Lynch said the vehicles will have tactically autonomous navigation systems, and are being tested and assessed at Fort Hood right now. The net result, said Lynch, will put vehicles in harm’s way rather than soldiers.
Lynch said he developed a passion for robotics since taking a course at MIT in 1983.
“That passion is now amplified,” Lynch said. “Unmanned ground vehicles could save soldiers’ lives on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Lynch said the Germans in World War II used the operating systems for robotics on the beaches of Normandy.
“It’s not new technology,” he said. “And it happens to be something we are working with right now.”
Lynch said they are assessing ground systems where a command center tells a robot vehicle to start at a certain point and end up at another point by generally following a path and going a certain speed. The onboard computer makes many of the decisions about how to get there.
“Think of the potential,” he said.
Lynch said too many soldiers are being lost to IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
III Corp’s Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciatola will transfer with Lynch to IMCOM - Installation Management Command at Crystal City, Va. - this fall. Lynch said a change of command ceremony would be at 10 a.m. Sept. 16. Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, who is awaiting his third star, will relieve Lynch.
Lynch said he and Ciatola work in perfect simpatico.
“If I think it, he does it,” Lynch said with a grin. “And if he thinks it, I state it.”
Ciatola said he was excited at the opportunity to continue serving with his commanding general.
“There are 90 days left to my command and there are three things I will put my personal energy to because they affect our community so,” Lynch said.
The first is to ensure that Fort Hood’s Resiliency Campus is fully operational by September, he said. The program helps soldiers and families deal with the tremendous stress they endure from deployments.
The idea, started by Lynch, has gained Army-wide recognition. It resolves problems before they can start - before and after deployments.
“The second item is the Survivor Outreach Support,” said Lynch. “We want to improve the support and services that we provide at our Gold Star Center through Army Community Services.”
The center also supports Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.
He said a major event coming up Aug. 12-16 is the Regional Seminar/Good Grief Camp open to all who have lost a loved one in service. He said there are more than 1,200 Gold Star Family members with ties to Fort Hood, including 818 families residing in Texas.
“We don’t want to lose touch with these families,” Lynch said.
The third item on Lynch’s list is education. He said when the 4th Infantry Division leaves he wants no one left behind.
“All those that were adopted by 4th Division, will be adopted by some other unit on the installation,” he said. “It’s all about a symbiotic relationship.”
On other subjects, Lynch said the drawdown from Iraq should see U.S. forces out of that country by 2011. Whereas troop rotations were from Fort Hood to Baghdad in the past, they will be from Fort Hood to Afghanistan as time goes on.
Asked about any changes in policy on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” doctrine in place for sexual orientation, Lynch said he would have to follow the letter of the law.
“This does not necessarily reflect my personal opinion,” he said when asked if this might see a qualified, gay soldier cashiered out of the Army. “You will have to ask the lawmakers to make those decisions. I’m expected to follow the current law.”
