It Is Time for the Exoskeleton: Lethality Isn't the Problem; it's the Combat Load
Abstract
When I joined the Marine Corps, I wore a helmet, flak jacket, two canteens with cup, and a first aid kit. I had two magazine pouches that held six rifle magazines, and I could carry two fragmentation grenades on each of the magazine pouches. That was the extent of my load. In the mid-1990s, we hit a technological explosion and are still being buried by great combat gear. Today I wear a different helmet, an interceptor vest with small arms protective inserts, and have really increased what I carry, quadrupled what I have to be able to do, and decreased tenfold the amount of time that I have to learn all of my required skills. On 24 May 2004, there was an article in the Marine Times discussing hot new gear proposed by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL). This article identified even more gear to come the infantryman's way. This is not a ridiculous thought either. These are mission essential equipment identified over years of actual missions and detailed analysis. Without delving into the training time required just for the equipment additions, we should seriously consider the combat load of the individual. In 2001, the Infantry Operational Advisory Group recommended key weights during different times of movement toward the enemy. But based on actual experiences, there is no reasonable way to follow these combat load guidelines. The answer to our increasing dilemma of combat load may have been identified in Robert A. Heinlein's book "Starship Troopers." In the story, one man had a strength-enhancing exoskeleton suit that protected him from the environment, to include chemical or biological worries. It allowed the wearer to jump over buildings and run across countrysides faster than today's vehicles. There were built-in communications, optics, protection, and strength. In many ways Heinlein's projection has been accurate. What we have not done is attacked the basic problem of the equipment load that he has to carry. This may be about to change.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA489646
Entities
People
- Jeffrey L. Eby