08 Jun 10. Making life better for the soldier in the field. The Expeditionary Campaign Infrastructure team (ECI) will be returning to Defence Equipment and Support’s (DE&S) key stakeholder event, DVD 2010. Last year’s event proved to be a great success for the ECI team, providing a vital opportunity for the team to interact with the ‘operational infrastructure’ community in a cost effective and efficient manner. The ECI team is responsible for delivering and supporting such operational infrastructure as temporary deployable domestic accommodation, field hospitals and technical working environments as well as the necessary tactical base fortifications to protect against insurgents. The team will be using DVD 2010 as a platform to highlight the current challenges facing frontline soldiers living in forward tactical bases. A particular focus is being made to further improve the facilities for undertaking day to day living tasks that we take for granted at home such as laundry, washing and personal hygiene. The ECI team will use the opportunity presented by DVD 2010 to interact with the Defence community in order to discuss what measures can be made to improve further the current and future delivery of infrastructure in forward tactical bases. During the two-day event, the ECI team members will draw upon the comment and feedback of its key stakeholders and suppliers to better understand how it can further improve the delivery of operational infrastructure. ECI team leader, Colonel Frank Noble, commented: “The team remains committed to making life better for the soldier in the field and DVD enables us to efficiently engage with our suppliers to better understand how we can take forward the delivery of operational infrastructure. It also provides ECI team members with an opportunity to see what other project teams have been doing, to widen their vision and to share lessons with others.”
08 Jun 10. DVD welcomes ISSE. DVD will welcome the Integrated Soldier Systems Executive (ISSE) – part of the Individual Capabilities Group (ICG) – for the first time. Created by DE&S in early 2009, the ISSE has been tasked with the responsibility of developing the future 2020 Vision of the Soldier by producing a Soldier System Architecture. The Soldier System Architecture will, for the first time, account for the soldier’s entire equipment ensemble. ISSE’s objective is to become effectively the Platform Delivery Team for the soldier and ensure improved performance, survivability and agility of frontline soldiers through optimal integration of individual combat equipment. The team plans to achieve this through mandating specific standards for interface design, reducing the burden on the dismounted soldier, providing equipment earlier in the training cycle and championing optimised integration of the soldier system. Whilst the modern combat soldier is the best-equipped and most capable ever fielded, the demand of modern operations means carrying a great deal more equipment than ever before. This additional equipment obviously has an effect on agility and performance and the ISSE team has been tasked with reducing the physical burden to 35kg. Over the last twelve months, 7.5kgs have already been removed with the target of another 5kgs to be achieved within the next year. The team’s main focus at DVD 2010 will be interacting with industry to discuss how equipment can be procured in a more systematic, coherent and holistic way. Members of the ISSE team will be on hand throughout the two days to discuss the team’s priorities over the next twelve months and demonstrate the achievements already undertaken. DVD 2010 will be used by the ICG as a launch pad for ISSE and its engagement with industry. The two-day event will serve as an excellent platform for the team to outline its plans for the development of the Soldier System Architecture and find suppliers that can support them in achieving it. ISSE Team Leader, Marcus Bruton, said: “DVD is a showcase eve