The future? Not a game, but lives lost/saved.

--------- Begin forwarded message ----------
From: "Wilson, Glenn M." <WilsonG@nima.mil>
To: "Boyer, Kevin" <BoyerK@nima.mil>,"'Janice at
Work'",<JMW3567@BJCmail.carenet.org>,"Wyble, Bryce E."
<WybleB@nima.mil>,"Ratigan, Christopher W." <RatiganC@nima.mil>
Cc: "'Glenn Wilson too (SF)'" <Triphibious@juno.com>
Subject: The future?  Not a game, but lives lost/saved.
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 07:46:16 -0400
Message-ID: <8B9D41BEE275D3119E7E00805FBE64D3022ADD20@stlx4>

http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/lat_soldier010427.htm#

Friday, April 27, 2001 |  Print this story 

					  War Is Hand-Held on
Battlefield
of
the
					  Future

					     Technology: The Army tests
a
computer system that could
					  change the nature of combat.

					  By PETER PAE, Times Staff
Writer

					       FT. IRWIN,
					  Calif.--For nearly a
					  century, the essential
					  gear for the front-line
					  infantry soldier has
					  been a rifle, boots,
					  canteen and helmet.
					       Soon, it may also
					  include a hand-held
					  computer linked to
					  satellites.
					       U.S. military
					  officials believe the
					  system, developed by
					  engineers at TRW
					  Inc.'s research laboratory in
Carson, could alter the way wars
					  are fought by giving soldiers
unprecedented access to battlefield
					  information.
					       It marks a significant
step
toward the Pentagon's goal of using
					  information technology to
defeat
enemies before they have a
					  chance to threaten American
lives.
					       Last week, in the first
major
demonstration of the
					  revolutionary concept, about
950
U.S. Army tanks and armored
					  personnel carriers fought a
mock
battle here, 31 miles north of
					  Barstow, outfitted with
10-inch
computer monitors that told
					  them instantly where they
were,
where they should go and where
					  the enemy might be.
					       Aided by orbiting spy
satellites, each crew was able to view
					  a digital map of the
landscape,
including three-dimensional
					  contours, that gave it a
better
overview of the skirmish than any
					  general ever had.
					       Moreover, the commander
in
the operations center miles
					  from the front line was able
to
monitor each vehicle, know its
					  precise location and determine
whether it needed a new supply
					  of ammunition. The commander
was
then able to quickly come
					  up with a battle plan before
relaying orders to the crew's
					  computer monitor.
					       Eventually, Pentagon
officials plan to outfit infantrymen with
					  hand-held personal computer
devices like the Palm, giving each
					  soldier similar capabilities
as
the tank crew. The hand-held
					  devices tap the video-game
skills
of young soldiers, enabling
					  them to instantly pinpoint
their
position, find enemies and aim
					  weapons.

					       'Redefining War'
					       The infantry
traditionally
has ranked low on the Pentagon's
					  list of technology priorities.
The
Army receives only about 14%
					  of the Pentagon's annual
$38-billion research and development
					  budget. Of that, $86 million
is
spent on research into the troops'
					  food, clothing and equipment.
The
TRW system could be a huge
					  boost for the soldier.
					       "We're redefining war,"
said
Col. John F. Antal, commander
					  of the 16th Cavalry Regiment
at
Ft. Knox, Ky., which
					  coordinated the military
exercise.
"We're demonstrating to
					  America the power of
information
as an element of combat."
					       The exercise here
demonstrated for the first time the concept
					  of a "digital" army, a radical
new
idea TRW engineers are
					  helping to pioneer as the
Pentagon
looks to transform the military
					  into a "faster, lighter and
smarter" force. The mantra reflects
					  post-Cold War realities in
which
U.S. troops are expected to
					  fight swift regional
skirmishes
rather than set battles with heavy
					  equipment, defense analysts
say.
					       Taking cues from the
Internet, the system relies on a complex
					  network of wireless modems,
satellite links and traditional human
					  scouts to compile a
computerized
overview of a battlefield.
					  Satellites provide a detailed
outline of the landscape, and
					  unmanned spy planes flying
over
the battlefield determine the
					  enemy's whereabouts.
					       The information is fed to
computers on the battlefield linked
					  by wireless modems.
 
The computers, with
 
touch-screen monitors,
 
display a map, showing
 
blue icons for friendly
 
forces and red icons for
									
the
enemy. Touching an
 
icon instantly displays
									
the
identification of the
 
vehicle and its precise
 
location. The crew
 
communicates with the
 
command center as
 
well as with each other
					  via e-mail.
					       "It has the potential to
greatly enhance the Army's ability to
					  fight," said Loren Thompson, a
defense analyst with the
					  Arlington, Va.-based Lexington
Institute.
					       If the system, known as
Force
21 Battle Command Brigade
					  and Below, is approved for
mass
use, the decision could be a
					  boon to TRW and expand the
role
of
Southern California's
					  defense industry.
					       The program is led by
TRW's
Systems & Information
					  Technology group in Redondo
Beach.
Raytheon Co.'s
					  communications group in
Fullerton
and several other
					  subcontractors are helping
develop
the system. Litton Data
					  Systems in San Diego, now a
Northrop Grumman subsidiary, is
					  building the computers.
					       TRW has produced 2,000
units
so far under a $57-million
					  contract and recently received
a
$44-million option to deliver
					  1,600 systems by year-end. If
it
can demonstrate its abilities
					  again in a second exercise
later
this year, TRW is expected to
					  begin delivering 2,000 to
3,000
units a year, with a goal of
					  installing them on 59,000
vehicles, a TRW spokeswoman said.
					       About 300 engineers have
been
working on the system,
					  which eventually would be
outfitted on every type of combat
					  vehicle from M1A2 Abrams
battle
tanks and Bradley fighting
					  vehicles to Humvees and mobile
artillery carriers.

