Andrew Feickert
Specialist in Military Ground Forces
The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) is an armored amphibious vehicle program that originated two decades ago to replace the 1970s-era Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV). Like current AAVs, the EFV is designed to roll off a Navy amphibious assault ship, move under its own power to the beach, and cross the beach and operate inland. The EFV has experienced a variety of developmental difficulties, resulting in significant program delays and cost growth. The EFV is currently in its second systems design and development (SDD) phase attempting to improve the EFV’s overall poor reliability and performance that it demonstrated during its 2006 operational assessment. On January 6, 2011, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced, based on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy and Commandant of the Marine Corps, that he would recommend the cancellation of the EFV. Secretary Gates also reaffirmed the Marines’ amphibious assault mission and pledged to fund future efforts to acquire a more affordable and sustainable replacement and also to upgrade existing amphibious assault vehicles.
The improvised explosive device (IED) threat that plagued operations in Iraq and Afghanistan was not envisioned in 1988 when the EFV program was initiated. The EFV’s low ground clearance and flat bottom make it particularly vulnerable to IEDs; this has raised congressional concern that the EFV, as currently designed, would provide inadequate protection to transported Marines. Another change to the battlefield is the proliferation of longer-ranged, shore-based, antiship cruise missiles (ASCMs) which put the Navy’s amphibious ships disembarking EFVs at their 25-mile operating limit vulnerable to attack.
These battlefield evolutions, as well as the EFV’s program delays and rising costs, and the decision to acquire only 573 vehicles (the original requirement was 1,025) have resulted in many defense experts and officials questioning the need for the EFV. Although some question the EFV’s relevance, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the EFV passed its December 2008 Critical Design Review (CDR) and, with 94% of the system’s design models releasable, that EFV’s critical technologies were mature and its design is stable. The EFV is undergoing operational testing which was scheduled to run through late January 2011. There are possible alternative solutions, including upgrading current AAVs as well as exploring the adaptability of candidate vehicles being considered under the Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC) program for amphibious assault operations. The DOD, the Navy, and the Marines are currently conducting separate studies examining Marine Corps roles and missions, force structure, and equipment.
Congress has expressed its concern over the EFV’s vulnerability to IEDs during a number of hearings. P.L. 111-383, the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 fully funds the President’s FY2011 EFV budget request of $242.8 million for Research, Technology, Development, and Evaluation (RDT&E). The Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee has recommended providing funding to cancel the EFV program. The subcommittee recommended cutting $204 million from the FY2011 $243 million budget request and added $185 million to cancel the program. Each EFV was expected to have cost about $24 million apiece. The Marines estimate that it will cost $185 million to terminate the EFV and it would cost about $1 billion to upgrade the current AAV fleet until an EFV successor can be developed.
Potential issues for congressional consideration include upgrading current AAV’s, possible commercially-available vehicles, and a future AAV replacement program.
Date of Report: January 18, 2011
Number of Pages: 14
Order Number: RS22947
Price: $29.95
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Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.
Specialist in Military Ground Forces
The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) is an armored amphibious vehicle program that originated two decades ago to replace the 1970s-era Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV). Like current AAVs, the EFV is designed to roll off a Navy amphibious assault ship, move under its own power to the beach, and cross the beach and operate inland. The EFV has experienced a variety of developmental difficulties, resulting in significant program delays and cost growth. The EFV is currently in its second systems design and development (SDD) phase attempting to improve the EFV’s overall poor reliability and performance that it demonstrated during its 2006 operational assessment. On January 6, 2011, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced, based on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy and Commandant of the Marine Corps, that he would recommend the cancellation of the EFV. Secretary Gates also reaffirmed the Marines’ amphibious assault mission and pledged to fund future efforts to acquire a more affordable and sustainable replacement and also to upgrade existing amphibious assault vehicles.
The improvised explosive device (IED) threat that plagued operations in Iraq and Afghanistan was not envisioned in 1988 when the EFV program was initiated. The EFV’s low ground clearance and flat bottom make it particularly vulnerable to IEDs; this has raised congressional concern that the EFV, as currently designed, would provide inadequate protection to transported Marines. Another change to the battlefield is the proliferation of longer-ranged, shore-based, antiship cruise missiles (ASCMs) which put the Navy’s amphibious ships disembarking EFVs at their 25-mile operating limit vulnerable to attack.
These battlefield evolutions, as well as the EFV’s program delays and rising costs, and the decision to acquire only 573 vehicles (the original requirement was 1,025) have resulted in many defense experts and officials questioning the need for the EFV. Although some question the EFV’s relevance, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the EFV passed its December 2008 Critical Design Review (CDR) and, with 94% of the system’s design models releasable, that EFV’s critical technologies were mature and its design is stable. The EFV is undergoing operational testing which was scheduled to run through late January 2011. There are possible alternative solutions, including upgrading current AAVs as well as exploring the adaptability of candidate vehicles being considered under the Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC) program for amphibious assault operations. The DOD, the Navy, and the Marines are currently conducting separate studies examining Marine Corps roles and missions, force structure, and equipment.
Congress has expressed its concern over the EFV’s vulnerability to IEDs during a number of hearings. P.L. 111-383, the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 fully funds the President’s FY2011 EFV budget request of $242.8 million for Research, Technology, Development, and Evaluation (RDT&E). The Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee has recommended providing funding to cancel the EFV program. The subcommittee recommended cutting $204 million from the FY2011 $243 million budget request and added $185 million to cancel the program. Each EFV was expected to have cost about $24 million apiece. The Marines estimate that it will cost $185 million to terminate the EFV and it would cost about $1 billion to upgrade the current AAV fleet until an EFV successor can be developed.
Potential issues for congressional consideration include upgrading current AAV’s, possible commercially-available vehicles, and a future AAV replacement program.
Date of Report: January 18, 2011
Number of Pages: 14
Order Number: RS22947
Price: $29.95
Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports
Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.
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