Battle brews over US Marines EFV, larger misison
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Reuters
Andrea Shalal-Esa
01/20/2011
WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Lawmakers are primed to defend a $14 billion General Dynamics Corp (GD.N) amphibious landing vehicle canceled by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, but the larger battle may be over Pentagon plans to shift away from the Marine Corps' storm-the-beaches mission.
If the Pentagon wins this initial test on the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, a host of other weapons contracts focused on that mission could be chopped.
"The EFV cancellation is part of a broader plan by policymakers to scale back Marine Corps missions so that many planned programs might not be needed in the future," said Loren Thompson of the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.
Thompson said the next target could be the Marine Corps variant of the new Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jet, developed with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for traditional "forcible entry" and amphibious assault missions.
Gates has said it should be canceled unless significant technical issues were resolved within the next two years.
He and others have questioned whether large scale amphibious assaults, last conducted in the Korean war 60 years ago, were still feasible given missiles that can hit ships up to 60 miles offshore.
Gates must now convince Congress, which makes Pentagon budget decisions, that the military should drop pricey Marine programs.
The Pentagon has paid General Dynamics about $3.3 billion to develop the EFV, which the Marine Corps has called absolutely critical. The armored 39-ton vehicle can quickly transport 17 Marines from 25 miles out at sea to shore and run up to 45 miles per hour on land.
Gates has argued that it would cost another $13 billion to build the planned 573 vehicles, and has said the Marine Corps needs the money for other programs.
Cost increases and technical problems make for "a pretty compelling case" against the EFV, said Todd Harrison, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
But former Marines and some lawmakers in Congress have said they will fight for the program and jobs it would create.
Spending $34 million beyond the $243 million that was in the fiscal 2011 budget for EFV would allow completion of the current system design and development contract, saving the Marines about $185 million in termination costs, said General Dynamics spokesman Kendell Pease.
