“I think it’s very notable we received full funding,” said Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, deputy chief of staff for G-8, during a conference in Washington D.C. on October 8th. “And we think it’s a factor that we have capabilities in the hands of Soldiers … where our critics and supporters alike can talk to the Soldier who is a combat-hardened veteran, (and) who does have a unique perspective about what their needs were that were unmet when they were last in combat,” Speakes said, moving away from presentations and slideshows and allowing FCS supporters and detractors to see the Spin Out-1 equipment in the hands of Soldiers. That allowed everybody to get a more realistic view of FCS potential. Though there is no FCS equipment currently in either Iraq or Afghanistan, there is “surrogate” equipment there — about 25 Micro Air Vehicles in the hands of the 25th Infantry Division and also about 1,500 Pacbot robots.
The MAV is similar in appearance to the FCS’s Class 1, Block 20 unmanned aerial vehicle. And though it lacks some of the communications capability the FCS UAV will have, it was developed from FCS technology, officials point out. The Pacbot is similar to the FCS unmanned ground vehicle, though it is heavier and lacks the ability to communicate with the FCS network. It, too, was developed from FCS technology. Actual FCS technology is now in the hands of Soldiers at the Army Evaluation Task Force (AETF) at Fort Bliss, Texas. Equipment there includes the actual Class 1, Block 0 UAV, the SUGV, the Non-Line of Sight Launch System and kits to network Humvees to the FCS network. While not part of FCS, but instead a complimentary system, the Ground Soldier ensemble will eventually hook Soldiers into the FCS network — making Soldiers themselves a future combat system.
Soldiers at the AETF have already conducted testing on FCS equipment while acting as a heavy brigade combat team. Now they are resetting to test as an infantry unit. That testing leads up to “limited user testing” in summer 2009. By 2015, officials expect the first FCS Brigade Combat Team to be equipped with the full slate of FCS equipment, including its manned and unmanned vehicles, its UAVs, and its network. Until that time, additional components will be pushed out to the force, including such things as Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment, known as MULE, and the Class IV UAV.
