Land Warrior back from the dead-Ground Soldier Ensemble

[Soldat_Américain]

High-Tech Brigade Heads to Afghanistan, Loaded With Gadgets



By Noah Shachtman http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-content/themes/wired/images/envelope.gif (noah.shachtman@gmail.com)
June 29, 2009 |
7:35 am |
Categories: Af/Pak (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/category/afpak/), Army and Marines (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/category/army-and-marines/), Gadgets and Gear (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/category/gadgets-and-gear/)

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=987&pictureid=15006
The soldiers of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are shipping out to Afghanistan this month — equipped with a controversial array of infantryman gadgets (http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/military/story/786135.html): electronic maps, GPS beacons, wearable computers, and digital radios. The troops are wondering just how useful the eight-pound, $48,000-per-soldier “Land Warrior” gizmo collection will really be, and whether the benefit will really be worth the extra weight.
It’s not the first time G.I.s have expressed concerns about the Land Warrior system. Nor is it the first time the technology array has proven its its value, despite its doubts.
After 15 years and a half-billion dollars in development, the Army officially canceled (http://www.noahshachtman.com/archives/003044.html) the Land Warrior program in 2006. Seeing your fellow troops on a digital map inside helmet-mounted monocle was nice; but it wasn’t enough to justify all the bulk. Money had already been spent to equip a single Iraq-bound battalion with the gear, however. So, despite some pretty horrendous reviews from the troops (http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/04/soldiers_hate_h.html), the Army told the 4/9th Infantry take Land Warrior with them to war.
To their surprise, many of the 4/9’s troops found the gadgets to be pretty useful in combat (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/09/when-the-soldie/). The soldiers stripped Land Warrior down from 16 pounds, made the gear more functional. At their suggestion, “digital chem lights (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/03/land-warrior-ba/)” were added to the electronic mapping software. They let buildings, escape routes, and enemies be marked in green on every soldier’s monocle. During air assaults on Baquba, for instance, troops were regularly dropped a quarter or half-kilometer from their original objective; the chem lights allowed them to converge on the spot where they were supposed to go. In the middle of one mission, a trail of green lights was used to mark a new objective — and show the easiest way to get to the place.
It worked so well, the program was resurrected.
The 5th Brigade is now taking 895 Land Warrior ensembles to Afghanistan. Soldiers are questioning how much they’ll use digital chem lights in Afghanistan’s mountainous, largely-rural terrain. “I definitely see the application in Iraq, in an urban environment,” Capt. Edward Graham tells the News-Tribune. “But when you’re at 9,000 feet, sometimes you have to decide what’s appropriate.”
“In an urban environment, it would be great,” added Lt. Adam Smith. “In Iraq, it would be a great system. In Afghanistan, not so much.”
But the doubters have been wrong before.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/high-tech-brigade-heads-to-afghanistan-loaded-with-gagdets/


(http://www.wired.com/dangerroom)
Special Forces Getting High-Tech Soldier Suits for Iraq Mission



By Shelley Dubois http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-content/themes/wired/images/envelope.gif (Shelley_DuBois@wired.com)
July 22, 2009 |
10:21 am |
Categories: Army and Marines (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/category/army-and-marines/), Gadgets and Gear (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/category/gadgets-and-gear/), Iraq (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/category/iraq/)

