#Injury

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.

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:

Earlier this week, Fierce Firearms sales manager Courtney Crane posted a video and photos of an catastrophic event that occurred while his friend (unnamed) was shooting a Remington 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader bolt action rifle. The event caused the complete destruction of the rifle, splitting the barrel like a banana peel and destroying the rifle’s stock. The shooter, unfortunately, was seriously injured, with shrapnel tearing through his hand in multiple places, requiring stitches and – likely – major surgery to repair. As of the time of this writing, it is not yet know what caused the catastrophic event. It is possible that the weapon was double-loaded (two charges and projectiles stacked together), causing excessive pressure, but that is not confirmed.

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.

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.

Last weekend, a man attending a machine gun shoot was served up more than just a little belt fed action. Positioned 200 – 300 yards from the targets and backstop, the unlucky onlooker “received” a ricochet from what appears to be a .950 JDJ. The round struck the man in the ankle with enough force to break bones and rip through a muck boot.  All things being equal, the man and other shoot participants got very lucky – a hit on a more vital part of the body could have easily been fatal.

In his testimony before Congress on Thursday, Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley put forth a concerning picture of the readiness of the United States Army: Soldier readiness is below half that of the Army’s goal, and tens of thousands of soldiers are reportedly non-deployable, many of them permanently. The reason for this state of affairs is medical – Milley testified that 90% of non-deployable soldiers were out for medical reasons, with most of those being orthopedic. According to Milley, 20,000 non-deployables (over 2% of the total personnel in the Army) have been assigned permanent non-deployable status and are being processed through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). A portion of Chief Milley’s conversation with Senator Jack Reed is transcribed below: