3 ms·

Were those programs really on Rumsfeld, or was it the Congress/Senate ?

• mandevil 1y ago
  The consistent emphasis on the value of speed and mobility over the other parts of the combat triangle (mobility-firepower-survivability)- to the detriment of them as weapons systems- is a sign that there was a coherent influence and direction being put on those programs, to their detriment, by the SecDef's office. Basically, Rummie's approach was to emphasize speed and mobility over all other aspects of fighting, and it created ships with high speed and little sustainability or effective mission packages (LCS) and ground vehicles which were hideously expensive and way too vulnerable (EFV, FCS). Some things that happened under him (like the F-22 line being closed permanently) were more due to Congress' than him, but those programs were closely associated with him and his office at the time, and were gigantic CF's that, in the best case, ended without a single production unit ever reaching service. I say this as someone who worked in Army procurement doing FCS things. In my opinion as someone who was there, it was Rumsfeld's baby, and it was such a disaster both Presidential candidates in 2008 promised to kill it. And it deserved that killing.