Saturday, May 18, 2024
Key Issues GAO on F-35 SLCM-N program office PrSM funding
Tony Bertuca is chief editor of Inside the Pentagon, the flagship publication of InsideDefense, where he focuses on defense budget and acquisition policy. He previously worked for the Sun-Times News Group in his hometown of Chicago, IL, and at the New Hampshire Union Leader in Manchester, NH. Tony has also served as managing editor of Inside the Army. He has a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.
As top Pentagon officials continue to discuss how to cut the cost to develop the Army's multibillion-dollar Ground Combat Vehicle, the Congressional Budget Office has released a report highlighting a variety of challenges facing the program -- singling out the nascent technology associated with active protection systems.
After a few false starts and re-boots, the Army will soon begin fielding Nett Warrior radios -- smartphone-like communications devices -- to soldiers set to deploy to Afghanistan.
The military vehicle industry showcased an array of autonomous and robotic technology at the recent annual meeting of Association of the United States Army, asserting that designs have matured to the point where they can be fielded or kitted on existing systems.
The Army and Marine Corps are compiling a study to determine the future of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle fleet, with findings expected to be presented to service leaders for approval in December, according to the director of the MRAP program office.
While great uncertainty continues to surround the issue of sequestration, the Army's program executive officer for ground combat systems said last week that the weapon systems under his purview might weather serious budget cuts better than others.
The Pentagon's weapons testing chief is pushing back against assertions made by an Army radio contractor who has claimed his product wasn't properly evaluated at the service's biannual Network Integration Evaluation, according to a memo being circulated on Capitol Hill.
The Army last week converted the first flat-bottomed Stryker into a double-V hull configuration, kicking off its pilot exchange program, the service announced.
The Defense Department has approved the two-channel Manpack radio made by General Dynamics C4 Systems for low-rate initial production after validating that previously identified flaws have been fixed, according to an internal Pentagon memo signed by the DOD's acquisition chief.
The Army announced last week that the Joint Tactical Radio System program had been officially closed and that the new Joint Tactical Networking Center was open for business.
As Vice President Joe Biden and a host of Defense Department acquisition officials gathered at the Pentagon this week to celebrate the official end of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle production, questions continued to swirl around whether the $45 billion spent on the vehicles was truly worth it.
The Army has formally resurrected the survivability research and development portion of the humvee recapitalization effort once known as the Medium Expanded Capacity Vehicle, according to recent notices to industry.
The Army will assume management of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle program from the Marine Corps on Oct. 1, though the program will remain under the jurisdiction of the Navy secretary until a formal stand-down takes place at the end of fiscal year 2013, according to a service spokesman.
The Army last week began re-testing the manpack variant of the Joint Tactical Radio System in response to findings from the Pentagon's chief weapons tester that pegged the product as "not operationally effective."
The Senate approved Heidi Shyu's nomination to the Army's top acquisition post during a late-night weekend session on Capitol Hill, according to a service spokesman.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has lifted a hold on Heidi Shyu's nomination to lead the Army's top acquisition office after Defense Department officials agreed to his request to investigate a controversial sole-source helicopter contract with a Russian arms dealer and try to hold a competition for a new helicopter contract, according to government officials and documents.
BAE Systems has decided to forgo filing a protest with the Government Accountability Office over the Army's recent Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract decision, according to a company spokeswoman.
Navistar Defense plans to withdraw its Government Accountability Office protest of the Army's recent Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract decision, according to a company spokeswoman.
The Army and Marines may have awarded three contracts for the next phase of development for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, but that doesn't mean the losing bidders are left out in the cold just yet, according to terms set by the government.
The Army and Marine Corps are expected to award up to three $65 million contracts Friday for the next developmental phase of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, though the award date is subject to change, according to government and industry sources.
BAE Systems has been awarded a $646 million contract modification by the Army to upgrade 353 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, according to a recent company announcement.