Future Combat Systems technologies not keeping pace with expectations.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Army Future Force

When the Army kicked off its largest-ever weapons modernization program in 1999, expectations were enormous.

The Future Combat Systems would bring revolutionary change to the Army in many ways. It would, for the first time, connect every vehicle in the Army in a single network. Most significantly, it would allow the Army to become gradually less dependent on fossil fuels, gunpowder-based weapons and heavy armor.

The discussions were dominated by visions of an all-electric, laser-firing fleet of fast-moving tank-like vehicles unburdened by the weight of conventional armor.

Five years later, reality h*s set in, and the expectations are somewhat tempered, although the fundamental nature of FCS--a family of 17 ground and air vehicles--has not changed.

Out of those ambitious technology goals, the development of a command-and-control network has a realistic chance of reaching fruition by the 2014 deadline now set for the program, according to sources.

Industry experts consider it doubtful, however, that the FCS will bring, in the near term, major breakthroughs in power generation, weapon lethality or survivability.

"In 1999, there was an expectation that we could address those four areas," said ma FCS program official speaking privately to a group of Army officers and industry executives. "Now, the reality is more complex."

Fuel-efficient technologies, such as hybrid engines, have improved, but they only will reduce fuel consumption by moderate amounts, experts said. FCS units, like today's brigades, will require a substantial logistics re-supply tail of fuel and ammunition. In the color-coded charts that track the maturity of FCS technologies, many logistics areas are "amber" and "red," the official said. Military programs often use a green-amber-red color code to measure the readiness of various technologies, with red indicating the highest risk.

All the while, the Army is grappling with how to upgrade its fleet of medium and heavy trucks to make them more mobile and survivable so they can keep pace with the FCS maneuver force. When FCS first was conceived, the thinking was that forces would take periodic pauses to refuel and restock supplies.

In light of the Iraq experience, the Army now wants a logistics force that can sustain combat units around the clock and stay close to the frontlines, which means that trucks will need to be better protected.

The Army is working through these issues as part of a "truck modernization plan" that will get...