Jane’s
March 06, 2012
Key Congressman Says Sequestration 'Can Be Avoided'
The US Congress will need a bipartisan agreement to find USD1.2 trillion in savings and avoid automatic defense cuts under 'sequestration', although reversing tax cuts introduced by the previous administration could help the Pentagon avoid a potential USD600 billion slashing of its budget, according to a top lawmaker.
Representative Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington State and a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said on 1 March that Democrats in Congress are unlikely to propose their own plan this year to find the savings.
"In order for anything to pass it has to be bipartisan. That is the approach [Committee Chairman Howard 'Buck'] McKeon and I have talked about to some extent, something we could come together and agree on.
That would be a better and more useful approach than the Republicans roll out a plan, Democrats roll out a plan, and no one agrees."
The 2011 Budget Control Act states that if Congress cannot trim the budget to find USD1.2 trillion in savings, an automatic reduction of USD600 billion in defense and USD600 billion in discretionary spending will kick in.
Republicans in Congress have said they might look for alternatives to cutting defense by such a large amount. Smith added that he is opposed to separating out defense cuts from sequestration, saying: "It has to be all or nothing." Congress has until the end of 2012 to make a decision.
There is a third option for avoiding sequestration, Smith said: "Let the [President George W] Bush tax cuts expire."
Eliminating the tax cuts would provide the necessary USD1.2 trillion in savings, he believes. Republicans have stood firm in their opposition to any new taxes, or eliminating the Bush tax cuts, and Democrats have been just as resolute in their opposition to cutting social security and Medicare.
Smith acknowledged that there are no easy answers for balancing the tight budget environment with difficult needs. However, he noted it is unlikely that Congress would cut any part of the 'nuclear triad' to satisfy the deficit. In particular, Smith said he supports retaining the US Navy's Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. "Submarines are the most capable part, more reliable and survivable. Protecting that piece of the triad is important."
He also has concerns about the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme: the most expensive acquisition effort in the US Department of Defense's (DoD's) history.
"We do not yet have a firm idea of when the three variants will be ready," he noted. "It's a difficult situation. We need to get those firm answers. The problem is it is 90 to 95 per cent of our fighter aircraft for the next 40 years. We cannot simply cancel the programme. We have to find a way to make it work."
Moreover, Smith said more has to be done to enable small businesses to compete for DoD contracts. "How do we make sure it isn't the same usual suspects getting to a contract? The reason I am concerned is that you miss out on a lot of new technology if small businesses don't have access."
Many small companies developing new technologies and new manufacturing ideas are often turned off by the bureaucracy of the DoD, Smith noted. "[Small companies] say they can't do business with them," he said. "The idea is to encourage them."
Smith said he is also concerned about the defense industrial base as the DoD, he believes, has started more projects in the last 10 years than the country can probably afford to implement, such as the JSF and the Littoral Combat Ship.
"We are going to have to ramp some of them down certainly with the tight budget picture. But if you ramp it down how do you ensure you don't lose core capabilities?" he asked.
Smith acknowledged that there is controversy over a forthcoming 'procurement holiday' for the M1 Abrams main battle tank and Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. "Are there core capabilities that go away after two to three years: specialized equipment, specialized talent? Do you lose that by not buying new heavy vehicles? "he asked.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/wg3YAa
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno: Brigade cuts needed to reorganize
Army Times
March 05, 2012
Odierno: Brigade cuts needed to reorganize
The reduction of five more brigade combat teams is necessary to add a third maneuver battalion and an engineer battalion in each brigade, the Army’s top officer said Feb. 24 at the Association of the U.S. Army Winter Symposium.
The Army will cut another five brigade combat teams in addition to the eight already on the chopping block, bringing the total from 45 to 32 teams.
Soldiers also can expect a redesigned Army Force Generation model that will provide longer dwell time and shorter training deployments, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said. Brigades will have regional focus and responsibilities. Rotational training and exercises in the Pacific also are in the works.
Though satisfied with this design, Odierno said the pending cut of another $500 billion “causes me to lose the most sleep at night.”
Lawmakers call it “sequestration.” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called it a “doomsday” scenario. For Odierno, it means the elimination of an additional 50,000 active soldiers and 50,000 reservists. The legislation would degrade modernization efforts and render the Army unable to deliver what soldiers need when they need it, and there wouldn’t be enough money to train the forces that remained.
Sequestration
When Congress failed to make a deficit deal last year, it triggered an automatic cut of $1.2 billion in government spending starting in 2014. That includes a $500 billion cut in defense spending over 10 years. Those cuts are on top of $450 billion in cuts already ordered by the Obama administration and included in the 2013 budget.
Lawmakers in the House Armed Service Committee have been vocal about preventing the cuts, said Maj. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges, the Army’s point man on Capitol Hill. The Senate committee has been less vocal, with the exception of Sens. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., and John McCain, R-Ariz.
It is very unlikely that any action will happen before the November elections, Hodges said. That means a reversal must occur during a short lame-duck session between Election Day and the new Congress takes Capitol Hill in January. Legislation would have to go through bipartisan committees, pass the Senate and House, then be signed by the president.
