Army Modernization in Next-Generation Vehicles Will Change the Battlefield

by MAJ Cory W. Wallace, MAJ George M. Morris, MAJ Scott Stephens and MAJ Shawn D. Pardee The Army must maintain combat-vehi cle overmatch in close combat against current threats while taking necessary actions to ensure overmatch through 2050 and beyond. Therefore the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) cross-functional team (CFT) is the Ar my’s No. 2 modernization priority. Es tablished in 2017 by then-Secretary of the Army Mark Esper and Chief of Staff of the Army GEN Mark Milley, the NGCV CFT drives combat-vehicle mod ernization priorities to rapidly provide Soldiers with the most advanced com bat platforms. Our peer threats have studied our equipment and tactics. They have de veloped increasingly capable systems and armaments that include, but are not limited to, advanced kinetic-ener gy ammunition, improved anti-tank guided missiles, explosively formed penetrators, underbelly-mines rocket-propelled grenades, loitering muni tions, unmanned aerial systems and cyber-electromagnetic activities. To meet these threats, the NGCV CFT prioritizes the Army Science and Tech nology efforts for ground-combat ve hicles and works with its acquisition partner to field the Armored Multipur pose Vehicle (AMPV), mobile protect ed firepower (MPF), Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) and Robotic Combat Vehicles (RCV). The CFT is also assessing the need for a main-battle-tank replacement and is working on cutting-edge technologies in automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Overall, the CFT synchronizes, coordinates and re sources government science and tech nology projects, analytics, academic and industry developments; Soldier assessments and experiments with prototypes; and acquisition efforts to speed the development of the next generation of combat vehicles for our Soldiers. As BG Ross Coffman, director of the NGCV CFT, consistently reminds our modernization partners within the De fense Department and industry that “we cannot modernize to parity. We must modernize to overmatch our en emy.” NGCV portfolio AMPV: Is a one-for-one replacement for the M113 at the unit level of ar mored brigade combat team (ABCT) and below. AMPV will be able to match the pace of an ABCT, have improved survivability and force protection over the M113, and be able to incorporate future technologies and the Army’s fu ture network. These capabilities will allow units to operate more securely and efficiently with the tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled ar tillery pieces of the ABCT. When fielded, AMPV variants will

Spring 2020 replace more than 30 percent of the ABCT’s aging tracked-vehicle fleet. The mission-command vehicle facilitates enhanced command-and-control for commanders and staff. The mortar carrier provides immediate, respon sive fire support to the BCT to conduct fast-paced offensive operations. The medical-evacuation vehicle provides the maneuver units and the brigade-support battalion the ability to trans port casualties with en-route care for four litter or six ambulatory casualties. The medical-treatment vehicle pro vides a workspace for the surgeon or physician’s assistant to care for Sol diers. The general-purpose vehicle supports logistics and non-standard medical evacuation at the company level. The first units within an ABCT will re ceive AMPVs beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. MPF: In 2013, 82nd Airborne Division submitted an operational-needs state ment identifying an urgent, operation al, warfighting need for an MPF capa bility for conducting Joint forcible en try. To meet this requirement and sup port infantry BCTs (IBCTs), the Army will field the MPF, a light tank that pro vides precise, large-caliber, long-range direct fires for IBCTs. The MPF will boast a 105mm main-weapon system, 7.62mm coax, commander weapon station and a roll-on/roll-off, C- 17-transportable capability. The MPF will neutralize enemy prepared posi tions, heavy machineguns and lightly armored vehicles. The first IBCT to be equipped will be in FY 2026. Integrating an armored vehicle into the IBCT will require adjustment to the current doctrine, organization, train ing, materiel, leader development, personnel, facilities and policy (DOT MLPF-P) domains. To understand the DOTMLPF-P implications, XVIII Air borne Corps completed two exercises using U.S. Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles as MPF surrogates. In FY21, XVIII Airborne Corps will execute a Sol dier vehicle assessment and limited user test of MPF prototype vehicles. Both events will have two MPF pla toons, each composed of a vendor-specific prototype set of vehicles. These Soldier-focused events will in clude new-equipment training, gun nery and field exercises to provide fur ther refinements to DOTMLPF-P in sights and the Army’s decision on which vendor-prototype vehicle the Army will select for production in FY22. OMFV: As part of an ABCT, OMFV will replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) to provide the capabilities re quired to defeat a future peer compet itor’s force. The Army is seeking a transformational increase in warfight ing capability, not simply another in cremental improvement over the cur rent BFV. Like the Bradley, the OMFV will fight as part of a combined-arms team but will support cross-domain maneuver and readily defeat pacing threats while maneuvering Soldiers to their tactical objectives. The OMFV will be loaded with advanced sensors and mission-command capabilities for the vehicle crew and dismounted Sol diers. To generate a more transformational approach, the Army is asking tradition al and non-traditional industry part ners to participate in a series of digital design reviews and selections before the Army settles on up to three ven dors to develop prototype vehicles for Soldier evaluation and testing. This revolutionary approach will allow greater innovation and competition in developing a fighting vehicle. The Army plans to equip its first units with OMFV in FY28. RCV: Has two fundamental purposes: deliver decisive lethality on future bat tlefields and offload the risk associat ed with extremely dangerous missions from Soldiers to unmanned platforms. RCVs will expand the geometry of the battlefield, rapidly develop a common operating picture and enable com manders to employ external assets be fore first contact with Soldiers. Instead of a Soldier, RCVs will also enable com manders to place robots in the most dangerous locations of the future bat tlefield to take on complex breaches, long-duration operations and subter ranean space in dense urban environ ments. The RCV suite includes three variants: light, medium and heavy. The RCV (L) “We cannot modernize to parity. We must modernize to overmatch our enemy.” -BG Ross Coffman Figure 1. Soldiers from 4th “Dark Horse” Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, complete field testing of the AMPV at Fort Hood, TX. (U.S. Army photo)

