#PoweredArmor
Is POWER ARMOR on the Horizon? New Technologies Could Unlock the Door – Brief Thoughts 003
When the subject is the future of infantry, the conversation inevitably turns to one thing: Powered, armored exoskeletons. Since the publication of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers in 1959, the concept of an armored suit with enhanced mobility from an internal power source has fascinated military futurists, quickly solidifying as a military fiction staple, and even appearing repeatedly in official “future soldier” concepts from armies and companies around the world.
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)
Army to Procure Weapons Like SOCOM: Chief of Staff Announces New Futures & Modernization Command at [AUSA 2017]
The US Army’s new centralized procurement organization has been named: In his address at the Eisenhower Luncheon at the 2017 Association of the United States Army, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley announced the creation of a Futures and Modernization Command (FMC), which would oversee the process of research, development, testing, evaluation, and procurement (RDTE&P) from start to finish. In his address, General Milley outlined a new process which would fundamentally change the current procurement model to a new one based on that used by US Special Operations Command:
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)
ON THE BOUNCE? US Army Seeks to Field Soldier Exoskeletons
In a recent letter released to Army general officers, Chief of Staff of the Army Mark Milley outlined a plan for reform of the Army’s development and procurement arms. In it, he also made mention of the Army’s plans for future individual weapons and equipment. Among those, the General mentioned a new piece of kit for the soldier: Exoskeletons. From the letter:
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)
In the Wake of ICSR, US Army to Reform Weapons Procurement Process
US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley has released a letter outlining a major reform and restructuring effort for US Army weapons development, testing, and procurement. In the letter, CSA General Milley spoke of the need for a new procurement command structure:
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)
UPRISE Tactical Exoskeleton Officially Announced by Mawashi Science & Technology
Canadian technology company Mawashi has formally introduced their flagship product: A passive exoskeleton designed to help the soldier carry his heavy load. The exoskeleton is reportedly based on research into how the human body distributes weight, studying obese individuals like the rikishi wrestlers in sumo, to create a solution for the infantryman to carry heavy loads without injury. The company’s name – Mawashi – even comes from the stiff mawashi wrestling belts used in sumo.
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)
Russian Sappers in Palmyra, Syria, Using Passive Exoskeletons
It seems that human augmentation devices have seen their first practical application. Passive exoskeletons – perhaps less glamorously called “full body orthopedics” have been spotted in use by Russian sappers in Palmyra, Syria. The sappers – Russia’s equivalents to Western bomb disposal or explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) units – were wearing structural exoskeleton suits reportedly designated “K2”, shown in the videos below:
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)
US Army Testing "Exosuit" to Reduce Soldier Fatigue and Injury
The US Army is currently testing a new full body orthopedic “exosuit” designed to reduce soldier fatigue and injury, according to a press release made by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) last week.
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)
Revision Military's Exoskeleton Powered Armor
Starship Troopers was one of the seminal science fiction books of my youth. The novel describes a totally new form of warfare, where near-special-operations soldiers individually had a great impact on the battlefield through the use of powered armor, which so completely covered its wearer that it was described as looking like a “steel gorilla suit”, as I recall.
![Nathaniel F](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/profile/2024/06/17/65_1.jpg?size=50x50)