Stryker Soldiers field Land Warrior

Photo By Master Sgt. Thomas Duval | Sgt. Jeff Sherer, Platoon leader, B Company 1st Battalion 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, communicates using the headset portion of the Land Warrior system during a patrol at Fort Wainwright, Nov. 5.  

FORT WAINWRIGHT, AK, UNITED STATES

11.05.2010

Story by Spc. Thomas Duval  

United States Army Alaska

At first glance, Sgt. Jeffery Sherer looks like the typical soldier, carrying his weapon at the low ready and wearing body armor. But a more focused glance reveals something different about Sherer and a number of his battle buddies.

Equipped with a futuristic eyepiece and headset, Sherer, an infantryman, is just one of many soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, who recently fielded the Land Warrior System at Fort Wainwright Nov. 5. The Land Warrior is an integrated modular fighting system that includes a helmet, headset, eyepiece, computer, digital and voice communication and navigation system.

According to Nathan McWalters, a unit system integrator with the Land Warrior System trainer, the system is primarily used by team leaders and increases a soldier’s awareness, survivability and lethality on the battlefield. It is currently being fielded by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the exercise, Stryker soldiers operated the system under realistic scenarios, testing the equipment’s efficiency. As they made their way across a snow-covered field, squads disappeared into the hazy Alaska horizon as they faced off with a number of pop-up targets shrouded in an icy fog. It proved to be the perfect conditions to showcase the Land Warrior System.

“If you don’t know the terrain, [the system is] great for communication and accountability especially when the visibility is bad,” Sherer said. “The fact that our units can mark where they’ve been and buildings they’ve cleared can really eliminate redundancies and increase general situational awareness.”

With each passing round of ammo making its lasting impression on the rubber enemy, the equipment continued to prove its importance. “The concept is great,” said Cpl. Alex Perkins, an infantryman with 1/24th.

“The Land Warrior System provides an increase in situational awareness to the team leaders and above, once dismounted,” McWalters said.

McWalters said one of the more important features of the system is its ability to allow Soldiers to operate proficiently on the battlefield and conduct movements with less exposure. “We are getting positive feedback from the Soldiers with boots on the ground,” he said.

The Land Warrior system’s efficiency and bulk have been questioned over the years, according to McWalters, and it has undergone many changes. But many soldiers feel there are advantages to having the system that outweigh the extra weight it adds to a soldier’s load.

“The big thing is to get them to incorporate the equipment into the training and to realize it’s not just another 10 pounds of gear, but something that can make their job easier,” said 2nd Lt. Jason Jewkes, 1st platoon, B Company, 1/24th.

• Date Taken: 11.05.2010
• Date Posted: 11.18.2010 15:01
• Story ID: 60415
• Location: FORT WAINWRIGHT, AK, US