INFORMATION PAPER

 

Purpose. To provide information on the U.S. Army experience with the German NBC Reconnaissance system prior to Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

Facts:

Chemical and Biological Defense Command (CBDCOM) and the Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) initiated a Concept Exploration Program (CEP) in 1984 to establish the feasibility of mobile NBC Reconnaissance and to determine the appropriate Military Occupational Skills (MOS) required for the operators of the system. The test system used for the CEP was a brassboard prototype mounted on an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier. The test was designed as a three phase test.

Phase I was a feasibility study on mobile NBC reconnaissance conducted at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1984.

Phase II was a study of the appropriate MOS for the vehicle commander and equipment operator to determine if Cavalry scouts or chemical specialists should be used. Phase II was conducted at Fort Knox in 1985.

Phase III was scheduled to be a test of the command and control element to determine what information the NBCRS should report back to the controlling headquarters. Before it could be conducted, the Commanding General of TRADOC directed that phase III test the M113 NBCRS and the German Fuchs NBCRS side by side. This test was conducted at the German training area in Hammelberg Feb-Jun 1986.

After completion of Phase II of the CEP, CBDCOM awarded (NOV 85) a competitive development contract with TRW to develop the M113-based version of the NBCRS. During the Milestone II In Process Review (IPR) for this program in September 1986 it was decided to explore the possibility of leasing 48 German Fuchs systems to fill the urgent need in U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) immediately. A task force headed by Brigadier General Kastenmeyer was formed to go to Germany and explore the feasibility of leasing these vehicles. The results of the task force were that 1) the German government would lease the systems to the U.S. Army. 2) The cost to lease for 5 years was 95% of the cost to buy the systems. And 3) there was no mechanism available to fund for the leasing of systems.

At a decision briefing to the Vice Chief of Staff, Army (VCSA) and the Undersecretary of the Army in October 1987 it was decided to buy 48 German systems to fill the USAREUR urgent need. Funds were to be identified in the FY89 budget to buy these systems. By December 1987 it was apparent that the funds for this procurement were not available and the VCSA prepared a message to this effect to go out to the commanders. The Under Secretary disagreed. At a decision briefing for the Under and VCSA on 18 February 1988 it was decided to field the German system to the world-wide Army and to cancel the M113 development program

Congress added language to the FY89 Defense Authorization Bill that directed the Army to conduct a competitive shoot-off between two or more competing systems to fill the NBC reconnaissance capability. The Army released a competitive Request for Proposal in September 1988 for NBC Reconnaissance systems. Two proposals were received and two systems were presented for testing at the shoot-off test in May 1989. TRW presented an NBCRS based on the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) while General Dynamics presented the German Fuchs NBCRS. Based on the results of the testing and the proposals received, General Dynamics was awarded the NBCRS contracts in March 1990. Work was underway on these contracts when Desert Shield was initiated.


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