ADELPHI, Md. (Jan. 6, 2015) -- A German engineer specializing in communications systems is helping to strengthen a 51-year exchange program between American and German defense communities.
Marcus Roscher, a German civilian defense employee, had spent his six-year career working in contract management when he applied for the Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program.
"It was a big challenge," Roscher said. "It was a good time to make a change and work in something more technical that I had learned in my studies."
Roscher, who has a bachelor's degree in communications systems and a master's degree in software engineering, arrived at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in January 2014 for a one-year assignment.
ARL's fundamental research mission was a surprise to Roscher as he had expected to work in applied engineering. But he said he was pleasantly surprised by the new experience.
His work at ARL has focused on integrating optical and radio communication systems on the same platform. He studied the achievable ranges, external and internal impairments as well as the pros and cons of these systems.
"What about a platform which uses different communications systems concurrently or chooses the one most suited for a transmission depending on the situation?" he said. "What range can you expect under certain weather conditions? What are the influences of different power on these communications channels?
"If you think of a Soldier, the electronics system has to decide which channels to be used. The user doesn't have to decide."
The ESEP assignment was Roscher's first visit to the United States, and he said he has been impressed by the diversity of researchers working at ARL.
"Around my office we have people not only from America but also from China, India and Ethiopia. It's interesting to work with these people and a great experience to have this opportunity," he said.
ARL is one of seven centers and laboratories that make up the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.
German ESEP participants work primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and France, said Jason Craley, a member of ARL's Technology Transfer Team that coordinates the program for the laboratory. U.S. Department of Defense scientists and engineers can apply for an ESEP assignment in one of 16 American allies, including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada.
Since the inception of the German-U.S. exchange program in 1963, about 1,600 Germans have been assigned to a U.S. DoD organization, and about 160 Americans have completed their assignments in Germany.
About 25 Germans have worked in an RDECOM organization in the past decade. Their research areas have included renewable energy technology, vehicle engine and power generation, fuel cell systems and laser communications systems.
Yuriy Posherstnik, with RDECOM's Global Technology Integration Team, works with ESEP applicants and coordinates their packages before submitting them to the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation.
Participants should be in General Schedule pay grades 12 through 14 (or acquisition demo equivalent) at the time of deployment, hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree and have at least four years of technical experience in industry or military/government.
ESEP selection is based on the following criteria: technology area, host country of interest, candidate profile, merits of assignment/position description, quality of application, foreign language capability (as applicable) and command endorsement.
ESEP exchanges promote international cooperative research, development and acquisition activity between the participating countries by providing a basis for further cooperation and cementing the U.S. Army's relationship with its foreign partners, Posherstnik said.
For information on ESEP, see Related Links, or contact Posherstnik at (410) 306-4832.
ARL employees interested in ESEP may contact Craley at (410) 306-1275, or Hobbie Negaran at (301) 394-3557.
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The Army Research Laboratory is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.
RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.
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Army.mil: Science and Technology News
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