The sale to Montenegro might be small, but the US push into the Balkans will not make Moscow happy.

Army Secretary Mark Esper has publicly said the armored off-road truck was designed to defeat guerrillas, at a time when the Army is refocusing on great powers. But the Army still plans to buy about 50,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and has even added JLTV to its elite list of 31 top-priority programs.

If the Army wants to get its Big Six right, it must talk, and talk and talk with Congress and the press and industry. And be ready to drop failures.

A light scout and a mid-size transport remain Army aviation’s top two priorities, Secretary Mark Esper said, but industry needs to start thinking about the next heavy-lift aircraft and stop fighting against cuts to the venerable CH-47.

The Army wants to keep its options open on upgrading its heaviest cargo helicopter. Boeing is worried the window of opportunity — and its factory — will close before the Army makes up its mind.

The Army’s rebuilding to face China and Russia. That may leave programs designed over the past decade for COIN operations in the dust.

The Army’s not sure it wants 55,000 JLTVs — but manufacturer Oshkosh is doubling down. Why?

All told, the Army’s investing $57 billion in modernization over five years — but it wants to take time to test new technologies before it commits to them.

The White House defense budget for 2020 falls short of commitments made and actual requirements to meet the military’s strategy, but it begins to shift priorities and start the long process of investing in long-term competition with China and Russia. Washington still lacks the budget details for another week, but here are some initial reflections… Keep reading →

Good news: That’s more money than the Army thought it could get for its top priorities. Bad news: We won’t see most of it this year.