Panel: Ground vehicle success depends on foresight, collaboration, optimization

By Matt December, TARDEC Public AffairsMay 23, 2014

TARDEC Director Dr. Paul Rogers discusses the future of ground vehicles at MDEX
(Left to right): Panel Facilitator Sam Homsy, Navistar Army Programs Director; Dr. Paul Rogers, TARDEC Director; BG David Bassett, Program Executive Officer, PEO GCS; Mike Cadieux, PEO CS&CSS; and Marion Whicker, ILSC; participate in the Detroit Arse... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. (May 23, 2014) -- Army researchers and engineers see the current environment in the ground vehicle community as a path to success for the Army in the future.

U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center Director Dr. Paul Rogers joined Detroit Arsenal leadership for a panel consisting of Brig. Gen. David Bassett, Program Executive Officer Ground Combat Systems; Mike Cadieux, representing Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support; and Marion Whicker, representing the Integrated Logistics Support Center; during the fifth annual Michigan Defense Expo, May 20-21, at the Macomb Community College Expo Center in Warren, Mich.

"As we look to the future, there is phenomenal opportunity," Rogers said. "We have to be aware of the current constraints and we have to understand how they affect our action, but we cannot allow them to define the end-state for which we are striving. We have to work hard to shape the future."

If the ground vehicle community maintains a positive attitude about the future, it will enable success for the Soldier, he said.

"I am very, very optimistic about what we can do today to realize a very flexible and agile warfighter function in the future," Rogers said. "We cannot be ignorant about the current fiscal situation and the affect it has on us, but it is much more important to understand the future strategic environment and to do the best that we can, understand and characterize the environment, extrapolate facts, and figure out how we can be successful in that future."

Rogers acknowledged that the proper leadership teams are in place across the enterprise to remove any potential barriers between the science and technology and acquisition communities.

"There are barriers to transition technology, and I've been on both sides of the fence," Rogers said, referring to his experience as the deputy PEO GCS. "This is a great opportunity and I'm incredibly excited about what we can do right now. We have the proper leadership teams in place across the enterprise that can tear those barriers down. We have a very deliberate strategy to invest in the building block of leap-ahead technologies and the end-state is a program of record."

"This is a great opportunity for us and what we need now is to bring industry in. We have to create a good transition path from government to industry. I could not be more excited…everything is in place to be successful. Everything is here," Rogers said.

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TARDEC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.

RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Material Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.

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