FT. LAUDERDALE: The Army is willing to shed a few more brigade combat teams to become the lighter, faster and more lethal force of the future, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said today. The Army is weighing a plan to add a third maneuver battalion to the Army’s current force structure, Odierno told… Keep reading →

WASHINGTON: The Army may be in the cross-hairs of the budget cutters, but it’s had a surprisingly good week. While the number of soldiers will drop to 490,000 as long expected, the service is getting a lot of what it wanted to cushion that fall – starting with time. “As important as the 490[,000] number… Keep reading →

Washington: Despite drastic changes made by the Army and the Marine Corps to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, defense companies are still struggling to get costs under control, according to an industry official. Kathryn Hasse, JLTV program manager for Lockheed Martin, said costs for the new combat truck continue to be the program’s “most… Keep reading →

Washington: In his first speech as the Army’s new Chief of Staff, Gen Ray Odierno warned that large, rapid reductions to the service would put the nation at risk. Odierno officially took the reins from former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, who is replacing Adm. Mike Mullen as the Chairman of the Joint… Keep reading →

CORRECTION Washington: As the Army floats plans to substantially cut its combat force, lawmakers are watching anxiously, eager to protect Army bases in their home states. “If the Army Chief of Staff supports the plan, member opposition would most likely focus on the impact to individual bases,” a source familiar with Army deliberations tells Breaking… Keep reading →

Washington: Bigger, tougher and meaner — that is what the Army wants from its Humvee fleet. And according to the draft list of requirements issued by the service’s contracting shop for the iconic combat vehicle, the Army now has a plan to do just that. For more news and information on the swiftly-changing defense industry,… Keep reading →

Washington: The Army’s ground combat vehicles are back in the Pentagon’s cross hairs, with a large-scale program review scheduled for August. The DoD-led review, known in the Pentagon as a materiel development decision, will scrutinize most of the big-ticket programs in the service’s ground combat systems portfolio, except for ongoing efforts to recapitalize the Humvee.… Keep reading →

Washington: The Army’s Humvee has become a modern military icon, replacing the World War II-era Jeep as one of the most recognizable vehicles on the battlefield. It also provides just as much protection against improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades as those vehicles built by Henry Ford in the 1940’s. The introduction of up-armored versions… Keep reading →

Washington: Wasting no time, Army Chief of Staff nominee Gen. Ray Odierno made it clear his vision for the Army once he takes the reins. If you want to win a war, you send the Army to do it. Not the Marines, the Air Force or the Navy. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee… Keep reading →