This proposal mirrors Army National Guard current standing resolution #2, Item G.
The Army Engineer Regiment is one of the most diverse elements of the Army, ranging from combat engineers, to heavy equipment operators, to building trades, to high voltage power experts, to explosive hazard clearance and mine dogs, to salvage divers, to firefighters. Indeed, the Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood trains military members in all branches, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, and includes forces from all three components: active, Army reserve, and Army National Guard. In fact, 50% of the Army engineer force structure is in the Army National Guard. The United States Army Engineer School shall be commended for completing a multi-functional, multi-component analysis to recommend system procurement priority that will set the conditions for the Total Army, including the Army National Guard, to Win in a Complex World. These are not just platforms for engineer troops, but for the entire Army.
At the top of the list is the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier replacement. This platform entered the inventory 55 years ago in 1962 and it is still the assigned primary vehicle for many Soldiers in the Army! The M113 was determined early in OIF and OEF to be non-viable and non-survivable on the modern battlefield, thus parked on the forward operating bases and not to be used for combat or stability operations in favor of up-armored HMMWVs, RG-31s, and M-RAPs. While the Army is still considering the appropriate replacement vehicle between the AMPV, Bradley, or Stryker, any of the three far exceeds the M113. The Congress must prioritize replacement of the M113 in procurement plans.