fear of tripping over a rock or something. They come off as clumsy and distracted, but when they get in their zone, they are the deadliest thing in the battlezone. They command the swarm and the respect of any enemy they might seek.Along with our doc, the last member of the squad is its leader, Staff Sergeant Ramirez. He's been to every major conflict in the last eleven years; Odessa, Yangong, Valencia. They say that back in the day a squad like ours would have been led by just a Sergeant or even a Corporal, but I guess with the modernization of the new Corps, this is what it takes. The Squad leader is armed identically to the Fire Team leaders. He carries the same M-35 with the 207 attachment and is equipped with the same Tee-Cuds as the others. Besides his experience, he doesn't differ greatly from the two team leaders. This was by design in case he should be incapacitated than one of them could be able to step into his role.This is the modern Marine Corps infantry unit. Two fire teams complete with leaders, SAW gunners, A-gunners and dedicated riflemen supplemented with corpsmen, Squad Leader and with the advent of the Field Operators, the eleven man Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad was complete.We made our way down the street. Far off in the distance you could hear the sounds of the rally. Here though, all you could hear was Cpl. Fannon picking himself up off the ground again and the sound of the SAW gunner's hydraulic joints. Chatter over the inter squad channels reported the same quiet.We turned another corner into an alley. It was completely devoid of movement and deathly silent. As half the squad made their way into the alley, SSgt Ramirez turns the corner and calls for an all stop. The squad darts for cover along the alley. Fannon started a detailed scan of the area. From one view he noticed a small group of men on the next street. He could see inside a few windows and could see people shutting their windows. From one of his aerial units he noticed a window at the end of the alley with a suspicious pipe moving out of it. He flew the unit around the building to get a clearer view of the window. As his view became clearer he saw a man aiming his rifle on the squad."CONTACT FRONT! SECOND FLOOR!"Support"Contact". The term has been part of infantry training and battlefield tactics for a century. Now the word has evolved to much more. This single word initiates a mobilization of a vast movement of men and machines in a worldwide effort towards the acts of locating, closing with and eliminating the enemy through fire and maneuver.When Corporal "Cy" Fannon gave the call for Contact Front he initiated a command within MZ Scout System that forwarded the alert to seventeen other commands. These commands included Forward Operations North East Africa, the Coordinated Unmanned Asset Command, Marine Air Ground Task Force Central Command, and a myriad of other units. Alarm bells rang out and operators manning stations across the globe came online, now with all of their attention directed to a small alleyway in a small city and one particular squad of Marines. Monitors across the globe lit up with the view scopes of the Marine's Tee-Cuds. A voice came in through the NCO channel. It was a woman's voice.Corporal Piers was surprised. He was a newly promoted Corporal and unfamiliar with assaults from the NCO's point of view. He'd handled engagements before, but now the flood of information on his visor and responsibility to the Marines within his charge left him momentarily frozen. Her voice brought him back."This is the Operator. Standing by for SITREP."With her sudden call to awakening, his training kicked in. He knew of the operators and had experienced them in dozens of exercises when he was given his fire time, but he was still surprised by what he heard over his headset. Usually, everything in training is nothing like the real thing. Adrenaline and confusion are elements that are difficult to replicate in the training environments without Marines actually getting killed. Everything amps up, but this voice didn't. He knew it was their job to watch over the combat patrols and coordinate relief, reinforcements, or additional assets when need. She was calm and relaxed, like listening to the weather girl or the melodic tones of the host for some late night easy listen radio stream. She made it sound as if dropping in on Marines embraced in the heat of combat was something she did everyday. Perhaps she did. As Cpl Piers gathered himself in the midst of the chaos that was enveloping the Marines, she was calm, the collected voice of serenity reminding the Marines that they were not alone.Cpl Piers composed himself not a moment soon enough. What started as a single shooter foolish enough to get caught before the ambush, had in fact been a well orchestrated attack by more than a dozen insurgents. They had prepared the alleyway for what must have been some time in hopes of catching the Marines off guard. Such a defeat would be a massive symbolic victory for the insurgency, ushering in new recruits by the droves. As Piers and the others took up defendable locations in the alley, the scope of the danger became apparent to the Marines. Windows all along the narrow street were suddenly filled with men and metal. Bullets rained down like tears from heaven.Staff Sergeant Ramirez was already on the bounce. He knew something didn't feel right about this alley in the first place. The call for contact only confirmed what his instincts had prepared him for."Operator, this is Echo Six Romeo. Incoming SITREP..."... individual troops can look forward to the JTRS Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radio. Developed by General Dynamics C4 Systems. Rifleman is designed to deliver networking connectivity to frontline troops in a lightweight, ruggedized, body worn device. The radio transmits voice and data simultaneously via SRW. Perhaps most importantly, Rifleman radios are capable of interfacing with smart phones.Cutting-edge wireless networking technologies, potentially capable of supporting both JTRS and smart phone devices, are now arriving in the form of mesh networks, including mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) that can provide virtually instant high-bandwidth networking capabilities for handheld radios, ground and airborne vehicle communications and security and tactical wireless sensors. The military is increasingly turning to wireless mesh networks technology for sensor-driven environmental control, yard management, and security and tactical applications. A mesh network provides continuous asset visibility from any location in the system’s range, noted Mark Lieberman, automatic identification technology program manager for the Defense Logistics Agency, headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va..John Edwards - Telecommunications Industry Analyst - Defense Systems[dot]comSSgt Ramirez listed relevant information in the hasty situation report. The operator, not flinching and with no obvious distress in her voice, replied back to the NCO channel,"Very well Echo Six Romeo. I've secured a roaming aerial interceptor squadron for your field operator. Echo Four Foxtrot, you should see the new units displayed on the Active Unit Window of your Tee-Cud. Do you see them?""Yes, Operator. I see them," Cpl. Fannon replied."Very