Project Manager Close Combat Systems

Project Manager Close Combat Systems
Unit name	Project Manager Close Combat Systems
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Role	Acquisition and materiel management
Garrison	Picatinny Arsenal
Commander1 label	Program Executive Office

Project Manager Close Combat Systems Project Manager Close Combat Systems is a United States Army acquisition office responsible for development, procurement, sustainment, and modernization of direct-fire and soldier lethality systems. The office interfaces with multiple defense organizations, research laboratories, combat maneuver units, and allied procurement agencies to deliver rifles, combat vehicles, sights, munitions, and protective systems. Its portfolio spans weapons, optics, fire control, and integrated soldier systems used by infantry, armor, and special operations formations.

Overview

Project Manager Close Combat Systems operates within the acquisition enterprise under a Program Executive Office aligned with Army acquisition reform initiatives such as the Better Buying Power principles and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. It engages with acquisition authorities at Army Futures Command, collaborates with test centers like Aberdeen Proving Ground and White Sands Missile Range, and coordinates requirements with force developers at Headquarters, Department of the Army, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, and combatant commands including United States Central Command. The office manages materiel readiness metrics used by Army Materiel Command and interoperability standards promulgated by NATO.

History

The office traces lineage to Cold War-era materiel offices that supported infantry and armor programs during the Korean War and Vietnam War modernizations, evolving through post-Cold War restructuring under initiatives tied to the Goldwater-Nichols Act and the Packard Commission. During the Global War on Terrorism, it managed urgent capability packages requested by units in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, working with rapid acquisition mechanisms introduced by the Defense Acquisition University and emergency procurement authorities in the Department of Defense. Organizational changes aligned it with modernization priorities set by Army 2020 and subsequent modernization portfolios championed by senior leaders such as the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army.

Organization and Leadership

The program office reports to a Program Executive Office responsible for ground combat systems and is organized into directorates for requirements, engineering, contracting, logistics, and testing. Leadership typically comprises a program manager appointed under Senior Executive Service or military acquisition cadres drawn from United States Army Materiel Command and Army Acquisition Corps. The office liaises with acquisition oversight bodies such as the Defense Contract Management Agency and audit authorities including the Government Accountability Office when addressing contract performance and compliance.

Major Programs and Systems

The portfolio includes small arms programs related to the M4 carbine, M16 rifle, and next-generation rifle concepts; crew-served weapons related to the M2 Browning and MK 19 grenade launcher; vehicle-mounted direct-fire systems on platforms like the M1 Abrams and Stryker variants; optics and fire-control programs incorporating technologies from TALIN-style lasers, thermal imagers from FLIR Systems, and digital sighting systems influenced by programs such as the Soldier Integration Facility initiatives. Ammunition and lethality efforts touch legacy rounds like the 7.62×51mm NATO and developmental munitions aligned with standardized cartridges adopted by NATO Standardization Office. Protective and load-carrying solutions intersect with body armor programs fielded to units including 1st Infantry Division and 82nd Airborne Division.

Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation

RDT&E activities integrate laboratories like the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, test centers at Yuma Proving Ground and Fort Huachuca, and university partners such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Georgia Institute of Technology. Programs follow acquisition pathways outlined in the Defense Acquisition System and make use of modeling and simulation from the Institute for Defense Analyses and test instrumentation from Sandia National Laboratories. Human factors and ergonomics studies reference centers including Walter Reed Army Institute of Research when assessing soldier-system integration and lethality tradeoffs.

Procurement and Lifecycle Management

Contracting strategies employ competitive procurement vehicles managed with oversight from Federal Acquisition Regulation authorities and engage major defense contractors such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, and specialist firms producing small arms and optics. Lifecycle logistics coordinate with Defense Logistics Agency, depot maintenance at facilities like Letterkenny Army Depot, and sustainment policies influenced by the National Defense Authorization Act procurement provisions. Obsolescence management and technical refresh activities align with directives from Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Training and Doctrine

Systems fielded by the office are integrated into training at centers such as the United States Army Infantry School, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Joint Readiness Training Center, and National Training Center. Doctrine development coordinates with United States Army Combined Arms Center and publications from TRADOC Pamphlet series to ensure tactics, techniques, and procedures for small arms, direct fire, and combined-arms operations are codified for units like 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Infantry Division.

International Cooperation and Exportability

The program office engages foreign military sales and security assistance with partners including United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, NATO allies, and regional partners coordinated through Foreign Military Sales channels and export controls governed by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Interoperability work includes participation in multinational exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and joint capability development with partner organizations like Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and procurement harmonization through the Missile Defense Agency for integrated sensor and fire-control links.

Category:United States Army acquisition