Updated October 22, 2026 (IF13092)

The Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV)

The ISV (Figure 1) is a lightweight, unarmored ground transport vehicle being developed by GM Defense (headquartered in Detroit, MI) intended to enhance the mobility of Army Mobile Brigade Combat Teams (MBCTs), Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs), and Army Special Operations Forces. According to the Army, the ISV was designed to move nine soldiers and their equipment rapidly across terrain where heavier vehicles such as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) may be less practical or effective.

Figure 1. Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV)

Source: GM Defense, "Infantry Squad Vehicle," accessed August 25, 2025, https://www.gmdefensellc.com/site/us/en/gm-defense/home/integrated-vehicles/infantry-squad-vehicle.html.

Background

The JLTV, HMMWV, and ISV constitute the Army's Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) fleet. The Army has evaluated the ISV as part of the Army's Transformation in Contact (TIC) modernization program. Previous reliance on HMMWVs and JLTVs, which offered greater protection, reportedly presented challenges in terms of speed, cross-country mobility, and air transport. The Army adopted a commercial off‑the‑shelf (COTS) acquisition approach for the ISV to minimize costs and field the vehicle quickly. GM Defense's Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 mid-sized truck was chosen as the baseline ISV platform, deriving 90% of its parts from COTS components, with modifications made for suspension, structure, and load‑carrying capacity.

ISV Specifications

The ISV is approximately 17 feet (ft.) in length, 6.8 ft. in width, and 6 ft. in height, with a payload capacity near 3,200 pounds. The ISV is about the same size as the HMMWV, smaller than the JLTV, and has less payload capacity than the HMMWV and JLTV. According to GM Defense, the ISV has a Roll Over Protection System (ROPS) and can be deployed to the battlefield by means of

• a low-velocity air drop by parachute or air landing by C-17 Globemaster, C-130 Hercules, or A-400M Atlas transport aircraft or
• an internal load in a CH/MH-47 Chinook or CH-53E/K Super/King Stallion helicopter or sling-loaded under a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter (Figure 2).

Figure 2. ISV Sling-Loaded Under a UH-60 Helicopter

Source: GM Defense, "Infantry Squad Vehicle," accessed August 25, 2025, https://www.gmdefensellc.com/site/us/en/gm-defense/home/integrated-vehicles/infantry-squad-vehicle.html.

In correspondence with CRS, GM Defense stated it has a flatbed ISV variant available with either a two- or five-person crew that can be configured for a variety of functions. In addition, although not manufactured or sold by GM Defense, other ISV "kits" are available from third parties to meet buyer use cases, including

• a casualty evacuation kit to externally transport wounded personnel and
• a command-and-control variant.

ISV Development and Testing

In 2018, the Army reportedly developed an ISV acquisition strategy with an estimated requirement for 2,065 vehicles, with production scheduled to start in FY2020. In February 2019, the Army reportedly approved a procurement objective for 651 ISVs and selected GM Defense, an Oshkosh Defense-Flyer Defense team, and a SAIC-Polaris partnership to build two prototypes each, with each team awarded $1 million under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement. In June 2019, the Army awarded GM Defense a $1 million contract to develop two ISV prototypes for testing and evaluation. In June 2020, the Army awarded GM Defense a production contract to build, sustain, and field the ISV, with GM Defense stating,

[t]he total production ISV contract award value is $214.3 million to procure the initial Army Procurement Objective of 649. The approved Army Acquisition Objective is 2,065 vehicles.

On March 30, 2023, the Army approved the ISV's transition to Full-Rate Production (FRP) with a revised Acquisition Objective of 2,593 ISVs. As of April 2023, the Army had accepted more than 300 ISVs and fielded three brigade sets of 59 vehicles, for a fielded total of 177 ISVs.

According to information provided to CRS by the Army, as of November 2025, the following units have received ISVs in the quantities indicated (note: Brigade/Division; ABN = Airborne, MBCT = Army Mobile Brigade Combat Team).

Throughout the ISV's acquisition process, it has undergone a series of operational tests. In 2021, the Department of Defense Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation (DOT&E) published ISV testing observations noting the

ISV was effective as a troop carrier in permissive environments but had limitations in combat roles due to reliability and training concerns.

In 2023, DOT&E provided an updated evaluation:

Following the IOT&E [Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation] conducted in August 2021, the [ISV] manufacturer implemented corrective actions to address reliability and maintainability deficiencies identified in previous testing. The Army conducted reliability compliance testing from June 2022 through January 2023 to validate these corrective actions. The ISV demonstrated a significant improvement to mean miles between system aborts ... when compared to previous testing.... DOT&E's assessment of system effectiveness and survivability were not part of the [ISV's] tactical airborne operation and are unchanged from the December 2021 IOT&E Report.

While the 2021 assessment raised concerns about combat suitability, the 2023 follow-up acknowledged notable improvements in reliability and sustainment, though DOT&E's initial assessment of system survivability remains unchanged.

FY2026 ISV Budget Request

In its FY2026 budget request, in the line-item Ground Mobility Vehicles, the Army requested $308.620 million for procurement of 1,275 ISVs and associated equipment.

Army Seeks to Acquire a Heavy ISV Version

On March 30, 2026, the Army released a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) for an Infantry Squad Vehicle - Heavy (ISV-H). Under the CSO, the Army could award up to three contracts for 606 ISV-Hs, although numbers could vary. The Army is interested in ISV-H candidates with exportable power to accommodate MBCT on-the-move command and control systems.

Growth in ISV Requirements

According to the Army, in February 2026, it established a new procurement objective of 11,582 ISVs. Described as "exponential growth" since the Army's original ISV procurement requirement, the new ISV requirement is based on "soldier feedback and TIC experimentation" and "driven entirely by operational demand." Reportedly, some GM Defense executives believe the Army could "double" the 11,582 ISV requirement in the future, noting "increased demand for the platform." One GM defense executive suggested that

"[w]hen you take a look at the current snap to the chalk line for the acquisition objective, it really focuses heavily on the mobile brigades. Now, I think you're going to see a movement beyond the mobile brigades, both Active and Guard … I think as those vehicles get out [to] soldiers, they're going to find other uses for them. So it's everything from carrying mission kits, counter-UAS [uncrewed aerial system] with mobile mortar capability, mobile command and control, anything that needs to be 'shoot on the move' and fits into that vehicle."

Potential Oversight Issues for Congress

Potential oversight issues for congressional consideration could include the following:

Potential ISV-H Procurement Considerations

If the Army does procure an ISV-H variant, how might this impact the original ISV program? Would ISV-Hs assume roles originally planned for other ISV variants? Would ISV-Hs have different support and maintenance requirements than the ISV? Would the ISV-H accommodate other types of weapons and payloads that were too heavy or required more power than the lighter ISV could support?

ISV Costs and Logistics

The ISV derives 90% of its parts from COTS components. How does reliance on commercial components from a single vendor affect ISV lifecycle costs and supply chain resilience? Can industry sustain an 11,582 or greater ISV fleet over time, including in a wartime high demand environment?

ISV Procurement Quantities

As previously noted, the Army's original ISV procurement objective has grown "exponentially," with new variants being discussed and proposed by both the Army and industry. This calls into question how many and what types of ISVs the Army will require and the impact on the rest of the Army's LTV fleet, many of which could be replaced by ISVs. To get a better sense of the Army's overall plans for its LTV vehicle fleet, Congress could decide to examine the Army's projected requirements by vehicle and variant type to support future budgetary decisions.