well. They should be arriving in the next three minutes. Echo Six, I've opened a channel to higher command, designated "Snakepit". I've also opened a channel with the other patrol unit leaders in the city. CASEVAC has been alerted and are standing by. I'll be standing by for further assistance as needed.""Understood. Echo Six out."The squad was entrenched in the alleyway. Windows all along street slammed open to become places of cover for concealed insurgency forces, ducking away as quickly as they had appeared. They popped in and out to spray momentary bursts of fire on the Marines below, only to replaced by another in another window, and then another and another. The alley was unsecurable. The minimal cover and overhead deployment of enemy forces meant that the Marines would be chow in minutes if something wasn't done.Fannon was a bit occupied at the moment. He was the only one with a clear bird's eye view of the scene with aerial strike capabilities. His view, however, was obscured by the buildings. As he was trying to gain a clear sight on the window, a burst of rifle fire ricocheted next to his head. He ducked away in search of new cover. By the time he felt secure enough to focus on the drones, it had already moved on beyond view of the window. He would have to wait on the next one to make a pass. More rifle fire cracked as it struck the building next to him. The squad may lose its field operator if he didn't secure his most valuable asset: his life."Operator, I'm in heavy fire! I need to find cover and am requesting QRF assist!""Understood field op." She knew who had said it even though he hadn't said much by the indicator denoting which helmet made transition. "Patching in UAV Pilot Quick Reaction Force with special instructions to secure your immediate location."With a few adept keystrokes of the operator's hand, a red light lit in an installation in Colorado. A team of four pilots were already in their seats. They had been watching the feed and listening to the instructions. The operator opened a channel between them and the field op. As he scurried and dodged his way through the alley, he was relieved to see the individual units in his active asset window switch over from autonomous operation to full remote. One by one their icons switched from green to orange and faded to a translucent fuzz on the side of his display. He could now focus himself on finding a securable location for the time being. Fortunately for him, SSgt Ramirez was also aware of his desperation and had sent one of the squad's riflemen, LCpl Dodd, to secure him.As the two sought some mild semblance of safety, the drones above and all around came alive in a way not like before. Under normal operations, they circle around in simple methodically programmed patterns or hovering at points spherically encompassing the squad, waiting for the field op to call for them. Now, all of them were under the direct control of a team of remote pilots thousands of miles away.Interoperability Functional DescriptionThe ability of systems, units, or forces to provide services to and accept services from other systems, units, or forces and to make use of the services, units, or forces; and to use the services so exchanged to enable them to operate effectively together. An example for the use of this policy would be the condition achieved among communications-electronics systems or items of communications electronics equipment when information or services can be exchanged directly and satisfactorily between them and/or their users.Interoperability is integral to the continued success of missions using unmanned systems and represents a long-term objective of the Services and their stakeholders. The urgent needs in theater and corresponding rapid acquisition approach during recent years have resulted in thecurrent fleet of unmanned systems that generally do not interoperate with each other or with external systems. The combat development community is calling for interoperability as a critical element to the future unmanned systems fleet. The ability for manned and unmanned systems to share information will increase combat capability, enhance situational awareness, and improve flexibility of resources. Interoperability will improve the ability for unmanned systems to operate in synergy in the execution of assigned tasks. Properly stabilized, implemented, andmaintained, interoperability can serve as a force multiplier, improve warfighter capabilities, decrease integration timelines, simplify logistics, and reduce total ownership costs.Department of Defense - Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap FY2013-2038The individual birds started their maneuvers. They were each taking actions for the different specialties of each vehicle. Four target acquisition units were actively darting in and out of the building's windows seeking runaway insurgents, following them through hallways and as far as the trail would take them. When their scanners found something, other specialist operators were busy tagging each person as either friend or foe and adding an identifier so that the tracking system could keep watch as need be. Hunter strike craft pursued the insurgents relentlessly, able to dart in and out and descend from anywhere upon their targets. In the few seconds since the squad had taken fire, the alleyway had descended into a hornet's nest of firefighting from both man and machine.With the time bought by the swarm, Fannon and the other Marine were able to secure a location in the kitchen of one of the buildings along the alley. Fannon hunkered down in a back corner of the room. Dodd provided security for the two. He now posted himself along the window, regularly checking to make sure the two were safe while Cpl Fannon focused on the battle overhead.As he gained his bearing, Fannon began receiving instructions and information from the rest of the squad, along with communications from the other pilots. Now keyed back into the engagement at hand, he took control of the ships around him and began to coordinate his assets with the rest of the squad's counter offensive. He took back manual control of the remotely piloted unmanned assets as objective necessity dictated.One might wonder why Fannon would take back control at all. While the team back in CONUS was fully capable of carrying out the mission of taking down all enemies they saw with guns, explosive ordinance, and maneuver warfare, there was too much they could not know. They lacked the unit briefings on specific engagements for this particular region, since their area of operations was the entire planet as need be. They lacked a thorough understanding of the area, population centers, business centers and key hotspots and places to avoid fire. Mostly, they lacked clear communication with the entire squad. Fannon, more correctly, the Field Operator, did. What might be perceived as a design flaw was actually a well engineered aspect of the overall future of infantry warfare.They used to just have an open channel to everyone involved in the battles. The idea of a flat system of communication seemed a Utopian ideal. Any boots on the ground could speak directly with the people they needed to to get whatever assistance they would need. Anyone who might be able to help could just chime in if they thought they could be of service. On paper it is miraculous. So