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RUMSFELD CANCELS 'CRUSADER' 155mm HOWITZER
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced the termination of the Army's Crusader self-propelled cannon yesterday, setting the stage for a fierce struggle with members of Congress who vow to rescue the $11 billion system.
"After a good deal of consideration, I have decided to terminate the Crusader program," Mr. Rumsfeld said. It marked the first time he has killed a major weapon system to carry out President Bush's order to skip a generation of weaponry in favor of advanced war-fighting technology.
It was the ongoing war against terrorists and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan that illustrated why the 155 mm howitzer may not be a system with a future. Virtually all the firepower in the war has come from air-dropped precision munitions, not the Army's staple of heavy artillery and tanks.
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