Tech Solutions Give Warfighters the Edge

The soldier pauses, leans against his vehicle, squinting against the Afghan sun. He feels tremendous pressure as he scans the horizon, repeating his search pattern to identify possible hazards. He knows the statistics: Since the U.S. sent troops to Afghanistan in 2001, more than 2,000 service members have died, and 60 percent of those deaths are attributed to improvised explosive devices (IED).

The Soldier takes a deep breath and relies on his training to get him through this deployment. The training he receives is constantly updated with information about the latest threats—thanks to Booz Allen scientists, engineers, systems developers, digital solutions experts, and many others who offer forward-leaning solutions that give the defense and intelligence community a technical edge.

Here’s a look at just a few of the advanced solutions we offer: 

• Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) Training. Derald Wise is a Booz Allen VR/AR expert who leads a development team creating immersive training applications for deploying Soldiers. Immersive training lets Soldiers practice before they experience the real thing—such as encountering an IED or employing Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Derald, a veteran himself, says that VR/AR helps Soldiers “experience the same conditions and environments they’ll be operating in, and in context with how they’ll execute their missions.”
  
  
• Fabrication/Simulation: In addition to encountering potential threats in a virtual world, Fabricator William Maxcy and Lead Engineer William Dietz can replicate the real thing from pictures and other specifications of threats (IEDs, drones, etc.) that U.S. Soldiers encounter. They make a copy—same materials, size, and mechanisms—in a matter of days. It’s immediately implemented into training where Soldiers are taught to identify and disarm—before they ever get deployed. “As veterans ourselves, if we can impart knowledge that keeps a soldier or his or her buddy alive, that’s a good thing,” says Will.
  
  
• Air Force’s Distributed Common Ground System (AF DCGS). Broadly defined as a weapons system, DCGS is an efficient, functional, and agile tool dedicated to processing and disseminating information to airmen. A cross-functional Booz Allen team is working with the Air Force to reimagine the capabilities of an international communications architecture by connecting multiple intelligence platforms. Most importantly, DCGS helps assess shifting battlefield threats—and save lives. 

“The purpose of this program is to provide critical intelligence to warfighters in theater,” says David Roberts, solutions architect. “The system provides images and information on electronic signals in the field, and it helps them better plan operations and protect their position.” And we’re doing it faster—designing, building, testing, and deploying technology that would typically take 3 to 5 years in as little as 18 months. 

The advanced technology solutions we provide are just one way that Booz Allen is pushing the envelope and evolving the way we offer client solutions to the defense and intelligence community. Check out a related story to learn more about our training solutions to the warfighter.