Enough Already

A Program Decision Memorandum (PDM) was issued by the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition on 22 December 2005 directing the Army and Air Force to form a Joint (FCA/LCA) Program Office (JPO). This program has been designated the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) and stood up in Huntsville, Alabama, on 4 August 2006. Subsequently, the JPO incorporated the Memorandum of Agreement signed by the Army and Air Force into the JCA CDD that was approved by the JROC on 19 April 2007. Finally, on 13 Jun 2007, the team comprised of L-3 Communications, Finmeccanica's Alenia North America and Boeing was awarded a firm fixed-price contract for up to 78 C-27J aircraft to be manufactured as the JCA. This ushered in a new era of cooperative, joint acquisition of an aviation platform to perform a role and mission, namely intra-theater airlift, which both the Army and the Air Force claim to have responsibility. In light of current budgetary pressures, the Air Force proposed to examine the need to eliminate the overlap in intra-theater airlift capability between the Army and Air Force.