Small Unit Operations

The art of war for U.S. forces has dramatically changed in the last few years. Combat operations are being conducted with a smaller size force and / or with Special Forces that work in small teams. These small units have to adapt to the modern battlefield, often in urban environments. The Strategic Technology Office (STO) is pursuing technologies to provide a strategic and tactical advantage to these small unit operators in combat. STO programs will provide the warfighter ultra-precise, beyond-line-of-sight infantry weapons for use in congested urban areas. Innovations in tagging, tracking, and location capabilities for U.S. forces; cost effective means of marking targets for direct fire support by armored vehicles and close air support (CAS); and the development of low-cost munitions that exploit technology in the visible and infrared spectrum improving firing precision are being pursued. STO is developing wireless and sensor networking technology that will enable small units to maintain robust connectivity to each other and upper echelons in harsh surroundings. STO is seeking to provide small unit and Special Forces operators the ability to effectively prepare the battlefield, control access routes, and to mitigate the affects of weapons of mass destruction and improvised explosive devices.

• Advanced Sensing Technologies
• Advanced Sighting System
• Advanced Night Vision System
• Counter-Sniper
• Emissive Micro-Display (EMD)
• Fiber Laser Pulse Source (FILPS)
• Dynamic Image Gunsight Optic (DInGO)
• Manufacturable Gradient Index Optics (M-GRIN)
• NeXt-Generation Communications (XG)
• Radio Isotope Micropower Sources (RIMS)
• Remote Detection of Suspicious Vehicles (RDSV)
• Retro-Directive Ultra-Fast Acquisition Sensor (RUFAS)
• Speckle Exploitation for Enhanced Reconnaissance (SEER)
• Super Resolution Vision System (SRVS)
• Urban Ops Hopper
• Urban Photonic Sandtable Display
• Very High Efficiency Solar Cell (VHESC)
• Visibuilding