Latest news with #JLTV
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tactical vehicle mishaps are training failures — simulators could help
According to a 2021 Government Accountability Office report, from 2010 to 2019, the Army and Marine Corps recorded 3,753 tactical vehicle mishaps — an average of nearly one per day. These incidents led to 123 service member deaths, making vehicle mishaps the leading cause of non-combat training fatalities. Notably, this figure excludes mishaps in combat zones or involving commercial government vehicles. Human error — such as loss of control, misjudged clearance and failure to follow procedures — was the primary cause of 83% of accidents, according to GAO's report. Yet, despite this clear pattern, no tactical or combat vehicle fielded by the Defense Department has been fielded concurrently with a driver training simulator. To prevent further unnecessary deaths, Congress must act. The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act should require that all ground tactical vehicle procurement programs include funding for driver training simulators and that the services use the funding to actually field and sustain those simulators. This mandate would align ground vehicle safety standards with those of military aviation and provide service members with the tools they need to survive. Every military aircraft fielded in the last 40 years — fixed or rotary-wing— has been paired with a pilot training simulator. Simulator use is mandatory and regulated under Federal Aviation Administration standards and also for military pilots. For ground vehicles, however, simulators are treated as optional and are inconsistently employed. The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), for example, costs around $400,000 per unit. Still, its acquisition program included no provision for a simulator. Tactical vehicle licensing course curriculum includes approximately 250 miles of driving experience, of which 185 miles are daylight driving and 205 miles are on roads. Students receive little if any training to operate vehicles in tactical conditions, which include inclement weather, rugged off-road terrain and doing all of the above while driving at night while wearing night vision devices. The GAO report referenced above found that 'licensing programs provided soldiers with limited exposure to driving in diverse conditions such as varied terrain or driving at night.' These 'edge case' driving conditions with fog, rain, ice, sand, soft shoulders and narrow single lanes are where simulators excel at providing a driving experience that cannot be replicated in training on the road. Specific events requiring student drivers to practice expert driving skills can be simulated repetitively in simulators to build proficiency. Flight simulators are extensively used for training at the 'edge of the envelope' because they provide experience with safety and at far lower cost than training in the aircraft itself. In response to vehicle rollovers during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — many caused by the added weight of armor — the military briefly prioritized simulators. Using Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding, the Army and Marine Corps deployed driver simulators to the Motor Transport School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and various operating bases. A 2012 study by the Institute for Defense Analyses confirmed the positive impact of these simulators on safety and readiness. But as combat deployments wound down, neither the Army nor the Marine Corps continued funding simulator maintenance and updates. The Marine Corps issued a directive in 2014 tasking the commanding general of Training and Education Command to publish a performance-based curriculum mandating the use of driver simulators for tactical vehicle licensing. The directive is still in effect, but no such training curriculum for driver simulators has been published. In 2013, the Army awarded a contract with a ceiling of $40 million for a new generation of the Common Driver Trainer, but the contract was terminated in 2015 without any new simulators delivered. In 2016, the Army awarded a new contract for the Common Driver Trainer to a different company with a ceiling of $10 million. Four years later, in 2020, the Marine Corps joined the Army on this contract and increased the ceiling to $110 million with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2020. But that contract was likewise terminated in 2023 without any driver simulators delivered. In response to military training accidents, Congress included a provision in the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act directing the Defense Department to establish an Accident Investigation Review Board. However, as of 2025, this board still does not exist. Prescriptive use of driver training simulators for both initial licensing and sustainment training saves lives and preserves the readiness of the military's tactical vehicle fleet. Business-as-usual attitudes have resulted in weak policies for establishing driver training standards and insufficient resources for ground vehicle training systems. It is long overdue for Congress to impose discipline on the Defense Department to ensure budgets and policy are aligned with the mission for ground vehicle programs, as they are for aviation. Walt Yates served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 27 years and his final assignment was program manager for Training Systems at Marine Corps Systems Command. He is a 2002 graduate of the Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation degree program at the Naval Postgraduate School. His assignments include the Marine Air Ground Task Force Battle Simulation Center; assistant program manager for Range Training Aids, Devices and Simulations; and project manager for the Framework for Assessing Cost & Technology (FACT).
