The US Army announced on Wednesday that it will discontinue the use of its Stryker Mobile Gun System next year due to obsolescence and systemic issues.
Through a press release, a representative explained that divestiture of obsolete systems in the armed forces is as important as acquiring more modern equipment.
Getting rid of old, outdated systems frees up resources and manpower that can be used in higher quality, more effective systems.
“Decisions on when it is best to divest a system currently in the force are not taken lightly,” US Army Deputy Chief of Staff, LTG. James F. Pasquarette said. “The Army has done its due diligence to ensure lethality upgrades will remain intact to provide our Stryker formations the capabilities they need in the future.”
Developed in the early 2000s, the Stryker Mobile Gun System was the first US Army system fielded with an autoloader. For 15 years, it provided supporting fire for assault infantry by suppressing enemy bunkers, machine guns, and sniper positions.
US Army to Invest in Other Modernization Efforts
After conducting a serious review of the issues surrounding the Stryker Mobile Gun System, top officials undertook additional modernization efforts to boost Stryker fleet lethality, survivability, maneuverability, and maintainability.
The army has already funded upgrades to its Medium Caliber Weapons System, the Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station – Javelin, and the new Anti-Tank Guided Missile.
It is also acquiring 600 additional Centaur unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) worth more than $70 million to help in disarming landmines and improvised explosive devices.
While divestiture of the Stryker Mobile Gun System has yet to take place, the US Army will continue to field variants of the Stryker platform to support soldiers during operations.