The Army's Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives

The Army's Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives

Author:

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13:

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In today's environment of rapidly evolving conflicts, the Army's goal is to have units that have the combat power of heavy units but that can be transported anywhere in the world in a matter of days. To address concerns about the armored vehicle fleet's aging and the difficulties involved in transporting it as well as to equip the Army more suitably to conduct operations overseas on short notice using forces based in the United States the service created the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program in 2000. A major modernization effort, the program is designed in part to develop and purchase vehicles to replace those now in the heavy forces; the new vehicles would be much lighter, thereby easing the deployment of units equipped with them. In the analysis presented in this report, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examined the current status of the Army's fleet of armored vehicles and assessed the speed of deployment of the service's heavy forces. It also evaluated the FCS program, considering the program's costs as well as its advantages and disadvantages and comparing it with several alternative plans for modernizing the Army's heavy forces.


Army's Future Combat System (FCS); Background and Issues for Congress

Army's Future Combat System (FCS); Background and Issues for Congress

Author: Andrew Feickert

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2011-01

Total Pages: 14

ISBN-13: 143792039X

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This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The Future Combat System (FCS) was a multi-year, multi-billion dollar program at the heart of the Army¿s transformation efforts. It was to be the Army¿s major R&D, and acquisition program consisting of 14 manned and unmanned systems tied together by an extensive commun. and info. network. The FCS program has been characterized as a high-risk venture due to the advanced technologies involved and the challenge of networking all of the FCS subsystems together. Contents of this report: (1) Program Origins; (2) Program Overview; Current FCS Program Status; Army¿s Modernization Strategy; Budget Issues; (3) Issues for Congress: MGV Cancellation; Army Modernization Strategy and Spin Outs; Proposed Ground Combat Vehicles. Illustrations.


Supporting Training Strategies for Brigade Combat Teams Using Future Combat Systems (FCS) Technologies

Supporting Training Strategies for Brigade Combat Teams Using Future Combat Systems (FCS) Technologies

Author: Michael G. Shanley

Publisher: Rand Corporation

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 0833040200

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This study seeks to help the Army identify options to improve its future (i.e., circa 2016) training strategies for Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) equipped with Future Combat System (FCS) technologies. Key findings are that live training will need to remain at the core of training programs for FCS units, and that adaptation to changing operational requirements will be a primary training challenge. Overall, the findings indicate that planned training enhancements can provide important improvements across a wide spectrum; however, the overall training capability achieved will likely be less than that needed to meet future training requirements. Unit time, the potential for technological advancement, and training budgets were found to be key constraints. While the study stresses greater emphasis on training manpower support in battle command training as the Army's best chance for significant near-term improvement, it concludes that longer-term improvement will depend on how closely the Army monitors and manages its enhancement programs. The process of shaping and balancing future training enhancements, for example, would benefit from better information and improved evaluative capabilities. These changes would be further enhanced by developing better metrics for the quality, quantity, and adaptability of training, by continuing to improve spiral development processes to evolve training methods and means, and by improving the visibility of financial information across training categories.


Measuring the Effects of the Business Cycle on the Federal Budget

Measuring the Effects of the Business Cycle on the Federal Budget

Author: Frank Russek

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 77

ISBN-13: 1437922465

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This report offers an alternative measure of the budget that incorporates adjustments for the effects of the business cycle. It is one of a series of periodic reports that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) submits to the Committees on the Budget reports about fiscal policy and provide baseline projections of the federal budget. This report is based on information presented in A Preliminary Analysis of the President¿s Budget and an Update of a Budget and Economic Outlook, released in March 2009. Tables and figures.


Sense and Avoid in UAS

Sense and Avoid in UAS

Author: Plamen Angelov

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-04-30

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 0470979755

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There is increasing interest in the potential of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and MAV (Micro Air Vehicle) technology and their wide ranging applications including defence missions, reconnaissance and surveillance, border patrol, disaster zone assessment and atmospheric research. High investment levels from the military sector globally is driving research and development and increasing the viability of autonomous platforms as replacements for the remotely piloted vehicles more commonly in use. UAV/UAS pose a number of new challenges, with the autonomy and in particular collision avoidance, detect and avoid, or sense and avoid, as the most challenging one, involving both regulatory and technical issues. Sense and Avoid in UAS: Research and Applications covers the problem of detect, sense and avoid in UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) in depth and combines the theoretical and application results by leading academics and researchers from industry and academia. Key features: Presents a holistic view of the sense and avoid problem in the wider application of autonomous systems Includes information on human factors, regulatory issues and navigation, control, aerodynamics and physics aspects of the sense and avoid problem in UAS Provides professional, scientific and reliable content that is easy to understand, and Includes contributions from leading engineers and researchers in the field Sense and Avoid in UAS: Research and Applications is an invaluable source of original and specialised information. It acts as a reference manual for practising engineers and advanced theoretical researchers and also forms a useful resource for younger engineers and postgraduate students. With its credible sources and thorough review process, Sense and Avoid in UAS: Research and Applications provides a reliable source of information in an area that is fast expanding but scarcely covered.