Questionable Need for Product Improvements to Army's VULCAN Air Defense System

As part of a review of air defense in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) central region, proposed product improvements to the VULCAN Air Defense System were examined. VULCAN is a congressionally initiated program designed to enhance the near term readiness of air defense in the airborne and air assault divisions of the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF). Two concerns were voiced that need to be addressed before any action is taken to improve the VULCAN system: (1) the effectiveness of VULCAN against the the representative threat; and (2) whether alternative systems can satisfy the need.