U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force Selects Army CoCreate Make-A-Thon Project
FORT BELVOIR, V.A. - December 2, 2013

The U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force reviewed more than 120 soldier challenge ideas and 10 detailed designs to select the Army CoCreate Make-a-Thon project, a new Lightweight Tactical All Terrain Vehicle to provide enhanced Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capability, or C4ISR, as it is commonly referred to in the military.

As of Dec. 2, the REF-funded proof-of-concept website has drawn more than 750 participants.

Next week, 17 soldiers from the Maneuver Center of Excellence Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate at Ft. Benning, Ga. will participate in the first Make-a-Thon event. During the innovation workshop, soldiers will collaborate with online supporters to design a virtual prototype for a LTATV mobile command post.

“Rugged terrain in theaters like Afghanistan demands an increased number of dismounted operations,” said Gary Frost, Deputy Director for Futures at the REF. “This means that small units are often called to the tactical edge of operations where they complete missions on foot with limited communications assets. The goal of the REF Make-a-thon main project is to design a mobile command post that can provide on-the-go C4ISR support to these critical missions in any terrain.”

The main project asks participants to modify the Kawasaki Teryx 750cc, a commonly available Army LTATV, to serve as a mobile command post for platoon and company sized elements or approximately 30-150 soldiers.

The vehicle will be designed to support a variety of equipment to improve the operational effectiveness of dismounted patrols by increasing communications, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and situational awareness. The LTATV design must account for factors such as mobility, weight, visibility, payload, operation and transportability. Anyone can communicate directly with the Ft. Benning-based Soldiers and contribute to the design by participating online at ArmyCocreate.com. Registered users can submit ideas and designs online, or they can join a conversation thread dedicated to vehicle platform specifications, improving the payload capacity or suggesting options for the plug-and-play, add-on capabilities for the LTATV.

The first Make-a-Thon will take place Dec. 9-13, 2013 and will primarily focus on design concepts, soldier-driven requirements and first iteration, virtual prototyping.

The second Make-a-Thon will take place Jan. 13-16, 2014 and will further refine the community-developed design resulting in a physical prototype.

REF launched ArmyCocreate.com, an online platform to connect Soldiers, civilians, enthusiasts and scientists for the real-time development of Army solutions, in Oct. 2013. The platform will remain open through Jan. 2014 to determine the applicability of co-creation for refining soldier requirements and designing prototypes.

Membership in the Army CoCreate online community is free and is open to the public. Visit ArmyCocreate.com to join the community and help drive the next generation of soldier-focused innovations.

For more information on the Army CoCreate proof-of-concept effort or to receive further information on attending the potential visitor’s day for the second Make-a-Thon, please contact, REF Public Affairs Officer, Kara Ewell at kara.y.ewell.ctr@mail.mil.

About the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force (REF)

The REF harnesses current and emerging technologies to provide immediate solutions to the urgent challenges of U.S. Army forces deployed globally. The Department of the Army formed the REF in 2002 to support warfighter requirements in Afghanistan, and during the past ten years, the REF has met challenges as diverse as defeating improvised explosive devices, increasing Army contingency operational energy efficiency, gathering blast effect data to better understand traumatic brain injury and improving intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance capabilities in austere locations. The REF enables Army units of all types, Combat, Combat Support and Combat Service Support, to rapidly adapt to changing battlefield conditions and enemy tactics.

Please visit us at www.ref.army.mil