Future U.S. Military Uniforms to be Lean and Lethal
"What warfighters are carrying today is just ridiculous," said Robert Kinney, director of the Individual Protection Directorate at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center at Natick, Mass. "Our challenge is to provide greater protections and capabilities, but with less weight and bulk."
Kinney and an army of engineers and researchers at the center, which conducts research and development for all the military services, is committed to reducing the load being carried by service members — while making them safer and more formidable on the battlefield.
Their goal, he said, is to incorporate new, lighter-weight materials to reduce troop loads by almost half, to 50 pounds or less.
At the same time, Natick engineers are exploring advanced technologies that will give warfighters of the future capabilities once thought restricted to the fictitious Power Rangers, Terminator and Contra series characters.
Tomorrow's warfighters, Kinney said, will wear uniforms with built-in chemical- biological protection, embedded with electric wires and fiber optics that give sophisticated battlefield capabilities. Uniforms will be waterproof and flame- resistant, with built-in insect repellent, antibacterial agents that help stop open injuries from getting infected, and even antimicrobial agents that keep odor in check. New synthetic materials being explored will make the uniforms warmer in cold environments, cooler in hot ones, and lighter in weight and bulk.
In addition, uniforms of the future will be enable troops to adapt quickly to changing conditions. They'll change color, chameleon-style, to reflect the surrounding environment. Boots will come with snap-on soles for different terrains and removable liners that can be replaced when they get wet.
Headgear will take on a whole new dimension, protecting against ballistic and fragmentation while serving as the wearer's personal "control center." Tomorrow's helmets will integrate thermal sensors, video cameras, and chemical and biological sensors. They'll include a visor that can act as a "heads-up display monitor" equivalent to two 17-inch computer monitors in front of the wearer's eyes. And powering all the warfighter's gear will be a single battery, capable of running 24 hours or longer before being recharged.
As futuristic as these technologies may sound, many are being incorporated into the Army's Objective Force Warrior, which LeeAnn Barkhouse, business liaison for the program, describes as a "system of systems" being developing for warfighters in 2010 and beyond. The program is expected to become a prototype for all the military services, she said.
Barkhouse said Objective Force Warrior introduces a far-ranging array of new capabilities, many of them embedded directly into the warfighter's uniform to reduce the heavy, cumbersome add-ons that have evolved over time. And unlike the current combat load, which imposes immense weights on the warfighter's back and shoulders, Barkhouse said the new system will center its lighter load at the body's strongest point: the waist and hips.
Gone will be the "Christmas tree effect." In its place, she said, will be a system that works with, rather than against, the warfighter's body – and offers almost unimaginable new capabilities. "It represents a tremendous advance," Barkhouse said. [U.S. Army press release]
Comments
Why are the American Flags displayed wrong on the uniforms of the troops in Irag?? Should’nt the blue field be on the left side of the flag?
According to Stars & Stripes, the flag patch is worn correctly…
Why do American soldiers wear the U.S. flag insignia “backwards” on the right shoulder of their utility uniforms, with the canton (the rectangle with the stars) on an observer’s right?
It’s a question that soldiers hear frequently as they travel through civilian airports, or talk to members of other services.
And it does look “wrong,” because U.S. federal code calls for the canton to always be positioned to the left.
The soldiers aren’t wrong, however, and neither are their tailors, Lt. Col. Stanley Heath, an Army spokesman, explained in a Friday telephone interview.
The Army actually has two authorized flag patches, one to be worn on the left shoulder, with the canton facing left, and another “reverse field” patch worn on the right, with the canton facing right.
The two different orientations are mandated because Army regulations call for the flag “to be worn so that to observers, it looks as if the flag is flying against a breeze,” Heath said.
What does a stiff wind have to do with this custom?
In fact, the rule is a nod to the U.S. Army’s early history, when wars were fought as a series of carefully choreographed battles — two armies meeting on a field, clashing head-on until one side emerged victorious.
In those battles, both mounted cavalry and infantry units would always designate one soldier as “standard bearer,” to carry the Colors into the fight.
As the standard bearer charged, his rapid forward momentum would cause the flag to stream back.
And since the Stars and Stripes is mounted with the canton closest to the pole, that section would always be forward.
So if a soldier is charging into the battle, the flag would give the appearance of forward motion. For the right shoulder, the flag only appears “backward.”
And that’s why soldiers wear the flag patches on the right shoulder “backward.” Because retreat in battle, as any soldier will tell you, is not the Army way.
hey im in the U.S. ARMY and i dont really understand the flag being backwards either but ill tell you one thing for sure i get the point. that flag is everything we stand for and die for and i dont care what damn sholder or how backward it is hooahh