Russ Read的动态

The Pentagon wants to shift ~$3.3B of budgeted funds to support a handful of new-start projects, including: (1) Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which has already seen ~40% cost growth. The Pentagon wants to shift $150M in FY24 funds, which increases the CCA program request to $542M. Unsurprisingly, this request came with a news statement that the Air Force will evaluate the NGAD platform design concept to determine if there are cost reductions or capability trade-offs. (2) Army wants to shift $39M to purchase 8 SM-6 Block1A missiles for its Mid-Range Capability ground launch system. Army and Navy would coordinate procurement on the SM-6 contract, which was awarded to Raytheon. (3) Additionally, Army wants to shift $33M in advanced component development and prototypes to fund its tank and medium caliber ammunition procurement #Army #AirForce #defensespending #defensebudget #CCA #NGAD Craig Belanger, Joe Giandomenico, Anirudh Suneel, Ben Osterholtz, Robyn Pirie, Scott Bethel, Mark Kipphut, Kristin Robertson, Jerry Spruill, Richard Mascolo, James Hvizd, Jim Walker, Doug Reep, Aaron Prupas, Martin J. Bowling, Dennis Carroll, Jeff Snyder https://lnkd.in/e8Qma_9G

The National Guard and United States Army Reserve need increased support to modernize their equipment and manning for future conflict, the components’ top leaders testified June 18 on Capitol Hill. “Unpredictable and inconsistent funding … reduce [the National Guard’s] buying power and negatively impact our strategic readiness and modernization,” Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, testified before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee. “If we fail to modernize our equipment and force design adequately, we increase the risk of sending America’s sons and daughters into large-scale combat operations with equipment and formations that may not be fully interoperable with the active-duty forces we serve alongside.” As the Army builds toward the force of 2030, it remains focused on modernization and has requested $38.5 billion in fiscal 2025 for research and development and to modernize its aircraft, missiles, weapons, and tracked combat vehicles and ammunition, according to an Army budget ?? From our ROA SmartBrief. ?? https://bit.ly/4cD2QEc #NationalGuard #ArmyReserve #CapitolHill #Army

The roots of these challenges was the advent of OSD’s ill conceived “Acquisition Reform” experiment that gave the contractor Total System Perfotmance Responsibility (TSPR) vice the government, undermined military specs/stds, embraced Performance-based vs. detail specs post-MS B, instituted end game KPPs instead of a robust in process EVM system, and didn’t buy the Government Purpose Data Rights.. What would we expect. The F/A-18 E/F did ithe exact opposite way and was on-cost, on-schedule and on-performance! An EXEMPLARY approach.

https://lnkd.in/euBCWEMC Ranking Member Wicker and Senator Schmitt released this joint op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on the importance of U.S. air dominance through investments in NGAD, among other platforms: "NGAD would be the most capable fighter aircraft ever produced, but it can’t accomplish its mission on its own. The Air Force combat fleet that would accompany it—in particular, the fighter fleet—is in a death spiral. Inventory is dwindling, forcing older aircraft to be overworked on longer deployments. These aircraft spend extended time in maintenance, requiring others to pick up the slack on their own increasingly lengthy missions. The Air Force intends to retire almost 1,000 aircraft in the next five years, including about 400 fighters... A father of the modern Air Force, Gen.?Hap Arnold?(1886-1950), once said, 'Air power will always be the business of every American citizen.' He meant that America’s rise as an aerospace superpower was built by an advanced ecosystem of defense production, civilian research and a strong industrial workforce. Large areas of this country were forever changed for the better when Uncle Sam came asking for warplanes. Economic development and national security have always gone hand in hand. We have committed to restoring American air superiority by making the most of the nation’s innovative defense manufacturers. We invite U.S. national security officials to join us." Link to full story below!

