Grunts' Gear Is Low Tech, High Tech and Too Heavy

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, February 7, 2003 | ANTONIO REGALADO

[TroutStalker]

If President Bush orders an invasion of Iraq, U.S. soldiers could face a fight in the streets of Baghdad -- unlike in Desert Storm, when the battle was won by tanks and aircraft in the open desert. Such an urban war requires different skills and equipment, and far more reliance on infantry troops.

[Natural Law]

Ditto that. SOP was to strip your gear including C-rations & MRE's to the bare minimum and bring some aspirin and Baby Ruth candy bars. The sugar & carbos were a God send!

[Tailback]

Hogwash, if the Japanese can put a TV in a watch, why can't the US military put a combination radio, GPS, and laser designator/range finder in a small package about the size of a pair of old style binoculars. The US Army is still using a 35lb backpack radio that uses lithium batteries the size of an egg carton that has less range and battery life than a Motorola walkabout that uses 2 AA batteries and weighs 6 ounces. I left the Army Guard after 13 years of service because I was tired of all the promises of new gear that would keep us alive. Land warrior was supposed to be issued by 2005, guess what, not even close to being usable. The M-8 was supposed to be adopted in the late 1990's, program cancelled. The comanche was supposed to be on active duty by now, still in development. The Army procurement program is catasrophically broken right now and I see no hope for the future. The only reason Spec-Ops gets good gear is because they can bypass the Army procurement system.

[Natural Law]

I guarantee the Brass looks upon the 85 lbs as a load budget.

[Natural Law]

Miniaturization is not the problem, power consumption is. Batteries take space. There is a finite minmum size required for human interface too.

[Travis McGee]

Exactly. Anyone carrying less will be handed mortar rounds or ammo belts.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I wonder if there will ever be house to house fighting in Baghdad. As I recall one could merely divert the river. Without water the enemy would last about a week.

[Tailback]

You are correct, now explain why the army radio uses a battery that weighs 3 lbs. and lasts less time than 2 AA batteries in a motorola radio that has longer range?

[Natural Law]

Do the math. Two AA batteries put out 3V with about 100 mA hrs. No transmitter be sustained for more than a few minutes with those.

Additionally, the military has chosen to use secondary cell (rechargable) as opposed to the cheap commercial primary cell (throw away) batteries.

[Tailback]

Listen to me, read my bio, guys in my cav scout unit (including me) went out and bought motorola talkabout radios on our own dime because they WORK! I am not making this stuff up. If the military is using rechargable batteries it's news to me, of course I'm in the Air Guard now so it doesn't really count as "military". The only rechargable batteries we had in the scouts was the TOW MGU battery pack. Until January of 2002 I was in a Army Guard Cav scout unit attached to a Enhanced Infantry Brigade (which meant we got issued newer stuff) so I just might know what I'm talking about.

[Matthew James]

Great post! Isn't it a shame that all of those personal fieldcraft items are usually self-purchased!?! And then you get some moronic commander who won't let you carry them because they're not "issue!"

Still have my first pair of first-generation Danners. Boy was I happy to get those! They're trashed now from so much wear, usually in fairly "inhospitable" areas, but I can't bring myself to toss the things.

Gore Tex is the ultimate fabric!

[colorado tanker]

Same in WW I. then they'd add a roll of barbed wire, a shovel or a pick , maybe a sack of mills bombs.

Seeing what leg infantry had to lug around sure made tanks more appealing!

[river rat]

"I can see it now .... It's 1500 meters to the bad guy .... hand me the .50 iron."

Best damned line of the month!
Sorry it took me so long to find it....
Semper Fi