Combat and Tactical Vehicles : Developments and Considerations for the Department of Defense

In April 2009, then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced he intended to significantly restructure the Army's Future Combat System (FCS) program. The FCS was a multiyear, multibillion dollar program that had been underway since 2000 and was at the heart of the Army's transformation efforts. It was to be the Army's major research, development, and acquisition program, consisting of 18 manned and unmanned systems tied together by an extensive communications and information network. This book provides an overview of the development and considerations of the Department of Defense with regard to combat and tactical vehicles, with a focus on the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC); the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV); Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles; and other defense acquisitions.