The unsung hero of last week’s PEO Soldier media roundtable is the SPM-611 Soldier-Worn Power Manager which allows a Soldier to harvest power from a variety of sources. Combined with the new End User Device’s decreased power requirements, the SWPM goes a long way to lighten the load.
Over at KitUp!, Matt Cox put together a piece on this new technology currently undergoing testing.
Already the techno websites are making much hay of the Army’s move to a new End User Device that will, most assuredly, wipe the notion of what was Land Warrior/Nett Warrior from our collective bad memories. By removing 70% of the weight from the Soldier, the End User Device is simultaneously enhancing the capability of the system as a whole.
What has tongues wagging is that, thankfully, the Android-based systems currently being evaluated are not phones. That’s right. As PEO Soldier, BG Camille Nichols stated at yesterday’s media roundtable, they are NOT 3G devices. Instead, the Army will connect these End User Devices to the Rifleman’s Radio variant of the Joint Tactical Radio System or JTRS. It is pronounced “jitters” as in, that radio system that is still in development hell after 15 years gives me the JTRS. At any rate, the Rifleman’s Radio segment of JTRS actually works and much better than its predecessors the PRC 126, 127 or God forbid 68 (if you are old enough). Plus, it handles data pretty well which is critical for a system like this.
Why no 3G you might ask? Simple, it’s all about the infrastructure, or lack thereof. Oddly enough, we rarely fight in places with a nice, new 3G (or better) network in place. And even if it is there, the bad guys are using it so we have to knock it out in order to disrupt their Command & Control. Sure, there are new portable mobile networks being developed, but they are still just phone networks that rely on switches. A radio on the other hand does not. Radios can talk to other radios without a switch and if a redundant mobile network goes down, radios continue to Soldier on. Yes, we know that a cellphone uses a radio. Unfortunately, it requires a complex infrastructure to work. Like it or not, the Rifleman’s Radio is the key here.
This strategy can also be cheaper. If a newer End User Device is approved you aren’t stuck with that pesky contract. Instead, you just go out and buy the new one. Likewise, if we upgrade radios there’s no need to replace everything.
And then, there’s that whole accreditation issue. How do you keep the data and access to the network safe safe from the enemy? That’s the current long pole in the tent, working out the security for the device. But, we are very pleased to hear, that the Army gets it. Unfortunately, those writing about it don’t seem to.
Most of the comments flying around the interwebs about this issue are confounded about why we can’t just go buy the latest ‘Droid, let the troops upload some apps, and go kick ass. That’s because those commenting know two things about warfighting. That’s “Jack”, and you can guess the other one. What’s worse, they don’t seem to have much of a grasp on telecommunications either.
So, big points here:
Army looking at Android based tablet or handheld devices.
Army is not going 3G with the End User Device.
Mobile Devices require a network, networks don’t exist in places we tend to fight.
Consequently, radios are not going away.
Discuss amongst yourselves…
Rev 2.5 of the popular Tactical NAV app was recently released with increased GPS accuracy as well as the ability to turn the crosshairs off. Once iOS 5 hits, there will be another minor update.
Additionally, the brains behind the app, Army CPT Jonathan Springer informed us that he has begun to work on an Android version of the software which will include all of the functionality of the iOS app. Development will take 60-90 days due to the complexity of the code. This is huge news considering that the Army is investigating the Android platform as their answer to the Nett Warrior program. Unfortunately, the Army won’t help support the development so CPT Springer is having to fund the project out of pocket.
Regardless, both apps will be able to work together seamlessly to share waypoint as well as other data.
To get the iOS app visit iTunes.
Garmin’s GTU 110 is a tracking unit. Think of it as a tag. Boasting up to four weeks of battery life and up to seven days of location information, the unit can be immediately queried by phone or computer.
At this point the only limitation of the GTU 10 is that coverage is only available within the US and Canada. This still makes it great for tracking assets or investigative work. In fact, since you can check the data via the Internet, it’s a great way to keep track of a sketchy spouse while deployed.
