(Defense News) Army aviation has found itself at a “crossroads” where the current fleet of CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk multi-year contracts are “sunsetting” and the Army must decide when and how it takes the leap from the current fleet to a far more advanced rotorcraft, according to Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, who has taken the lead on the service’s Future Vertical Lift modernization effort.
US Army’s Futures Command sets groundwork for battlefield transformation
(Defense News) It’s the beginning of a new era in Army acquisition in which soldiers might not have to wait 10 years or longer to see a new weapon or capability in the field, but instead could get modern, new systems in their hands within just a few short years.
By Meghann Myers, Defense News: “There are eight cross-functional teams tasked with tackling the Army’s modernization needs, and this time around, leaders are taking care to get soldier feedback from the get-go.”
By Dave Funk, RealClearDefense: “The U.S. Army Aviation is forty years behind best practices in the flying business.”
By C. Anthony Pfaff & Patrick Granfield, The National Interest: “The U.S. Army Aviation is forty years behind best practices in the flying business.”
By Sydney Freedberg, Breaking Defense: “Dreading the potential return of sequestration cuts in 2020, the Army has started scouring over 800 acquisition programs for things it can cancel to free up funds for its Big Six modernization priorities.”
(Defense News) Bruce Jette is the new assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology where he is responsible for not only acquisition but also serves as the science adviser to the Army secretary, is the senior research and development official and is responsible for matters related to logistics.
(Army Times) While senior officials admit that the Army is currently outgunned and outranged in its artillery and missiles programs, the service’s secretary and top general told Congress that fixing that problem at every level is their top priority.