The Army will begin equipping units with augmented reality headsets by the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, according to Congressional testimony by two of the service’s top officials.
In written testimony prepared for the House Appropriation Committee’s defense subcommittee, Acting Secretary of the Army John Whitley and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville detailed the service’s priorities as lawmakers wait for President Joe Biden’s 2022 budget request. Whitley and McConville wrote that they need continued Congressional support for rapid prototyping, development and procurement for the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS, among other emerging programs.
“By 1QFY22, we’ll equip the first unit with IVAS,” Whitley and McConville said in their joint written testimony prepared for a Wednesday hearing. The government’s fiscal 2022 year begins in October.