On August 4, I attended a small dinner hosted by my think tank at which the head of the Army’s “cross functional team” for long-range fires, Brigadier General John L. Rafferty, was the guest of honor. The Army will need a network that connects sensors to shooters with minimal delay. The Strategic Long-Range Cannon (SLRC), which could reach well over 1,000 miles, represents a key piece of the Pentagon ‘s push for more advanced artillery capable of … Rafferty spent much of the dinner discussing progress on systems such as the Extended Range Cannon Artillery being developed for use on an upgraded version of the BAE Systems self-propelled howitzer, known as Paladin. I focus on the strategic, economic and business implications of defense spending as the Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Lexington Institute and Chief Executive. The U.S. Army’s top modernization priority is to increase the reach and lethality of its fires, meaning artillery and tactical missiles. Tweet. shoot projectiles over a distance spanning 1,150 miles, can be used to combat defensive systems such as those of China and Russia, could prove beneficial if positioned in strategic areas. The Strategic Long-Range Cannon (SLRC) would probably be the shorter-ranged of the two, according to at least one reliable report, at about 1,000 miles. “This idea of volume and affordability and lethality is first and foremost in our minds,” Rafferty said. Army's 1,000 Mile Cannon: Strategic Long Range Cannon Details This Paladin self-propelled howitzer exemplifies how the Army has traditionally thought about fires. The hypersonic missile will be more expensive per round, but pack such a punch that it can destroy targets like hardened underground command posts. Who owns the assets? According to Rafferty, the cannon system will go through a series of “technology gates,” noting that the first one — which is said to be early ballistics tests at the Naval Support Facility in Dahlgren, Virginia — is set to be completed “very soon.”, If the program passes through that first gate, Rafferty said, a report will be sent to Army leadership for approval. In 1918, the French Army made plans for a very long range multi-chamber gun in response to the German Paris Gun. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville agreed, noting that while the Army does welcome innovations pertaining to advancements in weaponry, protocol states that the capabilities of these weapons must be up to par before they are allowed to be fully developed and produced. Prior to holding my present positions, I was Deputy Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and taught graduate-level courses in strategy, technology and media affairs at Georgetown. Strategic Long Range Cannon (SLRC), for a hypersonic projectile, a; target capability for the Field Artillery (its howitzers) and Air Defense Artillery (a 500 km missile), and a; test case for the acquisition process of the U.S. Army. I have also taught at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. That will enable the Army to quickly unravel the anti-access strategies of near-peer adversaries in wartime, but it also raises interesting questions about how the new weapons will be employed. In an interview with Defense News, Brig. “We have the time to get … That’s greater than … And if that doesn’t happen, we are not doing it,” he added. But any weapon that can destroy diverse targets with high accuracy at ranges in excess of a thousand miles will inevitably require discussions of when and how it should be used, potentially involving national command authorities (i.e., the White House). Weapons with a reach of a thousand miles or more aren’t the sort of asset likely to be assigned to a standard field artillery unit. Pin. Rafferty acknowledges that the classification (secrecy) level of overhead collections will need to be changed to gain access to much of the required information, but that’s just the beginning of the challenge. Several companies with a stake in these programs contribute to my think tank. The Strategic Long Range Cannon (SLRC) is designed to be transported by truck, handled by a crew of eight, and rain shells down on enemy positions across continents and oceans. The Strategic Long-Range Cannon is one of several new weapons the Army wants to help it match, and eventually exceed, the range and destructive power of North Korean, Russian and Chinese fires. “What they have to do is demonstrate the capability at each phase along the way. The details haven’t been fleshed out, but when weapons have the kind of ranges being contemplated, it is pretty clear that wartime operations and peacetime training will need to transcend the immediate tactical concerns of Army commanders. But in the close quarters of the European theater, a weapon with that sort of reach potentially raises major geopolitical questions. America's Top Givers: The 25 Most Philanthropic Billionaires, EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Biden Faces New Shipbuilding Crisis; Must Move Fast And Kill Freedom Class LCS, Art Is Cheap, Aircraft Carriers Are Expensive—Russian Shipyard Dreams Up Wacky New Flattop, Four Reasons The Navy’s Bold Plans For Its Surface Fleet Are Doomed In The Biden Era, Does Britannia Rule The Waves Again? 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