Army's New Ground Combat Vehicle Development Underway

The Army announced today Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli will host a workshop June 15, 2009 to bring together knowledgeable individuals to offer information and opinions on a way ahead for the Army to develop a new ground combat vehicle. The Army is moving aggressively toward developing a new ground combat vehicle as part of its modernization.

"We will work to include both lessons from the current fight and what we've learned from technology and build a better vehicle," said Army Chief of Staff General George W. Casey, Jr. "Our goal is to move forward."

The Army is leading the analysis effort and will hold the workshop at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. The meeting will allow multiple interested parties to present information and ideas, which will be developed and considered by a blue ribbon panel consisting of senior leaders from the Department of Defense and the Army. The panel will make a recommendation to senior Army leaders on the requirements for a new ground combat vehicle at a later date.

"The ground combat vehicle blue ribbon panel is in response to the recent decisions regarding the Future Combat Systems (FCS) manned ground vehicle program," said Gen. Chiarelli. "However, the Army is still in need of a vehicle that can protect soldiers, and cope with 21st century operational requirements. The blue ribbon panel will take a fresh look at these requirements including capabilities, technologies and lessons learned from the FCS program."

The panel's recommendations will inform U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's (TRADOC) ongoing work on operational requirements for the ground combat vehicle.

The workshop participants will represent a broad spectrum of expertise in operating environments, platforms, threats, research and development, future requirements, and network considerations. Participants will include representatives from think tanks, retired general officers, currently serving officers, senior non-commissioned officers, and program managers.

For more information contact Lt. Col. Martin Downie, martin.downie@us.army.mil or 703-697-7591.