The House Appropriations Committee recommends full funding–$92.3 million–for the Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) program in the draft version of the FY ’15 2015 House Defense Appropriations Bill.
The congressional defense committees have encouraged the Army to adopt or develop a replacement vehicle for the Vietnam-era M113 series armored personnel carriers. The Army is focusing on first replacing the 2,897 M113 vehicles in Brigade Combat Teams.
Photo: BAE Systems
BAE Systems was apparently the only firm to submit a proposal last month for the program, as potential bidder General Dynamics [GD] was still talking to the Army about its concerns, particularly that the requirements appeared to favor a BAE Bradley vehicle as the building block for the AMPV.
Some have suggested and/or supported a split buy between tracked Bradley-based AMPVs and Stryker wheeled vehicles to fulfill the M113 missions the Army requires for the program.
The Army’s challenge is to replace the aged and vulnerable M113 vehicles, originally built by BAE, with something capable of filling the M113 mission roles across Army formations.
“Since any vehicles procured by the Army are likely to remain in service for 40 or more years, the Committee expects the Army to make choices based on merit and fiscal responsibility,” the draft report said.
When selecting a replacement, the draft version of the bill said the Army must also consider the five missions performed by the M113 variants: general purpose, mortar carrier, mission command, medical evacuation, and medical treatment.
The Army should consider the full spectrum of evolving missions, appropriators said.
Additionally, the appropriators’ report said the Army has fielded a wheeled medical evacuation vehicle on a wheeled armored combat vehicle that has served in combat as a component of the armored brigade combat teams.
In 2010, the Army fielded Stryker wheeled armored vehicles in the Medical Evacuation Vehicles (MEV) to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division deployed to Iraq with the Stryker MEVs replacing M113 ambulances.
The Army plan in 2008-2010 was to field Stryker MEV in the heavy brigade combat teams, but the land force diverted the FY ’09 supplemental funds to buy a Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s (SBCT) equipment that was placed in Afghanistan rather than transporting each SBCT’s equipment into theater.
The draft report language directs the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) to provide a report on existing wheeled and tracked combat vehicles used for medical purposes to the congressional defense committees not later than 90 days after the bill becomes law.
This report should assess “the speed, agility, mobility, survivability, patient comfort, and suitability of these vehicles for use by field medical personnel as well as the procurement and operation and support costs for these vehicles to determine their suitability as the medical evacuation variant” within the armored brigade combat team, committee appropriators said.
The report must compare the results of that assessment to current Army plans to develop, procure, and operate a new medical evacuation vehicle as part of the current AMPV program of record.
Additionally, the CAPE report must include a separate section providing the independent views of the Army Surgeon General on the criteria for the report and “any other criteria deemed relevant by the Army Surgeon General,” the draft HAC report said.
In an official statement, General Dynamics [GD] said the “draft language clearly indicates they have questions about the Army’s current strategy for the AMPV program. They have asked for further evaluation by the Department of Defense, particularly on existing wheeled and tracked combat vehicles used for medical purposes.”
The draft report encourages the Army Secretary to respond promptly to provide reports and briefings directed by the congressional defense committees, while advancing the program within funding limitations.