Army Shows Off Next-Level Tech At Fort Leonard Wood

The U.S. Army is training troops to use 3D printers to build concrete barracks, or to use drones to gather intelligence in contaminated spots that might be dangerous for soldiers.

Or, scanner technology currently used by the law enforcement agencies to document crime scenes in 3D could someday be used on the battlefield to make maps with previously unthinkable levels of detail.

Some of that technology is being tested at Fort Leonard Wood, which showed off the machines to journalists this week. It’s part of a program the Army calls the Maneuver Support, Sustainment, Protection, Integration Experiment. The goal is to allow service members who might use the devices during deployments to test them and have input before the technology is declared field-ready, The Springfield News- Leader reported.

The strategy makes the military more efficient and saves money, said Mike McCarthy, deputy to the commanding general for the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence at Fort Leonard Wood.

“Using this process takes 40 percent less time from concept to fielding new technology than traditional methods,” McCarthy said. “It also has a significant cost savings. You don’t have to go back and fix it after fielding.”