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VMEbus Systems Interview
February 2006
Special - Frontline Tech
Iraq Frontline Technology - Interview with Lieutenant Monroe Mann
by Chris A. Ciufo
While we routinely talk with high-ranking military officials, prime contractors, and program managers, it is a rare opportunity to speak with one of our frontline warfighters. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing 1st Lt. Monroe Mann, 42nd Infantry Division, U.S. Army (New York) National Guard. Lt. Mann is a veteran combat soldier, now a civilian and back from active duty after serving 18 months in Iraq as an intelligence officer and advisor to the 4th Iraqi Army.
It’s clear that Lt. Mann is representative of most young officers and enlisted soldiers: dedicated, capable, and thoroughly comfortable with the technology found in civilian life such as video games, cell phones, portable GPS units, and the riches of the Internet.
VMEbus: Tell me about some of the technologies used on the battlefield.
LT. Mann: Sure, we used "IED Robots" [Improvised Explosive Devices] that look like mini-tanks. We would send them to a suspect location, train a camera on the suspected IED, and see if it's an actual threat. The robot is capable of setting explosives and detonating them from a safe distance. This procedure was developed to save the lives of soldiers.
VMEbus: Is the robot expendable?
LT. Mann: I've seen some news reports about expendable ones. I've seen a proposal through a friend of mine that they are thinking of making disposable ones for the frontline troops. Different convoys would have these disposable and remote-controlled robots in the Humvees for logistic patrols while transporting supplies.
VMEbus: Are autonomous vehicles used in any other areas?
LT. Mann: I've seen unmanned aerial vehicles used for tactical reconnaissance. The small one I've seen flying was the Shadow. It's not handheld, but it's a short-range UAV that's launches from the back of a truck. It's similar to the IED EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) robots because it has a camera on it and is doing work which otherwise put Americans at risk. It launches from our base and takes photos in its real-time camera, sending back pictures of what's going on at an intersection. It lets one see if there is movement in this or that place and provides us with a real-time view of a region of interest. This user-controlled technology is another way of keeping American soldiers away from danger.
I heard some guys talking before I left about possible remote-controlled Humvees as well. These would go out to a suspect location with a camera, allowing the operator to "fly" it just like they do with an airplane. Even in the airports the same thing can happen -- "pilotless airplanes" as fighter jets. The technology seems to be going towards keeping people off the front lines as much as possible and still getting the exact same job done.
VMEbus: Tell me about the battlefield communications technology you saw.
LT. Mann: The modern battlefield has changed tremendously. In terms of how communications compare to the past, it was amazing to my friend--who was in the Gulf War--that he could get on the Internet every other day and write messages to home. He could get on our classified Internet called SIPRNET [Secret Internet Protocol Router Network] and communicate in real time to anywhere in the world. It's all classified and secure.
Before, you had to send carriers on a wire, which had to be encrypted and then decrypted, but now the network is secure and only takes a couple of minutes to get a reply. It has changed the way things happen and how command decisions are made; the Internet has made it so productive. On major issues, you can get an answer in one day, where before it would take a week. We dominate the battlefield from a communication standpoint.
VMEbus: Is our market, we refer to 'Commercial Off-The-Shelf' or 'COTS' equipment. Did you use regular laptop computers set up in a tent someplace, and did you boot them into Windows and use Outlook?
LT. Mann: Yes. We use NIPRNET [the nonsecure version] and SIPRNET; they are the same thing. The only difference when you're on SIPRNET is you won't be able to access the public Internet such as Google because it's not a classified website. However, the DoD actually uses [a secure version] of Google as the SIPRENET search engine. They are both very similar, but one doesn't cross over to the other. Anyone who knows how to use the Internet can use the SIPRNET.
VMEbus: Have you seen examples of soldier embedded training on actual tactical equipment?
LT. Mann: I'm not sure how much I can talk about this. In some sense, it's classified. In Humvees, we have a cool GPS system. (If you can find the name on the Internet, then it's unclassified.) It allows us to keep track of where we're moving on the battlefield and allows our headquarters to know where we are when we're driving around. It's a complex communications system, and it allows us to run in a test [training] mode when we're not moving. I don't know if it simulates an actual mission.
VMEbus: You may be referring to a series of initiatives called Blue Force Tracking. It tries to keep track of the good guys and the unfriendlies.
LT. Mann: It has been relatively new.
VMEbus: Let's talk about the harsh battlefield environment. You have equipment like laptop computers, GPS units, and cell phones. How durable is this COTS equipment?
LT. Mann: I see battery life as the biggest issue. We're using rechargeable batteries. I don't know what they're made of, but they're made specifically for high-drain electronic devices. But one of the big things we keep going through are batteries. We're always hoping the battery won't drain so quickly.
As far as durability, most of this equipment is pretty much designed to go into a harsh, dry desert environment. Sometimes the combination radio/GPS devices don't work very well.
VMEbus: Do you mean civilian or military radio/GPS units?
LT. Mann: The civilian ones... all the companies make them. They try to do all things but do nothing very well. The GPS portions were okay, but the whole packaged system didn't work. If I went back to Iraq, I'd bring a separate GPS rather than a combination radio/GPS.
And don't laugh, but wristwatches scratch up like crazy and their bands fall off and break easily. I went through several watches while there. A better watch designed to withstand being pulled on would be good. Everything is hard in a humvee, so watches get scratched up.
VMEbus: They don't make military watches?
LT. Mann: No. These Timex watches aren't designed for what we're doing out there, and you don't want something big and bulky that will scratch up and cause skin irritation when you're sweating.
VMEbus: From a technology standpoint, tell me the "Good, the bad, and the ugly."
LT. Mann: Sure. Good: I was amazed and enthralled with the e-mail and phone support soldiers were given. We could communicate in real time with anyone. We could actually call and e-mail home. I wrote a book and got it to my publisher while I was in Iraq in a war zone. I was able to write it in Word, and he put it into a PDF and sent it back to me. People are writing blogs and keeping businesses running while helping to liberate Iraq.
But the bad, I suppose, is that the Internet was slow when you were downloading over there. Even though my veteran colleagues were amazed we even had the Internet, sometimes it would take several hours over there to download something that would just take a short time in the U.S.
As for the ugly: The body armor needs improvement. The terrorists are quicker than we are to defeat our armor. Finding IEDs is a thorn in our side, for the risk is high going out on the road. In some way, the terrorists are very wily but cowardly. The more quickly we can actually get armor, jamming devices, and X-ray vision devices, the better. It would be advantageous to X-ray a vehicle when passing another vehicle to look for explosives.
VMEbus: One last summary question that may give our readers some ideas for improving the soldiers' and the Marines' lives: Did you find anything that was intolerable in relation to technology?
LT. Mann: To be perfectly frank, there is nothing that was absolutely intolerable. Everything is being done, but not up to the level that would really make us effective. We have armor, but it's not as effective as it should be. [Having the] Internet is great, but it's not as quick as it could be. Technology has not gotten us to the point where it's seamless yet. I think in a couple of years (maybe sooner), a lot of these kinks will be worked out and it will get even better.
VMEbus: As Americans, we are grateful to you and your commanders for doing what you're doing... leaving your homes, families, and putting your lives on the line. Thank you.
Lieutenant Mann's [NOTE: now Captain Mann] desert combat experiences [inspired] his book, "Battle Cries for the Underdog", which he wrote via email from the front lines while serving his country in Iraq. For more information, see www.MonroeMann.com
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