WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- Costs must be cut on the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems program, a senior Republican lawmaker told Congress Tuesday.
"Given the overall national fiscal realities, the challenges of simultaneously funding the global war on terrorism and resetting our current forces, the question is, How do we reduce the risk in developing complex weapons programs, such as the Future Combat System, so that we can afford to provide the necessary funding without sacrificing the capability of our current forces?" Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., the ranking Republican on House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, said in a statement Tuesday. He was speaking at the subcommittee's hearing on the U.S. Army's ground forces programs.
The Democrats controlling key armed forces and appropriations committee and subcommittees in the new 110th Congress have made clear they want to take a close look at the soaring coasts of the Future Combat System, or FCS, which is designed to bring integrated, high tech, centralized control to U.S. military firepower. The FCS project was a beloved top priority for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but its costs and operability problems have grown dramatically over the past three years.
Saxton's comments were significant because they revealed that even Republican lawmakers are worried about the costs of the FCS.
"Just because we ask hard questions does not mean that we have a fundamental objection to modernization requirements. We ask hard questions because it is our responsibility to provide oversight of Department of Defense programs and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent productively," he said.
