Lawmakers approve Limited Interim Missile Warning System reprogramming request

Congress has partially approved the Army's request to reprogram funding for the Limited Interim Missile Warning System Quick Reaction Capability, granting the service a $60 million total increase for the program.

The Army on Oct. 23 asked to realign $34 million of research, development, test and evaluation funding in the Overseas Contingency Operations account to detect enemy man-portable air defense systems and $30 million in procurement funding to facilitate fielding of LIMWS QRC A-Kits and B-Kits.

Lawmakers approved only $29.6 million of the $34 million request, as the Senate Armed Services Committee denied a $4.5 million transfer from another RDT&E project in the base budget called "Environmental Quality Technology."

The rest of the funding was made available from night vision systems; air defense command, control and intelligence; Army tactical command and control hardware and software; and management support, all in the base budget, according to the request.

The service plans to use the additional $30 million in procurement funding to install LIMWS A-Kits for the first unit equipped in fiscal year 2020 and for production of 100 B-Kits to complete fielding to the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade as part of a directed requirement approved on March 26, 2017, the request says.

Congress is allowing the Army to transfer the money from the Common Missile Warning System program, as a Nov. 16, 2018 directed requirement transitioned a part of that program to LIMWS "for improved threat detection capabilities for rotary wing platforms."