DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS: Issues to Be Considered as DOD Modernizes Its Fleet of Tactical Wheeled Vehicles

摘要

The Army, which has over 250,000 TWVs, generally categorizes the vehicles as heavy, medium, and light. Heavy TWVs represent about 10 percent of the Army's TWV fleet and include vehicles like the Heavy Equipment Transporter System, which is used to transport main battle tanks and other heavy equipment. Medium TWVs represent about 40 percent of the Army's TWV fleet and include vehicles for hauling cargo and for launch and support platforms' weapon systems such as the High- Mobility Artillery Rocket System. Light TWVs represent about 50 percent of the Army's TWV fleet and currently consist of the HMMWV family of vehicles, which began production in 1983. The Army's HMMWV program also provides vehicles to satisfy Marine Corps and Air Force requirements. The HMMWV has gone through various upgrades during its nearly 30-year history and has served as DOD's primary wheeled vehicle for shelter carriers, command and control systems, light cargo and troop carriers, weapons carriers, and ambulances. This report addresses issues related to light tactical vehicles and the M-ATV. The M-ATV is not considered a light vehicle by its weight, but it is being used for functions typically done by light tactical vehicles. In February 2005, Marine Corps combatant commanders identified an urgent operational need for armored tactical vehicles to increase crew protection and mobility of Marines operating in hazardous fire areas against improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, and small arms fire. In response, the Marine Corps identified the solution as the up-armored HMMWV. Over the next 18 months, however, combatant commanders continued to call for more robust mine-protected vehicles. The solution to the requirement was the MRAP family of vehicles.