After reading the post over at Soldier Systems that the Nett Warrior program had been cancelled by PEO Soldier, I figured I'd head straight up the middle and see what the command would say on the record about its potential demise.
Regular readers will know that I've been having some fun with the Nett Warrior program since I ran around with the boys from the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment back in 2008 in Iraq during its first real-world deployment test. Back then they called it the 12-pound GPS unit (and only the battalion commander would wield the 'around-the-corner-shooting' M4 sighting system) and the criticisms really didn't end there.
Sure the Army kept touting some successes with the system in Afghanistan, but I felt for PM Col. Will Riggins who had to put lipstick on that pig -- especially since the Army had launched a parallel effort to use smartphones to do much of what the Land Warrior (now Nett Warrior) system could do -- and more.
Well, despite what our friends at Soldier Systems wrote, the top PEO Soldier spokeswoman told Kit Up! that the program "had NOT been terminated." She went on to say that the Army had set up a so-called "configuration steering board" which is "looking for opportunities to infuse commercial devices and existing government devices into the program."
According to the PEO shop, the Defense Acquisition Board decision on the program is pending the CSB's findings.
Which we all know what it will be: Android phones.
We're still trying to find out more details, but if you read the writing on the wall, Nett Warrior as we know (and knew) it will likely be no more.
