Army's new FCS plan sparks concern over testing delays

The Army's new plans for the $160 billion Future Combat Systems include significant changes affecting the program's testing schedule, prompting concerns on Capitol Hill that service leaders may be too optimistic about completing critical tests and getting new technologies into the field without delays.

Comment on this article in The Forum.Several planned tests and production decisions have been pushed back months to accommodate the service's new strategy, announced last week, to field the first batch of FCS technologies to infantry brigades by the end of Fiscal 2011 - three years earlier than planned. Army leaders had initially planned to "spin out" those technologies to heavy brigades but decided to switch gears because of the high demand placed on infantry units in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heavy brigades, which include Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, are "good enough for now," according to Army briefing slides circulated on Capitol Hill.

In changing the program, the Army has pushed back by nearly a year the upcoming "limited user" test, an important precursor to a major acquisition decision, and instead will hold a preliminary test in July for the infantry brigades. The delay of the "limited user" test has had a ripple effect on critical production decisions and the initial operational test and evaluation for the first FCS technologies, which have likewise been delayed. Still, the service plans to get the FCS equipment to infantry units by the end of Fiscal 2011, the same date it had planned for the heavy brigades.

During discussions on Capitol Hill, the Army has insisted the testing plan for FCS provides a "good schedule" for the program, a congressional source said. But the source called the compressed schedule "very high risk" because it leaves little room for error. Indeed, under the new schedule, the Army would not complete the initial operational test and evaluation for the first FCS technologies until the third quarter of Fiscal 2011 - potentially just weeks before the first FCS brigade receives its new gear, according to the Army briefing charts.

The Army originally planned to complete initial operational test and evaluation during the first quarter of Fiscal 2011, which would have provided more time to address any issues or concerns that arose during the evaluation.

The new schedule drew immediate questions from key House lawmakers, who have long been concerned that even the program's initial testing schedule would ultimately result in delays and cost increases.

"We have supported FCS 'spin out' efforts because they are the best way to quickly get FCS equipment to the Army," House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton and Armed Services Air and Land Subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, said in a statement last week. "However, we are concerned that this new plan may not allow for adequate testing of the equipment due to its very tight schedule."

But retired Army Lt. Gen. Ted Stroup, now a vice president at the Association of the U.S. Army, said the plans had been vetted by the best minds in the Army and they help the service modernize its heavily deployed infantry units more quickly. Stroup argued that changes to a program's schedule are not out of the ordinary and often are necessary. "If you look at the history of any program … there's adjustment as you move forward," Stroup said.