February 11, 2008:
A lot of "new developments" have a
long history. Wire guided missiles and smart bombs were developed during World
War II , but were not put into regular use, or continued development, after the
war. Currently, a lot of the new technology being introduced because of Iraq
and Afghanistan, actually existed years
ago. Back then, the new tech was not put into production either because there
was no money available, because some brass didn't like it, or a combination of
those two.
There are many examples of this in
action. Take the "Air Warrior Microclimate Cooling System." This is a
13 pound rig that consists of a vest
full of tiny tubes that carry cooled water (with some non-toxic antifreeze
added). Worn under the flak jacket, it keeps the soldier cool, thus greatly
reducing the "heat load" and potential for heat stroke or heat
fatigue. Development on this device began in 2000, and was meant to be used by pilots in smaller
(un-air-conditioned) helicopters or door gunners of larger choppers. These guys
often have problems with heat (leading to heat stroke or fatigue) when
operating in hot climates. The vest has also proved a life saver in armored
vehicles that lack air conditioning. But here was the case of a new development
(that went into service in 2003) that was invented before. A quarter century
ago, the army had developed a nearly identical system for tank crews. At that
time, the main U.S. tank, the M-60, didn't have air-conditioning. But the
Israelis had added air conditioning to their tanks, recognizing that in a hot
climate, during Summer, your crews were much more effective if they were not
overheating. Cooled off tanks crews seemed to be the wave of the future.
In 1983, the U.S. Army had its
"Microclimate System" ready to go. Several generals had seen it in action, and
some even tried it out. These senior officers were enthusiastic about the
cooling vest. But it was cut for budgetary reasons. The new (at the time) M-1
tank had air conditioning, which was preferred because it worked well with the
overpressure system. This kept the air pressure higher inside the tank, than
outside, which prevented chemical weapons from getting in. Meanwhile, the vest
found non-military use in situations where people had to be kept cool.
Another example was the M-16 rifle. At
the time this was developed (by a retired air force officer in the 1950s) it
was considered a brilliant application of civilian technology (the .220 Swift
round, a very high powered .22 caliber, or 5.56mm, hunting round) for military
use. The "Stoner Rifle" (named after its inventor) was lighter and allowed
troops to carry lots more ammo. What few people realized was that twenty years
earlier, the .220 Swift was seriously considered as the new U.S. Army rifle,
for the same reasons that got the M-16 adopted in the early 1960s. But back in
the early 1930s, another new rifle was also under development, the M-1 Garand. This 7.62mm weapon was
further along in development, and many procurement bureaucrats were opposed to
the "light weight ammo and weapon" argument. Most of these guys had never been
in the infantry. The rest is history. Which tends to repeat itself endlessly.