GLOBAL SOLUTIONS
helps meet new challenges by promoting Joint programs and resource sharing. By doing more with less, the program makes efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
EVALUATE AND BUY Despite a huge number of technologies on which to focus, the OSD has one clear goal for the FCT Program: evaluate and buy capabilities.
SEEKING NEW TECHNOLOGIES
The search for game-changing military technology leads the Army and DOD to foreign expositions and displays. Once identified, a new technology may be acquired through the FCT Program. Here, SGT David Drugagh of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, talks about the capabilities of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle with Heidi Shyu, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, June 11 during the 2012 Eurosatory International Exhibition in Paris. (U.S. Army photo by SSG Brooks Fletcher, U.S. Army Public Affairs)
“Te FCT Program takes the best tech- nology the world has to offer and puts it directly in the hands of our young men and women in the field. Te program has been a tremendous asset to the Army, and it has been a privilege for RDECOM to take the lead for our service,” said Tomas Mulkern, leader of RDECOM’s Inter- national Technology Integration Team, which oversees the Army FCT program.
Team of the U. S. Army Research, Devel- opment, and Engineering Command (RDECOM).
By focusing solely on mature technologies, FCT acquisitions avoid the high costs associated with extended research and development (R&D). For example, it was estimated that government R&D costs would have been $2–3 million to build a comparable processing system for the meat dehydration project from scratch. Furthermore, the project would take at least three to five years to develop.
By testing and incorporating the already mature French system, these upfront R&D costs were avoided and tastier, long- lasting meat products will be on the way to U.S. service members much sooner. (See related article on Page 89.)
As of Oct. 31, 2012, 671 FCT projects had been initiated, and 600 of those com- pleted. Of the 311 projects that met service requirements, 256 were transitioned for procurements worth $10.8 billion.
86 Army AL&T Magazine
CONSTANTLY EVOLVING Te FCT Program adapts continually to changing environments. Before 1989, the program was referred to as the Foreign Weapons Evaluation and NATO Com- parative Testing programs and focused initially on NATO allies. Tat year, the program was reborn as the Foreign Comparative Testing Program with autho- rization from Congress. At the end of the Cold War, the program broadened its scope to involve countries such as South Korea, Australia, and South Africa, which have supplied life-saving technologies.
Te South African-developed Mine Pro- tected Clearance Vehicle, or Buffalo, was successfully evaluated in 2002. It uses V-shaped hull technology to counteract roadside explosives. Te timing could not have been better, as the Buffalo would be used extensively throughout Iraq and Afghanistan and save lives.
With the coming withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan and DOD facing a new age of fiscal austerity, the FCT Program
January–March 2013
Each military branch and the U.S. Spe- cial Operations Command conduct FCT programs. Each nominates mature military or commercial products that pro- vide a needed solution. Each service also conducts assessments and fields the tech- nology when it is approved for acquisition.
FCT successes have been many. Since the program’s inception, projects from 31 countries have been completed, and foreign vendors have teamed with U.S. industry in 34 states. Considerations such as exportability and intellectual property limitations are considered upfront during the initial proposal submission process. Successful proposals that are selected for funding have a strategy in place to address problem areas and allow the U.S. mili- tary access to critical information once an item is fielded.
Te program is an example of how NATO and other foreign partners help satisfy U.S. technology requirements or help shore up operational deficiencies. Because
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