Forgive me people. I got to beat this drum again.
Remember the video I posted yesterday titled ACV Ground Modernization? One part of it has me punching walls. When talking about the reason for the cancellation of the EFV they said it was because of "trade-off" that were unacceptable.
But then we have Amos' exit "story" in the Marine Corps Times and we have the following...
Since then, Amos has dedicated significant time overseeing the Corps’ replacement program, the Amphibious Combat Vehicle. “Before I leave 3½ years from now, we’ll have a program of record, we’ll have steel, it will be a vehicle and I’ll be able to drive that,” Amos told a congressional panel in 2011.My problem with General Dynamics AND Headquarters Marine Corps is simple and goes to visibility on this program.
The ACV has had its share of challenges as well, including late-in-the game shifts from plans for a high-speed vehicle to a low-speed one, from a uniform acquisition process to a phased approach, and from tracks to wheels. In an essay published by Marine Corps Times earlier this year, two retired officers also raised concerns about the ACV’s potential bulkiness and its ability to conduct sea-based assaults from distances of up to 100 miles.
But Amos is close to making good on his word. At a June think tank event in Washington, he said at least four manufacturers are producing off-the-shelf amphibious vehicles as a near-term solution for the Corps. To date, he said at the time, he had ridden in all four.
Here too, Amos has had to contend with circumstances beyond his control in managing the Marine Corps. The retired general suggested the technology for high-speed amphibious vehicles simply isn’t well enough developed yet, forcing Amos to move in other directions. Loren Thompson, chief operating officer for the Lexington Institute think tank, said budget constraints had a vote in the process.
“The failure to make progress on a new amphibious tractor must be a source of great frustration” for Amos, Thompson said. “The service has needed a replacement of the [amphibious assault vehicle] for decades, and Amos made funding of that replacement a top priority. But budget caps and technology constraints derailed his plans.”
Scuttlebutt has it that GD offered the Marine Corps a non-planing version of the EFV. Word also has it that the USMC turned it down.
Ok. That was then. This is now.
The EFV was tested against IEDs. The EFV was able to carry a Marine Rifle Squad. The EFV would be a one for one instead of a two for one replacement for the AAV...unlike any of the Marine Personnel Candidates.
So why didn't the Marine Corps jump all over GD's offer? Why isn't GD offering us a bargain basement price to get in this vehicle now? What gives?
Sidenote: Did you catch all the promises and money that is being promised toward various programs in this video? This is what I caught and I might have missed a few...
1. A LCU Replacement.
2. A new LCAC.
3. Modifications to the JHSV.
4. Continued study on a high speed ACV.
5. Further upgrades of the MPC.
6. Upgrades of the AAV.
7. Start date by 2019.
I don't see how this is possible. Defense experts and government officials are already stating publicly that they don't see sequestration ending before 2016. Additionally the USMC is still faced with an F-35 IOC of 2015 and unless that is changed then there is NO money left. This needs repeating. THE BUDGET TRAIN WRECK IS HERE. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO FULLY RECAPITALIZE LEGACY MUCH LESS DEVELOP AND FIELD NEW VEHICLES. Too much time was wasted. Opportunities were squandered. A bias toward the F-35 has damaged the USMC's ability to adjust to current fiscal reality. We're screwed and if you watch the video again you can see "I hope they believe this bullshit" flashing in the eyes of every speaker.
