THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME


Government and industry panels candidly identified pros and cons and identi- fied additional considerations from each approach to better refine all solutions— discussions that in any other forum would likely be held in private meetings between each industry member and project officers.


Conversation flowed slowly at the begin- ning of the session, but eventually brought to light other technologies that were not previously known by either the program office or the system contractors, such as the Air Force’s encryption chip (an encryption component that cannot be exploited by adversaries, and therefore can be left unattended in the field). Te collaboration among industry partners at this forum became the basis of several follow-on interactions.


Close TSO Seminar War Game. Te goal for this event was to walk through the steps of planning, fighting and recovering an obstacle field in order to uncover any missing elements in the draft requirements or to identify new or better approaches early on, since this is a brand- new capability.


In November 2018, JPEO A&A coor- dinated the seminar at the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence at the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Te seminar included key industry stakeholders, research-and- development support, and a number of engineer Soldiers from the 35th Engi- neering Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood. Soldiers included lower enlisted and young noncommissioned officers (NCOs) with little or moderate experience in terrain shaping.


Te idea behind the seminar was to go through the plans, operations and recov- ery processes in accordance with existing doctrine while applying new concepts—in


78 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2019


GAMING OUT POSSIBILITIES


Engineer Soldiers weigh in on a discussion about munition transport and emplacement during the Close Terrain Shaping Obstacles Seminar War Game at the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. (Photo by Stephen McFarlane, Product Manager TSO)


essence, war-gaming these new concepts and role-playing different leadership, staff and operator positions to identify any possible details that had been missed.


The roles portrayed included brigade planners, company commanders, engi- neer platoon leaders, engineer NCOs and operators, and battalion logistical support. Being able to play out a complete mission—from surveying to emplacement, to operating the obstacles within their specific assigned roles—identified knowl- edge gaps that had to be answered. Some answers surfaced that day, while others became actions to be researched.


JPEO A&A found it very useful that our industry partners began an open dialogue with the rest of the participants, critiqu- ing and opining about the topics, scenarios being war-gamed and comments from the Soldiers. Te Soldiers contributed immeasurably by pointing out operational


considerations as well as better and easier ways to emplace munitions on the field and to transport the munitions. Tey also provided feedback on the munitions box itself, from handle style and placement, ruggedization, stacking capability and markers to identify burying depth.


Engagement on this scale was immensely useful for all stakeholders. Being able to facilitate and foster such open dialogue and the involvement of the Soldiers was invaluable. Similar events incorporating Soldier involvement and feedback will be incorporated throughout development of the concept of operations.


Secure Communications Educational Forum. In January 2019, a satellite communications vendor hosted a discus- sion, with its team on hand to answer questions, about the latest technology that could be leveraged for this program. Tis information could help us better inform


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