U.S. Army, DoD Spar Over Early End to Tank Buys
The U.S. Army wants to shift more than $1 billion from the Abrams tank to the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, but the Office of the Secretary of Defense is unconvinced, Army and Pentagon officials said.
The disagreement springs from the Army's Program Objective Memorandum (POM), or procure-ment plan for 2010-15. Sent to OSD on July 18, it calls for adding money for FCS research and development, a total of more than $2 billion in 2010 and 2011, and adding about $350 million to FCS procurement through 2013.
To pay for this, the Army would drop plans to upgrade hundreds of Abrams tanks and scrap a last planned purchase of at least 30 new tanks, saving a total of $1 billion through 2013. As well, it would slash planned purchases of Strykers, saving $1.3 billion, and reduce purchases and upgrades of Bradley Fighting Vehicles, saving $417 million.
The DoD comptroller's office is especially opposed to cutting Abrams funds, a senior Pentagon official said.
"There is something about having a 72-ton tank that can take hits and absorb all kinds of punishment. It has a place in irregular warfare," the senior Pentagon official said.
But Army officials say they don't want to retire the Abrams.
"It is simply a case of putting modernization dollars into the future force as opposed to 1970s technology," one Army official said.
They say a more deployable and networked force built upon FCS technologies should be the spending priority in years to come. In addition, FCS officials maintain the new MGV will bring unprecedented survivability to the battlefield.
"The MGVs will provide the soldier with an array of crew protection, to include advanced lightweight armor composites, crew mine blast protection, active protection systems, thermal management and radar. Most important, the FCS network provides better situational awareness, allowing soldiers to engage targets at greater distances," said FCS communications manager Paul Mehney.
"This level of survivability demands great increases in vehicle power generation and distribution," he said. "The platform must also have enough space for hardware integration. MGV design takes both of these challenges into account. MGV is being designed to allow for continuous power upgrades."
They also say the extra $2 billion-plus is needed because Congress has cut roughly $1 billion from proposed FCS budgets since 2004. The money will help buy FCS spinout technologies such as robots, UAVs and ground sensors.
"Besides, most of the Abrams fleet has already been upgraded and modernized," the Army official said.
Hundreds of tanks have been upgraded as they have returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, with early Abrams being turned into M1A1 AIMs (Abrams Integrated Management) or M1A2 SEPs (System Enhancement Package). The newer variants have third-generation depleted-uranium armor with graphite coating, digital command-and-control architecture, digital color terrain maps and new sensors.
"The latest-generation tank has an independent thermal viewer for use in an environment where you can see multiple threats and engage them simultaneously instead of having the entire crew staring at one threat," said Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, deputy chief of staff for Army programs, G8. "A soldier has a right to demand that. In fact, it has materially saved lives to have that additional capability."
The Army reset 241 Abrams tanks and 364 Bradley armored vehicles were reset last year, according to a November Army information paper on reset. The effort has put the Army on track to reduce the number of Abrams variants from five to two by 2011.
Typically, POMs are sent to the White House and its Office of Management and Budget in the fall, so the Abrams-FCS spending debate will likely be resolved before next year.
Although POMs are generally compiled every two years, the Army will likely create a new one next year after the new president takes office, the senior Pentagon official said.
In its 2009 budget request, which is not part of the current debate, the Army asked for about $1 billion to buy 127 Strykers, $302 million to buy 371 Armored Security Vehicles, $52.9 million to buy nine Abrams tanks and $589 million to upgrade other Abrams tanks.
One analyst questioned the wisdom of slashing fleets of battle-tested vehicles.
"If this POM makes it through OSD in one piece, the Army is really rolling the dice. All this money is going to FCS, but you just shut down the Abrams, Bradley and Stryker programs," said Dean Lockwood, an analyst with Forecast International, a Connecticut-based consulting firm.
The Pentagon's Program Analysis and Evaluation has asked the Army for additional justification on how the money would be spent, a senior Army official said.
FCS Gaining Support
Plans to add money to FCS in the 2010-2015 POM have been in the works for at least six months.
FCS has been gaining support among lawmakers and Army leaders, thanks largely to recent tests that showed progress toward mobile battlefield networks and other gear.
In an August test at Fort Bliss, Texas, FCS-equipped vehicles, UAVs and sensors shared pictures and full-motion video in real time.
There's also Ground Soldier Ensemble, a newish program intended to give soldiers a secure, portable network radio.
"Fundamentally, it provides two essential ingredients for what a small tactical unit needs," said Allan Resnick, director of capability, developments and assessment, Army Capabilities Integration Center, Fort Monroe, Va. "It provides secure voice communications among everyone in the squad. In addition to that, it provides a position update as to where a squad is, so soldiers can talk to each other on a radio that is secure."
JTRS Handheld Manpack Small (HMS) radios are to arrive by next summer, replacing surrogate radios used in development. Its two channels allow access to classified and unclassified networks, anti-jam capabilities and more.
Meanwhile, the first prototype Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon has begun test-firing at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., and begun mobility and reliability testing intended to clear its way for service in 2015. A total of eight NLOS-C prototypes will be produced between 2008 and 2009. Another of the eight Manned Ground Vehicles, the Mounted Combat System, recently had its 120mm cannon integrated with a turret. Tests of the auto-loader are planned for Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., and service entry in 2010 or 2011, said Maj. Gen. Charles Cartwright, FCS program manager. said.
E-mail: kosborn@defensenews.com.
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