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The Networked Warrior: SoS for the Enemy

O2.03.06 - Fort Bliss, Texas, will be the testing ground for the most comprehensive tactical redesign in American military history: the Future Combat Systems (FCS), a multi-billion dollar program designed to create a battlefield matrix in which all the parts -- from weapons to robots, tanks to soldiers -- are linked via one massively integrated network.

"On the Network the Strong Become Stronger" is the Army's slogan for the nation's 21st century approach to modern warfare.

Natick

Fort Bliss was tapped on January 31, due in part to its nearness to White Sands Missile Range, but also for its "immense training" area that spreads out across dusty southwest Texas. The Army also announced that the newly designated Evaluation Brigade Combat Team will take on the first phase of FCS testing, possibly as soon as next March.

Which leads us to the soldiers themselves. "Soldier as a System" is the catchphrase for what FCS has in store for the men and women who will be part of the program's Bridage Combat Team. These soldiers, say the Army, will be treated as integrated Systems of Systems, or SoS. An SoS will be a self-contained fighting machine.

Among the systems prototypes is the Future Warrior Concept from the Natick Soldier Center (NSC) at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass. Pictured here, this warrior comes complete with six subsystems:

-- Headgear that includes the means for "tactical processing" (maps, routes); high-data communications; optics to provide 360-degree situational awareness; and small-arms protection.

-- A uniform with three protective layers.

-- A five-pound weapon that combines intelligent "seeker" munitions and "kinetic energy projectiles" for close-quarter combat.

-- A physiological status monitor that keeps tabs on the warrior's vital signs, hydration state, stress level (mouth sensors), thermal state, sleep status, and workload capacity. It will also be able to recommend needed remote triage care.

-- A microclimate control providing 100 watts of heating or cooling.

-- 10 ounces of liquid hydrocarbon fuel that can power this self-contained soldiering machine for up to six days, as well as nanofiber battery patches embedded in the headgear and weapon offering three hours of back-up power.