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Army to recognize 750,000th Soldier to receive RFI Mission-Essential Equipment

By Army Program Executive Office Soldier
September 20, 2006

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Army News Service, Sept. 20, 2006) – The Army will celebrate a milestone tomorrow when a Soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., becomes the 750,000th individual to receive a Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) kit containing the best, most current individual military equipment available.

The fielding of an RFI kit to the 750,000th Soldier is significant because it was Soldiers themselves who, in 2002, first alerted the Army to the pressing need for improved equipment to address desert and mountain terrain and climate, combined with urban street fighting, sniper fire and ever-changing tactics which characterize the war on terror. They identified requirements for new forms of protection, lighter weight gear and the ability to carry large supplies of ammunition.

The Army responded by establishing the RFI Program to deliver technologically advanced equipment that met Soldiers' needs as quickly as possible. Soldiers at Fort Bragg who had redeployed from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan received the first RFI kits.

RFI's success in meeting the technological and logistical challenges involved was the result of an unusually high degree of cooperation among government agencies and vendors, as well as the Army's willingness to go to unprecedented lengths to quickly get the improved gear to the front lines.

RFI Program Director Col. Mike Bonheim said, “I think the results speak for themselves. We have an ongoing dialogue with our Soldiers. They know their feedback started the program and, in many ways, still drives it."

Today, RFI fields specialized equipment to more than 24,000 Soldiers a month, well in advance of their deployment so that that they can train with the equipment before entering the fight.

RFI kits currently consist of 58 individual and small unit equipment items that enhance Soldiers’ combat effectiveness, save Soldiers’ lives, and improve their overall quality of life in the field. Equipment includes:

• Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment (MOLLE), which makes it possible for Soldiers to adjust equipment loads to suit the mission. It consists of removable compartments and components, and a fighting load vest with removable pockets. The modularity allows Soldiers to tailor the load to meet mission needs.

• The Advanced Combat Helmet, which gives the Soldier a better fit, enhances survivability and combat effectiveness, and allows for better hearing. It is lighter than the traditional Kevlar helmet and makes it easier for the Soldier to shoot while wearing it.

• Ballistic Spectacles, which provide prescription and non-prescription wearers with ballistic protection as well as environmental protection against wind and dust. The ballistic-fragmentation protection attributes enhance survivability and combat effectiveness while providing exceptional peripheral coverage and unobstructed fields of vision.

• Cold Weather Shirt and Overalls, which provide insulation and warmth with reduced weight, breathability and fast drying to accommodate the varying temperatures of desert and mountain environments.

RFI operates under the direction of the Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Va. PEO Soldier has mobile fielding teams that visit Army installations worldwide, and fixed facilities at Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Jackson, S.C. The operation is also forward deployed to Kuwait and Afghanistan.