COMBAT SUPPORT AND COMBAT SERVICE SUPPORT Under the Program Executive Office for Combat Support & Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS), project man- agers, together with their reporting prod- uct managers and product directors, are responsible for Army systems and some joint service programs across all phases of their life cycle. Program phases fall into the areas of: pre-systems acquisition (concept refine- ment or technology development), gener- ally consisting of research and develop- 350 ARMY I October 2010 ment programs and prior to a Milestone B; systems acquisition (between Milestone B and full materiel release); systems after full materiel release (in production and fielding phases); and two types of sustain- ment (operations and support): systems Logistics support that have completed fielding, are no longer vessel (LSV) in production and are managed directly by the project manager and systems that have completed fielding, are no longer in pro- duction and are managed by an Army Ma- teriel Command commodity command, but for which the PM is the life-cycle man- ager. PEO CS&CSS Project Managers include: Project Manager Force Projection, Project Manager Joint Combat Support Systems, Project Manager Tactical Vehicles and Pro- ject Manager Mine Resistant Ambush Pro- tected Vehicles. A representative sampling Army,” the Product Director for Army combat vehicles and sustainment cargo. of their programs follows. Watercraft Systems (PD AWS) is working The 313-foot LSV class vessel, designed to to provide “a flexible and responsive fleet, carry more than 2,000 tons of deck cargo, Project Manager Force Projection projecting and sustaining America’s forces has a beam of 60 feet and a molded depth The Project Manager Force Projection through the 21st century.” PD AWS is re- of 19 feet. It provides intratheater move- (PM FP) encompasses Product Director sponsible for the engineering, production, ment to remote underdeveloped coastlines for Army Watercraft Systems (PD AWS), fielding, initial logistics support and mod- and inland waterways. The LSV is the pri- Product Manager Bridging, Product Man- ernization/modification of the Army’s mary joint logistics over-the-shore (JLOTS) ager Combat Engineer/Material Handling fleet of watercraft and associated support vessel. It also assists in unit deployment Equipment (PM CE/MHE), Product Man- equipment, all of which enable the war- and relocation. The LSV fleet will begin a ager Force Sustainment Systems (PM FSS), fighter to rapidly project and sustain the service life extension program this year, and Product Manager Petroleum and Wa- nation’s armed forces. which will include changes to command, ter Systems (PM PAWS). The Logistics Support Vessel (LSV) control, communication, computers, intel- With an understated motto of “Sail provides worldwide transportation of ligence, surveillance and reconnaissance October 2010 I ARMY 351 (C4ISR) and integrated bridge systems, from the centerline of the large, medium meet future force lift and access require- hull and engineering systems, and force speed roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) ships. ments by filling a capability gap to resup- protection upgrades as well as improve- ply deployed future brigade combat team ments to crew messing and living spaces Future Army Watercraft Systems (BCT) and joint forces rapidly. Future force and deck equipment. The future Army watercraft programs operational concepts dictate that these plat- The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 2000 include the joint high speed vessel, harbor- forms need a bridging technology that en- provides worldwide transport of combat master command-and-control center and ables them to access any entry point, even vehicles and sustainment cargo. It also vessel-to-shore bridging. bare-beach environments. The new VSB supports intratheater and tactical resupply. The Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) is technology will enhance watercraft’s abil- The LCU 2000 has a length of 174 feet, a key element for transforming the Army’s ity to conduct self-supporting operations in beam of 42 feet and loaded draft of 9 feet. watercraft capabilities. The JHSV is the an austere operational environment. In- The LCU 2000 can carry 350 tons of deck Army’s next-generation self-deploying vesting in VSB will enhance fort-to-port cargo. The LCU 2000 fleet is nearing com- watercraft. It brings an entirely new capa- sustainment for the future force. pletion of a C4ISR upgrade, which provides bility set to the force by filling critical ca- state-of-the-art communication equipment, pabilities gaps in rapid, tactical response Product Manager Bridging navigational equipment and safety of life- and operational maneuver ability of expe- Product Manager Bridging interfaces at-sea electronics. ditionary and modular forces. The JHSV is with other defense organizations on a The Large Tug (LT) 128’ is used for an interoperable platform that can work in range of existing and emerging bridging transocean/coastal towing operations and tandem with the Navy and Marine Corps systems including the Armored Vehicle for assisting with the docking/undocking in any