The U.S. Army said on Thursday that it would speed up developing high-tech equipment for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by reshaping a modernization program.
The 160-billion-U.S. dollar program, Future Combat System (FCS),would be focused on infantry not armored brigades with heavy vehicles as originally planned, representing "a very important shift in our priorities," said Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, the deputy chief of staff for the program.
After being reshaped, the program is expected to conclude in the fiscal year 2011 instead of 2014, he said.
According to the army, the Army modernization's centerpiece comprises 14 new component technologies of the program, including advanced rockets, robots and ultra-light drones for U.S. infantry in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The reshaping was hailed by the Pentagon and Congress.
"Frankly I think FCS, as they've restructured it, deserves support," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at a Pentagon press conference on Thursday.
John Murtha, Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said in a statement that he was convinced "Army is making changes that will ultimately make the FCS program more viable."
"The committee will evaluate the details of these proposed changes to ensure that these technologies are both mature and integrated with the Army's reset and rehabilitation plans," he said.
The Army has sent a 3.6 billion-dollar budget to Congress for the FCS in the fiscal year 2009 starting Oct. 1.
Source:Xinhua
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