Source: Fort Hood Sentinel
By Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, III Corps and Fort Hood Commander
Aug 27 2009

Robotic Research engineers will be supporting the demonstrations of General Dynamics Robotic Systems during the Robotic Rodeo from August 31 to September 4, 2009 at Fort Hood.


Robotics Rodeo: Technology key to saving Soldiers’ lives
By Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, III Corps and Fort Hood Commander
August 27, 2009 | Editorial


Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch

Most of you probably know that I am an avid advocate for robotics. I lost 153 Soldiers from Task Force Marne when I was commander of the 3rd Division. They died on a place on the battlefield that I put them and I have to live with that every day for the rest of my life. If I had robot technology available to me then, many of those young men and women would be alive today. I firmly believe that we can save Soldier’s lives by developing autonomous technology that can do things like route clearance.

In fact, I propose that technology exists now that can support three of my four priorities for robots. My top priority is developing robots that can clear routes of IEDs. I also think that we can develop robots that can conduct logistics patrols in lieu of sending manned vehicles. This would reduce the enemy’s opportunity to attack our Soldiers. Another application for robots that could benefit our forces in the very near future is a persistent stare or long-term surveillance capability. The enemy often emplaces IEDs in the same locations that he has used in the past. A robotic system that can observe these locations for a prolonged period of time and alert us of a significant change would be of great value. Finally, in the future, I’d like to see our Army field an unmanned combat ground vehicle, or robotic wingman. Such a system would have many applications and could save Soldiers and increase our lethality.

Further development in all of these areas is the reason that we’re hosting a Robotics Rodeo here at the Great Place from Aug. 31-Sept. 3. Most folks are familiar and comfortable with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and we’ve shown over eight years of combat just how critical those systems are to the warfighting effort when properly used and integrated. There are hundreds of other robotic concepts that could also be useful to our Army and this Robotics Rodeo will showcase some of those – it’s a great educational opportunity. During the five days, there will be over 60 technologies on display from over 40 vendors.

This rodeo isn’t just a static display. The technologies will all be demonstrated at the Robot Extravaganza on Phantom Run Range for all interested parties from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sep. 1-3. I encourage everyone to go out and take a look at the capabilities that are available to us today. Another key piece of the Rodeo is testing of systems. What’s really important to me is that these systems be useful to the Soldiers on the ground who need them. There is nobody better to determine that than the Soldiers themselves. We’re putting these technologies in the hands of Soldiers so that they can give us credible feedback based on their combat experiences. We’re leading the charge on robotics here at the Great Place because it is the right thing to do. These technologies can take the place of our Soldiers in some of the most dangerous missions in today’s warfare. Though there will never be a robot that can fully replace our Soldiers, everything that we can do to reduce the danger to our Soldiers has to be done. PHANTOM WARRIORS!

This article was reprinted by permission of FortHoodSentinel.com

Click here for link to FortHoodSentinel.com