Thursday, April 18, 2024
Thursday, April 18, 2024
This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Marine Corps' Amphibious Combat Vehicle program, the Pentagon's future budget, the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System and more.
A Marine Corps spokeswoman tells Inside Defense that the service's Amphibious Combat Vehicle full-rate production decision has been pushed back to November:
COVID-19 delays ACV production decision to November
The Marine Corps has delayed by two months the full-rate production decision for its new Amphibious Combat Vehicle because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Todd Harrison, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said during a virtual conference with reporters last week that he has identified a historic pattern of downward pressure placed on U.S. defense budgets following economic recoveries and the renewed political concern about deficit spending that usually comes next:
Defense analyst wargames future budget crunch
A Washington defense budget analyst is looking at the Pentagon's future spending plans and warning they could very well collide with political forces now building because of the COVID-19 pandemic and historic federal deficits.
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Martin said last week the promise of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System is to deliver a strategic capability future forces must have:
IBCS program, on thin ice with Army leadership two years ago, wins backing of top brass
The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System -- a project that has consumed $2.7 billion and more than a decade just to commence limited user testing -- won strong public backing from Army leaders this week, a turnaround from two years ago when the program was allegedly at risk of being dramatically curtailed or even terminated over schedule delays and cost.
In related news, Inside Defense was in the room with senior military officials as they watched a live-fire test of the Iron Dome air defense system, in which three Patriot missile variants were fired at cruise and ballistic missile targets launched from different locations:
Iron Dome deliveries on track as Army lays out plans for initial testing
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, NM -- While the Army prepares for delivery later this year of the first battery of the Israeli-made Iron Dome air defense system, the service is still considering whether it will be able to integrate the system with its Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System.
BAE Systems, Cole Engineering Services and Microsoft all received contracts ranging in value from $13 million to $19 million for the integrated prototyping phase of the Marine Corps' three-phase competition for a new wargaming facility:
Marine Corps taps three companies for second phase development of new wargaming center
Three companies began work this month on prototyping capabilities for a new wargaming facility scheduled to come online in fiscal year 2023 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA, according to an officer overseeing the effort.