SOLDIER POWER
burden, minimize tactical distractions to the mission, and deny easy targets to the adversary.”
The Assistant Product Manager (APM) Soldier Power falls under PEO Soldier’s Project Manager Soldier Warrior (PM SWAR), whose mission is
to provide
power solutions to Soldiers operating in the most austere environments, known as Tier 1 environments.
Tier 1 environments have no power infra- structure. Soldiers perform dismounted operations in complex, restrictive terrain. Everything that Soldiers have available to them is located in their rucksacks or on their bodies. These Soldiers are at the heart of Soldier Power developmental efforts.
SOLDIER FEEDBACK In November 2011, the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment (1/16) received a no-notice deployment order. PEO Soldier provided this unit with a suite of expedi- tionary power systems. The deployment was in
Platform (VSP) operations
stan. VSPs are largely cut off from the supply chain, compared with FOBs or patrol bases.
These power items were intended to sustain units that did not have access to a preexisting power grid, vehicles, or items such as generators. The items sent included the Soldier Power Manager, a state-of-the-art,
lightweight, power management portable system; the Ruck-
sack Enhanced Portable Power System (REPPS), a solar power system; 300 watt fuel cells; and 1 kilowatt (kW) generators.
Soldiers of the 1/16 recognized the utility of the generators and fuel cells but indi- cated that the unique fuel requirements, combined with the weight of the sys- tems, made them better suited to a more
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enduring operating environment such as a FOB or a combat outpost. This feed- back prompted the APM Soldier Power office to move research and development dollars toward items that are more por- table, with fewer logistical requirements. The generators and fuel cells fit into ruck- sacks, but feedback from the 1/16 helped demonstrate that many other mission- specific items besides power needs are carried in the rucksack.
The Soldier feedback, both positive and negative, catapulted Soldier Power to the forefront of the strategic conversa- tion. Comments on the Soldier Power Manager and the REPPS kit were resoundingly positive and underscored the value of being able to scavenge fuel and renewable energy on the battlefield. Soldier feedback also renewed focus on the developments in improved battery chemistry to help equipment run longer.
support of Village Stability in Afghani-
The Soldier Power office was able to work closely with industry to identify and develop improved solar technology that performs more efficiently than its current rate of about 8 percent. Research is also being conducted to develop multi-fuel generators that can be used for scaveng- ing any type of fuel on the battlefield to power man-portable generators.
NETWORK INTEGRATION An expeditionary power suite will be sent to the Army’s Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 12.2 in May as a system under evaluation (SUE). This includes a kinetic energy device, the Soldier Power Manager, a 1 kW JP-8 generator, and a solar blanket. These items are intended to serve as one package per platoon.
This tailored package meets the power needs of what is becoming known as the networked formation, which has a much greater power requirement
than traditional units using FM radios because the Soldiers’ radios are always on, sending and receiving information and draining power. Evaluation of the Expeditionary Soldier Power Suite will help determine the sustainability of the networked formation.
A second SUE at NIE 12.2 is the Sol- dier Worn Integrated Power Equipment System (SWIPES). It provides a central power source for extended missions when used with the ergonomic, Soldier-worn conformal battery, while reducing the numbers and varieties of batteries the Soldier must carry. SWIPES can provide power for up to four devices, including but not limited to a radio via a smart charging pouch, a USB hub to power any USB device, a Defense Advanced GPS Receiver, and an end-user device such as Nett Warrior, the Soldier-borne situ- ational awareness tool.
The Universal Battery Charger (UBC) with a 120 watt solar blanket will also be evaluated at NIE 12.2. This system weighs
approximately 6 pounds and
brings recharging forward for the entire networked squad in a Tier 1 environ- ment. This charger will reduce, and potentially eliminate, the need to return to the FOB for recharging. The UBC will allow Soldiers to extend mission duration without being tethered to a logistics bat- tery resupply.
The Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) recently approached the APM Soldier Power office to request support for an operational energy fielding to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (1/82). These units will receive much larger Soldier power packages tailored to specific unit
requirements
and informed by the feedback received from the 1/16. The 173rd and 1/82 will
Army AL&T Magazine
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