Fast fielding for soldier systems

Soldiers Magazine, March, 2004 by Debi Dawson

TUCKED away in a wooded area on the banks of the Potomac River at Fort Belvoir, Va., is the Army's Program Executive Office-Soldier,

The agency's employees are responsible for virtually everything the 21st-century Soldier wears and carries in a tactical environment.

To support that mission, PEO-Soldier is responsible for the Rapid Fielding Initiative, an effort to get Soldiers the gear they need before they deploy.

A New Way

RFI is a new way of doing business. It speeds up the procurement of essential items, providing them in months of even weeks, instead of the years that were required under the Army's traditional procurement system.

Pushing equipment forward in a timely fashion allows Soldiers to more easily accomplish their missions, said ETC Brian Drinkwine of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

"We're facing a very well-organized, sneaky and adaptable enemy. Our Soldiers need every advantage they can get, including better scopes, optics, lasers and such other equipment as the Advanced Combat Helmet and Small-Arms Protective Inserts, armor plates that fit inside the soldier's outer tactical vest," said Drinkwine.

RFI began in Afghanistan, where PEO-Soldier representatives met directly with Soldiers in the field to gather feedback and assess their needs.

As a result, several units, including the 82nd Abn. Div., 101st Abn. Div. and 10th Mountain Div., were rapidly outfitted with the best available weapons, clothing and equipment.

"RFI is proof-positive that the Army really does care about its Soldiers," said COL Burke Garrett, commander of the 10th Mtn. Div.'s 1st Brigade. "Feedback from our units confirms that RFI has dramatically improved the individual Soldier's lethality, survivability, mobility and comfort."

PEO-Soldier is dedicated to using innovative means to serve Soldiers, such as working with existing contractors to refine equipment or converting commercial, off-the-shelf products.

The equipment issued to Soldiers through RFI includes new desert boots, the Advanced Combat Helmet, knee and elbow pads, and special tools for use in military operations in urban terrain environments.

In October 2003 SGM Martinez Alexander from PEO-Soldier, LTC Robert Carpenter from PM-Crew-Served Weapons and Alton Stewart of PM-Soldier Equipment deployed to Afghanistan to talk to 10th Mountain Division Soldiers about the RFI equipment they were issued before deploying.

The team had the opportunity to talk to more than 250 Soldiers in Bagram and Kandahar.

Team members also visited troops stationed at firebases in southeastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. The comments Soldiers provided about the equipment they have received were especially favorable, team members said.

A Systems Goggles

An 82nd Abn. Div. Soldier bound for Afghanistan tries on a pair of new dust and wind goggles issued to him by PEO Soldier under the Army's Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI).

The Soldier as a System

Historically, a Soldier's equipment fit together more by coincidence than design. The technology boom brought about the most significant transformation of the Soldier in half a century.

The Army recognized the need to focus, refine and leverage new technologies and created a single acquisition office to champion the Soldier's combat needs.

PEO-Soldier was established on June 7, 2002, to arm and equip Soldiers for every contingency, both in wartime and peacetime. Personnel within the office achieve that goal by viewing the Soldier as a system, in the same sense that such larger weapon platforms as tanks, howitzers and aircraft function as systems that integrate with other systems.

All aspects of Soldier equipment are developed to be integrated, modular, interoperable and mission-tailored, said BG James R. Moran, program executive officer, PEO-Soldier.

By managing the Soldier as a system, PEO-Soldier enhances Soldier performance by decreasing the amount of weight Soldiers must carry and increasing their ability to be flexible in various situations.

PEO-Soldier includes the Program Manager-Soldier Weapons, PM-Soldier Warrior and PM-Soldier Equipment.

CDA and EDM

Two accelerated fielding programs under PM-Soldier Warrior include the Commander's Digital Assistant and the Electronic Data Manager.

The CDA enhances situational awareness, thereby improving communications and providing a platform for mission planning.

The Army's requirement is for an integrated, networked command-and-control capability, with situational awareness from the brigade to the dismounted leader at the squad level.

The CDA is the leader component of the Land Warrior system. It consists of five primary components--CDA platform, wireless local-area-network card, embedded commercial GPS, GPS antenna and radio-interface modem.

The 82nd Abn. Div. is testing the CDA in Iraq.

The Electronic Data Manager is being installed on helicopters deployed to Iraq, in conjunction with the Blue Force Tracking system. It will allow pilots to see their GPS location on the map, as well as the locations of other BFT-equipped helicopters and vehicles.