Budget Options and the Military

CBO
Budget Options
February 2005
http://mirror1.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/60xx/doc6075/050.pdf

This Analysis provides good insight into restructuring of the Military. The Future Combat System should be canceled for various reasons:

Inability to Achieve Function: The Joint Chiefs and Staffers imagine a battlefield reducible to a Computer screen, where everything can be controlled from one Playstation. If it were only true! An integrated Response system will always fail in the face of an Enemy composed of Thousands of individual attack elements. The FCS will crumble under an onslaught of individual initiative, as the integrated Command response will over-commit defense elements initially, to be followed with Refuel and Rearm Time lags before efficient Counter of Enemy action.

The Folly of Target Evasion Doctrine: High Command assume an Enemy emasculation before actual Combat even starts. An Enemy will utilize any Weapon delivery system which is effective: Viet Cong used to send small children to GIs with armed Grenade attached. FCS envisions $90 bn of equipment which can be neutralized by methodology costing less than the Salaries of the enlisted personnel manning the inferior equipment.

The Weight Issue: The weight of the vehicles will never be reached, if the Target Evasion Doctrine is proved to be ineffective. This means actual Force Delivery Times will stay consistent with current Unit Movement Time schedules; not necessarily a poor performance element, it allows for Political and Command assessment of the initial Unit Movement decision, and development of specific Tasking for the Units. Unit Movement Costs and Transportation needs will be understood with necessary components scheduled.

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Author's Counter-Proposal to the FCS

Creation of Five new Divisions of mobile Light Infantry, supported with new Weapons systems. Extensive use of UAVs to locate the Enemy, a varied array of 'Smart' bombs released at high altitude from something resembling a B-52 upon call from the Infantry(individually) , said Infantry equipped with 'Hand-held' Targeting capability to direct the Smart bombs. The Infantry will be transported to battle by helicopters (heavy) capable of transporting a Platoon of Infantry with their extremely light ground vehicles. lgl