The United States already has the best infantry soldiers, Marines and special operators on the face of the Earth, but Defense Secretary James N. Mattis wants them to completely overmatch any potential foes.
Joseph L’Etoile, the senior advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness, is leading a Close Combat Lethality Task Force to ensure this overmatch becomes a reality.
The task force is laser-focused on capabilities, policies
A career infantry Marine, L’Etoile is working with Army, Marine Corps
Improving Squad Lethality and Protection
Many things can be done to improve squad lethality and protection, L’Etoile said. “There’s some low-hanging fruit, there’s some
Over the last 30 years, most of the changes in infantry squads have been evolutionary, he said. He pointed to the first night-vision goggles he used in the late 1980s as an example. “The NVGs that are out there today are
Infantry personnel
Training, human performance
The task force is looking at weaponry that has greater range and lethality and the ability to find and defeat concealed enemy forces. “The material components are there – they are in the sensing arena. What can we give a squad that can look over the next
Lightening the Load
This last is crucial, he said, as the task force does not want to add any more weight; in fact, it wants to decrease the warfighter’s load. A fully equipped infantry soldier carries weapons, water, ammunition, batteries, food, personal protective equipment, hand grenades, goggles and more. The weight easily tops 120 pounds. “The piece about reducing the soldier’s load is central to what we’re looking at,” he said. “There’s some opportunity there, but there are some technological challenges.”
The task force is looking at what exoskeletons can accomplish and is considering the possibility of autonomous robots carrying gear, food
Not all battles occur in the same clime or place. Combat in cities requires different equipment, sensors
One of the innate advantages American squads enjoy is the innovative spirit. Soldiers and Marines take the initiative to find new ways to use equipment, capitalize on new technology or use old technology in new ways.
“When they come up with a solution, we have to listen, and we have the mechanisms in place to exploit that creativity,” L’Etoile said. “We have a bias for action on the task force. We are not going to let ‘perfect’ be the enemy of ‘good enough.’”
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