Experiments seek to put artificial intelligence (AI) and networking in the hands of Marine Corps infantry

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CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa – Marines and soldiers at the squad level could soon have their own kind of attention warning system while on infantry patrol -- much like modern car drivers have for lane changing on busy highways. Marine Corps Times reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

8 March 2020 -- A combination of systems being tested soon by Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, are helping Marines at the lowest-unit levels use artificial intelligence (AI) and sensing capabilities to know if there are threats of enemy unmanned aircraft overhead or simply to remind them to check their left flank.

The experiments are the last for a years-long program called Squad X, run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va. Since at least 2017, the program delved into four key technology areas as they applied to the squad: precision engagement, non-kinetic engagement, squad sensing and squad autonomy.

The goal is to put electronic warfare (EW), sensing, and networking options usually only available at the platoon or even company level in the hands of a squad of Marines or soldiers. The long-term goal is to give a squad the capability to patrol what used to be a brigade-sized area through connecting with a suite of sensors and a network of fires options.