Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 2, 1994 TAG: 9401020088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium
From his office at historic Fort Monroe, the Persian Gulf War commander is molding tried-and-true Army fighting methods with the high-tech future - putting computers in tanks and helicopters and even on the backs of foot soldiers in the 21st century.
"You have to continually adapt your methods, you have to stay out ahead of change, you have to experiment with new methods of warfare," says the four-star general, who led one of the largest armored attacks in history as the commander of the VII Corps during Operation Desert Storm.
Now as head of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, Franks is in charge of the Army's effort to keep its soldiers, weaponry and thinking as up-to-date as possible, even as the service is forced to become smaller in the post-Cold War world.
Franks wants commanders and soldiers to swap information, and thereby outthink and outmaneuver an enemy, in ways barely imagined during the Gulf War.
He has established seven mini-think tanks, run by battle-tested officers from operations in Panama and Iraq, to bring from the drawing board to reality concepts dubbed the "Digitalized Battlefield" and the "21st Century Land Warrior."
On the battlefield of the future, soldiers at all levels - from platoon leader to the highest commander - will be able to share information that today is often garbled by radio transmission.
Computer screens in tanks, helicopters and commanders' tents will display the position of each vehicle or aircraft. That will make it possible for each U.S. soldier to identify not only where he or she is, but where other U.S. forces are and where potential targets may be.
The information will be gathered via satellite and radio. Lasers will be used to identify unknown entities. Air Force, Navy and Army aircraft also will be brought into the communications web.
If a tank driver makes a wrong turn or gets lost, he will realize it quickly. Knowing where others are on the battlefield will greatly reduce chances for deaths by "friendly fire," which accounted for one-fourth of the Gulf War deaths. Commanders will be able to organize troops swiftly for any operation.
On the ground, the individual soldier will have a helmet with a display visor, putting computerized battle or map information right in front of his eyes. Long-range radios will allow them to talk with their buddies and commanders, and microphones will enable them to eavesdrop on the enemy from as far as 100 yards away. They will carry laser-aiming rifles with thermal sights that will display images undimmed by darkness, fog, smoke, rain or haze.
"Digital information is not new. What is new is the integration of it," Franks said.
Franks' think-tanks, dubbed "Battle Labs," also use computers to try out such newfangled weaponry, saving money because concepts can be tested before they are put into production.
With computer simulation, "We can replicate the battlefield with great fidelity. . . . We can run experiment after experiment, to gain insights into particular problems," the general said.
In April, 50 newly outfitted M-1A2 tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles will conduct an experiment using some elements of the new technology at the National Training Center in California's Mojave Desert, sharing information with artillery units and Apache attack helicopters.
"It will be the first digitalized battlefield, in miniature," said Maj. Pete Keating, a spokesman for the Army Materiel Command.
By 1998, the Army's 1st Cavalry Division is to be the first division that is fully digitalized with computerized systems that will allow tank-to-tank communications.
The Army hopes to equip 1,000 tanks and about an equal number of armored troop transports with the new technology by 2004. The cost of updating the tanks and transports alone is estimated at $6 billion.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.