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marines sticking with JLTV after Army cancels future vehicle buys
The Marines are sticking with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, even as costs may rise following the Army's decision to halt the program. The joint program office for the Army and Marine Corps first picked Oshkosh Defense to build the JLTV in August 2015, and in 2023 awarded a follow-on contract to AM General, according to a Congressional Research Services report released Monday. 'The Marine Corps is fully committed to the JLTV program. It is our workhorse on the ground tactical vehicle fleet,' Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said in a House Appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing May 14. 'It's a little bit too early to assess the impact of the Army stopping their version of the program, but per-unit costs are clearly going to go up … when the orders go down.' The JLTV was originally intended to replace the Marine Corps' and Army's light tactical vehicle fleets, which consist mostly of Humvees. The initial low-rate production contract awarded to Oshkosh Defense was valued at $6.7 billion for the first 16,901 vehicles, according to the CRS report. A follow-on contract valued at another $8 billion awarded to AM General would have built another 30,000 JLTVs and 10,000 trailers for the vehicles. Smith anticipates the unit cost to rise because of the Army decision, and the Corps is 'still assessing the full impact of the Army's abrupt exit from the joint program.' 'That's going to negatively impact the Marine Corps' ability to fulfill its ground tactical vehicle mobility strategy, which has me concerned,' Smith said. The Marine Corps relies on the JLTV for its ROGUE-Fires and Marine Air Defense Integration System, or MADIS. The ROGUE-Fires system uses a remotely operated JLTV without a cab to fire the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System. The MADIS is a counter-drone weapon also mounted on the JLTV. 'At this time, AM General has [a] backlog for deliveries of vehicles through 2027 and AM General remains committed to meeting our contractual delivery requirements,' AM General said in a statement May 2 in response to the Army's decision to divest. 'As we work to understand the significance of the DoD's recent communications, we will continue to operate our HUMVEE and JLTV A2 assembly lines and our Aftermarket Fulfillment facility as normal to meet our contractual requirements and serve the Warfighter.' The vehicle, available in two- and four-seat versions, can be transported by various aircraft, including rotary wing, according to the CRS report. Instead of acquiring more JLTVs, the Army plans to fulfill some of its mobility requirements with the Infantry Squad Vehicle, a much smaller, scaled-down all-terrain vehicle. An Army Transformation Initiative memo published May 1 noted the service would divest the vehicle over time. So far, the service has acquired 20,000 vehicles. The Army began fielding the JLTV in 2019, the same year the Marine Corps began receiving its first vehicles. House Appropriations subcommittee member Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said she was 'dismayed' to learn the Army did not communicate its intentions to the Marine Corps before making the divestiture decision. 'That is beyond disappointing. Joint means joint. That's what the 'J' stands for. Joint decisions should be informed together as part of joint programs if they need to change,' McCollum said. Speaking to reporters in Tennessee on May 14, Army Vice Chief Gen. James Mingus said the Army purchased its last tranche of JLTVs in January, according to Breaking Defense. 'We will do no future procurement buys for the JLTV, for the Army, but the Marine Corps, [Foreign Military Sales] partners [can],' Mingus said. 'We think that we have enough, they [USMC and foreign customers] can continue to do that. But for us, inside of our armor and heavy and Stryker formations, we have enough JLTVs. We've bought enough already.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Army leaders to Musk: We will DOGE ourselves
WASHINGTON — Under pressure to make drastic budget cuts, Army leaders have struck an unusual agreement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency: Don't DOGE us; we will DOGE ourselves. The process began at a March White House meeting attended by Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; and the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. Soon after the meeting began, Musk joined them. Together, the four men discussed Driscoll and George's plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in what they and other Army officials agree is wasteful spending. The two men's goal is to cut jobs, consolidate commands and radically change the Army acquisition process, the three officials said. 'We have been working to get the best, most lethal, most modern tools in the hands of our soldiers,' Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, said in an email. 'To do this we have to leave behind the anchor of obsolescence. We have to stop spending money on yesterday's equipment and invest in war winning technology.' Army leaders have long complained that members of Congress force them to spend billions of dollars on weapons, vehicles and programs they don't want. Often, the spending is driven by members of Congress focused on bringing jobs and money to their districts or attached to legacy programs the Army leaders no longer want, the officials said. George has argued that there are too many general officer billets in the Army and that some of them can be eliminated, the three officials said. And Driscoll believes there are civilian roles that have become redundant or outdated. The two leaders also suggested consolidating some Army commands, including U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South and U.S. Futures Command, the officials said. 