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Army's Future Combat System (FCS); Background and Issues for Congress by Andrew Feickert Pdf
This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The Future Combat System (FCS) was a multi-year, multi-billion dollar program at the heart of the Army¿s transformation efforts. It was to be the Army¿s major R&D, and acquisition program consisting of 14 manned and unmanned systems tied together by an extensive commun. and info. network. The FCS program has been characterized as a high-risk venture due to the advanced technologies involved and the challenge of networking all of the FCS subsystems together. Contents of this report: (1) Program Origins; (2) Program Overview; Current FCS Program Status; Army¿s Modernization Strategy; Budget Issues; (3) Issues for Congress: MGV Cancellation; Army Modernization Strategy and Spin Outs; Proposed Ground Combat Vehicles. Illustrations.
The Army's Future Combat System Program by Christian N. Feliciano Pdf
This book provides information on the issue of the capabilities and affordability of the FCS program. The Future Combat System (FCS) is the U.S. Army's multi-year, multi-billion dollar program at the heart of the Army's transformation efforts. It is the Army's major research, development, and acquisition program consisting of 14 manned and unmanned systems tied together by an extensive communications and information network. The FCS program exists in a dynamic national security environment which could significantly influence the program's outcome. The primary issues presented to 110th Congress are the capabilities and affordability of the FCS program, and the likelihood, given a myriad of factors, that the Army will be able to field its first FCS-equipped brigade by 2014 and eventually field up to 15 FCS-equipped brigades. This book will address a variety of issues including the program's timeline, budget, program management issues, current program developmental progress and challenges, and FCS's relevance in the current and potential future security environments.
Lessons from the Army's Future Combat Systems Program by Christopher G. Pernin,Elliot Axelband,Jeffrey A. Drezner,John Gordon, IV,Brian B. Dille Pdf
The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems program aimed to field an ambitious system of systems, with novel technologies integrated via an advanced wireless network. The largest and most ambitious planned acquisition program in the Army's history, it was cancelled in 2009, and some of its efforts transitioned to follow-on programs. This report documents the program's complex history and draws lessons from its experiences.
The Army's Future Combat System (FCS) by Andrew Feickert Pdf
The Future Combat System (FCS) was a multiyear, multibillion dollar program at the heart of the Army's transformation efforts. It was to be the Army's major research, development, and acquisition program consisting of 14 manned and unmanned systems tied together by an extensive communications and information network. FCS was intended to replace current systems such as the M-1 Abrams tank and the M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. The FCS program has been characterized by the Army and others as a high-risk venture due to the advanced technologies involved and the challenge of networking all of the FCS subsystems together so that FCS-equipped units could function as intended. The FCS program exists in a dynamic national security environment which ultimately played a role in determining the program's fate. Some questioned if FCS, envisioned and designed prior to September 11, 2001 to combat conventional land forces, was relevant in current and anticipated future conflicts where counterinsurgency and stabilization operations are expected to be the norm. The Army contended, however, that FCS was relevant throughout the "entire spectrum of conflict" and that a number of FCS technologies and systems were effectively used in counterinsurgency and stabilization campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. On April 6, 2009, Secretary of Defense Gates announced that he intended to significantly restructure the FCS program. The Department of Defense (DOD) plans to accelerate the spin out of selected FCS technologies to all brigade combat teams (BCTs) but will recommend canceling the manned ground vehicle (MGV) component of the program, which was intended to field eight separate tracked combat vehicle variants built on a common chassis that would eventually replace combat vehicles such as the M-1 Abrams tank, the M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, and the M-109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system. Secretary Gates was concerned that there were significant unanswered questions in the FCS vehicle design strategy and that despite some adjustments to the MGVs, they did not adequately reflect the lessons of counterinsurgency and close quarters combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Secretary Gates also critical that the FCS program did not include a role for Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles that have been used successfully in current conflicts. After re-evaluating requirements, technology, and approach, DOD will re-launch the Army's vehicle modernization program, including a competitive bidding process. Plans for transition from the FCS program to a new program where the Army intends to modernize all BCTs with remaining FCS technologies will likely be of critical congressional interest. The developments of a new Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) to replace the canceled MGVs could also be subject to congressional debate and oversight
The Army's Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives by Anonim Pdf
In today's environment of rapidly evolving conflicts, the Army's goal is to have units that have the combat power of heavy units but that can be transported anywhere in the world in a matter of days. To address concerns about the armored vehicle fleet's aging and the difficulties involved in transporting it as well as to equip the Army more suitably to conduct operations overseas on short notice using forces based in the United States the service created the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program in 2000. A major modernization effort, the program is designed in part to develop and purchase vehicles to replace those now in the heavy forces; the new vehicles would be much lighter, thereby easing the deployment of units equipped with them. In the analysis presented in this report, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examined the current status of the Army's fleet of armored vehicles and assessed the speed of deployment of the service's heavy forces. It also evaluated the FCS program, considering the program's costs as well as its advantages and disadvantages and comparing it with several alternative plans for modernizing the Army's heavy forces.
