Memo: DoD Needs Vehicle Specifics From Army, Marines
The Pentagon comptroller's office sent a March 19 memo to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps leadership directing the services to present a combat and tactical wheeled vehicle strategy through 2020 to the comptroller's office and the Office of Management and Budget by July 18.
There are concerns about a lack of specifics on long-term strategy from the Army and Marine Corps. (Rob Curtis / Staff)
Defense News obtained a copy of the memo, from Roberto Rodriguez, director of the Investment Directorate, which states:
"The main concern is that the Army and Marine Corps have requested and received large amounts of funding to address near-term vehicle needs without having articulated a long-term strategy for their composition of combat and tactical wheeled vehicle fleets."
According to the memo, the strategy is needed to reduce the risk of excess inventory and make best use of finances by avoiding redundancy and creating the right mix of vehicles.
According to one source, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England called for the memo. England himself issued a similar memo to the Army and Marines in November, citing cost and redundancy concerns; this memo is more specific in its directives, telling the services to spell out the needs of their combat tactical wheeled vehicle fleet in terms of capabilities.
"Are there plans to merge or consolidate redundancies? If yes, please explain," the memo states.
For instance, the Army and Marine Corps plan to purchase at least 13,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles by the end of 2008 and at least 2,000 additional Strykers by 2013. At the same time, both the Army and Marine Corps plan to begin producing the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), which would perform many of the same missions as Humvees and MRAPs, the memo states.
The memo instructs the services to submit a specific funding profile outlining the dollar amounts and vehicle quantities needed to procure each vehicle and each variant in their strategy through 2020.
Part of this includes plans for the JLTV, according to the memo.
"What conceptual role will the JLTV play in the Army modular brigades, Marine Combat Regiments, and Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Teams?" the memo states.
Also, the memo directs the services to outline their long-term MRAP plans, asking how the vehicles will be used after the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down. The services' strategies should "explain how the Army and Marine Corps will integrate the MRAP vehicle into the force structure when they are no longer needed in theater," the memo states.
On this point, the memo asks the Army to look at how the MRAP can be used to substitute mission profiles for other tactical vehicles such as the Armored Security Vehicle.
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