Staff Sgt. Ramey J. Brown, left, a section sergeant from Marshville, N.C.; Spc. Tyler L. Dillon, center, a team leader from Williamstown, W. Va.; and Pvt. Gabriel C. Fields, right, of Fort Worth, Texas, take cover at Observation Post Mustang in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province on Jan. 26, 2011, while firing a 120mm mortar. The weapon is among those the Army is planning to buy as the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan comes to an end. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell/U.S. Army)
Army On Hunt For New Weapons, Just As U.S. War In Afghanistan Winds Down -- Washington Post
It’s a time of transition for the U.S. military. Tens of thousands of troops at a time have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for years, but that is giving way to reductions in the size of the Army and Marine Corps and tough fights over where dwindling defense dollars will be spent. As retired Army Lt. Gen. David Barno suggested in a new piece for The Washington Post, the Army is “moving from 13 straight years of playing in the Super Bowl to an indefinite number of seasons scrimmaging with itself.”
That doesn’t mean the Army isn’t getting ready for the next war, though. In fact, it’s pushing through a variety of new acquisition projects, even as budgets get cut and Congress scrutinizes the numbers. And while it’s mostly multi-billion dollar contract competitions like the search for a new Armored Multi-purpose Vehicle that gets attention in Washington, the service is pursuing a number of cheaper efforts to upgrade the weapons soldiers carry with them on the battlefield.
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My Comment: With another round of budget cuts on the horizon .... will they have the money for this .... even for the basics?
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