Foreword

So where are we as we launch this new issue of Soldier Modernisation – what meets the threshold today may not do so tomorrow. What we do know is that a credible combat force has land forces prepared for war, and is prepared to use them. A credible combat force generates influence, has multiple options available to it and is an effective force multiplier.

To successfully compete in the dynamic of Cooperation, Competition and Conflict, it is essential to leverage the unique ability of Land Forces to generate access and presence – a capacity enabled by both hard and soft power capabilities, to gain and maintain access, to uniquely provide persistent physical presence, and from there to comfortably operate into all five domains.

This demands an army’s future land capability is a joint integrator.

For an army to effectively enable – and be enabled by – all land capability must not just be joint-by-design, but integrated-by-design. This is an essential start point for all future land capabilities.

There are four modernisation priorities for any army as a way of getting after the challenges of accelerated warfare, they are: the Network, Protected Manoeuvre, Joint Fires and the Enabled Soldier. While there will always be a significant requirement placed upon armies to procure and modernise a wide range of capability, these are the four key areas which will ensure future land capabilities is connected, protected, lethal and enabled, and they are the areas that have the greatest impact on credible contribution to maximise potential.

So which areas are people looking to maximize potential, the key ones as we see it at the moment are interconnection, power management, digital battle field and autonomous weapons systems, which we have covered in this project.

The programme section has been revamped into a new easier to read format (any views on this, good or bad, gratefully received). We have future soldier views from the USA and our friends at DARPA.

We look forward to meeting you around the world and in particular at DSEI where we are running a joint dismounted soldier area with Clarion, adjacent to the British Army area so pop over and see us!

Kind regards,

Robert Alcock
Editor, Soldier Modernisation
robert.alcock@intercomms.net