American forces press service (Feb. 23, 2004): Army leaders recommend canceling Comanche helicopter program.WASHINGTON -- Army leaders have recommended canceling a multibillion-dollar helicopter program, citing an Army study that suggests the funds would be more effective improving other areas of the Service's aviation program. Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee today announced that he and the Service's chief of staff, Gen. Peter Schoomaker General Peter J. Schoomaker (b. February 12, 1946) was the 35th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, serving from August 1, 2003 to April 10, 2007, when the Army announced he would be replaced by General George Casey; Schoomaker will retire from the Army for the second time , recommended canceling the 21-year-old Comanche helicopter program after a comprehensive review of Army aviation technology and structure. The roughly $14 billion allocated to the program between now and 2011 will go toward other aviation programs, he said. The study "reflects lessons learned and experiences gained in the recent 2 1/2 years of combat in the global war on terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism as well as the operational environments envisioned in the foreseeable future," Brownlee said in a late-afternoon Pentagon press conference. He said the study shows that the capabilities the Comanche, an armed reconnaissance helicopter An armed reconnaissance helicopter is a light helicopter armed for self defense and rudimentary combat abilities. It can refer to any of the following.
prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the review, those needs include upgrading, modernizing, and rebuilding the Army's attack, utility, and cargo helicopter fleets as well as replacing aging aircraft in the reserve component, Brownlee said. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Our revised plans for the next several years. out to fiscal year 2011, include the procurement The fancy word for "purchasing." The procurement department within an organization manages all the major purchases. of almost 800 new aircraft for the active and reserve components, and the enhancement, upgrade, modernization modernization Transformation of a society from a rural and agrarian condition to a secular, urban, and industrial one. It is closely linked with industrialization. As societies modernize, the individual becomes increasingly important, gradually replacing the family, , and recapitalization Recapitalization Restructuring a company's debt and equity mixture often with the aim of making a company's capital structure more stable. Notes: Companies often want to diversify their debt-to-equity ratio to improve liquidity. of over 1,400 aircraft," he said. Brownlee said he and Schoomaker began briefing Congress on their plans this morning and will submit an amended budget request for fiscal 2005. Schoomaker also mentioned that Army leaders had assurances from President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that the funds previously allocated for the Comanche will stay within the Army aviation program. Both Army leaders suggested funds already spent on developing the Comanche won't have been wasted, because the Service and the aviation industry have learned a great deal through work on the program. Brownlee said relevant technologies will be retained in the aviation technological base and will lead to "research and development more applicable to future aviation initiatives." He specifically mentioned the Joint Multirole Helicopter and the Joint Airlift Aircraft programs. Schoomaker said it's important to not see this as "just about terminating Comanche," but about "fixing Army aviation for the future--for today and for tomorrow." The Comanche program's cancellation is going hand in hand with a major plan to restructure the Army's aviation brigades, Brownlee said. Officials plan to standardize stan·dard·ize v. 1. To cause to conform to a standard. 2. To evaluate by comparing with a standard. aviation brigades throughout the Army and "provide the modularity and flexibility we must have to achieve the joint and expeditionary ex·pe·di·tion·ar·y adj. 1. Relating to or constituting an expedition. 2. Sent on or designed for military operations abroad: the French expeditionary force in Indochina. Adj. 1. capabilities that are so essential to the Army's role now and in the future," he said. "It's a big decision," Schoomaker said. "We know it's a big decision, but it's the right decision." |
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