October 18, 2023 | International, Land
Italy unveils weapons wish list, forecasts defense spending
Now on the list are 21 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — U.S.-made rocket launchers that have seen success on the battlefield in Ukraine.
March 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
McCarthy: Without budget growth, Army heads toward ‘collision course’
Jen Judson
WASHINGTON — Without top-line growth in the U.S. Army's future budgets, the service is headed toward a “collision course,” Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said March 4 at the McAleese Defense Programs Conference.
The Army has already gone through two-and-a-half years of deep budget scrubs through its “night court” process, which seeks to find funding areas in the budget that don't align with the National Defense Strategy and the service's modernization efforts, and moves those dollars into accounts that meet its priorities.
In the Army's first night court, the chief, secretary, vice chief and undersecretary presided over decisions — big and small, easy and tough — for roughly 600 programs, shifting $33 billion from programs across the fiscal 2020 through FY24 five-year plan.
In FY20, the Army is investing $8.6 billion in modernization efforts and, across the next five years, investing a total of $57 billion, a 137 percent increase from the previous year's five-year plan.
The Army found another roughly 80 programs to scale back or cancel in order to free up funding in FY21, but Army leadership has admitted it's getting harder and harder to find low-hanging fruit in the process.
The Army is now in the process of conducting its night court for FY22 in order to try to find more money to align with its modernization goals. Officials will have to start making choices in terms of restructuring procurement accounts to begin the divestiture of current capabilities in the force to make room for future programs that will enter Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) in the comings years.
But that may not be enough if the Army doesn't get an increased top line of 3 to 5 percent in future budget years, McCarthy said.
“What is going to be a challenge for us in ‘22 and ‘23 when [modernization programs] start to mature, we have to make choices in this milestone process, you start buying LRIP tranches,” he said.
At the same time the Army has to grow the force because its current ratio of dwell time to deployment time is 1:1 worldwide, McCarthy said.
“If we don't get 3 to 5 percent growth in the out-years, there is a collision course if you keep growing the force and starting bringing in all these capabilities,” he said.
“Choices will have to be made if we can't increase the top line in ‘22 and ‘23, so will that mean will we have to flatten end-strength? Do we tier the weapon systems that we bring into the formations,” McCarthy asked. “These are the choices that we are talking about, we are looking at and we are going to be prepared to make.”
McCarthy referenced recent comments from Defense Secretary Mark Esper regarding the need to review combatant command demands and asked, “Can we reduce demand worldwide? ... Are we being efficient with every soldier, sailor, airman and marine that we send forward? Can the allies do better? Can we increase their capabilities that do more of the burden that is everything from investing as well as putting more boots forward in the form of deterrence?”
McCarthy told reporters following his speech that if the demand doesn't come down there, "there is no trade space left even if you are going to kill weapon systems that we've had for 40 to 50 years and if you are successful with Congress in getting that done.”
The Army is discussing the numbers it needs with the White House, McCarthy added, but noted that “this is an election year. This is tough. This is going to be a march for the next couple of months.”
But McCarthy stressed, the Army will “continue to grow until we are forced with a really difficult, really another inflection point, if you will, downstream.”
On the same subject
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October 12, 2023 | International, Land, Security
Here’s a look at the military firepower the US is providing to Israel
The buildup reflects U.S. concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel could escalate into a more dangerous regional conflict.
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November 7, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Lockheed Martin Appoints Leader Of Future Vertical Lift Campaign
WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 7, 2019 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced the appointment of Andrew (Andy) Adams to oversee all strategic and operational aspects of its efforts to support Future Vertical Lift (FVL), which will shape the United States military's helicopter fleet of the future. This appointment emphasizes that Lockheed Martin is bringing the full strength of its portfolio to FVL and demonstrates that the corporation is prepared to support accelerated fielding of these capabilities. Led by the U.S. Army, FVL will create the next generation of rotary wing aircraft that are faster, more maneuverable, more lethal, and more technologically advanced. Andy joins the Rotary and Mission Systems business from Aeronautics, where he was vice president and deputy general manager, F-35 Lightning II program. He has a diverse background in the aerospace industry with 31 years of experience within Lockheed Martin, including 29 with Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works®). Andy brings unique skills to the role based on his deep involvement in the pursuit, capture and execution of highly complex, highly contested capture campaigns. His appointment is effective Nov. 18, 2019. “Lockheed Martin is demonstrating its leap-ahead technologies today that will enable us to provide these critical capabilities to the U.S. Army in record time. For more than a decade, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has been investing in game-changing X2 technology to support our customers' FVL missions with increased speed, agility and maneuverability,” said Frank St. John, Executive Vice President, Rotary and Mission Systems. “Coupled with our adaptable mission systems, sensors, weapons, advanced manufacturing, and training and sustainment solutions, Andy will ensure we bring the best of Lockheed Martin to Future Vertical Lift. He will lead the way as we advance industry and supplier partnerships with a stronger, centralized effort to meet our customers' critical missions.” Lockheed Martin's FVL campaign will integrate capture initiatives for the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), for which Lockheed Martin is proposing its RAIDER X aircraft, and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), the Marine Corps' Attack Utility Replacement Aircraft (AURA), as well as S-97 RAIDER, SB>1 DEFIANT and international efforts. The FVL campaign will bring employees and resources together into a unified organizational structure, increasing efficiencies and preparing Lockheed Martin for rapid development and delivery of game-changing technologies and capabilities. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. https://news.lockheedmartin.com/Lockheed-Martin-Appoints-Leader-of-Future-Vertical-Lift-Campaign