And because of that fact its also the canary in the coal mine when it comes to upcoming procurement trends.
If the Marine Corps is able to move ahead with selection, and then production of this vehicle then we can expect a moderate yet still painful---but at least planned budget reduction.
If we see the testing and selection of this vehicle delayed in the next few months (I'd say if we get word of a delay in either testing or selection by May) then we are up for nothing but pain.
If its the worse case scenario and the MPC is delayed and production moved to beyond 2020, then expect for the JLTV, Ground Combat Vehicle and other ground programs to be in serious jeopardy. Even worse though is the knock on effect it will have with our European partners. If the US signals a large reduction in defense spending then you can bet your last dollar that European countries will follow suit.
Its hard to tell what our Pacific partners will do...Japan, S. Korea, Singapore and others are all talking about increasing defense spending. All that is dependent on the economy and if the Democrats or Republicans misplay the fiscal cliff then even that could be doomed...even with a China threat.
From now till May. The next few months will tell the story.
I was hoping for the Patria/Havoc to win,but that IVECO is just good looking...If looks were a requirement that beast would win...
ReplyDeletei want them in the water. swim baby swim. you can't beat ied's so the real thing for the Marines to concentrate on is amphibious capability and hope that the Army can develop some type of anti-ied device that can be attached to armored vehicles.
DeleteYou are probably right on that one.The russians and chinese also prefer less protected vehicles to gain mobility(amphibious and airborne).Ad on protection once in land should be the way...
DeleteFrom my perspective the Corp would be better served with ACV and cutting MPC. The cost of MPC is also deceptive as you need roughly two to carry the same number of Marines as AAV/ACV; moreover, it breaks up the squad among more than one vehicle. These and other factors make MPC problematic even if it's waterborne performance effectively allows it to replace AAV.
ReplyDeleteAlso it's worth considering will a MEU have either a company carried by AAV or MPC or will there be one of each? How many MPC's is that and how does that footprint compare to AAV?
I can understand why you'd consider this vehicle important. What I don't get is why you and so many others in the States persist in viewing China as a "threat." Nobody goes to war with their banker.
ReplyDeleteActually if you owe the bank $1 million they own you. If you owe them $1 trillion you own the bank. That aside China holds about 8% of the total US debt of $16 trillion and it's been falling for some time and I believe Japan holds more now. The majority of US debt is not foreign owned.
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