NEW BATTLE RATTLE
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James Joyner | Monday, December 8, 2003 |
Yahoo reports:
The US Defense Department is working on new field uniforms for US soldiers in order to make them lighter and more adaptable to changing environmental condition, the American Forces Information Service reported.“Our challenge is to provide greater protections and capabilities, but with less weight and bulk,” Robert Kinney, director of the Individual Protection Directorate at the US Army Soldier Systems Center, is quoted as saying.
According to the report, uniforms of the future will have built-in chemical and biological protection, electric wires and fiber optics that soldiers will be able to use on the battlefield.
They will also be waterproof and flame-resistant, have built-in insect repellent, antibacterial agents that help stop open injuries from getting infected, and even antimicrobial agents that keep odor in check, the report said.
New synthetic materials being explored will make the uniforms warmer in cold environments and cooler in hot ones, the service said.
In addition, uniforms of the future will be able to change color like chameleons to reflect the surrounding environment.
Boots will come with snap-on soles for different terrains and removable liners that can be replaced when they get wet, the information service said.
Very cool. Of course, it would be nice if we’d just get the soldiers the vests we already have in production.
This US Department of Defense handout image shows a soldier in a lightweight uniform with advanced technological capabilities that researchers say will make troops safer and more formidable on the battlefield
Yahoo! News – Top Stories Photos – AFP
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?
Neat....except for a few problems. How much of this new uniform will break after 10 days in the field? Secondly, it might be wonderful for traditional combat but I think it won't help at all in the peacekeeping end.
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