Washington, D.C. -- "According to the Governmental Accountability Office, the Army faces a choice with the FCS program," Chairman Neil Abercrombie of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces told a hearing today on the $159 billion dollar Future Combat Systems. "It could choose to end the program entirely; it could continue as planned and hope that things work out; or it could fundamentally reorganize the FCS program, but take a much more sober, disciplined, and realistic approach."

Future Combat Systems (FCS) is called a ‘system of systems' and combines a variety of unmanned ground and aerial sensors with ground vehicles and artillery through a complex communications network.  The Army began the FCS in May 2003, and today's hearing allowed the Armed Services subcommittee to follow up a highly critical GAO report on FCS and give the Army a chance to respond to GAO's findings.  GAO is required by law to report to Congress annually on the FCS program.

"After authorizing and appropriating more than $18 billion in taxpayer dollars for the FCS program, it is important that Congress review what has been accomplished, and how much work remains to be done." Abercrombie said in opening the hearing. 

The GAO Report, issued last Thursday, identified and detailed what it characterized as significant problems in the development and progress of FCS:

• Significant knowledge gaps persist in key areas;
• Major risks remaining in the maturation of technologies;
• Trade-offs needed to close gaps between FCS requirements and design;
• Army has not yet convincingly demonstrated FCS concept;
• Demonstrations of FCS network performance very limited;
• FCS costs are expected to increase again and affordability is still in doubt;
• Oversight challenges will continue beyond the Milestone Decision; and
• FCS Acquisition Strategy is not knowledge-based and may not be executable within estimated resources
  

"The President and members of this Committee have called for an end to the cost overruns and long delays that are all too common in defense contracting and a focus on investing in technologies that are proven and cost-effective," said Abercrombie.  "This hearing will help Congress and the public understand which, if any, of those qualities apply to the FCS program, and set the stage for the Army's Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal."

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