Soldier Technology US

Soldier Technology US

Soldier Technology US is North America’s only soldier modernization event. The 2012 conference takes place at the Marriott Gateway, Crystal City, Arlington, VA from January 23rd to 26th.

It is the only place where over 550 government and industry program managers meet and learn from Pentagon, Army, Marine Corps and industry leadership about soldier system modernization requirements and business opportunities to unburden, connect, train and protect ever more lethal small units and squads. There is no better forum to monitor activity across the full spectrum of US and international soldier and marine systems acquisition programs than Soldier Technology US.

What are the US Army and Marine Corps soldier systems priorities through 2012?

As a result of unique research with key figures from US Army and US Marine Corps we now have a clear picture of soldier systems and marine modernization requirements and acquisition activity through 2012. Detailed research has been carried out at US Army and US Marine Corps bases with soldier systems decision makers and soldier systems requirements setters including:

- Colonel Peterson, TRADOC Capability Manager, Soldier, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning

- Directors of Joint and International Programs, PEO Soldier, Fort Belvoir

- Colonel Bill Cunningham, Director, C2 Integration Directorate,USMC, Quantico

The following soldier systems modernization areas have been highlighted by soldier systems program managers and requirements officers. Through 2012 they will invite industry to demonstrate their capabilities:

- For surveillance domination

- To attain close combat supremacy

- To give soldiers greater cognitive presence

NETT Warrior and PEO Soldier Requirements

In light of defense budget contraction and proposed cuts of $400bn by 2014, soldier systems need to be acquired more efficiently. Current programs of record run by PEO soldier include NETT Warrior which is due to field in 2013 and will be the focus of discussion at the Soldier Technology US conference in January 2012 in DC.

As well as NETT Warrior there are examples of more efficient soldier systems procurement such as the network integration exercise. Managed by Colonel John Wendel, Deputy PEO, PEO Integration, twice this year, the exercise will funnel suppliers by their ability to affordably integrate products into existing soldier systems. By providing more competition, soldier systems manufacturers need focus even more on the right product, at the cheapest price.

Not only are soldier systems being procured more efficiently but the requirements laid out by requirements and S&T agencies are focusing on equipping the squad. Squad-level requirements mean that the soldier systems procured will cater for the squad, meaning that the individual soldier will not just be given everything they might possibly need. This will lighten the soldier's load but also reduce the quantity of soldier systems equipment that needs to be bought.

Nett Warrior, run by Col Wil Riggins, Project Manager, Soldier Warrior, is the centre piece of the future soldier system and continues to be the number one priority for PEO Solder and Army soldier procurement and all the latest information from the program will be delivered in conference presentations and in the exhibition area at Soldier Technology US 2012. In addition, leaders from agencies such as ARCIC (Army Capabilities Integration Center) and TRADOC (US Army Training and Doctrine Command) will deliver briefs on and discuss in detail the future requirements for soldier systems.

Defense Industries: There in force.

Over 50 defense companies will be sponsoring and exhibiting at the event

As the conference hits its fifth year we welcome a plethora of leading Industry companies including General Dynamics, Harris Systems, Advatech Pacific, Amphenol Nexus, Beretta, Rheinmetall defense. You can see all our sponsors by following this link.

The Sponsors will all be exhibiting their equipment which falls into the required needs of the US Army, PEO Soldier.

Highlights of this will include:

Military ground robots which are increasingly being called upon to carry out tasks in place of human soldiers, from neutralising improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to keeping watch over international borders. As technological advancements gather pace, with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities leaping forward all the time, armed forces worldwide are set to invest growing amounts in unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for all kinds of military scenarios.

CONNECTING SOLDIERS TO DIGITAL APPS AS PART OF SOLDIER SYSTEMS MODERNIZATION

One of the most intriguing concepts emerging in soldier systems modernisation at the moment is the US Army's intention to give every one of its recruits a personal smartphone device, filled with cutting-edge apps to aid military operations.

Essentially, what the US Army wants to know is whether assigned military radio frequencies can be used securely with consumer technology to support a more custom-designed network that could be set up on the go. At the cutting edge of developments in this area are three new wireless platforms, from Lockheed Martin, Oceus Networks and xG Technology, which Army analysts are currently exploring for potential.

McCarthy told Network World that analysts have been particularly encouraged by the apparent scope of xG's 'cognitive radio' equipment, which enables 'frequency hopping' by searching continually for unused channels, effectively reducing the issue of interference between devices. The xG radio gear provides voice and data, supporting roughly 4MB for each user, though functionality depends on the number of users and their distance from a base station.

“Our target going forward is to hit 35km from the base station," McCarthy revealed, suggesting that the Army would need to set up a network of portable base stations on the go. But there is still a major question mark as to whether commercial smartphones can really meet the Army's security and operational criteria. This is what its technical analysts are working to find out, by checking around 1,200 devices – from Apple iPhones and iPads to Google Android phones and Microsoft Windows mobiles – to identify potential partners.

But the plan is not currently to invest in one single provider. One of the avenues currently being explored involves using a software HTML-based framework that US Army developers have engineered to allow for smartphone apps to be written to run on multiple operating systems (OS).

“We're trying to stay device and OS agnostic," said McCarthy, explaining how the need to write applications more than once will be eliminated to boost efficiency. He said the overall aim would be to "buy the right phones for the right people, for the right reason". Ultimately, if smartphones do become a fundamental part of military operations, digital apps could essentially be "as important to [personnel] as their weapon", McCarthy believes