Click Image To EnlargeImage from Combat Reform
From The Hill:
The Army is planning to drastically reduce its ambitious modernization program, known as Future Combat Systems, according to congressional, industry and Pentagon sources.
Army Chief of Staff George Casey was expected to meet with four- and three-star Army generals on Saturday to discuss plans for restructuring. Army officials are expected to have several other meetings over the next few weeks.
The Future Combat Systems (FCS) is designed to make the Army lighter and more agile through an intricate web of manned and unmanned ground and aerial vehicles all linked together by a digital network. At a price tag of at least $160 billion, it is the Army’s most expensive weapons program ever.
Boeing and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) are the main contractors for FCS with the task of integrating the various technologies and managing scores of subcontractors.
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My Comment: The backers for this program are probably sensing the mood for needed constraints and limits on budgets. This is the Army's s biggest and most expensive program, and one that if it comes online will have a profound impact on the battlefield.
But it is not going to happen soon.