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=987&pictureid=15005
Just a few years ago, the Army was so down on the Land Warrior high-tech soldier get-up that it officially canceled (http://www.noahshachtman.com/archives/003044.html) the project. Now, Land Warrior is back from the dead — and considered so valuable that even the Army’s commando elite want the wearable electronics suites.
According to InsideDefense.com (http://insidedefense.com/), an Army Special Forces battalion will start training with an upgraded version of Land Warrior in 2010, before it deploys to Iraq later in the year.
It’s a big change for the Land Warrior program, more than 15 years and a half a billion dollars in the making. The electronics packages were supposed to be the military technology of the future. But at a bulky sixteen pounds, many soldiers were reluctant to wear them — and the Army axed the program. The remnants of the Land Warrior project were offloaded on the “Manchu” soldiers of the 4/9 infantry battalion in Iraq, who stripped down the package and sharpened its features (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/09/when-the-soldie/). It worked so well, an entire Army brigade was equipped with the ensembles, and just shipped off to Afghanistan (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/high-tech-brigade-heads-to-afghanistan-loaded-with-gagdets/). Then the Pentagon approved a request by a special forces commander at Ft. Bragg, N.C. to get the improved Land Warrior, called the Ground Soldier Ensemble, tested and ready to outfit a brigade in Iraq by 2010.
Like the Land Warrior, the GSE is a camo suit equipped with a digital radio, a GPS beacon, a wearable computer, and a screen which soldiers can see through an eyepiece attached to their helmets. The eyepiece shows digital maps of the terrain with the location of other soldiers on a video game-like interface. But the new GSE should be slim, thanks to battery and microprocessor technology. They’ll also have “digital chem lights (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/03/land-warrior-ba/),” arguably the suits’ most useful feature, which soldiers in the 4/9 division added when they re-jiggered the old test suits.
Chem lights come up on the digital screen as green lights. They let buildings, escape routes, and potential enemy locations be marked in green on every soldier’s monocle. In an urban environment like Iraq, the lights also mark houses that have been checked and cleared, to prevent soldiers from kicking down the same civilian doors twice.
The new ensembles are designed to give more information to what will be a smaller force in 2012 as the U.S. troops prepare to leave Iraq. Soon, the Army is going to have to condense tons of tactical information among only a few special forces officers, according to Col. Wil Riggins, the Soldier Warrior program manager. Hopefully, the Land Warrior will have reincarnated effectively enough to help.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/07/special-forces-getting-high-tech-soldier-suits-for-iraq-mission/#more-15032

All I can say is woot

[click]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/beegaler/Funnies/not_this_s_again.jpg

Airsofters gonna pee their pants...

[The Dane]

Interesting..
Weight of equipment is really essential in Afghanistan.. A Danish infantryman on dismounted patrol in Helmand carries on average 50% of his own bodyweight

[Rakki]

Good stuff.

So the emphasis is on cutting down the bulk/weight of the system - while allowing soldiers communicate with each other and improve their access to information - all while cutting down on the amount of "overhead" it takes to access that information.

Kinda reminds me of ants and scent trails, actually.

[ARGAR FORKBEARD]

http://i31.tinypic.com/3496znr.jpg

[Soldat_Américain]

Hey dude...wtf, this is serious, I saw it, I was convinced after watching PEO Soldiers videos on it in Iraq and then talking with some guys from 4/9th about what they thought hoping it wasn't a straight publicity stunt. Sorry but I just want something constructive out of this thread and not stupid facepalms.

[Vince S]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/beegaler/Funnies/not_this_s_again.jpg

Airsofters gonna pee their pants...



You mean like this (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160941)

[Mordoror]

Sorry but I just want something constructive out of this thread and not stupid facepalms.

sorry but not a lot of constructive things could come out of a programm that add you several pounds of weight where the soldiers are already overloaded at 35 °C the day, 1-2 °C the night, altitud of 2500 m and a terran full of dust and with risky supply convoys due to insurgents and IED

let me explain it more clearly :
our soldiers (i am talking about NATO in general, being brit/US/french or others) there carry already too much weight for a hard mountainous terrain with thin air, lot of heat and cold and harsh conditions.... adding more weight will not help

that stuff based on electronic will hardly be suited as such for such an harsh environment : there are huge temperature differences in the year from summer to winter, not to talk about temperature differences between day and night
that's never good for electronic
ad on that a mix of dust/snow/rain or whatever and i hoped that this stuff is really water-dust-rock proof as well as tropicalized AND winterized

moreover as any electronic device, this stuff will need power supllies (a lot) and spare parts (a lot) ... that will stretch already over strectched supply roads

IMHO this is not a good idea until the system is mature and it is obviously not

[Soldat_Américain]

Ok points made in the first article for anyone who seems to keep dgaffing:
4/9 improved the system and now an entire Brigade from the 2nd ID has been equipped with the system. This is the second time that the 2nd ID has been tasked with testing this technology.
2nd Article, Spec Ops unit wants it and will deploy with it to Iraq in 2010, honestly with these kinds of field testing there should be major improvements made again, and maybe these guys will be able to get it smaller and lighter.
With anything High Speed it costs money.

I understand what you're saying...Army always seems to come up with high speed ninja gear but never really replaces something with that gear and just gives you ten extra pounds of crap.

