Air Force turns to MindGym to support mental fitness: Weapons and Warfare

Mar 06, 2024 at 03:00 AM CST

In this episode of Weapons and Warfare, learn more about how the Air Force is helping improve soldiers' mental fitness. — Image credit: Lumena

This week on Weapons and Warfare, explore the MindGym and see why the U.S. Air Force is turning to the team behind it to make sure its airmen are maintaining their mental fitness. Host Ryan Robertson sits down with some of the leadership at Lumena — the creator of the MindGym — to see how one artist’s idea caught the interest of the Air Force.

Also featured in this episode:

The Army announced that 32,000 jobs need to be eliminated to make room for 7,500 new positions.
The Marines started testing a “narco sub” to stealthily get supplies to troops in hard-to-reach places.
Ski troopers hit the slopes to pay homage to the original World War II-era ski troopers.
Plus, the FGM-148 Javelin is this episode’s weapon of the week.

You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.

Ryan Robertson is the anchor of the Straight Arrow News video podcast Weapons and Warfare. He wore many hats in his career — from photographer to news director — and firmly believes honest journalism will save our Republic.

Tags: Air Force, Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, War, Weapons, World War II

Make SAN preferred on Google Show Transcript

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WELCOME TO ‘WEAPONS AND WARFARE’…WHERE IF YOU ASK US, WE THINK THERE’S A LOT TO OFFER THIS WEEK.

IN OUR DEBRIEF WE STEP INSIDE A DEVICE CALLED THE MINDGYM TO SEE HOW ONE ARTIST’S IDEA TURNED INTO SOMETHING THE AIR FORCE WANTS TO HELP AIRMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD HONE THEIR MENTAL FITNESS.

OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK TAKES ITS NAME FROM ANCIENT GREECE, HOWEVER IT’S ANYTHING BUT HISTORY FOR TROOPS TAKING ON AN ARMORED FOE.

AND IN OUR COMMS CHECK WE SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON DRONES IN THE RED SEA AND THE WAR IN UKRAINE.

BUT FIRST SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.

BIG NEWS FROM THE ARMY AS THE BRANCH ANNOUNCES A PLAN TO TRIM SOME 32 THOUSAND JOBS FROM ITS RANKS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, INCLUDING THREE THOUSAND POSITIONS FROM THEIR SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNITS. THE CUTS COME AS THE ARMY LOOKS TO NAVIGATE RECRUITING STRUGGLES AND A CONGRESS THAT’S BEEN UNABLE TO PASS A BUDGET OR FIND A WAY TO FUND AID TO UKRAINE AND ISRAEL.

THE CUTS ARE ALSO A WAY TO MAKE ROOM FOR 7,500 NEW POSITIONS IN AREAS OF NEED LIKE THE MOBILE SHORT RANGE AIR DEFENSE PROGRAM, AND MULTI-DOMAIN TASK FORCE TEAMS. AS FOR THE JOBS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK, THEY FALL IN LINE WITH THE DOD’S SHIFT TO FOCUSING ON BIGGER THEATERS OF WAR, AND REDUCING THE NEED FOR PEOPLE IN COUNTERTERRORISM AND COUNTERINSURGENCY UNITS. REGARDING THE SPECIAL OPS CUTS, THOSE WILL COME FROM AREAS LIKE PRINT MEDIA AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS.

THE TERM “NARCO SUB” PROBABLY ISN’T ONE YOU WOULD ASSOCIATE WITH THE MODERN AMERICAN MILITARY, BUT AT LEAST ONE LEADER IN THE MARINE CORPS ISN’T SHYING AWAY FROM THE TERM. THE MARINES ARE PLANNING ON TESTING AN AUTONOMOUS LOW-PROFILE VESSEL DURING THIS MONTH’S PROJECT CONVERGENCE CAPSTONE.

{Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, Marine Corps Combat Development Command}

“it’s basically a narco sub. We copied the drug runners down south. And this thing is form, fit, function to carry two Navy strike missiles and resupply.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

DESPITE THE CATCHY NICKNAME, THE PROTOTYPE IS A LOGISTICS VESSEL. A POTENTIALLY STEALTHY WAY TO GET SUPPLIES TO TROOPS THAT MAY BE OPERATING IN HARD TO REACH PLACES. IT’S A LITTLE BIT OF THE ‘IF YOU CAN’T BEAT’EM, JOIN’EM PHILOSOPHY, AS “NARCO BOATS” ARE HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT FOR U.S. ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO TRACK AND STOP.

