CHANGING THE ACQUISITION PARADIGM
ESSENTIALLY, THE DAYS OF MULTIYEAR ARMY PROCUREMENT EFFORTS GEARED TOWARD UNREALISTIC, UNACHIEVABLE, OR OVERLY AMBITIOUS REQUIREMENTS ARE OVER.
in the hands of Soldiers conducting combatlike operations at White Sands Missile Range, NM, are a large part of this process. Performing needed
inte-
gration and key assessments of systems prior to deploying them is a way to bet- ter inform and streamline the acquisition process, and is the fundamental rationale for the NIE.
For example, our Nett Warrior program, which was evaluated at the most recent NIE, achieved substantial cost savings and additional weight reductions to improve Soldier mobility by incorporat- ing handheld, mobile device technology. Specifically,
the program adjustments
produced $800 million in savings, and the weight was reduced from more than 7 pounds to just over 3 pounds.
The Nett Warrior system provides combat-relevant force tracking infor- mation and mapping technology
for
dismounted Soldiers and small, tactical units on mobile, handheld digital displays. Nett Warrior combines the networking capability
of software-programmable
radio technology, developed within the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) effort, with the latest commercial innovations in mobile computing and portable devices.
The latest in Nett Warrior applications combine JTRS single-channel Rifleman Radios as a networking technology with
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Joint Battle Command-Platform, a next- generation force tracking technology. This combination allows dismounted units to network more quickly and effi- ciently, sharing and receiving tactically relevant voice, data, and images across the force in real time.
In addition, the Army’s 75th Ranger Reg- iment recently completed an operational assessment of the JTRS Rifleman Radio in Afghanistan; the findings determined that the increased ability to commu- nicate and share tactically significant information afforded by the software- programmable radio technology greatly enhanced the Ranger unit’s operational effectiveness while conducting combat missions. This operational assessment marked the first-ever combat use of software-programmable JTRS radios using Soldier Radio Waveform, a high- bandwidth waveform able to draw upon a larger portion of the available spectrum than legacy waveforms to transmit data across the force.
As a result of the NIEs, we are refining and improving our message to our indus- try partners in order to better delineate the contracting and procurement oppor- tunities emerging from the Agile Process. We greatly value our industry partners and their substantive contribution to our technological innovation; it is with this message firmly in our minds that we seek
to codify the mechanisms whereby con- tracts can emerge from the NIE process.
CONCLUSION These instances of
successful innova-
tion are merely a few among the many acquisition accomplishments
that draw
upon the dedication and expertise of our workforce, laboratories, academia, and industry partners; yet they represent a tremendous spirit of progress, the very spark of innovation that we will continue to emphasize and cultivate throughout our organization.
As we challenge ourselves and our industry partners by finding efficiencies and uncov- ering promising new technologies that are of value to our Soldiers, let us remain unwavering in our resolve to serve our Sol- diers, our Army—and our great Nation.
LTG William N. Phillips, Principal Mili- tary Deputy to the ASAALT, joined LTG Robert P. Lennox, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, on a panel testifying before the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, at a hear- ing March 8 on the U.S. Army and Marine Corps ground system modernization pro- grams. Scan the QR code for a video of the full testimony.
Army AL&T Magazine
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