The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) modded with the Pack-Rack system is demonstrated on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 2, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Zachary Zephir)
WASHINGTON — The US Army’s effective cancellation of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program will result in a larger bill per unit for the Marine Corps and “negatively impact” the smaller service’s ability to fulfill its ground vehicle mobility strategy, the commandant told lawmakers.
“The Marine Corps is fully committed to the JLTV program. It is our workhorse on the ground tactical vehicle fleet,” Gen. Eric Smith told the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense on Wednesday. “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 Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is a flexible combat ground vehicle with two-seat and four-seat variants, and supports general purpose, heavy gun carrier and close combat weapon carrier missions. The joint program office initially selected Oshkosh Defense as a prime contractor in August 2015, but later awarded a follow-on contract to AM General in February 2023.
In a May 1 memo and subsequent congressional testimony, Army brass said they will divest of the program “over time” as part of a larger “Army Transformation Initiative” directed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in late April. To date, the Army has acquired 20,000 JLTVs with more still scheduled to come off the production line.
Smith’s comments came in response to questions from Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., the subcommittee’s top Democrat, who said she was “dismayed” to find out the Army did not consult with the Marine Corps prior to making its 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,” she said.
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A Marine Corps official confirmed to Breaking Defense today that the service was not consulted prior to the Army announcing its decision.
In written testimony, Smith cited two Marine Corps programs that rely upon the JLTV: ROGUE-Fires and the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS). ROGUE-Fires is a remotely operated ground vehicle with a design based on the JLTV’s chassis and will be used to fire the service’s new ship-killing munition, the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System. MADIS, is a counter-unmanned aerial system weapon that is mounted on the JLTV.
Speaking to reporters in Tennessee on Wednesday, Army Vice Chief Gen. James Mingus said the Army’s last tranche of JLTVs was purchased in January.
“We will do no future procurement buys for the JLTV, for the Army, but the Marine Corps, [Foreign Military Sales] partners [can],” he said at the AAAA conference. “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.”
Internationally, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Pentagon’s office for coordinating foreign military sales, states the JLTV has been purchased by the United Kingdom, Israel, Romania, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Montenegro.
Ashley Roque contributed reporting to this story from Nashville, Tenn.
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