Army Missiles, Missile Defense Race Budget Crunch To 2023
“In my career, certainly this is the most amount of modernization I’ve seen,” Brig. Gen. Brian Gibson says. Can multiple Army programs make their 2023 deadline?
“In my career, certainly this is the most amount of modernization I’ve seen,” Brig. Gen. Brian Gibson says. Can multiple Army programs make their 2023 deadline?
The Army is testing the MPF light tank; evaluating concepts for the OMFV troop carrier; preparing for major tests of high-tech Robotic Combat Vehicles and workhorse Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles in 2022; and will test a full battalion of 18 ERCA howitzers in 2023.
Crucial to the promise of MORFIUS is its ability to zap many drones at once in mid-air, far from the friendly vehicles, buildings, or people actively being defended.
Rather than wait for a much-delayed Air Force system, the Army's plan is to deploy Generation 1 of its new receiver this year, starting with the 2nd Calvary Regiment, the 1st Armored Division, and the 1st Infantry Division.
After skeptical staffers slammed the IVAS targeting goggles, the Army generals responsible have been emphasizing their solicitousness towards Congress.
“Decision dominance … is the ability for a commander to sense, understand, decide, act, and assess faster and more effectively than any adversary,” said Army Futures Command chief Gen. John “Mike” Murray.
The task is mammoth and entails integrating "millions of lines of code," according to Air Force Brig. Gen. Jeffery Valenzia. But "with innovation comes opportunity," Army Brig. Gen. Robert Collins observed. "Speed is what will really give us that overmatch against adversaries," said Maj. Gen. Peter Gallagher.
The Army has learned from the Comanche scout chopper debacle, where it spent $9 billion in today’s dollars to get just two prototypes. With Future Vertical Lift, $7 billion will get 18 prototype aircraft, counting both the FARA scout and FLRAA transport.
When high-tech enemies hack and jam communications, “small units need to be able to operate on their own,” the Army Chief of Staff said. “If they are not masters of their craft, they are not going to be able to do that.”
Holding events virtually saves venue, transportation, and lodging costs, AUSA’s Guy Swan says, but setting up and checking all the digital links takes way more work from staff. They’re hoping to do part of their October Annual Meeting in person in DC.
How do you get 35 new technologies into combat units without overwhelming them? Army Futures Command, Forces Command, Materiel Command, and other HQs are trying to figure that out.