President Obama has vowed to block legislation that would exempt the Pentagon from the forthcoming cuts.
“If sequestration is enacted … we will have to fundamentally change how we do business,” Odierno said. “The impact will be significant across the board.
“Everybody agrees that it shouldn’t happen, but no one has yet told me what the solution is and how they’re going to fix it.”
Odierno already has enacted a plan to cut 80,000 troops over the next five years. Some lawmakers want that timeline cut to two years to get those costs off the books, but the chief is confident his five-year plan will survive.
“If we don’t do it in five years, we would have to force people out of the Army,” Odierno said. “After fighting 10 years of war, these soldiers don’t deserve that.”
The five-year plan also is necessary to support Afghanistan rotations and ensure a quick buildup if more forces are needed in the near term. Right now, the Army can fight two Desert Storms but cannot fight two Iraq wars that last eight years, he said.
Deeper cuts as a result of sequestration only add to the problem. The Center for a New American Security in October released “Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity.” It stands as the most detailed scenario to date of sequestration’s potential impact. The analysis said it would be necessary to cut end strength to 430,000 soldiers and 150,000 Marines. The lack of manpower would make large commitments difficult. As such, the Army would focus on rapid response/forcible entry (airborne and helicopter assault) and on the lower end of the conflict spectrum, such as advising and assisting foreign forces and conducting irregular warfare. Heavy armored formations would suffer more cuts, with the remainder being shifted to the reserves.
New purchases such as the Ground Combat Vehicle, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and missile defense programs would be canceled. The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, or JIEDDO, would be shut down in fiscal 2017.
New brigade model
Soldiers will see the beefed-up brigades beginning in 2014. The goal is operational and strategic flexibility so that brigades can meet a wide variety of missions — everything from fighting a “very complex war in Korea” to training and advising and contingency operations.
Leaders also reiterated the Army’s commitment to fighting a hybrid threat. Gen. Robert Cone, commander of Training and Doctrine Command, emphasized that this is “not a bankrupt strategy,” and pointed to recent attacks by Hezbollah against Israel as an example.
Most brigades tasked to meet that threat will be light and medium, while an “adequate number” of the newly dubbed “armored brigades” will remain. If prolonged combat ops occur, the Army can go back to a two-battalion model if it needs more brigades, Odierno said.
The assumption when the modular brigade was designed was that every brigade would function independently. A larger logistics capability was built to support that design. Now, the Army looks to trim that footprint by pooling resources, relying on prepositioned assets and reducing support from 72 to 48 hours.
Redundant headquarters functions will be eliminated.
Odierno again emphasized the need for a new Ground Combat Vehicle. To support this contested purchase, he pointed to the fact that the Army has “lost more Bradleys than any combat platforms though we haven’t used it in five years. And we put so much weight on Strykers we can’t get it off the damn road.”
BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems are developing separate GCVs. The Army also will consider foreign vehicles and upgraded Strykers and Bradleys.
Survivability and mobility are key, and the new vehicle must be capable of incremental improvements such as the ones that have allowed the M1A1 main battle tank to remain on top for decades.
New deployment model
Time at home station will “significantly improve” as commitments in Afghanistan diminish, Odierno said. Instead of the staggering nine-month deployments, soldiers will see monthlong exercise deployments in what Odierno calls the “Future Force Generation Model.”
“I envision a progressive readiness model for most units, but there are some high-demand, low-density units that may be better served by a constant readiness model,” the chief said.
The majority of units will progress through readiness levels that include a reset phase, training phase and available phase. Command tours will last between 24 and 27 months to align with this new model. Commanders will rotate during the reset period.
Combat training centers will be tasked with taking realism and challenge to the next level.
“I am excited about the regional alignment of units and removing notional training,” Cone said. “If we don’t make home station training exciting and relevant, we will pay the price of our young leaders leaving the Army.”
Regional alignment will stand as the centerpiece when soldiers train and deploy. Units will be assigned specific mission sets and will train to and with units from that region. This will allow units to develop advisory capabilities, build relationships with allies and host nations, and strengthen the synergy between conventional and special operations forces. The latter will be a key emphasis in training and operations, especially in regard to counterterrorism missions and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
This regional construct also will enhance capability and predictability for soldiers and units, said Odierno, who also looks to use this model to provide greater Army representation at combatant command headquarters. In turn, combatant commanders will be able to influence training to better shape their region.
“There are a lot of people that want to put the Army in a box,” Odierno said. “They want to say, ‘This is what the Army can do. They can do this little thing over here.’ I’m here to tell you that the Army is probably the most flexible, adaptable organization across all the services.”
One of those boxes is a doctrine called “Air-Sea,” which has an overwhelming focus on naval and air assets — and significant support among analysts and lawmakers alike. Odierno was quick to point out that Air-Sea is a contingency operation and “certainly not a new DoD strategy.” The Pentagon’s priority missions still require an expeditionary Army to deter and defeat aggression.
