Download or read book The Army s Future Combat System Program written by Christian N. Feliciano and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Army s Future Combat System FCS Background and Issues for Congress written by Andrew Feickert and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011-01 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Lessons from the Army s Future Combat Systems Program written by Christopher G. Pernin and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Army s Future Combat System FCS written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Future Combat System (FCS) is the U.S. Army's multiyear, multibilliondollar program at the heart of the Army's transformation efforts. It is to be the Army's major research, development, and acquisition program consisting of 18 manned and unmanned systems tied together by an extensive communications and information network. FCS is intended to replace such current systems as the M-1 Abrams tank and the M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle with advanced, networked combat systems. The FCS program has been characterized by the Army and others as a high- risk venture due to the advanced technologies involved as well as the challenge of networking all of the FCS subsystems together so that FCSequipped units can function as intended. The FCS program exists in a dynamic national security environment which could significantly influence the program's outcome. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and potential defense budget cuts could play a role in shaping the FCS program. The revised FCS program timeline -- including four "Spin-Outs" whereby equipment is to be tested first by a FCS evaluation brigade and then introduced into the current force -- has extended the program's timeline by four years and has added additional funding requirements, but it has also served to reduce some of the risk associated with this admittedly high-risk venture. The overall FCS program budget has risen steadily since the program's inception and because the program is still in its early stages, its full costs are not yet known. The FCS program is managed by a lead systems integrator group consisting of major defense contractors Boeing and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Although widely criticized, the Army adopted this program management approach because it maintains it did not have the required acquisition, scientific, and engineering staff to manage a program of this complexity and scope. The program's recent conversion from an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement to a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) contract -- in part due to congressional pressure -- raises concerns regarding increasing program costs as well as the Army's ability to take on a larger role in overseeing and executing this highly complex and technologically risky program. The FCS is experiencing a number of program development issues - with some technologies advancing quicker than anticipated, others progressing along predicted lines, while still others not meeting the Army's expectations. Congress, in its authorization, appropriation, and oversight roles may wish to review the FCS program in terms of its capabilities and program costs. This report will be updated as the situation warrants.
Download or read book The Army s Future Combat System FCS written by Andrew Feickert and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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
Download or read book The Army s Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives written by and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2006 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Improving the Future of the Army s Future Combat Systems Program written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 67 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is the U.S. Army's ambitious attempt to modernize its forces in a systematic way, so that everything interoperates properly. This "system of systems" approach contrasts with the "stove-pipe" solutions of the past in which individual systems were designed to meet specific requirements, but with much less thought about how they would interact in the overall force. The "stove-pipe" approach has worked well enough in the past because the self-contained requirements were more important than how well a platform could interact with other platforms. But as we move further in the digital age where information superiority and speed of action are such key enablers of the force, it has become increasingly critical to tie the entire force together. The Army has gambled that the best way to do this is to design the future force holistically, fielding a sum that is greater than its parts. However, the enormity of the task was not originally apparent to its designers. This fact is becoming increasingly clear to Congress as the Army has been forced to increase funding requests and extend timelines several times. In reaction, Congress is considering a number of actions including the cancellation of the program. This paper examines the status of the FCS program and provides several recommendations on how the FCS program office could reduce risk while still bringing critical new technology to the U.S. Army in a timely manner.
Download or read book The Army s Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives written by Frances M. Lussier and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions the Army s Future Combat Systems Features Risks and Alternatives written by Paul L. Francis and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-12 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Definitiver Plan zu einem neuen Mittelklassenlesebuch f r den Kanton Bern written by and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions written by Paul L. Francis and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-07 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Army s Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives written by Congressional Budget Congressional Budget Office and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-11-05 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Crs Report for Congress written by Congressional Research Service: The Libr and published by BiblioGov. This book was released on 2013-11 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Future Combat System (FCS) is the U.S. Army's multiyear, multibilliondollar program at the heart of the Army's transformation efforts. It is to be the Army's major research, development, and acquisition program consisting of 18 manned and unmanned systems tied together by an extensive communications and information network. FCS is intended to replace such current systems as the M-1 Abrams tank and the M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle with advanced, networked combat systems. The FCS program has been characterized by the Army and others as a high- risk venture due to the advanced technologies involved as well as the challenge of networking all of the FCS subsystems together so that FCSequipped units can function as intended. The FCS program exists in a dynamic national security environment which could significantly influence the program's outcome. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and potential defense budget cuts could play a role in shaping the FCS program. The revised FCS program timeline -- including four "Spin-Outs" whereby equipment is to be tested first by a FCS evaluation brigade and then introduced into the current force -- has extended the program's timeline by four years and has added additional funding requirements, but it has also ...
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions written by David G. Ahern and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-12 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. Illustrations.
Download or read book Exploring Advanced Technologies for the Future Combat Systems Program written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Analysis of the Army s Transformation Programs and Possible Alternatives written by Frances M. Lussier and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Early Lessons Learned from the Army s Future Combat Systems Program FCS written by Joseph Yakovac and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Future Combat System (FCS) program is, without a doubt, the most challenging modernization program ever attempted by the Army. The requirement defines the need to develop and field a fully integrated system-of-systems consisting of manned ground vehicles, unmanned ground systems, and unmanned aerial systems -- all connected by a complex network. The program is in its fifth year of System Development and Demonstration. Despite two restructures, due to reprioritizations of dollars within the Army and budget cuts imposed by Congress, the program remains on schedule to deliver capability to the current force in 2010 and, by 2017, to field a fully equipped FCS brigade combat team. To date, most articles, studies, and reports on FCS have focused on the complexities of the task of developing and fielding a system-of-systems and on the unique contractual arrangement between the Army and the program's lead system integrator. This paper provides early lessons learned from the FCS program that may be useful to acquisition professionals facing the challenges of managing the complexity inherent in 21st-century Department of Defense programs.
