By Ann Roosevelt
No new funds will be requested to accelerate the Army’s approximately $160 billion Future Combat System (FCS), service leaders said yesterday while detailing plans to accelerate the first mature technologies and equipment to the Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) ahead of the Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (HBCTs).
Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, Army G-8, deputy chief of staff for programs, said: “the fundamental element of this whole acceleration is an Army that’s living within its means. What we’re not doing is asking for more money to do this. What we are doing right now is moving existing money so we can deliver these capabilities.”
This means limited reprogramming of money the service already has in fiscal year 2008 and FY ’09, he said.
“The core program has not changed in terms of its time lines, Lt. Gen. Michael Vane, director, of the Army Capabilities Integration Center within the Training and Doctrine Command, said.
Lt. Gen. Ross Thompson, military deputy to the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, said: “The overall cost of the FCS core program is not impacted by this.”
Defense Secretary Robert Gates in a briefing with reporters later in the day said he was “very impressed” with Army’s FCS briefing June 25 and the program now deserves full support.
As generals discussed the changes with reporters in the Pentagon, other service officials, including Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, were discussing them with congressional members and staff.
The program, which has its share of skeptics on the Hill, will get a thorough going-over on the acceleration.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) offered a joint statement saying the acceleration is a positive step. “However, we are concerned that this new plan may not allow for adequate testing of the equipment due to its very tight schedule. In addition, the overall FCS program remains far over budget, far behind schedule, and unaffordable in the long term given the many other pressing needs facing the United States Army.”
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommitee, met with Casey and said in a subsequent statement that he’s convinced the changes will ultimately make the FCS program “more viable.” Even so, the committee will evaluate the details, he said, “to ensure that these technologies are both mature and integrated with the Army’s reset and rehabilitation plans.”
Additionally, the FCS Lead System Integrator Boeing [BA] and SAIC [SAI] have been briefed on the acceleration, which is unlikely to bring changes in the LSI contract, though it could change a separate contract dealing with Spin Out 1 long-lead items.
In a statement, the LSI said FCS acceleration “to meet operational demands and enhance the survivability and effectiveness of infantry brigades, reflects confidence in FCS program progress and technological maturity, and sends a strong message to soldiers that their needs are a top priority.”
The LSI and industry partners “are committed to meeting the Army’s requirements as we build on recent testing success that has demonstrated the operational value of FCS systems, and continue our focus on program execution.”
The Army remains committed to its major modernization program and spent several months reviewing the program. Informed by combat operations and guidance from civilian and military leadership, the service determined to move “more aggressively” in providing soldiers on the front lines key cutting edge capabilities.
“In the last five years of combat operations, IBCTs have been in the highest demand during combat operations,” Vane said. “As a result of capability gaps found in the IBCTs, those are the units which will receive the FCS equipment first.”
The capabilities will “increase their effectiveness, survivability during offense, defense and stability operations,” Vane said.
Speakes said, “We also believe that these capabilities have effects across the full spectrum of combat operations.”
On the acquisition side, Thompson said FCS is 14 systems plus the network plus the soldier. The baseline program continues, but the Spin Out now focuses on IBCTs, with FCS gear technologically ready and able to be fielded. That includes the Textron [TXT] Tactical- and Urban-Unattended Ground Systems, Netfires LLC Non- Line-of-Sight Launch System, Honeywell‘s [HON] Class 1 unmanned aerial vehicle, and the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle, produced by iRobot [IRBT].
The IBCTs also will receive the Joint Tactical Radio System-ground Mobile Radios, battle command software and integrated computer system.
A separate, but complementary system also will be part of the acceleration.
Thompson said, “Part of this decision…is to take the Ground Soldier Ensemble, which is the kit that enables the soldier, and brings the soldier into the network to bring that developmental timeline in line with the FCS program and begin to field the Ground Soldier Ensemble in 2011, also.”
FCS equipment and the Ground Soldier Ensemble will be fielded to 43 IBCTs starting in 2011. The first IBCT to receive equipment will be one of the six new IBCTs the Army will have as it grows in size.
The acceleration also changes the test schedule. This summer, the Limited User Test (LUT) was to take place focused on HBCT.
The shift means the HBCT LUT will take place later. Instead, a Preliminary LUT will take place that looks at the technologies with a focus on the IBCT, not a “for record” test, which will take place next summer.
That means rescheduling tests, and reworking the test master plan with the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
“The money we have spent to date on test and development and the money we will spend this summer are still going to give us lessons learned, analysis and data that will all be useful,” moving forward, Thompson said.