The military changes Confederate names at bases
Jennifer Griffin, Fox News’ chief national security correspondent, reports in America Reports on the Pentagon Naming Commission’s proposal to rename Army bases and remove Confederate statues and artwork.
Congress has reportedly rejected the US Army’s $400 million request to purchase additional Microsoft mixed reality headsets, instead redirecting funding to develop new models that solve problems with current devices.
The military is getting about a tenth of that sum to improve the system after concerns were raised about field testing of the glasses, which are based on Microsoft’s HoloLens technology, Bloomberg reported.
Tests on the devices revealed “mission-affecting physical impairments,” including headaches, eye strain and nausea, the outlet reported, citing a summary of an exercise by the Pentagon’s testing bureau.
According to Bloomberg, the $400 million request was included in the government’s $1.75 trillion funding bill.
ENABLE THIS GMAIL SECURITY FEATURE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Soldiers wear a prototype of the U.S. Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System and guide an immersive virtual squad trainer during a testing event at the training environment at their Third Soldier Touchpoint at Fort Pickett, Va., October 21, 2020. (Courtney Bacon/US Army via Portal )
In a Jan. 5 release, the Army said it had given Microsoft a contract to develop the 1.2 variant of Headsets, or Integrated Visual Augmentation Systems.
Task ordering, it said, would offer improvements based on completed test events.
“IVAS will provide soldiers with a single device to fight, practice and train by integrating next-generation situational awareness tools,” the Army said. “To date, the Army has conducted over 30 soldier testing events and more than 100 technical subtests, with more than 1,000 soldiers contributing nearly 100,000 hours of IVAS user feedback. These tests have validated the continued progress of the system while identifying areas for targeted improvement.”
The updated version will feature a new form factor to address human systems integration, including physiological implications identified during testing, as well as software improvements for increased reliability and reduced power requirements.
Soldiers carry a prototype of the U.S. Army Integrated Visual Augmentation System during a Soldier Touchpoint 3 reconnaissance mission test training event at Fort Pickett, Virginia October 21, 2020. (Courtney Bacon/US Army via Portal)
Delivery orders for IVAS 1.2 production systems are issued after qualification and an audit.
UFO SIGHTINGS HAVE RISED AGAIN IN LAST TWO YEARS, US INTEL REPORT SAYS
According to Bloomberg, the Army has awarded Microsoft around $125 million to develop the 1.2 variant, in addition to the tens of millions approved by Congress.
Microsoft Corporation booth signage will be on display at CES 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 6, 2023 in Las Vegas. (David Becker/Getty Images)
Microsoft said in a post that the headsets are part of a broader effort to modernize US military operations.
In 2018, Microsoft received a $480 million contract from the Army to develop a mixed-reality headset “designed to help soldiers train, rehearse and fight,” with IVAS being developed under an agreement dubbed ” Other Transaction Authority” is known.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The agreement enabled the development of IVAS in less than three years, much faster than a traditional project of this type,” it said.
Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital.