By Ann Roosevelt

The Defense Department’s chief acquisition officer has approved up to $10 million in FY 2008 research, development test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds to initiate a Stryker Product Improvement Program (S-PIP).

Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics [GD], and come in 10 variants from infantry carrier to medical evacuation to mobile gun systems. The improvements would likely be for all the vehicle variants.

In an Acquisition Decision Memorandum signed March 28, John Young, under secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, approved the use of the funds for activities to support initial program decisions. Those approved activities include: modeling and simulation; specification development; independent business case analysis and requirements validation.

The Army must return for a Milestone A review in June.

The Infantry School, Ft. Benning, Ga., must provide the Army a new Capabilities Development Document to review with DoD in June. That will formalize the new Stryker requirements that will be done in the S-PIP.

On Jan. 2, the Army requested approval to initiate pre-Milestone B activities for the S-PIP, the memorandum said. Then, during a Feb. 20 Defense Acquisition Board review of the Stryker Mobile Gun System, the S-PIP was “briefly discussed.”

Subsequently, the Army, Office of the Secretary of Defense Overarching Integrated Product Team leader and others met to plan to consider what near-term activities should be approved, the memorandum said.