PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- Although Picatinny Arsenal's workforce has more civilians than active duty military members, its employees are no strangers to the battlefield.
This is especially true of Robert Rhodes, a new equipment training instructor from the U.S. Army NET and Media Production Branch, who is preparing for his eighth deployment.
New equipment training instructors, or NET instructors, are responsible for creating training packages for new equipment that is either developed at Picatinny or by an outside contractor.
Instructors such as Rhodes teach warfighters about different military systems and weapons and how to use them.
These systems often include fighting vehicles, small and medium caliber weapons, handheld devices, and weapons systems, such as the LightGuard Mercury or MARVIN. LightGuard Mercury is a threat-detection system. The Multispectral Advanced Reconnaissance Video Image Notator, or MARVIN, is a material-detection device.
"We go through the whole life-cycle process," explained Rhodes. "We're there during testing phase to understand equipment and help provide input as to what Soldiers might think of the equipment. Basically, [engineers and scientists] come to us and say 'Hey I need this training support package done for this system' and then we get to know the system, develop a training packet with them and go out to fielding to teach it to Soldiers."
The U.S. Army NET and Media Production Branch is part of the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC. The branch consists of about 23 personnel, including combat veterans and retirees from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.
For NET instructors, this means that they work alongside warfighters not only to help them learn about equipment during deployment, but to provide insight from the warfighters back to Picatinny's engineers and scientists after deployment. Throughout his career, Rhodes has deployed seven times, making him the most deployed NET instructor in his branch.
'HOOAH' TO THE BONE
Before coming to Picatinny, Rhodes received his diploma in data technical support from The Chubb Institute in Parsippany, New Jersey. He also worked in several outside organizations as a data center specialist, database specialist, web designer, and help-desk support.
He wanted to be a police officer. However, after 9/11, Rhodes decided to join the U.S. Air Force, a decision inspired by friends and his grandfather, who was a World War II veteran.
While in the Air Force, Rhodes served as a terminal air command control specialist for five years and deployed overseas three times, once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq.
His role was to help plan and execute close air support missions alongside with fire support cells along with maintaining systems such as the mobile radio communication equipment needed to perform the mission.
He also attended Arctic Survival Training in Fairbanks, Arkansas, where the goal was to survive in the Arctic weather for a week.
Even though he was in the Air Force, Rhodes says that his role required him to work more with the Army than with Air Force personnel. Deploying with Soldiers overseas, he would advise, request, and control close-air support missions.
"Our guys have to be tougher," he said about fellow airmen.
"It's kind of like this: If you're Air Force working with Army, you have to be tougher than them and you have to push further and harder than they can because you're with combat infantry units. If you come up and you're not putting your all in, it's not going to go well. We have to be 'hooah' to the bone.
"For me, because I worked with an infantry unit, this meant we 'rucked' everything," explained Rhodes.
"The infantry guys would carry about 70 pounds, but my rucksack would be about 100 pounds--because we carried extra radios, batteries, equipment--and I had to push through."
In 2007, however, Rhodes injured his back and was discharged from the Air Force.
WEARING MULTIPLE HATS
For many people, this setback would result in avoiding all military-related career fields.
But for Rhodes, it acted more like a catalyst, sparking a stronger desire to help the warfighter as much as possible.
That's why, when he found Picatinny's website a few months later and saw "something about hiring the warfighter," he submitted his resume.
Rhodes started work at Picatinny in July 2008 with the arsenal's Life Cycle Supportability Division as an equipment specialist, re-doing the equipment manuals and maintenance tasks. There he met Bob Christiansen, a training instructor, who was Rhodes's mentor and who persuaded Rhodes to become a training instructor as well.
"Because of his enthusiasm for the mission, knowledge of the Spider system, his technical background, military experience, integrity and ability to work through difficult situations it was apparent to me that Rob would be a solid asset to our organization," said Christiansen about why he recommended Rhodes for a position.
"I spoke to my supervisor about having Rob assigned to our office on a full time basis and within a few months he was assigned to the NET office as a training instructor," he added.
After Rhodes transitioned into a training instructor role, he primarily focused on the M7 Spider Munition System, a remotely controlled perimeter defense system. The M7 Spider Munition System is managed by Project Manager Close Combat Systems, (PM CCS) an office under the Program Executive Office Ammunition, or PEO Ammo, which is headquartered at Picatinny.
In this role, Rhodes deployed overseas four times.
"You definitely have to be a go-getter and be confident," said Rhodes of his role.
"And, you need to be an outgoing person and pro-active because a lot of the times, we end up wearing multiple hats. Not only are we instructors and trainers, we're field service. We're right there--working on the equipment and fixing it sometimes."
THE DREAM JOB
For two months in 2015, Rhodes also worked closely within PEO Ammo as a theater lead and alternate contracting officer. As theater lead, his role was to provide feedback and reports back to PM CCS on its programs overseas.
Such programs included LightGuard, Spider Network Munition, as well as handheld detectors and systems.
"It was a challenging position because of LightGuard," Rhodes explained. "I was there because I was supposed to be helping bring LightGuard overseas as a NET instructor. But each year, there would be rotations, new people, coming in and out of PM CCS, who would want to know about the LightGuard projects and people would say 'Go ask Rhodes.'
"So, it was helpful to be there for a long period of time--it takes time to learn how things run--but it was challenging because it was a higher level of responsibility than I was used to doing."
SOLDIER PROTECTION
As a project under PM CCS, LightGuard provided a standoff screening capability of vehicles and personnel at access locations.
This provides near real-time detection of explosive hazards in support of force protection and Soldier survivability.
After his support of PEO Ammo, Rhodes returned to ARDEC as a NET instructor.
Still, as he heads out on his eighth deployment, Rhodes admits that he can't exactly pinpoint what impulse propels him to continuously deploy.
"This is my dream job and I just feel good about it," he said. "Bringing new equipment to warfighters, seeing the look on their faces, all the ideas that they come up with, the creativity--it's memorable.
"They come up with so many new ideas and they appreciate it, especially if it's an added firepower. More firepower to the warfighter is a godsend."
Related Links:
U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center
Army.mil: Science and Technology News
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