The new “medium capability” developed by that private first class and two of his fellow soldiers emerged in the form of the “Boar Battlewagon,” a prototype platform with the CS 13 company command post elements integrated onto an Army “Gator” utility vehicle and powered off a 1-kilowatt portable generator. The design provides unit position location information and extended range communications on the easily deployable platform.
Lessons Learned/Lessons to be Learned
With the likelihood of additional tactical lessons emerging from the OEF deployment now believed to be under way, service planners back at Fort Bliss were asked about feedback mechanisms back to the NIE process and continuing network evolution.
The vehicles used for CS 13 network verification form a representative “slice” of the network architecture for CS 13 brigades, Jan. 22, 2013. Inside vehicles configured with components of CS 13, commanders will be able to exchange information and execute mission command using mobile communications technologies, rather than having to rely on a fixed infrastructure. U.S. Army photo by Claire Heininger
“Right now I can tell you that in theater are Forward Operational Assessment [FOA] teams from Army Test and Evaluation Command,” offered Col. Dave Wellons, director of ATEC’s Integrated Test and Evaluation Directorate. “For the next FOA team going into theater, one of their primary tasks will be gathering feedback from the Capability Set 13- equipped brigades.”
Wellons noted that the teams had already collected observations on the 3/10 BCT pre- deployment exercises at Fort Dix and 4/10 BCT pre-deployment exercises at Fort Polk, adding, “Then, when Army Evaluation Command sends in the ‘FOA 21’ commander, one of his missions will be to get with 3/10 and 4/10 and collect observations on the utilization of Capanetworkbility Set 13 in theater, and then when they return from theater, within three months the FOA teams will be asked to do a follow-up with the BCTs to collect lessons learned and recommended changes to the Capability Set as implemented in the MRAP family of vehicles.”
“I think the key there is that instead of catching up with the unit and its equipment when it is already in theater they are marrying up with it before it deploys.”
“I think the key there is that instead of catching up with the unit and its equipment when it is already in theater they are marrying up with it before it deploys,” echoed Col. Rob Carpenter, SOSI director at ASA(ALT). “So they will get them before, in the middle [of their OEF rotation] and then following up at the end, which is kind of unique from a program management standpoint. Normally our first interface with any type of test and evaluation prior to deploying is just a ‘C and L’ – a capabilities and limitations report. But this is going to be a much better opportunity to pull that thread all the way through.”
And that thread will also be woven back into future Army Capability Sets as the network baseline continues to evolve. Recent examples of that evolution included the introduction of new integrated network capabilities into heavy vehicle platforms like Strykers, Bradleys, and Abrams during the recently completed NIE 13.2. While the NIEs are not immune to the potential impacts of funding uncertainties, NIEs for the coming fiscal year are also seeking to expand network capabilities to include potential coalition partners and possible industry participation by foreign contractors.
This article was first published in Defense: Summer 2013 Edition.