long as you were a part of the picture in the slightest your voice was overhead on the channel. Every command, every request, every observation, every opinion, every scream; everyone was talking and not enough were listening. It got to be a real nightmare scenario. Everyone from the General on down would be barking out conflicting orders to the troops on the ground. Debates out rules of engagement would clutter up the messages needing to be sent as terrified Marines lay frozen in forced inaction. Pilots for bombing runs and pilots for casualty evacuation were all speaking and yelling at the same time. Even engineering unit commanders would be giving his two cents on what to be be careful of so as not to blow up their precious fiber optic line more than two miles away. There might be as many as a hundred people squawking at once. And do you know who wasn't listened to at all? Why, it was that Lance Corporal Schmuckatelli on the ground, getting cut to pieces by machine gun fire in the jungle, the very Marine who started the conversation. It was a cluster.So they turned to the NCO's. The Non Commissioned Officers of the infantry squad were elevated to new levels of responsibility. Besides leading the fight, these warriors were now also the information hubs, directed to guide battlefield data and unit instructions from higher to the field troops assigned to them. At any given movement these troops may be relaying information from several different scopes and fields of view. They are now the levies holding back a paralyzing flood of information. The training necessary for their vocation puts them on par with any master level technician or specialty artisan in the world, not the least of which being the field operators. They are all career military and with their training, each holding the civilian equivalent to degrees in various fields from electrical engineering, telecommunications or logistics, they might be living easily overseeing some automated package delivery service, driverless taxi or even building the next gen automated warfare. At home they would have the life, but they chose something different. By being the channel through which all sources of information are funneled, their focused implementation of command and information allow them to direct the application of force on battlefield as if it were the strings of a marionette.Want more future of war? This answer has grown a full length novel mixing the same focus on technology and tactics while providing a character driven narrative I'm sure you will all enjoy. If you would like to check out my book inspired by this answer, The Next Warrior follow the blog The Next Warrior and follow this link to the start of the book.The Next Warrior by Jon DavisAirMeet the SR-72This Stealthy, Hypersonic Drone Could Become The Most Exotic Plane EverCyberspaceUnited States Cyber CommandStuxnetSpaceKinetic bombardmentRods From God - New York TimesU.S. Air Force Transformation Flight Plan, United States Air Force, November 2003 - http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/af/af_trans_flightplan_nov03.pdfSeaLittoral combat shipIndependence-class littoral combat shipMedicineNew Prosthetics Keep Amputee Soldiers on Active Duty - US NewsProsthetics in the VA: Past, Present, and FutureThe future of artificial limbsMichigan Man Among 1st In US To Get ‘Bionic Eye’ - CBS DetroitLandBigDogBigDog - The Most Advanced Rough-Terrain Robot on EarthIntelligenceBat-Inspired Spy Plane - The Future Of Things | Science and Technology of TomorrowLight InfantryHeadquarters Marine Corps - Combat Development and Integration: Marine Expeditionary Rifle SquadSupportA look at the future of mobile military communications on the battlefield -- Defense SystemsUnmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap FY2013-2038 - Page on defense.gov[1] - Kinetic Bombardment is currently still relegated to science fiction rather than actually being planned out for the future of warfare, though it was referrenced as a possible avenue in the U.S. Air Force Transformation Flight Plan , November 2003 linked above. The idea comes with massive logistical and engineering problems that are beyond our current reach. Most importantly is that the delivery of massive tungsten rods into space would be an impossibly costly endeavor and likely be more costly than any possible advantages gained from the practice. Given the recent advancements in the private space industry, however, the idea of space born military instruments like this becomes more a possibility every day.Also, I am still unclear if such a reaction would throw out nuclear fallout. Since there is no nuclear reaction taking place I don't see it happening. Of course I have also read that fallout comes from the churning of already radioactive material below the earth's surface which I really don't get. Either way, I'm not a physicist so if you physicists who have just been yearning to teach me a lesson, please clear that up in the comments. The fate of a fictitious village rests on your shoulders.[2] - The littoral combat ships are not actually the future of warfare. They are happening right now. The US Navy already has a fleet of these ships in deployment. My story involved an slightly exaggerated ship that is an update of the current version. The reason I didn't change the story to focus on some future super sub or next generation aircraft carrier is because of how speculative their future roles will be. What is certain is the role LCS's will play in the next several decades as an important element in ensuring peace along the world's coastal regions. That's why I wanted to focus on them, because no matter what happens, these are going to be a part of the Navy's future.[3] - OK. The eyeball thing is pretty weird. Truth be told, I borrowed the idea from Orson Scott Card's sequel to Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead. All this to say the character who had one was freaky too. As far as Corporal Fannon's eye, I really don't even know if it will be close to possible to fit all those technologies into such a small platform whether in the next twenty years or ever. Every day tech is improving and bionic eyes are a reality even today, but heat vision, night vision and twenty times zoom, let alone the ability to record. Well I probably stretched my creative license on that one. Maybe making a Marine into a modern day Predator was asking too much, but don't even pretend that you don't want Cpl. Cy's cyborg eye.[4] - A lot of people may be curious why I chose to write a story surrounding a glorified pack mule, but in reality, I think this machine has a much more important role than any future weapon that we might be talking about today. More important than a new self guided rounds or a gun that shoots around corners is the logistical mastery of the field. Armies march on their stomach as it is said and the ability to deliver gear and supplies cheaply and safely will be a massive advantage from modern delivery systems. Add to this that the VA paid out about $57 billion on disability benefits last year and the most common injuries from veterans today are related to stress injuries of heavy, burdensome equipment. Given this information, it makes a lot of sense for the military to utilize a robot as a form of loss prevention on the bodies of future vets its going to provide medical care for otherwise. Finally, the ability of an autonomous system to maneuver through random routes, never taking the same one twice, illuminates the most deadly foe of the War on Terror, roadside bombs known as IED's. By avoiding the major arteries that roads are, logistical support can be delivered without the expense of air drop or helicopters. It provides an unimaginable scaling opportunity for the US military on many different fronts, providing the technology works as we all hope it does.[5] - Yeah, the Scouters are from Dragon Ball Z. That's over 9000! Thank you Google Glass for fulfilling my childhood fantasies that didn't include Bulma.[6] - Those of you who are sharp will have noticed another Easter Egg in this story. More than half the technologies mentioned are built of products and companies currently owned by Google.Liked this? You might also like my YouTube Channel. You can also connect with The War Elephant on Facebook. If you want to help me make more content like this, please visit my Patreon Page to find out more.