'By combining headquarters and reducing general officer billets, we will prioritize the maneuver formations who fight and win our nation's wars,' Butler said. Musk and Vance approved, and now Army leaders have begun a campaign to make their own cuts instead of DOGE. They include eliminating several large Army programs; consolidating or slashing redundant positions, including general officers and civilians; and using a consulting firm to convince the public and Capitol Hill that the programs the Army doesn't want are failing. Army leaders are considering cutting 8% to as much as 20% of its civilian workforce, with an early estimate of about 20,000 cuts to start, the officials said. They promised to take a tailored approach to the cuts. Two programs on the chopping block are the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, known as the JLTV, and the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, commonly known as the Humvee. Army leaders hope to focus spending on the newer Infantry Squad Vehicle, known as the ISV, instead. Another example is the Army could stop buying the Delta variant of the AH-64 Apache helicopter in favor of the AH-64E, which Army leaders prefer, the officials added. Army officials also hope to stop buying the Gray Eagle drone and replace it with newer-model drones. Officials said they are also considering changes to at least seven other programs. In anticipation of congressional resistance to reducing jobs and money in their districts, the Pentagon has prepared a 'DoD Directive' that would give Army officials significantly more autonomy in what they can buy, according to the three officials. The directive is expected to be signed this week. It would allow Army leaders to select the specific vehicles, drones and large weapon systems that the Army would use for years without Congress' overruling them in the budget process. The issue is so sensitive that Pentagon officials must sign nondisclosure agreements before they are briefed on the details, the three officials said. Since Driscoll was sworn in as Army secretary, his approach has been unorthodox. Driscoll, a close friend of Vance's, joined the Army after having worked in finance. He has assured Trump administration officials and congressional officials that he would resist congressional pressure and let the Army buy what the military leaders believe they need, two defense officials said. Driscoll has hired a public affairs consulting firm, MAD Global Strategy, to place news stories in targeted districts and make the case for why certain programs should be cut, according to the three officials. One of the firm's partners, Jai Chabria, was chief strategist and general consultant for Vance's Senate 2020 campaign in Ohio, according to his company bio. MAD Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firm is tasked with sharing Army information with the public that shows that certain programs are inefficient, overpriced or outdated. Defense officials said it is the first time they can recall that the Army has intentionally released information about specific programs' weaknesses to end them and convey to voters that Congress is forcing the Army to buy them. MAD will give examples such as vehicles that are too heavy to cross bridges into training areas and expensive software from outside companies that could be produced inside the Army at far less cost. It will also describe historic buildings that the Army is forced to keep instead of constructing new ones, even though they're expensive to restore and maintain. The overall goal, the officials said, is to give the public evidence that the current acquisition process is costly, time-consuming and inefficient. 'Over the past twenty years staffs and overhead have become bloated and ineffective,' Butler wrote. This article was originally published on
NBC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Army leaders to Musk: We will DOGE ourselves
WASHINGTON — Under pressure to make drastic budget cuts, Army leaders have struck an unusual agreement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency: Don't DOGE us; we will DOGE ourselves. The process began at a March White House meeting attended by Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; and the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. Soon after the meeting began, Musk joined them. Together, the four men discussed Driscoll and George's plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in what they and other Army officials agree is wasteful spending. The two men's goal is to cut jobs, consolidate commands and radically change the Army acquisition process, the three officials said. 'We have been working to get the best, most lethal, most modern tools in the hands of our soldiers,' Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, said in an email. 'To do this we have to leave behind the anchor of obsolescence. We have to stop spending money on yesterday's equipment and invest in war winning technology.' Army leaders have long complained that members of Congress force them to spend billions of dollars on weapons, vehicles and programs they don't want. Often, the spending is driven by members of Congress focused on bringing jobs and money to their districts or attached to legacy programs the Army leaders no longer want, the officials said. George has argued that there are too many general officer billets in the Army and that some of them can be eliminated, the three officials said. And Driscoll believes there are civilian roles that have become redundant or outdated. The two leaders also suggested consolidating some Army commands, including U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South and U.S. Futures Command, the officials said. 'By combining headquarters and reducing general officer billets, we will prioritize the maneuver formations who fight and win our nation's wars,' Butler said. Musk and Vance approved, and now Army leaders have begun a campaign to make their own cuts instead of DOGE. They include eliminating several large Army programs; consolidating or slashing redundant positions, including general officers and civilians; and using a consulting firm to convince the public and Capitol Hill that the programs the Army doesn't want are failing. Army leaders are considering cutting 8% to as much as 20% of its civilian workforce, with an early estimate of about 20,000 cuts to start, the officials said. They promised to take a tailored approach to the cuts. Two programs on the chopping block are the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, known as the JLTV, and the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, commonly known as the Humvee. Army leaders hope to focus spending on the newer Infantry Squad Vehicle, known as the ISV, instead. Another example is the Army could stop buying the Delta variant of the AH-64 Apache helicopter in favor of the AH-64E, which Army leaders prefer, the officials added. Army officials also hope to stop buying the Gray Eagle drone and replace it with newer-model drones. Officials said they are also considering changes to at least seven other programs. Expected