{"id":46588,"date":"2018-02-08T21:59:40","date_gmt":"2018-02-08T21:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/08\/new-carbine-night-vision-goggles-on-the-fast-track-under-armys-new-modernization-command\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:55:26","slug":"new-carbine-night-vision-goggles-on-the-fast-track-under-armys-new-modernization-command","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/02\/08\/new-carbine-night-vision-goggles-on-the-fast-track-under-armys-new-modernization-command\/","title":{"rendered":"New carbine, night vision goggles on the fast track under Army\u2019s new modernization command"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Army is about a month out from a big announcement about its nascent Futures Command<\/a>, the service\u2019s undersecretary said Thursday, and there\u2019s already a list of items to tackle when it comes to equipping soldiers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New night vision goggles and a carbine<\/a> \u2014 to replace the M4 the service has been trying to upgrade for the better part of a decade \u2014 are two of the top priorities, Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy told an audience at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve started conversations with Congress,\u201d he told Army Times. \u201cIf we were to move out this spring, we could even start by the end of this calendar year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei tries on a pair of night-vision goggles used by the U.S. Army 1st Special Forces Group during a visit by the MLS soccer team to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Monday, May 9, 2016, in Washington state. (AP Photo\/Ted S. Warren)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Army has made more than one attempt to replace the M4 in recent years, including a multiyear competition it scrapped in 2013, after none of the vendors who submitted an idea were able to meet the minimum requirements to justify a new rifle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another attempt at an upgrade<\/a> failed in 2016, when the Army found the costs of proposed new technology didn\u2019t justify the minimal enhances in capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do we get better, and how do we get faster?\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to reduce the number of layers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Futures Command management, developing a new rifle \u2014 or any soldier equipment \u2014 would be governed by a more streamlined process, with tight development timelines and no room to change requirements mid-process. <\/p>\n\n\n\t