Regarding Reset

Beyond the big-ticket weapons programs and end-strength issues that garner the most attention in discussions of what the next Pentagon leadership team will have to deal with is the less-sexy but equally thorny matter of reset – returning all that well-worn equipment to fighting shape. As Inside the Pentagon reported last week, acting Pentagon comptroller Douglas Brook has said reset will be one of the requirements that will put pressure on the budget.

Though Brook said the next administration will likely cut defense spending, he cited the need to reset and recapitalize military equipment destroyed and worn down by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as a factor that will push the budget up.

“The cost of bringing the Army back, in particular, to full strength will be substantial and that doesn’t include improvements in weapons systems planned by all of the services,” Brook said.

In that vein, we note today the Army’s Stryker program office is considering condensing reset work by using just one facility. According to the latest issue of Army AL&T magazine, the program management office for Stryker Brigade Combat Teams is “exploring the cost-savings and feasibility of conducting all Stryker resets at a centralized facility.”

Currently, the Stryker reset program is primarily conducted at the home station of the BCT that owns the equipment. In August, Inside the Army traveled to Ft. Lewis, WA -- home of the 2nd Infantry Division's 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team -- to see the program office gearing up for vehicle reset. Our story is here.