A2A: Medical Schools have links to Institutional and External Research Opportunities for Medical Students. Several links below:Johns Hopkins University Research Programs and OpportunitiesMedical Student Research DaySummer Internship Program for UndergraduatesSearch for Mentors and Summer Research OpportunitiesInstructions for Mentors and Preceptors- procedure for signing up as a mentor or posting a student research opportunity.Fellowship InformationFunding InformationSummer Research Funding OpportunitiesDean's Office Summer Research FundingA Summer Research Opportunity (SRO) experience is open to all JHU SoM M.D. students in the summer following completion of the first year of medical school. Details are provided by the Office of Student Affairs after the winter holiday break.CHLA/USC Summer Oncology Fellowship ProgramThis program is intended to provide the highest quality experience for first-year medical school students pursuing interests in oncology research. Students actively participate in clinical or laboratory research studies during their fellowship, and some have authored or co-authored peer reviewed publications as well as presented their work at major national and international scientific meetings. Many have gone on to academic medical careers.For more information, please visit:CHLA/USC Summer Oncology Fellowship ProgramCancer in the Under-Privileged, Indigent or Disadvantaged (CUPID) Summer FellowshipCancer in the Under-Privileged, Indigent, or Disadvantaged (CUPID) is a laboratory-based summer fellowship program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that is designed for medical students who have an interest in bringing the benefits of modern cancer research to underserved populations in the US.For more information, please visit:Cancer in the Under-Privileged, Indigent, or Disadvantaged (CUPID) Summer FellowshipInfectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) Medical Scholars ProgramAn important part of IDSA’s mission is to promote the subspecialty of infectious diseases by attracting the best and brightest medical students to the field. To further this goal, the IDSA Education and Research Foundation offers scholarships to medical students in U.S. and Canadian medical schools with mentorship by an IDSA member or fellow. It is the responsibility of IDSA members and fellows to identify and solicit interested students.For more information, please visit:Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) Medical Scholars ProgramKwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH)K-RITH offers a range of internship opportunities:Short-Term InternshipsOur short-term internship programme runs from June-August each year. Students need to identify their own funding as although K-RITH covers laboratory expenses, we do not offer financial support to cover relocation costs or a daily stipend. Please only apply if financial support has been obtained. To apply please submit your CV and a covering letter with a 200 word motivation on why you should be selected for the programme. The deadline for applications is 31 January each year.To apply please submit your CV and a covering letter with a 200 word motivation on why you should be selected for the programme and which laboratory you are interested in working in to [email protected] Internship OpportunitiesHHMI Medical Research Fellows ProgramMedical, dental, and veterinary students are in a unique position to advance biomedical research and translate findings from the lab into the treatment of disease. The HHMI Medical Fellows Program gives these students a chance to focus on a research project full-time and determine how they can incorporate research into their professional careers. For more information see: Year-Long Medical Research Fellows Program at Janelia or K-RITH.Who is Eligible to apply? Students must be in good standing at a medical, dental, or veterinary school located in the United States. U.S. citizenship is not required. Students cannot be enrolled in a combined medical, dental, or veterinary/PhD program (e.g., MD/PhD) or PhD, or ScD program, or have a PhD or ScD in a laboratory-based biological science.For more information, please visit:K-RITH Internship OpportunitiesMedical Student Training in Aging ResearchAdministered by AFAR and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the MSTAR program encourages medical students--particularly budding researchers--to consider a career in academic geriatrics by awarding short-term scholarships. Strengthening the original Hartford/AFAR Medical Student Geriatric Scholars Program, MSTAR celebrates its 21st year in 2015.For more information, please visit:Medical Student Training in Aging ResearchMedical Student Research Program in DiabetesThe Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health through the NIDDK and allows medical students to conduct research under the direction of an established scientist in the areas of diabetes, hormone action, physiology, islet cell biology or obesity at an institution with one of the NIDDK-funded Research Centers during the summer between the first and second year or second and third year of medical school. The Program helps students gain an improved understanding of career opportunities in biomedical research and a comprehensive understanding of diabetes, its clinical manifestations and its unsolved problems. Prior research experience is not required.In addition to working on his/her own research project, each student attends a series of web-cast seminars addressing various clinical and research aspects of diabetes mellitus and its complications. At the conclusion of the summer, each student presents a brief summary of his/her work at a scientific symposium for all Program participants (location varies from year to year).For more information, please visit:Medical Student Research Program in DiabetesMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Medical Student Summer Fellowship ProgramThe Medical Student Summer Fellowship Program is an eight-week research program at Memorial Sloan Kettering offered to medical students who are interested in a career as a physician-scientist in the field of oncology and/or related biomedical sciences.Eligibility & Selection CriteriaFirst- or second-year medical students in good academic standing at LCME- or