Ground Guidance: Load-Based Mission Planning

Army small unit leaders face complex tradeoffs when selecting equipment and routes for a mission. Mnemonics such METT-TC and OAKOC summarize many of the factors that soldiers consider, but quickly and comprehensively analyzing these elements is challenging. That is where Primordial"s flagship product, Ground Guidance, comes in. Ground Guidance is patented, fielded software developed under contracts with AGC, CERDEC, PM MTS, DARPA, and USSOCOM that enables soldiers to perform rapid terrain analysis, load planning, and route selection. Primordial has integrated Ground Guidance with Falcon View, Google Earth, Land Warrior, and MTS. In January, Primordial fielded Ground Guidance with the Land Warrior to Special Forces and Army units operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. In September, Primordial received a $3.7M, three-year NSRDEC BAA contract under which Primordial will update Ground Guidance to account for weather, energy expenditure, heat strain, weapon range, chokepoints, and individual load. Under the proposed effort, Primordial will further update Ground Guidance to suggest halt locations, learn travel times, recommend fields of fire, identify avenues of approach, and recognize ambush locations. Primordial will also perform an initial verification and validation round by enlisting three small unit leaders with recent combat experience to assess these new Ground Guidance features.