Photo By Terrance Bell | First Lt. Michelle Su and Capt. Joseph Quenga gather data June 30 during the...... read more read more
FORT LEE, Va. - In a far off land in the distant future, the Army might be fighting with autonomous aircraft, robotic tanks and directed energy weapons – at least that is one way the Army’s Capability Development and Integration Command envisions it.
CASCOM’s Sustainment Battle Lab, as part of an Army Battle Lab-wide effort, explored that future in a virtual environment during the Unified Challenge 15.2 Simulation Experiment held June 22-July 1. More than 700 role-players from across the Army participated in the SIMEX at 11 different locations, virtually executing joint combined arms maneuver and wide-area security operations.
Using the guidance and vision provided by the Army Operating Concept, released in October 2014 along with and its embedded 20 Army Warfighting Challenges, the roleplayers participated in simulated combat operations with a future force structure, future mission command concepts and future system capabilities in order to help shape the Army’s future force.
Working with the other Training and Doctrine Command and Army battle labs across the continental United States, CASCOM, led by SBL and more than 50 Soldiers, civilians and support contractors, participated in this year’s SIMEX in order to understand the doctrinal, organizational, training, materiel, leadership education, personnel, facilities and policy implications of a potential future Army.
SBL, for its part, looked to its Science and Technology Branch to introduce the idea of a reconfigurable cargo unmanned aerial system aircraft as well as robotic and leader-follower trucks. The employment of unmanned aircraft allowed senior leaders the opportunity to evaluate the benefit of using conceptual technologies on the battlefield, according to Maj. Joseph Zabaldano, SBL lead planner for UC15.2.
“Here at Fort Lee, our role players employed a C-UAS to fulfill emergency resupply requests and autonomous convoy systems as part of manned-unmanned teaming capabilities,” he said. “This provided an opportunity to evaluate manned and unmanned resupply operations.”
As part of the exploration of future mission command concepts, the SIMEX examined both the mobile computing environment as well as the idea of a home-station operations center. The mobile computing environment is projected to enable enhanced mission command on the move, while the home-station operations center concept may enable a division headquarters to support and integrate operations from CONUS with a smaller deployed staff.
Unified Challenge is a series of experiments that form part of the Army’s Campaign of Learning focused on exploring the Army Warfighting Challenges. CASCOM is responsible for integrating the exploration of AWFC No. 16 (Setting the Theater, Sustaining Operations and Ensuring Freedom of Movement). This year’s SIMEX, as well as CASCOM’s recently completed Theater Opening RoC Drill, will contribute to understanding this and other AWFCs.
The observations and insights developed as a result of the SIMEX will be presented to senior leaders during a series of out-briefs and decision points. These insights will shape how the Army will operate against future threats.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2015 10:52 |
| Story ID: | 169510 |
| Location: | FORT LEE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 506 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, SIMEX: Fort Lee's Sustainment Battle Lab participates in nationwide simulation exercise, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
