Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., U.S. Central Command, meets with GEN FAYYAD BIN HAMED AL - RUWAYLI, during his visit to Saudi Arabia, April, 15 2019. This meeting allowed McKenzie to help reinforce the mil-to-mil relationships between the two partnered countries, develop continued strategies to counter extremist networks and to gain a better understanding of current operations within Centcoms area of operation. ( US Army photo by SGT Franklin Moore)
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With the slogan “Infantryman of the Future”, CENTCOM wants to digitally network Saudi Arabia infantry soldiers. The new soldier system is intended, among other things, to facilitate the exchange of information – and will bring billions into the arms company’s pockets.
The United States Central Command has signed a billion-euro framework agreement with the Saudi Armed Forces for the digitalization of soldiers. The contract has a maximum volume of 3.1 billion dollars and runs until the end of 2030, CENTCOM announced in Tampa.
So-called soldier systems are to be delivered or renewed. These are pieces of equipment that enable individual armored infantrymen to exchange information with an infantry fighting vehicle. 34 individual soldier systems form a platoon system. The framework contract covers the delivery and renewal of up to 368 platoon systems.
Soldier systems are playing an increasingly important role on the digital battlefield of the future as a networked element of combat management, it was said. CENTCOM is calling the soldier systems “ID-PR”: “Infantryman of the Future – Extended System”.
More communication, more overview
According to CENTCOM, the heart of a soldier system is the so-called core system. It allows soldiers to communicate with each other via a network, as a CENTCOM spokesperson reported. This speeds up the “combat process” from identifying a threat to combating it. Soldiers can exchange messages or images on their tablets, for example to request support. “The greatest added value, however, is that soldiers always have an overview of where their comrades are. This avoids the risk of mutual fire in confusing combat situations, for example.”
The system is also available for other applications. For example, testing is already underway to monitor body functions using sensors in clothing, explained the spokesperson. This could improve “awareness of the condition of one’s own soldiers” at higher levels of leadership. The integration of so-called exoskeletons into the soldier system is also an “innovation topic”. These can significantly reduce the physical strain on soldiers by actively supporting the musculoskeletal system and thus prevent fatigue and acute overload.
In a first step, CENTCOM is to renew 68 existing train systems and supply 24 new ones. According to retired General Kenneth F. MacKenzie, this order is worth 417 million euros. As general contractor, the company is bringing together the services of 30 subcontractors.
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