As President Trump pushes for the U.S. sixth branch of the military, Space Force, many controversial arguments have been brought forth, one of which is how much it will cost and is there really a need for a sixth military branch?Read More
As the US gears up for future wars and the everchanging battlefield, the evolution of the M1 Abrams tank has been a hot topic of discussion and what the possible direction is that it may take. Since its introduction to the US Army in 1980, the M1 Abrams has been a superior fighting machine. The M1 Abrams remained untested until the Persian Golf War in 1991. When it entered into the battlefield against Iraqi forces, the M1A1 (M1Abrams) was far more advanced than the Iraqi’s Soviet era T-55 and T-62’s. Its ability to produce lethal results from over 2,500 meters was a crucial factor against Soviet designed forces in Desert Storm, as the range of their main gun was only 2,000 meters and Iraqi tanks couldn’t fire anti-missile defenses.
As the dynamics of war change and large world powers continue to demonstrate their increasing technological advances and capabilities, the increased need for long-range high lethality weapons have become a focus for US Defense forces. This year at AUSA, Brig Gen Ross Coffman, who oversees combat vehicle modernization, discussed the future of the M1 Abrams and how its next generation may not actually even be a tank. During his interview at AUSA 2018, Brig Gen Coffman discussed the modernization of the M1 Abrams and its inevitable replacement expected by the year 2023. Brig Gen Coffman said, it is decisive lethality and what that decisive lethality is will be determined by academia, our science and technology community within the Army and industry.” He goes on to say, “everything from a ray gun to a Star Wars-like four-legged creature that shoots lasers,” Coffman said, “but the reality is that everything is on the table.”
Although the US Army is planning to undergo the M1 Abrams evolution, the Army has begun accepting the M1A2 Enhancement Package Version 3 (SEP V3). The intent of this upgrade has been to purchase some of the weight, power, and overall size that was lost during Iraq and Afghanistan wars. As part of this upgrade, the enhancement also calls for an architecture adjustment, which includes the addition of ethernet ports, enabling troops to acquire their targets more quickly.
The US Army has already awarded GDLS (General Dynamics Land Systems) with a contract to develop the next line of upgrades to be added to the M1A2. The SEP V4 enhancement package is set to make production at the end of fiscal year 2023 with hopes of entering into its first brigade in 2025. The SEP V4 package aims to increase M1A2’s lethality by incorporating the addition of a new laser rangefinder, advanced Forward Looking Infrared sight, 360-degree cameras, better ammunition data links, integrated onboard networks, advanced meteorological sensors, laser warning receivers and a far more lethal, multi-purpose 120mm tank round.
It is clear the direction US Military Forces are moving towards is a lighter, faster, more deployable force, with increased range and maximized lethality. So, what does this mean for industry and companies looking to acquire the new program of record that will eventually replace the M1 Abrams? As Brig Gen Coffman stated, the future tank may not actually be a “tank.” With an “anything goes” mentality, is our conventional idea of what a tank is the ideal route for the next program? Maybe the answer isn’t an actual tank, but a large gun that can fire from extreme distances, enabling the vehicle to be lighter weight, easily deployable, and safe from enemy fire. It is clear with the mention of a “four-legged Star Wars mobile,” any and all options are available. As other world powers continue to advance their combat capabilities, it is important for the US to remain superior, as well as creative, to continue its ability to remain the number one military force in the world.
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On January 27, 2017, the President of the United States, directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to initiate and conduct a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which was released February, 2018, as part of the U.S. Nuclear Triad modernization efforts. The purpose of this effort is “to ensure the safety and security of the homeland, its allies, and to serve as a nuclear deterrent against its adversaries.” The escalating tensions between the U.S., Russia, China, and North Korea revolving around nuclear weapons and the possibility of their use in the near future, has created an immediate sense of urgency for the revitalization and modernization of the U.S. Nuclear Triad. Read More
On March 26, 2018, Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, wrote a memo addressing the 2018 National Defense Budget, and President Trump’s passing of the omnibus spending bill, advocating to all members of the Department of Defense to be “peerless stewards of taxpayers’ dollars.” Secretary Mattis went on to express the importance of utilizing every dollar strategically by writing, “it is now contingent on us to gain full value from every taxpayer dollar spent on defense. As such, every decision we make must focus on lethality and affordability.”
On February 12, 2018, the Air Force had released in a Department of Defense press briefing, their plans for the FY ‘19 budget. With the reemergence of great power competition over the global space domain from other near-peer competitors, the Air Force has highlighted the importance of the space budget to the nation’s security and their strategic understanding of the space environment. The Air Force FY ‘19 budget has increased the space budget by nearly 20 percent ($7 billion) from FY ’17.