[stuntman]

Jeezus, Some of you guys (BTDT or not) are a bunch of assh*les. Anyways Soldat_Américain thanks for posting. I was actually curious about progress of this program.

[click]

Like I was telling Soldat, I would be happy if we could improve the LW system to enough to field it, but I am bracing myself for the airsoft noobs who will inevitably acquire a set from a "friend" in the US and be complete mongs when confronted about it.

[Goldfishsoldier]

Yeah, it might have some use in urban enviroment's, but in the green role, seriously, for the average rifleman what tactical use is it when most of the time your patrolling around thinking about the next root your gonna get when you get back home. Most of the other point's have already been bought up (like mantainance). When the grunt's frontline load drop's below 30 kg I'll think about it and at 48 G's a unit, that could buy a lot of bullets.

[DOT50AE]

Like I was telling Soldat, I would be happy if we could improve the LW system to enough to field it, but I am bracing myself for the airsoft noobs who will inevitably acquire a set from a "friend" in the US and be complete mongs when confronted about it.

you guys have serious ego problems with airsofters...

[kopema]

I think the huge problem with anything labeled "Land Warrior" is one of perception. They should never use the same name for a testbed program and a piece of operational equipment.

If they just came up with a new name for this infantryman electronic mapping system, people could evaluate it on its own merits. But when they lump it in with all the other pie-in-the-sky super soldier equipment that crapped out for one reason or another, people tend to dismiss it all.

Speaking of weight, all the developers of this stuff keep bragging they're thinking of the soldier as a "system". If that were true, they would factor in weight as a non-variable. For every pound you put on, you have to take one off. They brag they have this system down to "only" eight pounds. Does it make travel so reliable you can take off that much food and water; does it make enemy avoidance so much better you can take off that much armor and ammo?

When you look at it that way, this is obviously not something every soldier can carry. But maybe one guy in each squad could. I assume the transponder (or whatever) is light, so everybody could have one of those, and one guy could coordinate their movements.

[wildheart]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/beegaler/Funnies/not_this_s_again.jpg

Airsofters gonna pee their pants...


http://www.ebairsoft.com/airsoft-land-warrior-system-p-2368.html

[click]

you guys have serious ego problems with airsofters...

We have good right to though. I personally have nothing against airsoft. I did it for a while myself, but the problem comes when it becomes more than just a game for some of them.

Getting gear illegally (*cough* Nieznany *cough) and asking stupid questions on the details of kit that real soldiers could care less about, and arguing with veterans about different aspects of the military which they "know" about cause they saw it on Future Weapons.

It all gets quite annoying. My advice to such people is, shutup and play the game (emphisis on "game")

[Victory]

(*cough* Nieznany *cough)

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd89/Victory0985/Epic%20Lulz/iseewhatyoudidthere-1.jpg

Sorry, I had to. :)

-Vic

[notherhen40]

sorry but not a lot of constructive things could come out of a programm that add you several pounds of weight where the soldiers are already overloaded at 35 °C the day, 1-2 °C the night, altitud of 2500 m and a terran full of dust and with risky supply convoys due to insurgents and IED

let me explain it more clearly :
our soldiers (i am talking about NATO in general, being brit/US/french or others) there carry already too much weight for a hard mountainous terrain with thin air, lot of heat and cold and harsh conditions.... adding more weight will not help

that stuff based on electronic will hardly be suited as such for such an harsh environment : there are huge temperature differences in the year from summer to winter, not to talk about temperature differences between day and night
that's never good for electronic
ad on that a mix of dust/snow/rain or whatever and i hoped that this stuff is really water-dust-rock proof as well as tropicalized AND winterized

moreover as any electronic device, this stuff will need power supllies (a lot) and spare parts (a lot) ... that will stretch already over strectched supply roads

IMHO this is not a good idea until the system is mature and it is obviously not

You forgot to mention the idiotsin the pentagon forgot about what happens if the enemy gets ahold of this technology....and those cave dwelling stone age cavemen in A-stan are pretty good in getting out side help with tactics and tech to counter the "American" horde.

Our stupid generals are getting too dependant on technology to close the manpower gap. And because we are getting too attached to technology, the Taliban sees this as a major down fall. When will you fools in the pentagon learn that dependance on technology is just putting a nail in the coffin....In my view, they will learn after the body count rises...and the war is lost.

