Military provides little clarity for future of truck fleets.

• Author: Beidel, Eric
• Position: Tactical Vehicles

As wars end and budgets tighten, the Pentagon has begun trying to make sense of the spending spree that was the past decade.

Part of that process will require sorting through and thinning out arguably the most robust tactical wheeled vehicle fleet in history.

The Army plans to reduce its force structure by up to 13 combat brigades, which means that the service won't need nearly as many trucks. Leaders say they are in the throes of trying to figure out the right mix of vehicles for the future, but details have been slow to emerge.

"We live in a world of confusion," said Don Tison, assistant deputy chief of staff for Army G-8. "But there is some clarity here."

The clearest picture may he that of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), which officials say will be the star of the future fleet. The program promises to deliver a truck that combines the off-road agility of the Humvee with the protection levels of the mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle. But the Army still has to do something with about 160,000 Humvees and 21,000 MRAPs, some of which will stick around in some capacity even after the new truck becomes a reality.

What happens to the MRAP, a monstrous vehicle rushed to war to defend against improvised explosive devices, is one of many unknowns. The Army, and to a lesser degree the Marine Corps, has to decide what roles the vehicle--and its many variants, including the all-terrain vehicle M-ATV--will play after Iraq and Afghanistan.

Officials have considered a number of options, including putting them in prepositional stockpiles to be used in Future conflicts and reserving some for specialty units and training. Some could he stored at the Sierra Army Depot in California. Others could be divested and sold to allies.

"Do we put it in propositioned sets? Do we set it out in Sierra in the high desert? Do we put the M-ATVS into formations where they are most capable? It will probably be a broad combination," Tison said. "A blended strategy."

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The speedy fielding of MRAPs has been a blessing and a curse, he said. The heavily armored trucks saved lives as intended, but they were paid for with supplemental funds. Introducing them to the force structure presents challenges because they have never been part of the baseline budget, he said.

Still, MRAPs have to help cover the gap until JLTV arrives. They can be used for route-clearance operations, mine and explosive ordnance disposal, casualty evacuation and convoy protection, officials said.

Army Chief of Transportation Brig. Gen. Stephen E. Farmen said the Army would introduce them into tactical truck units that have several spots for "convoy protection platforms" such as MRAP or JLTV, he said.

"That's how we intend to use MRAPs initially," he said.

There has been debate about introducing MRAPs into brigade combat teams (BCTs). Some, such as Farmen, support the idea. Others have said that the MRAP, which can...