Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)

January 15, 2021 – May 19, 2025 IF11729

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)
Updated May 19, 2025 (IF11729)

Background

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Family of Vehicles (FoV) is an Army-led, joint-service program designed to replace a portion of each service's light tactical wheeled vehicle fleets. The JLTV FoV consists of two variants: the four-seat Combat Tactical Vehicle (CTV) (Figure 1) and the two-seat Combat Support Vehicle (CSV) (Figure 2). The CTV is to support the General Purpose, Heavy Gun Carrier and Close Combat Weapon Carrier missions. The CSV is to support the Utility/Shelter Carrier mission. The JLTV is transportable by a range of lift assets, including rotary-wing aircraft.

Program Status

In August 2015, the Army awarded Oshkosh Defense a $6.7 billion low-rate initial production (LRIP) contract to procure the initial 16,901 vehicles for the Army and Marines. In June 2019, the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology) approved Army JLTV full-rate production (FRP). The Army planned for a follow-on full-rate production contract awarded to a single vendor in the fourth quarter of FY2022. It was reportedly to be a competitive five-year contract with five one-year options for about 30,000 JLTVs and 10,000 JLTV trailers. The Army began fielding LRIP JLTVs to units in April 2019, and Marine Corps units received their first LRIP JLTVs in February 2019.

JLTV Combat Tactical Vehicle (CTV)

Figure 1. JLTV Combat Tactical Vehicle Variant (CTV)

Source: https://asc.army.mil/web/portfolio-item/cs-css-joint-light-tactical-vehicle/, accessed December 30, 2020.

JLTV Combat Support Vehicle (CSV)

Figure 2. JLTV Combat Support Vehicle Variant (CSV)

Source: https://asc.army.mil/web/portfolio-item/cs-css-joint-light-tactical-vehicle/, accessed December 30, 2020.

Foreign Military Sales

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which coordinates foreign military sales, there are seven foreign JLTV customers, including the United Kingdom, Israel, Romania, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Montenegro.

JLTV Follow-On Contract

The Army originally planned to award a follow-on full-rate JLTV production contract to a single vendor in the fourth quarter of FY2022. Reportedly, the Army pushed back the due date for companies to bid on the JLTV follow-on contract based on requests from industry. The Army had planned to award the single vendor contract in December 2022. Because the Army owns the technical data for the JLTV, it was able to conduct a competition to determine if other vendors could build the vehicle at a lower price than Oshkosh.

JLTV Follow-On Contract Awarded to AM General

Reportedly, on February 9, 2023, the Army awarded the JLTV follow-on production contract, valued at more than $8 billion, to AM General instead of Oshkosh. The contract reportedly included five base ordering years and five one-year optional ordering periods for both U.S. and foreign military sales. According to the provisions of the contract, AM General is to produce up to 20,682 JLTVs and up to 9,883 trailers. AM General-produced JLTVs reportedly are to have additional capabilities "such as an automated guided vehicle system, radio frequency identification, and Global Positioning System (GPS) traceability." In addition, the vehicles are also to feature "an updated architecture, as well as enhanced corrosion protection and improved fuel efficiency." The new JLTVs are reportedly to be produced at AM General's Mishawaka, IN, manufacturing facility, with deliveries expected to begin in about 17 months.

JLTV Program Cancelled

On May 1, 2025, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George published "Letter to the Force: Army Transformation Initiative." This letter was in response to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's April 30, 2025, memorandum for senior Pentagon leadership titled "Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform." The Army Transformation Initiative directive stated, among other things, that the Army "will cancel procurement of outdated crewed attack aircraft such as the AH-64D [and] excess ground vehicles like the HMMWV [High Mobility, Multi-Wheeled vehicle] and JLTV."

According to a May 2, 2025, AM General press release,

At this time, AM General has backlog for deliveries of vehicles through 2027 and AM General remains committed to meeting our contractual delivery requirements. As we work to understand the significance of the DoD's recent communications, we will continue to operate our HUMVEE and JLTV A2 assembly lines and our Aftermarket Fulfillment facility as normal to meet our contractual requirements and serve the Warfighter.

JLTV Contract Termination

Reportedly, the Army plans to procure no additional JLTVs beyond the 250 JLTVs delivered to the Army in January 2025. Army leaders reportedly noted that this would not break the JLTV contract with AM General and that there would be no cancellation costs, further explaining that

[this] is a contract where you buy in tranches, and the last tranche that we bought was in January. We will do no future procurement buys for the Army ... The Army already has enough JLTVs in its armored, heavy and Stryker formations and it's moving to incorporate Infantry Squad Vehicles into its lighter formations.

Army Testimony on JLTV Cancellation

Reportedly, during May 13, 2025, testimony to the House Armed Services Readiness Sub-Committee, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General James Mingus reportedly stated that

  • The JLTV will "not go away overnight" but rather the divestment will occur "over time."
  • The Army has acquired 20,000 JLTVs, and more are still scheduled to come off the production line.
  • By recouping and ceasing further JLTV procurement, the Army plans to reinvest those funds to more rapidly modernize light formations.
  • The Marines may still elect to purchase JLTVs, and Foreign Military Sales could continue.

Marine Corps Concerns

  • Reportedly, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Eric Smith, stated that he

[a]nticipates JLTV unit costs to rise following the Army's cancellation of future JLTV procurement and that the Marines are "still assessing the full impact of the Army's abrupt exit from the joint program."

[t]he average per unit cost is going to go up when the orders go down, and that's going to negatively impact the Marine Corps' ability to fulfill its ground tactical vehicle mobility strategy, which has me concerned.

Potential Issues for Congress

The Army's May 1, 2025, JLTV decision arguably lacks sufficient detail needed for congressional oversight. Some potential questions could include the following:

  • What are the Army's plans to sustain JLTVs already in service? How will spare JLTV parts and components be procured?
  • As JLTV is a joint program, how will the Army's cancellation affect the Marines', Navy's, and Air Force's JLTV procurement and sustainment requirements?
  • How does the JLTV cancellation affect the Army's overall tactical wheeled vehicle fleet? Will other types of tactical wheeled vehicles be required to compensate for the loss of JLTVs?
  • Given the Commandant of the Marine Corps' reported concerns about the negative impact of JLTV cancellation on the Marines' ability to fulfill its ground tactical vehicle mobility strategy, will this cancellation have a significant impact on Army ground mobility as well?
  • While the Army stated that JLTV Foreign Military Sales can occur, how does the JLTV cancellation affect Foreign Military Sales overall?
  • What is the Army's expected cost savings associated with cancelling the JLTV program?
  • How will the JLTV cancellation affect the tactical wheeled vehicle industrial base, particularly small business suppliers?