[Soldat_Américain]

You forgot to mention the idiotsin the pentagon forgot about what happens if the enemy gets ahold of this technology....and those cave dwelling stone age cavemen in A-stan are pretty good in getting out side help with tactics and tech to counter the "American" horde.

Our stupid generals are getting too dependant on technology to close the manpower gap. And because we are getting too attached to technology, the Taliban sees this as a major down fall. When will you fools in the pentagon learn that dependance on technology is just putting a nail in the coffin....In my view, they will learn after the body count rises...and the war is lost.
wow, you need to shut your mouth, please edit your post with something constructive.

[notherhen40]

wow, you need to shut your mouth, please edit your post with something constructive.

I am sorry, but the truth hurts. We are becoming too dependant on technology. We are really needing to back off of the technology dependance because this a really weak point in our over all view on war fare. And when you have commanders down from the top to the platoon level depending on a system dependant on computers and GPS tracking going into a fight when the system fails due to solar storms knocking out satilites, or radio channels being jammed, or computer problems, then your forces really have a problem. Soldiers die due to over dependance on this wonderful trash being marketed to wide eyed generals who are awed at the supposed capability they present, when in reality we really need to concentrate on training, and using old school methods to accomplish what technology is supposed to replace.

[Soldat_Américain]

You really have no faith in the people that defend you to know when to turn something off. It's a tool that will make us better on the battlefield.

[DOT50AE]

We have good right to though. I personally have nothing against airsoft. I did it for a while myself, but the problem comes when it becomes more than just a game for some of them.

Getting gear illegally (*cough* Nieznany *cough) and asking stupid questions on the details of kit that real soldiers could care less about, and arguing with veterans about different aspects of the military which they "know" about cause they saw it on Future Weapons.

It all gets quite annoying. My advice to such people is, shutup and play the game (emphisis on "game")

i totally agree with you !!!

[notherhen40]

You really have no faith in the people that defend you to know when to turn something off. It's a tool that will make us better on the battlefield.

I do have a lot of faith in ourarmed forces. But, when it comes to the military and gee-whizz toys to make the army "better" I sure as the h3ll do not.

See, technology is a wonderful thing to use. But to depend on it to tell you where your enemies are, that in its self a disaster waiting to happen. as i said before, technology breaks down. Coms get jammed. gear gets captured and copied. And the sun and its storms have a drastic effect on how this stuff is used. Not to mention if you encountered an enemy with an atomic weapon...EMP is a great thing to knck out a whole digital battle field leaving the military blind and dumb to where the enemy is.

Nothing substitutes good old fashioned training. Land Navigation. Advanced marksmanship techniques and discipline...something that any army needs to combat fratracide. And if soldiers become used to using GPS, they forget their soldier skills in land nav. And if soldiers depend on night vision and satalites to tell them where the enemy is,they grow blind in the dark and walk into ambushes. And if the enemy captures that gee whizz gear, then your whole unit up to the corps command is compramised.

[BloodyTalon]

I do have a lot of faith in ourarmed forces. But, when it comes to the military and gee-whizz toys to make the army "better" I sure as the h3ll do not.

See, technology is a wonderful thing to use. But to depend on it to tell you where your enemies are, that in its self a disaster waiting to happen. as i said before, technology breaks down. Coms get jammed. gear gets captured and copied. And the sun and its storms have a drastic effect on how this stuff is used. Not to mention if you encountered an enemy with an atomic weapon...EMP is a great thing to knck out a whole digital battle field leaving the military blind and dumb to where the enemy is.

Nothing substitutes good old fashioned training. Land Navigation. Advanced marksmanship techniques and discipline...something that any army needs to combat fratracide. And if soldiers become used to using GPS, they forget their soldier skills in land nav. And if soldiers depend on night vision and satalites to tell them where the enemy is,they grow blind in the dark and walk into ambushes. And if the enemy captures that gee whizz gear, then your whole unit up to the corps command is compramised.
Not to try to sound like an ass, but your arguments are hyperbolic.

Firstly, the EMP argument against technology is pointless. If our enemy uses nukes against us, then there's a crapload more to worry about a company's equipment going on the fritz (like, you know, the fact that said company and everything else within several clicks has been reduced to ash). Since there is no viable alternative that can withstand a nuke or EMP blast, than you might as well replace it with giant asteroids in your arguement and it would have the same effect.

