By Marina Malenic
The Pentagon’s top arms buyer has delayed a key review of the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) modernization effort.
Ashton Carter, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, instead held a “small group meeting” today with Army representatives, according to a Pentagon official.
Army officials were expected to meet this week with the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) to provide a formal update on the service’s plans following the cancellation of the Manned Ground Vehicle portion of the program (Defense Daily, Oct. 7). According to the Pentagon official, the DAB review was postponed but will take place in the next two weeks.
On June 23, Carter issued the Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) officially implementing decisions made by Defense Secretary Gates in April in which he terminated the FCS Manned Ground Vehicles. Gates at the time expressed concern that the vehicles did not reflect the lessons of current conflict and close quarters combat.
General Dynamics [GD] and BAE Systems were developing the vehicles under a Boeing [BA] and SAIC [SAI] team managing the program for the Army.
Service officials have said they are addressing issues raised in the ADM on how the Army will transition to a modernization effort of separate but integrated acquisition programs (Defense Daily, Oct. 7).
The DAB review is also expected to review the requirements and proposed acquisition strategy for the Ground Combat Vehicle that would replace the terminated Manned Ground Vehicles. The ADM directed the Army to identify the most efficient means to use work already completed in any follow-on ground combat vehicle development program.
Meanwhile, the Army is still planning to conduct two Industry Days to get feedback from industry on requirements. The first Industry Day is in November.