Posted on 07/15/2018 3:23:19 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
“Defense acquisitions needs tremendous reform.”
I think the problems start in Congress. For example, the Army has wanted to stop building tanks in Lima for as long as I can remember. They want to use some of the money saved to, for example, retrofit a more efficient, more modern engine in the Abrams. But all their money is used in producing new, already outdated, inefficiently driven tanks that require at least 50% more fuel than more modern tanks. But Congress wants the tank plant to continue making new tanks because that lobby, both from labor and industry, is strong and...wealthy.
To select an example from the past, that is still relevant, in the late Civil War, the Army’s funding was held up until the Army agreed to buy thousands of muzzle loading rifles from a particular supplier. They were obsolete and would have spelled death for any soldier armed with them. The Army bought the rifles and they spent the next century in storage. So, today you can buy an original, never issued Civil War muzzleloader in perfect condition.
You can find similar examples throughout American history of weapons being made because of politics rather than because of need.
Yes. About 65 miles, in Killeen.
Not sure what your point is, though.
I was project manager on a small project for the military. It was budgeted at 30 million dollars and ran for two years.
I looked at the initial project plan the military drew up and laughed. I told the government rep I can do this project in under 18 months and bring it in for under 20 million. He told me use the fill 30 million.
I finished the project in 15 months and final project cost was 10 million, with a higher quality metric. In corporate America this makes me a rock star. In the military, I cheated the company hired to do the work out of 20 million dollars.
The sad part about all of this was I pleaded with the company to do the 30 million as fixed price and they said no because they anticipated it would take longer than two years and 30 million dollars.
Needless to say, they didn’t hire me for any additional work.
As a retired Artilleryman with Cavalry and Tactical Signal background, I worked for a defense firm on the FCS and Future Scout programs. The FCS was a pathetic joke from the beginning and the Future Scout program was hamstrung by ignoring the basic mission, and giving the soldiers too much offensive weapons.
Also, the brains at DARPA were bragging about a technology to stop a long-rod penetrator on a light vehicle. When I brought up the simple law of the conservation of matter, which would have put the vehicle upside down in the ditch with a mushy crew, their response was, “But, the vehicle would be intact.”
As a retired electrical engineer, I am afraid that technology will be the death of the military.
As a retired electrical engineer, I am afraid that technology will be the death of the military.
“It wasn’t as if the engineers hadn’t tried to warn the army, it’s that the top brass didn’t want to hear it. They wanted their monster tank and it didn’t matter how they had to rearrange reality to get it.”
***************
This kind of mindset isn’t limited to military contracting. It also exists in the federal civilian sector. Oftentimes, political pressures from above influence the “requirements and specifications”. There’s a lot of politics in contracting.
Fort Hood is about 65 miles north of Austin.
They used to make the claim of being the largest military base in the free world.
Drone swarm weapons. The path to the future. AI and drone swarms will likely be the death of many a human.
A couple of other articles on the topic from yesterday if anyone cares to scan thru them.
Army Chooses Austin as Site for Futures Command Headquarters
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3670780/posts
Army to unveil details about new Futures Command in biggest reorganization in 45 years
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3670760/posts
I'll bet you can buy thousands of those drones for the cost of a single F-35.
Long ago, I worked at the Air Defense Artillery Board at Fort Bliss...I have no idea what it's called nowadays. We did the testing of new ADA weapons, to include the SGT York gun. What a disaster that was. Requirements were dumbed down to enable it to finally hit something flying.
The CG of Fort Bliss staked his career on it, and all that implies. His "brilliance" flamed out pretty damn quickly.
One thing that caught my eye was that the six previous "Presidents of the Board" were employed at Raytheon after their retirement. It seemed like a college reunion whenever they showed up to observe the testings of the next weapons system.
My boss wasn't looking at the job as a stepping stone after retirement. He was an older officer with 25+ years on active duty. His promotion to full bird even took him by surprise, but his performance as a battalion commander in Germany was commendable, He turned a C-3 battalion into a C-1 in less than 18 months.
I see that thread title and I have this mental image of the Joint Chiefs trading in wheat futures & pork bellies !
Quite interesting. In some cases bad situations continue because the people in them don’t believe they can be changed. In my experience it is usually the people at the top that don’t want the apple cart upset, regardless of what they may say about the need for change.
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