The Army's Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives by Congressional Budget Congressional Budget Office Pdf
Roughly half of the Army's combat forces at the end of 2005 were so-called heavy units-forces that are equipped with armored vehicles and that provide significant firepower. To support those units, the Army maintains a fleet of approximately 28,000 armored vehicles. Now that the Cold War is over, some defense experts have questioned the relevance of such vehicles to the current national security strategy and their continued usefulness (notwithstanding their contributions to recent operations, such as Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom). The average age of the armored combat vehicle fleet at the end of 2005 was relatively high, and the fleet comprises vehicles designed several decades ago. Moreover, units equipped with the vehicles in the current fleet are too large and too heavy to be moved overseas easily and quickly by the Air Force's C-17s, the most numerous of its long-range transport planes. For all practical purposes, heavy units must be transported overseas by ship-a process that takes weeks. In today's environment of rapidly evolving conflicts, the Army's goal is to have units that have the combat power of heavy units but that can be transported anywhere in the world in a matter of days. To address concerns about the armored vehicle fleet's aging and the difficulties involved in transporting it-as well as to equip the Army more suitably to conduct operations overseas on short notice using forces based in the United States-the service created the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program in 2000. A major modernization effort, the program is designed in part to develop and purchase vehicles to replace those now in the heavy forces; the new vehicles would be much lighter, thereby easing the deployment of units equipped with them. But the FCS program, poised to develop a total of 18 new systems (including eight manned vehicles to replace those in the Army's current armored fleet) and a network to connect them all will not field any new vehicles until December 2014 at the earliest. Furthermore, because those new vehicles will be expensive, the Army plans to buy relatively small quantities of them each year. As a result, the armored vehicles now in the Army's combat units will not all be replaced by FCS components until after 2035, a prospect that has evoked concerns about the costs of maintaining those older vehicles and upgrading them to prevent their becoming obsolete. In addition, questions have been raised about the FCS program's technical feasibility and affordability. Some experts doubt that the Army can develop and test the necessary technologies in time to start producing lightweight manned vehicles by 2012-a requisite for meeting the deadline to field them according to the Army's current schedule. Another concern is funding for the quantities of FCS equipment that the Army is now planning to buy. Any reduction in the FCS procurement rate would force the Army to retain its already aging armored vehicles even longer and to invest more funds in their maintenance.
The Army¿s Future Combat System (FCS) requires a software-based advanced information network to meld people, sensors, and weapons into a cohesive fighting force. As software controls 95% of FCS¿s functionality, it determines the success or failure of the program. The Army contracted with the Boeing Co. as a lead systems integrator to define, develop and integrate FCS, including software development. This report addresses risks facing the development of network and software, the practices being used to manage software, and the timing of key network demonstrations. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.
The Future Combat System (FCS) program is the centerpiece of the Army's effort to transition to a lighter, more agile, and more capable combat force. The law requires the DoD to hold a milestone review of the FCS program, now planned for 2009. This report addresses: (1) what knowledge will likely be available in key areas for the review; and (2) the challenges that lie ahead following the review. To meet these objectives, the auditor reviewed key documents, performed analysis, attended demonstrations and design reviews, and interviewed DoD officials. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.
