Tomorrow's combat soldier may look more like a medieval knight than a warrior of the 20th century. Like his ancient counterpart, he will wear close-fitting body armor that will offer him unparalleled protection from head-to-toe. But that is where the similarities end.
Explosions rocked the rubbled streets of the sprawling cityscape. The sky lit up in a bright ball of flame as a 152 mm shell detonated against the third floor of a twenty-story building. The building was of pre-millennium construction, and consisted of steel-reinforced concrete and glass.
Sergeant Christie crouched with his back against the cold, concrete wall of the structure that had just been hit. Another soldier, a medic named Chavez, took cover next to Christie.
"Incoming fire, move fifty meters southwest," a computer voice in Christie's helmet warned.
Sergeant Christie immediately grabbed the other soldier by the arm. The two men bounded across the street and inside an abandoned concrete parking garage in an amazing five seconds. A few seconds later, an avalanche of enemy artillery fire pounded the ground where they had stood only moments before.
"I can't afford to lose you," Christie chided as the two soldiers knelt behind a smashed truck and caught their breath "You're the only medic for miles."
Tomorrow's combat soldier, as described in the short story above, may look more like a medieval knight than a warrior of the 20th century. Like his ancient counterpart, the warrior of the future will wear close-fitting body armor that will offer him unparalleled protection from head-to-toe. But that is where the similarities end. Unlike the knight of old, this body armor, sometimes referred to as an exoskeleton, will be made of a special lightweight material that will allow the soldier to move about with tremendous flexibility while at the same time providing his bones and muscles greater support than if the suit were made of metal. The armor of the 21st century knight will have a micro-climate control system embedded in it that will circulate either air or water to enable future soldiers to function comfortably in conditions between zero and one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit.
The uniform will also have hundreds of tiny built-in sensors (Nanosensors) that will allow soldiers and commanders to check core body temperatures, hydration levels, sleep status, and other critical physiological information. Nanosensors inside the helmet will, for example, monitor a soldier's breath for increased nitric oxide, which is a sign of stress. Not only will combat leaders know at a glance when their soldiers are under too much stress, or require more water or sleep, they will also know exactly how much they need to restore them to peak efficiency. More importantly, when soldiers are wounded, their suits will transmit valuable information concerning the nature of the wounds, how critical those wounds are, and what kinds of treatment or medical attention they need and how soon. In another decade or so, the soldier's uniform will have the capability to morph into a splint or an artificial muscle to enable him to continue fighting or return to safety for medical attention.
"You sure you're okay?" Sergeant Christie asked.
Chavez nodded.
"Let me check your biodata just to make sure." Sergeant Christie glanced at the watch-like device on Chavez's wrist. "Looks okay. You're just a little low on water. By the way, did you notice … our suits have already changed colors?"
"Yeah, it's amazing technology," Chavez said as a plastic tube in his helmet offered him an opportunity to take a quick sip of enhanced fluid. "It's not like the old days when we wore only one camouflage pattern at a time."
Christie nodded. "Okay, let's go."
The two soldiers bounded from the bombed-out parking garage into a city park. Their suits quickly adapted to the new, tree-background environment as soon as they left the concrete gray tones of city structures.
As Sergeant Christie noted, the fabric of tomorrow's uniform will function like the skin of a chameleon, able to change color in order to blend with its surroundings. It will also have special characteristics that will enable it to repel water and to protect against certain chemical and biological agents. It may even include certain kinds of "friendly" biological agents (biocides) that would automatically repair rips and tears in the uniform and that would also consume specific "hostile" biological agents such as small pox, anthrax, plague, and Ecoli.
"My heads-up display shows that the objective is five kilometers, straight ahead," Christie reported. "My display depicts that the route is clear of enemy from here to there."
Whereas the medieval knight had his field of vision drastically reduced whenever he lowered his visor, the 21st century warrior will have unprecedented awareness of what is going on in his immediate vicinity and well beyond. His close-fitting headgear, known as the Modular Integrated Communications Helmet, or MICH, will have a visor with a heads-up display similar to those used by combat pilots. By touching a few buttons, tomorrow's soldier will be able to view video and thermal imaging, global-positioning data, maps, tactical reports, and ammunition status. His head's-up display will show him the positions and movements of his comrades, and in many cases those of the enemy as well, in daylight or at night.
MICH will also have microprocessors and embedded antennae that can provide computer data and radio communications compatible with more than fifty types of radio systems. He will be able to call up field manuals for quick reference and have instant access to classified Web sites. High-and-low-noise headsets and microphones located along the exterior of the helmet will enhance the ability of tomorrow's knight to hear what he needs to hear, blocking out the unwanted din of battle so that he can better receive the commands of his leaders. The MICH and its embedded electronics will be completely waterproof and submersible.
"There it is!" Sergeant Christie exclaimed. "Our objective is just ahead, just on the other side of this river."
"That's a wide, muddy river and we'll have to swim against the current," Chavez remarked.
"No problem!" Christie answered. "In an exoskeleton suit even my grandmother could swim this creek. You go first and I'll cover you."
Chavez nodded, checked his gear, and then plunged into the deep, swift-running current. His suit instantly changed color to match the chocolate-brown mud toned hues of the river. Almost invisible to the unaided eye, Chavez swam carrying his heavy pack and smart rifle. The micro-machines of his exoskeleton combat suit magnified his human strength and he quickly swam against the powerful current to the opposite bank of the river.
Chavez's suit glistened slightly with an electro-magnetic shimmer as he moved out of the water and took up a firing position on the shoreline.
"Okay, Sarge, your turn," Chavez whispered into his helmet transmitter. "Far bank secure. No enemy indicated on my heads-up display."
Sergeant Christie heard Chavez's voice within his MICH, "On the way!"
Most of the technology needed to manufacture the body armor, exoskeleton, and helmet of tomorrow's combat soldier is in the not-so-distant future; not ten or twenty years away, but merely five or six years from now. The U.S. Army's Soldier Center at Natick, Massachusetts, has been working on a new "Land Warrior" system for several years. Several prototypes are already under development. Military leaders want to have the first versions of the new combat ensemble fielded by 2008, a challenging goal. Other, more sophisticated versions of "Land Warrior-like" systems, like the ones described in this story, will be developed by 2015.
Warfare is evolving and you can be on the front lines of change by following the development of new warfighting concepts in the next edition of the Armchair General's Future Warrior. I look forward to being your guide. Join Sergeant Christie in subsequent articles as he demonstrates the weapons, vehicles, remote-controlled robots,Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and other systems now under development.
