NASHVILLE, TN -- Top Army leaders kicking off an annual aviation conference this week defended the service's controversial aviation restructure as the Army faces fiscal constraints and a reduction in size.
Saturday, May 11, 2024
Saturday, May 11, 2024
NASHVILLE, TN -- Top Army leaders kicking off an annual aviation conference this week defended the service's controversial aviation restructure as the Army faces fiscal constraints and a reduction in size.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) is objecting to the expected nomination of the Army's intelligence branch chief for the position of Defense Intelligence Agency director due to concerns over her management of the service's cloud capability as part of the Distributed Common Ground System-Army program.
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), in response to the Army's controversial plans to downsize and restructure its aviation assets, are preparing legislation that could lead to an independent commission to study the service's size and force structure.
The National Guard Bureau this week laid out a proposal for how it might implement the Army's controversial aviation restructure initiative, which would transfer all AH-64 Apache helicopters from the Guard to the active force, according to government officials and documents obtained by InsideDefense.com.
Should the Navy decide to break its contract to buy 29 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters in fiscal year 2016, the production of about 80 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for the Army would be at risk, according to the helicopters' manufacturer.
The Pentagon's acquisition chief has approved the start of low-rate initial production of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhanced missile.
The Pentagon has approved the Army's plan to begin a technology maturation and risk-reduction phase of the Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 program that will focus on the development of a multi-mission launcher, according to an acquisition decision memorandum.
The Army's plan to restructure its aviation assets -- hotly contested by Army National Guard advocates -- will work to U.S. Northern Command's advantage, its commander said today.
The Army's $7.5 billion list of unfunded requirements for fiscal year 2015 includes more funding for AH-64E Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, according to service officials.
The Army has made no secret of its intent to take increased risk in many modernization programs, and its fiscal year 2015 budget request reflects that plan with the service backing away from the Ground Combat Vehicle, canceling a next-generation scout helicopter program and delaying enhanced on-the-move networking capabilities, according to budget documents released today.
The Army, in a departure from previous plans, will seek to buy 100 more LUH-72A Lakota helicopters in the fiscal year 2015 budget request the service will send to Congress on March 4, according to defense officials and congressional sources.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today announced sweeping changes to the Army, including proposed cuts to its end strength, the termination of the Ground Combat Vehicle and the pursuit of a controversial aviation restructure involving a swap of helicopters between the active-duty force and the National Guard.
Brig. Gen. Michael Lundy will take over command of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Ft. Rucker, AL, next month as Maj. Gen. Kevin Mangum is slated to become the next Army Training and Doctrine Command deputy commander, according to a Feb. 20 service statement.
The Army is working to further adapt to a maritime culture in the Pacific through joint training exercises with the other services and with U.S. allies in the region, according to the U.S. Army Pacific's G-3 aviation director.
The Pentagon's independent weapons testing office has found that after not meeting reliability goals in fiscal year 2012, the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System was still not performing up to par in in FY-13 after a series of tests which were labeled as being too limited in scope.
As the Defense Department's projected resources shrink, its Integrated Air and Missile Defense system must become more joint and interoperable and take advantage of partner nation capabilities, while development should be focused on staying ahead of adversaries' emerging technology, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Vision 2020.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) this morning unveiled his proposed legislation that would establish a commission to study the proper size and structure of the Army, while prohibiting the service from transferring or divesting any National Guard aircraft or reducing the reserve component's end strength beyond authorized levels in fiscal year 2015. Wilson hopes to attach it to the FY-15 defense authorization bill.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense has pulled the plug on all Army engagements in which service officials might be asked to further justify plans to cut the size of the Army National Guard and restructure the aviation branch, according to Capitol Hill sources, though the Army officially disputes this.
The Army is looking at a worst-case scenario of three fewer combat aviation brigades as it restructures its aviation branch, according to the service's Aviation Center of Excellence Commander at Ft. Rucker, AL.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has approved an Army plan to restructure its aviation forces that includes divesting all OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopters and taking all AH-64 Apache helicopters out of the National Guard to fill the active component's armed aerial scout mission requirement, according to a defense official.