thedrifter
04-17-09, 09:29 AM
Pentagon to review GD's amphibious tank program
Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:32pm BST
(Adds details, quotes, background, byline)
By Jim Wolf
NEWPORT, Rhode Island, April 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department will rethink whether it needs a projected $13.2 billion General Dynamics Corp (GD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) program designed to deliver combat-ready Marines from ship to shore, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.
Widening a drive to reshape the U.S. military for what he sees as its most likely future fights, Gates raised questions about the "expeditionary fighting vehicle," or EFV, an amphibious tank being developed by General Dynamics for the Marine Corps.
Gates, addressing the U.S. Naval War College, said he had directed Pentagon planners to take a "realistic" view of the need for landing large numbers of troops "so we can better gauge our requirements."
Questions about the capabilities provided by the EFV would be part of a major review of military missions produced every four years, he said.
Gates termed it strategically valuable to have put a flotilla of Marines off Kuwait City during the first Gulf War in 1990 to 1991, forcing then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to keep one eye on the Saudi border and one on the coast.
"But we have to take a hard look at where it would be necessary or sensible to launch another major amphibious action again," Gates said. "In the 21st century, how much amphibious capability do we need?"
As conceived by the Marine Corps, the EFV is to be able to transport up to 18 combat-ready Marines at high speeds on both land and sea, have advanced communications capabilities, provide increased armored protection against rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices, and deliver lethal firepower up to 2,000 meters.
The procurement process started in 1996 when the Marine Corps awarded a contract to General Dynamics to start developing the vehicle
The original development contract envisioned the Marine Corps would be able to procure 1,025 EFVs at a total cost of $8.5 billion. A revised estimate in December 2007 predicted the cost would rise to $13.2 billion and that at this price, the Corps would be able to afford only 593 EFVs, according to an April 2008 study by the majority staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Ellie
Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:32pm BST
(Adds details, quotes, background, byline)
By Jim Wolf
NEWPORT, Rhode Island, April 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department will rethink whether it needs a projected $13.2 billion General Dynamics Corp (GD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) program designed to deliver combat-ready Marines from ship to shore, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.
Widening a drive to reshape the U.S. military for what he sees as its most likely future fights, Gates raised questions about the "expeditionary fighting vehicle," or EFV, an amphibious tank being developed by General Dynamics for the Marine Corps.
Gates, addressing the U.S. Naval War College, said he had directed Pentagon planners to take a "realistic" view of the need for landing large numbers of troops "so we can better gauge our requirements."
Questions about the capabilities provided by the EFV would be part of a major review of military missions produced every four years, he said.
Gates termed it strategically valuable to have put a flotilla of Marines off Kuwait City during the first Gulf War in 1990 to 1991, forcing then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to keep one eye on the Saudi border and one on the coast.
"But we have to take a hard look at where it would be necessary or sensible to launch another major amphibious action again," Gates said. "In the 21st century, how much amphibious capability do we need?"
As conceived by the Marine Corps, the EFV is to be able to transport up to 18 combat-ready Marines at high speeds on both land and sea, have advanced communications capabilities, provide increased armored protection against rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices, and deliver lethal firepower up to 2,000 meters.
The procurement process started in 1996 when the Marine Corps awarded a contract to General Dynamics to start developing the vehicle
The original development contract envisioned the Marine Corps would be able to procure 1,025 EFVs at a total cost of $8.5 billion. A revised estimate in December 2007 predicted the cost would rise to $13.2 billion and that at this price, the Corps would be able to afford only 593 EFVs, according to an April 2008 study by the majority staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Ellie