Defense Acquisitions: the Army¿s Future Combat Systems¿ Features, Risks, and Alternatives by Paul L. Francis Pdf
To become a more responsive and dominant combat force, the U.S. Army is changing its strategy from bigger and stronger weapons to faster and more agile ones. The Future Combat Systems (FCS) -- which the Army calls the ¿greatest technology and integration challenge ever undertaken¿ -- is expected to meet the Army¿s transformational objectives. For FCS¿ first developmental increment, the Army has set aside a 5-1/2-year timetable from program start (May 2003) until the initial production decision (Nov. 2008). This testimony is about FCS¿ key features, whether the program carries any risks, and, if so, whether there are alternatives for developing FCS capabilities with fewer risks. Illustrations.
Exploring Advanced Technologies for the Future Combat Systems Program by Anonim Pdf
This report summarizes the research findings of a short-time-frame study conducted by RAND Arroyo Center to support the Army Science Board (ASB) Summer Study 2000 "Technical and Tactical Opportunities for Revolutionary Advances in Rapidly Deployable Joint Ground Forces in the 2015-2020 Era. The purpose of the RAND research was to explore a range of advanced technologies for potential contribution to the Future Combat Systems program; it is intended to be a think piece and is not a guide to the contractors charged with designing the Future Combat Systems. This research represents only one part of the ASB study, focusing specifically on force effectiveness in a notional small-scale contingency and on the associated spectrum of challenges that such a situation might entail. In conducting the study, the research team interacted with various members of the ASB, drawing extensively on their forward-looking ideas and ultimately integrating many of them into the research. High-resolution combat modeling and simulation was used to assess many key aspects of force performance, environmental factors, and system-of-systems interactions within the context of the scenario. This work should be of interest to defense policymakers, military technologists, and concept developers.
Analysis of the Army¿s Transformation Programs and Possible Alternatives by Frances M. Lussier Pdf
The Army has initiated two programs designed to transform itself from a force focused on fighting the Cold War to one better designed to face the challenges of the 21st century. Those two programs, the Modularity Initiative and the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, would change the way the Army is organized and equipped, respectively. This study considers the near- and long-term implications of those two programs. It also examines three alternatives for modernizing the Army¿s combat forces using modified versions of the FCS program and estimates the costs and savings of those options as well as their effects on the Army¿s ability to introduce new technologies into its combat brigades. ¿An objective, impartial analysis.¿ Charts and tables.
Exploring Advanced Technologies for the Future Combat Systems Program by Anonim Pdf
This report summarizes the research findings of a short-time-frame study conducted by RAND Arroyo Center to support the Army Science Board (ASB) Summer Study 2000 "Technical and Tactical Opportunities for Revolutionary Advances in Rapidly Deployable Joint Ground Forces in the 2015-2020 Era. The purpose of the RAND research was to explore a range of advanced technologies for potential contribution to the Future Combat Systems program; it is intended to be a think piece and is not a guide to the contractors charged with designing the Future Combat Systems. This research represents only one part of the ASB study, focusing specifically on force effectiveness in a notional small-scale contingency and on the associated spectrum of challenges that such a situation might entail. In conducting the study, the research team interacted with various members of the ASB, drawing extensively on their forward-looking ideas and ultimately integrating many of them into the research. High-resolution combat modeling and simulation was used to assess many key aspects of force performance, environmental factors, and system-of-systems interactions within the context of the scenario. This work should be of interest to defense policymakers, military technologists, and concept developers.
Supporting Training Strategies for Brigade Combat Teams Using Future Combat Systems (FCS) Technologies by Michael G. Shanley Pdf
This study seeks to help the Army identify options to improve its future (i.e., circa 2016) training strategies for Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) equipped with Future Combat System (FCS) technologies. Key findings are that live training will need to remain at the core of training programs for FCS units, and that adaptation to changing operational requirements will be a primary training challenge. Overall, the findings indicate that planned training enhancements can provide important improvements across a wide spectrum; however, the overall training capability achieved will likely be less than that needed to meet future training requirements. Unit time, the potential for technological advancement, and training budgets were found to be key constraints. While the study stresses greater emphasis on training manpower support in battle command training as the Army's best chance for significant near-term improvement, it concludes that longer-term improvement will depend on how closely the Army monitors and manages its enhancement programs. The process of shaping and balancing future training enhancements, for example, would benefit from better information and improved evaluative capabilities. These changes would be further enhanced by developing better metrics for the quality, quantity, and adaptability of training, by continuing to improve spiral development processes to evolve training methods and means, and by improving the visibility of financial information across training categories.
