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8
Soldier Sustainment
The Chief of Staff of the Army has stated that "Soldiers are our credentials." The
committee strongly endorses this credo and believes it will still be true in 2025. No
matter how many tons of ammunition and fuel are available in the battle area, soldiers
must be present to use them. Therefore, sustaining the soldier is the sine qua non of any
logistics systems.
The soldier sustainment logistics burden is not measured in tons but in necessity.
If soldiers cannot sustain themselves, the battle will come to a halt and be lost.
Therefore, the committee believes that the soldier's logistics load should be reduced and
that every effort should be made to enable soldiers to conduct continuous operations
with minimum personal resupply.
Reducing the soldier's load will require improvements in compact electric
power, lightweight protective garments and ballistic protection, nutrition and medicine,
food and water production and delivery, and other technology areas. Reducing the
soldier's logistics burden will increase fighting effectiveness and will ultimately reduce
the number of soldiers needed to accomplish any given mission.
COMPACT POWER
The combat soldier will become increasingly dependent on portable electronic
systems, and the provision of adequate power for dismounted soldiers is a major logistics
consideration. Research objectives and relevant technologies for improving energy
sources and electronics were reviewed in a 1997 NRC report, Energy-E~icient
Technologies for the Dismounted Soldier MARC, 1 997a).
The committee is aware of several technological developments that may
ultimately reduce the weight burden associated with energy needs for the individual
soldier in the AAN time frame. One of these is rechargeable fuel cells, which were
discussed in Chapter 4. Dramatic increases in stored energy will require that the Army
move away from traditional electrochemical batteries toward nontraditional energy
storage concepts, such as microturbines and nuclear "batteries," which are discussed
below.
Microtu rb in es
The compact gas turbine, which uses hydrogen as its primary fuel source,
appears to be an appropriate area of investigation for AAN, and the Army has sponsored
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SOLDIER SUSTAINMENT
significant research in microturbines (NRC, 1997a). However, these power systems will
still have to meet the same requirements as large power systems in terms of their
capacity to produce net electrical power. Because the capability of a turbine power plant
to provide net power output is a function of the pressure ratio, turbine efficiency,
compressor efficiency, and maximum temperature at turbine inlet, the characteristics of
these new devices will have to be assessed to determine if they meet the requirements.
Efficiencies of aerodynamic compression and expansion devices decrease as surface-to-
volume ratios increase, so mechanical, compressor, and turbine efficiencies will have to
be high enough to provide enough net power output to drive the power generator. The
overall efficiency of the power plant may not matter as long as the machine is capable of
providing enough net power. (Limitations on using hydrogen, instead of JP-8, as a
battlefield fuel are discussed in Chapter 4.)
Nuclear "Batteries"
One way to minimize the weight burden of batteries for the individual soldier
would be to develop radioisotope-based power sources to replace small batteries.
Commercial, radioactive energy sources are already found in smoke detectors and some
wrist watches with luminous dials. One of several means of converting isotope power to
electric output is thermoelectric (TE) conversion (utilizing the heat generated by iso-
topes). Some DARPA projects are focused on increasing the performance of TE
junctions by an order of magnitude, which would greatly improve heat-to-electric power
conversion efficiency. Past experiments have shown that the direct conversion of nuclear
to electric power by bombarding silicon "solar" cells with low level nuclear particles is
feasible (AsTange and Emin, 1997~. Unfortunately, the life of silicon cells under these
conditions is extremely limited because of atomic lattice damage. Researchers at the
University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratories have presented data sug-
gesting that alternate semiconductor materials, the so-called icosohedral borides (e.g.,
B~2P2 or B~2As2), may be "self-healing" under low-level nuclear bombardment and might
be more feasible for battery-like nuclear-to-electric power converters (AsTange and
Emin, 1997~. DARPA has recently initiated an experimental feasibility study of this con-
cept. Because of the low levels of radiation associated with the gamma radiation of the
power source, typically 40 keV, shielding would have to be the equivalent of lead foil. A
nuclear battery would be a lightweight, "eternal" power source. These technologies
would be most beneficial for low-power batteries for individual soldiers and for remote
sensors.
