Rapid Fielding

The United States Army Transformation focal point centers upon the processes by which to make its military power more responsive and lethal over the next decade. This case study investigates one aspect of Army Transformation, accelerated fielding, to determine whether the Army's materiel fielding program properly supports rapidly fielding of essential major combat systems during contingency operations. This thesis begins with an examination of the acquisition process, the governing federal mandates and Department of Defense regulations as the motivation and staring point to begin understanding acquisition and provide a summary of its development. This evolves into a more-detailed discussion of some of the milestone development process, evolution into Army acquisition and total package fielding and placement of the Multiple Launch Rocket System case study within the acquisition framework. Literary review briefly details rapid fielding and the proper placement of Rapid Fielding Initiatives within context and explains the terms evolution and current "quick fix" initiatives to rush much needed equipment onto the battlefield. The remainder of the case study is concerned with the fielding of the M270A1 and continues into analysis that details the development of the M270A1. The study further reveals the associated challenges of zero notice accelerated fielding and the trials 2-4 FA went through to properly field, train to proficiency, then transition from fielding to begin preparing to deploy for combat operations.