By Ann Roosevelt
The 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) has filed an Operational Needs Statement (ONS) for improved situational awareness (SA) by requesting nearly 1,000 dismounted soldier systems–either the General Dynamics [GD] Land Warrior or the Sierra Nevada Corp. Inter-4 Tacticomp.
The Aug. 16 request to Army leaders from the 5/2 requests a “minimum of 606 dismounted soldier systems for the SBCT, with an optimal quantity of 982 for the entire SBCT.”
“Cost estimates for the optimal quantity of dismounted systems range from $57 million for a LW/GSS based solution to $18 million for a Tacticomp solution,” the statement said.
To date, the Army has not made a decision on the request, though Land Warrior is getting strong support from the commander of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, who called it “clearly a combat multiplier” in a late September e-mail to the Army Vice Chief of Staff. “Advanced SA of dismounted forces is critical, and Land Warrior has my full support,” the e-mail said.
However, Land Warrior has no funding at this point, and the Army has made no decisions to address the request.
“We still have some work to do, but it is something we want to continue to invest in,” the e-mail said.
The 5/2 request also includes the necessary systems to field three infantry battalions, the reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition (RSTA) squadron, the field artillery battalion, the engineer company, and the SBCT headquarters.
The SBCT also asks for supply and maintenance with a government/contractor team, with additional systems be procured as operational readiness floats.
The SBCT defined a capability gap between mounted elements of the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2)-equipped unit and dismounted soldier teams. Currently situational awareness and command information can only be communicated by voice between mounted and dismounted soldiers.
“We require the capability to generate increased SA that includes locations and dispositions of dismounted Soldier teams,” the statement said. “This common operating picture (COP) needs to be available to both mounted and dismounted Soldier teams as well as C4 nodes to facilitate rapid and flexible execution of combat operations.”
Additionally, the need is justified by the success of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4/2 ID Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), now deployed in Iraq. The 4/9 Manchus demonstrated the Land Warrior system increased situational awareness in the SBCT overall and specifically to Stryker crews and dismounted soldiers.
The Manchus have “subsequently validated Land Warrior / Ground Soldier System (LW/GSS) as a combat multiplier during its ongoing combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom,” the statement said.
Additionally, the 5/2 said “the increased SA between the dismounted elements and mounted elements of 5/2 ID (SBCT) will facilitate more rapid and complete coordination and deconfliction between mounted and dismounted elements. This will significantly increase unit efficiency and lethality.”