Not all Army vehicle programs involve the development of new systems. One emerging 2011 effort, dubbed Modernized Expanded Capacity Vehicle (MECV), focuses on the recapitalization of combat-stressed up-armored HMMWVs. According to program descriptions, the modernization effort “requires the development and integration of protective armor below the cab, enhancements of the vehicle’s ability to respond to demands for speed and braking, improvement of the vehicle operator’s ability to control the vehicle, and the incorporation of safety enhancements to reduce the intrusion of thermal fires from fuel as well as directed enemy fire in the form of projectiles from entering the crew compartment.”

Nor were all Army 2011 activities restricted to a ground combat environment, as evidenced by the mid-September aviation milestone demonstration called Manned/Unmanned Systems Integration Capability (MUSIC). Held at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, and the first of what are hoped to be biennial events, MUSIC ’11 showcased a range of recent advancements made with interoperability within the Unmanned Aerial Systems Project Office and the manned-unmanned aircraft teaming community. The event also established a strong foundation for future interoperability improvements for U.S. soldiers.

Just six weeks later, the U.S. Army marked another aviation milestone in the delivery of the first AH-64D Apache Block III multi-role attack helicopter at the Boeing Company facility in Mesa, Ariz.

Signaling a new era in combat aviation by delivering advanced technologies and capabilities to benefit soldiers and battlefield commanders, the Apache Block III incorporates 26 new technologies designed to enhance the aircraft’s capabilities. Boeing will produce 51 AH-64D Apache Block III helicopters for the Army under low-rate initial production with the Army’s AAO standing at 690 Apache Block III aircraft. Not surprisingly, the Apache aircraft continues to play a leading role in the tactical teaming between manned and unmanned platforms.

That integration between manned and unmanned platforms, which was so clearly demonstrated at the MUSIC ’11 event noted above, reflects the capabilities that the Army plans to field with “Capability Set 13” (CS 13), a package of upgrades that is expected to be fielded to “up to eight” BCTs beginning in 2013.

That same CS 13 was also a key focus of NIE 12.1 (first NIE of FY 12), which was conducted at WSMR from late-October to mid-November 2011. Again focused on elements of 2/1 AD, the evaluation explored both the “bridge” network emerging for CS 13 as well as the “objective” network slated for CS 15 (will start fielding to a select number of brigades in 2015).

The event was conducted under an organizational “triad” of BMC, ASA(ALT) (assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) System of Systems Integration Directorate, and Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC).

Among specific systems under test or evaluation, NIE 12.1 featured the field evaluation of two SUTs – Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for the AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio and Soldier Radio Waveform Net Manager – and 47 SUEs.

As an example, the Rifleman Radio, one of the JTRS Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit (HMS) family of radios, is the first JTRS radio to use the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) to enable secure networked communications among platoon-, squad-, and team-level soldiers and their leaders. The IOT&E completed in conjunction with NIE 12.1 is the last formal test required by the military before the Rifleman Radios can enter full-rate production.

But individual system descriptions can be misleading. The real scope of NIE 12.1 only begins to become clear with an understanding that it also required the coordination of 71 safety releases and more than 330 frequencies to integrate the SUEs and more than 20 additional programs to form the “bridge” and “objective” network baselines.

Less than three weeks after elements of 2/1 AD rolled back out of the field at WSMR and back to base at Fort Bliss, the Army announced that it would be holding an industry day in early January at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Md., “for industry partners who are participating in, or that wish to participate in the Army’s Network Integration Evaluation [NIE]/Agile Process.”

According to the announcement, the industry day “will update Agile Process criteria and review capability gaps that exist as the Army continues to develop and solidify the Capability Set 13 Integrated Network Baseline for fielding, and then continue incremental improvements to that baseline as technology advances, Programs of Record mature and operational needs are realized. Industry will be offered a first-hand look at the APG laboratories established to support the NIE Agile Process. These laboratory assessments will both inform the Army’s candidate selections and allow for necessary integration work to take place prior to insertion into the NIE at Fort Bliss/WSMR.”

The Army has previously solicited candidate SUEs to fill several specific, identified capability gaps “in the current and evolving networked equipment solution set” during the upcoming NIE 12.2. The gaps include: a Multichannel Radio; a low-cost, low-SWaP (size, weight, and power) Tactical Cross Domain Solution; a Small Form Factor, Modular Transit Case Based Company Command Post; a Tactical Router; and Improved Operational Energy.

NIE 12.2 will be held at WSMR in the spring of 2012.

Finally, it is surprising to many that, given its priceless heritage and incredible ties to the history of the nation, the Army is the only U.S. service without a centralized museum. Fortunately, that situation changed in mid-June 2011, when the Army announced that the North Post of Fort Belvoir, Va., will be the site of the National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA), scheduled to open in June 2015.

Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh approved the decision the same week that marked the Army’s 236th birthday, observing, “In presenting the Army’s storied 236-year history, this long-overdue facility will offer the American people a unique opportunity to connect with our soldiers and better understand and appreciate their many and glorious stories.”

This article was first published in Defense: Winter 2012 Review Edition.