Spring 2020 supports a robust sensor array to en able reconnaissance-focused missions, while the RCV (M) provides a medium-caliber weapon system and anti-tank guided missiles to augment a unit’s or ganic direct-firepower capability. These variants can support modular mission payloads such as electronic warfare, counter-unmanned aerial sys tems and smoke obscuration. The RCV (H) vehicle fights as a decisive-lethali ty wingman that maneuvers in tandem Figure 2. General-purpose and medical-evacuation-vehicle variants of the AMPV. Figure 3. OMFV, right, illustrated in use on the battlefield.

Spring 2020 with its manned-vehicle counterparts or as part of a robotic platoon to de stroy all threat targets with its on board weapon systems. All RCVs variants must keep pace with their organic units during both move ment and maneuver, thus requiring ro bust semi-autonomous capability and aggressive mobility characteristics. All three variants have the potential of in tegrating into multiple, if not all, types of BCTs within the Army’s force struc ture. To develop RCVs, the NGCV CFT and Combat Capabilities Development Center’s Ground-Vehicle Systems Cen ter (GVSC) have conducted multiple live and virtual experiments with Sol diers. GVSC is leading a virtual experi mentation effort focused on deriving feedback on proposed capabilities and operating concepts at the company and platoon levels. The CFT is working with the Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Benning, GA, to conduct more experi ments with Soldiers to understand the RCV’s DOTMLPF-P impact at the bat talion level and above. These experi ments collect Soldier feedback and in fluence vehicle requirements, thus creating a platform “designed by the Soldier for the Soldier.” The NGCV CFT’s three-phased RCV ex periment will lead to an Army-level decisions in FY22 and FY23 to field RCVs to the operational force, starting around FY28. Conclusion The NGCV CFT is developing both modern, replacement combat vehicles and transformation capabilities for the close fight to support multidomain op erations against our peer threats. The CFT is committed to Soldier-centered design for developing system and component technologies. The officers and noncommissioned officers of the CFT were selected from – and at the completion of their tour will return to – the operational force, so they under stand the challenges platoons and bri gades face every day. The CFT is making a difference and speeding delivery of these ground combat vehicles to the operational force. If you would like to contribute your ideas, contact us at the following address: usarmy.detroit.ccdc-gvsc. mbx.ngcv-cft@mail.mil. MAJ Cory Wallace is an RCV require ments developer with NGCV CFT, Army Futures Command, Detroit Arsenal, MI. Previous assignments include squadron executive officer, 3rd Squad ron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, TX; squadron S-3, 3/3 Cav, Fort Hood; G-35 Planner, Headquarters and Head quarters Battalion (HHBN), 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood; and doctrine re viewer, Combined-Arms Doctrine Di rectorate, Fort Leavenworth, KS. His military schooling includes Cavalry Leader’s Course (CLC) and Airborne School. He has a bachelor’s of arts de gree in literature from the U.S. Mili tary Academy, a master’s of arts de gree in literature from the University of Washington and a master’s of sci ence degree in supply-chain manage ment from the University of Kansas. MAJ Wallace’s awards and honors in clude the Bronze Star Medal, two oak-leaf clusters (OLCs), and the Meritori ous Service Medal (MSM), one OLC. MAJ George Morris is the deputy chief of staff for NGCV CFT, Detroit Arsenal. Previous assignments include brigade executive officer, 3rd ABCT, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, TX; brigade S-3, Figure 4. RCV (L), left, and RCV (H), right.

