Driving forces: combat vehicle sector could be headed for turbulent times.

The United States also needs to reassess restrictions on buying foreign steel. This would allow the Pentagon to save money in the short run with cheaper, foreign produced ballistic steel and help to stabilize the short term price of both U.S. and Canadian steel during times of increased demand. The Defense Department will also need to address its depot infrastructure as workload decreases.

The military should demand high-tech solutions only where needed, and should not lose sight of opportunities to use commercial solutions, especially in the truck fleet. The emphasis on armoring and networking the entire fleet is overly ambitious. Some of the fleet requires these capabilities, but not all of it. in cases where the services have unique technology requirements and product niches, it must be prepared to bear the full cost of maintaining a separate and unique industrial base. In other cases, however, many problems can be solved by revamping the procurement system to make it easier for companies to sell solutions to military problems using commercial technology.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The complete ICAF study on the land combat systems industry can be found on the National Defense Magazine website www.NationatDefenseMagazine.org.

Alan L. Gropman is a distinguished professor of national security policy at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the Defense Department or the U.S. government.