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Army Wants To Develop Soldier As Decisive Weapon
(February
28, 2011) |
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| | FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Army News Service, Feb. 24, 2011) --
The Army needs to continue investing in and developing new
technologies which help make Soldiers themselves a decisive
weapon in combat, service leaders told hundreds of industry
and military attendees here, Feb. 23, at the Association of
the United States Army Winter Symposium. |
Malcolm O'Neill, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, opens the AUSA Winter Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Feb. 23, 2011 by telling attendees that "the Soldier" needs to be the "decisive weapon" in combat. Photo by Tricia May |
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"I really think we want to give Soldiers a decisive
edge in combat. I want to focus on the dismounted
Soldier. Once we get out of our GCV [Ground Combat
Vehicle], once we get out of our Abrams, once we
drop out of our Black Hawk -- the question is what
makes us different from the guy on the other side,
hiding behind a rock?" said Malcolm "Ross" O'Neill,
assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition,
Logistics and Technology.
Citing several of
the technological military advances the U.S. Air
Force and Navy have enjoyed in recent decades,
O'Neill said the dismounted U.S. Army Soldier should
have a commensurate technological "boost" or
over-match capability when pitted against
adversaries. Investment in science and technology --
harnessing the best available emerging technologies
proven to help Soldiers' in combat... is central to
this effort.
"We have to be continually
responding to the shortfalls and the gaps in our
ability to provide for the Soldier in Afghanistan
and Iraq," O'Neill said. "Maintaining the decisive
edge is very important. We've been able to do it in
many areas." |
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"We have the best combat attack helicopters in the world" he explained.
"We've got excellent rotary-wing aircraft and we have excellent armored
vehicles -- and we are working on the Soldier."
Some of the
recent efforts to improve Soldier technologies include -- fielding
prototypes of the new air-burst XM 25 grenade launcher, which can
detonate above or near an enemy position. Deploying the XM 2010 sniper
rifle with an increased range, fielding uniforms with fire-resistant
materials, experimenting with lighter-weight body armor, developing the
new Enhanced Combat Helmet and launching a competition to build a new M4
Carbine while simultaneously improving the existing M4, are all in the
workds, Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, Program Executive Officer Soldier, told
the audience.
Along similar lines, Lt. Gen. Michael Vane, who
directs the Army Capabilities Integration Center, Fort Monroe, Va., said
the Army should focus on networking the dismounted Soldier and enhancing
small unit effectiveness. Vane outlined five areas of current emphasis:
- Training
- Mission Command
- Countering IEDs
- Power and
Energy
- Human Dimension
"Each one of these areas has an
initial capabilities document to help drive what should be the focus of
our science and technology. These are the kinds of things that we want
to improve over time," Vane told the audience.
Soldier
protection is fundamental to any effort to enhance battlefield
effectiveness, Vane and O'Neill both said. | |
By Kris Osborn
Copyright 2011
Reprinted from
Army News Service
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