The U.S. Army has started testing an exoskeleton designed to allow soldiers to carry loads up to 200 pounds for approximately 12 miles.
Over a seven week period the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) will evaluate soldiers using Lockheed Martin’s HULC system to see how it affects their performance.
The robotic suit is designed to take a load’s heavy weight off of soldiers and shift it to the ground through the exoskeleton’s legs.
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Canada is formally completing its fighting mission in Afghanistan this week, a move that marks the end of a robust combat presence centered in the dangerous and violent southern province of Kandahar.
The Canadian military on Tuesday formally transferred its last district in the province to the United States, where the U.S. 3rd Battalion 21st Regiment took over from the Canadian 1st Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment.
On Thursday, Canadian Brig. Gen. Dean Milner will transfer command of NATO-led troops in Kandahar's Panjwai and Dand districts to U.S. command.
This transition comes as other countries make preparations for drawdowns and shifting to plans for non-combat missions in Afghanistan, such as training.
Smruti S. Pattanaik is Research Fellow and Arvind Gupta holds the Lal Bahadur Shastri Chair at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Below is the link to an edited version of an article that originally appeared here
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/05/the-dangerous-afghan-drawdown/
CNN's Chris Lawrence explores U.S. casualties in Iraq that some American leaders believe are caused by Iranian weapons.