Army officials are considering whether to invite industry to participate in a competitive humvee survivability demonstration that would make use of funds appropriated for the canceled Medium Expanded Capacity Vehicle program, according to officials familiar with internal service deliberations.463 words

The Army's program manager for unmanned aircraft systems said he is confident about a key test of the Gray Eagle this summer despite a new report that claims the program is on a troubling course due to reliability shortfalls.758 words

The Senate Armed Services Committee last week hit the brakes on recent efforts to aggressively fund the Army's heavy fleets of Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles in the fiscal year 2013 budget.731 words

The Government Accountability Office has denied ITT Electronic Systems' protest of the Army's decision to award contracts for the Common Infrared Countermeasures program to competitors Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, clearing the two winners to resume work last week.486 words

That's how a Defense Department announcement sent out via email on Friday prefaced Army plans to begin implementing an involuntary-separation program next month. The effort will affect "the small percentage of soldiers in deploying units who remain in the unit's rear detachment due to insufficient time remaining before [Expiration Term of Service] to complete the deployment," the DOD statement explains. The Army has begun a reduction of active-duty end strength from 560,000 currently to 490,000 by fiscal year 2017. The Army's just-announced chief of manpower and personnel affairs, Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, is expected to play a key role in orchestrating the drawdown.102 words

Pentagon leaders are preparing a series of reprogramming moves expected to bring into focus the financial damage caused by Pakistan's ban -- now in its sixth month -- against war supply shipments moved through its territory, Army officials said.464 words

A sustainment contract for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles expected to be worth as much as $3 billion has been delayed for an uncertain length of time, according to an Army spokesman.384 words

The Army's Rapid Equipping Force has tested Textron's Battlehawk Squad-Level Loitering Munition at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center in Socorro, NM, as part of the REF's effort to find a munitions-capable unmanned aerial vehicle that can be recovered and re-used, according to the REF's operations chief.508 words

Defense acquisition chief Frank Kendall is expected to provide lawmakers with a plan for the future of the Army's Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System by the end of the month, according to a service spokesman.392 words

Industry teams are gearing up to compete for the non-developmental U.S. Special Operations Command Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 program, scheduled to begin this June when SOCOM accepts bids in response to a request for proposals.338 words

The Army should cut or scale back some programs considered priorities by service leaders to help the U.S. military achieve "sustainable pre-eminence" in an era of fiscal austerity, according to a new report from the Democratic-leaning Center for a New American Security.517 words

The Army has hired the RAND Corp. to conduct an independent business-case analysis assessing the benefits of transferring some service capabilities to the Missile Defense Agency, an Army spokesman said.323 words

Counterfeit parts create national security risks and endanger the lives of military personnel, and the Pentagon fails to fully comprehend the scope and impact of these parts on its critical defense systems, according to a Senate Armed Services Committee report released last week.676 words

The drawdown facing the Defense Department in the next decade will likely total $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion, exceeding the Budget Control Act's sequestration scenario, according to a new report that criticizes the Pentagon's failure to plan for the cuts as a high-stakes gamble.685 words

The services have agreed on a common set of requirements for ground-based, sense-and-avoid systems for unmanned aircraft and will conduct related tests next month, according to military officials.1048 words

The Senate Armed Services Committee took steps last week to open up the Joint Tactical Radio System to greater industry participation by approving a measure that would halt funding for part of the program until the Pentagon proves it has a strategy that encourages competition.285 words

Senate defense authorizers last week added $100 million for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors on top of the administration's fiscal year 2013 request, while the Medium Extended Air Defense System received yet another legislative pummeling, according to a Senate Armed Services Committee statement.349 words

House and Senate authorizers want to give the Pentagon the authority to use funds to support efforts to disrupt the flow of improvised explosive device "precursors" into Afghanistan.610 words

A recent war game designed to test the effectiveness of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey's new vision for joint warfare is informing the Pentagon's efforts to refine the concept.889 words

Army reserve leaders and lawmakers are concerned that current funding plans won't be adequate to modernize Guard and Reserve equipment.814 words