COCA-accredited US medical schools are eligible to apply for our fellowship program.For more information, please visit:Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Medical Student Summer Fellowship ProgramNational Multiple Sclerosis Society Gateway Area ChapterThe Medical Student Fellowship in MS program offers the opportunity to expose medical students to the field of multiple sclerosis. Proposed rotations may include learning about multi-disciplinary care, clinical trials, research, and advocacy/support at a MS Affiliated Center for Comprehensive Care based in a medical school or private practice setting. Students are expected to identify a mentor from an approved list to discuss interests and opportunities.For more information, please visit: National Multiple Sclerosis Society Gateway Area Chapter or Suzanne Carron, [email protected] or by phone 1-800-344-4867, select option #2Roswell Park Summer Oncology Research ProgramOur summer fellowship program offers rising second-year medical students the chance to conduct mentored, NIH-funded research in a faculty lab at UB or Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Test your interest in research or get a head start on your long-term plans.You will design and carry out independent research in infectious diseases, microbiology and/or immunology under the guidance of our world-renowned faculty. Your mentor will work with you to develop a project abstract before the fellowship begins and help you see your goals to completion.The fellowship application will ask you to list three mentors with whom you wish to work, and we will make every effort to match you with a mentor based on your interests.For more information, please visit: Roswell Park Summer Oncology Research ProgramVanderbilt Student Research Training ProgramThe Vanderbilt Student Research Training Program (SRTP) is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and allows medical students to conduct research under the direction of an established scientist in the areas of diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, or digestive disease at Vanderbilt during the summer between the first and second year or second and third year of medical school.SRTP offers three areas of emphasis: Diabetes and Obesity, Kidney Disease, and Digestive Disease.For more information, please visit: Vanderbilt Student Research Training ProgramOffice of Medical Student ResearchUniversity of North CarolinaResources for StudentsResources for MentorsHome › Resources for Students › Research Opportunities › Short-Term Research OpportunitiesRESOURCES FOR STUDENTSResearch ProgramsResearch OpportunitiesOne-Year Research Training OpportunitiesShort-Term Research OpportunitiesSupplemental Funding Grants and Award OpportunitiesResource LibraryShort-Term Research OpportunitiesThis page is a resource for discovering research training opportunities available outside of the Carolina Medical Student Research Program. Some programs offer students grants to conduct their research at the institution of their choice, including here at UNC. Other programs offer stipends for students to come specifically to their training facilities to conduct research. The listings below give a brief program description in alphabetical order by Agency. When you find a program that interests you, please go to that program's website to learn more about their application deadlines and procedures.The Office of Medical Student Research is always looking for opportunities that suit each student's interests and availability. Please email the Office of Medical Student Researchwith any additional research training opportunities that should be listed on this page.Agency: M. D. Anderson Cancer CenterTitle: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Summer Research ExperienceProgram Description: The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at University of Texas is accepting summer research applications beginning November 30, 2015 through midnight on January 18, 2016. Please visit this website for more information: www.mdanderson.org/summerOur 10-week research program is specifically designed for medical students who are interested in hands-on basic biomedical, translational, or clinical research and have completed their first year of medical school. Students are paired with one of our distinguished research or clinical faculty and are assigned individual projects that reflect the ongoing research efforts of the institution’s clinical and laboratories. In addition to hands-on investigative research, the program also includes interview workshops and lectures fom experts in the field of oncology. Students create valuable connections and indelible tools that can be used to assess their individual career goals relating to research and patient care in oncology. Participants receive a stipend of $5,000 for the complete 10-week period. The stipend is not a salary but is provided to subsidize all research-related expenses, housing, meals and travel.Our program is looking for students that demonstrate a commitment to scientific exploration and share the spirit of academic excellence. Students must be in good academic standing and exhibit an interest and aptitude for scientific investigation.Agency: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer CenterTitle: MSKCC Medical Student Summer Fellowship ProgramProgram Description: The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Medical Student Summer Fellowship Program is accepting applications beginning the week of December 14, 2014. For more information please visit the program website: www.mskcc.org/summerfellowships.This eight-week research program is offered to medical students who have a career interest as a physician-scientist in the field of oncology and/or related biomedical sciences. Supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), MSKCC Office of Diversity Programs in Clinical Care, Research, and Training, and MSKCC Brain Tumor Center , the summer fellowship program offers students who have completed their first or second year of medical school the opportunity to conduct basic laboratory or clinical research mentored by MSKCC faculty. Students in the program will:Gain clinical or laboratory research experience mentored by MSKCC facultyInteract with MSKCC physicians, PhD investigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate studentsAttend a weekly education lecture series presented by world-renowned MSKCC facultyAttend additional institutional lectures, departmental conferences and lab meetingsPresent their summer research to fellowship peers and MSKCC faculty during the final week of the programReceive a $5500 stipendThe 2015 Summer Fellowship Program online application and project list will be available on December 17, 2014, at 12:00 noon EST. All applications and supplemental materials must be received by January 14, 2015, at 12:00 noon EST. All applicants will be notified of a decision via e-mail between February 27 and March 15, 2015.Agency: The Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS)Title: Hispanic-Serving Health Professions SchoolsProgram Description: The Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS) is now recruiting for all of our summer 2009 government-based internships and fellowships. Applications are now being accepted for the following programs: HSHPS/CDC Student Internship