Army lethality a priority across materiel enterprise

Photo By Staff Sgt. Amber Smith | Defense Secretary Jim Mattis gives the keynote address to kick off the 2017 annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Oct. 9, 2017. Taking place over three days, AUSA is designed to deliver the Army’s message by highlighting the capabilities of Army organizations and presenting a wide range of industry products and services. (DoD photo by Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)  

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES

10.13.2017

Story by Brian Beall 

U.S. Army Materiel Command   

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Jim Mattis set a solemn tone at this year’s Association of the United States Army annual meeting, reminding Soldiers, civilians and industry representatives that increasing military lethality is a top priority.

“We must never lose sight of the fact that we have no God-given right to victory on the battlefield,” Mattis said as part of the three-day event Oct. 9-12. “Your mission is to focus solely on what is essential for increasing the lethality of your unit for the unforgiving crucible of ground combat.”

Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley introduced their plan to modernize the force and rapidly acquire improved technologies through six systems tied to enhancing lethality.

Those six priorities include: long-range precision fires, a next generation combat vehicle, the future of vertical lift, the network, air and missile defense, and Soldier lethality. The six priorities will be supported by Cross-Functional Teams designed to break down organizational barriers and bring together a cohort of professionals dedicated to each priority.

“Over the last 15 years of combat, our potential adversaries have watched us and our capabilities and begun to come up with counters, in terms of capabilities,” said Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, commanding general of Army Materiel Command’s Research, Development and Engineering Command.

“We have to increase the range and lethality of our systems with precision fires at greater distances,” said Wins.

Dr. Michael Richman, associate director for missile development at the Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, detailed Army efforts to enhance long-range precision fires through a science and technology feeder program: the low-cost tactical extended range missile.

The low-cost tactical extended range missile

“We are pushing the state of the art technology for propulsion systems to get our missile systems to extend as far as they can in the smallest diameter possible,” said Richman.

• Date Taken: 10.13.2017
• Date Posted: 10.13.2017 13:37
• Story ID: 251635
• Location: WASHINGTON, DC, US