By Ann Roosevelt
Positioning the Army to capably prepare for whatever might come in what is seen as a complex and uncertain world, the Army Chief of Staff unveiled how the service would modernize.
“This year–2010–we are fundamentally changing how we modernize the Army,” Gen. George Casey said in the 15-page Army Brigade Combat Team Modernization: Versatile Capabilities for an Uncertain Future, posted on his website.
The plan gathers service actions over the past year to hew closely to Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ efforts to move the services from the far future to learning from and concentrating on the current fight.
Casey said the goal of modernization is to provide “versatile ground force capabilities with applicability across the spectrum of operations and with the institutional agility to both anticipate emerging challenges and the ability to rapidly adapt.”
Change stemmed from the focus on the Future Combat System (FCS) as the engine for modernization, a program canceled by Gates in April.
By September 2009, the Army approved recommendations to deliver capability packages, ground combat vehicle operational requirements and the Brigade Combat Team (BCT) network integrated architecture.
“Our new plan emphasizes the role of battle-tested soldiers in the development of new equipment, provides for the incremental delivery of the network, incorporates MRAP vehicles into our formations, accelerates the fielding of capability packages across all BCTs and initiates a new GCV (Ground Combat Vehicle),” the plan said.
The modernization plan will accelerate fielding of capability packages to 29 BCTs by 2016 and all BCTs by 2025. Previously, just 13 brigades would receive FCS spin out equipment by 2016.
While the request for proposals is still to come, the main GCV characteristics appear in the plan: to carry an infantry squad, “equal or surpass” MRAP underbelly protection, off-road mobility and side protection of the Bradley, and operational mobility of a Stryker.
The new vehicle must also support the network so soldiers can communicate with each other and others while in and out of the vehicle.
The modernization plan follows Gates’ direction to accelerate spin out capabilities and ensure modernization reflected lessons from current conflict.
As well, Gates wanted a re-look at the Army contract with Boeing [BA], the FCS prime contractor with SAIC [SAI].
Under the restructured contract, Boeing will deliver one brigade set of early capabilities. Results of ongoing Increment 1 testing and evaluation will determine if the Army contracts for another two BCT sets and then procures subsequent packages from the original equipment manufacturers.
Modernization plans are integrally linked to the Force Generation Model so soldiers receive new capabilities in time to train and be prepared ahead of deployment.