|
Washington Pulse
Military Hardware: What Do Users Want?
4
2,009
By Sandra I. Erwin
At a time when the Pentagon is under orders to make “tough choices” about which weapons it should acquire, military buyers may want to consider paying more attention to what troops in the field really need.
Sometimes, less can be more. The F-22 fighter jet is the greatest in the world, but soldiers in urban firefights could use more A-10 close-air support airplanes, which are far less costly. “Why don’t we build more A-10s? The F-22 pilot can’t look at what I see on the ground. The F-15 pilot goes by way too fast. The A-10 pilot can almost read my handwriting,” said Ben Collins, a former Army Special Forces officer who served in Afghanistan.
Another example is communications systems. The Pentagon has spent billions of dollars on electronic devices that jam roadside bombs. But when the jammers are in operation, soldiers can’t talk on the radio because the signals interfere. That’s a pretty big problem, said Collins. “How can I talk, fight and track IED [improvised explosive devices] when I’m trying to command a fight from a truck?” Maybe the Pentagon’s hardware buyers can figure that out. But, please, don’t make it too complex.
|