“Sure, there is a lot of blue in the Pacific theater. But people don’t live in the blue,” Hodges said. “They live in the greens and the browns.”
And that is why you can expect to do a lot more training there in the coming years.
Pacific training
Rotational unit training, such as that already in the works for Europe, will take place in the Pacific and possibly the Middle East, Odierno said. The chief recently discussed multilateral training events and exercises with the Australian army’s chief of staff. The Marine Corps already has committed to six-month deployments to Australia. It also forward-deploys forces to Okinawa and participates in regional exercises such as Cobra Gold.
Odierno said the Army model would rotate everything from headquarters elements to companies or battalions for joint theater training.
He also pointed out that there are more soldiers in the Pacific theater than sailors or airmen.
And with good reason: Seven of the world’s 10 largest armies are in the Pacific theater. Gen. James Thurman in October described the Pacific region as “key to U.S. security and prosperity.” Thurman is commander of United Nations Command, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea. North Korea has the world’s fourth-largest military, 70 percent of which is on the demilitarized zone — something Thurman called “a no-kidding threat.”
North Korea also has made significant progress on the construction of a new nuclear reactor. The “six-party talks” have worked to find a peaceful resolution to security concerns arising from this nuclear weapons program, but leadership of four of the six will change or be challenged in 2012, adding to regional instability.
North Korea has 11,000 underground facilities and the world’s largest artillery force, which boasts 13,000 systems, Thurman said. Its 60,000-strong special operations force is the world’s largest. While U.S. ground forces are available to deter and defend, current strategy puts a greater emphasis on advanced technologies and air superiority.
Just around the corner is the People’s Liberation Army of China. With 3 million members, it is the world’s largest military force. More than two-thirds are ground forces, but the PLA Navy is catching the attention of many defense strategists.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/ApEBl8
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
March 05, 2012
Odierno: Brigade cuts needed to reorganize
The reduction of five more brigade combat teams is necessary to add a third maneuver battalion and an engineer battalion in each brigade, the Army’s top officer said Feb. 24 at the Association of the U.S. Army Winter Symposium.
The Army will cut another five brigade combat teams in addition to the eight already on the chopping block, bringing the total from 45 to 32 teams.
Soldiers also can expect a redesigned Army Force Generation model that will provide longer dwell time and shorter training deployments, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said. Brigades will have regional focus and responsibilities. Rotational training and exercises in the Pacific also are in the works.
Though satisfied with this design, Odierno said the pending cut of another $500 billion “causes me to lose the most sleep at night.”
Lawmakers call it “sequestration.” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called it a “doomsday” scenario. For Odierno, it means the elimination of an additional 50,000 active soldiers and 50,000 reservists. The legislation would degrade modernization efforts and render the Army unable to deliver what soldiers need when they need it, and there wouldn’t be enough money to train the forces that remained.
Sequestration
When Congress failed to make a deficit deal last year, it triggered an automatic cut of $1.2 billion in government spending starting in 2014. That includes a $500 billion cut in defense spending over 10 years. Those cuts are on top of $450 billion in cuts already ordered by the Obama administration and included in the 2013 budget.
Lawmakers in the House Armed Service Committee have been vocal about preventing the cuts, said Maj. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges, the Army’s point man on Capitol Hill. The Senate committee has been less vocal, with the exception of Sens. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., and John McCain, R-Ariz.
It is very unlikely that any action will happen before the November elections, Hodges said. That means a reversal must occur during a short lame-duck session between Election Day and the new Congress takes Capitol Hill in January. Legislation would have to go through bipartisan committees, pass the Senate and House, then be signed by the president.
President Obama has vowed to block legislation that would exempt the Pentagon from the forthcoming cuts.
“If sequestration is enacted … we will have to fundamentally change how we do business,” Odierno said. “The impact will be significant across the board.
“Everybody agrees that it shouldn’t happen, but no one has yet told me what the solution is and how they’re going to fix it.”
Odierno already has enacted a plan to cut 80,000 troops over the next five years. Some lawmakers want that timeline cut to two years to get those costs off the books, but the chief is confident his five-year plan will survive.
“If we don’t do it in five years, we would have to force people out of the Army,” Odierno said. “After fighting 10 years of war, these soldiers don’t deserve that.”
The five-year plan also is necessary to support Afghanistan rotations and ensure a quick buildup if more forces are needed in the near term. Right now, the Army can fight two Desert Storms but cannot fight two Iraq wars that last eight years, he said.
Deeper cuts as a result of sequestration only add to the problem. The Center for a New American Security in October released “Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity.” It stands as the most detailed scenario to date of sequestration’s potential impact. The analysis said it would be necessary to cut end strength to 430,000 soldiers and 150,000 Marines. The lack of manpower would make large commitments difficult. As such, the Army would focus on rapid response/forcible entry (airborne and helicopter assault) and on the lower end of the conflict spectrum, such as advising and assisting foreign forces and conducting irregular warfare. Heavy armored formations would suffer more cuts, with the remainder being shifted to the reserves.
New purchases such as the Ground Combat Vehicle, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and missile defense programs would be canceled. The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, or JIEDDO, would be shut down in fiscal 2017.
