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The partially unmanned employment concept still has risks; the minimally manned employment concept is a better option for now

• The technology needed to put the partially unmanned (PU) employment concept (in which automated unmanned trucks follow the path of a manned truck in a convoy operation) into action might reach deployment readiness for highway driving in 2019, at the earliest. Full automation will take much longer.
• The minimally manned (MM) employment concept (in which automated trucks, each containing a single soldier, follow a manned truck) is ready for Army adaptation and deployment in urban and highway environments. Moreover, a demonstration suggests that the technology can be developed for trail driving today. The human operator provides a level of redundancy and robustness required to compensate for the current shortcomings in automated technology.

Automated trucks will require convoy tasks, training, and organization structure to adapt

• Soldiers who remain in the convoy could have higher cognitive loads as they perform additional tasks. Many of the affected tasks involve sensing and decisionmaking. In particular, the span of control might reduce for the convoy commander but might increase for the crews of lead vehicles that must manage unmanned following trucks.
• Automated trucks will create greater demands for more-senior drivers and fewer demands for entry-level drivers. It is anticipated that this shift in personnel demand will change force structure requirements, training, and recruiting for convoy soldiers.

This report examines how the U.S. Army can move ahead with the development and integration of automated driving technology for its convoy operations in the near future. Robotic ground vehicles are quickly maturing in the commercial sphere and could potentially save lives and increase efficiency if utilized in Army convoys. However, it may be many years until fully unmanned convoy vehicles are able to operate in rough terrain or manage adversarial attacks. In response, the authors of this report examine different employment concepts of automated trucks in Army convoys that appear viable in the next one to five years and would still reduce soldier casualties. The authors investigate technical and tactical benefits and risks of these concepts. A bridging option, the minimally manned employment concept, leading to the eventual use of a mix of manned and unmanned trucks in a convoy, is developed in this report to address the current technical and tactical risks of concepts requiring use of unmanned, automated trucks in Army convoys.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  An Overview of Army Combat Logistics Patrols and Convoys

• Chapter Three

  Three Potential Concepts for Automating Army Convoys

• Chapter Four

  Technological Assessment: How Close Is the Army to Realizing the Benefits of Automated Convoys?

• Chapter Five

  DOTmLPF-P Assessment: What Changes Will Automated Convoys Bring to Army Operations?

• Chapter Six

  Discussion and Recommendations