Marine Corps News Room

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/80A4E98BAA969AE48525709F00595F4F?opendocument

Submitted by: MCB Quantico
Story Identification #: 20051019121611
Story by Cpl. Jonathan Agg

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Oct. 13, 2005) -- Officials at Marine Corps Systems Command, the service’s internal organization responsible for acquisition and sustainment of systems and equipment used by Marines worldwide, said the Corps has benefited from a $3.7 billion windfall in fiscal year 2005. The funds were part of the $82 billion supplemental spending package President George W. Bush signed into law May 11 to refill Department of Defense coffers and to keep U.S. forces well equipped to fight the Global War on Terror.

William Randolph, MarCorSysCom assistant commander for contracts, said the unprecedented, mid-year infusion of funding nearly tripled the budget for acquisition and allowed the Marine Corps to quickly address the most urgent needs of the operating forces.

“It was monumental to making sure we get the right gear and equipment in theater for our Marines,” said Randolph. “Normally we move $2.1 to 2.5 billion per year. This added an additional $3.7 billion on top of that, which stressed all processes and touched all individuals involved, and made for a very interesting spring, summer and fall. Because we didn’t receive the money to spend until late spring of this year, we basically spent what would normally take two years in about five months.”

Randolph said the supplemental funding allowed MarCorSysCom to make acquisitions for 645 program lines, each with two to 20 individual subordinate items. The most urgently needed items, including ballistic protection for vehicles, body armor, night vision goggles, and infantry weapons systems are beginning to reach Marines in the fight.

“Some of the earlier contracting actions that occurred in April and May of this year are finding their way through the logistics chain and into theater now,” said Randolph. “Those are some of the urgent requirements that were needed, and we moved very quickly to get those under contract. The most exciting are those sets of procurements that were urgently needed and we were successful in getting under contract fast and into the field (because) you could clearly see the direct line to war fighter needs that we had the capability to address.”
Randolph said that even amid the spending frenzy, acquisition specialists ensured only the best available gear and state-of-the-art equipment was purchased.

“We always seek to procure next generation equipment,” said Randolph. “In some instances we found items were no longer being produced or there were next generation solutions for them, so we took it upon ourselves in concert with our requirements generating arm in (Marine Corps Combat Development Command) to make sure we were always buying the latest and greatest.”
Randolph cited improvements made to bullet-stopping individual body armor, including the Small Arms Protective Inserts worn by Marines in outer tactical vests.

“We know SAPI plates are working. We get reports about SAPI plates being blown to shreds, but the Marine is back to work in the afternoon,” said Randolph. “The requirements folks were getting intelligence that the SAPI plates were working well, but Marines were getting injuries in the side. There was a clear need, and we had to get something done to fill the void.”

In response, MarCorSysCom is purchasing Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts with greater ballistic protection and side inserts to cover more of the torso.

Richard Hollen, a contracting officer, with Optics, Infantry Weapons Systems, said about $400 million in supplemental funding accelerated three major optics programs in fiscal 2005.
“The supplemental was indispensable,” said Hollen. “A lot of these things would have happened over a long period of time, but right now the Marines are engaged, and they need this stuff a year ago. Those three products are going to greatly enhance the Marines’ capability to fight the battle.”

The Rifle Combat Optic, a four-power scope for the M16 family of weapons, is being fielded now and will have far reaching effects in the operating forces.

“That is one of the biggest impacts on the Marine Corps as a whole, because at some point nearly every Marine will see the RCO,” said Hollem. “We had previously fielded RCOs, but it was very limited as to who would actually have those. Now the intent is to start putting them on every rifle engaged in combat.”

The Marine sniper community will also see its first optics upgrade beginning in November as the aging Unertl scope is replaced with the more capable Schmidt & Bender 3x12 variable scope.

Production has also begun on the Thermal Binocular System, both the Tactical Range Thermal Imager and Long Range Thermal Imager. The device reads heat signatures through fog, smoke, and darkness without relying on ambient light.

“If somebody is camouflaged in the forest, the camouflage goes away,” said Hollen. “The Thermal imaging systems are expensive pieces of gear, so the supplemental again was very important to getting those fielded rapidly.”

Randolph said he hopes to see an increase in funding in fiscal 2006, but in several installments rather than one lump sum as with the supplemental funding of 2005.