ARMY AL&T
The RS JPO currently has one fully funded POR reflected in the FY10–15 POM for route clearance, which includes the M160 (MV-4B) Anti-Personnel Mine Clearing System seen here. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of RS JPO.)
As robotics technology advances, future land combat forces will gain significant new operational capabilities, permitting paradigm shifts in the conduct of ground warfare that are a result of significantly greater survivability, flexibility, and sustainability.
Opportunities and Recommendations
The RS JPO has equipped joint warfighters with unmanned system capabilities while mitigating several significant challenges. A lack of POR requirements and associated funding in the POM necessitates creative solu- tions to realize product improvements and system sustainment. Reactionary modifications and payload integra- tions have created configuration management, obsolescence, sustain- ment, and interoperability challenges. It will become a major challenge to continue to meet operational needs without having a stable funded bud- get line for COTS robotic systems and support; therefore, reset funds have been requested in the FY12–17 POM submission. Ground robotic systems must be an established part of a unit’s
20 JULY –SEPTEMBER 2010
table of organization and equipment and integrated into the brigade combat team structure. This will embed robotic systems in predeployment training and doctrine, synchronized within the Army Force Generation cycle, while providing a common basis for modernization.
As robotics technology advances, future land combat forces will gain significant new operational capabilities, permit- ting paradigm shifts in the conduct of ground warfare that are a result of sig- nificantly greater survivability, flexibility, and sustainability. It is anticipated that robotics platforms will be integrated with other unmanned air, ground, and sea assets and unattended ground sensor networks to enhance overall operations within a fully integrated and seamless global information grid. In the near- and mid-term, it is anticipated
that robots will continue to operate under some human control. However, as technology progresses, robots will require less human interaction and will be capable of higher levels of autonomy and independent operation. Principal limiting factors on the degree of autonomy of robotic systems used by military forces remain the reliability of the system and the complexity of the task environment. Robots operating in a task environment that is complex and containing unpredictable and changing conditions will require highly reliable sensing and decision-making technologies. Until these technologies are developed and proven, humans will continue to manipulate robots based on abilities and the conditions in which they operate.
JEFF JACZKOWSKI is the Deputy Project Manager RS JPO, PEO GCS. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute and an M.S. in engineering management from Oakland University. Jaczkowski is Level III certified in pro- gram management and is a U.S. Army Acquisition Corps member.
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