New brigade model
Soldiers will see the beefed-up brigades beginning in 2014. The goal is operational and strategic flexibility so that brigades can meet a wide variety of missions — everything from fighting a “very complex war in Korea” to training and advising and contingency operations.
Leaders also reiterated the Army’s commitment to fighting a hybrid threat. Gen. Robert Cone, commander of Training and Doctrine Command, emphasized that this is “not a bankrupt strategy,” and pointed to recent attacks by Hezbollah against Israel as an example.
Most brigades tasked to meet that threat will be light and medium, while an “adequate number” of the newly dubbed “armored brigades” will remain. If prolonged combat ops occur, the Army can go back to a two-battalion model if it needs more brigades, Odierno said.
The assumption when the modular brigade was designed was that every brigade would function independently. A larger logistics capability was built to support that design. Now, the Army looks to trim that footprint by pooling resources, relying on prepositioned assets and reducing support from 72 to 48 hours.
Redundant headquarters functions will be eliminated.
Odierno again emphasized the need for a new Ground Combat Vehicle. To support this contested purchase, he pointed to the fact that the Army has “lost more Bradleys than any combat platforms though we haven’t used it in five years. And we put so much weight on Strykers we can’t get it off the damn road.”
BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems are developing separate GCVs. The Army also will consider foreign vehicles and upgraded Strykers and Bradleys.
Survivability and mobility are key, and the new vehicle must be capable of incremental improvements such as the ones that have allowed the M1A1 main battle tank to remain on top for decades.
New deployment model
Time at home station will “significantly improve” as commitments in Afghanistan diminish, Odierno said. Instead of the staggering nine-month deployments, soldiers will see monthlong exercise deployments in what Odierno calls the “Future Force Generation Model.”
“I envision a progressive readiness model for most units, but there are some high-demand, low-density units that may be better served by a constant readiness model,” the chief said.
The majority of units will progress through readiness levels that include a reset phase, training phase and available phase. Command tours will last between 24 and 27 months to align with this new model. Commanders will rotate during the reset period.
Combat training centers will be tasked with taking realism and challenge to the next level.
“I am excited about the regional alignment of units and removing notional training,” Cone said. “If we don’t make home station training exciting and relevant, we will pay the price of our young leaders leaving the Army.”
Regional alignment will stand as the centerpiece when soldiers train and deploy. Units will be assigned specific mission sets and will train to and with units from that region. This will allow units to develop advisory capabilities, build relationships with allies and host nations, and strengthen the synergy between conventional and special operations forces. The latter will be a key emphasis in training and operations, especially in regard to counterterrorism missions and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
This regional construct also will enhance capability and predictability for soldiers and units, said Odierno, who also looks to use this model to provide greater Army representation at combatant command headquarters. In turn, combatant commanders will be able to influence training to better shape their region.
“There are a lot of people that want to put the Army in a box,” Odierno said. “They want to say, ‘This is what the Army can do. They can do this little thing over here.’ I’m here to tell you that the Army is probably the most flexible, adaptable organization across all the services.”
One of those boxes is a doctrine called “Air-Sea,” which has an overwhelming focus on naval and air assets — and significant support among analysts and lawmakers alike. Odierno was quick to point out that Air-Sea is a contingency operation and “certainly not a new DoD strategy.” The Pentagon’s priority missions still require an expeditionary Army to deter and defeat aggression.
“Sure, there is a lot of blue in the Pacific theater. But people don’t live in the blue,” Hodges said. “They live in the greens and the browns.”
And that is why you can expect to do a lot more training there in the coming years.
Pacific training
Rotational unit training, such as that already in the works for Europe, will take place in the Pacific and possibly the Middle East, Odierno said. The chief recently discussed multilateral training events and exercises with the Australian army’s chief of staff. The Marine Corps already has committed to six-month deployments to Australia. It also forward-deploys forces to Okinawa and participates in regional exercises such as Cobra Gold.
Odierno said the Army model would rotate everything from headquarters elements to companies or battalions for joint theater training.
He also pointed out that there are more soldiers in the Pacific theater than sailors or airmen.
And with good reason: Seven of the world’s 10 largest armies are in the Pacific theater. Gen. James Thurman in October described the Pacific region as “key to U.S. security and prosperity.” Thurman is commander of United Nations Command, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea. North Korea has the world’s fourth-largest military, 70 percent of which is on the demilitarized zone — something Thurman called “a no-kidding threat.”
North Korea also has made significant progress on the construction of a new nuclear reactor. The “six-party talks” have worked to find a peaceful resolution to security concerns arising from this nuclear weapons program, but leadership of four of the six will change or be challenged in 2012, adding to regional instability.
North Korea has 11,000 underground facilities and the world’s largest artillery force, which boasts 13,000 systems, Thurman said. Its 60,000-strong special operations force is the world’s largest. While U.S. ground forces are available to deter and defend, current strategy puts a greater emphasis on advanced technologies and air superiority.
