WASHINGTON – The Army is trading icons, a 40-year-old Humvee.
The infantry is more of a dune buggy than an armored truck, and is one of the most visible signs of the Army’s transition from Cold War era equipment that has defined it for generations. The crushing rebellion following the collapse of the Soviet Union demanded more and more armor to protect the troops from roadside bombs. Instead, they use a variety of vehicles and drones that can be kept quickly in the field, and often commercial ready-made technology.
“The Humvee is a typical GI-Joe vehicle,” says Alex Miller, the Army leader’s chief technical advisor for transforming its equipment. “This is a typical Army vehicle that has been in stock since 1985. So, 40-year Humvee. That was good for what was built for that. It was high mobility at the time.
That fight will likely involve China between Pentagon officials like Miller, and will require speed and agility to survive. The battle also almost certainly resembles the battle caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The deadly drone has transformed slow trucks and even tanks into death traps.
Enter the infantry. It is basically a stretched, peeled all-terrain vehicle with no doors or seated roof for as many as nine soldiers. The Army plans to equip light infantry units with trucks and hundreds of drones to spy and attack enemies.
Army’s new signature vehicle
During World War II and for most of the next 40 years, the Olive Drab Jeep became synonymous with the Army. The small, rugged trucks have come to civilian use, and are the ancestors of off-road vehicles and SUVs, with patrol suburbs and ferry kids heading to the forefront of the soccer game.
The high-mobility multi-purpose wheeler, well known as the Humvee, had another 40 years of running as the Army’s flagship truck since 1985. The soldiers drove them on operations from Afghanistan to Alaska. More versatile than Jeep, Humvees offered multiple versions, including versions that could hunt and destroy tanks with missiles.
However, they gained infamous name in Iraq and Afghanistan. There, the rebels mercilessly attacked their main vulnerabilities. IEDS’ improvised explosive devices became the number one killer of the US military in both wars.
The Pentagon replaced the Humvee as a military priority during the George W. Bush administration under Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. The mine-resistant ambush protected the vehicle (MRAP) which is a heavy truck with a V-shaped hull that deflected the explosion from the bomb, saving the lives and limbs of thousands of troops.
In 2012, then-Defense Secretary Ashton Carter released data to USA Today on the effectiveness of MRAP in IED attacks.
“If you were in MRAP than if you were in Humvee, you’re 9-14 times less likely to get killed,” Carter said.
However, the protection provided by MRAP sacrificed speed and agility. The Pentagon purchased small armored trucks, such as joint light tactical vehicles. The bulk of JLTV was a Nimbler than MRAPS, but meant he couldn’t get into the battlefield.
The new “Jeep” in the Army is easy to repair
Lighter than the Humvee and cheaper at $80,000, the infantry is based on a Chevrolet Colorado truck built in Missouri. It’s basically the same trucks that consumers can buy from local dealers. Only about 20% of the components of the infantry vehicle, including communications and electronic equipment, are Army-specific.
This is an important difference compared to trucks such as Humvees and JLTVs, which are custom built for the military.
“It can be repaired anywhere on the planet as long as you have access to commercial parts, not special military vehicles with special military parts,” says Miller, the Army’s top technical advisor.
However, some Defense Department officials have admitted that the speed and cost trade-off has lost the armor that saved the lives and limbs of Iraq and Afghanistan. The infantry represents the Army’s latest assessment of what soldiers need for their next war.
New drones and robots that accompany the truck can be sent beforehand to help avoid walking. Speed, not armor, will save the lives of soldiers in the next battle, Miller said.
“The longer you sit down and the slower you are, the easier it will be to kill you,” he said.
Based on decades of combat experience, infantry represent the best Army speculation, although best for future combat, according to senior officials not allowed to publicly speak.
The vehicle is not intended to withstand attacks, officials said. It is designed to foam soldiers within miles of the frontline and walk a little further away to the battle.
What if the army was pulled back into a bloody city battle with the IED?
I’ll buy something else, officials said.
Michael O’Hanlon, a national security expert at the Brookings Institute, counts ISV skeptics.
He recalls 20 years ago that the Army had sunk billions into what it called the future combat system. The initiative was intended to replace Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry combat vehicles with fleets of manned and unmanned systems. Failed.
“It worked well with PowerPoint,” O’Hanlon said. “But the technology wasn’t there (to find everything before it explodes or is affected), but that’s not yet true. As Muhammad Ali said, “I float like a butterfly, I get stinged like a bee.” Unless technology is provided.
“They had to cut something, but I’m wary of this choice.”
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What do soldiers think about that?
The soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division were the first in the Army to drive trucks. Many people swear by that.
Compared to Humvees, its lightweight means that infantry can carry it in a Black Hawk helicopter over short distances. Twin rotor Chinook helicopters allow two trucks to distance themselves in the cargo chamber. The weight of the Humvee requires a Chinook, and can only carry one with a sling.
On the ground, infantry vehicles are faster and more fuel efficient than Humvees. Speed will help infantry soldiers keep pace with armored units travelling to war, said Colonel Trevor Volkel, who commands the 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team in the 101st Airborne Division. Voelkel’s brigade tested new equipment, including about 200 trucks, at the Joint Preparatory Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana in May.
“We’re back to the original Humvee concept,” says Voelkel. “But because there are newer, lighter, more commercial vehicles, it’s easier to repair and cheaper to repair.”
William Melko, the first sergeant of Voelkel’s brigade, had experience driving other Army trucks in Afghanistan. He said none of them gave his soldiers a better view of the potential threats around them. It’s easier to drive, especially for young soldiers.
“The best way I can explain it is like a regular pickup,” Melco said.
Last year, after Hurricane Helen pressed down the southeast, Lt. Col. Jonathan Nielsen commanded the 101st Battalion in response to flooding in North Carolina. His soldiers drove infantry on damaged roads where there was no access to the Humvee, he said.
The truck also piloted the city streets more than the Humvees.
“The ISV will be an iconic vehicle,” Nielsen said.
Contributed by Ramonpadilla, Graphics