As for theft, I know it does occur in Afghanistan, especially with ANA equipment, but to use that as an argument not to employ any sophisticated technology goes well beyond being cautious and into irrational paranoia. For instance, do you believe that we should stop using the Humvee altogether because the Taliban have captured a few in the past? What about the French and their uniforms, rifles, etc.? After all, the Taliban did procure those during an ambush a while back. Also, it should be worth mentioning that the Taliban don't exactly have the means to reverse-engineer and mass produce everything they steal from us.

You're right that soldiers need to rely on their training first and foremost, but that doesn't mean completely abandoning "gee-whizz toys". The reason why we've been able to effectively fight two asymmetrical wars without mass casualties is partially because we now have access to equipment that we didn't have back in the 1960's, not in spite of it. Now Land Warrior does have its problems and i personally don't see a need to field it right now, but your argument that the tech we are getting now is pointless is just a stupid and ignorant as arguing that we need to rely on nothing but new technology.

[notherhen40]

Not to try to sound like an ass, but your arguments are hyperbolic.

Firstly, the EMP argument against technology is pointless. If our enemy uses nukes against us, then there's a crapload more to worry about a company's equipment going on the fritz (like, you know, the fact that said company and everything else within several clicks has been reduced to ash). Since there is no viable alternative that can withstand a nuke or EMP blast, than you might as well replace it with giant asteroids in your arguement and it would have the same effect.

As for theft, I know it does occur in Afghanistan, especially with ANA equipment, but to use that as an argument not to employ any sophisticated technology goes well beyond being cautious and into irrational paranoia. For instance, do you believe that we should stop using the Humvee altogether because the Taliban have captured a few in the past? What about the French and their uniforms, rifles, etc.? After all, the Taliban did procure those during an ambush a while back. Also, it should be worth mentioning that the Taliban don't exactly have the means to reverse-engineer and mass produce everything they steal from us.

You're right that soldiers need to rely on their training first and foremost, but that doesn't mean completely abandoning "gee-whizz toys". The reason why we've been able to effectively fight two asymmetrical wars without mass casualties is partially because we now have access to equipment that we didn't have back in the 1960's, not in spite of it. Now Land Warrior does have its problems and i personally don't see a need to field it right now, but your argument that the tech we are getting now is pointless is just a stupid and ignorant as arguing that we need to rely on nothing but new technology.

No, the Taliban does not have the means to reverse engineer items captured, but their contacts inside of Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,China, and Russia do. And that could spell trouble for our forces. The EMP debate is not really mute argument. There are still missing nukes in the world unaccounted for. And as for a potentionual terrorist getting a hold of one...do not discount the idea. And yes, one could be used, and unless land warrior is hardened against EMP, then the device is useless. (and that is not to mention all so electronic warfare platforms canalso degrade technology to the point of uselessness)True we have managed to avoid mass casualties due to the new types of gear used recently in the wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan, but as you have stated, the Taliban does have captured french uniforms and HUMMWVs. And, that is areal problem for allied forces.

I have to totally agree with you. I really think we need to re-evaluate the need in fielding land warrior right now. And maybe we do not need such a gee-whizz system like that after all.

The military does need Hi-tech gear to fight this on going war on terrorism. The need ground sensors and medical equipment and airborne sensors like the UAVs used. But to overly rely on such gear is a huge problem. And we are tending to over rely on this new gear more and more.

[Soldat_Américain]

wow, you need to shut your mouth, because you don't seem to know what you're talking about.
See quote above. You aren't offering anything constructive as my original post was showing how the US Army is deploying this again in a wider field test, because the Army not you knows that this will make our soldiers better and more lethal than they already are. Your opinions make me see you in your multisham airsoft uniform with and armchair commando tab.

[notherhen40]

soldat american...The arguments I present are constructive. It is just you are not listening.

Networked soldiers also lead to centralized command and control, which is a very bad idea on any battlefield. And as we all know, especially you, if there is no orders from command, because their system is down either from failure or attack, confusion results. Which lies my next point. Some one stated before about the weight soldiers have to carry into battle. From experience I would have to agree. For every poound a soldier carries, something has to be traded off. What gear would you leave off if you had this system employed with you? An armored plate for your vest perhaps, rations, water, or ammo, you take your pick. And what happens to the radios you use to communicate with when you use the system if the batteries go dead, and you have dumped the batteries off to save weight? What about over loading your soldiers with too much data,as what happened in Iraq when the units were used, not to mention the reliability of the system its self? All these are valid points.