Just around the corner is the People’s Liberation Army of China. With 3 million members, it is the world’s largest military force. More than two-thirds are ground forces, but the PLA Navy is catching the attention of many defense strategists.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/ApEBl8
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Army Leaders Praise Stryker Double-V Hull; 'Jury Still Out' On More Purchases
InsideDefense.com
March 05, 2012
Army Leaders Praise Stryker Double-V Hull; 'Jury Still Out' On More Purchases
Army leaders last week praised the performance of Stryker vehicles equipped with double-v hulls against improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, but whether the service will buy more of them is still under review.
The Army plans to build and field two brigades' worth of the modified Strykers -- a total of 760 -- as requested by commanders in southern Afghanistan. Almost 300 are already fielded; the rest will be built by the end of the year, according to Lt. Gen. William Phillips, the military deputy to the Army's acting acquisition chief Heidi Shyu.
DVH Strykers have been involved in 40 IED incidents so far, and only two led to casualties, Phillips said during a March 2 conference call with reporters. In the other cases, "all of the soldiers essentially walked away with just minor injuries," he said.
According to Phillips, a Stryker DVH closely resembles the unmodified version of the vehicle. "You almost can't tell the difference," he said. The DVH underbody is characterized by a "series of double-Vs" that serve to dissipate the blast caused by IEDs, he added. Phillips also lauded the quick-turnaround time in repairing DVH vehicles torn open by IEDs: The average time to reset a vehicle, which is done in Qatar, is 60 days.
Whether it makes sense to buy more DVH vehicles from manufacturer General Dynamics, and whether the Army can afford them, is wrapped up in an analysis of the composition of brigade combat teams. At issue is how many maneuver battalions will be resident in Army BCTs, how many vehicles they will need and what kinds, according to Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, the director of force development in the G-8 branch at Army headquarters.
"Everything is on the table," Cucolo said. This includes the possibility of a "mixed fleet" of Bradleys, tanks, Strykers and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles "all in the same unit," he said.
###
end
Sources;
http://bit.ly/zNRaZs
http://defensenewsstand.com
Copyright �2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
March 05, 2012
Army Leaders Praise Stryker Double-V Hull; 'Jury Still Out' On More Purchases
Army leaders last week praised the performance of Stryker vehicles equipped with double-v hulls against improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, but whether the service will buy more of them is still under review.
The Army plans to build and field two brigades' worth of the modified Strykers -- a total of 760 -- as requested by commanders in southern Afghanistan. Almost 300 are already fielded; the rest will be built by the end of the year, according to Lt. Gen. William Phillips, the military deputy to the Army's acting acquisition chief Heidi Shyu.
DVH Strykers have been involved in 40 IED incidents so far, and only two led to casualties, Phillips said during a March 2 conference call with reporters. In the other cases, "all of the soldiers essentially walked away with just minor injuries," he said.
According to Phillips, a Stryker DVH closely resembles the unmodified version of the vehicle. "You almost can't tell the difference," he said. The DVH underbody is characterized by a "series of double-Vs" that serve to dissipate the blast caused by IEDs, he added. Phillips also lauded the quick-turnaround time in repairing DVH vehicles torn open by IEDs: The average time to reset a vehicle, which is done in Qatar, is 60 days.
Whether it makes sense to buy more DVH vehicles from manufacturer General Dynamics, and whether the Army can afford them, is wrapped up in an analysis of the composition of brigade combat teams. At issue is how many maneuver battalions will be resident in Army BCTs, how many vehicles they will need and what kinds, according to Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, the director of force development in the G-8 branch at Army headquarters.
"Everything is on the table," Cucolo said. This includes the possibility of a "mixed fleet" of Bradleys, tanks, Strykers and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles "all in the same unit," he said.
###
end
Sources;
http://bit.ly/zNRaZs
http://defensenewsstand.com
Copyright �2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Jury Still Out On US Army Strykers
Jane's
March 07,2012
Jury Still Out On US Army Strykers
Key Points
• Stryker DVH production is set to be complete in December 2012 and the army is mulling if two brigades' worth is adequate.
• Upgrades are also possible as the more heavily armored variants could suffer from degraded performance.
The US Army is wrapping up production of the Stryker Double-V Hull (SDVH) combat vehicles that were rapidly designed and deployed to protect against explosive threats in Afghanistan, and is still mulling the future posture of its Stryker fleet.
"We want to end up eventually with two brigades of Stryker Double-V Hulls," Lieutenant General William Phillips, military deputy to the army's acquisition executive, told reporters during a 2 March media roundtable.
"We have almost 300 [SDVH] vehicles fielded to soldiers in combat today and we'll continue to produce and field this vehicle" for a total of about 760 platforms, he said.
Lt Gen Phillips confirmed army plans to employ just over 330 SDVH vehicles per brigade, with 742 in fighting formations that would be ready for use.
However, production of SDVH will be completed in December and the army is still determining how many of the platforms it wants to buy or how it wants to upgrade its existing stocks.
"The jury is still out" as to whether the army has the acquisition appetite to buy more than two brigades' worth of SDVH vehicles, which was the total order requested from theatre, said Major General Anthony Cucolo, the director of force development for Army G-8.
