The Us Combat And Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Fleets

Congress recently requested a study of the U.S. ground combat and tactical wheeled vehicle fleets. The authors reveal risks in the technologies required to close capability gaps, the business processes used by the U.S. Department of Defense in managing vehicle production and modification initiatives, and the modeling and simulation process supporting research, development, and acquisition, making recommendations for mitigating these risks.

Introduction -- Building the status profiles of the heavy and medium TWV fleets -- Status profiles of the heavy and medium TWV fleets -- Recommendations and closing remarks -- APPENDIX: Profiles of the individual heavy TWV models -- Profiles of the individual medium TWV models -- Examination of the light TWV fleet-- Improving the Army's knowledge base.

This is a Department of Army directed study designed to answer the question on tactical wheeled vehicle fleet composition and requirements as posed by the House Appropriations Committee of the United States Congress. The methodology used the automated procedures established throughout the Army for defining requirements and developing procurement programs. These procedures are applied to eight alternative vehicle fleets and the results are compared to a base case to establish the preferred alternative. (Author).

The Department of Defense (DoD) is acquiring two new tactical wheeled vehicles (TWV): the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The $12.5 billion M-ATV is for use in Afghanistan; JLTV is the future replacement for vehicles like the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). This report assessed: (1) DoD's progress in rapidly acquiring and fielding M-ATVs; (2) JLTV's expected features and cost compared to other TWV; and (3) the extent to which the current plans for M-ATV and JLTV are consistent with the services' TWV investment strategies. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find publication.

The U.S. Army operates and maintains the largest trucking fleet in the United States. Its fleet consists of over 246,000 trucks, and it is responsible for buying and developing trucks for all branches of the armed forces. The Army's tactical wheeled vehicle fleet is the logistical backbone of the Army, and annually, the fleet logs about 823 million miles. The fleet consists of a number of types of vehicles. They include eight different families of trucks from the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles to M900 series line haul tractors and special bodies. The average age of all the trucks within the Army fleet is 15 years, and very few have more than traditional driving instrumentation on-board. Over the past decade, the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program has conducted research and deployment activities in a number of areas including in-vehicle systems, communication and telematics technologies. Many current model passenger vehicles have demonstrated the assimilation of these technologies to enhance safety and trip quality. Commercial vehicles are also demonstrating many new electronic devices that are assisting in making them safer and more efficient. Moreover, a plethora of new technologies are about to be introduced to drivers that promise greater safety, enhanced efficiency, congestion avoidance, fuel usage reduction, and enhanced trip quality. The U.S. Army has special needs with regard to fleet management, logistics, sustainability, reliability, survivability, and fuel consumption that goes beyond similar requirements within the private industry. In order to effectively apply emerging ITS technologies to the special needs of the U.S. Army, planning for the conduct of the Army's Vehicle Intelligence Program (AVIP) has now commenced. The AVIP will be focused on the conduct of research that: (1) will apply ITS technologies to the special needs of the Army, and (2) will conduct research for special needs wi th regard to vehicle control, driver assistance, integration of vehicle intelligence and robotic technologies, managing effectively the information flow to drivers, enhanced logistics capabilities and sustainability of the Army's fleet during battlefield conditions. This paper will highlight the special needs of the Army, briefly describe two programs, which are embracing ITS technologies to a limited extent, will outline the AVIP, and will provide some insight into future Army vehicle intelligence efforts.

THe study was to accomplish the following objectives: determine the payload categories and types of tactical wheeled vehicles which would best meet the needs of the Army; prepare an acquisition program to include specification of the number, type, and cost of vehicles required to transition from the existing fleet to the preferred fleet; develop an implementation schedule to align current requirements document's Table of Organization and Equipment/Basis of Issue Plans (TOE/BOIP) with study results.

"The Department of Defense (DOD) is acquiring two new tactical wheeled vehicles (TWV): the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The $12.5 billion M-ATV is for use in Afghanistan; JLTV is the future replacement for vehicles like the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV).GAO was asked to assess (1) DOD's progress in rapidly acquiring and fielding M-ATVs, (2) JLTV's expected features and cost compared to other TWV, and (3) the extent to which the current plans for M-ATV and JLTV are consistent with the services' TWV investment strategies.GAO reviewed documents and held discussions with key officials to determine program strategies, costs, performance, and anticipated features; and compared M-ATV and JLTV plans with service strategies. "

The Overarching Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Study was conducted to determine the best mix of light, medium, and heavy tactical wheeled vehicles to meet Marine Corps tactical lift requirement in 2007. The study objectives included identifying the overall tactical wheeled vehicle lift requirement; developing alternative vehicle fleet mixes that met that requirement; comparing the costs, risks, and benefits of alternatives; and investigating issues associated with transitioning the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet to meet the tactical lift requirement in 2015. The study objectives were met, and the study provides recommendations both for the composition of the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet in 2007 and for steps needed to transition that fleet to 2015.

The analysis referenced in this report was an extension of the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Fleet Study Phase 1 conducted in March-October 1980. The analysis investigated the impact of changes made in the U.S. Army's tactical wheeled vehicle fleet in terms of aircraft requirements needed to move U.S. Army units. The Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) Air Scheduling and Loading Model (ASLM) was used to calculate aircraft sorties required to move a type Infantry Division, a Mechanized Infantry Division, an Airmobile Division, an Airborne Division, and a Corps Support Force closely tailored to the Airborne D Package. Aircraft sorties were calculated for each unit tailored to each of alternatives 1, 2, and 9 of the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Fleet Study. A comparison was then made of sorties required to move the alternative 2 and 9 tailored forces against sorties required to move the corresponding alternative 1 (base case) tailored force. The calculated number of aircraft sorties required for a strategic/intertheater deployment of the type units referenced in this analysis ranged from a low of 771 aircraft (691 C141B and 80 C5A) for the alternative 1 configured Airmobile Division to a high of 1491 aircraft (999 C141B and 492 C5A) for the alternative 9 configured Mechanized Infantry Division. In a strategic/intertheater air deployment, the impact of alternative 2 compared to alternative 1 ranged from a 1.4 percent increase in total aircraft for the Airmobile Division to a 4.3 percent increase in total aircraft for the Airborne Division. In a similar comparison between alternative 9 and alternative 1, the impact ranged from a 3.6 percent increase for the Airmobile Division to a 7.7 percent increase for the Infantry Division.