Netfires - Tube Artillery - MLRS

[reed11b]

I guess I just still fail to see the unmet need that NETFIRES fills. Using existing systems (155/excaliber, Mortars/PGMM, MLRS/G-MLRS) or even developed but unfielded system (E-FOGM) all seem to be capable of delivering the same effect while costing much less. Not just per munition, but in fielding cost and in speed of integration with the units using them. Shoe-horning new systems into the already diluted and scattered BCT concept are only going to further the BCT's logistical and manpower challenges. Existing systems already have an effective SOP that could handle precision fires support with very minor changes. SOP's and training and support for NETFIRES is going to have to be developed from the ground up. Worse, the very nature of NETFIRES is going to make centralized control (i.e micromanagement) more likely to happen then not. Am I mad man screaming in the wilderness or do others share my concerns?
Reed

[Fuchs]

It seems to be a redundant and therefore unnecessary program to me as well.
The mode of operation (launch from possibly even unattended containers) seems to be a NCW concept from a clean sheet, not like something that fits into an existing gap.

EFOG-M, Brimstone and 120mm mortars could do the same job without much development cost (and that are just the most obvious -not the only- hardware alternatives).

[Ken White]

that a new weapon with those capabilities has promise to do more than may be readily apparent at first glance.

Thus I'm inclined to welcome the weapon while worrying about the micromanagement probabilities.

However, not too much worry. Given our current over-officered Army, that micromanagement will occur in peacetime regardless -- you have too many smart guys with authority sitting around with too little to do. It will also occur in low intensity conflict like Iraq and Afghanistan * for the same reason but it will not be a problem in major conflict because the officer:enlisted ratio will change radically and everyone will be too busy to meddle. That's when Netfires will be valuable. Think of it as the F-22 for ground forces...

* With an apology to all who've been engaged in a heavy firefight in either place. When the bullets are cracking overhead or hitting your cover and you're getting splattered with body parts, there is no low intensity to it...

[Rob Thornton]

Hi Reed, Fuchs,
In a previous life back in part of 2004 and 2005 I got to play at one of the operations officers within the FCS experimental element at the Fort Knox UAMBL (their battle lab). While I have some issues with the way the experiments played out, the people that were under the experimentation BDE itself - really spent some quality time thinking about how we'd put these various technologies to work. It was initially commanded by COL Roy Waggoner, a real no kidding Infantry leader with a great deal of operational experience (the 25th, the 75th and some other fine units). COL Waggoner demanded we do our best to influence the development of those technologies by being critical of the claims made be developers and by those (in uniform and out) who advocated for them. He also demanded that we scrutinize other claims and highlight what we believed were DOTMLPF shortfalls in the FCS O&O.

So myself and the other OPs officers and staff got to both do the planning and then fight the formations in the sim in a number of scenarios. We became pretty knowledgeable on the pros and cons of each system and its munitions. We accounted for all the systems you mention except for E-FOGM. We also had to account for the B-LOS (Beyond Line of Sight) munitions fired from the MCS, and the ARV.

There were indeed quite a number of shortfalls in FCS - and I think we've hashed them out on a number of threads - and I know down at Bliss they were still working hard to ensure the Army gets its money's worth. However some of the systems were useful no matter what the conditions. The rockets in a box Jason Port refers to was one such system. Netfires was what we referred to as the overarching fire control system which allowed you to do coordinated planning, deconflict & prioritize fires, get visibility on assets and inventories, and a host of other things (some of which I was not wholly keen on).

The rockets in a box though initially was going to come in a couple of variants. One got scrapped last I heard - it was in the "high technology risk" category. The other though, PAM (precision attack munition) promised to do things that no other artillery I'm aware of can do - if the developers pulled it off. I'm not sure if they did, so I will not comment further on PAM. The combination of overall system's characteristics opened allot of possibilities. While I like mortars and the big guns - I'd like to have a couple of boxes of these in my kit bag too. As Ken mentioned, I'm not worried about the micro-managing of these - that is largely a leadership issue, and if it were to occur it would occur regardless of the system. Or you could look at it this way - if the higher echelon CDR has something else to pad his reserve, he is less likely to be digging into your pockets

Best, Rob