Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Heaton | The Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross Functional Team consists of approximately 24...... read more read more
While there may not be any linguists assigned to the Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross Functional Team, there are three Soldiers who specialize in translating one language into another.
The team’s three senior noncommissioned officers bridge the divide between the engineers who are charged with developing future combat vehicles for the Army and the Soldiers who will use those vehicles on the battlefield.
“Being able to understand what is going to be most beneficial to the Soldier out in the field and then conveying that to the engineers who are designing the equipment, that’s our primary role,” said Master Sgt. Jeremy Cook, capabilities development noncommissioned officer in charge for the NGCV CFT. “We bring the warfighter’s perspective – from the first sergeant all the way down to the dismounted scout – to the table.”
Based at the Detroit Arsenal, the NGCV CFT is comprised of approximately 24 personnel – a mix of Soldiers, Army civilians and contract specialists – tasked with accelerating development of future armored vehicles. The team’s signature programs include the XM30 Combat Vehicle, M10 Combat Vehicle, developing Robotic Combat Vehicles to support the Human-Machine Integrated Formation concept, and upgrades to the Abrams main battle tank.
“Our NCOs not only bring the prospective of the individual Soldier to the process, but they understand the requirements and the mission sets of the formation,” said Col. Kevin Bradley, NGCV CFT director. “We rely on the expertise and experience of our senior NCOs advise and ensure these systems will enable Soldiers to survive and win each fight. Just like in the Army as whole, our NCOs are what makes our CFT powerful.”
Prior to joining the CFT over the summer, Cook was serving as the first sergeant of Troop C, 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. He spent most of his career as a cavalry scout – looking at terrain and thinking about how that terrain would impact the movement of different types of formations. Now, he analyzes how formations made up of future armored vehicles might move on that terrain.
“It is about trying to determine how to use technology in a way that is most applicable to the mission success,” he said.
In addition to Cook, two master gunners serve on the CFT: Sgt. 1st Class Michael Markland with an armor background, and Master Sgt. Salem Auclair with an infantry background.
“Engineers are designing a piece of technology on a sheet of paper. They have an incredible level of technical expertise, but what they probably don’t have is 17 years of experience as a crewman on an Abrams,” said Markland, who served as a platoon sergeant at Fort Bliss, Texas, prior to joining the CFT about two years ago.
Markland said he believes his fellow 19-Kilo Soldiers will be excited about future upgrades being considered for the Abrams.
“It isn’t just looking at the latest technology,” he said. “What we’re doing is taking that technology and integrating it into the system to add new capability.”
Auclair has primarily supported the CFT’s efforts on the XM30, which will replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in future Armored Brigade Combat Teams.
“Moving from the Bradley to the XM30 will be like going from an old analog TV to a smart TV. You used to have to get up and walk across the room to change the channel, now you download a new app in a minute to add a new capability,” said Auclair, who began his career as an 11-Bravo infantry Soldier, spending uncounted hours in and around Bradleys. “The XM30 isn’t just a replacement for the Bradley, it is a transformation. It will be more survivable, more lethal. It will give the Soldier and the formation what it needs on the future battlefield.”
The XM30 is scheduled to be delivered to the first unit equipped in fiscal year 2029.
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.04.2024 10:56 |
| Story ID: | 486597 |
| Location: | MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 193 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Enlisted Soldiers Bring Warfighter’s Perspective to CFT’s Mission, by Dan Heaton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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