[TCats]

It seems to me these weapons would be vulnerable to jamming. The same is likely true of weapons that depend on GPS - Chicom/Rusiian Satellite Killer weapons could interfere. What are the backups if anyone knows?

[MarineBrat]

Wireless networking is delicate on a good day. :)

[JasonC]

This is the Borg. It is worth every penny, and all that it happening here is the green eyeshade types who hate money being spent on anything are siding with their leftist friends in congress, getting ready to gut it for baksheesh for their domestic supporters, if Obama gets in.

The satellite part is what makes it nearly unjammable. The idea is to use the same dynamic rerouting used by the internet to send packets from A to B by the fastest open route, to select which satellite streams the message to which receivers. You'd have to take down the whole thing to stop communications. Can a single node at the bottom be cut off sometimes? Sure, but it is all a web. As soon as one other nearby ground relayer (any AFV, pretty much) or open sky window reappears, contact will come back.

And what will be coming through the redundant and well encrypted, frequency-agile and therefore hard to jam, web of comm links, is a tactician's fantasy - anything one can see, all can see. The Borg.

[LoneStarGI]

Same tired BS that's been plaguing FCS since the beginning. The program's ‘total’ budget through the entire length of the development amounts to less than 5% of the Army's ‘yearly’ budget. The Army has been trying to modernize since the end of the Korean War. They've added some new systems here and there and new weapons, but there has not been a comprehensive, force-wide modernization in over 50 years. Basically, the current foundation of the military is based on Korean war technology that was later upgraded to fight cold war style battles. New age, new enemies folks, the military has to modernize. Every time the military has tried to do this, the politicos on the hill have done everything in their power to scuttle it. There is always risk with new technologies, don't let these people convince you this is just some big waste of money.