New Natick Labs General Sees Base as Gem

Brig. Gen. Daniel Hughes arrived in Natick yesterday and is looking forward to continuing the work that is done at Natick Soldier Systems.

Brig. Gen. Daniel Hughes began his first day as the Senior Commander at Natick Soldier Systems getting acclimated to the base, but make no doubt about it: he is excited about the opportunity to be in Natick and has some lofty goals that he expects to achieve while here. "I'm honored and privileged to be here in Natick," Hughes said to a small contingent of media members just four hours into his first day in Natick. Hughes entered the room smiling and asking everyone how they were doing and talking about the Bruins, but it didn't take long for him to show his passion for the things that are done at Natick Labs. "We need to continue to invest in science and technology," said Hughes, who will split time in Aberdeen, MD as well. "Our civilian …

• Photos (2)

Armed Forces Day to be Filled with Events at Natick Labs

Natick Soldier Systems Center will welcome the public to take part in the celebration on Saturday, May 18.

Natick Soldier Systems Center will welcome members of the public to their first Armed Forces Day celebration this coming Saturday, according to Boston.com. Lt. Col. Frank Sobchak, the base's garrison commander, said that this day is usually meant to honor those serving in the military. "This year we will help celebrate that event by opening our doors to the public to show what we at Natick do for our Armed Forces," Sobchak told Boston.com. Some of the events include a 5-kilometer run, military displays and tours of part of the facility. The run will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by an opening cermony at 10 a.m. Tours and military displays will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. before a closing ceremony. Registration for the 5K run is $15 …

• Photos (1)

Update to Furlough at Natick Soldier Systems Center

Cuts won't be as large at Natick Labs as first announced.

Veterans Receive Coins of Excellence

Members of the Natick Veterans Council were thanked by Lt. Col. Frank Sobchak, garrison commander of the Natick Soldier Systems Center, for their generosity in helping soldiers stationed in Natick at last night's Selectmen's meeting.

The Natick Veterans Council was honored last night before the Board of Selectmen for their recent $3,500 donation to help soldiers and human resource volunteers stationed at Natick Soldier Systems Center who don't have access to transportation. The money is going to provide transportation services for those soldiers who are stationed here for 90 days and don't have any way to get around off the base. This way they are able to do errands or get off the base for some recreational time as well. "Even though you've taken off the uniform, you're still serving your country," Lt. Col. Frank Sobchak, the base's garrison commander, said in thanking the Veterans Council. "This has a huge impact." "We all went through it," responded Ed Jolley, the …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Elizabeth Warren Visits Natick Labs

The U.S. Senator toured the facility on Friday before speaking about the need to fight the sequester.

Elizabeth Warren, the recently elected Democrat who represents Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate, was in Natick on Friday to receive a private tour of Natick Soldier Systems Center. "This is a place that saves lives," Warren said of Natick Labs. "What happens here is innovation." Speaking strongly against the sequester, which would affect approximately 1,500 civilian employees at the Natick base by forcing them to take 22 days off unpaid to save the government $9.789 million, Warren said that seeing Natick Labs in person reminded her how wrong the sequester is. "It's absolutely the wrong approach," she said. "It is a blunt, across the board cut. I will continue to fight the sequester." State Senator Karen Spilka was with Warren on Friday, …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (4)

Update: Natick Soldier Systems Center Budget Cuts Lessened

As Congress and the White House work on budget agreements, the sequester's latest update has lessened the number of furlough days required by civilian employees at Natick Soldier Systems Center.

April 8, 2013 Update: According to John Harlow, Chief of Public Affairs at Natick Soldier Systems Center, there will now be 14 days of furlough instead of 22. This will save an estimate $6.225 million. Original Story from Feb. 21, 2013 Below: The Boston Globe is reporting that Natick Soldier Systems Center is facing a 30 percent cut to their operating budget. Congress and the White House need to reach an agreement on budget cuts before March 1 if there is a chance of the cuts not happening. The Department of Defense sent a letter to Congress yesterday informing them that these budget cuts would mean that civilian employees of the military would have to take mandatory days off without pay. Over 1,600 of about 1,800 employees at Natick …

• Photos (1)

Natick Labs, UMass Lowell Announce HEROES Research Partnership

Joint research between Natick Labs and UMass Lowell will develop better protective military clothing and gear.

The following is a press release from Natick Labs and UMass Lowell: LOWELL, Mass. – Better performing parachutes. Flame-retardant camouflage wear. Easier ways to feed troops on the move. UMass Lowell and the U.S. Army announced today they are joining forces to work on these projects and more to enhance military members’ safety. Named HEROES – Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers – the new initiative teams scientists from the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, known locally as Natick Labs, with UMass Lowell faculty and student researchers. The project’s goals include developing lighter, stronger and more protective outerwear and equipment and portable energy sources and food for …

• Photos (3)

Funding for Natick Labs Included in Supplemental Budget

Part of the $350,000 included in the Massachusetts supplemental budget for military spending will fund Natick Soldier Systems.

Courtesy Massachusetts State House State Representative David Linsky (D-Natick) announced today that $350,000 in funding for MassDevelopment to support the Commonwealth’s defense sector, including Natick Soldier Systems, was included the Supplemental Budget passed by the House of Representatives. The funding will be used by MassDevelopment to support the efforts of the Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force to protect, promote, and strategically expand the mission and related jobs at each of the Commonwealth’s six military bases. Natick Soldier Systems Center is responsible for 1612 direct jobs, 12,892 indirect jobs, with an economic impact of $4.1 billion. Collectively, Massachusetts defense and homeland security federal …

• Photos (2)

Natick Garrison Commander Remembers 9/11

On Sept. 11, 2001, now garrison commander of the Natick Soldier Systems Center, Lt. Col. Frank Sobchak recalls watching the Pentagon burn from his graduate school campus.

Lt. Col. Frank Sobchak, commander of the U.S. Army Garrison-Natick, remembers the growing concern he and his classmates at Georgetown University felt on Sept. 11, 2001 when their normally prompt Arabic studies professor did not show. After rumors began circulating about a small plane crash in New York City, the class left and from the campus, Sobchak watched across the Potomac River as the Pentagon burned. "Right from the get-go, [I knew] my life is going to change," said Sobchak, who was studying for his graduate degree after previously serving as a special forces captain. At the time of the attacks, he was taking classes like Counter-terrorism and Low-Intensity Conflict with prominent professors, such as a member of the National Security…

• Photos (1)

VIDEO: WWII Veteran Receives Silver Star Medal

Maine native and current Natick resident Frederick Spellman received the Silver Star Honorable Service Medal.

Maine native and current Natick resident Pfc. Frederick Spellman received the Silver Star Honorable Service Medal at a ceremony Wednesday to recognize his bravery in WWII. Click here to read Spellman's full story and more about the ceremony at Eliot Healthcare Center in Natick.

• Videos (1)