Small numbers of flat-bottom Strykers - not as heavily armored as the SDVH - still operate in Afghanistan today, Maj Gen Cucolo said, adding that these legacy platforms could still play notable roles in the future as not all operating environments or missions will necessarily be exposed to threats from roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Upgrade projects for the Stryker are also being proffered but, like any potential expansion of the SDVH fleet, are subject to budget restraints.
Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno recently expressed concern that the Stryker was losing its mobility. He told an industry crowd in late February that "We've added so much weight to the Stryker, we can't get if off the damn roads".
Officials with Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) programme office said they are considering options to modernize the vehicles while recapturing some of the performance that has been traded for the heavier armor.
A new suspension system and upgrades to the powerpack could take the engine up to the 400 hp range and better handle the extra weight, with an eye toward regaining some of the lost acceleration and speed.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/woT9xJ
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
March 07,2012
Jury Still Out On US Army Strykers
Key Points
• Stryker DVH production is set to be complete in December 2012 and the army is mulling if two brigades' worth is adequate.
• Upgrades are also possible as the more heavily armored variants could suffer from degraded performance.
The US Army is wrapping up production of the Stryker Double-V Hull (SDVH) combat vehicles that were rapidly designed and deployed to protect against explosive threats in Afghanistan, and is still mulling the future posture of its Stryker fleet.
"We want to end up eventually with two brigades of Stryker Double-V Hulls," Lieutenant General William Phillips, military deputy to the army's acquisition executive, told reporters during a 2 March media roundtable.
"We have almost 300 [SDVH] vehicles fielded to soldiers in combat today and we'll continue to produce and field this vehicle" for a total of about 760 platforms, he said.
Lt Gen Phillips confirmed army plans to employ just over 330 SDVH vehicles per brigade, with 742 in fighting formations that would be ready for use.
However, production of SDVH will be completed in December and the army is still determining how many of the platforms it wants to buy or how it wants to upgrade its existing stocks.
"The jury is still out" as to whether the army has the acquisition appetite to buy more than two brigades' worth of SDVH vehicles, which was the total order requested from theatre, said Major General Anthony Cucolo, the director of force development for Army G-8.
Small numbers of flat-bottom Strykers - not as heavily armored as the SDVH - still operate in Afghanistan today, Maj Gen Cucolo said, adding that these legacy platforms could still play notable roles in the future as not all operating environments or missions will necessarily be exposed to threats from roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Upgrade projects for the Stryker are also being proffered but, like any potential expansion of the SDVH fleet, are subject to budget restraints.
Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno recently expressed concern that the Stryker was losing its mobility. He told an industry crowd in late February that "We've added so much weight to the Stryker, we can't get if off the damn roads".
Officials with Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) programme office said they are considering options to modernize the vehicles while recapturing some of the performance that has been traded for the heavier armor.
A new suspension system and upgrades to the powerpack could take the engine up to the 400 hp range and better handle the extra weight, with an eye toward regaining some of the lost acceleration and speed.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/woT9xJ
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Saint Patrick's Day: celebrating a life of mission
St. Patrick's Day
March 17, 2012
Saint Patrick's Day: celebrating a life of mission: by romereports
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all around the world, but its true meaning can be overshadowed by lepercons, 3 leaf clovers an wearing the color green.
Problem playing this video? link to video
Link to podcast Irish music mp3 {54:33} | St. Patrick's Day, what does it really mean! | Irish music CD's | Irish pubs!
The Irish believe that the world will end on St. Patrick's Day 2012... just joking! No, really I was just joking.
Prayer of Saint Patrick
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, and in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
Special thanks to Marc Gunn: Celtic American Musician and Podcaster
Source;
http://bit.ly/A6GOOX
Copyright © 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
March 17, 2012
Saint Patrick's Day: celebrating a life of mission: by romereports
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all around the world, but its true meaning can be overshadowed by lepercons, 3 leaf clovers an wearing the color green.
Problem playing this video? link to video
Link to podcast Irish music mp3 {54:33} | St. Patrick's Day, what does it really mean! | Irish music CD's | Irish pubs!
The Irish believe that the world will end on St. Patrick's Day 2012... just joking! No, really I was just joking.
Prayer of Saint Patrick
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, and in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
Special thanks to Marc Gunn: Celtic American Musician and Podcaster
Source;
http://bit.ly/A6GOOX
Copyright © 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
A Celebration of Heritage
A Celebration of Heritage
February 28, 2012
"All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel." — Nehemiah 8:1
Just a few weeks ago, Irish Americans (and even some who are not) celebrated their unique heritage and culture during St. Patrick’s Day. Parades were held; people donned green; and in my former hometown of Chicago, they even dyed the Chicago River green.
While these celebrations are mostly light-hearted and joyous occasions, they do serve a purpose in helping people remember their ancestral roots. They keep alive the rich traditions and strengthen the tie to their homeland.
