United States Army Infantry Board
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| United States Army Infantry Board | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | United States Army Infantry Board |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Test and evaluation |
| Role | Infantry materiel and tactics evaluation |
| Garrison | Aberdeen Proving Ground |
United States Army Infantry Board is the U.S. Army organization responsible for testing, evaluating, and recommending infantry weapons, equipment, vehicles, and tactics. It operates within a network of test centers, research organizations, and combat units to assess materiel and doctrine prior to fielding, interacting with institutions such as the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Benning, and Fort Bragg. The Board’s outputs influence procurement decisions by entities including the U.S. Army Materiel Command, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Congressional Armed Services Committee, and acquisition programs such as the Joint Program Executive Office.
History
The Board traces lineage to pre‑World War II Army test activities at Aberdeen Proving Ground and the Tank Corps experiments of the interwar period, evolving through influences from the Infantry School (United States), Army War College (United States), and lessons learned during the World War II campaigns in North Africa Campaign, Battle of Normandy, and the Pacific War. Cold War requirements after the Korean War and Vietnam War accelerated formalization alongside organizations like the United States Army Materiel Command and the Edgewood Arsenal. During the post‑Cold War era, interactions with U.S. Central Command, NATO, and programs associated with the Future Combat Systems initiative and the Stryker Brigade Combat Team conversions shaped the Board’s remit. Recent conflicts in Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) drove evaluations in urban warfare and counterinsurgency, connecting the Board to studies at Rand Corporation, Center for a New American Security, and doctrinal updates from Center for Army Lessons Learned.
Mission and Role
The Board’s mission supports force modernization by conducting developmental and operational tests for infantry systems supplied by vendors such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Textron Systems. It advises stakeholders including the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and program offices like the Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems and Program Executive Office Soldier. The Board evaluates requirements generated by combatant commands such as U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. European Command, and doctrine from TRADOC, integrating findings with analyses from Institute for Defense Analyses and test methodologies from the Defense Acquisition University.
Organization and Facilities
Headquartered near Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Board collaborates with range complexes at Grafenwoehr Training Area, National Training Center (Fort Irwin), and Joint Readiness Training Center (Fort Polk), and works alongside laboratories like the United States Army Research Laboratory and Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. Its organizational partners include the Infantry School (United States), Brigade Modernization Command, and the Pentagon staff elements. Facilities used include climatic chambers at Yuma Proving Ground, urban test environments at Fort A.P. Hill, and blast testing infrastructure tied to Watervliet Arsenal and ballistic research at Picatinny Arsenal.
Major Programs and Evaluations
The Board has been integral to assessments of programs including the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle modernization efforts, the M4 carbine family of weapons, the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle evaluation, and soldier systems linked to the Integrated Visual Augmentation System and Future Soldier. It supported testing for armor and survivability upgrades like the Reactive armor and active protection systems tested alongside companies such as Raytheon Technologies and BAE Systems. The Board’s test campaigns often inform acquisition milestones governed by the Defense Acquisition System and the requirements processes codified in policy by the Office of Management and Budget and Congress.
Notable Tests and Innovations
Notable Board evaluations include comparative trials of the XM8 rifle and successor small arms, testing of the Land Warrior ensemble prototypes, and experimentation with squad‑level robotics such as unmanned ground vehicles evaluated in conjunction with U.S. Army Futures Command and prototypes by QinetiQ North America. The Board influenced adoption pathways for night vision devices like the AN/PVS-14, helmet systems tied to Advanced Combat Helmet upgrades, and load‑carriage concepts assessed against models from Arc'teryx and Crye Precision. Urban operations tests drew on scenarios from Operation Market Garden studies and contemporary urban combat analysis from Joint Urban Operations doctrine.
Personnel and Training
Staffing comprises military officers and enlisted soldiers from Infantry Branch (United States) units, civilian scientists from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and test engineers seconded from U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. Training pipelines intersect with courses at United States Army Infantry School, Naval Postgraduate School graduate collaborations, and doctrine development with scholars from Harvard Kennedy School and Georgetown University through analytic partnerships. Experienced veterans from deployments to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom frequently serve as subject‑matter experts to ground tests in operational realities.
Impact on Doctrine and Equipment Development
Findings from Board evaluations have shaped doctrine promulgated by TRADOC Pamphlets, informed fielding decisions for units such as 1st Cavalry Division (United States), 82nd Airborne Division, and 10th Mountain Division (United States), and contributed to procurements by the Army National Guard and United States Marine Corps interoperability efforts. Its test reports influence policy debates in hearings before the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, and feed capability roadmaps used by U.S. Special Operations Command and allied partners like United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and NATO Standardization Office.