ACTION PLANS
SAMIR MEHTA President Sikorsky Military Systems Stratford, CT
degree of certainty to their own supply base. For many of Sikorsky’s small and medium-sized
suppliers, predictable revenue maintains company viability.
Secondly, even with the short-term fiscal challenges, the Army cannot lose sight of its longer-term needs. Te Army must
clearly define the capabilities
needed to prevail on the 21st-century battlefield, and allow industry to compete with innovative solutions and advanced technologies.
Without definition, the danger arises that those who work projects within a con- strained budget environment will bring an unprecedented level of influence to a short-term focus.
To protect the skills and capabilities of its industrial base, the Army needs to focus on two critical areas.
First: Protect your multiyear commit- ments to the industrial base, even in this fiscally constrained environment. Multiyear contracts allow the Army to reap significant savings through quan- tity pricing, and they give companies the short-term financial security to continue investing in new technologies and more efficient manufacturing processes.
Very few significant technologies can be developed in the course of a single year, so a revenue stream over more than one year raises the certainty that companies will fund technology development projects that take longer than one year to mature.
More importantly, multiyear contracts allow prime contractors to provide a high
Te long-term view will mean protecting future programs like the Army’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) helicopter, or the Joint Multi-Role/Future Vertical Lift (JMR/ FVL) program that seeks to replace the Black Hawk and Apache helicopter fleets in the mid 2030s.
Programs like AAS and JMR/FVL
stimulate industry’s top technical minds to develop game-changing technologies.
Currently, an entire generation of engineering and technical talent could languish without ever working on a new-start, next-generation rotary- wing program. Tat is dangerous and shortsighted, and could “level the playing field” as it relates to our country’s current and future combat operations.
A clearly defined long-term view is required if companies are to continue their willingness to speculatively invest millions of dollars
GEN GORDON R. SULLIVAN (USA, RET.) President Association of the United States Army (AUSA)
As I reflect upon my time as chief of staff, I can remember an important message I shared with representatives of
industry
at AUSA’s Winter Meeting two decades ago. It still rings true today: “We must combine forces, leverage our resources and make the best decisions for the wel- fare of our Army and our nation.” Now, as AUSA’s president, I’m even more con- vinced that the Army’s partnership with the industrial base is key to success.
Many of the unsung heroes of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reside within the industrial base, which includes
the
23 geographically dispersed government ammunition arsenals
plants, and maintenance depots in R&D, without
which our nation’s industrial base and long-term military superiority are at risk.
manufacturing that
comprise the Army organic industrial base (AOIB), as well as commercial enterprises small and large. Teir significant contri- butions to materiel readiness ensured that members of the joint force had the tools needed to accomplish the mission.
88 Army AL&T Magazine January–March 2014
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