In late January, the Air Force's defense contractor buddies started pushing their pet project, the Raptor stealth fighter jet, as a jobs program. "Without it, more than 95,000 jobs are at risk," proclaimed one online ad. (The New America Foundation figures the real number is more like 35,000. You get the idea, though.)
But at least the Air Force had the good sense to step back and let its industrial partners make the case for their weapons-as-stimulus. The Army wasn't so slick, alas.
The Army is trying hard to keep Future Combat Systems -- its massive effort to make the force lighter, more-lethal, and better-networked -- away from the budget axe. During the presidential campaign, both the Obama and McCain camps talked about slowing down or killing the project. Despite some successes, FCS has become a poster child in Washington for Pentagon bloat and overreach.
At the heart of the FCS effort are a series of eight new "manned ground vehicles" -- replacements for tanks, troop carriers, cannon, and the like. In a recent briefing handed out to reporters, Army officials noted just how many businesses would help build those new rides. "The FCS Manned Ground Vehicle program encompasses more than 839 suppliers in 38 states totaling more than $6.2B in development cost impact," the briefing states.
Ares' Paul McLeary notes that "the fact that FCS
is publicizing the nation wide reach of the program, and by extension the horses that lots of senators and representatives have in the race, is a nice little hat tip to lawmakers that cutting the program might mean a loss in revenue for their district."
"In a briefing to reporters, Army officials showed a slide that outlined the financial impact of FCS on every state," InsideDefense.com observes. "According to the chart, California is due
$1.1 billion in FCS money. After that, two states -- Minnesota and
Michigan -- get the most FCS money (Michigan alone sees a total of $591
million). And Texas comes in fourth place with a total of $446 million, according to the chart."
But all the politicking may have come too late. According to Defense News, "the U.S. Army may kill or delay half of the 27-ton [manned ground] vehicles... hoping to cut costs and stave off more drastic measures by senior Pentagon officials or lawmakers."
