FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla - U.S. Army acquisition chief Malcolm O'Neill signaled a new direction for Army weapon development, indicating he wants industry to focus more on soldier technologies.
An infantryman is relatively safe until he dismounts and "that's where I think we should focus," when he is fighting one-on-one in combat, O'Neill said at a conference here hosted by the Association of the United States Army.
The retired Army three-star said he's trying to get money diverted from other areas so that it can be invested into soldier technologies.
He also said he selected Marilyn Freeman as new deputy assistant secretary of the Army for research and technology because of her background in soldier systems and her previous role as director of the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center.
O'Neill said he wants to see the U.S. defense giants get involved.
"How many U.S. aerospace companies looked at improving the rifle? How come none of the big guys have thought about body armor?" he asked.
There's no reason why Lockheed Martin and the other big defense companies shouldn't focus on the soldier, said O'Neill, who worked at Lockheed Martin before returning to government service.
"We should get some real big players, revenue-wise, into the soldier business," he said. "I don't know how much profits you're going to make."
But the Army needs 1.2 million of whatever it buys for the soldier; "that's a lot of money," he said.
O'Neill wants dismounted soldiers to have the same decisive edge on the battlefield as the Air Force does in the skies and the Navy on the sea.
"Nobody wants to mess with the U.S. Air Force and no one wants to mess with the U.S. Navy," O'Neill said.
He highlighted the Air Force's fighter jets and the Navy's super carriers as assets that give those services a "decisive advantage."
One of O'Neill's listed priorities is to "reinvent S&T around the soldier."
His comments echo those of retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, who has been an outspoken advocate of improving soldier capabilities.
In an October article in Armed Forces Journal, "Small Unit Dominance," Scales argued, "We must challenge the research-and-development communities to focus on the task of small-unit dominance by creating a national effort to that end."
An infantryman is relatively safe until he dismounts and "that's where I think we should focus," when he is fighting one-on-one in combat, O'Neill said at a conference here hosted by the Association of the United States Army.
The retired Army three-star said he's trying to get money diverted from other areas so that it can be invested into soldier technologies.
He also said he selected Marilyn Freeman as new deputy assistant secretary of the Army for research and technology because of her background in soldier systems and her previous role as director of the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center.
O'Neill said he wants to see the U.S. defense giants get involved.
"How many U.S. aerospace companies looked at improving the rifle? How come none of the big guys have thought about body armor?" he asked.
There's no reason why Lockheed Martin and the other big defense companies shouldn't focus on the soldier, said O'Neill, who worked at Lockheed Martin before returning to government service.
"We should get some real big players, revenue-wise, into the soldier business," he said. "I don't know how much profits you're going to make."
But the Army needs 1.2 million of whatever it buys for the soldier; "that's a lot of money," he said.
O'Neill wants dismounted soldiers to have the same decisive edge on the battlefield as the Air Force does in the skies and the Navy on the sea.
"Nobody wants to mess with the U.S. Air Force and no one wants to mess with the U.S. Navy," O'Neill said.
He highlighted the Air Force's fighter jets and the Navy's super carriers as assets that give those services a "decisive advantage."
One of O'Neill's listed priorities is to "reinvent S&T around the soldier."
His comments echo those of retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, who has been an outspoken advocate of improving soldier capabilities.
In an October article in Armed Forces Journal, "Small Unit Dominance," Scales argued, "We must challenge the research-and-development communities to focus on the task of small-unit dominance by creating a national effort to that end."
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