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May 13, 2021
Marine Corps Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV)
What Is the Advanced Reconnaissance
anti-armor capability to defeat close-in heavy armor
Vehicle (ARV)?
threats;
According to the Marine Corps, the Advanced
Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) aims to be a new armored
precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to defeat threats
vehicle family to replace the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV)
beyond the engagement range of threat systems;
(Figure 1):
unmanned systems swarm capability to provide
Since the 1980s, the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV)
persistent, multifunction munitions;
has supported Marine Air-Ground Task Force
missions on the battlefield. While the LAV remains
advanced, networked, multifunctional electronic warfare
operationally effective, the life cycle of this system
(EW) capabilities;
is set to expire in the mid-2030s…. The Advanced
Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) [the LAV’s
a modern command-and-control suite and a full range of
replacement] will be highly mobile, networked,
sensors to enhance and extend reconnaissance and
transportable, protected, and lethal. The capability
surveillance ranges;
will provide, sensors, communication systems and
lethality options to overmatch threats that have
organic unmanned aerial and ground systems
historically been addressed with more heavily
(UAS/UGS) that can be deployed from the ARV;
armored systems. The ARV will be an advanced
combat vehicle system, capable of fighting for
active and passive vehicle protection capabilities to
information that balances competing capability
sense, orient, classify, track, and defeat incoming
demands to sense, shoot, move, communicate and
rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), anti-tank guided
remain transportable as part of the naval
missiles (ATGMs), and PGM threats with hard-and soft-
expeditionary force.
kill capability;
Figure 1. U.S. Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicle
robust cross-country/on-road mobility performance with
(LAV)
shore-to-shore water mobility (shore-to-shore mobility
is the movement of personnel and materiel directly from
a shore staging area to the land objective without further
transfers between ships prior to an amphibious assault);
and
for transport purposes, size and weight similar to the
LAV.
ARV in Marine Corps Force Structure
The ARV is to be the primary combat system in Light
Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalions. The mission of
the LAR Battalion is to conduct mounted (vehicle-borne)
and dismounted (on foot):
Reconnaissance, surveillance, and security operations in
Source: https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/
support of maneuver.
1817404/marine-corps-plans-to-replace-lav-with-new-
transformational-arv/, accessed May 5, 2021.
Offensive and defensive actions, deception, and raids to
ARV Desired Operational Capabilities
create decisive conditions for the Marine Division and
the supported unit commander.
According to a Marine Corps May 2019 briefing to
industry, some of the ARV’s desired operational
Program Status
capabilities include
The Marines plan for a number of ARV variants—referred
to as a “family of vehicles.” The first described variant is to
an automatic medium-caliber cannon capable of
be the Command, Control, Communications and
delivering anti-personnel, anti-materiel, and anti-armor
Computers/Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C4/UAS) version.
munitions on the move (such as the Army’s XM813 30
Reportedly, the Marine Corps plans to make up to three
mm weapon system);
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Marine Corps Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV)
awards for ARV prototypes. The vendors selected would
desirability of the ARV in future force design. According to
then deliver prototypes for testing and evaluation. The
the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David
Marines plan to choose up to two vendors to continue into a
Berger:
competitive Engineering and Manufacturing Development
(EMD) phase in FY2024. If prototype testing proves
While I have repeatedly stated that all-domain
successful, the Marines Corps could then initiate a
reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance will be
production effort potentially worth an estimated $1.8 billion
a critical element of any future contingency, I
to $6.8 billion over five years. Reportedly, Textron (Figure
remain unconvinced that additional wheeled,
2) and General Dynamics (Figure 3) have already
manned armored ground reconnaissance units are
submitted prototype ARVs to the Marines for testing and
the best and only answer – especially in the Indo-
evaluation.
Pacific region. We need to see more evidence
during Phase III to support this conclusion before
Figure 2. Notional Textron ARV
engaging in an expansion of our existing capacity,
or committing billions of dollars in procurement
funds towards the acquisition of an Advanced
Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV). (See page 10)
In the Marine’s February 2021 force design update to the
Secretary of Defense, the Commandant further noted:
The 12 Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR)
Companies identified in the initial Force Design
Report must be re-evaluated in light of the emerging
concept of multi-domain mobile reconnaissance.
This may affect the overall requirement for armored
land mobility in the form of the Advanced
Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV). (See pages 5-6)
These two statements could arguably raise questions
Source: Defense Daily, “GD Submits Prototype Proposal
regarding the future of the ongoing ARV program.
For Marine Corps ARV, SAIC Is Out,” May 6, 2021.
Potential Questions for Congress
Figure 3. Notional General Dynamics ARV
Potential questions arising from policy issues concerning
the ARV may include but are not limited to the following:
In view of the Commandant’s statements in 2020 and
2021 regarding the need for the ARV, what is the
Marine Corps’ current official position on the
operational requirement to procure the ARV?
If the requirement for the service’s LAR companies and
the ARV “must be re-evaluated” as stated in the
February 2021 update, what are the Marines’ plans to
reevaluate this requirement? If there is to be a
reevaluation, when will this be communicated to
Congress?
Source: Defense Daily, “GD Submits Prototype Proposal
For Marine Corps ARV, SAIC Is Out,” May 6, 2021.
Pending a reevaluation of the service’s LAR companies
and the ARV, should the ongoing ARV program be
The ARV and the Marine Corps 2030
suspended so that additional funds are not expended on
Force Design Initiative
a program that potentially could be cancelled?
In March 2020, the Marines undertook a major force design
initiative planned to occur over the next 10 years. The
For additional information on the Marine Corps 2030 Force
Marine Corps intends to redesign the force for naval
Design Initiative, see CRS Insight IN11281, New U.S.
expeditionary warfare and to better align itself with the
Marine Corps Force Design Initiatives, by Andrew
National Defense Strategy, in particular, its focus on
Feickert.
strategically competing with China and Russia. In February
2021, the Marines updated the Secretary of Defense on the
Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces
progress on force design initiatives.
IF11831
The March 2020 force design initiative plan raises
questions that some have about the role or even the
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Marine Corps Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV)
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