and Fellowship Program, HSHPS/NIOSH Student Internship and Fellowship Program, and the HSHPS/NCHS Student Internship Program. The application deadline for the government-based programs is February 20, 2015 (received by). Application deadlines for our Border Health and Disease Specific programs will be announced soon. To access the application, which also includes applicant requirements, visit www.hshps.org. For more information, please contact Arlenin Dushkuat at 202-293-2701 (ext 103) or email [email protected]: Alpha Omega AlphaTitle: Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research FellowshipsProgram Description: Summer Fellowships support one student from each school that has an active Alpha Omega Alpha chapter. The student is supported for clinical investigation, basic laboratory research, epidemiology, or social science/ health services research.Project Location: UNCDuration/ Stipend: summer / $4,000Website: http://www.alphaomegaalpha.orgAgency: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & ImmunologyTitle: Summer Fellowship Medical Student GrantProgram Description: Summer fellowship grants provide stipends to medical students who wish to pursue research projects over the summer. Eligibility is limited to full-time medical students residing in the U.S. or Canada who have successfully completed one year of medical school.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: summer / $2,000Website: http://www.aaaai.orgAgency: American Academy of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryTitle: Jeanne Spurlock Minority Medical Student Clinical Fellowship in Child & Adolescent PsychiatryProgram Description: The clinical training experience must provide for significant contact between the student and the mentor. The plan should include program-planning discussions, instruction in treatment planning and implementation, regular meetings with the mentor and other treatment providers, and assigned readings. Clinical assignments may include responsibility for part of the observation or evaluation, conducting interviews or tests, use of rating scales, and psychological or cognitive testing of patients. The training plan also should include discussion of ethical issues in treatment.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 12 weeks/ $3,000Website: http://www.aacap.org/cs/awardsAgency: American College of NeuropsychopharmacologyTitle: Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc. Minority Summer Fellow ProgramProgram Description: This grant is made to promote and enhance the interest of minority graduate students and residents in careers in psychoparmacology and the neurosciences.Project Location: This project will be completed in the laboratory of the Immediate Past President of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, or another research lab as designated by the Immediate Past President.Duration/Stipend: 6-8 weeks in the summer/ up to $15,000 for lab supplies, room and board, and travelWebsite: http://www.acnp.orAgency: American College of RheumatologyTitle: Abbott Medical Student Clinical PreceptorshipProgram Description: This program is designed to introduce students who are between first and second year of medical school to the specialty of Rheumatology by supporting a full-time clinical experience.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 4 or 8 weeks/ $1,500 per 4 week block plus $1,000 in travel funds to attend the ACR Annual Scientific MeetingWebsite: http://www.rheumatology.orgAgency: The American Federation for Aging ResearchThe MSTAR Program provides medical students, early in their training, with an enriching experience in aging-related research and geriatrics, under the mentorship of top experts in the field. Students participate in an eight- to twelve-week structured research, clinical, and didactic program in geriatrics, appropriate to their level of training and interests. Students may train at a National Training Center supported by the National Institute on Aging or, for a limited number of medical schools, at their own institution.For more information and to view the application, please visit the AFAR website at http://www.afar.org/medstu.html.American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)55 West 39th Street, 16th FloorNew York, NY 10018tel: (212) 703-9977fax: (212) 997-0330e-mail: [email protected]: American Foundation for Urologic DiseaseTitle: Summer Medical Student FellowshipProgram Description: This is an introductory research fellowship to attract medical students to work in urologic research laboratories during the summer. An accredited medical research institution/department must sponsor the candidate by guaranteeing adequate support, including responsibility for the adequacy of the environment for research and development.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: summerWebsite: http://www.healthline.com/channel/urinary-incontinence.htmlAgency: American Gastroenterological Association / Foundation for Digestive Health & NutritionTitle: AGA Student Research Fellowship AwardProgram Description: This program offers support for students to spend time performing research in the areas of digestive diseases or nutrition. Up to 20 students are funded each year and 7 of these slots are saved for underrepresented minorities.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: minimum of 10 weeks/ $2,000 - $3,000Website: http://www.fdhn.orgAgency: American Heart AssociationTitle: Student Scholarships in Cerebrovascular DiseaseProgram Description: This program is offered to stimulate interest, knowledge and investigative work related to cardiovascular disease, stroke and basic sciences early during pre-doctoral training.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: minimum 2 months/ $2,000 plus $750 in travel fees to attend the International Stroke ConferenceWebsite: http://www.americanheart.orgAgency: American Parkinson Disease AssociationTitle: Medical Student Summer FellowshipProgram Description: Summer Fellowships of $4000 will be awarded to medical students to perform active supervised laboratory clinical research on Parkinsons Disease, its nature, manifestation, etiology and treatment.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: summer/ $4,000Website: http://www.apdaparkinson.orgAgency: American Pediatric Society, Society for Pediatric ResearchTitle: Student Research ProgramProgram Description: This program is offered to encourage gifted medical students to consider careers in research related to pediatrics. This program is specifically designed for students seeking a research opportunity at an institution other than at their own medical school.Project Location: Any institution other than your own medical school that is listed in their directory of participating programs. They have nearly 300 laboratories and research experiences available for students to choose from.Duration/Stipend: 8-10 weeks/ up to $4,270Website: http://www.aps-spr.orgAgency: Betty Ford CenterTitle: Summer Institute for Medical StudentsProgram Description: This unique program is open to all medical students. Student recipients may be selected to participate in either the inpatient or family treatment program for 5 days at the Betty Ford Center.Project Location: Rancho Mirage, CaliforniaDuration/Stipend: 5 days (year-round) / no stipendWebsite: