REDUCING RISK, NOT


MANPOWER


Unmanned systems bring lifesaving capabilities, but saving money in personnel has yet to be achieved


by Maj Valerie L. Hodgson I


n recent years, unmanned systems (UMS) have proliferated by the thou- sands in our Armed Forces. With increasing pressure to cut costs while maintaining our warfighting edge, it seems logical that UMS could reduce manpower and its associated costs while ensuring our national security. Unfortunately, while the recent UMS proliferation has improved our warfighting edge, it has not led to manpower reductions. Instead, UMS have increased our manpower needs—the oppo- site of what one might expect.


Two primary reasons that the prolifera- tion of UMS has increased manpower needs are, first, that the priority for UMS is risk reduction, not manpower reduc- tion; and, second, that current UMS are complementary to manned systems. Instead of replacing manned systems, UMS have their own manpower require- ments, which are additive overall.


For example, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), or robots, are remotely controlled by a single operator. In Afghanistan, more


than 2,000 robots are in operation, per- forming dangerous tasks like interrogating improvised explosive devices and inspect- ing insurgent safe houses. Although they are “unmanned,” these robots do not allow 2,000 people to go home or perform other tasks. Instead, each robot requires a dedi- cated operator plus sustainment personnel.


The sustainment personnel consist of about 35 people from the Joint Robotics Repair Detachment (JRRD), supported by another 40 people from their higher headquarters— the Robotics System Joint Project Office within Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems in Warren, MI.


The JRRD estimates conservatively that 81 lives (or limbs) were saved directly by these robots over a 15-month period between January 2010 and March 2011. This was determined by counting the number of “battle-damaged” robots as described in more than 4,000 work orders, which assumed that the robot took the “hit” in place of the military member. These figures confirm that the value of UGVs is


not in replacing service members or reduc- ing manpower, but in the significant risk reduction they bring to dangerous jobs.


On the air side, unmanned aerial vehicle platforms like the T-Hawk, Raven, and Puma provide fast and convenient intel- ligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to smaller military units, allowing a company or platoon-sized ele- ment to quickly get an overhead view of the local area.


In the case of T-Hawk, there are 95 sys- tems in Afghanistan, each controlled by one operator, with the entire inventory maintained by five contract personnel. While embedded within the JRRD, these five personnel fall under PMA-263 Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Air Systems, Program Execu- tive Office Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, which has its own staff to manage this platform. There are a number of stories about the T-Hawk sav- ing lives, although the events have not been quantified.


ASC.ARMY.MIL 37


ACQUISITION


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