According to Inside Defense a move by Senate appropriators to kill the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program last week added urgency and tension to the proposed effort to recapitalise the Army and Marine Corps fleet of Humvees.
While House appropriators did not terminate the JLTV in their version of the Defense spending bill, a House congressional source with knowledge of the deliberations said the JLTV’s future looked dim.
This assessment comes despite a revised acquisition strategy being pitched by the services. “That’s pretty much it for JLTV,” the congressional source said.
“I doubt the [House appropriators] will push back.
“The Army and Marines would have to strongly justify the program based on this new acquisition strategy as being affordable and non-duplicative. I don’t see that happening.”
But Colonel David Bassett, the Army program manager for tactical vehicles, said the service was standing by its requirement for JLTV.
“The capability gap hasn’t changed,” he said in a September 16 interview.
“Even with an upgraded humvee, there are limits to how much better at a cost that makes sense you can make a humvee.
“There’s just limits to what you can do with that chassis without making such dramatic changes you have to throw the whole truck away and you’re better off buying new.”