Information_Paper_Hmmwv

US ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE Intermediate Level Education Common Core F100: Managing Army Change Lesson F108 Force Management Case Study INFORMATION PAPER SG 2B 4 December 2011 SUBJECT: HMMWV Development, History, Current Status and Recap Program 1. Purpose: To provide historical and current information on the HMMWV and the recap program for use in an argumentative essay, culminating in a group case study briefing. 2. Facts: a. In the 1970’s, the U.S. Army concluded that they needed to replace the militarized civilian trucks that no longer met their requirements. In 1979, the Army drafted plans for the HMMWV. AM General developed prototypes that the Army began field testing in 1980. The Army awarded the initial production contract to AM General in 1981 for 55,000 HMMWV’s. The Army field tested the HMMWV’s from 1985 through December 1991. b. The HMMWV has become the vehicular backbone of U.S. forces around the world. From 1989 to the present, the U.S. military has employed the HMMWV in conventional operations as well as asymmetric warfare and low intensity conflicts. The Army first employed the HMMWVs in combat in Operation Just Cause, the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. Coalition forces employed over 10,000 during the Iraq War. They continue to employ the HMMWV by the droves in Operation Enduring Freedom. c. The HMMWV has undergone extensive development changes. The Army designed the vehicle primarily for personnel and light cargo transport behind front lines, not as a front line fighting vehicle. It was never designed to offer protection against intense small arms fire, machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. With the rise of asymmetric warfare and low intensity conflicts, however, the U.S. military has been forced to alter the design to protect its personnel. It designed and installed “Up-Armor” kits on M998 HMMWV’s, the first prototype HMMWV. However, these kits weren’t available in large supply prior to 2003, therefore, U.S. forces in Iraq improvised and built armor with scrap metal. d. The original life expectancy of the HMMWV was 15 years. At the end of FY01, the fleet average age was approximately 11 years old. The HMMWV fleet average age had the potential to grow to almost 17 years old by FY10. e. The Army began to develop a program to rebuild and upgrade the HMMWV fleet in order to address the rising costs associated with the over age vehicles. The program’s initial objective was to return HMMWVs to a near zero hours/miles condition to extend their life for an additional 21 years, an initiative with a price tag of $40,000 per vehicle. f. The Army expanded the scope of the program in 2000 with the start of the Army Recapitalization Policy. The objective of this program was to enhance readiness and slow the growth of operation and support costs by maintaining the vehicles at or below half of its expected service life. The Army had to recapitalize over 8,000 vehicles annually for the first several years in order to meet the target date of 2010. The project proved to be very expensive and forced the Army to further refine the program. They reduced the scope of work to rebuilding the engine and drive train and performing a component inspection, repairing and replacing only the items that needed it. g. A main component of the recapitalization project was the Repower Initiative. Under this component of the project, a new power train began to be placed in not only existing vehicles, but in new production lines, adding more power, better reliability and sustainability, better range and fuel economy, and better environmental controls. h. As of February 2011, the Army had recapitalized over 46,000 vehicles. In addition, a pilot program to recapitalize up-armored vehicles had been initiated. As of October 2011, the Army planned a two-phased acquisition strategy for recapitalizing the Up-Armored HMMWV. The Army anticipates the manufacturing cost of $180,000 per vehicle. Approved by: XX Sources: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/hmmwv-recap.htm http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-3-04/up-armored-humvee.htm http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Afghan-Forces-Getting-HMMWVs-06519/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humvee http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/tech/military-hmmwv-18701.html http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/67m-for-hmmwv-recap-program-01444/ http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,146187,00.html'wh=wh http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/5958m-contract-for-m1151-hummers-uparmor-price-limits-02488/ http://www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp'mb=132&mn=7833&pt=msg&mid=811248