Latest news with #InfantrySquadVehicle
Business Insider
04-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
The US Army's done with Humvees and the Robotic Combat Vehicles. Here's what leaders want instead.
US Army leaders say Humvees and Robotic Combat Vehicles aren't useful for future fights, but the Infantry Squad Vehicle is. Ongoing decisions about what stays and what goes are part of a larger transformation initiative that has the Army reviewing its force structure and cutting certain programs it deems no longer necessary for the kinds of wars the US military wants to be ready to fight should worse come to worst. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and Gen. James Rainey, the commanding general overseeing Army Futures Command, talked to Business Insider about some of what is getting axed and why. Driscoll pointed to the Robotic Combat Vehicle, or RCV, program, which launched in 2019 with the goal of integrating autonomous and remotely operated capabilities into the Army's ground systems. Three versions were initially planned — an expendable light variant, a durable medium variant, and a lethal heavy variant designed for combat against an enemy armored vehicle. But the development of the RCV hit snags. "We know we need autonomy, we know that we need the ability to move things in a way that is not controlled by human beings," Driscoll said. But the requirements the Army put together for it ended up making it just this "incredibly large, incredibly heavy, incredibly expensive, relatively exquisite tool," he said. By the time the Army went to purchase them, the threats to the RCV, like small, hostile drones, had grown substantially. In Ukraine, slow, heavy, expensive vehicles have been prime targets for cheap exploding drones. "It might have been there in the beginning and we got it wrong from the very beginning," he said, "but at a minimum, by the time it came due for us actually purchase a lot of these and get them into formations, it just no longer made sense anymore." He called the move to end the program "a hard decision." The Humvee, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, is also being phased out. "It's 40 years old. It was useful in its time," Rainey said. "If you look at the ubiquitous sensing drones just in Ukraine and Russia, the survivability of a wheeled vehicle is very low." The Army also recently ended the M10 Booker Mobile Protected Firepower program just before it was set to go into full-rate production and after spending well over a billion dollars on the project. The decision was made in response to ongoing global conflicts "and in support of the strategic objectives outlined in the Army Transformation Initiative," according to a memo issued by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this year. The memo outlined the focal points, timelines, and priorities of the Army going forward, including reducing and restructuring attack helicopter formations and augmenting them with unmanned aircraft, putting thousands of drones into the hands of soldiers, and focusing on the Indo-Pacific theater and China. The efforts in the directive are estimated to cost around $36 billion over the next five years and represent one of the largest Army overhauls since the end of the Cold War. Army officials have said it's designed to increase lethality and readiness in the service and is focused on the needs of individual warfighters. In the interview with BI, Driscoll and Rainey identified one platform that represents what it wants more of. "We have a requirements and acquisitions success story with the Infantry Squad Vehicles," Rainey said. The relatively new M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle entered service in 2020. Rainey said that the platform was designed well and requirements were useful and thoughtful. "We went fast, but we iterated with soldiers continually through the process. We ended up with a very useful vehicle," he said. Driscoll said that in conversations with soldiers, the Army learned that they wanted a vehicle to prioritize speed and all-terrain driving over protection. It speaks to, the service secretary said, the Army "trying to build a menu of offensive and defensive solutions." For some missions, something like the Infantry Squad Vehicle will be more effective. And for others, a heavier, more armored platform could still be valuable and available. Much of what Driscoll and others say they're focused on comes out of efforts to be smarter and more cost-effective in Army purchases. "We feel a large enough existential threat, and it is important enough that we can no longer make decisions simply based off where jobs might exist or what private companies may benefit from our decisions," he said. "Instead, we have to optimize for soldier lethality in the fight ahead." Lethality is a guiding principle for the US Department of Defense under Hegseth and the Trump administration. It was a core objective for the Biden administration and first Trump one, as well as past administrations, though the interpretations were different. Generally, it serves as a subjective measuring stick for DoD programs and projects, the aim being to be able to effectively defeat an enemy. Right now, that long-standing Pentagon buzzword is the deciding factor for what the Army and other services prioritize.