2009-2010 Assessment of the Army Research Laboratory by Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board; National Research Council

Author:Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board; National Research Council [Council, Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board; National Research]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: aVe4EvA
Publisher: The National Academies Press
Published: 2011-07-01T16:14:03+00:00

Laboratory Facilities

The laboratory tours during this review period clearly demonstrated the high level of enthusiasm of the personnel who have access to the numerous SLAD state-of-the-art facilities. Many problems critical to the SLAD mission are being addressed, including that of protective armor for personnel. The collection of programs on weapons effects on personnel is commendable and should serve as an excellent database for comparison and evaluation. The cooperation with various federal agencies and industry is exemplary. The gel block methodology that is being developed to study the effectiveness of body armor is a promising direction that could lead to fundamental insights for future designs. The helmet testing utilizes advanced measurement methods and is currently used as a screening tool.

The recently established Electro Magnetic Vulnerability Assessment Facility (EMVAF) is a stateof-the-art facility with the goal of evaluating and investigating antenna performance, vehicle effects (jamming and communication), and multipath effects. The facility is impressive, well designed and managed, and well staffed by dedicated and energetic personnel. The management should be commended for conceiving, designing, and developing this facility, which serves many critical missions and needs of the Army. SLAD has increased its ability to maintain a leading edge for this sort of analysis.