ARMY AL&T
The MSF in Kuwait was first established as a deprocessing center, supporting the onward movement of more than 11,000 MRAP vehicles. Since then, it has trans- formed into a first-class sustainment maintenance facility where trucks are being re-missioned as they transition from the fight in Iraq and into the fight in OEF. (U.S. Army photo by Barbara Hamby.)
The MRAP is one of many innova- tions the U.S. military has developed to stay ahead of insurgents, who readily adapt to American technology. While there is no silver bullet against IEDs, the MRAP Family of Vehicles (FOV) has proven effective in countering the enemy’s weapon of choice. “We con- tinue to learn, but we are aligned in our efforts to deliver this capability,” said Paul Mann, Joint Program Manager (PM) MRAP Vehicle Program. “It pro- vides greater safety and survivability for U.S. forces.”
Equipping the Force From 2003 to October 2006, the number of casualties caused by IEDs escalated during Operation Iraqi Freedom. While a number of counter- measures—to include adding armor to existing vehicles—had some success, there was an urgent need to produce and field a vehicle designed from the ground up to provide troops with a survivable platform from mines and IEDs. With that, they could success- fully support mission requirements and safely return to base.
Both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps had procured limited numbers of IED-resistant vehicles to support route clearance and explosive ordnance disposal operations. These vehicles had varying degrees of success and demonstrated that survivable vehi- cles could be built. All of these factors led to establishing the Joint MRAP Vehicle Program.
Since it was established in October 2006, the program’s scope has increased dramatically. The initial requirement for 1,185 MRAP vehicles quickly grew to 4,060; then 7,774; to 15,374 by September 2007; and reaching 16,238 by November 2008. With the addition of the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) in 2009 and another increase in January 2010, the total require- ment has increased to well more than 26,000 MRAP FOV in support of overseas contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Roughly 19,000 of these trucks are Army assets. As DOD’s highest priority acquisition program, this infusion of survivable vehicles is unprecedented since World War II.
While there is no silver bullet against IEDs, the MRAP FOV has proven effective in countering the enemy’s weapon of choice.
“We have placed delivery orders for nearly 25,700 vehicles,” said COL Kevin B. Peterson, MRAP Military Principal Deputy PM (DPM). “Bottom line: we are fulfilling requirements set by CENTCOM [U.S. Central Command] and procuring additional vehicles to meet the increasing demand signal for these lifesaving trucks in sup- port of our troops,” Peterson said.
As forces draw down in Iraq and surge in Afghanistan, the need to equip war- fighters with a more mobile MRAP vehicle meant that the Joint Program Office (JPO) would need to quickly adapt to meet new and emerging require- ments. Unlike Iraq, which has a mature infrastructure, Afghanistan has very few paved roads and rugged mountain- ous terrain that challenge a vehicle’s ride quality and off-road mobility. In response to this urgent requirement, the JPO developed a refined rapid-acquisition strategy. “Our greatest focus right now is getting MRAPs to our forces in Afghanistan,” Mann said.
Part of this equation included procur- ing more than 8,100 M-ATVs, which combine MRAP levels of surviv- ability along with the capability to travel off-road. In addition, the JPO put on contract more than 1,300 Category I MRAPs equipped with new
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