EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE FORCE
AFATDS GETS AN UPGRADE
The Army’s new fires sof tware will be user-friendly and Soldier-driven.
by Danielle Kress and Maj. Henry Castillo T
he need for quick, effective and intuitive software that will help Soldiers execute fires is crucial to a unit’s ability to fight in fast-moving and large- scale combat operations. Which is why the Army’s
30-year-old software for fires is getting an upgrade.
Te Army’s software for fires, known as the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), has long provided reli- ability in coordinating, controlling and executing fires and effects. Because it is built as a monolithic piece of software, however, it requires an extensive process for updates, and current operational environments demand an intuitive, more modern fires software that can provide new capabilities at the speed of need.
Te new software, dubbed AFATDS Artillery Execution Suite (AXS), will be intuitive and data-centric, allowing for quicker upgrades and a more adaptable system—with the heart of the solution being the incorporation of Soldier feedback and a part- nership of development with operational units.
WORKING WITH THE 10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION ARTILLERY According to Pam Savage-Knepshield, Ph.D., senior human factors engineer and the human systems integration lead for the Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communica- tions and Network’s (PEO C3N) Product Manager Fire Support
“Soldiers who use AFATDS have a lot of information that they have to process very quickly,” said Savage-Knepshield. “Te simpler we can make the system, the less they actually have to remember how to use the system. Tey can focus on their job and not the buttonology.”
On July 16, 2024, Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division Artillery at Fort Drum, New York, were given the software to conduct a usability test to see how smoothly and quickly they could navigate and complete tasks. With no formal guidance and having never seen AFATDS AXS, they were asked to complete tasks like select and add units, create a target, install plugins and more.
Overall, participants experienced success navigating through the software, relying on the system’s intuitiveness to help guide them through completion of the task.
Te parts that didn’t come so easily are what informed specific design changes to enhance the system’s usability. After one time working with the software, Soldiers offered actionable feedback
Command and Control, bridging the gaps between the system and the user is at the foundation of making the software work for the Soldier. It’s also in understanding those gaps that the Army discovers exactly where the software can be improved.
https://asc.ar my.mil
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