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tested at Fort Bragg, new military troop vehicle in production in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — An evolved version of the iconic U.S. military's Jeep was tested in North Carolina at Fort Bragg and is now in production in North Carolina near Charlotte. The 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg helped test and provide feedback as the vehicle was developed. The item has a name that's much longer than 'Jeep' — the Infantry Squad Vehicle, which has now been in the field for a couple of years. It's designed to quickly move up to nine soldiers and their gear over rough terrain — but not as a fighting vehicle because it has no armor, like a Jeep. The U.S. Army says the ISV, officially the M1301, is transported easily by helicopters or other aircraft during air assault and airborne assault missions. The first unit equipped with the ISV was the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. The ISV is made from the road-legal Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck but has a doorless design, steel and aluminum body panels, and a rollover bar. Initially, the U.S. Army awarded $214 million for just under 650 vehicles to GM Defense/Ricardo Defense in June 2020. One key aspect of the vehicle is that 90 percent of the parts are commercial off-the-shelf items, which experts say cuts down on costs, stocking spare parts and time needed to fabricate parts. The overall Amy requirement is for 2,593 ISVs, which are built in Mooresville by Hendrick Motorsports and then delivered to the military from a GM center about 20 miles away in Cabarrus County. The GM center, located in Concord, is a 75,000-square-foot facility that was built just for ISV production. Of the total contract, 649 are planned for delivery by this year to 11 infantry brigade combat teams. So far, foreign governments have shown an interest in the ISV, with Canada planning to buy 90 and possibly another 240, according to GM. While the ISV is not armored, troops said its 5,000-pound light weight, low profile and speed are assets. 'When expecting an ambush, we used speed to blow through and return fire,' Pfc. Caden Wilhelm told military officials about testing at Fort Bragg. The 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions used the ISV to help Hurricane Helene victims in western North Carolina last year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Army leaders to Musk: We will DOGE ourselves
WASHINGTON — Under pressure to make drastic budget cuts, Army leaders have struck an unusual agreement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency: Don't DOGE us; we will DOGE ourselves. The process began at a March White House meeting attended by Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; and the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. Soon after the meeting began, Musk joined them. Together, the four men discussed Driscoll and George's plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in what they and other Army officials agree is wasteful spending. The two men's goal is to cut jobs, consolidate commands and radically change the Army acquisition process, the three officials said. 'We have been working to get the best, most lethal, most modern tools in the hands of our soldiers,' Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, said in an email. 'To do this we have to leave behind the anchor of obsolescence. We have to stop spending money on yesterday's equipment and invest in war winning technology.' Army leaders have long complained that members of Congress force them to spend billions of dollars on weapons, vehicles and programs they don't want. Often, the spending is driven by members of Congress focused on bringing jobs and money to their districts or attached to legacy programs the Army leaders no longer want, the officials said. George has argued that there are too many general officer billets in the Army and that some of them can be eliminated, the three officials said. And Driscoll believes there are civilian roles that have become redundant or outdated. The two leaders also suggested consolidating some Army commands, including U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South and U.S. Futures Command, the officials said. 'By combining headquarters and reducing general officer billets, we will prioritize the maneuver formations who fight and win our nation's wars,' Butler said. Musk and Vance approved, and now Army leaders have begun a campaign to make their own cuts instead of DOGE. They include eliminating several large Army programs; consolidating or slashing redundant positions, including general officers and civilians; and using a consulting firm to convince the public and Capitol Hill that the programs the Army doesn't want are failing. Army leaders are considering cutting 8% to as much as 20% of its civilian workforce, with an early estimate of about 20,000 cuts to start, the officials said. They promised to take a tailored approach to the cuts. Two programs on the chopping block are the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, known as the JLTV, and the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, commonly known as the Humvee. Army leaders hope to focus spending on the newer Infantry Squad Vehicle, known as the ISV, instead. Another example is the Army could stop