Making the soldier decisive on future battlefields / Committee on Making the Soldier Decisive on Future Battlefields, Board on Army Science and Technology, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences ; National Research Council of the National Academies.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S). Committee on Making the Soldier Decisive on Future Battlefields, issuing body.

National Research Council (U.S). Board on Army Science and Technology. Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Military planning.

Military research.

Weapons systems.

Combat survivability (Military engineering).

United States. Army.

United States.

United States. Army. Infantry.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (255 p.)

Place of Publication:

Washington, District of Columbia : National Academies Press, [2013]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This study resulted from recognition by the U.S. Army that a great disparity exists between the decisive overmatch capability, relative to prospective adversaries, of major U.S. weapon systems (such as tanks, fighter aircraft, or nuclear submarines) and the relative vulnerability of dismounted soldiers when they are operating in small, detached units (squads). The increased reliance in recent Army deployments on soldiers operating in these tactical small units (TSUs), as well as the expanding responsibilities of ground forces in the future for missions that go beyond traditional combat, provided the incentive to ask what could be done to give dismounted soldiers and TSUs a credible degree of decisive overmatch in any of the anticipated future operational environments. The focus of this study was achieving decisive overmatch for the dismounted Soldier and tactical small unit (TSU) on future battlefields. In particular, the committee was asked to determine the elemaents of overmatch capabilities necessary to achieve decisiveness, identify technical requirements for optimizing Soldiers and small units, identify near-, mid-, and far-term technologies for investment, and determine the relative importance of such investments. To examine the desired elements of decisive overmatch, Chapter 2 identifies capabilities needed for decisive overmatch by Soldiers and small units in dismounted infantry squad operations, including situational understanding, military effects (including lethal and nonlethal effects and stability actions), maneuverability, sustainability, and survivability. Chapter 3 then articulates the foundational capabilities needed to identify and implement potential solutions. Finally, Chapter 4 describes how to achieve overmatch by focusing on the five areas most likely to enable improvements in Soldier and TSU decisiveness. The study will examine the applicability of systems engineering to soldiers and small units, as well as specific technology areas that are relevant to making soldiers decisive, particularly in conditions where we still take casualties today (movement to contact and chance encounters). Technology areas to be considered should include (but not be limited to) situational awareness, weapons, mobility, and protection, adaptation to battlefield environments (e.g., clothing, cooling), communications and networking, human dynamics (e.g., physical, cognitive, behavioral), and logistical support (e.g., medical aid, food, water, energy).

Contents:

""Front matter""; ""Preface""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Contents""; ""Acronyms and Abbreviations""; ""Summary""; ""1 Introduction""; ""2 Capabilities""; ""3 Setting the Conditions to Achieve Soldier and TSU Overmatch""; ""4 Achieving Overmatch""; ""Appendix A

Biographical Sketches of Committee Members""; ""Appendix B

Committee Meetings""; ""Appendix C

Army Terminology and Doctrine Relevant to Dismounted Soldier Missions""; ""Appendix D

History and Status of Design for the Soldier as a System""; ""Appendix E

Measures of Performance and Measures of Effectiveness""

""Appendix F

Simulation Technologies and Devices""""Appendix G

Technology Solutions for TSU Sensor Missions""; ""Appendix H

Prospective Robotics Technologies""; ""Appendix

IEnergy Technologies and Applications for the Soldier""; ""Appendix J

Lethal and Nonlethal Weapons""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed May 2, 2014).

ISBN:

9780309284561

0309284562

9780309284547

0309284546

OCLC:

923290442