Immunizing weapons against 'next-war-it is'.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY - Brief article

In a memorable turn of phrase, Defense Secretary Robert Gates chided the Pentagon's weapons acquisition establishment for having an extreme case of "next war-it is"--instead of buying technologies for today's wars, the services are obsessed with futuristic weapons that may never be needed. Gates' comments have sent generals, admirals and contractors scrambling for ways to show that their cherished programs are not suffering from such a disease. A case in point is the Army's $160-billion Future Combat Systems. The FCS will not be fully deployed for another decade or so, but Army leaders want to make it clear that...