buying the Delta variant of the AH-64 Apache helicopter in favor of the AH-64E, which Army leaders prefer, the officials added. Army officials also hope to stop buying the Gray Eagle drone and replace it with newer-model drones. Officials said they are also considering changes to at least seven other programs. In anticipation of congressional resistance to reducing jobs and money in their districts, the Pentagon has prepared a 'DoD Directive' that would give Army officials significantly more autonomy in what they can buy, according to the three officials. The directive is expected to be signed this week. It would allow Army leaders to select the specific vehicles, drones and large weapon systems that the Army would use for years without Congress' overruling them in the budget process. The issue is so sensitive that Pentagon officials must sign nondisclosure agreements before they are briefed on the details, the three officials said. Since Driscoll was sworn in as Army secretary, his approach has been unorthodox. Driscoll, a close friend of Vance's, joined the Army after having worked in finance. He has assured Trump administration officials and congressional officials that he would resist congressional pressure and let the Army buy what the military leaders believe they need, two defense officials said. Driscoll has hired a public affairs consulting firm, MAD Global Strategy, to place news stories in targeted districts and make the case for why certain programs should be cut, according to the three officials. One of the firm's partners, Jai Chabria, was chief strategist and general consultant for Vance's Senate 2020 campaign in Ohio, according to his company bio. MAD Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firm is tasked with sharing Army information with the public that shows that certain programs are inefficient, overpriced or outdated. Defense officials said it is the first time they can recall that the Army has intentionally released information about specific programs' weaknesses to end them and convey to voters that Congress is forcing the Army to buy them. MAD will give examples such as vehicles that are too heavy to cross bridges into training areas and expensive software from outside companies that could be produced inside the Army at far less cost. It will also describe historic buildings that the Army is forced to keep instead of constructing new ones, even though they're expensive to restore and maintain. The overall goal, the officials said, is to give the public evidence that the current acquisition process is costly, time-consuming and inefficient. 'Over the past twenty years staffs and overhead have become bloated and ineffective,' Butler wrote. This article was originally published on
NBC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Army leaders to Musk: We will DOGE ourselves
WASHINGTON — Under pressure to make drastic budget cuts, Army leaders have struck an unusual agreement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency: Don't DOGE us; we will DOGE ourselves. The process began at a March White House meeting attended by Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; and the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. Soon after the meeting began, Musk joined them. Together, the four men discussed Driscoll and George's plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in what they and other Army officials agree is wasteful spending. The two men's goal is to cut jobs, consolidate commands and radically change the Army acquisition process, the three officials said. 'We have been working to get the best, most lethal, most modern tools in the hands of our soldiers,' Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, said in an email. 'To do this we have to leave behind the anchor of obsolescence. We have to stop spending money on yesterday's equipment and invest in war winning technology.' Army leaders have long complained that members of Congress force them to spend billions of dollars on weapons, vehicles and programs they don't want. Often, the spending is driven by members of Congress focused on bringing jobs and money to their districts or attached to legacy programs the Army leaders no longer want, the officials said. George has argued that there are too many general officer billets in the Army and that some of them can be eliminated, the three officials said. And Driscoll believes there are civilian roles that have become redundant or outdated. The two leaders also suggested consolidating some Army commands, including U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South and U.S. Futures Command, the officials said. 