For centuries, the Ethiopian Jews have celebrated their Jewish faith and roots in a unique holiday, known as Sigd, which means “to prostrate oneself.” The celebration is believed to have started in the 15th century when the priests gathered the Beta Israel, “House of Israel” as they call themselves, to strengthen their faith in the face of great persecution.
The priests were inspired by the description in the book of Nehemiah of how the Jews who had returned from Babylon after seventy years of exile dedicated themselves to follow God: “All the people came together as one in the square of the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel” (Nehemiah 8:1).
Prior to the mass aliyah (immigration to Israel) of Beta Israel, which began in the 1980s, generations of Ethiopian Jews would walk for days to a mountaintop where thousands would join in prayer and the reading of the Torah. Following the afternoon prayers and blowing of the shofar, the entire community would descend from the mountain for a joyous feast.
In this way, the Ethiopian Jews celebrated and remembered their connection to Jerusalem and renewed their commitment to Jewish unity.
Sigd is now an official holiday, celebrated by all Jews in Israel, and Ethiopian Jews who have made aliyah to Israel gather at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to commemorate this day. It is truly an inspiring and spiritual experience.
Although the holiday of Sigd is one that Ethiopian Jews have exclusively celebrated for centuries, it is a holiday that many Jews can relate to. Jews in Israel have gathered from Europe, America, Russia, Iran, and countless other countries of their birth. Uniting in Jerusalem is the answer to our prayers, because all of us were once strangers in a strange land.
The holiday of Sigd commemorates the struggles all who resettle went through to arrive in the Holy Land. It also reminds us about the love that God will always have for His children, wherever they may be found.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nobel People Found In The Bible;
It wasn't about how much money they had but the situations in which they were found and it was in the situation that their character was formed.
Daniel in the lions den, Esther the young servant who became the Queen of Persia, David the young shepherd and later in life King of Israel, Joseph being sold into slavery but became the Prince of Egypt next in power to Pharoah or Father Abraham who left his home and family on an adventure to become Father of many nations and grandfather to Jacob later known as Israel. This story is read from Genesis chapters 12 to 50.
The triumphs and successes were all achieved based on the reaction to their situation in relationship to God of the Hebrew nation later known as Israel.
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
February 28, 2012
"All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel." — Nehemiah 8:1
Just a few weeks ago, Irish Americans (and even some who are not) celebrated their unique heritage and culture during St. Patrick’s Day. Parades were held; people donned green; and in my former hometown of Chicago, they even dyed the Chicago River green.
While these celebrations are mostly light-hearted and joyous occasions, they do serve a purpose in helping people remember their ancestral roots. They keep alive the rich traditions and strengthen the tie to their homeland.
For centuries, the Ethiopian Jews have celebrated their Jewish faith and roots in a unique holiday, known as Sigd, which means “to prostrate oneself.” The celebration is believed to have started in the 15th century when the priests gathered the Beta Israel, “House of Israel” as they call themselves, to strengthen their faith in the face of great persecution.
The priests were inspired by the description in the book of Nehemiah of how the Jews who had returned from Babylon after seventy years of exile dedicated themselves to follow God: “All the people came together as one in the square of the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel” (Nehemiah 8:1).
Prior to the mass aliyah (immigration to Israel) of Beta Israel, which began in the 1980s, generations of Ethiopian Jews would walk for days to a mountaintop where thousands would join in prayer and the reading of the Torah. Following the afternoon prayers and blowing of the shofar, the entire community would descend from the mountain for a joyous feast.
In this way, the Ethiopian Jews celebrated and remembered their connection to Jerusalem and renewed their commitment to Jewish unity.
Sigd is now an official holiday, celebrated by all Jews in Israel, and Ethiopian Jews who have made aliyah to Israel gather at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to commemorate this day. It is truly an inspiring and spiritual experience.
Although the holiday of Sigd is one that Ethiopian Jews have exclusively celebrated for centuries, it is a holiday that many Jews can relate to. Jews in Israel have gathered from Europe, America, Russia, Iran, and countless other countries of their birth. Uniting in Jerusalem is the answer to our prayers, because all of us were once strangers in a strange land.
The holiday of Sigd commemorates the struggles all who resettle went through to arrive in the Holy Land. It also reminds us about the love that God will always have for His children, wherever they may be found.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nobel People Found In The Bible;
It wasn't about how much money they had but the situations in which they were found and it was in the situation that their character was formed.
Daniel in the lions den, Esther the young servant who became the Queen of Persia, David the young shepherd and later in life King of Israel, Joseph being sold into slavery but became the Prince of Egypt next in power to Pharoah or Father Abraham who left his home and family on an adventure to become Father of many nations and grandfather to Jacob later known as Israel. This story is read from Genesis chapters 12 to 50.
The triumphs and successes were all achieved based on the reaction to their situation in relationship to God of the Hebrew nation later known as Israel.
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
The Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle: A Model for Future Acquisition Programs?
Lexington Institute
February 27, 2012
The Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle: A Model for Future Acquisition Programs?