PROTECTION OF PERSONNEL
In a general sense, the functional requirements for body armor are the same as
those for vehicle armor. The objective is to increase protection per unit of mass or vol-
ume. Lightweight building blocks for body armor for combination systems particularly
polymer and ceramic composites, look promising. Unlike vehicle armor, however, body
armor must be flexible enough so it does not interfere with the mobility and effective-
ness of the soldier. A "lightweight" armor on a 15-ton vehicle is likely to be much too
heavy for a 1 80-pound soldier who is already carrying a combat load.
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REDUCING THE LOGISTICS BURDEN FOR THE ARMYAFTER NEXT
Body Armor
Traditional designs for body armor restrict mobility and can significantly limit a
soldier's performance. This is mainly because conventional armor systems (such as
steels, aluminum alloys, ceramics, and monolithic reinforced polymers) are clumsy and
heavy. In bulletproof vests, for example, hard ceramic provides an impact-resistant
surface, but the vest is large and may not conform to the contours of the body. Even
relatively light vests constructed of woven polymeric composites (including Keviar and
spectra fibers) can be uncomfortable to wear in hot weather. An ideal armor system
would be lightweight, flexible, and easy to manufacture.
Two technological challenges for body armor are weight and practicality. These
may be overcome by using a segmented design for the armor system, for example, ce-
ramic plates supported by energy-absorbing woven polymer backing. Polymer materials
that mimic spider silk, mollusk shells, and other natural materials could also be used as
building blocks for lightweight body armor to reduce the vulnerability of limbs to bullets
and shrapnel. Body armor systems could be equipped with sensors and detectors that
monitor body functions in case of a hit and assess the degree of injury. These could be
in-situ sensors (e.g., piezoelectric polymers that sense mechanical changes and detect
electrical signals) that are part of the composite armor material. The body armor systems
may also be combined into protective garments providing protection from chemical and
biological agents and nuclear radiation.
Research in the area of polymers for personnel protection, especially on new
fiber technologies and biomimetic (protein-based) polymers, could lead to important
building blocks for body armor, such as filaments, cloth, or matrix materials that could
be filled with ceramic powders. Other building blocks for body armor include micro-
layered composites (such as ceramic-metal, ceramic-polymer), gradient materials with
hard coatings (such as carbonitrides), and hybrid materials with smart properties.
Active Protection Systems
In the AAN time frame, it may be feasible to develop active protection systems
for soldiers using technologies and techniques developed for active protection systems
for vehicles (see Appendix D). When sensors detect a projectile threat, a smart defeat or
energy-absorbing system could be activated to increase the soldier's survivability.
MEDICINE AND NUTRITION
The soldier in the AAN will have complete SA of his position, the location of his
unit and other friendly forces, and the location of enemy forces. Similarly, each unit will
have SA of the individual soldier" his location, how much ammunition he has, how
much water and food he has, and his state of health. The Navy already has a system
under development for transmitting medical information. The system is a vest with a
grid of fibers. When a group of fibers is tom by a projectile, the location and the extent
of the wound (as well as the location of the sailor) are transmitted to a central location
where medical personnel perform triage. Because medical support on the battlefield will
be minimal, the decision of whether or not first aid is required will be critical.
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SOLDIER SUSTAINMENT
131
Up to now, the Army has had limited success with exoskeletal arrays. However,
as new sensors and controls and new materials are developed, the Anny may decide to
reevaluate these areas. It is certainly well within the Army's research and development
capability to develop a medical patch through which wounded soldiers could receive
blood coagulants, pain killers, and other medicines. Uniforms, boots, and gloves could
be structured to serve as splints for broken bones. With telemedicine, diagnoses can be
made from outside the battle areas and enable minimally trained soldiers to perform life-
saving procedures.