					       Standard Issue
					       If all goes according to
plan, the Army wants to expand the
					  wireless system to include the
individual foot soldier using the
					  hand-held devices. That system
is
slated to be tested in
					  November and could help avoid
accidental border incursions
					  like the one that led to the
capture of three U.S. soldiers in
					  Yugoslavia a few years ago,
Army
officials say.
					       One feature may include
an
alarm that would go off on the
					  hand-held computer if a
soldier
on
border patrol crossed the line
					  by mistake. A panic button
also
could be included for the soldier
					  to instantly signal for help.
Because the devices would be linked
					  to a global-positioning
satellite
system, commanders would
					  know the soldier's precise
location.
					       TRW also is developing a
battlefield identification program
					  that could electronically
identify
a U.S. soldier or vehicle and
					  instantly distinguish it from
the
enemy. Army officials hope that
					  such a system could
dramatically
reduce "friendly fire" incidents
					  in which soldiers are
mistakenly
shot by their own.
					       For the Pentagon, moving
to
the so-called digital force could
					  mean dramatic changes for the
Army's traditional command
					  structure, in which future
battles
will occur so rapidly that a tank
					  lieutenant may end up making
the
tough decisions usually
					  reserved for higher-level
commanders.
					       As such, the biggest
challenge may not be technical but
					  cultural, Army officials say.
At
first, soldiers may not know what
					  to do with all the information
they are getting, and the
					  commanders may be reluctant to
relinquish authority.
					       As more young recruits
weaned
on computers and video
					  games join the military and as
troops gain experience using the
					  technology, some of the
problems
are likely to get resolved. But
					  then the Army may face another
psychological factor that
					  worries the Pentagon. Soldiers
could become too reliant on the
					  computer and less on their own
individual decision-making
					  process.
					       During limited test runs
at
Ft. Hood, Texas, last year, some
					  of the troops spent so much
time
learning how to operate and fix
					  the computers that some of
their
basic skills, such as navigating
					  with old-fashioned maps,
suffered,
according to Army officials.
					  The maps still are critical,
particularly if the computer crashes, (Glenn emphasis)
					  they say.
					       For military strategists,
last week's exercise in California also
					  reflected a new paradigm for
the
Army, one in which U.S. forces
					  may never actually face their
foes. In the new "maneuver"
					  warfare, opposing forces would
be
held at bay by use of
					  overwhelming firepower and
information technology. Soldiers
					  with the superior battlefield
data
would be able to attack swiftly
					  from several
directions--before
the enemy could get off a shot.
					       The new type of fighting
would mark a dramatic departure
					  from the era of "attrition
warfare," in which soldiers engage the
					  enemy directly, similar to
that
practiced during World War II,
					  analysts say.

					       Early Problems
					       After four years of field
tests, last week's exercise was the
					  first time the Army has been
able
to show some success.
					  Older-model computers tended
to
crash. And the General
					  Accounting Office has
questioned
the way the new one is being
					  deployed, arguing that more
time
should be spent testing it.
					       Pentagon officials
acknowledge some initial reliability
					  problems with the system but
insist that with more powerful
					  computers and advances in
communication technology, many of
					  the kinks are being worked
out.
					       In one mock battlefield
encounter two weeks ago, a tank
					  crew was able to destroy 15
enemy
vehicles using information
					  gleaned from its computer. The
opposing force, known as the
					  Red Team, was composed of
experienced Ft. Irwin veterans
					  who regularly fight visiting
brigades as part of the training
					  exercise--and typically
overwhelm
them.
					       In addition, the opposing
force was unable to disable, crack
					  or jam the system, its primary
mission, after nearly two weeks of
					  head-to-head battles, Army
officials said.
					       Critics have contended
that
the system could easily be
					  disrupted. Also, if one of the
computers was captured, it could
					  provide invaluable information
to
the enemy, critics say.
					       But TRW officials said
the
system is designed with security
					  measures that include a
self-destruct button that literally fries a
					  computer within 15 seconds,
rendering it useless. And the
					  systems can be remotely shut
off
by commanders. Computers
					  also communicate with
specially
designed encrypted links and
					  password protection.
					       Pentagon officials said
it
will take months to analyze the
					  outcome of the latest
exercise,
but supporters already seemed to
					  gain a morale victory.
					       The 4th Infantry
Division's
mechanized brigade from Ft.
					  Hood--the Blue Team--put up a
"good fight" despite going up
					  against a battle-tested
"enemy"
that knew the terrain. The Red
					  Team did not have the new
equipment.
					       "In the past, we saw them
rolling right over the Blue forces,"
					  Col. Antal said. "That didn't
happen this time. There were some
					  grinding fights."
--------- End forwarded message ----------

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