AND FINALLY, A SCENE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN STRAIGHT OUT OF HOLLYWOOD BUT INSTEAD WAS INSPIRED BY THE HISTORY BOOKS.

VAIL, COLORADO, NORMALLY HOME TO SKI-BUMS AND SNOWBOARDERS, RECENTLY HOSTED THE “LEGACY DAYS SKI TROOPER CUP”. SOLDIERS FROM THE ARMY’S 10th MOUNTAIN DIVISION, HIT THE SLOPES IN SOME FRIENDLY COMPETITION THAT PAYS HOMAGE TO THE ORIGINAL SKI TROOPERS OF THE WORLD WAR TWO ERA.

{SGT Benjamin Andringa, 10th Mountain Division}

”The competition consisted of 150 pull-ups, total. as a team. And from there we skinned up the mountain, right behind me, which was thrilling in and of itself, then we skinned across the ridge. Came to a rockface, rappelled back down, put our skies on, we then slalomed skied down some obstacles”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THIS YEAR’S EVENT MARKED THE 79TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF RIVA RIDGE. IN 1945 MEMBERS OF THE 10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION CONDUCTED A SURPRISE ATTACK ON THE GERMANS AND WERE ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH THE NAZI’S FRONT LINE IN ITALY, WHICH BECAME A TURNING POINT DURING THE WAR.

——————————-

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WHEN YOU HEAR THE NAME MIND GYM WHAT DO YOU THINK OF? FOR SOME, LIKE MY PRODUCER, IT WAS THE 1980s ERA CULT FLICK GYMKATA. FOR ME…IT WAS A CARTOON BRAIN PUMPING IRON.

BUT FOR THE FOLKS AT A GROWING START-UP IN DENVER, COLORADO, AND THE U.S. AIR FORCE, IT’S ALL ABOUT BRINGING MENTAL FITNESS ON PAR WITH PHYSICAL FITNESS.

NESTLED IN AMONGST THE MASSIVE DISPLAYS FROM GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS AT THIS YEAR’S AFA WAR SYMPOSIUM WAS A RATHER NON-DESCRIPT SEVEN-FOOT BY SEVEN-FOOT BOX. AT LEAST NON-DESCRIPT ON THE OUTSIDE. BECAUSE IT’S ON THE INSIDE WHERE THIS BOX STARTS TO STANDOUT.

[AFA EXPO]

“It’s gonna be dark, there’s going to be some lights, some sounds…towards the end you might find a sensation of floating… it’s just five minutes, and I’ll see you on the other side.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THIS IS THE MIND GYM FROM LUMENA. IT’S A SENSORY EXPERIENCE THAT, ACCORDING TO ITS CREATORS, CAN HELP IT’S USERS WORK ON THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.

[Stetson Jenkins & VP of Product}

“It allows you a breath into yourself, and the ability to think way deeper than all this stuff in our standard reality consciousness, and start to very quickly interact with our subconscious, the things that come to a person’s mind, visually, because the brain when not stimulated, is trying to stimulate trying to make up things trying to fill in the blanks. And so in a lot of darkness, calm, you can see the person that you really need to actually have a conversation with, you can see yourself, you can see your kid, you can see perspective shift, where it’s like, man, everything in my life is so focused on x. Like is that really the true meaning is that what I should be putting my heart and mind into. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ADMITTEDLY THAT’S A LOT FOR SOMEONE TO WRAP THEIR MIND AROUND. WHICH IS WHY THE FOLKS AT LUMENA SAY TRYING IS BELIEVING.

[Brandon Murphy & Head of Growth, Lumena]

“We have a phrase called like opening the door for somebody which you have to do with you see your reaction when you got to experience it. And I’ve seen everything from you know, some sleepy faces, to some really joyful faces, to some people with tears in their eyes. Everywhere from you know, this helped me manage my stress too This helped me feel more connected to my God. It’s like a whole range of reactions.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

BUT THAT’S WHERE MIND GYM IS NOW. TO GET HERE, THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECT WERE LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT PARTNER. AND THAT’S WHERE THE AIR FORCE COMES IN. LUMENA WAS ABLE TO TAKE PART IN AN INCUBATOR PROGRAM CALLED SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH, OR SIB-ER FOR SHORT. SIB-ER ESSENTIALLY GAVE THEM THE FUNDING TO DEVELOP THEIR PRODUCT INTO SOMETHING THAT HAD TANGIBLE BENEFITS FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN SERVING IN TODAY’S AIR FORCE.

