Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Essay Example

awarded a contract worth up to $67 million for services and part support related to 1,098 National Stock Numbers (NSNs) within the HMMWV Recap program.The objective of this initiative is to fully rebuild HMMWVs for the US Army. The program will be carried out at Red River Army Depot, Letterkenny Army Depot, and Maine Military Authority until 2011.

The Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) announced a program stating that the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) will continue to see extensive use due to their high OPTEMPO, harsh environment conditions, and heavy payloads. The DSCC will prioritize procuring parts for operational requirements and maintenance programs supporting the HMMWV during Operations Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF).

According to the author, there are approximately 14 ongoing HMMWV RESET repair programs aimed at restoring deployed HMMWVs to pre-combat operational capability (TM -10120 standards). The goal is to enable rapid redeployment of troops for current and future operations worldwide. Each recapped Humvee has a base price set by the Army at $180,000. Consequently, given that we are already utilizing the Humvee and its recapitalization is more cost-effective, it is more financially viable to forgo acquiring the JLTV.

The JLTV program, involving the Army and Marine Corps, aims to create and manufacture vehicles and trailers in three categories. Category A is for general purpose mobility with a maximum carrying capacity of 3,500 pounds. Category B serves as infantry carriers, command and control vehicles, reconnaissance units, and weapons carriers with a payload range of 4,000 to 4,500 pounds. Finally, Category C is designed for shelter carriers, prime movers, and ambulances capable of handling a payload of 5,100 pounds. However, one challenge faced is that the

JLTV already exceeds the weight limits set by joint requirements.

The JLTV will be designed to have scalable armor, improved suspension, and a capable drive train to handle future load carrying capacity. In February 2011, the heavier Category B variant was eliminated due to not meeting required transportability weights. There are now two planned variants of the JLTV: a four-passenger Combat Tactical Vehicle (CTV) and a two-passenger Combat Support Vehicle (CSV). The JLTV is planned to be more reliable in terms of mechanics, easily maintainable with on-board diagnostics, able to travel on all types of terrain, and equipped to connect with current and future tactical data networks.

According to the JLTV Program Office, survivability and transportability by ship and aircraft are important design requirements for the JLTV. The testing of the technology demonstrators from three manufacturers is said to have generally met the requirements, with a few exceptions. The Program Office also acknowledged that current force protection requirements seem attainable. However, they mentioned that the technology demonstrator vehicles exceeded the weight limit by several hundred to a thousand pounds.

Despite not being tested, the technology demonstrator vehicles seemed to be nearly at their maximum capacity for aircraft transport. Additionally, there were challenges in meeting reliability and mobility requirements. These vehicles also had limited space to accommodate mission essential equipment and payloads. As a result, the Marines have reservations about the suitability of the JLTV program for their expeditionary operations due to its estimated weight.

Finally, the MRAP vehicle, which is equipped with Mine-Resistant Armor Protection, performs similar tasks as the JLTV. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted in their August 2009 briefings to the House Armed Services Committee Air

and Land Forces, and Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittees that there is a potential risk of overlapping capabilities with the introduction of the MRAP, M-ATV, and JLTV. Defense officials have been questioned about the necessity of both the MRAP/M-ATV and JLTV programs, as they share up to 250 requirements. However, DOD leadership argues that there are an additional 450 requirements that the MRAPs and M-ATVs cannot fulfill, which justifies the JLTV program. Nonetheless, the development of an Ultra-Lite MRAP by the Army raises doubts about the necessity of all four programs.

Despite Congress's request for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Services to create thorough strategies for tactical wheeled vehicles, it seems that there are numerous redundancies that will be further explored before the JLTV program is produced and procured. To sum up, although the JLTV program is appealing to the DOD, it has several drawbacks such as high cost, failure to meet joint requirements, and the availability of viable alternatives. Consequently, the DOD should not proceed with acquiring the JLTV due to these disadvantages.