http://www.bettyfordcenter.org and choose "training"Agency: Carolinas Heathcare System - Charlotte, NCTitle: Summer Research Scholar ProgramProgram Description: Medical students who are awarded this internship will work closely with mentors and their team performing original research in a clinical or laboratory setting.Project Location: Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NCDuration/Stipend: 10 weeks, full time/$5000Center Website: http://www.carolinashealthcare.org/summer-research-scholarsContact: Celest C. Colcord 704-446-5556Agency: Center for Disease ControlTitle: O.C. Hubert Student Fellowship in International HealthProgram Description: This program provides an opportunity for third and fourth year medical students to gain public health experience in an international setting. Fellows spend four to six weeks in a developing country working on a priority health problem in conjunction with CDC staff.Project Location: Students can choose from ongoing projects in Kenya, Republic of Congo, Thailand and PeruDuration/Stipend: 4-6 weeks / $3,000Website: http://www.cdcfoundation.orgAgency: Children's Hospital LATitle: USC Summer Oncology Fellowship ProgramProgram Description: Work at the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. Participating students will be expected to attend a lecture series on aspects of pediatric oncology at CHLA designed specifically for them.Project Location: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDuration/Stipend: 6-10 weeks/ $225 per weekWebsite: http://www.chla-sof.nant.org/Agency: Cystic Fibrosis FoundationTitle: Student TraineeshipProgram Description: Student traineeships are offered to introduce students to research related to Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Applicants must be students in or about to enter a doctoral program. Each applicant must work with a faculty sponsor on a research project related to CF.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 10 weeks/ $1,500Website: http://www.cff.orgAgency: Endocrine SocietyTitle: Summer Research FellowshipsProgram Description: Medical students are given a stipend to participate in research projects under the guidance of an Endocrine Society mentor.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 10-12 weeks/ $4,000Website: http://www.endo-society.orgAgency: Epilepsy FoundationTitle: Health Sciences Student FellowshipProgram Description: Three-month projects are funded in order to encourage career interests in epilepsy research.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 3 months/ $3,000Website: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.orgAgency: Grass FoundationTitle: Grass Fellowships in NeuroscienceProgram Description: This program provides a first opportunity for neuroscientists during late stages of predoctoral training or during postdoctoral years to conduct independent research for scientific discovery on their own at the Marine Biological Laboratory each summer.Project Location: Woods Hole, MassachusettsDuration/Stipend: 14 weeksWebsite: http://www.grassfoundation.orgAgency: Himalayan Health ExchangeTitle: Student ProgramProgram Description: This program's mission is to provide medical and dental care to the underserved people living in remote regions of the Indian and Nepal Himalayas and to uplift two orphanages located in the North Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.Project Location: Indian and Nepal HimalayasDuration/Stipend: 2-3 weeks/ contact program directly for more informationProgram Contact: [email protected]: http://www.himalayanhealth.comAgency: Institute for Research, Education and Training in AddictionsTitle: Scaife Foundation Advanced Medical Student ClerkshipProgram Description: This program offers students hands-on training in Addiction Services.Project Location: Pittsburgh, PA at the Institute for Research Education and Training in AddictionsDuration/Stipend: 3 weeks, summer/ $650 plus meals and boardingWebsite: http://www.ireta.orgAgency: International Alliance in Service and Education ProgramsTitle: International Experiential Learning ProgramProgram Description: This program's focus is on health and education in the area of primary care, public health community-based research projects, mental and chronic disease management, nutrition, tropical and infectious diseases, and topics and services that are relevant and identified by the local community.Project Location: South Africa & MexicoDuration/Stipend: 4-8 weeks/ contact program directly for more information.Website: http://www.iaseco.orgAgency: Lupus Foundation of AmericaTitle: Gina Finzi Memorial Student Summer FellowshipProgram Description: To foster an interest in systemic lupus erythematosus in the areas of basic, clinical or psychosocial research under the supervision of an established investigator.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: summer/ $2,000Website: http://www.lupus.orgAgency: National Institute of HealthTitle: Summer Research Fellowship ProgramProgram Description: This program is designed to provide training in research procedures and principles of independent investigation.Program Location: Bethesda, MDDuration/Stipend: 8-12 weeks/ $2,200Website: http://www.training.nih.gov/student/srfp/index.aspAgency: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeTitle: Summer Program in the Neurological SciencesProgram Description: Unique opportunity to get hands-on experience working with leading scientists in the Institute's Division of Intramural Research.Program Location: Bethesda, MDDuration/Stipend: 10-12 weeks/ $2,000 per monthWebsite: http://www.ninds.nih.govAgency: National Institute of Mental HealthTitle: Summer Training on Aging Research Topics - Mental HealthProgram Description: This program gives selected students an opportunity to gain research experience and work closely with established mentors/investigators in the field of aging and mental health research.Program Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 10 weeks/ $6,250Website: http://startmh.ucsd.eduAgency: New England Institute of Jewish StudiesTitle: Jewish Medical Ethics & Israel Experience ProgramProgram Description: This program is offered to Jewish medical students and consists of a 4 week course on Jewish medical ethics combined with seminars on Jewish thought and tours of Israel.Project Location: Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, IsraelDuration/Stipend: 4 weeks/ $2,400Website: http://www.neijs.orgAgency: New York Academy of MedicineTitle: David E. Rogers Fellowship ProgramProgram Description: National fellowship for medical and dental students in support of a project initiated during the summer between first and second years of school. Projects should serve the needs of underserved or disadvantaged patients or populations.Project Location: Special consideration is given to projects conducted in New York CityDuration/Stipend: 8 weeks/ $3,462Website: http://www.nyam.orgAgency: Oak Ridge Insitute for Science & EducationTitle: Student Research Participation at the National Center for Toxicology ResearchProgram Description: This program is for opportunities to participate in research on biological effects of potentially toxic chemicals and solutions to toxicology problems that have a major impact on human health and the environment.Project Location: Jefferson, ArkansasDuration/Stipend: 2-12 months/ $500 per week plus $75 per week housing allowanceWebsite: http://www.orau.orgAgency: Oregon Health & Science UniversityTitle: Summer Research at the Oregon Hearing CenterProgram Description: The Department of Otolaryngology/ Head & Neck Surgery, and the Oregon Hearing Center, is offering summer research fellowships to medical students. Students will work with a faculty member on a ENT-related project already in progress.Project Location: Portland, OregonDuration/Stipend: 2-3 months/ $1,371 per monthWebsite: http://www.ohsu.eduAgency: Parkinson's Disease FoundationTitle: Fellowship Training ProgramProgram Description: This fellowship supports medical students to study Parkinson's Disease and related disorders under the supervision of an established investigator.