Granted, the capabilities look great on paper. But as anyone knows, especially you, equipment fails. And the arguments I have provided as to EMP, force dependancy, possible capture and loss of technology into enemy hands all are very real and valid points. The only good use I can see for this land warrior system is it being used as a great paper weight in soldiers hands. Nothing else.

Radios, and computer communications are always going to be a weak link in battlefields across the world. And no matter how secure you can make the system, you always stand the risk of it being infiltrated and monitored, not to mention copied, and used against our military. And, sadly to say, land warrior is both a radio and a computer based communications platform. And as the military becomes ever more so dependant on sensors either based in space or in the earths atmosphere the need to take a look at how networked sensors are used and employed, and what back up measures there are if the system goes down needs to be taken and looked at very seriously because no matter how nice and shiney a promised capability is, it is always ****e to problems, and on the battle field, it can cost soldiers their lives,especially yours if it goes down at the wrong time.

As I stated before, the use of modren technology has saved lives, and made us more effiecent on the battle field. But to over rely on technology is a big mistake. And as any soldier knows. technology is a big enemy, especially if it does not work at the right time, or ifit is captured and used against us.

[Ratamacue]

As I stated before, the use of modren technology has saved lives, and made us more effiecent on the battle field. But to over rely on technology is a big mistake. And as any soldier knows. technology is a big enemy, especially if it does not work at the right time, or ifit is captured and used against us.So your point is, more advanced technology can help to save lives and help us fight more effectively. But it should be avoided because it might break. Is this correct? ****, the radios I've worked with in the Corps don't even work 75% of the time. So should we just ditch them and go back to field phones? No, phone lines can get cut. Better make it smoke signals.

The technology inside isn't anything that incredible. It's basically a GPS, a radio, and a computer running in Linux tied together. It's no different from if a soldier carrying a radio and a DAGR were to have his equipment captured. Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, the system can be wiped via remote in case of enemy capture. Regarding EMPs, I would be willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of the newer equipment used by the US Military these days is not EMP shielded. Force dependency? There will never be a substitute for small unit leadership and initiative. The only way that Land Warrior factors into this equation is that small unit leaders, as well as their highers, can maintain a higher awareness of the locations of both friendly and enemy forces, which in turn gives them the ability to make better decisions based on the battlefield situation. It does not mean that fireteam and squad leaders are going to sit there with their thumbs up their asses and wait for their Lieutenant to tell them to do something.

Land Warrior is simply a tool to make it easier for soldiers to communicate, navigate, and maintain their situational awareness. It's not perfect, which is why it's been tested and revamped over and over again. Each time it gets better based on new technology and feedback from the troops using it.

[Soldat_Américain]

So your point is, more advanced technology can help to save lives and help us fight more effectively. But it should be avoided because it might break. Is this correct? ****, the radios I've worked with in the Corps don't even work 75% of the time. So should we just ditch them and go back to field phones? No, phone lines can get cut. Better make it smoke signals.

The technology inside isn't anything that incredible. It's basically a GPS, a radio, and a computer running in Linux tied together. It's no different from if a soldier carrying a radio and a DAGR were to have his equipment captured. Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, the system can be wiped via remote in case of enemy capture. Regarding EMPs, I would be willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of the newer equipment used by the US Military these days is not EMP shielded. Force dependency? There will never be a substitute for small unit leadership and initiative. The only way that Land Warrior factors into this equation is that small unit leaders, as well as their highers, can maintain a higher awareness of the locations of both friendly and enemy forces, which in turn gives them the ability to make better decisions based on the battlefield situation. It does not mean that fireteam and squad leaders are going to sit there with their thumbs up their asses and wait for their Lieutenant to tell them to do something.

Land Warrior is simply a tool to make it easier for soldiers to communicate, navigate, and maintain their situational awareness. It's not perfect, which is why it's been tested and revamped over and over again. Each time it gets better based on new technology and feedback from the troops using it.
Very good points here.
Notherhen40-the last field test, which from what I know of was the only field test before the 5th BCT of the 2ID deployed to Afghanistan was in Iraq...and you know what, it was successful, when the soldiers received it and trained with it they hated it and had changes made to the system. When 4/9 came home from Iraq the consensus was that it saved lives and made the soldiers from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, much more effective. And this is a wider field test as well as in a different environment. Take note that SF will be using it as well, not as a request from PEO-Soldier but as a request by the specific battalion commander.