Spring 2020 3/1 Armored Division, Fort Bliss; squadron S-3, 2nd Squadron, 13th Cav alry Regiment, 3/1 Armored Division, Fort Bliss; and G-35 chief, HHBN, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood. MAJ Mor ris’ military schooling includes Com mand and General Staff College, Infan try Mortar Leader’s Course and Rang er, Jumpmaster, Pathfinder and Air-Assault Schools. He has a bache lor’s of arts degree in history from Har vard University and a master’s of arts degree in international relations from Webster University. MAJ Scott Stephens is a requirements officer for NGCV CFT, Army Futures Command, Detroit Arsenal. Previous assignments include interagency Figure 5. Experiments are collecting Soldier feedback and influencing vehicle requirements. fellow, U.S. State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Washington DC; executive officer, 1-8 Infantry, 3rd ABCT, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Car son, CO; operations officer, 1-8 Infan try, 3/4 ABCT, Fort Carson; and observ er/coach/trainer, Operations Group, National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA. MAJ Stephens’ military schooling includes Armor Officer Basic Course, Maneuver Captain’s Career Course (MCCC), CLC, Joint Firepower Control ler Course and the Naval Command and General Staff College. He has a bachelor’s of arts degree in English from Eastern Kentucky University and a master’s of science degree in nation al security and strategic studies from the Naval War College. His awards and honors include three awards of the Bronze Star Medal, four awards of the MSM, Combat Action Badge, Valorous Unit Award and Iraqi Campaign Medal with four campaign stars. MAJ Shawn Pardee is also a require ments officer with NGCV CFT. Previous assignments include squadron execu tive officer, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, Fort Bliss, TX; squadron op erations officer, 6-1 Cav, Fort Bliss; ca pability integrator, Joint Moderniza tion Command, Fort Bliss; and deputy branch chief, Operational Architec ture, Combined-Arms Support Com mand, Fort Lee, VA. MAJ Pardee’s mil itary schooling includes Command and Figure 6. 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers participate in an NGCV experiment.

Spring 2020 General Staff College, Army Intermedi ate Program Manager’s Course, CLC, MCCC and Armor Officer Basic Course. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in integrated science and technology, Figure 7. A Soldier puts an RCV through its paces during an experiment. concentration on energy systems, from James Madison University and a mas ter’s of science degree in public admin istration from Central Michigan Uni versity. ABCT – armored brigade combat team AMPV – Armored Multipurpose Vehicle BCT – brigade combat team BFV – Bradley Fighting Vehicle CFT – cross-functional team CLC – Cavalry Leader’s Course DOTMLPF-P – doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leader development, personnel, facilities and policy FY – fiscal year GVSC – Ground-Vehicle Systems Center HHBN – Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion IBCT – infantry brigade combat team MCCC – Maneuver Captain’s Career Course MPF – mobile protected firepower MSM – Meritorious Service Medal NGCV – Next-Generation Combat Vehicle OLC – oak-leaf cluster OMFV – Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle RCV – Robotic Combat Vehicle Acronym Quick-Scan