Full Steam for the FCS

The Army's Future Combat System (FCS) is well under development, according to this article. Its very expensive at $145 billion dollars to create a family of vehicles to replace the tank. Sounds like another bloated government program, but thanks to its success in the War on Terror, the Army is going full steam ahead. From the article:

The Army plans to buy 15 brigades’ worth of the systems, about 700 vehicles per brigade, over 20 years. The program recently has come under fire as lawmakers and others consider the staggering cost – an estimated $145 billion.
The Government Accountability Office also has called FCS into question. GAO reports in March and June said the program is “at significant risk” of not delivering within budget, and that much of the technology it depends on is unproven.But Boeing officials said Monday that two years in, the program is on budget and on schedule.

There is good news: The army is getting feedback from soldiers currently fighting in Iraq, and is using the Stryker as an interim FCS to experiment future applications for the new system. My problem with FCS, besides the cost, is the military's continued infatuation with platforms to the detrimentment of new self guided weapons, sensors, and UAV's. They should learn from the experience with Stryker and the B-52 bomber: that cheap, off the shelf platforms can perform the jobs of the future and not bankrupt the Defense budget in the process.