Defense Technology International - June 2008 - (Page 38)

SYSTEMS NETWORKED FEELING THE SQUEEZE Budgetary pressures may scale back FCS development PAUL MCLEARY•NEW YORK W hen it comes to the controversial $160-billion Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, something big always seems to be on the horizon. Spearheaded by lead systems integrator Boeing and partner Science Applications International Corp., FCS seeks to connect the U.S. Army’s ﬁghting force on one network through an interlocked system of ground sensors, manned and unmanned vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, radio systems and non-line-of-sight cannon systems. Program managers say there have been recent successes in testing Phase 1 spinout technologies, some of which are coming closer to being ﬁelded by the 2011 time frame. Equally good news for the program came from the Senate Armed Services Committee in May when it approved the Army’s $3.9-billion Fiscal-Year 2009 FCS funding request. But when discussing FCS, good news is usually o set by complications—in this case both immediate and long-range. The immediate issue to be resolved comes from House Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.), who is o ering to attach a one-time $20-billion bonus to the Defense Dept. budget if the Army invests it in rolling out the most viable elements of FCS in the next ﬁve years and scrapping the rest of the program. Murtha’s proposal is tied to a long-term problem: the upcoming budgetary squeeze inherent in the expensive proDEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2008 cess of reﬁtting the military’s ﬁghting force, which has spent the past ﬁve-plus years wearing down equipment at a rapid pace. In a recent report, the Government Accountability O ce estimated the repair bill at $120 billion over 10 years. In deliberations in May, the House suggested cutting $200 million from the Fiscal 2009 FCS budget to start paying for these “reset” programs. Adding yet another wrinkle to the budgetary process, the Army has, according to reports, asked Congress for permission to raid the co ers of other Army programs to transfer $78 million into FCS, while allowing FCS managers to transfer $174.5 million between FCS programs to make up for some of the $789 million in cuts Congress made in the past three defense budgets. Of the Murtha plan at least, FCS Public Information Ofﬁcer Paul Mehney says “the Army is looking at things in the program for acceleration. The Class 1 UAVs are one example of that, and once the Army discussions continue, we’ll present Chairman Murtha the plan that he requested.” This political maneuvering comes at a time when the unattended ground sensors (UGS) for the program—manufactured by Textron Defense Systems—performed successfully at the U.S. Air Force’s annual JEFX demonstration in Nevada in April. Charlie Williams, FCS Spin Out 1 program manager for Boeing, says that the tests are “a small step, but a step that brings the network into being for the conventional force. They are the ﬁrst crucial step that embeds the network more AviationWeek.com/dti 38 http://AviationWeek.com/dti

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Defense Technology International - June 2008

Defense Technology International - June 2008 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch Basic Black Self-Defense Fire-Resistant Perfezione Hyperspeed Trial Big Sky Cashing In Digital Links Hang Ten Sea Change Programs Update Two Steps Back Direct Hit Staying Power Potent Stinger Do No Harm Guard Duty The Net Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - June 2008

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