The US Department of Defense has released an acquisition decision memorandum (ADM) that formally terminates the army’s future combat systems programme.
The ADM implements decisions, taken earlier in April, related to the army’s future combat systems brigade combat team (FCS BCT) programme.
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The army has also been directed to move towards a modernisation plan that comprises separate but integrated acquisition programmes to meet the defense secretary’s objectives.
It includes the spinout of the initial increment of the FCS programme to seven infantry brigades in the short term, and more programmes for information and communications networks, and unmanned ground and air vehicles and sensors.
It also focuses on integration efforts for follow-on spinouts to all army brigades.
The memorandum has also cancelled the manned ground vehicles from the previous FCS programme and ordered an evaluation of joint capability gaps for ground combat vehicles (GCV) with the marine corps.
The assessment will help determine new requirements for modernising army GCV, helping to launch the new acquisition programme in 2010.
A task force has been formed by the army’s Training and Doctrine Command to analyse important issues in army-wide modernisation.
