Between FY 14 and FY 18 the Shadow program has been cut $277M and many of these cuts will affect the National Guard fleet and readiness.
o For Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL), 102 out of 104 Systems are funded, but the two National Guard procured training systems used by both National Guard and Active Duty at Camp Shelby are currently unfunded.
o TCDL will likely be a priority for SOF, CABS, Deploying units, AD and then the Guard with the bulk of the last units equipped being the Guard.
o Funding for Shadow Modification Kits, which were intended to standardize the force to extended wing configuration, have been dramatically reduced and will affect the National Guard. There is no funding in 2014 or 2015. Units must now wait until fielded with TCDL system risking obsolescence and training gap.
o Shadow Payload Upgrades including Laser Designators and sensors have been eliminated until 2019. Currently about 50% of the fleet has laser designators.