{
  "id": "R44598",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R44598",
  "active": true,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 455438,
      "date": "2016-08-30",
      "retrieved": "2016-11-28T21:42:03.876259",
      "title": "Army and Marine Corps Active Protection System (APS) Efforts",
      "summary": "Active Protection Systems (APSs) are subsystems integrated into or installed on a combat vehicle to automatically acquire, track, and respond with hard or soft kill capabilities to a variety of threats, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). APS technologies are not new, and a number of nations have already employed APS on the battlefield. The U.S. military is now beginning to include APS as part of its formal combat vehicle modernization plans and, if the initial deployment of APS proves successful, could expand the use of APS to potentially thousands of tactical military vehicles\u2014a complex and potentially costly undertaking. \nThe proliferation of advanced RPGs and ATGMs is of concern to some defense officials and policymakers, including Congress. These weapons\u2014RPGs in particular\u2014have been particularly popular with insurgents because they are readily available, relatively inexpensive, and require little training. Israel\u2019s experiences with RPGs and ATGMs in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War and the 2014 Gaza Conflict and growing concerns with Russian military capabilities and activities in Eastern Europe have possibly served as catalysts for intensifying U.S. APS efforts. Technical and operational challenges to APS include being able to work under extremely demanding circumstances and compressed timelines, robustness against countermeasures, minimizing the threat to friendly forces and civilians, being compatible with the space and power allocated to it on the vehicle, and affordability.\nA number of nations have operationally deployed APS on combat vehicles\u2014Russia and Israel most notably\u2014and some experts characterize U.S. efforts as somewhat lagging. U.S. military officials contend there are still a number of developmental and safety challenges that must be overcome before current APS systems are suitable for battlefield deployment.\nAccording to the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC), \u201cActive Protection Systems have been in the design and development stages since the early 1950s, but none have successfully made the transition from development to integration on a platform.\u201d\nThe Army\u2019s and Marines\u2019 current APS efforts are described as technology demonstrations and have not progressed to formal Programs of Record. The Army and Marines are coordinating their respective efforts, although no joint program currently exists. The Army is currently involved in two separate parallel and distinct APS efforts\u2014the Expedited, Non-Developmental Item (NDI) APS effort and the Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) effort. The Marines describe their APS efforts as a \u201ctechnology demonstration\u201d whereby the Marines would attempt to install a Trophy APS on the M-1A1 tank in coordination with the Army\u2019s Expedited NDI effort. The Marines have a number of unique APS requirements\u2014including the ability to be transported by ship and withstand salt water corrosion\u2014which will also factor into their eventual APS plans.\nPotential issues for Congress include whether current NDI APSs are effective and safe enough for operational use, the benefits of MAPS relative to non-developmental efforts, MAPS\u2019 impacts on NDI APS performance and costs, the Army\u2019s and Marines\u2019 detailed plans for APS fielding, and APS adaptability to future threats.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": true,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44598",
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      "topics": []
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  ],
  "topics": [
    "National Defense"
  ]
}