Monday, May 6, 2024
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Tony Bertuca is chief editor of Inside the Pentagon, the flagship publication of InsideDefense, where he focuses on defense budget and acquisition policy. He previously worked for the Sun-Times News Group in his hometown of Chicago, IL, and at the New Hampshire Union Leader in Manchester, NH. Tony has also served as managing editor of Inside the Army. He has a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.
General Dynamics Land Systems has been lobbying Congress this week to intervene in the Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle program, asking that lawmakers refuse to fund the AMPV effort until the service puts forth an acquisition plan GDLS feels is more competitive, according to congressional sources and documents.
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.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Army modernization officials have said for some time that they can see the budgetary writing on the wall, with few new program launches likely over the next few years.
HUNSTVILLE, AL -- General Dynamics Land Systems has filed an agency protest with Army Materiel Command over a request for proposals for the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, the company has confirmed.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Lt. Gen. Edward Cardon, chief of Army Cyberspace Command, said today that the Army is discussing how it can leverage the rapid acquisition authorities it built up during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to equip the cyber force of tomorrow.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Army and Marine Corps are finalizing the requirements for the last phase of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, according to officials overseeing the effort.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Army is conducting Joint Acquisition and Sustainment Reviews to determine the service’s acquisition priorities as the Pentagon enters an era of constrained budgets, according to a four-star general who is helping to spearhead the effort.
The Army is poised to close a solicitation for Bradley Fighting Vehicle upgrades this week and will begin assessing industry proposals soon thereafter.
The Army plans to conduct a demonstration in October that will feature the teaming of manned and unmanned combat vehicles, according to service officials.
While the Army missed last month's deadline to send Congress a final report on its humvee survivability upgrade activities, a service spokesman said last week that the study was near final approval.
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is a suitable design upon which to base an Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, according to the Defense Department's top weapons testers, who came to a different conclusion last year when they identified "severe vulnerabilities" in the Bradley's underbody.
Army Training and Doctrine Command strategists consistently state that the service needs to become a lighter and more expeditionary force in the coming decade if it is to remain relevant to America's national security strategy, but getting there -- and paying for it -- remains a challenge.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno spoke in frank terms this morning about the fiscal pressures impacting his service's future modernization plans, making it clear that any large development programs would have to wait, possibly for another decade.
While the Army's Ground Combat Vehicle program is poised for termination due to dramatic cuts in the fiscal year 2014 defense spending bill, an array of other combat vehicle programs received fresh injections of unrequested cash from Congress.
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.
Lawmakers dealt a heavy blow to the Army's troubled Ground Combat Vehicle program in the fiscal year 2014 defense spending bill by slashing the service's $592 million program request to just $100 million.
The Army has awarded BAE Systems a $53 million contract to "pull forward" work on 70 Bradley Fighting Vehicles in an effort to insulate the combat vehicle industrial base from declines in defense spending.
The Pentagon awarded two grants last week to communities in Wisconsin and Texas that have been hit especially hard by layoffs due to defense budget cuts.
The House passed a fiscal year 2014 defense authorization bill last week that did not require the Army and Marine Corps to submit a report to Congress on the investment strategy to accelerate the fuel efficiency of the Abrams tank, but lawmakers did direct the military to begin exploring the matter.
The Defense Department has officially approved the Army's plans to launch the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle program, according to an internal Pentagon memo obtained by InsideDefense.com.