Australian troops deploying to Afghanistan as part of Mentoring Task Force 3 will be equipped with the Army’s new Soldier Combat Ensemble (SCE), which integrates the latest generation of body armour and combat uniform.
The new SCE was developed under the eye of Defence’s new ‘Diggerworks’ organisation, but delivered by the DMO’s Soldier Modernisation SPO.
It was issued to troops undergoing predeployment training last month at Townsville’s Lavarack barracks and they will deploy with it.
The SCE includes the all new Tiered Body Armour System, or TBAS, which is lighter and affords greater freedom of movement than the Modular Combat Body Armour (MCBAS) which soldiers have been using for the past few years.
It can be reconfigured quickly to increase or reduce the level of protection required for different jobs and threats the troops face in Afghanistan.
The TBAS system has been paired with the new high-tech Crye Precision Combat uniform (the so-called ‘Multi-Cam’) unveiled at last year’s Land Warfare Conference by defence materiel minister Jason Clare.
This has an enhanced camouflage pattern, integrates with body armour and is more comfortable.
The TBAS has won early praise for its lightness and comfort and is an important validation of the virtual ‘Diggerworks’ organisation set up last year within the DMO’s Integrated Soldier System Development Directorate (ISSDD).
It includes the DMO’s Land and Electronic Systems Divisions, Capability Development Group, Army Headquarters’ Modernisation and Strategic Planning group and DSTO’s Human Protection and Performance Division.
According to Diggerworks Director Colonel Jason Blain the organisation’s role is to identify and develop solutions to current issues and assess new technologies as they emerge, to deliver integrated soldier combat systems that enhance the capability of the ADF close combatant.
COL Blain told ADM it provides a more responsive and adaptive acquisition approach incorporating rapid feedback and modification of equipment to meet the operational deployment cycle.
However, Diggerworks also has a long-term focus, Blain said, helping to develop requirements and shape the evolution of future soldier systems, and ensuring a properly integrated approach which maintains the optimum balance of protection, weight, comfort and useability.