[Stetson Jenkins & VP of Product]

“We started working on how to create a user interface that was intuitive, a self serve kiosk system. And ultimately, could collect, analyze, and give results on at that first the bio data. So heart rate, heart rate variability and respiration rate, with a target of how do we take these really stressed out folks, and just reduce their heart rate. And so that was the initial what we launched into”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE EARLY RESULTS WERE POSITIVE ENOUGH THAT LUMENA HAD A NEW PROBLEM, THEY NEEDED TO GROW AT A RATE THAT WORKED FOR THEM AND THE AIR FORCE. ENTER PAM GLICK WHO NOT ONLY SAW THE POTENTIAL, BUT THE PATH TO GET TO WHERE THEY WANTED TO BE.

[Pam Glick, CEO, Lumena]

“We didn’t really have a product that could be mass distributed yet, we really needed to scale it, to be able to deliver it with a quality that we wanted to have. So when I first came in, I kind of pivoted the company to let’s raise money, invest in the tech both the physical composition of the box as well as the software used to support it. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ONCE THEY GOT THE MIND GYM WHERE IT NEEDED TO BE, THINGS REALLY TOOK OFF.

[Pam Glick, CEO, Lumena]

“We were fortunate to get it into seven of the main, the nine major combatant commands of the Air Force, which we felt really great about. And now that we’ve got it scaled, we’re looking to expand it within each of those bases..”

“There are now Mind Gyms set-up at almost a dozen installations, from Hawaii to Turkey. And there are plans to add more very soon.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE MAN TAKING THE PROGRAM TO EACH NEW BASE ESTIMATES HE’S SPENT 400 TO 500 HOURS IN THE MIND GYM ON HIS OWN. FOR HIM IT’S MORE THAN A JOB.

[Brandon Murphy & Head of Growth, Lumena]

“I just want to put as many people and faces inside of this thing to see what they can do. And I imagine eventually, we’ll be in professional sports. You know, my, my boss, Pam had mentioned, we’re going into commercial aviation next. I think it’ll be in clinics, you know, airports, gyms..”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WHILE WE WERE AT THE AFA’S WARFARE SYMPOSIUM IN COLORADO THIS YEAR, I HAD THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE MIND GYM BRIEFLY….AND IT REALLY WAS AN AMAZING VISUAL AND AUDITORY EXPERIENCE THAT WILL PROBABLY HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE IF LUMENA CONTINUES TO EXPAND.

—————————–

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TIME NOW FOR, ARGUABLY, OUR MOST POPULAR SEGMENT…

THE WEAPON OF THE WEEK…AND WE KNOW IT’S NOT A NEW WEAPON, FOLKS, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER.

OKAY, SO FOR FANS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND TRACK AND FIELD–THE JAVELIN THROW MAY BE ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE PAST TIMES.

SUPER PRODUCER FOR WEAPONS AND WARFARE, BRETT BAKER, FOUND OUT IT WASN’T ACTUALLY AN OLYMPIC GAME IN GREECE UNTIL 708 B.C. THOUGH…

FAST FORWARD A FEW THOUSAND YEARS, AND JAVELINS ARE VERY DIFFERENT. IN 1996 THE NAME WAS GIVEN TO A NEW PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY. THAT WOULD BE THE F-G-M-148 JAVELIN OR THE ADVANCED ANTI-TANK WEAPON SYSTEM.

IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS, IT’S A TANK KILLER. BUT IT’S BEEN KNOWN TO TAKE AIM AT A BOAT OR TWO.

THE JAVELINS STARTED FIEL TESTING ALMOST THREE DECADES AGO. IT WAS DESIGNED BY TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, THAT’S RIGHT, THE CALCULATOR FOLKS, AND MARTIN AND MARIETTA. NOW KNOWN AS RAYTHEON SLASH RTX AND LOCKHEED MARTIN.

THE JAVELIN MADE IT’S COMBAT DEBUT IN 2003 IN THE SECOND GULF WAR. IT GAINED A RENEWED LEVEL OF NOTORIETY RECENTLY, IN THE UKRAINE WAR. THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S REALLY GOOD AT KILLING TANKS. SPECIFICALLY BY EMPLOYING A “TOP ATTACK”, HITTING THE TANKS FROM ABOVE, WHERE THE TANK IS MOST VULNERABLE.