It was supposed to be a temporary fix until the Future Combat System (FCS) was ready for deployment. In fact, the Stryker was initially called the “Interim Armored Vehicle.” It wasn’t even a new design. The Stryker is based on an existing vehicle, the Piranha, designed by the Swiss company MOAG and later adopted by Canada as the LAV III. Yet, today the FCS is only a painful memory while the Army has acquired some 4,000 Strykers and will shortly stand up its 9th Stryker brigade combat team. The Stryker proved its worth in Iraq. In Afghanistan, the new double V hull variant is demonstrating that it is possible to have both survivability and maneuverability in a single platform. The Stryker is also a candidate to replace at least a portion of the obsolescent M-113 fleet in the Army’s heavy brigade combat teams (BCTs).
The character of the Stryker BCT also has had a lot to do with the program’s success. Stryker BCTs had three maneuver brigades rather than the standard two as well as a lot of enablers. These features turned out to be extremely useful in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Stryker BCT is that medium-weight formation that could be employed across the spectrum of missions with greater inherent flexibility than standard infantry or heavy BCTs.
Why is it that a program that was supposed to be a stopgap measure has done so well and the Army’s recent “start from scratch” vehicle programs such as FCS, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and Ground Combat Vehicle either failed utterly or are struggling? Could it be because the program did not receive the same kind of attention, management, oversight and consideration as the others? Perhaps because it was considered an interim solution it did not have to suffer the same weight of requirements that crushed FCS. It was inherently an 80 percent solution. Because Stryker is based on an existing vehicle, there were limits to the features which could be designed into the system. In fact, the effort to develop the mobile gun variant never really succeeded. But the Stryker has been allowed to evolve over time, adding capabilities such as a wire cage to defeat rocket-propelled grenades and the double V hull as IED protection.
The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and the Ground Combat Vehicle programs have both been edging closer and closer to the Stryker acquisition model. Requirements have been pared down. In addition, both programs have opened themselves up using existing vehicle designs as the basis for the new platform. These changes may make it possible for both programs to succeed.
Over the decades of the Cold War the Pentagon became wedded to the idea that each new generation of major systems had to be a quantum leap forward in capabilities. This made some sense when the challenge was a rising Soviet military and when major new program starts happened only once a generation. Unfortunately, the effort to test the boundaries of what was possible in terms of physics, engineering and integration too often led to the inability to actually bring a program to the field. Asking the next generation to do less at the start, using existing technologies and systems where possible and allowing capabilities to evolve to fit changing requirements is the place to start in reforming the acquisition system.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/zft3NF
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
February 27, 2012
The Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle: A Model for Future Acquisition Programs?
It was supposed to be a temporary fix until the Future Combat System (FCS) was ready for deployment. In fact, the Stryker was initially called the “Interim Armored Vehicle.” It wasn’t even a new design. The Stryker is based on an existing vehicle, the Piranha, designed by the Swiss company MOAG and later adopted by Canada as the LAV III. Yet, today the FCS is only a painful memory while the Army has acquired some 4,000 Strykers and will shortly stand up its 9th Stryker brigade combat team. The Stryker proved its worth in Iraq. In Afghanistan, the new double V hull variant is demonstrating that it is possible to have both survivability and maneuverability in a single platform. The Stryker is also a candidate to replace at least a portion of the obsolescent M-113 fleet in the Army’s heavy brigade combat teams (BCTs).
The character of the Stryker BCT also has had a lot to do with the program’s success. Stryker BCTs had three maneuver brigades rather than the standard two as well as a lot of enablers. These features turned out to be extremely useful in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Stryker BCT is that medium-weight formation that could be employed across the spectrum of missions with greater inherent flexibility than standard infantry or heavy BCTs.
Why is it that a program that was supposed to be a stopgap measure has done so well and the Army’s recent “start from scratch” vehicle programs such as FCS, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and Ground Combat Vehicle either failed utterly or are struggling? Could it be because the program did not receive the same kind of attention, management, oversight and consideration as the others? Perhaps because it was considered an interim solution it did not have to suffer the same weight of requirements that crushed FCS. It was inherently an 80 percent solution. Because Stryker is based on an existing vehicle, there were limits to the features which could be designed into the system. In fact, the effort to develop the mobile gun variant never really succeeded. But the Stryker has been allowed to evolve over time, adding capabilities such as a wire cage to defeat rocket-propelled grenades and the double V hull as IED protection.
The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and the Ground Combat Vehicle programs have both been edging closer and closer to the Stryker acquisition model. Requirements have been pared down. In addition, both programs have opened themselves up using existing vehicle designs as the basis for the new platform. These changes may make it possible for both programs to succeed.
Over the decades of the Cold War the Pentagon became wedded to the idea that each new generation of major systems had to be a quantum leap forward in capabilities. This made some sense when the challenge was a rising Soviet military and when major new program starts happened only once a generation. Unfortunately, the effort to test the boundaries of what was possible in terms of physics, engineering and integration too often led to the inability to actually bring a program to the field. Asking the next generation to do less at the start, using existing technologies and systems where possible and allowing capabilities to evolve to fit changing requirements is the place to start in reforming the acquisition system.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/zft3NF
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
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