Sharing an article that captures recent messaging from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin regarding the Air Force's commitment to managing CCA costs by "writing affordability into the requirements." While this is not unexpected given budget tightness and the exploding costs of many defense programs, particularly airborne platforms, this decision does not come without tradeoffs. The Air Force will likely sacrifice capabilities, and therefore the missions CCAs can support, if it stands firm on its commitment to affordability. On the flip side, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's commentary regarding the potential to include some of our nation’s “closest” and “most strategic” partner nations in upcoming CCA increments does provide an alternative pathway to reduce the cost burden on the US taxpayer. If the Air Force is able to complement DOD funding with investment from our allies, the Air Force may be able to mitigate capability sacrifices while maintaining affordability. BCE Consulting (BCE) Aerospace & Defense practice will continue to monitor the evolution of the CCA initiative with a particular eye towards how the upcoming down-selects and decisions regarding allied involvement play out. Craig Belanger Anirudh Suneel Ben Osterholtz Robyn Pirie #defense #CCA #UAS #AirForce

All of a sudden, the US Air Force is considering cancelling a multibillion-dollar effort to develop a new stealth fighter. Citing the high cost of the so-called “Next-Generation Air Dominance” programme and the competing demands of other projects, USAF leaders have warned they may have no choice but to cancel NGAD – and find other ways of winning control of the air in future wars. It’s a startling development for advocates of American air power. For generations, the whole US military – not to mention the militaries of America’s closest allies – have depended on the US Air Force to achieve air superiority against even the most determined and sophisticated foe, affording freedom of action for troops on the ground and ships at sea. The first hint of trouble came on June 13, when USAF Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin suggested service leaders might recommend reconfiguring, delaying or even canceling the NGAD program as part of the US government’s budget for 2026. While lawmakers have yet to finalize the 2025 budget, military leaders are already writing their proposals for the following year. It’s in 2026 that Allvin said he expects the US Air Force will have to make some hard choices to stick to its usual $200-billion budget. Inflation cut into the service’s purchasing power starting a couple of years ago. And Republican lawmakers who gained control of the US House of Representatives in the 2022 election have been fighting for across-the-board cuts to federal spending. Those and other fiscal forces are creating budgetary headwinds at precisely the same time several major USAF programs are demanding more and more money. https://lnkd.in/eDseuVt2

From missileers and maintainers to defenders and missile alert facility (MAF) managers, the Airmen of #StrikerNation are crucial in maintaining our ability to continuously operate the land-based leg of the US nuclear triad as safe, secure, reliable, & effective. Today’s dynamic security environment only underscores the importance of our defense strategy and the extended deterrence commitments we have made to our Nation, Allies, & Partners. United States Department of Defense | United States Strategic Command | United States Air Force | 20th Air Force

The Concept Driving The Army’s Air Assault Plans For The Indo-Pacific (From Breaking Defense) The U.S. Army’s adoption of the V-280 Valor, a tiltrotor aircraft, is pivotal for future operations in the Indo-Pacific. The V-280 offers enhanced speed, range, and payload capacity, enabling rapid insertion of forces across vast distances, including contested Pacific islands. This capability is crucial for countering China's swift, small-scale operations in the South China Sea. The Army envisions using the V-280 for "expeditionary operations," allowing forces to shape conflicts and control escalation without escalating to full-scale war. However, success will depend on

The concept of Joint Fires Network sounds pretty ambitious, and links together a bunch of existing capabilities to meet a real need. "...“The approach we’ve taken with the Joint Fires Network is to pull together a best-of-breed approach of?Project Convergence from the Army,?Overmatch from the Navy?and Marine Corps and then?ABMS from the Air Force?along with the DARPA aspect of Assault Breaker II, to pull all those together and deliver a real near-time, best-of-breed solution to be able to command and control the joint force and ultimately close the kill chain,” [outgoing Indo-Pacom chief Adm. John Aquilino] told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday. “The way we have articulated it and linked it with the building … is we’re going to provide some insights into the further development of CJADC2 as it goes forward.” Assault Breaker II, modeled after the initial effort in 1978, aims to alter how the U.S. military thinks about designing, buying and deploying systems in the future using existing and emerging technologies across the services and commercial industry to address capability gaps. Budget documents note it’s critical to designing and fielding near-, mid- and far-term solutions to outpace adversaries..."

DoD Set to Start Ramping Up New Military Moving Contract The Defense Department is ready to start ramping up implementation of its long-planned overhaul of the military’s household goods moving system, including by conducting DoD’s first-ever long distance moves under the new contract structure, U.S. Transportation Command officials said Tuesday. ? The expansion of work under the up-to-$17.9 billion Global Household Goods contract (GHC), set for September, will mark DoD’s first attempt to use GHC beyond the short-distance, local moves it has been using to test the new program since April. The first four long-distance routes involve large Navy population centers: they’ll run between Norfolk, VA, and the Seattle, Jacksonville and San Diego metro areas, plus another between San Diego and Seattle. https://lnkd.in/e7WVAdnt