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The test was conducted to see the effectiveness of recently developed technology and how it could, one day, help in fighting the enemy of the future.
“Future threats will evolve in ways that the current force is not postured to address,” said General Robert B. Neller, the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps. “Despite this challenging fiscal environment we must continue current operations, reset our equipment, and maintain our warfighting readiness, while at the same time, innovate and modernize the force.”
The Marines of 3/5 were tasked with testing the beginnings of the modernized force with equipment such as robots used for carrying gear, dealing suppressive fire, and conducting reconnaissance.
“Having this new technology is great,” said Lance Cpl. Christopher Cantu, an infantryman with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. “ It allows us to put robots in our place so we don’t have to risk the safety of a Marine.”
Reducing the risks a Marine is exposed to in combat will not only allow for improved troop welfare but a Marine force that is more comfortable and confident when entering a hostile environment.
“One of the most dangerous thing a Marine can do is be the first one to enter a building, if a Marine is the first person to go through a door, we’re wrong,” said Capt. Mike Malandra an infantry officer and ground combat element branch head for science and tech division at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. “With a robot potentially being the first one to go in, it will make it that much safer for our Marines.”
Staying safe in combat is just one of the many factors that will make the Marines an even greater fighting force with manned and unmanned teaming. Ensuring that our Marines have the energy to fight when it is necessary is also a big factor.
“Our Marines keep carrying more and more into the battlefield, eventually its going to get to the point where we cant carry anymore, which means either we lose capability by shedding stuff or we figure out a way to get this stuff into the battlefield, and that is exactly what things like the newly developed logistics MUTT provides for our Marines,” said Malandra.
Marines equipped with this technology are already showing how effective the future of the force can be.
“I think soon we’re going to see that this technology is vital, just because of how much more effective this makes us as a force,” said Malandra.
MIX16 is the first event in the Sea Dragon 2025 initiative, which is the Marine Corps’ deliberate campaign to blend innovative ideas and concepts through war gaming and experimentation to refine the force of the future.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2016 11:54 |
| Story ID: | 206407 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 137 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Marines test future capabilities, by Sgt Julien Rodarte, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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