HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The Army's top executive for aviation provided a programs update to about 150 people during an "Update for Industry" event June 5.
Brig. Gen. Bob Marion, program executive officer for aviation, spoke to individual and corporate members of the Association of the U.S. Army's local chapter and talked about the current budget climate and status of modernization programs, current and future.
"We're really focused on FY '16 budget right now," Marion said. "We're obviously focused on executing FY '15 and there's a lot of discussion about where we are."
Marion said the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution that Congress passed in May basically laid out the framework by which Congress will move forward, capping spending at the Budget Control Act levels while making up the difference in the needs of the services with Overseas Contingency Operations dollars.
While the preference would be to support the FY '16 Presidential Budget, "The Army appreciates anything the Congress is going to appropriate whether is base of OCO. The Army will move forward and take action with whatever funding is made available to us," Marion said.
"At the end of the day, we're focused on one thing, and that is to get to the finish line."
Marion stressed the huge responsibility and trust that Congress and the American people have given to the Army and to the aviation materiel enterprise. "We have so many big programs in PEO Aviation … that generate a lot of attention and oversight. If you look at the percentage of the equipping peg that aviation has, it's about 25 percent in one portfolio. This community is executing those dollars. We would not over the years be able to garner such a large portion of investment without having delivered capability to the field."
Having been in the job for about 17 months, Marion said he is very pleased with the partnerships and teamwork across the Army aviation enterprise. "PEO Aviation is not an island. We absolutely rely on other PEOs and by extension, their LCMCs (life cycle management commands) in order for us to be successful."
Marion also provided an update on all the major portfolios. In Apache, the Army continues to field the Echo model Apaches. "We've got nothing but great remarks from the folks who are flying it, from the first unit equipped to the units that are now receiving this new capability."
The CH-47 Chinook Block II, managed by Cargo Helicopters Project Office, is surpassing all expectations, Marion said. Block II will extend the service life of the Army's heavy-lift workhorse with a series of upgrades to maintain its relevancy through at least 2060.
"We're going to have 2,135 Black Hawks when we're done - that's huge," Marion said,
highlighting the efforts made in Utility Helicopters Project Office that also manages the UH-60V, UH-72A Lakota and Common Engines product offices, which includes the Improved Turbine Engine Program. "That's the largest single fleet under one control anywhere in the world of helicopters, and they are all USG (U.S. government) aircraft whose configurations are managed here."
Foreign military sales opportunities are expanding as well in Army aviation. "We're turning the tide with our FMS in persuading our allies that what makes sense for all of us is to have common configuration, and if you want to put something unique on it, do it in a federated way so that we can all achieve economies of scale when it comes to whatever that subsystem might be."
Marion also talked about the efforts being made to combat Degraded Visual Environment, working with PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors to synchronize efforts. He highlighted milestones and accomplishments in the project offices for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Fixed Wing, Armed Scout Helicopter, Aviation Systems and Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft.
"You should be very proud of what you do in support of our Army. In the building, it's about where the money is going. That's how you show priority, emphasis, who's getting results and how you reward people for delivering capability," he said.
No matter what the final budget will be, Marion emphasized that one has to look at the facts. "I just look at the numbers and what the facts are today, and it seems positive for the future," he said.
Marion challenged everyone to continue what they are doing because it is making a difference. "When we put a triangle on the chart that says this is when we're going to execute or deliver a product, we have to deliver it," he said. "Because there really is someone counting on delivering that capability. Whatever your piece of that triangle might be, let's make sure we make that commitment."
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