Act of War

REAL-WORLD NEWS EXCERPTS

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA), http://www.darpa.mil, August 2000—The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals on Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation (EHPA). The overall goal of this program is to develop devices and machines that will increase the speed, strength, and endurance of soldiers in combat environments. Projects will lead to self-powered, controllable, wearable exoskeletal devices and/ or machines.

The technological challenges that must be addressed are energy sources, power by generation, haptic interfaces, control algorithm development, as well as integration of actuation systems and all previously mentioned subsystems into a machine with an anthropomorphic architecture. Highly efficient actuators must be developed that can utilize a high-density, man-wearable energy source in both a safe and quiet manner. The power provided to the EPHA system must support the exoskeleton for a duration of military significance, initially estimated to be four to twenty-four hours. Control approaches must be devised that enable direct and seamless interaction between human and machine. Finally, these devices and machines will be demonstrated in order to evaluate their utility to various military operations.

EHPA will enable new capabilities for ground forces. Inclusion of exoskeleton technology into land-based operations will extend the mission payload and/or mission range of the soldier. Exoskeletons will also increase the lethality and survivability of ground troops for short-range and special operations. The enhanced mobility and load-carrying capability provided by the exoskeleton will allow soldiers to carry more ballistic protection and heavy weaponry. To meet the challenges set forth, DARPA is soliciting devices and machines that accomplish one or more of the following: (1) assist pack-loaded locomotion; (2) prolong locomotive endurance; (3) increase locomotive speed; (4) augment human strength; and (5) leap extraordinary heights and/or distances. These machines should be anthropomorphic and capable of bearing distributed loads, such as that generated by extensive armor protection, as well as typical pack loads.

UC BERKELEY RESEARCHERS DEVELOPING ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON THAT CAN ENHANCE HUMAN STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE—University of California-Berkeley, http://www.berkeley.edu, March 2004—The mere thought of hauling a seventy-pound pack across miles of rugged terrain or up fifty flights of stairs is enough to evoke a grimace in even the burliest individuals. But breakthrough robotics research at the University of California, Berkeley, could soon bring welcome relief—a self-powered exoskeleton to effectively take the load off people’s backs.

“We set out to create an exoskeleton that combines a human control system with robotic muscle,” said Homayoon Kazerooni, professor of mechanical engineering and director of UC Berkeley’s Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. “We’ve designed this system to be ergonomic, highly maneuverable, and technically robust so the wearer can walk, squat, bend, and swing from side to side without noticeable reductions in agility. The human pilot can also step over and under obstructions while carrying equipment and supplies.”

The Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX), as it’s officially called, consists of mechanical metal leg braces that are connected rigidly to the user at the feet, and, in order to prevent abrasion, more compliantly elsewhere. The device includes a power unit and a backpack-like frame used to carry a large load. Such a machine could become an invaluable tool for anyone who needs to travel long distances by foot with a heavy load. The exoskeleton could eventually be used by army medics to carry injured soldiers off a battlefield, firefighters to haul their gear up dozens of flights of stairs to put out a high-rise blaze, or rescue workers to bring in food and first-aid supplies to areas where vehicles cannot enter…

STRATEGIC FORECASTING INC., www.stratfor.com, 21 May 2004, © 2004 Stratfor, Inc. —Although Stratfor believes that [terrorist] strikes could be carried out against multiple targets of opportunity, certain factors—including time and al Qaeda’s targeting criteria—lead us to conclude that Houston, Texas, is near the top of the list. Not only is it home to much of the nation’s oil infrastructure, which carries significant economic implications, but it also is a city of 5 million people—and the home of former President George H. W. Bush. A strike here would lend a personal nature to the attack that would send a clear message across the desk of President George W. Bush….

In this case, we believe a truck bomb is the most likely delivery mechanism—perhaps a stolen delivery van, helping to mask the driver’s intentions. This scenario was discussed by a sleeper cell in New York City before the first World Trade Center attack in 1993, and al Qaeda has shown a tendency to return to previous attack plans. The assailants might use a ramming car to break through perimeter fences while either shooting or running over security guards. However, it also is feasible that they could use legitimate company identification cards in order to slip past the guards. Once near the target, the explosive would be detonated, killing the attack team…

“WHO’S GUARDING U.S. MILITARY EQUIPMENT?” by Michelle Malkin, posted October 29, 2003, on WorldNet-Daily.com, © 2003 Creators Syndicate Inc. “…A possible terrorism nexus here is clear…. There are at any given time severalhundred military vehicles on [the Maine National Guard Facility, Limestone, Maine] site, and security is nonexistent. The fact that undocumented foreign nationals are illegally transporting this equipment throughout the U.S. with access to the Limestone facility and other military facilities also would seem to pose a threat…”

…This is not the first time suspicious foreign nationals have been caught around the Maine National Guard site. In June, according to the Border Patrol, a Humvee was stolen from the Limestone facility. While searching for the missing vehicle, agents apprehended a Russian illegal alien nearby. He had a valid New York State commercial driver’s license allowing him to haul hazardous materials and a pass that granted him access to seaports along the East Coast—including high-level security bonded customs areas. Also this summer, two other Russian nationals, dressed in military battle dress uniforms, were stopped by Canadian authorities as they attempted to enter the U.S. at an unguarded crossing approximately 20 miles south of Limestone…