Army Modernization’s Day of Reckoning Is At Hand
Regardless of who wins the November election, the flow of resources which has undergirded modernization is almost certain to decline.
Bell and Sikorsky have started building their competing prototypes for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) ahead of a Final Design Review in November. The vital digital architecture is still in development.
A soldier wearing the ENVG-B can look through binoculars, turn on the camera in their rifle’s sight, and then point that sight around a corner to see and shoot, without exposing anything more than their hands or the rifle.
Some 19 brigades will hold wargames at the CTCs in 2021. That’s shy of the pre-COVID peak of 21 last year, but above the average for 2015-2019.
Before you can 3D print a part, you need a detailed 3D model of it. So Army Material Command is figuring out how to scan tens of thousands of parts. One method: pull apart an entire helicopter.
A parallel joint requirements document will be briefed to industry Oct. 30, Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, head of the Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aerial Systems office, says.
The Army is developing a new Regionally Aligned Readiness & Modernization Model (REARRM) to prepare its forces for great power competition, with different units tailoring their training and equipment to specific foes and theaters.
The Army and Air Force are still "defining the relationship" between TITAN and the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), an Army spokesperson says.
Starting with a summit this December, the Army’s acquisition chief wants to harmonize technical standards across ground vehicles, aircraft, and other systems so they can easily use common components in their design – potentially saving millions – and share tactical data in battle – potentially saving lives.
"We ultimately want this Team Ignite to become the way we do business -- it's increased collaboration with the right partners in the right events," says Maj. Gen. John George, head of Army Combat Capabilities and Development Command (CCDC).
The Navy isn’t part of an Army/Air Force project to build a new tactical network, though the CNO said he wants the Navy’s version to “plug into JADC2” once it’s up and running.