Program Aims To Reduce Load Carried By US Troops

Imagine a 3-day hike over rough terrain carrying over 130 pounds. It sounds unbelievable but this is the load carried by some US Army soldiers on a 3-day mission in Afghanistan. It comes as no surprise then that load reduction is a major goal of Program Executive Office Soldier.

Weight remains a major obstacle for the U.S. Army as it tries to equip soldiers with all of the gear needed to remain safe and connected to other soldiers on the battlefield.

I tell people in my office, 'Stop hanging stuff on the kids like they're Christmas trees,' " Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller said Oct. 12 at the 10th Annual C4ISR Journal Conference in Washington, D.C. Fuller is head of Program Executive Office Soldier.

It is time to integrate soldier gear, Fuller said, showing photos of soldiers and Marines worn out from the enormous amount of weight they are carrying.

He said the service hopes to address the problem by integrating soldier systems so that they perform multiple functions. He cited the use of separate eyepieces, one for night vision and another to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Part of the problem, he said, is that various Army offices provide soldiers gear without enough coordination. Fuller's office provides basic kit, but then soldiers get additional specialized gear depending on their military occupation.

A recent study showed that medics and mortar operators in Afghanistan are carrying the most weight: roughly 133 pounds for a three-day mission.

"The soldier is thinking, 'I have a lot of kit; what do I really want to carry?' " Fuller said.

The biggest problem is batteries, which account for 3 percent of a soldier's total weight. Although technological advances are allowing batteries to carry more power per pound, demand for power is also increasing, he said.

By: Shelldrake