Army to Buy 500 New "Light Tank" Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicles

via National Interest.

The Army plans to arm its force with more than 500 medium-weight Mobile Protected Firepower combat vehicles engineered to bring heavy fire support, high-speed mobility and warzone protection for fast-maneuvering infantry.

The service plans to pick two vendors in the next few months to build prototype vehicles as an initial step toward having one vendor start full-rate production in 2025.

“Our plan is to award up to two contracts. Each vendor will build 12 vehicles and the we will down select from two to one. When we go into production, we will build 504 vehicles,” David Dopp, Army Program Manager, Mobile Protected Firepower, told reporters at the Association of the United States Army Annual Symposium.

Story here.

Uh how is the Army gonna do this?

I don't want to pour cold water on their plans but they're trying to buy the kitchen sink and the house it goes in!

AMPV, JLTV, Future Scout Helicopter, Ground Mobility Vehicle, Light Tank, ATACMS, Electronic Warfare Vehicle, Upgun Stryker, extended range M777 and the list goes on.

Meanwhile the Marine Corps is buying F-35, CH-53K, MV-22, ACV, JLTV, and laying the groundwork for an LAV replacement.

The Air Force and the Navy have similar modernization plans.

How can the US of A afford all this?  Sequestration is due to raise its ugly head (or some would say fiscal responsibility) in 2020.

Either we're gonna see MASSIVE tax increases or these are just pie in the sky dreams for all the services.