John Bryant, who as vice president of defense programs shepherded the Oshkosh [OSK] Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) to victory over major industry competition, has been elevated to president of the division.
Oshkosh announced Bryant’s immediate promotion on Monday. He will lead all aspects of the company’s global defense segment, including all tactical wheeled vehicle programs, manufacturing and operations, new product development, vehicle lifecycle sustainment and aftermarket services.
As senior VP of defense programs, Bryant was the face of the company’s effort to build tens of thousands of Humvee replacements for the Army and Marine Corps. Though eliminated from an early round of the competition, Oshkosh doctored its offering, based on a successful all-terrain version of its MRAP, and seized a contract in the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
Oshkosh ultimately succeeded in capturing the contract, worth a potential $30 billion. Throughout the competition, and both a protest and lawsuit brought by Lockheed Martin [LMT], Bryant was the relentlessly optimistic and confident public face of Oshkosh’s effort, fielding media inquiries and troop visits at numerous industry conferences.
“John has been an invaluable leader in our defense segment and instrumental in the return to growth of our defense business including a portfolio of heavy, medium and mine-resistant tactical wheeled vehicles for the U.S. Department of Defense,” Oshkosh Chief Executive Wilson R. Jones, said in a prepared statement. “Most recently, John led our strategy to enter the light tactical wheeled vehicle market by winning the U.S. Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program. With his extensive military and industry track record, I’m confident that he will inspire a continuum of future success in Defense.”
Bryant joined Oshkosh Defense in 2010 as vice president and general manager of Marine Corps programs following a stint as a professor of program management at the Defense Acquisition University.
He is a retired Marine Corps Colonel with 28 years of distinguished service. As a Marine Corps program manager, he led several U.S. and foreign military sales (FMS) acquisition programs, including tank systems, light armored vehicles and expeditionary fighting vehicles.
Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Marquette University. He also received Level III certification in program management from the Defense Acquisition University.