waterborne theater to deploy equip- Launched Bridge (AVLB), Improved Rib- of large ships. The LT 128’ is outfitted to ment, cargo and troops. The JHSV enables bon Bridge (IRB), Standard Ribbon Bridge provide salvage, rescue and firefighting units to maneuver into the battlespace (SRB), Bridge Erection Boat (BEB), Com- assistance to other vessels and shore in- with little to no reception, staging, onward mon Bridge Transporter (CBT), Rapidly stallations on a limited basis. The LT 128’ movement and integration in the forward Emplaced Bridge System (REBS), Dry Sup- fleet recently completed an extensive mod- area; it can also provide follow-on sustain- port Bridge (DSB) system, M3 Medium ification program, which included lower- ment through minor and degraded ports. Girder Bridge (MGB), Joint Assault Bridge ing the pilothouse and upgrading the fuel Leveraging technologies developed within (JAB), Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV), Im- tank systems and bow fendering. the commercial sector and DoD, the JHSV proved Boat Cradle (IBC), Bridge Adapter The 900 Class Small Tug mission is will be faster, more capable and more sur- Pallet (BAP) and Line of Communication moving logistical supplies and equipment vivable than current-generation water- Bridge (LOCB). The Dry Support Bridge in harbor and inland waterways. The craft. The first JHSV is currently under system and the Improved Ribbon Bridge small tug also provides the capability to construction with delivery planned for De- provide representative examples. assist larger tugs in docking and undock- cember 2011, after which the vessel will The Dry Support Bridge (DSB) pro- ing all types of ships and watercraft and undergo post-delivery test and trials for vides the Army with assault and support can be used in routine harbor utility work. approximately 10 months. The Army plans bridging for gaps of up to 40 meters. The The Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM8), to procure five JHSVs. DSB replaces the outdated, manpower- used in utility work, features a specialized The Harbormaster Command and Con- and time-intensive medium girder bridge Mod 2 program. This provides additional trol Center (HCCC) will provide 24-hour (MGB) with a mechanical system capable capabilities of command and control, per- real-time vessel tracking, in-transit visibil- of emplacing a 40-meter bridge with 14 sonnel transfer and light salvage. ity, movement tracking, full joint interop- soldiers in 90 minutes or less. In addition, The Modular Causeway System (MCS) erability, secure and nonsecure communi- the DSB will improve current bridge load- provides a means to move cargo from ship cations, and real-time meteorological and carrying capacity, moving it up to military to shore across unimproved beaches in ar- bathymetric data. It will be fully digitized. load classification (MLC) 96 for wheeled eas of the world where fixed port facilities The Vessel-to-Shore Bridging (VSB) ca- traffic, such as an M1 tank uploaded on a are unavailable, denied or otherwise unac- pabilities are key enablers for the JHSV and heavy equipment transporter. The DSB is ceptable. The sections are made from mod- current fleet vessels in meeting assured ac- designed for transportation as a palletized ular, ISO-compatible modules. The four cess requirements. In addition, VSB will load by the CBT, palletized load system systems are configured from basic modules in various configurations: roll-on/roll-off discharge facility; causeway ferry; floating causeway (FC); and warping tug. The Barge Derrick (BD) Crane 115 Ton is used primarily in discharging heavy loads beyond the capacity of the ship’s gear and assisting in salvage operations. The crane provides the lift and reach needed to discharge the heaviest of the projected Army cargo—the M1A2 main battle tank— Joint high speed vessel (JHSV) 352 ARMY I October 2010 (PLS) trailers or by service support units equipped with PLS trucks. The Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB), which was fielded beginning in 2004, im- proves mobility by providing a continuous roadway or raft capable of crossing MLC 96 (wheeled)/80 (tracked) vehicles over nonfordable wet gaps. M9 armored combat The Product Manager Combat Engi- earthmover (ACE) neer/Material Handling Equipment (PM CE/MHE) coordinates and supports a wide range of compaction equipment, quarry and asphalt equipment, rough terrain con- tainer handlers, cranes, dozers, excavators, forklifts, graders and scrapers, loaders and airborne/air assault equipment. Program examples include new systems like the high-mobility engineer excavator, engineer used on the ground as a batch plant; and management responsibility for cargo aerial mission module-water distributor, paving the M6 dump body, which has a capacity of delivery equipment, field feeding and field machine, backhoe loaders, hydraulic exca- 12 to 14 cubic yards. Currently under devel- services systems, force provider base vators, light and heavy dozers, light and opment are the XM9 2,000-gallon water dis- camp, and shelter systems consisting of heavy loaders, heavy grader, asphalt mix- tributor for use with the Heavy Expanded shelters, heaters and camouflage netting.