QUANTICO, VA — The Marine Corps’ joint light tactical vehicle (JLTV) is officially ready to deploy and support missions of the naval expeditionary force-in-readiness worldwide.
Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Combat Development and Integration declared the JLTV program—part of the Light Tactical Vehicle portfolio at Program Executive Officer Land Systems—reached initial operational capability, or IOC, on Aug. 2, nearly a year ahead of schedule. “Congratulations to the combined JLTV Team for acting with a sense of urgency and reaching IOC early,” said Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition James Geurts. “Changing the speed in which we deliver, combined with coming in under cost and meeting all performance requirements, is a fine example of increasing Marine Corps capabilities at the speed of relevance which enables our Marines to compete and win on the modern battlefield.”
The JLTV, a program led by the Army, will fully replace the Corps’ aging high-mobility, multipurpose, wheeled vehicle fleet. The JLTV family of vehicles comes in different variants, with multiple mission package configurations, all providing protected, sustained, networked mobility that balances payload, performance, and protection across the full range of military operations.
“I’m proud of what our team, in collaboration with the Army, has accomplished, said Geurts. “Their commitment to supporting the Warfighter delivered an exceptional vehicle, ahead of schedule, that Marines will use to dominate on the battlefield now and well into the future.”
Several elements need to be met before a program can declare IOC of a system, which encompasses more than delivery of the system itself. The program office also has to ensure all the operators are fully trained and maintenance tools and spare parts packages are ready.
“IOC is more than just saying that the schoolhouses and an infantry battalion all have their trucks,” said Eugene Morin, product manager for JLTV at PEO Land Systems. “All of the tools and parts required to support the system need to be in place, the units must have had received sufficient training, and each unit commander needs to declare that he is combat ready.”