Army Starts New Program To Replace Canceled FCS

(MoneyWatch)  This press release at Defenselink.mil states that the Army will "host a workshop June 15, 2009 to bring together knowledgeable individuals to offer information and opinions on a way ahead for the Army to develop a new ground combat vehicle. The Army is moving aggressively toward developing a new ground combat vehicle as part of its modernization." This new program is to replace the major components of the Future Combat System (FCS) canceled last month by the Obama Administration.

There remains a requirement properly validated by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) for a new Army vehicle system. This will be used to replace the Stryker Interim Combat Vehicle and be a wheeled high mobility system. One of the goals of the FCS was to use speed and situational awareness through a complex system of data links and reconnaissance systems to mitigate the lack of armor on the vehicles. The major reason besides how the contract was structured for the cancellation was the fact the systems were not designed to face the IED threat.

The announcement of the first meeting relative to this new program kicks off what may be a several month process to generate the source documents required to begin the new program. Depending on whether a new Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) is required; then there will be an Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) to lead to the Milestone B. At this milestone the design will be considered far enough along to begin engineering and manufacturing development leading to low rate production.

The Army and Defense Department have already spent about ten years and several billion dollars on these phase for parts of the original FCS program. The farthest along vehicle, the Non Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) was just starting its low rate production. Some of the Unmanned Ground and Aeriel Vehicles were also far along enough that they are being continued.

The point of all this is that while certain parts of the old program may be used for the new one the Army is starting over. This will add years and dollars to those already spent on the original hardware. If there had been a decision to not add new vehicles to the Army but use a mix of M1 tanks, M2 and Stryker infantry fighting vehicles, and the fleet of MRAP vehicles bought to protect troops in Iraq and Afghanistan then more cost savings could be made. A new program will just require further investment of what may soon be scare Federal dollars to research, develop and produce the new vehicle family.

Photo of the NLOS-C from Army.mil Flickr Photostream.