Senators call for Stryker upgrade funding in FY-19 defense policy bill

In an April 27 letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman and ranking member, a group of senators urge them to continue funding the modernization of Stryker vehicles in the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill.

The senators, including Tom Cotton (R-AR), Angus King (I-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), "strongly support" the Army's decision to pure-fleet the Double-V Hull upgrade to all of its Stryker vehicles. However, Army senior leaders are still searching for funding for the effort. The service's FY-19 budget request includes the conversion of only three flat-bottom hull vehicles to DVH at a cost of $21.9 million.  

"We respectfully request that you include funding to produce the first half of the next brigade set of Stryker A1 vehicles in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act," the group writes.

The senators note that Congress has consistently provided funding for production of Stryker A1 vehicles "as a major improvement of the legacy fleet, even when the Army did not include funding in its budget request," and they argue this should continue.

Lt. Gen. Mike Murray, the Army's deputy chief of staff (G-8), said this month that leaders have not yet made any decisions on the order in which Strykers will be upgraded.