As always, our favorite place to purchase Garmin is Strohman Enterprise.
Cloaked in Pixels – I told you guys Hexagons are the key! Arrgghhh
Here’s what the lucky bastards got to do at Call of Duty XP event (photo gallery)
First FELIN Soldier Systems Delivered to the French Army – Should be titled “First PRODUCTION FELIN…”
Soldier Systems Daily unveils exclusive photo evidence.
We have mentioned Special Operations Apps and their CamoScience app in the past. CamoScience is an App for Smart Devices like the iPhone 4/5 and IPad 2.
Interestingly, SOA contacted us after reading the recent article published last week here on SSD concerning NECC’s (Naval Expeditionary Combat Command) lack of an issue combat uniform and a version of what appears to be unique Navy DIY Camo. They provided these pictures as photo-evidence of a new solution for the unique requirements of expeditionary units like the NECC and SOF.
As you can see, MW R&D and Special Operations Apps have moved past the proof of concept phase by showing these first public photos of CamoScience App Designs being printed digitally-direct to fabric and using MW R&D’s proprietary processes.
This is a custom camouflage design made real by combining elements from:
-Smart Device
-Reliable Intel (GEOINT)
-Digitally Printing Direct-To-Fabric
-Just-In-Time Custom Manufacturing
According to the company’s President, K. Dominic Cincotti, MW R&D and SOA are in talks now with leading Tactical and Hunting/Outdoor Companies to utilize this new proprietary process. Cincotti is the inventor of Photographic/Camera derived Camouflage.
“The truly great thing about using our process and this App is that it would allow for SOF to make their own CAMO designs”, Cincotti said.
“Operators could use the latest technology, without having to rely on ‘CAMO Artists’, with little knowledge of SOF operational or tactical concerns. The App even converts photos to MilSpec colors if that need exists.”
In 2007 Photo-Realâ„¢ and Photo-Stealthâ„¢ camo debuted. They were printed onto special adhesive vinyls and applied to SOF hardware and equipment. In 2009 a unique grip was added to these technologies and was applied to weapons.
Today, Soldier Systems Daily received these first photos of this new type of camo, produced using completely digital means on textiles. According to the company, a wide range of textiles and fabrics can now be utilized. The printer applies the pattern directly to your grey goods.
SOA in association with MW R&D are now in beta-testing with new Apps for release this winter.
Check out this article on the RIM Playbook which has become the first tablet certified for use by Government agencies onqpl.blogspot.com.
Nett Warrior was the Army’s latest, in a long line of digitization efforts designed to increase the situational awareness of the Soldiers. But, earlier today we received reports that Nett Warrior, the culmination of over 20 years of development and testing, has been cancelled in favor of a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) based handheld device combined with a Soldier radio. Numerous reports have recently mentioned experiments using the Android operating system on board the Joint Battle Command-Platform, developed by MITRE Corp. Apparently, they’ve paid off. Look for an RFQ on this piece soon.
This decision will come as a blow to three major defense contractors who have not traditionally participated in the Soldier Systems industry: Rockwell Collins, Raytheon, and General Dynamics. All three were contenders for the production version of Nett Warrior and all three invested a great deal of capital in preparing for this program. What’s just as bad are the countless small business vendors who had partnered with these companies who will have to make some tough decisions in the coming weeks.
One question comes to mind. Is this the first casualty of the new defense budget environment or a preemptive move by new PEO Soldier BG Camille M. Nichols to cut some chaff and protect the rest of her portfolio of programs from the budget axe?
While it’s not really all that surprising from an operational standpoint that Nett Warrior was cancelled, there has been a great deal of Congressional interest in the concept as it has transitioned from one program to the next over the past 20 years beginning with Land Warrior. You can go back a few more if you include SIPE (Soldier Integrated Protective Ensemble). It will be interesting to see if Congress once again breathes life into this program considering the number of jobs it represents.