congressional opposition In anticipation of congressional resistance to reducing jobs and money in their districts, the Pentagon has prepared a 'DoD Directive' that would give Army officials significantly more autonomy in what they can buy, according to the three officials. The directive is expected to be signed this week. It would allow Army leaders to select the specific vehicles, drones and large weapon systems that the Army would use for years without Congress' overruling them in the budget process. The issue is so sensitive that Pentagon officials must sign nondisclosure agreements before they are briefed on the details, the three officials said. Since Driscoll was sworn in as Army secretary, his approach has been unorthodox. Driscoll, a close friend of Vance's, joined the Army after having worked in finance. He has assured Trump administration officials and congressional officials that he would resist congressional pressure and let the Army buy what the military leaders believe they need, two defense officials said. Driscoll has hired a public affairs consulting firm, MAD Global Strategy, to place news stories in targeted districts and make the case for why certain programs should be cut, according to the three officials. One of the firm's partners, Jai Chabria, was chief strategist and general consultant for Vance's Senate 2020 campaign in Ohio, according to his company bio. MAD Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firm is tasked with sharing Army information with the public that shows that certain programs are inefficient, overpriced or outdated. Defense officials said it is the first time they can recall that the Army has intentionally released information about specific programs' weaknesses to end them and convey to voters that Congress is forcing the Army to buy them. MAD will give examples such as vehicles that are too heavy to cross bridges into training areas and expensive software from outside companies that could be produced inside the Army at far less cost. It will also describe historic buildings that the Army is forced to keep instead of constructing new ones, even though they're expensive to restore and maintain. The overall goal, the officials said, is to give the public evidence that the current acquisition process is costly, time-consuming and inefficient. 'Over the past twenty years staffs and overhead have become bloated and ineffective,' Butler wrote.
Business Wire
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Netherlands Select Oshkosh Defense to Produce Dutch JLTV
OSHKOSH, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oshkosh Defense Europe B.V. together with Oshkosh Defense, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] business, announced today that it has been selected by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence to produce 150 Dutch Expeditionary Patrol Vehicles (DXPV), a JLTV variant tailored to fulfill the requirements for its Future Littoral All Terrain Mobility – Patrol Vehicle (FLATM-PV). "It enables our customers to leverage an established supply chain, streamline training, and simplify integration - driving greater efficiency and mission success across the board.' Share 'Oshkosh is honored that the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps has chosen to equip its formations with the Oshkosh DXPV,' said Pat Williams, Chief Programs Officer, Oshkosh Defense. The Oshkosh DXPV offers the Dutch Marines the world's most advanced light military vehicle, delivering next-generation levels of off-road mobility, speed, transportability, and seamless operational and logistical interoperability with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies. 'Our DXPV is highly common with the approximately 22,000 JLTVs delivered to the U.S. DoD and more than 1,600 JLTVs produced for other NATO and allied countries that are being fielded now and in the future,' continued Williams. 'This high level of commonality not only significantly reduces the logistics footprint required to support and sustain the DXPV, but also ensures exceptional system performance, maximizes operational readiness, and enhances interoperability. It enables our customers to leverage an established supply chain, streamline training, and simplify integration - driving greater efficiency and mission success across the board.' Oshkosh Defense continues to be the only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) able to supply the JLTV directly to allied countries. With this award, the Netherlands joins the United States, Lithuania, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Mongolia, Latvia, Slovakia, Brazil, Romania, and Israel in operating the Oshkosh platform. About Oshkosh Defense Oshkosh Defense is a global leader in the design, production and sustainment of best-in-class military vehicles, technology solutions and mobility systems. Oshkosh develops and applies emerging technologies that advance safety and mission success. Setting the industry standard for sustaining fleet readiness, Oshkosh ensures every solution is supported worldwide throughout its entire life cycle. Oshkosh Defense, LLC is an Oshkosh Corporation business [NYSE: OSK]. Learn more about Oshkosh Defense at About Oshkosh Corporation At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we make innovative, mission-critical equipment to help everyday heroes advance communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs over 18,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common purpose: to make a difference in people's lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG ®, Pierce ®, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh ® S-Series™, Oshkosh ® Defense, McNeilus ®, IMT ®, Jerr-Dan ®, Frontline™ Communications, Oshkosh ® Airport Products, Oshkosh AeroTech™ and Pratt Miller. For more information, visit ®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains statements that the Company believes to be 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' 'intend,' 'estimate,' 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'should,' 'project' or 'plan' or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks related to the Company's ability to successfully execute on its strategic road map and meet its long-term financial goals. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information contained in this news release. Investors should be aware that the Company may not update such information until the Company's next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.
