FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — When deployed to a complex environment, Marines are taught to adapt to new conditions and overcome challenges. For the Marines of Combat Logistics Battalion 7 (CLB-7), deployed in support of Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), that ethos recently transformed a vulnerability in concertina wire emplacement for barrier reinforcement into a showcase of engineering ingenuity and cross-functional teamwork.
While conducting site assessments along the border barrier in Nogales, Arizona, Marines noticed that the triple-strand concertina wire used to secure the barrier was not sitting as securely as it could. The existing metal brackets holding the wire were designed at a 90-degree angle. Because triple-strand concertina wire is stacked in a triangular shape, this flat angle meant only one strand of the wire made contact with the barrier.
This single point of contact created a subtle but significant vulnerability: It left the wire susceptible to being shifted or manipulated by individuals using long objects to pry it away and create a gap.
The solution did not come from a contractor or an engineering manual, but from the observant eyes of a Marine on the ground, Sgt. Joseph Goterhaythorn, an intelligence specialist with CLB-7. Analyzing the physical security of the site, Goterhaythorn realized that altering the geometry of the bracket could fundamentally change the physics and effectiveness of the obstacle.
Based on his observation, he recommended a redesign an upward-angled bracket. By angling the supporting brackets upward, the entire triple-strand configuration rotates. Instead of a single point of contact, the base of the wire "triangle”, comprising two strands, now rests completely flush against the barrier.
"The new bracket design increases that angle so that the triangle is slotted down into that pocket. So if anyone's trying to push it away, they also have to push it up," said Goterhaythorn. "As an intelligence specialist, I have to be on guard at all times against the status quo. That's where our vulnerabilities come in."
Coming up with a concept is one thing; forging it in a deployed environment is another. Recognizing the value of the new design, CLB-7 leadership immediately took action to implement the solution, bringing Goterhaythorn’s concept to Lance Cpl. Luke Smith, an infantryman within the unit who possessed prior civilian welding experience working on his family farm.
While Smith’s primary mission on the southern border was providing security for the Marines working on the barrier, his unique background made him the perfect fit to materialize Goterhaythorn’s idea. Tasked with the challenge, he fired up a welding torch to fabricate the very first prototype brackets.
"Coming from an infantry background... and coming out here working as a combat engineer, it's different. You're learning new things every day," said Smith. "It means a lot to me to know that something I did is helping my fellow Marines on the southern border, that I'm a part of the effort to make the border barrier more secure."
The innovation didn't stop at the welding station. Recognizing the long-term value of the new bracket, a third Marine, Lance Cpl. Joseph Fischesser, an engineer assistant with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, currently attached to CLB-7, took the initiative to ensure the design could be easily replicated and scaled. Using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, he generated a precise 3D rendering of the new bracket design.
"Everything that goes [into creating a 3D rendering] amounts to hours and hours of work and study to make sure they are perfect. It takes a lot of patience," said Fischesser. "I created the 3D design for the brackets on CAD over many hours. There were a lot of precise and accurate measurements that I had to put in detail into the project."
This digital blueprint transforms an expedient in the field fix into a lasting capability. With the AutoCAD file now in hand, the JTF-SB team has paved the way for the brackets to be rapidly reproduced using metal 3D printing technology, ensuring that future units can manufacture the upgraded hardware on demand, whenever and wherever the need exists.
From an intelligence specialist identifying a physical vulnerability, to an infantryman creating the prototype, to a forward-thinking engineering assistant digitizing the blueprint for future 3D printing, this evolution of the bracket at the southern border is a testament to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the those that make up today’s Marine Corps. It highlights a force that relies not just on physical readiness, but also on the intellectual agility and diverse skill sets of individual service members to solve problems on the fly.