The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More Weight Than Ever

Part of the problem is guys don’t have a good handle on what they really need. The part is mission essential gear is heavy

Sometimes, but not always. (I was a Combat Engineer, but I walked with the Infantry). Soldiers are quite capable of carrying heavy loads, but the terrain needs to be considered. I specifically recall a time that I was loaded up with a ridiculous amount of special equipment and cross-loaded ammo to the point where as we descended a very long slope of boulders, it took everything I had plus a significant amount of divine intervention to keep from breaking an ankle/leg and face-planting into a rock. You can't move very fast with all that, either, and dumping it is a problem because you need it.

Still, I think the robot-dog thing is a bad use of technology and effort. I remember watching a video in which they had negotiate hokey obstacles in a clear gravel field but in the distance, on the edge of the field, was the woodline - where the Infantry are actually going to be moving (as opposed to gigantic danger area). They didn't show the robot dog negotiating the vegetation in the woodline. The same vegetation that snags on every available point on your equipment when you are walking.

Over time, reduce the weight the equipment and where possible, replace manned missions in land warfare with unmanned. But in the meantime, American GIs have been carrying heavy loads for decades and it's doable. In the end, what should matter when thinking about new technologies or techniques, is whether it increases the probability of winning.

I can only relate to the Vietnam experience and am astonished when I see pics of current infantry soldiers and the gear that they have hung on their bodies. Quite possibly the soldier of today is more capable than those of us that trekked the Vietnam plains and highlands, but I have my doubts. Combat does not forgive lack of body strength, conditioning, health, equipment or mental state. The mission will require what the soldier must have without question, as the minimum that must be carried in the field. In some cases and this happened in my platoon, those of lesser stature or ability to carry a heavy load usually were fortunate to have a buddy that could carry some of his load and was available when needed. We looked out for each other and worked together to insure that we performed as expected and got the results intended. We all had rucks that tossed us on the ground when contact was made and tried to hold us down as we again tried to get moving, but it never stopped us from being a force to reckon with.