What's new

Cost of Australian combat soldier's kit soars to $27,700

Manticore

RETIRED MOD
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Messages
10,115
Reaction score
114
Country
Pakistan
Location
Pakistan
Cost of Australian combat soldier's kit soars to $27,700 | News.com.au

THE value of an Australian combat soldier's personal kit has jumped from $3700 in 1999 to $27,700 in Afghanistan in 2013.
Never again will Australian troops be sent to war with inferior gear thanks to an organisation that acts on soldier feedback and cuts through the red tape to quickly procure the right stuff.
"Diggerworks'' was established in 2010 with a simple mission to stop soldiers complaining about inferior gear by purchasing and developing the best available.
The improvement has been dramatic and the Diggers' basic combat ensemble from East Timor in 1999 that cost $3700 has morphed into a high-tech $27,700 outfit in Afghanistan today.




199179-soldier.jpg


The 1999 version included a large field pack, Somalia-era flak jacket, old style webbing and camouflage uniform and Vietnam era combat boots.
The 2013 outfit includes multicam uniform, ballistic glasses, tiered body armour, GPS, pelvic protection system, stretch pants, knee pads and high-tech fitted boots.
A collaboration between battle hardened soldiers, defence scientists and the purchasing body - the Defence Materiel Organisation, Diggerworks - has abandoned methods where quantity was king and price was paramount, and streamlined the link between feedback and production.
With a long history of crook boots, overweight body armour, inferior clothing and dodgy packs and pouches, the organisation had plenty to work on and in three short years it has made some big strides.
According to a recent progress report Diggerworks was established to ensure that "the individual components of the soldier combat system were most appropriate given current knowledge, current technology, the soldiers mission, and budgetary trade-offs.''
The report highlighted a long list of problems such as the 2010 purchase of 17,000 sets of inappropriate body armour and it includes solutions and positive projects to further enhance digger safety and comfort.
These include:
* Soldier Combat Ensemble
* Blast gauge system to measure the impact of explosions
* Pelvic protection system
* Ballistic helmets
* Individual water purification systems
* Gunshot detection system to identify the source of enemy fire
* Lightweight ballistic plate
* Improved pistol holster
* Vehicle lumbar support
* Cold weather ensemble
* Medic packs
Work on the soldier combat ensemble includes separate designs for mentoring troops and special forces operators and body armour designed specifically for female troops.
Diggerworks has trialled gunshot detection systems in Afghanistan including one attached to the weapon and two to the body of the soldier.
"These are lightweight items designed to detect and localise the source of incoming high velocity rounds,'' the report says.
 
In contrast the Taliban have a 'combat kit' consisting of a salwar/kamiz, jootis and a cap that costs less than $27 but have managed to screw the crap out of these $27,000 babes!! Sucks, what? :wacko:

Taliban is cost effective.
 
True, but the cost is way to high to equip a million strong army if the cost is brought down I wouldn't mind. I am still waiting for the F-INSAS project to complete.

One day we will have these gears for our forces just not today.

If 27,000AUD is spent to get this gear then:-

In 1 year if we spend round about 3000crore we can equip our entire SF.

With the same amount spent every year we can equip all of the RR and LOC troops in 3 years.

I dont think troops in Delhi and Hyderabad would need such gear.


But we have our own programme..so lets wait and see what it brings.
 
True, but the cost is way to high to equip a million strong army if the cost is brought down I wouldn't mind. I am still waiting for the F-INSAS project to complete.

Does F-INSAS project even started ??haven't heard yet
 
In contrast the Taliban have a 'combat kit' consisting of a salwar/kamiz, jootis and a cap that costs less than $27 but have managed to screw the crap out of these $27,000 babes!! Sucks, what? :wacko:
Let us know when any country's military decides to take after the Taliban. :lol:
 
In contrast the Taliban have a 'combat kit' consisting of a salwar/kamiz, jootis and a cap that costs less than $27 but have managed to screw the crap out of these $27,000 babes!! Sucks, what? :wacko:
The cap costs less than 2.7$
 
Wish my country had something like this!

The Australian Army is an Expeditionary Force with 16k active soldiers while you have to arm and feed 1 million soldiers. Do the math. India can equip some of its regiments with Modern Western Kits but not all of them.

The only country that can equip its troops with standardized modern western kit at a million number is the US, but they have a defence budget of $700 billion.
 
The sad truth is that here in Aus we need to spend ridiculous amounts of money to get anything done, especially in the public sector. Its like a black hole that gorges on tax dollars with very little return.
Near my work place local council workers rented heavy construction vehicles for near a year to marginally extend the road and you can see up to six people digging a tiny ditch - 1 digging and 5 watching. Private firms doing the same job can usually get the work done inside of a week, you can tell the workers are contractors when you see them working at night under flood lights - something public servants will never do.

Ill bet that a private firm outfitting the army with similar equipment can do it for a fraction of the $27,000 cost.
 
Back
Top Bottom