'By combining headquarters and reducing general officer billets, we will prioritize the maneuver formations who fight and win our nation's wars,' Butler said. Musk and Vance approved, and now Army leaders have begun a campaign to make their own cuts instead of DOGE. They include eliminating several large Army programs; consolidating or slashing redundant positions, including general officers and civilians; and using a consulting firm to convince the public and Capitol Hill that the programs the Army doesn't want are failing. Army leaders are considering cutting 8% to as much as 20% of its civilian workforce, with an early estimate of about 20,000 cuts to start, the officials said. They promised to take a tailored approach to the cuts. Two programs on the chopping block are the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, known as the JLTV, and the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, commonly known as the Humvee. Army leaders hope to focus spending on the newer Infantry Squad Vehicle, known as the ISV, instead. Another example is the Army could stop buying the Delta variant of the AH-64 Apache helicopter in favor of the AH-64E, which Army leaders prefer, the officials added. Army officials also hope to stop buying the Gray Eagle drone and replace it with newer-model drones. Officials said they are also considering changes to at least seven other programs. Expected congressional opposition In anticipation of congressional resistance to reducing jobs and money in their districts, the Pentagon has prepared a 'DoD Directive' that would give Army officials significantly more autonomy in what they can buy, according to the three officials. The directive is expected to be signed this week. It would allow Army leaders to select the specific vehicles, drones and large weapon systems that the Army would use for years without Congress' overruling them in the budget process. The issue is so sensitive that Pentagon officials must sign nondisclosure agreements before they are briefed on the details, the three officials said. Since Driscoll was sworn in as Army secretary, his approach has been unorthodox. Driscoll, a close friend of Vance's, joined the Army after having worked in finance. He has assured Trump administration officials and congressional officials that he would resist congressional pressure and let the Army buy what the military leaders believe they need, two defense officials said. Driscoll has hired a public affairs consulting firm, MAD Global Strategy, to place news stories in targeted districts and make the case for why certain programs should be cut, according to the three officials. One of the firm's partners, Jai Chabria, was chief strategist and general consultant for Vance's Senate 2020 campaign in Ohio, according to his company bio. MAD Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firm is tasked with sharing Army information with the public that shows that certain programs are inefficient, overpriced or outdated. Defense officials said it is the first time they can recall that the Army has intentionally released information about specific programs' weaknesses to end them and convey to voters that Congress is forcing the Army to buy them. MAD will give examples such as vehicles that are too heavy to cross bridges into training areas and expensive software from outside companies that could be produced inside the Army at far less cost. It will also describe historic buildings that the Army is forced to keep instead of constructing new ones, even though they're expensive to restore and maintain. The overall goal, the officials said, is to give the public evidence that the current acquisition process is costly, time-consuming and inefficient. 'Over the past twenty years staffs and overhead have become bloated and ineffective,' Butler wrote.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
GM Defense boosts Mideast footprint with Edge military vehicle tie-up
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — GM Defense has signed an agreement with Edge Group to build a local manufacturing capability for some of its light tactical vehicles, which could be integrated with Emirati weapons. The General Motors subsidiary will work on the project with NIMR Automotive, an arm of the Emirati defense conglomerate, to assess demand for military platforms in the Middle East and Africa region. 'We plan to leverage off NIMR's local facility for potential future production of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) in several variants, including the cargo one, which is garnering significant demand,' Bradley Watters, vice president for international business development at GM Defense, told Defense News. Upon request, the manufacturer would also be prepared to establish its own production facility in the UAE, which would be a first for the U.S. company. Two vehicle variants armed with Emirati systems were on display at the IDEX and NAVDEX defense fairs here, the infantry utility version equipped with EDGE-made Q Copter munitions, and the next-generation tactical vehicle configuration with Hunter loitering munitions. The partnership announced during the show here builds on a previous agreement signed in 2023 with the Tawazun Council, the Abu Dhabi-based government agency in charge of procurement. The GM-made ISV completed summer trials in the Gulf country in 2023. The evaluation entailed a 2,000-kilometer march across sand dunes, soft sand tracks and rocky fields. The intention is to have the company's recently developed Next Generation Tactical Vehicle, or NGTV, undergo the same assessments as part of the 2026 summer trials, company officials said. As GM Defense continues to expand its footprint in the Middle East, the company is interested in integrating some of its power propulsion and engine systems into existing regional platforms. One of the key technologies engineers have developed through its hybrid electric vehicles, including the NGTV-H, is the ability to drive silently, a feature advertised by the company as an advantage in combat.
