Press Release
Contact: Ray Peterson, Director of Research
Phone: (203) 426-0800
Fax: (203) 426-4262
Web site: www.forecast1.com
E-mail: ray.peterson@forecast1.com
Forecast International, Inc.
22 Commerce Rd. Newtown, CT 06470 USA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Forecast International Launches Landmark Study on
Force Transformation: Concept vs. Realities
NEWTOWN, Conn. [January 27, 2005]
- With the Bush Administration
scheduled to deliver the fiscal 2006 defense budget to Congress February 7, the
big question on Capitol Hill is what programs will get the ax and how tough
will Congress fight to get them back. As Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
seeks a leaner, more technology-driven fighting force, the Air Force may see
production of its prized F/A-22 Stealth fighter slashed, which could drive the
controversial aircraft's unit cost to nearly $200 million. Meanwhile, the Army
may wind up on the receiving end of additional billions to help its fight in
Iraq. At no other time in recent history has the Pentagon been poised to
undergo such radical changes in its structure, nor have the stakes been higher
for the U.S. defense industry.
Against this backdrop of
potentially radical change within the U.S. military, Forecast International has
embarked upon a sweeping new study, Force Transformation and the Second
Bush Administration - Concept Versus Realities, which details the
challenges facing the Pentagon and how the U.S. military must change to meet
evolving threats. To accomplish this daunting task, the Connecticut-based
think tank has assigned a hand-picked team of its most seasoned analysts to
prepare a highly detailed analysis of the programs and trends that will shape
the defense industry in the years ahead. Central to this task is predicting
future defense budgets and the effect a growing deficit and the high cost of
the Iraq War will have on procurement of the F/A-22, DD(X) destroyer, and
missile defense systems, among other priorities.
Ed Nebinger, CEO of Forecast International, stated, "The
forthcoming series of DoD Defense Reviews will strive to achieve the correct
mix of weapons while shaking off the remaining vestiges of the old Cold War
thinking. Ideally, this should result in a major transition, not only in
high-tech weaponry but in the size, composition and deployment of the active
forces, as well as the structure of the Reserves and National Guard. The
formidable task that our company has undertaken is to cut through the rhetoric
of what military planners and some Congressional spokesmen believe we need and
present a realistic projection of the end result in view of the political and
economic realities. In short, it will address the question, "What level of
national defense is affordable yet capable of meeting the challenges of the
years ahead?"
The new study will include a
five-year budget forecast for each of the DoD's top 25 procurement and
RDT&E programs. However, its central core will be an examination of how
U.S. military forces will progress in the geo-political landscape of 2010-2015 to
meet continually evolving threats. Feedback from key Pentagon officials is
essential to any discussion on force transformation, and FI's study will
include interviews with top U.S. military defense planners.
The study will become
available in the spring of 2005.
