The head of a House panel said he has concerns about the Pentagon’s proposed changes to a new Army vehicle effort and plans for buying Navy drones, and also is keeping close watch over the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), who became chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee in January, has received briefings on air and land weapons programs in preparation for fiscal year 2014 budget hearings, including one April 26 on Army acquisitions. He told reporters Tuesday that one qualm he has with the Pentagon’s week-old budget for fiscal year 2014 is its proposal to choose only one contractor for the forthcoming Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) effort.
“One of the main concerns that members of the committee have had is that, although this (GCV) is an incredibly important program in acquisition, the Army appears to be progressing for perhaps a contractor selection, and we’re not certain that everything has been completed…in (relation to) the inquiries as to what this program or project needs to accomplish,” Turner said during a roundtable discussion in his Capitol Hill office. “So we’re mindful that this is the time that we need to make certain this does not become another F-35 program where the requirements are defined at the expense of both the delivery and cost.”
He said he wants to ensure the GCV does not suffer from so-called “requirements creep,” incomplete goals and objectives, and the pursuit of immature technology.
Turner said when he looks at the Pentagon’s FY ‘14 budget proposal, he believes Army vehicle acquisition programs are underfunded. He is concerned about the Army’s plans for tanks, and wants to see the Pentagon do more to protect the industrial base–including tank manufacturers–during lulls or temporary halts in production of their systems. And he is concerned about the impact “sequestration” budget cuts–that started March 1 and could tap $500 billion in defense spending over a decade–would have on the F-35, the Pentagon’s largest weapons program.
Turner declined to share detailed views on the Pentagon’s proposed changes to weapons programs the Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee oversees, saying the panel continues to review the administration’s plan. He did, however, indicate unhappiness within the House Armed Services Committee with the Pentagon proposal’s attempt to cut funding for Navy unmanned aircraft.
“Unmanned aerial systems are such a growth area, not just in quantities but in the technology, capability, and application,” he said. “I think, frankly, you’re going to see Congress, as we did last time, put the money back.”
Of course, the No. 1 item under the Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee’s is the F-35.
“Although this program continues to have a high-degree of scrutiny, it is probably one of the most-important initiatives that we’re currently undertaking, with the understanding that we have to get 5th generation capability in the Air Force,” Turner said. “The complexity of this project and of course its concurrency means that we have to have greater oversight, not just of the spending but of the capabilities to ensure that it’s delivering what is necessary.”
He has been told in initial briefings from Pentagon officials that the F-35 is “stabilizing,” he said.
“However, because of concurrency,” which is when a program is developed and built at the same time, “there’s a significant amount of retrofitting that’s going to have to be done on the existing planes,” he said. He also noted reports of outstanding issues with the planes’ helmets and operability.
He cited concerns about the impact on the program–as the Pentagon prepares to acquire more of the aircraft–from changes with foreign countries’ purchasing plans as well as sequestration cuts and diminishing budgets in the United States.
The Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee oversees Army and Air Force acquisition programs and Navy and Marine Corps aviation programs, ammunition programs and National Guard and Reserve efforts as well.