Competition gets under way for Objective Force Warrior.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Army's plans for uniform of the future

The Army plans to invest $500 million in the so-called Objective Force Warrior, a system that integrates the various components of a soldier's uniform and battlefield equipment.

The program is managed by the Soldier Systems Center, in Natick, Mass. Officials predicted that the first version of the Objective Force Warrior could be rolled out by 2006. The Objective Force is a term the Army uses to describe its vision for the future--circa 2020.

The Army will award concept design contracts in July to one or two "lead technology integrator" companies, which will then subcontract portions of the system to smaller companies. It is expected that the Objective Force Warrior design concepts will feature futuristic devices such as heat-and cold-alterable materials, powerful lightweight batteries, advanced communication devices and state-of-the-art navigation technologies--all integrated in a network.

The Army's flagship program for soldier modernization today is the Land Warrior. Officials noted that the Objective Force Warrior is not necessarily a replacement for Land Warrior, but rather an incremental upgrade to existing Land Warrior capabilities.

"This is a head-to-toe integration of electronics, weapons systems, smart materials, electronic textiles and form-fitting designs," said Donald J. Wajda, director of technology and program integration at the Soldier Systems Center.

Wajda explained in a recent interview that Objective Force Warrior is the largest program, in terms of dollar value, that Natick has ever managed.

The challenges in the Objective Force Warrior program will be to reduce the weight burden on the soldier, increase combat power, provide better sensors, while making it affordable.

Col. James Kennon, commander of the Soldier Systems Center, said that having long-lasting power sources is a critical capability in this program. The idea is for soldiers to be able to operate--on their own battery power--away from their vehicles for up to 72 hours. Batteries today last up to 10 or 12 hours.

The Objective Force Warrior also will have to be able to generate water from fuel, for example. He will have improved ballistic protection made of lightweight fabrics, such as spider silk made from goat's milk, which is five times stronger than steel, Kennon said.

At the Soldier Systems Center, scientists are working to upgrade the traditional Army camouflage to make it an "interactive textile," which could "behave differently in different...