As a result of changing operational environment paradigms experienced by U.S. warfighters, physical force protection requirements of the U.S. military cannot be sufficiently met with high-mass, high-logistics materials, such as soil and concrete, as has been commonly done to date. Rather, warfighters require protective capabilities that combine low weights and high-performance characteristics in a manner that can be adapted to changing scenarios and threats.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, MS, recently concluded a 3-year program to develop new protection capabilities that are better aligned with the current battlefield environment. The program — Modular Protective Systems (MPS) for Future Force Assets — ended in FY07 with successful demonstration of a Spiral 1.0 protective wall system that provides protection from a range of direct, indirect, shoulder-fired rocket, and bare charge threats. These protective capabilities were developed and validated through numerous experimental activities.

As observed during recent U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the warfighter’s primary means for emplacing physical protective measures (protective structures, barriers, etc.) has been through the use of soil berms, earthen revetments, and concrete barriers. Although providing relatively predictable levels of protection, these approaches also create significant logistical constraints because of their size, weight, and, oftentimes, incapacity for recovery and reuse. Furthermore, application of these conventional protective materials and techniques has been limited to at least semipermanent applications because of logistics requirements associated with their emplacement, providing warfighters with no physical protection capabilities that can be applied in rapid deployment and recovery scenarios with little or no construction asset support.

MPS serves to provide warfighters with a technology-based solution for rapidly deployable and recoverable physical protection. Developed through a 3-year Army Technology Objective research program, MPS Spiral 1.0 consists of a lightweight space frame and composite armor panels that have been validated for protection against a wide range of threat munitions. The system was designed so that all components are 1- or 2-man portable and require no construction assets to emplace an 8-foot-high protective wall. Because protection is provided by a multilayered armor panel system, protection levels can be tailored by the user based on threats in the area and available resources.

MPS research focused on tailorable protection from a wide range of threats. Through numerous experiments, MPS has been validated to fully mitigate the fragmentation effects of specific mortar and rocket threats in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Furthermore, when augmented with a screening system, the standard MPS package has been validated to provide protection from specific shoulder-fired rocket threats. Bare charge attack has also been evaluated to assess structural stability under blast loadings.

Development of the MPS Spiral 1.0 capability was completed at the end of FY07. National Stock Numbers (NSNs) have been assigned for all individual components, and an NSN is being developed for a complete MPS wall kit based on minimizing logistical cube. The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command conducted a capabilities and limitations assessment in 2006 and conducted a safety and human factors evaluation in March 2008. In August 2007, an Operational Needs Statement for MPS capabilities was created and the Rapid Equipping Force funded the initial fielding. The first set of MPS Spiral 1.0 capabilities have been shipped and arrived in theater May 2008. ERDC is prepared to take feedback from this initial insertion and modify the design for Spiral 2.0. In addition, the U.S. Navy (USN) is also pursuing a Universal Needs Statement for transition of MPS capabilities to Seabees, USN construction forces.

The MPS was fully developed and incorporated into the inventory and fielding within a 42-month time frame from a 6.2-level-funded Army research and development program. It enhances the warfighter’s capability by providing a lightweight, modular, and recoverable protective wall system that previously did not exist in the inventory. The MPS enables the force to operate outside the wire with a high level of protection, yet can be quickly recovered and transported as the mission changes. These capabilities are ideal for current operations and have immediate application with temporary checkpoints.

Future spirals of this system will address feedback from the first fielding as ERDC continues to develop and provide protective materials and techniques needed by our Nation’s warfighters as they face an ever-adapting asymmetric threat.