M10 BOOKER

The M10 BOOKER program is a key line item in the Army's Tracked Combat Vehicles procurement budget, designed to address a critical capability gap within Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs). The principal goal of the M10 Booker is to provide IBCTs with a mobile, protected, long-range precision direct-fire capability. This capability is intended to enable IBCTs to defeat enemy prepared positions, destroy armored vehicles, and ensure freedom of maneuver in both offensive and defensive operations.

The program supports the Army's broader modernization and transformation objectives by enhancing the lethality and survivability of its infantry formations. Specific objectives of the M10 BOOKER program include the procurement, fielding, and support of tracked combat vehicles that meet the Army's Acquisition Objective (AAO) and Procurement Objective (APO). The vehicles are intended to be service-ready and distributed across both active and reserve components, supporting homeland defense missions, domestic emergency response, and military support to civil authorities as required by section 1815 of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.

The program has been managed by the Army's Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems, with General Dynamics Land Systems serving as the primary contractor for vehicle production. In prior years, the program focused on full-rate production and fielding, with vehicles procured before FY 2024 and additional vehicles planned for subsequent years. However, due to the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI) and the implementation of Army EXORD 222-25, the procurement of additional M10 Booker vehicles has ceased.

The FY 2026 base request is allocated primarily for program management, engineering, logistics, and system technical support necessary for contract close-out and final disposition of the vehicle systems. This marks a transition from procurement to program wrap-up and support activities. Within the M10 BOOKER line item, several cost elements are detailed, including hardware costs for contractor-furnished end items, government-furnished equipment, initial spares, special tools, new equipment training, and deprocessing. Non-recurring costs have covered system technical support, program management, and logistics, while recurring costs have focused on production and fielding.

In FY 2026, the budget shifts away from vehicle procurement and toward support activities. The requested funds will be used for program management, engineering, logistics, and system technical support, including contract close-out and final disposition of the M10 Booker vehicle systems. No new vehicles are planned for procurement in FY 2026, and the Army has issued a partial Termination for Convenience (T4C) to General Dynamics Land Systems, instructing the contractor to cease activities not in the best interest of the government. This reflects the Army's decision to inactivate all M10 Booker battalions and adjust its acquisition objectives in line with the ATI.

The M10 BOOKER program's justification centers on the need to provide IBCTs with protected, mobile firepower, but recent strategic shifts have led to the cessation of further procurement. The program's remaining funds are dedicated to ensuring proper management and disposition of existing assets, as well as compliance with transformation directives. The Army is planning an Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) to further adjust AAO and APO for all ATI programs, and future budget submissions will reflect these updates.