Pentagon restructures software radio program ($30 billion)

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Tuesday released a long-awaited restructuring plan for a $30 billion program to develop advanced military radios, saying it would pursue a more incremental approach that was less risky.

Boeing Co., General Dynamics Corp., Thales SA and Rockwell Collins Corp. are among companies with big stakes in the Joint Tactical Radio System, which aims to develop new radios that allow better communication among various parts of the U.S. military.
...
The program, meant to give the U.S. military a new networked communications backbone, ran into delays due to the Pentagon's too-ambitious goals for the project and industry's reluctance to acknowledge problems, analysts said.

It was also poorly structured, with too little central oversight until the Pentagon last spring appointed a senior official to get the program back on track, they said.

"What happened here is that the technology enthusiasts got far beyond what the laws of physics would allow," said Loren Thompson at the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.

"The government has now determined that its original goals were unrealistic and is scaling back the requirements and increasing the amount of money for the program," he said.

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=11822871&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

[Squatch]

1. Good. SINCGARS sucks ass.

Even with the ASIP improvements, SINCGARS has lived its useful life.

[Rose Siding]

2. I remembered this report- The radio Marines carry in battle weighs 20lbs

snip>
As Miller remembers that day, he was on a rooftop taking fire and calling for support on his radio - a 20-pound piece of equipment that he had to lug around along with nine extra batteries, hundreds of extra rounds of ammunition, and a couple of cartons of cigarettes.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/29/MNGMHGVCEV1.DTL

Obviously, some updating is *essential* but 30B? Does that seem steep?

[Turbineguy]

3. 30 Billion is a lot

but if it doesn't work, you tap it with a $600 hammer.

It's all a question of scale.

[saigon68]

5. A useless boat anchor

The cigarettes at least, are the most useful item

They calm the nerves

LOL

[WhiteTara]

4. ah right, less for more

that's the pentagon's way.:grr: