By PEO Soldier
Activated in April 2002, PEO Soldier develops, acquires, fields and sustains affordable, integrated, state-of-the-art equipment to improve Soldier dominance in Army operations today and in the future. It manages 450 programs and products that provide warfighters with the best available equipment, training and capabilities so that they’re ready for anything they encounter across the full spectrum of military operations—offensive, defensive, stability and civil support.
Six months after activation, PEO Soldier developed the Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI), which aimed to equip all deploying Soldiers with enhanced capabilities for overseas operations. RFI—the Army’s largest equipment fielding effort since World War II—supplements unit and Soldier equipment with state-of-the-art modernization items to deploying forces to enhance mobility, lethality, survivability and the ability to operate in any environment. Between FY 2001 and FY 2014, RFI equipment has been fielded to more than 1.8 million Soldiers.
The RFI list includes equipment every Soldier receives—for example, a helmet, clothing items and boots— as well as equipment fielded only to brigade combat teams. The list is updated periodically by the U.S. Training and Doctrine Command to ensure that it’s relevant to current operations and capitalizes on lessons learned.
More information is available at http://www.army.mil/aps/06/maindocument/infopapers/19.html.
Fitting Soldiers for Success
To ensure that the equipment fielded to Soldiers delivers the safety and capability needed for mission success, PEO Soldier uses warfighter feedback in the design process. In late 2009, Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment (PM SPE) began working on developing better-fitting body armor for female Soldiers, who represent 14 percent of the Army.
After conducting anthropomorphic sizing and fitting studies in 2009-2011 overseas and at Fort Bragg, NC, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, and Fort Campbell, KY, PM SPE developed new body armor prototypes. One resulting product is the Female Improved Outer Tactical Vest: modifications give female Soldiers a more secure and customized fit, increased range of motion in the shoulders and upper arms and the capability for weapons to be seated in the shoulder weld.
Looking Forward
PEO Soldier’s Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG) equipment offers Soldiers a new and powerful set of capabilities. The system, including its four batteries, weighs less than two pounds and provides thermal sensor and light amplification technology. The Milestone C decision (for low-rate initial production) was issued in December 2007, and the first unit was equipped just a few months later, in April 2008.
More than 13,000 AN/PSQ-20 ENVGs were fielded between April 2008 and August 2014, incorporating image intensification and long-wave infrared sensors into a single, helmet-mounted passive device. Image intensification provides visual detail in low-light conditions, and the thermal sensor gives Soldiers the ability to see through fog, dust, rain, sleet and other battlefield obscurants. The ENVG can be used during the day as well as in no-light conditions, and is an improvement over night-vision devices equipped with image intensification only. The ENVG permits the use of existing rifle-mounted aiming lights, which also allows Soldiers to detect and rapidly engage targets.
Nearly half a million AN/PVS-14 night vision devices were also fielded between April 2008 and August 2014. The head- or helmet-mounted passive device amplifies ambient light and uses very-near-infrared energy to enable night operations. It works in conjunction with rifle-mounted aiming lights.
For more information on the AN/PSQ-20, go to http://www.peosoldier.army.mil/portfolio/#117. More information on the AN/PVS-14 is at http://www.peosoldier.army.mil/portfolio/#119.
Improving Battlefield Comms
The Nett Warrior program leverages commercial smart devices to provide dismounted leaders with an integrated mission command and situational awareness system that can be used during combat operations. Its advanced navigation and information sharing capabilities permit faster and more accurate decision-making, and make dismounted leaders more effective in executing combat missions. Additionally, Nett Warrior gives battlefield leaders a view of the friendly and enemy situation, a perspective previously limited to those in a base or command vehicle.
For more information, go to http://www.peosoldier.army.mil/portfolio/#183.
Remote System Saves Lives
Those familiar with CROWS—the Common Remotely Operated Weapon System—say it saves Soldier lives. The system is mounted on a variety of vehicle platforms and operated from inside the vehicle, reducing exposure to direct enemy fire and improvised explosive devices and decreasing the rollover threat. Its fire superiority turns area weapons into on-the-move, precision engagement weapons, and provides small unit leaders with target identification and surveillance capabilities beyond what they’ve had in the past.
“This system significantly increases safety to Soldiers through the ability to remotely operate the weapon from inside the vehicle, thus eliminating the need for a gunner outside of the vehicle,” said COL Michael J. Smith, former project manager for Soldier Weapons. More than 7,000 systems have been fielded between December 2004 and August 2014. “Our first priority is to equip Soldiers with the best capabilities possible, ensuring a safe return home,” Smith said.
For more information on CROWS, go to http://www.peosoldier.army.mil/portfolio/#235.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Army Acquisition Corps (AAC), Access is publishing articles that highlight milestones throughout the history of the AAC. Each article marks a moment in acquisition excellence.
