Procurement: October 21, 2002

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Despite the increased defense budget, the army is having problems paying for all the new equipment it wants. A major problem is the new family of armored vehicles (the Future Combat System). The army is thinking of delaying this until 2010 while also cutting the new RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program dramatically. The Army complains that it has already given up $20 billion in programs to fund the FCS and asks why it now has to give up another $10 billion or more to fund non-Army programs (such as missile defense and homeland security).--Stephen V Cole