Lt. Gen. John Murray, deputy chief of staff for the Army G-8, has said he would push for the service branch to make active protection systems its top priority for aircraft if sequestration continues in fiscal 2018, the Army reported Monday.
“There are threats out there right now [for which] we just need to develop some new technologies — and we are — to provide protection for our aviators,†Murray said.
Murray testified with Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, deputy chief of staff for the Army G-3/5/7, during a Thursday hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces subpanel on the impact of continuing resolutions and sequestration on the military branch’s readiness and modernization efforts.
Murray told lawmakers that sequestration would have an impact on the Army’s efforts to update its Abrams main battle tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and aircraft such as UH-60M Black Hawk, AH-64E Apache and CH-47 Chinook Block II helicopters.
He noted that the Army spent most of the $500 billion in modernization funds authorized from fiscal 2003 through 2011 on efforts to counter improvised explosive devices, according to a report by Matthew Cox for DoD Buzz.
“It was protection for our soldiers, it was [Mine Resistant, Ambushed Protected vehicles], it was up-armoring Humvees… it was better body armor, helmets – that is where most of that money went,†Murray said in response to a question by Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Massachusetts).