The space program could be a mode! for sustaining soldiers in AAN combat
scenarios. Astronauts can function for long periods of time without resunnIv.
without resupply
"Toothpaste tube meals," for example, already weigh less than the predicated combat
ration weight of 0.S pounds per meal. By 2025, a nutrient patch could be developed that
would minimize the requirement for bulky food rations. Astronauts also recycle urine,
which reduces the need for an external water supply. Pills could be developed to improve
the soldier's performance in combat. To paraphrase the motto of DuPont, we would have
"better soldiering through chemistry." One pill might enable an individual to operate
effectively for 24 hours a day while another might increase visual acuity or hearing. Pills
might also enhance physical and cognitive abilities or reduce susceptibility to biological
and chemical attacks.
OTHER TECHNOLOGIES
Research in several other areas important to AAN soldier logistics has been
promising but has progressed slowly and has not received significant support. Some of
the potential benefits are described below.
Lightweight protective garments could reduce the weight of current chemical
protective garments from 15 Ibs. to 6 Ibs., possibly even 3 Ibs. Anny planners should
also carefully consider the benefits of thermal management. Cooling the soldier ensem-
ble could significantly reduce the need for large quantities of water in arid areas. The
current overgarment for thermal management weighs 15 Ibs. and uses 200W of electric-
ity for three hours. Improved protective garments could weigh 6 Ibs. and use 300W for
12 hours or more.
The weight of rations for an AAN battle force of 8,000 soldiers deployed for 14
days would be about 135 tons, which is only a small fraction of the total deployment
weight. Improved ready-to-eat meals (MREs) could reduce the weight of combat rations
carried by the individual soldier from 1.5 Ibs. to 0.8 Ibs.
Current DoD planning for portable water consumption is 20 gallons per soldier
per day, with 3.9 to 7.7 gallons for drinking, personal hygiene, field feeding, and
treatment for heat injury. Water weighs 8.34 Ibs. per gallon. In high temperature areas,
as many as 200,000 gallons, weighing approximately 650 tons will be required per day
for the AAN battle force. The total water requirement for a 14-day deployment would
weigh more than 9,000 tons. In contrast to food rations, this is a significant fraction of
total deployment weight. Therefore, developing storage, distribution, quality control, and
treatment technologies for water will be essential. Rapid bioremediation of nonpotable
water sources could be available by 2025. In addition, AAN concept developers should
address questions of water usage and reassess their assumptions about the amount of
bottled water to be supplied.
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REDUCING THE LOGISTICS BURDEN FOR THE ARMYAFTER NEXT
Current capabilities for field feeding include burner units, containerized
kitchens, and nameless ration heaters. The capabilities that will be necessary for AAN
are on-demand feeding, automated ration dispensing, self-heated rations, and self-chilled
beverages. If AAN soldiers could subsist solely on combat rations, these technology and
support requirements would be reduced considerably.
FINDINGS
The individual soldier will be the single most essential combat system in the
AAN. As part of a battle force with minimal logistical support, technologies will have to
extend the soldier's range and duration of self-sustained operations. Reducing soldier
logistics will have a multiplier effect of increasing combat effectiveness and reducing
logistics burdens for medical support, water, and food.
Because individual soldier logistics are an essential part of AAN, the Army
should consider establishing a science and technology objective (STO) to focus on
technologies to extend the range of self-sustained soldier performance to distances and
durations that would enhance AAN operations. The STO would adapt M&S tools to
analyze and determine objectives for the soldier as a system that would both reduce
logistics demand and increase combat effectiveness.
Although it may appear that the potential for reducing soldier logistics is small
in comparison to reducing the logistics burdens for fuel or ammunition, the committee
believes that soldier logistics deserve special attention and that research and technology
development for AAN soldier sustainment should be treated in a separate context. The
Army's Soldier System Command (or successor organization) that is now responsible
for development of soldier systems, should be expanded to include management,
funding, and trade-off analyses for the AAN soldier.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
protective garments
