Battlefield tests

US Army Brigades to Probe Emerging Technologies for Transforming Combat Capabilities, Official Says

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said the service branch will assign brigades deployed overseas for experiments on incorporating new and emerging technologies, such as communication networking, unmanned aerial systems and electronic warfare to bolster the U.S. Army’s combat capabilities.

Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army Coffee Series event Tuesday, George said the brigades’ “transforming in contact” task will gather feedback from troops deployed on realistic battleground scenarios. According to the Army chief, the service now operates in a rapidly changing and complex environment, particularly on technological development that demands urgent field adjustments and refinements, C4ISRNET reported.

George and other senior military officials have observed that new technologies deployed in combat are changing every three weeks to three months. At that rate, a specific military tactic cannot be expected to work over a long-term deployment.

As a starting solution, the Army plans to adjust the size and toolkit for brigade networks and fine-tune small drone deployment by type and number, George disclosed. Refinements on electromagnetic and cyber warfare are also additional steps for the Army to follow, he added.