By Emelie Rutherford
The head of a House panel told Navy and Marine Corps leaders he wants more insight into the decision to cancel the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), floating the possibility of still buying some of those amphibious tanks from General Dynamics [GD].
During a hearing of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee, Chairman Todd Akin (R-Mo.) told Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley he was frustrated he has not seen an analysis of the cost and capabilities associated with proceeding with development of the EFV and pursuing alternate vehicles.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced in January he wants to kill plans to buy 573 copies of the long-delayed amphibious tracked vehicle. The Marine Corps is in the process of gathering input from the defense industry on developing a more-affordable alternative, dubbed the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). Akin does not agree with the move to terminate the EFV.
“I’d like to look at whatever four or five good alternatives, or at least logical alternatives, (exist) to investigate and say, what’s the cost?” Akin said. “What are the capabilities of each package? And when you take a look at cost and performance, what’s probably the thing that we’re going to need? Which way are we going to need to go?”
Akin questioned if all the “homework” was done regarding the EFV-canceling plans, adding he “hope(s) we haven’t set anything in concrete.”
“I think anything should be on the table, and if that means some smaller number of EFV fits in there, that’s OK,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, if it’s way too expensive when you get the order quantity smaller and the price goes through the roof, OK, it doesn’t work. But we want to look at everything, and keep everything on the table, in order to keep that requirement” for an amphibious vehicle.
At the outset of the hearing on amphibious operations, Akin said he fears the Marine Corps will end up with merely an upgraded version of the aging Amphibious Assault Vehicle, which the EFV was intended to replace.
Stackley said the Navy could give the Seapower panel a briefing on the “current state” of terminating the EFV and “the process and the analysis” that led to planning the ACV.
Also yesterday, Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos said he planned to hold his first monthly meeting today with senior Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Pentagon leaders to track the progress of his service’s variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the short-takeoff/vertical-landing F-35B. During a Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee naval budget hearing, he pledged to keep a close eye on the F-35B, which Gates has placed on a two-year probation
“I will not be surprised by this,” Amos testified. “I don’t want (the probation period) to last two years. I don’t think it needs to last two years. I think we’ll be able to prove the airplane’s performance and ability to meet the standards well before then. That’s a distinction my (superiors) have to make. But I want this committee to know that I’m tracking it. I’m watching it. I’m very encouraged by what I’ve seen just in the last 70 days.”
Amos said he told Gates and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus that “if this airplane’s not performing, much like the EFV, then I’ll be the first person to come forward and say” it should be ended.
“But I’m optimistic, I don’t think that that will happen,” Amos added.