Letter to Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army - SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, HIGGINS, MORELLE LAUNCH PUSH TO UPGRADE ARMY TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP SOLDIERS SAFE IN CLOSE-QUARTERS SITUATIONS; REPS HIGHLIGHT CUTTING-EDGE 360-DEGREE OMNIDIRECTIONAL CAMERAS, LIKE THOSE MADE BY BUFFALO'S BOUNCE IMAGING, AS SOLUTION TO GAP IN TACTICAL SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

Letter

Dear Secretary Wormuth:

We write to urge the Army to prioritize the development of new advanced close-quarters situational awareness technology, especially technology that specializes in confined-space reconnaissance. Our military service members still face a dangerous level of tactical uncertainty in combat zones, and it is imperative that the Army use all the tools at its disposal to swiftly procure technology to mitigate these risks.

As you know, a high level of situational awareness may be required to safely and effectively accomplish the mission at hand. Simple obstacles, such as compound walls, tight corners, low-light areas and confined environments can impose threats that cannot be addressed by the devices currently employed; pole-mounted cameras and mirrors, are extremely limited in their reach and field of view (FOV). More sophisticated approaches, such as military working dogs and unmanned aerial systems (UAS), are costly and often result in an unstable, narrow FOV video feed, making no real contribution to increasing situational awareness. Furthermore, the difficulties inherent in their portability and deployment means they are not available in sufficient quantities to serve our infantry force.

The solution to this is user-friendly technology that provides real-time, fully stabilized, 360-degree imaging. We understand that multiple entities within the Army, including the Maneuver Center of Excellence and US Army Special Operations Command, are currently in the process of exploring these solutions, including those within the Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) space. One such solution includes tactical stabilized omnidirectional cameras, which have been used by a range of federal agencies for a variety of operations--ranging from FEMA search-and-rescue missions and law enforcement agencies to Army special operators.

We urge you to prioritize the development of tactical stabilized omnidirectional cameras and request an update on the progress of the Army's efforts to resolve this gap in tactical situational awareness.

We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your response.