It all seems quite a rosy idea, with infantry soldiers being equipped with a cooling unit, power generating system and fuel cells.
However this perhaps seems like a situation where soldiers are carrying too much. To your author, the situation where one adds encumbrance to the soldier to overcome heat is an odd one. By restricting airflow more, even more heat buildup in the field may happen. It may well break down, too. Ultimately, Singapore's Soldier Performance Centre has to trial the unit and do some serious experimenting as to whether the benefits are worth it. Technology may not be the way forward here, unfortunately. Your author is not an expert but a stride-power system, say, may not generate all that much power for the weight it adds.
The most critical elements for infantry survival are of course personal items like boots, water and food. After that, it may be worth remembering that the most critical tool for him to do his job has perhaps been ammunition. That has figured heavily in US and British experience from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This might bear reminding in the light of the ever-increasing load on Singaporean infantry, especially with the plate carriers, which may not be the most appropriate garb in jungle conditions.