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 10 weeksWebsite: http://www.pdf.orgAgency: Roswell Park Cancer InstituteTitle: Summer Oncology Research ProgramProgram Description: This program is designed for medical and dental students to engage in clinical and/or basic science research in oncology.Project Location: Buffalo, New YorkDuration/Stipend: 8 weeks/ $2,240Website: http://www.roswellpark.orgAgency: Sjogren's Syndrome FoundationTitle: Summer Student Fellowship ProgramProgram Description: This award is intended for dental and medical students interested in conducting Sjogren's related research under the guidance of a mentor.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: summer/$2,000Website: http://www.sjogrens.comAgency: Society for Academic Emergency MedicineTitle: Medical Student Research GrantProgram Description: This grant is co-sponsored by the Emergency Medical Foundation. The purpose is to encourage research in emergency medicine. The funded medical student must have a qualified research mentor and a specific research project proposal.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 3 months/ $2,400Website: http://www.saem.orgAgency: Society for Gynecologic InvestigationTitle: Medical Student Stipends for Research in GynecologyProgram Description: The Society for Gynecologic Investigation is committed to expanding interest in research in reproductive biology. To this end, five (5) awards of $2,000 each will be made for research related to reproductive biology to be carried out by medical students.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: summer/ $2,000Website: http://www.sgionline.orgAgency: Special OlympicsTitle: Health Professions Student Grant ProgramProgram Description: The purpose is to promote short-term projects with a focus on the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes programs and Special Olympics athletes, as well as the health and well-being of all persons with intellectual disabilities. Projects may include: data collection and analysis on issues impacting persons with intellectual disabilities; measurement of attitudes, opinions and behaviors of health professionals, coaches, family/caregivers and athletes; follow-up assessments of existing programs; or health promotion projects. Projects that involve collaborations with Special Olympics Programs or other CDC grant recipients (e.g., state and local health departments) are encouraged.Project Location: UNC or outside accredited institutionDuration/Stipend: 8 weeks - 12 months/ $3,500Website: http://www.specialolympics.orgAgency: St. Jude Children's Research HospitalTitle: Pediatric Oncology Education ProgramProgram Description: The Pediatric Oncology Education Program offers a unique opportunity for students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, and veterinary medicine to gain biomedical and oncology research experience. The program provides short-term training experiences in either laboratory research or clinical research. Trainees will attend a core lecture series as well as weekly conferences.Project Location: Memphis, TennesseeDuration/Stipend: 9-12 weeks/ $8.00/hrWebsite: http://www.stjude.orgAgency: Strong Children's Research CenterTitle: Summer Training ProgramProgram Description: The Strong Children's Research Center supports basic and clinical research directed to the cause, prevention, and treatment of the diseases of infants, children, and adolescents, as well as studies of developmental biology, child and adolescent development, the delivery of health services, and interventions designed to improve the outcomes of clinical pediatric practice. Student trainees will participate in research and clinical seminars, and will associate with each other as well as trainees enrolled in similar programs in the Medical Center.Project Location: Rochester, New YorkDuration/Stipend: 10 weeks/ $3,000Website: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/scrc/sumprogs.htmAgency: University of ArizonaTitle: Summer Course on International HealthProgram Description: University of Arizona School of Medicine offers a multidisciplinary, case-based, problem-solving course that prepares medical students and primary care residents for health care experiences in developing countries.Project Location: Tuscon, ArizonaDuration/Stipend: 2 weeks in JulyWebsite: http://www.globalhealth.arizona.eduAgency: University of Nebraska Medical CenterTitle: Belize Wilderness & Tropical Medicine RotationProgram Description: These unique rotation experiences combines didactic teaching and guided independent study with actual field training in wilderness and tropical medicine; wilderness, cave, and river rescue; and related disciplines.Project Location: Belize, Central AmericaDuration/Stipend: contact program director for more informationProgram Contact: Dr. Keith Brown, [email protected]: http://www.unmc.edu/isp/studyabroad/belizeintroandoverview.htmAgency: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterTitle: Summer Research Program for Medical StudentsProgram Description: The purpose of this program is to provide participants with first hand biomedical research experience in the basic and clinical sciences. This program is a 9-week course running from the end of May through the beginning of July.Project Location: Houston, TexasDuration/Stipend: 9 weeks/ $2,500Website: http://www.mdanderson.orgAgency: University of Utah: School of Alcoholism & Other Drug DependenciesTitle: Medical Student Scholarship for TrainingProgram Description: Scholarship assistance is available to attend the 54th Annual Session of theUniversity of Utah School on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies, Physicians Section.Project Location: Salt Lake City, UtahDuration/Stipend: Full tuition, up to six nights dormitory housing, and up to $350 travel allowance.Website: http://www.uuhsc.med.utah/uas/Agency: Vanderbilt Diabetes CenterTitle: Medical Student Summer Research Training Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and MetabolismProgram Description: This program is funded by the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive & Kidney Diseases. It allows for medical students to conduct independent research under the direction of an established scientist during the summer.Project Location: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TennesseeDuration/Stipend: 12 weeks/ $4,700Website: http://www.mc.vanderbilt.eduContact UsOffice of Medical Student Research130 Mason Farm Rd CB# 7080 Chapel Hill NC 27599 Phone 919-966-3997 Fax 919-843-2508 [email protected]