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

Thanks for the information Soldat.

[ktk.ace]

i laughed at the 1st pic... LOL.

[Lugiahua]

just a stupid question from the pics
How are they going to mount NODs on helmets with this system together?

[Mordoror]

just a stupid question from the pics
How are they going to mount NODs on helmets with this system together?
they probably won't need it
if it function like the french FELIN, the system is linked to a day/night camera imager on the gun

[SilentType]

The GPS beacon alone is worth its weight in gold if it can be properly transmitted to supporting artillery, mortar teams, and air support.

GPS beacons (properly encrypted of course) would save lives pure and simple.

Not to mention in fighting a counter insurgency the ability to share intelligence between NCOs with email and text in a simple to digest manner is critical.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=07c_1246402843

The men who died in the blue on blue incident above would be alive if their leaders and the mortar crew could have viewed their location using the Land Warrior System.

Is it something that every soldier should be outfitted with? No, but I believe squad leaders could find it invaluable.

Most importantly it is the use of a system like this that motivates more funding and improvement leading to faster and more light weight versions folks. I'm glad to see it coming back.

[Soldat_Américain]

Clever? Suggest name for communications tool


By Gina Cavallaro (gcavallaro@atpco.com?subject=Question%20from%20ArmyTimes.com%20reader) - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Aug 15, 2009 8:24:10 EDT
Ground Soldier Ensemble is designed to be a sophisticated digital communications network that gives the dismounted soldier radio, photo and text-messaging tools, access to battlefield intelligence and a miniature screen that graphically displays the location of all of his fellow soldiers on a geo-referenced map image.
GSE doesn’t actually exist yet, but it is expected to become the next-generation follow-on to Land Warrior. It’s lighter and better, all because of soldier input.
But the name “Ground Soldier Ensemble” isn’t working for Army leaders, some of whom have said it conjures an image of a men’s singing group.
Now program managers for GSE want combat-seasoned soldiers to help come up with a suitable name for a system that is revolutionizing situational awareness on the battlefield.
The system was developed with feedback from soldiers through lessons learned on the battlefield with Land Warrior, which will be used by the 2nd Infantry Division’s 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan. It was first used in combat by soldiers with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, 4th SBCT, 2nd Infantry Division, for 15 months in Iraq beginning in spring 2007.
For a full description of GSE, see the PEO Soldier fact sheet at https://peosoldier.army.mil/FactSheets/PMSWAR/SWAR_GS_GSE.pdf.
Soldiers with ideas for a worthy name are encouraged to submit suggestions through Army Knowledge Online before Aug. 20, with explanations no longer than 233 words.
All input will be used to guide the final decision.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/army_ensemble_081509w/

All I have to say is...it keeps getting better. Wonder what it will look like even three years from now.

[mitch5771]

I just hope our troops dont rely too much on this system. I hope they are trained to fight without it, and im confident they will be. But lets say that one of the systems gets taken out by a fragment of shrapnel, and the soldier loses his confidence due to not having the advantages of the Land warrior system. And $48,000 per headset? They should be given to officers instead of every man. IMO.

[crazyman]

As a leader I worked hard to train my soldiers on digital and "degraded" (manual) operations. unfortunately not all leaders think as I do, so the level of dependency varies based on command influence. Coming from an artillery/stryker background where technology plays a central role, its an issue. All this being said, I worked with some guys from 4/2 ID who had land warrior, and they were fans....in certain situations. I agree with the various people who have expressed their fear of added overburdening of soldiers, but If used right (and somewhat sparingly) the GSE has potential. I'd definitely be a fan of the GPS beacon system transmitting friendly locations just as a BFT or FBCB2 does for vehicles.

[attila006]

I am one of the few who got to test the system in combat (4/9 IN). I just got to say it has its pluses and minuses. Gutting the system to its very basics, like GPS, would be good. Overall, the system that I carried (the old version, not the one that 5/2 has in A-stan) was heavy as **** and didnt work most of the time, and had too many civilian contracters making way to much money to make it work. For TSTs its the ****, for most other ops, waisted. Urban ops +, rural leave it in the truck -