Abercrombie says Future Combat Systems not affordable

House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, on Thursday endorsed making wholesale changes to the Army's $160 billion Future Combat Systems, including scaling back the modernization program.

During a hearing, Abercrombie signaled that the Army's plans for FCS are not affordable given the service's other priorities, saying he "would be delighted to work with all concerned" to take a "much more sober, disciplined and realistic approach to moving forward with the program."

Abercrombie has been skeptical of the feasibility and affordability of FCS. He criticized Army officials for abruptly backing out of the hearing, which was called to review a GAO report highly critical of the program.

"We are not here to beat anybody up," he said.

An Army spokesman said Wednesday that the service decided to pull out of the hearing because it was "too closely aligned with ongoing predecisional budget and acquisition discussions within the Defense Department."

Army officials have disputed portions of the GAO report, which found that many FCS technologies were immature and predicted that the program would face cost increases.

Abercrombie's statements come as the Army's FY10 budget request undergoes an intense review by the Pentagon and OMB that could result in significant cuts to FCS, one of several massive defense programs the Obama administration may be viewing as ripe for savings.

Several sources closely tracking the program said administration officials are considering cutting as many as six of the eight types of manned ground vehicles planned for FCS to save money and get the program under control.

While Abercrombie did not prescribe ways to alter FCS, he said the Army's plans are mired in the past.

"Some in the Army may claim that the program has been 'adjusted' based on the Army's combat experience," he said in his written remarks. "The situation the FCS program now confronts could also be interpreted as the Army simply being wrong about the future when it initiated the program back in 2003."

Air and Land Forces Subcommittee ranking member Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., acknowledged the need for congressional oversight of the program, but he said it would be "premature to condemn the program" on its fate until Congress receives the Pentagon's budget details later in the spring.