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Soldiers glimpse future capabilities

By Sgt. Lorie Jewell
November 3, 2004

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 3, 2004) - Soldiers of the future will head into battle with lighter loads, enhanced body protection, better chow, and more portable electrical power.

Technologies like nanotechnology and photovoltaics - evolving methods that are responsible for much of the improvements - were part of a recent forum on "Equipping the Soldier for the 21st Century" at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting.

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of atoms and molecules to create materials or items at the nanometer scale, which is about 50,000 times smaller than the diameter of a strand of human hair. It's being used to develop lighter, stronger and more flexible body armor, helmets, uniforms, eye protection, and food packaging, among other possibilities.

Using nanotechnology, scientists and engineers envision the Soldier of the future in a battle uniform that can stop or slow bullets and other projectiles, repel water, monitor health and automatically deliver medicines to treat injuries.

Such technology will improve a Soldier's chance of surviving serious injuries from blasts and firefights, said Lt. Col. Charlie Dean, the Army's liaison at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies opened earlier this year.

Photovoltaics, or PVs, use solar cells to convert light into electricity, with no noise, no moving parts and without producing pollution, scientists said. PVs can be integrated into existing materials like fabric, shelters, and vehicles.

Lightweight and portable PV panels can be laid out on a table, or spread out on top of a shelter, to generate power that can be used for a variety of things, like recharging batteries. With a small PV panel that rolls up and fits in a pocket, Soldiers can recharge two double-A batteries in about two hours. Larger PV panels can also provide emergency power to field hospitals.

The forum also included a demonstration of the new combat uniform, with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston fielding questions about it. The uniform, designed with input from Soldiers, has been field tested by Stryker Brigade Soldiers in Iraq.

Wrinkle-free with a digitized camouflage pattern of greens and light browns, the uniform features angled breast pockets, a collar that folds up to prevent chaffing from body armor, Velcro and zippers instead of buttons and pockets on the upper sleeves and toward the bottom of the legs. A pleat in the back shoulders makes the shirt more expandable for larger-chested Soldiers.

Soldiers will also wear moisture-wicking T-shirts and undergarments, and lightweight jungle-style brown boots.

The uniform will help Soldiers blend into a variety of environments and especially so in urban areas and at night, Preston said. It will be phased in much like the physical training uniform was, he added. Soldiers deploying next year for OIF 3 and OEF 6 will get the uniforms, which will replace the desert camouflage uniforms and both the summer and winter versions of the battle dress uniforms.

Basic training Soldiers should start getting them issued in May 2006, with all Soldiers in them by May of 2008. They'll cost a little more than BDUs, but clothing allowances will be adjusted to compensate, Preston said. Soldiers will also save money because the uniforms cannot be professionally laundered or dry-cleaned; they also won't pay for patches to be sewn on since Velcro will be used.

Preston said sleeves stay down in theater and the Army is getting away from rolling sleeves up in general.

One concern expressed about the uniform was the noise Velcro makes when a Soldier opens a pocket. Preston said the leg pockets have drawstrings that can be used instead.

Most Soldiers were enthusiastic about the uniform and future technologies. Sgt. Samuel Cowell, a signal intelligence analyst from Korea, appreciated the chance to see the uniform up close.

"This dispels a lot of rumors about it," Cowell said. "People saying there aren't any real improvements, that the Velcro won't work right. But with all the testing it's been through, and showing us, I think it's going to be fine."