The Army Must Balance Expensive Modernization with Lower Cost Upgrades (From The National Interest)

The current defense budget environment is different from previous eras. While resources are available, the Department of Defense must both introduce new, even revolutionary, capabilities in order to re-establish overmatch vis-à-vis global competitors and replace entire fleets of support aircraft and vehicles that have aged to the point of obsolescence. The Army has a particularly difficult challenge when it comes to which systems to replace with next-generation capabilities and which to upgrade. Even with the current budget increase, the Army needs to find more funds if it is to field all the interim and new capabilities it plans to acquire in the near-term. Adjusting the balance between JLTVs and modernized Humvees in its fleet will allow the Army to harvest funds for higher priority programs and, at the same time, recapitalize the tactical vehicle fleet. I have written about this for The National Interest here.