SO WHAT MAKES THEM SO DEVASTATING?

CALLED A “FIRE AND FORGET” MISSILE, THE OPERATOR IS ABLE TO SIMPLY SIGHT THE TARGET, LOCK ON, AND SEND IT. AN AUTOMATIC SELF GUIDANCE SYSTEM DEALS DEATH FROM ABOVE

[Spc. Matthew Cantero]

“Javelins are actually really effective especially in the battlefield, especially in our profession. Whether it be a light unit, or mechanized, we’re gonna come up against enemies that have heavy equipment, and that javelin is gonna turn the fight”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

EQUIPPED WITH AN INFRA-RED SEEKER AND ARMED WITH TWO SHAPED CHARGES, THE FIRST CHARGE DETONATES ANY REACTIVE ARMOR, WHILE THE SECOND PIERCES THE BASE LAYER OF ARMOR.

THAT LETHALITY MADE THEM ESPECIALLY USEFUL TO UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES FACING A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS PARADE OF RUSSIAN TANKS AND ARMORED VEHICLES IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE WAR.

AND JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW EFFECTIVE JAVELINS ARE…AN ARTICLE FROM MARCH OF 2022 FROM WORLD NEWS REPORTED OF THE FIRST 300 JAVELINS FIRED BY UKRAINIAN TROOPS, 280 TANKS WERE KNOCKED OUT OF COMMISSION.

JAVELINS HAVE MULTIPLE FIRING MODES TOO…AND CAN BE USED AGAINST A WIDE ARRAY OF TARGETS, NOT JUST TANKS. BUILDINGS AND OTHER FIXED STRUCTURES ARE WELL WITHIN ITS WHEELHOUSE.

ABOUT TWO DOZEN COUNTRIES CURRENTLY USE JAVELINS…ANOTHER SEVEN HOPE TO ADD THEM TO THEIR INVENTORY SOON.

————————-

{RYAN AT TOUCHSCREEN} TIME TO TOUCH BASE WITH YOU THE VIEWERS IN OUR WEEKLY COMMS CHECK, UP FIRST WE HEAD TO TIKTOK WHERE OUR REPORT ON HOW THE WORLD CHANGED WHEN RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE TWO YEARS AGO. AND THE IDEA THAT THE NEXT YEAR OF FIGHTING COULD BE A PREVIEW OF WHAT’S TO COME.

A POSTER USING THE NAME TRACI AVE WRITES “Zelinsky should be jailed for letting the US and UK use his people for a proxy war. But i guess he dont care as long as the cash dont stop coming thru the back door.”

{RYAN’S RESPONSE}

???????

AND NOW FOR AN UPDATE ABOUT A STORY FROM OUR FEBRUARY 21ST EPISODE. SPECIFICALLY THE STORY ABOUT U.S. MARINE CORPS HARRIER PILOT, CAPTAIN EARL EHRHART BEING CALLED AMERICA’S FIRST FIGHTER ACE SINCE THE VIETNAM WAR. THAT WAS AFTER A BBC ARTICLE, FROM A CORRESPONDENT EMBARKED ON THE USS BATAAN THAT WROTE EHRHART HAD SEVEN SHOOT DOWNS OF HOUTHI-FIRED DRONES TARGETING SHIPS IN THE RED SEA.

NOW THE NAVY IS SAYING NOT SO FAST.

RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS FROM ERIC TEGLER, A CONTRIBUTOR TO FORBES DOT COM, SOMEONE WITH THE SIXTH FLEET SPEAKING ON BACKGROUND SAYS THE SHOOTDOWNS DIDN’T HAPPEN. TEGLER ALSO LEARNED THE NAVY ASKED THE B-B-C TO CORRECT THE ARTICLE. TO DATE THE ONLY CHANGES HAVE BEEN GRAMMATICAL, CHANGING SHOOTDOWN TO INTERCEPTED. SO AS OF NOW, AMERICA REMAINS WITHOUT A FIGHTER ACE SINCE THE VIETNAM WAR.

AND THAT’S COMMS CHECK!

