This story starts in 2000 with Integrated Vision’s original mission of expanding outdoor independence for the disability community. A new view of extreme mobility and agility, “most like walking and carrying heavy gear” led to interests of our Special Forces and the program broadened.

With 9/11, Integrated Vision found itself on what became a five-year journey, diverted from its original work to that of military applications. While keeping an eye on how to return technologies to the disability community, efforts shifted to amplification of our Soldier. What was projected as being needed in the future was suddenly needs of our men and women in the Afghanistan and Iraq. In development with Special Forces, it was increasingly clear that the power of this new concept (half vehicle and half soldier) was how its technology combinations changed the game as a system rather than as a singular unit. It was seen as a catalyst to new, networked soldier-robotics tactics. But these efforts in working within our military acquisition process identified that there was no ‘box’ for a multi-unit-teaming systems approach and, thus, doctrine shift, despite high interest. The new opportunities were generally understood, as was the need, but finding a home with funded movement became another story. Without funding, or confirmation to industry partners of written requirements, the program faced the tough decision on folding the cards and following standard advise and ‘going home’, or of following the clarity of the need we were seeing and the urging of our young soldiers to keep going.

Why do we hold this course?

It is the clear picture of what our Soldiers and Marines face today:

• As foot soldiers, our Soldiers can track the enemy on his turf and provide our crucial contact in civilian peacekeeping. They are agile, but heavily loaded and exposed.
• The Humvee carries their equipment and supports maneuver but cannot turn around in alleys and they concentrate too many of our American Soldiers in one spot. And, with increasing armor, we lose the power of our Soldier’s friendly civilian engagement.
• Tanks can support the footsoldier with heavy firepower, but the tank’s ability to move amongst civilians and look peaceful is, in reality, non-existent. And, they also concentrate major assets in one spot.

Within this, we watch with amazement as our Soldiers and Marines accomplish an ever-changing mission using equipment not designed for the urban fight and peacekeeping of this generation’s war. It is obvious that the job on the ground is getting done because of their skill, courage and creative ingenuity on this mission. It is also obvious that they could use the teaming power of another level of capabilities halfway between the footsoldier and the Humvee, tools providing new levels of agility in close quarters and helping get them the upper hand.

Thus, Operation American Agility: doing our part in getting our Soldiers and Marines the radical equipment that was stated as “identifying and filling an overlooked capabilities gap” Brief of US Army Rapid Equipping Force to the Office of Secretary of the Army, 2005

Operation American Agility supports 3D Agile in taking on this urgent mission of an "incubator" delivering a catalyst to radical soldier agility and opening opportunities presently having no quick and direct path within existing military and governmental processes.

Our enemy built up their war of terror with the western world over the past two decades. We may debate the ‘right’ time or manner of engaging this enemy, but present actions fully identify the threat that was, is and will continue to confront human freedoms for the next generation. In this, Islamic Jihadists have no traditional limitations of engagement or rules of engagement.

Countering this enemy will take all of our will and resourcefulness. They have little bureaucracy to limit the speed at which they can adapt their weaponry and creation of violence. In answer to this, American Agility presents an opportunity to rapidly cut loose our own ingenuity. It is a chance to combine our technology depth with the mindset of our young Soldiers and Marines to empower them to adapt even more quickly than their enemy.

To do this, American Agility pulls together a talented development team from across the nation and shall grow this as the program expands. This team is focused on integration of leading technologies within the Jake Modular Technology Platform for protection, robotics and amplification of our footsoldiers fighting an urban war. The first focus is the networked units changing the game for our soldiers in the alleys. The Jake’s ability to enable interface with civilians, allow interaction and compassion, and protect the populace are core elements of the program. Equally, this same platform is capable of generating an overwhelming and dispersed force on demand.

Success in meeting the urgent needs of our Soldiers and Marines, and the needs of a war demanding new strategies, will address a growing American frustration by providing citizens the ability to have a personal impact in meeting the challenges faced by our Soldiers and Marines abroad and by our Police Forces and National Guard within Homeland Security.

So, the question is: Is there something that can significantly amplify our soldier’s agility and capabilities in ground maneuver in urban patrol and operations?

The answer is Yes! The Jake Modular Technology Platform: capitalizing on a new architecture allowing many configurations. It is a teamed-unit program evolved through interaction with our US Special Forces.

But, The challenge? The Jake is both simple and complex. It is based on simple principles, yet requires combinations of the latest technologies to achieve the full power of new design physics and these cool technologies. Maybe the greater challenge is achieving the freedom to assess the Jake in its full form.

To see the real power of Jake requires the ability to be assessed as a total multi-unit-teamed system. This is beyond the funding means of a small group, or one that might provide the more standard advance on an existing vehicle design. And this system’s greatest gains will be found when put into the hands of our young Soldiers and Marines within an open environment for their innovation teamed with existing systems.

But presently, getting this in the hands of our young soldiers is limited by a process that must have determined written “requirements” before starting. This is dictated by current government rules. Here, we have a situation where the innovations the soldiers will develop are difficult to incorporate into the finished Jake -- at least not until several committees meet many times, contract revisions are made and change orders are written, and approved in more committees, charges are budgeted for the changes, etc. A great time later, perhaps years, these changes might be incorporated -- likely by then, out of date or off track of what the soldiers wanted.

We need to clearly understand that change is very difficult within our current government procurement system. With this being the case, and our troops in harm’s way needing what the Jake offers, we need to find another way. By using direct funding from the American people, we can have close interaction with all elements of our services and later integration into their programs that grow from this, but the known limitations of current government requirements that inherently stifle creativity will be minimized during this critical first period of defining the ‘full soldier power’ Jake chassis and inter-related systems.

Note: The Jake is not an incremental change to something currently available and will not fit processes allotting funding only when meeting present requirements, requirements written based on advancing current platforms. This is clear from the past four years of the Jake program where, within such criteria, the Jake is found too “soldier systems” for vehicle programs, too “vehicle” for soldier programs, too “here today” for DARPA, too “manned” for robotics, and too “systems-based” and “not yet off-the-shelf” for direct acquisition. It is the square peg that doesn’t fit in the round hole.

So, Operation American Agility is determined to break this log jam and get new and exciting technologies in the hands of our Soldiers and Marines. Our troops deserve the opportunity to tap these new combinations of technologies and create new tactics. Jake is a team player and can do things our existing stuff can’t. Our young tech-savvy soldiers will bring Jake alive like nothing our older generation can ever imagine.

As you see on Operation American Agility Gear, it is time to be “freaky agile” in both speed of adapting and offensive capabilities for our soldiers on foot. For this, the actions of a groundswell of ordinary, motivated Americans is necessary NOW!

Here is where you and I can make a difference!

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"if this is going to add to their safety, give them more firepower, enable them to do the job they are supposed to be doing, America will be behind it". Larry Sanford, Mechanic, New York

In 2005, this program was dedicated to four very special Marines who gave their all in Iraq. When the sacrifice is close to home, many things become clearer and being close to this group and their families adds sustaining force when it has appeared we couldn’t keep going. If they can do that, we can be tough enough to do this for their buddies still out there in the fight for us. And we believe much of America understands this.