JRTC, Fort Polk units receive Joint Light Tactical Vehicles

Photo By Chuck Cannon | FORSCOM G-4 personnel watch as Soldiers and Oshkosh representatives conduct an inventory of parts associated with the Army's new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Oct. 22. The installation is set to receive 192 of the JLTVs during the next two months.  

FORT POLK, LA, UNITED STATES

10.25.2019

Story by Chuck Cannon 

Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

FORT POLK, La. — The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Dvision began adding the Army’s new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to their motor pool inventory Oct. 22 when unit Soldiers conducted inventories with representatives of Oshkosh Defense, LLC, on the first 14 of 192 of the new JLTVs.
Oshkosh was awarded the contract for manufacturing the JLTV which will replace many of the Army and Marine Corps High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, more commonly referred to as HMMWVs.
“The JLTV program exemplifies the benefit of strong ties between the warfighter and acquisition communities," said Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. “With continuous feedback from the user, our program office is able to reach the right balance of technological advancements that will provide vastly improved capability, survivability, networking power and maneuverability.”
The JLTV family of vehicles restores payload and performance that were traded from light tactical vehicles to add protection for recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. JLTVs will give Soldiers, Marines and their commanders more options in a protected mobility solution that is also the first vehicle purpose-built for modern battlefield networks.
The JLTVs at Fort Polk are in two variants: General purpose and utility vehicle.
Jason Lairson, JLTV training specialist for Oshkosh, said the JLTVs would be issued to Fort Polk units 14 at a time with all 192 expected to be in local units’ hands by Thanksgiving.
“It’s a time consuming process as we have to inventory each piece of equipment associated with each vehicle,” Lairson said. “We also have to provide driver training, and training for those mechanics who will work on the vehicles.”
Lairson said the JLTV offers Soldiers more head and leg room, back support, armor upgrade and air conditioning.
Sgt. 1st Class Jimmy Dixon, 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd BCT, 10th Mtn Div, served as a liaison between the 3rd BCT and Oshkosh.
“The comfort in going from a HMMWV to the JLTV is tremendous,” Dixon said. “We’ve really made great strides in technology with the JLTV.”
Representatives from FORSCOM G-4 were at Fort Polk Oct. 22 to observe to handover of vehicles.

• Date Taken: 10.25.2019
• Date Posted: 10.28.2019 13:14
• Story ID: 349523
• Location: FORT POLK, LA, US