The Army and Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program
formally recognized a new Project Manager November 2, 2012. In a ceremony
at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan, JLTV management responsibility
officially transferred from Col. David Bassett to Col. John Cavedo.
Mr. Kevin Fahey, the Army's Program Executive Officer for Combat Support
and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS) officiated the ceremony.
"JLTV is one of the best structured programs I've ever seen," said Fahey.
"[JLTV] is critically important to providing our joint force the mix of
protection, payload, and performance they need to succeed in full-spectrum
operations," he continued, "and I'm glad this is a joint project. The
Joint Force fights together, and the more we work on acquisition together,
the better off our combat forces will be."
Fahey is no stranger to joint acquisition projects, having led much of the
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle fielding effort, and he
currently oversees a portfolio that includes the Joint Program Offices for
both JLTV and MRAP.
Col. Cavedo comes to JLTV from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he served as
Deputy TRADOC Capabilities Manager for Mission Command. "I deeply
appreciate this opportunity," said Col. Cavedo, "to help field the next
generation of tactical vehicles for our Soldiers, Marines, and partners
across the Joint Force."
Although the Army serves in the program lead, the Marine Corps' PEO Land
Systems is a full partner on the JLTV team. "The program's real success is
that we were able to keep costs down without compromising key, Service-
specific requirements," said Deputy PEO Land Systems Mr. Dan Pierson, "and
that makes this program a real model."
JLTV remains an important element of the Army and Marine Corps' Tactical
Wheeled Vehicle strategy and a key Army modernization priority,
representing a new generation in automotive technology and networked
operations. Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual meeting
last month, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said that the
Army's modernization strategy is centered on the "Soldier and the Squad"
and entails both "an overarching network architecture," and "network-ready
combat and tactical wheeled vehicles designed to maneuver our formations
with increased lethality and mobility, while optimizing survivability."
Cavedo replaces Col. David Bassett, whose three year Project Manager tenure
included the completion of a competitive JLTV Technology Development phase.
That successful effort allowed the Services to reduce the subsequent
Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase from 48 to 33 months
and the target vehicle cost to $250,000.
Col. Bassett recently accepted a new role as Deputy PEO CS&CSS. He now
joins Mr. Fahey in overseeing life-cycle management for more than 350
tactical wheeled vehicle and force projection systems-including JLTV.
"JLTV represents a leap ahead in automotive technology," said Col. Bassett,
"improving tactical vehicle fuel economy, mobility, protection, and on-
board power in a single vehicle. It promises a platform that can adapt to
multiple missions and carry the networked capabilities our Soldiers need in
future fights, and I wish the JLTV team well."
Joint Program Office JLTV is currently working with vendors on the EMD
phase, for which the Army awarded three, 27 month contracts in August 2012.
Following EMD, the government intends to award a single, Low Rate Initial
Production contract in the 4th quarter of Fiscal Year 2015. Over the long
term, the Army plans to purchase approximately 50,000 JLTVs, and the Marine
Corps plans to purchase approximately 5,000.
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