Future Combat Systems (FCS) Receives Fire From GAO

The largest program right now in development for the U.S. military is not an aircraft or ship but the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS). FCS is a system of systems that will transform the current Army’s heavy brigades of 1980 vintage doctrine of the M1 tank and the M2 family of heavy infantry vehicles. The FCS will utilize a series of high speed, maneuverable wheeled vehicles networked with unmanned ground and aerial vehicles with a goal of increasing the speed on the battlefield. The FCS is hugely expensive and because it relies on the concurrent development of multiple systems very risky as one system can slow down the whole program. The GAO, people in Congress, and outsiders have been critical of the whole concept for years. The GAO just released another report criticizing the program and the risks involved. STLtoday.com writes that the organization recommends Congress not authorize all of the requested funds by the Army due to its development issues and lack of testing. Boeing is the integrator for the program although different parts are made by different companies. For more on the program as a whole see the official U.S. Army website here. The Stryker combat vehicle is considered an interim step on the way to full FCS capability and parts of the technologies developed so far are being used where they can.