Combat Vehicles

Army Secretary Mike Esper has directed the service to accelerate the Next Generation Combat Vehicle program, establishing a two-pronged project to immediately launch a major competition to replace the Bradley fleet with NGCV optionally manned fighting vehicles, while also establishing an NGCV robotic combat vehicle project to mature technologies for future platforms.

The Army is seeking vendors to produce two new mortar systems, one an unmanned turret for brigade combat teams and the other a replacement for the current 120 mm dismounted variant. 

With big promises from the Army, Congress wants questions answered on the service's Future Vertical Lift and Mobile Protected Firepower programs.

The final fiscal year 2019 defense policy bill scales back a proposed limit on Next Generation Combat Vehicle funding, allowing the Army to use up to 90 percent of the money authorized before the service secretary submits a report on the NGCV's development.

The Defense Department inspector general has determined the Army failed to properly oversee the maintenance schedules of its prepositioned stock equipment in Kuwait and Qatar after switching contractors, according to a new report.

Lawmakers are lining up to support the Army's fast-track project to rapidly develop and field an air- and missile-defense system that can be bolted onto the Stryker vehicle, a potential billion-dollar effort to harden ground forces in Europe from Russian threats which service leaders did not formally validate until after the Pentagon submitted its fiscal year 2019 budget to Congress.

The House Appropriations Committee has taken issue with the Army's path so far toward modernizing its Stryker vehicles, asking the service to submit a resourcing strategy for its desired A1 upgrade.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is recommending the Army consider a multiyear procurement strategy for Stryker A1 vehicles, which include the Double-V Hull upgrade.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is seeking to impose limits on the Army's funding for the Next Generation Combat Vehicle, which is in the experimental prototype phase.