We live in an age of unprecedented technology – technology that makes our lives easier and more connected at the push of a touch-screen and glace of a monitor. For the military, ruggedized equivalents provide tactical awareness, allowing soldiers and Marines to see beyond their personal sight using GPS, smartphones, tablets, and even helmet-mounted screens. Further advances in technology have produced better body armor, better weapon optics and imaging devices, and a host of other specialized protective and offensive gear. We’ve reach a point where the most significant limit for our soldiers is how much they can carry.
Today the average US soldier carries at least 60 pounds of gear, with an extended patrol often doubling that weight. Specialized warfighters, such as Automatic Riflemen, Combat Medics, and Special Operations can see totals much higher. For example, US Army Spc. Craig Brown carries 90 pounds of gear as a SAW gunner, not including a ruck.
Also see related DSIAC Journal article, “Lightening the Load for the Modern Marine,”https://www.dsiac.org/resources/dsiac_journal/dsiac-journal-winter-2016-vol-3-issue-1/lightening-load-modern-marine