EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE FORCE
A SOLDIER-LED SOLUTION
The camo net invention by Soldiers, for Soldiers in the field.
by Brianna Clay I
t’s the Soldier in the field who experiences firsthand the benefits and challenges of the Army’s modernization efforts. Te process for camouflaging large combat vehicles highlights just one of the challenges a Soldier encounters
on the ground.
Currently, setting up a camo net to conceal a combat vehicle takes approximately 30 minutes, according to 1st Lt. Mallory Moore, an innovations officer at the Marne Innovation Center. Four Soldiers are required to set up this camo net, which is supported by several large poles staked into the ground around the vehicle. Not only does this hinder the mobility of the vehicle under camouflage, but the setup also requires more solid terrain conducive to supporting these tent-like poles. Because of these challenges, forward-thinking crews must position camo nets on top of their vehicles, even as many other crews may decide to abandon the task altogether to dedicate time and manpower towards other mission-relevant tasks.
To search for a solution to this challenge, a group of Soldiers from the 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion presented the prob- lem at the Marne Innovation Challenge in 2022. During this challenge, teams from across the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) provided a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges consist- ing of leaders and experts across the defense industry, academia and government. Tese presentations opened the door for Soldiers to collaborate with the Marne Innovation and Technology Center and its partners for solutions to today’s challenges on the battle- field. From here, the idea of a new camo net variety started to become a reality.
THE INNOVATION TEAM Te Marne Innovation Center at Fort Stewart, Georgia, is an innovation cell at 3ID. Te center supports 3ID, as well as the XVIII Airborne Corps, by giving Soldiers the opportunity to identify capability gaps in the field and design and prototype solutions to these problems. In essence, the program functions as a bottom-up process for innovation.
“Everything here is created by the Soldier,” said Moore. Inven- tions developed by the center include a range of technology, such as 3D printers, a plasma cutter and Computer Numerical Control mill and lathe machines. At the helm of these proj- ects is a collaborative team of eight Soldiers and three civilians from the nonprofit Civil-Military Innovation Institute, includ- ing Moore and the noncommissioned officer in charge, Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Lopez. When Soldiers, such as those who presented the camo net challenge, approach the center for a solution, this team of 11 helps train and guide them. Te center also facili- tates partnerships with the defense community and universities to develop the inventions.
In February 2023, the Marne Innovation Center partnered with the University of Florida (UF) to develop a new camo net inven- tion that supports the deployment of the Army’s latest camouflage technology, the Ultra-light Camouflage Netting System. As part of a capstone program, students in the spring and summer semes- ters at UF spent their time researching new designs, and by the end of the 2023 fall semester, the first prototype—an adaptive ground-based mount—was built. Although it wasn’t yet the final prototype presented in the future Dragon’s Lair competition,
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