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1 [1] (June 22, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemac0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informning the legislative debate since 1914 Updated June 22, 2023 The Army's M -10 Booker (formerly known as Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF)) System What Is the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System? The Army's MPF system is intended to address an operational shortfall in infantry units: Currently the Army's Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) do not have a combat vehicle assigned that is capable of providing mobile, protected, direct, offensive fire capability.... The MPF solution is an integration of existing mature technologies and components that avoids development which would lengthen the program schedule. Operationally, the Army wants the MPF to be able to: Neutralize enemy prepared positions and bunkers and defeat heavy machine guns and armored vehicle threats during offensive operations or when conducting defensive operations against attacking enemies. In terms of the Army's overall procurement plans for MPF: The Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) for MPF is 504 vehicles, with 14 MPFs per IBCT. The targeted fielding for the First Unit Equipped (FUE) is Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. M PF Redesignated as the M-10 Booker On June 14, 2023, the Army announced the redesignation of the MPF as the M-10 Booker infantry assault vehicle. According to the Army: The vehicle platform honors two enlisted Army soldiers who served our nation selflessly during times of great conflict - Medal of Honor recipient Private. Robert D. Booker, who perished in World War II, and Distinguished Service Cross recipient Staff Sergeant Stevon A. Booker, who died from injuries sustained in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Army noted the historical significance of the M-10 Booker: The Army's last named combat vehicle platform was the M-1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle, also named for two soldiers. Other combat vehicles named in honor of soldiers include the M-1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, the M-2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and the former M-60 Patton Tank. The M-10 Booker is the Army's first vehicle to be named after a soldier who fought in a post 9/11 war. Note: CRS Reports and Future References for MPF. Until the Army adopts the M-10 designation in official documents and replaces reference to MPF, CRS will continue to use MPF in reports for historical purposes and to avoid confusion. MPF Acquisition Strategy In November 2017, the Army issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase and, in order to maximize competition, planned to award up to two Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) contracts for the EMD phase in early FY2019. Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) according to the Defense Acquisition University is a rapid acquisition approach that focuses on delivering capability in a period of 2 to 5 years. The authority to use MTA was granted by Congress in Section 804 of the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (P.L. 114-92). Programs using MTA are not subject to the joint Capabilities Integration Development System (CIDS) and provisions of DOD Directive 5000.01 Defense Acquisition System. MTA consists of utilizing two acquisition pathways: (1) Rapid Prototyping, which is to streamline the testing and development of prototypes, and (2) Rapid Fielding, which is to upgrade existing systems with already proven technologies. On December 17, 2018, the Army awarded two Section 804 Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) Rapid Prototyping contracts for MPF. The two companies awarded contracts were General Dynamic Land Systems (GDLS), Inc. (Sterling Heights, MI) and BAE Systems Land and Armaments, LP (Sterling Heights, MI). Each MTA Rapid Prototyping contract was not to exceed $376 million. The MTA Rapid Prototyping contracts required delivery of 12 pre-production vehicles (from each vendor) for developmental and operational testing, and a Soldier Vehicle Assessment (SVA). M PF Programn Status The SVA reportedly began in January 2021 at Fort Bragg, NC-without the BAE prototypes because of production challenges-with testing running through June 2021. While BAE was unable to provide prototypes at the beginning of testing, prototypes were eventually provided to the Army for testing. During the assessment, soldiers evaluated GDLS and BAE MPF prototypes in a variety of operational scenarios. MPF Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Contracted Awarded On June 28, 2022, the Army announced the award of a $1.14 billion contract to GDLS for the production and fielding of up to 96 MPF systems (Figure 1). Delivery of