CSBA in the News

The Army and Marine Corps will be in the market for a new generation of ground vehicles soon. But acquisition officials there should think hard before they buy, according to Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, the president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (listen to interview)

n coping with recent defense budget cuts by Congress-and the potential for billions more in automatic cuts beginning 2013-the U.S. military may find itself in a tight spot dealing with reduced funding while readying for a larger strategy. Amid this, military leaders are currently weighing in on how to adapt to the shift of focus to potential adversaries in the Asia-Pacific, outlined by President Barack Obama on Jan. 5.

The Army and Marine Corps must figure out what kind of environments they will be fighting in over the next three decades or so and purchase ground vehicles that are best suited for that task, says a DC-based think-tank.

Given the future operating environment and reduced defense spending, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps would be better off investing in science and technology research rather than launching new vehicle development programs, according to a new think tank report.

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments today released a report on the future challenges in military vehicle modernization, recommending that the Army and Marine Corps find ways to make do amid an environment of fiscal austerity.

Since 9/11, the U.S. military has invested massively in protecting its troops, buying add-on armor kits for everything from the humble Humvee to the massive M1 tank. Now the spread of smart weapons to Third World forces, both rogue states and guerrillas, may up the threat faster than we can counter, warns a new report from thinktank analyst and frequent Pentagon advisor Andrew Krepinevich. “The experience in Afghanistan and Iraq suggests that anti-armor weapons will be cheaper and faster to field [than upgraded armor protection],” Krepinevich told reporters gathered at the thinktank he heads, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “That’s not a game you want to be in if you’re in an age of austerity, so that creates a real problem for the Army and Marine Corps” – particularly, he said, for programs like the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle.