Reinventing everything

From AOL Defense announcement of DC symposium: “What do we mean by the ‘Soldier as a System’ and how can this concept reshape the acquisition of future capabilities? … What can we do to rebalance and reduce the soldier load …?”

http://defense.aol.com/2012/09/24/soldier-systems-symposium/

Back in the early 1980s the Army fielded a manual on “Managing Soldier Assets.” The manual approached soldiers as another weapons system, which would perform in specific ways under certain circumstances. The only thing I remember from the FM was that the writers stated tobacco and alcohol, when properly managed, would add to soldier capabilities. As for the “soldier load,” the answer is 40 pounds, including weapon and ammunition, as determined by a German army studies following WWI. But, hey, this is a new century, with new and absolutely necessary equipment, and besides, nothing in a German soldier’s equipment required batteries.

As an S4 sergeant said, “I’m ready to return to flintlocks and ox carts.” As long as the other sides don’t have cap and ball rifles and/or railroads …