With COVID-19 looming over the holiday season, many families have been forced to alter plans and, in some cases, stop their yearly traditions. One of the most popular traditions taking an operational pause this year is children getting the chance to visit with Santa and tell him all their hopes and dreams when it comes to what will be under the Christmas tree. It’s hard to maintain social distance while sitting on Santa’s knee...
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Planners from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South participated in a Brazilian Navy maritime engagement aboard the Brazilian Naval frigate Uniâo (F 45) off the northeast coast of Brazil, October 27 to November 5. The two U.S. officers are subject matter experts in amphibious operations, speak Portuguese and have significant experience in the region. They embarked and integrated with the Brazilian Navy and Marine Corps for ten days at sea in order to observe their planning process, exchange best practices and increase interoperability between the two nations...
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The United States Naval Hospital Okinawa has administered over 4,800 influenza vaccines to Marines, sailors and families within the last several weeks. In order to protect patients and staff from the COVID-19 virus, the USNHO is administering the influenza vaccine at a tent set up near the rear entrance of the hospital, which ensures appropriate social distancing and adequate airflow among individuals. Cmdr. Lucas A. Johnson, a preventive medicine physician at the USNHO and a native of San Diego, California, explains how the USNHO is prepared to distribute thousands of vaccines at once...
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Trust in autonomous systems to do what they are designed to do, and meant to do, is paramount before these systems can be confidently employed as an operational capability. In an era of Great Power Competition, where those who can field autonomous capabilities the fastest will have a distinct advantage, researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School are exploring many of the fundamentals of autonomous systems, especially in the trust and confidence arena. On the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, NPS researchers conducted a novel experiment with an autonomous robot in a simulated environment – with real Marines – seeking to understand just how confident the Marines were in the robot to complete its tasks in a combat environment...
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