———————–

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ALRIGHT FOLKS, WE ARE NEARING THE FINISH LINE FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE. AS WE ROUND THAT FINAL TURN… I WANT TO WRAP THINGS UP TALKING ABOUT NATO…

OR THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION. IT STARTED IN 1949 WHEN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND HOST OF NATIONS IN WESTERN EUROPE JOINED TOGETHER TO STOP THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM…WHICH IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING THE US AGREED TO KEEP THE SOVIET UNION IN CHECK WITH OUR NUKES WHILE THE REST OF EUROPE GOT ITS FEET UNDERNEATH IT AGAIN AFTER WORLD WAR II.

NATO WAS THE FIRST PEACETIME MILITARY AGREEMENT THE US JOINED OUTSIDE OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE…BECAUSE THE LEADERS OF THE DAY KNEW IT WAS THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT AN ALL-OUT NUCLEAR WAR WITH THE SOVIET UNION.

AS PART OF MY JOB, I TALK TO A LOT OF PEOPLE…SOME IN THE MILITARY….SOME WHO USED TO BE IN THE MILITARY…AND OTHERS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN NATIONAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY.

THIS PAST WEEK, I ASKED ONE OF THEM–

OF ALL THE THINGS GOING ON IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW–THE WAR IN UKRAINE, THE WAR IN GAZA, THE POTENTIAL RUSSIA MIGHT TRY AND PUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN SPACE….OF ALL THOSE THINGS…WHAT KEEPS THEM UP AT NIGHT?

THEIR ANSWER–THE DISSOLUTION OF NATO. SPECIFICALLY, THE DISSOLUTION OF THE ALLIANCE BECAUSE THE UNITED STATES WOULD LET IT HAPPEN

NOW, ON ONE HAND…NATO HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER. SWEDEN JUST BECAME THE 32ND MEMBER COUNTRY AND IS THE MOST WELL-ARMED NEW MEMBER TO JOIN THE ALLIANCE IN DECADES. SERIOUSLY—SWEDEN CAN THROW DOWN.

ON THE OTHER HAND, AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN NATO IS WAFFLING. PRESIDENT BIDEN SEEMS CONTENT LETTING THE UK, FRANCE, GERMANY AND TURKEY PRETTY MUCH RUN THE SHOW RIGHT NOW…AND IF DONALD TRUMP RETURNS TO THE WHITE HOUSE NEXT YEAR, WHO KNOWS IF HE ACTUALLY MEANS IT WHEN HE SAYS THINGS LIKE RUSSIA SHOULD ATTACK NATO MEMBERS THAT AREN’T PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE…WHICH IS ALSO JUST A WEIRD THING TO SAY FROM A FACTUAL STANDPOINT, BECAUSE EACH NATION IS ALLOWED TO DECIDE HOW MUCH IT WANTS TO CONTRIBUTE.

BUT THAT SORT OF RHETORIC IS CONTRIBUTING TO A GROWING CONTINGENT OF THE AMERICAN VOTING POPULACE WHO BELIEVE THE US SHOULD DROP OUT OF NATO–BECAUSE IT’S NOT LIKE WE GET ANYTHING BACK FOR OUR MONEY, RIGHT?

HERE’S THE THING THOUGH….NATO WAS NEVER ABOUT MONEY–IT’S ABOUT ALLIANCES. MEMBER COUNTRIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO SPEND AROUND 2% OF THEIR GDP ON DEFENSE, YES, BUT THE REAL VALUE IN NATO IS THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN COUNTRIES. LIKE-MINDED NATIONS JOINING TOGETHER TO STOP COMMON AGGRESSORS. IF THOSE LIKE-MINDED NATIONS HAVE BIG MILITARIES, GREAT. IF THEY LET ALLIED MILITARIES SET UP BASES WITHIN THEIR BOUNDARIES IN ORDER TO PROVIDE ADVANCED POSITIONS IF A WAR BREAKS OUT…THAT’S GOOD TOO.

SO MUCH OF US DEFENSE STRATEGY CENTERS ON THE CONCEPT OF KEEPING THE FIGHT OVER THERE…WHEREVER THERE IS. AND TO KEEP THE FIGHT OVER THERE–WE NEED FRIENDS OVER THERE.

BUT HERE IS WHERE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE IT FOR THE WEEK. AS A REMINDER, IF YOU WANT TO LET US KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ANY OF THE STORIES YOU SEE ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE…YOU CAN DO SO BY POSTING IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS…OR BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE AT SAN.COM

FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER AND GRAPHICS DESIGNER DAKOTA PITEO, I’M RYAN ROBERTSON WITH WEAPONS AND WARFARE, SIGNING OFF.

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