Small Arms Weapons Program Reviewed for Joint Service Potential

[RAMESES the Great]

NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 733-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 19, 2005
Media Contact: (703)697-5131
Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711

Small Arms Weapons Program Reviewed for Joint Service Potential

The Army announced today it temporarily suspended the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the acquisition of a new family of small weapons - Objective
Individual Combat Weapon Increment 1 (OICW-1) - in order to incorporate joint requirements. The Army's proposal has received interest from the other military services, and is further supported by several internal reviews reinforcing the increase in the potential for joint use.

Congressional notification has been made and today's suspension of the program allows joint requirements to be viewed and incorporated through the
Joint Capability and Integration and Development System process, which will occur immediately. Original solicitation started May 11, 2005, and is temporarily suspended effective July 19, 2005, until the Joint Requirements Oversight Committee (JROC) convenes, which is currently scheduled for early September.

Upon the JROC's completion, the committee will issue a memorandum, which incorporates any new joint OICW-1 requirements. The RFP will be amended accordingly, and issued with a revised effective date for receipt of proposals.

OICW-1 is comprised of a family of small arms weapons that consists of a carbine, special compact, designated marksman, and light machine gun weapon systems. These weapons are intended to replace the M4 carbine, the M16 rifle, the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and selected M9 pistols. The capabilities development document calls for a family of weapons that possess a high degree of commonality, enhanced capabilities, and much higher reliability than our current weapons.

The solicitation number for OICW-1 is W15QKN-05-R-0449 and can be viewed at [url]http://procnet.pica.army.mil[/url].