Jump to content

User:SergeantSelfExplanatory/Soldier Enhancement Program

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

SergeantSelfExplanatory/Soldier Enhancement Program
Active1989–present (or FY90–present)
TypeAcquisition program
Websitepeosoldier.army.mil/SEP

The Soldier Enhancement Program (SEP) is an acqusition program of the United States Army. SEP upgrades existing items or develops relevant commercial products for the soldier's use, while avoiding long development times or high costs. The SEP program began in fiscal year 1990. The Marine Corps has a counterpart, the Marine Enhancement Program (MEP). Additionally, joint-service SEP projects can be used for items that are desirable for service in both branches.[1]

Approval and project process

Anyone can submit an SEP request.[2] R&D units can also submit proposals on behalf of testing units, for instance during PEO Soldier's Operational Kit Analysis program.[3]

SEP meetings _____.

An SEP project begins with the establishment of an Integrated Product Development Team (IPDT), who is responsible for preparing tailored project documentation, conducting market surveys, evaluating candidates and down selecting, testing, type classification, and expediting transition to production and fielding of the item.[1] SEP projects have a limit of 3 years, from start to finish.[4]

History

Funding for the Soldier Enhancement Program (SEP) was authorized by U.S. Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1990.[4][5] The SEP program had the purpose of enhancing dismounted Army soldiers equipment using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), government off-the-shelf (GOTS), and non-developmental item (NDI) products.[6] SEP's primary goal was to “evaluate, test, and type classify existing prototypes or commercially available items and to NOT fund lengthy developmental programs". Also of items in the SEP program, "[to not] procure large numbers of major items for use".[6]

The SEP program was overseen by Army Materiel Command elements and direct reporting units of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, or AS(ALT). The TSM-Soldier (TRADOC Systems Manager-Soldier), and PM-Soldier (Project Manager-Soldier) oversaw the process of developing requirements and fielding the equipment, respectively.[1]

In 1992, the Department of the Army expanded the scope of the SEP program to encompass projects designed to improve the quality of life for all categories of soldiers - dismounted, combat crews (ground and air), combat support and combat service support.[1]

Due to lobbying by the Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition, funding for the SEP program was increased in (fiscal years) FY 2021, FY 2022, and FY 2023.[7] In 2022, approximately 42 percent of PEO Soldier's equipment portfolio had travelled through the SEP program.[2]

SEP projects

During Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, SEP provided U.S. soldiers with improved boots and uniforms, laser eye protection, the flameless ration heater, and other items.[4][8]

In fiscal year 1996, SEP had 28 ongoing projects.[1] These projects were ___.

Joint SEP items included the lightweight combat boot. Other joint SEP projects include second generation extended cold weather clothing system, improved rainsuit, improved combat butt pack, and the modular sleep system.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "SEP...Solutions to the Soldier in 36 Months or less | The Warrior". sscom.army.mil. December 1995. Archived from the original on 20 April 1998. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Soldier Enhancement Program tri-fold brochure" (PDF). peosoldier.army.mil. 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  3. ^ Jordan, David (26 October 2023). "PEO Soldier gets to ground truth on Soldier equipment". www.army.mil. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025. Kaplan and his team have proactively submitted proposals for the Soldier Enhancement Program on behalf of Soldiers through the O.K. Analysis. The SEP is a process designed to help the Army enhance Soldiers' ability to execute their combat mission by evaluating prototypes and commercially available items submitted by Soldiers and industry. Since its inception six months ago, PEO Soldier has identified 23 potential SEP opportunities, which is an exponential increase relative to recent years. Soldiers, senior leaders and industry are also able to submit their own proposals utilizing PEO Soldier's website.
  4. ^ a b c "Hearings on National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993--H.R. 5006 and Oversight of Previously Authorized Programs Before the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, One Hundred Second (102nd) Congress, Second Session". google.com/books. 1992. pp. 73-74 / pdf p. 82-83. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  5. ^ House, Thomas B. II (2018). "The Army Soldier Enhancement Program | Military Police". thefreelibrary.com. US Army Maneuver Support Center. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via The Free Library.
  6. ^ a b House, Thomas B. II (July–September 2017). "Soldiers Know What Soldiers Need: SEP Evaluates Products to Meet Soldier Needs | Infantry magazine" (PDF). benning.army.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Soldier Enhancement Program | Policy Objectives". warriorprotection.net. Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Protecting Soldiers' Eyes | The Warrior magazine". sscom.army.mil. February 1997. Archived from the original on 20 April 1998. Retrieved 23 June 2025. The initial task of the Laser Lab was to identify and protect the individual soldier against selected laser lines. A laser line is a very specific portion of the spectrum, like the color fire engine red is a very specific color in the visible portion of the spectrum. This has been accomplished and the results were incorporated into Operation Desert Storm (ODS) where lasers were used in rangefinders, target designators and on "smart bombs." Although not used as weapons against our soldiers, lasers were still on the battlefield and considered to be a hazard to soldiers' eyes. When asked if one could see the laser beam of a smart bomb, for example, Joe Roach, team leader and 35-year veteran of the Laser Lab said, "It's even more sinister than that because some of the lasers they are using, in fact the majority of them now in these systems (laser guided bombs), are in the near infrared. You can't see them, but they can still penetrate into the eye. What they do is focus down by the lens (of the eye) and they form a very intense spot on the back of the retina. If the intensity is enough, it can either burn or disrupt the blood vessels. It's a danger and doesn't take a lot of energy to do that."
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:SergeantSelfExplanatory/Soldier_Enhancement_Program&oldid=1296985676"