QUANTICO, Va. — The Marines’ annual appeal to industry is focusing
heavily this year on capabilities that would allow distributed Marine Corps forces
to not just survive but persist within the deadly areas created by the kinds of
high-technology weapons that a peer competitor — such as China — can create.

The priorities at the Modern Day Marine exposition were unmanned
systems, man-machine teaming, long-range precision fires, more secure and
alternative forms of communications to counter the adversaries’ demonstrated
abilities to intercept, jam and distort traditional means, and systems that
better integrate with the U.S. Navy — all directives from Commandant Gen. David
H. Berger.

And it all must be lighter, faster and affordable, Lt. Gen.
Eric Smith, the Corps’ top future capabilities officer, stressed.

“We’re looking for autonomy, man-unmanned teaming, we need
to get lighter. … I’m willing to take risks,” Smith, commanding general of Marine
Combat Development Command, told industry representatives on Sept. 17 at the
opening of Modern Day Marine.

Smith repeated the commandant’s guidance that new systems
should be “good, not exquisite. … It’s not an existential threat to use good
enough for a few years until the budget improves.” But the ultimate need is the
ability “to persist in the weapons-engagement zone. Not survive, persist,” he
said.

Panels of the senior officers and civilian officials in the
Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) and the Combat Development and
Integration division under Smith’s command repeated those views as they
discussed their programs. And all of them emphasized the focus on integrating
with the Navy in ways that would allow the Corps to help naval task forces get
through the anti-access, area-denial capabilities that China — and to a lesser
extent Russia and Iran — can create with long-range missiles, mines and other
weapons.

Col. Tim Barrick, director of wargaming at MCWL, said Berger’s guidance to the Corps emphasized the need for additional wargaming to shape the missions and capabilities they would need to meet the emerging great power competition. To meet that demand, the Marines are planning to create a wargaming center that would go from 22 to more than 200 personnel and serve not just the Marines but the joint forces in the Washington, D.C., region.

Barrick said they were stressing three concepts: distributed operations; littoral operations in a contested environment; and expeditionary advanced based operations. “We’re focused on a naval campaign. How does the Marine Corps support naval operations,” he added.

Many briefers said the level of Marine integration and cooperation with the Navy leadership and senior staffs was the highest they had ever seen. The greatest deficiencies cited by the briefers was a lack of long-range precision fires in the ground forces, the need for command, control and communications systems that are mobile enough to move with small distributed combat units but work in the highly contested information environment, and logistics methods and systems that can sustain those distributed units within the deadly “weapons-engagement zone.”

Unmanned and robotic systems were proposed as possible solutions to some of those capabilities gaps.

MARINE
CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps’ Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is
officially ready to deploy and support missions of the naval expeditionary
force-in-readiness worldwide, the Marine Corps announced.

Marine
Corps Combat Development Command, Combat Development and Integration declared that
the JLTV program — part of the Light Tactical Vehicle portfolio at Program
Executive Officer Land Systems — reached initial operational capability (IOC)
on Aug. 2, nearly a year ahead of schedule.

“Congratulations
to the combined JLTV team for acting with a sense of urgency and reaching IOC
early,” said James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development
and acquisition.

“Changing
the speed in which we deliver, combined with coming in under cost and meeting
all performance requirements, is a fine example of increasing Marine Corps
capabilities at the speed of relevance, which enables our Marines to compete
and win on the modern battlefield.”

The JLTV,
a program led by the U.S. Army, will replace the Corps’ aging high mobility multipurpose
wheeled vehicle fleet. The JLTV family of vehicles comes in different variants
with multiple mission package configurations, all providing protected,
sustained, networked mobility that balances payload, performance and protection
across the full range of military operations.

“The
warfighting capabilities the JLTV provides our Marines far exceed the
capabilities offered by its predecessor,” said PEO Land Systems’ John Garner.
“I’m proud of what our team, in collaboration with the Army, has accomplished.
Their commitment to supporting the warfighter delivered an exceptional vehicle,
ahead of schedule, that Marines will use to dominate on the battlefield now and
well into the future.”

Several
elements need to be met before a program can declare IOC of a system, which
encompasses more than delivery of the system itself. The program office also
had to ensure all the operators were fully trained and maintenance tools and
spare parts packages were ready.

“IOC is
more than just saying that the schoolhouses and an infantry battalion all have
their trucks,” said Eugene Morin, product manager for JLTV at PEO Land Systems.
“All of the tools and parts required to support the system need to be in place,
the units must have had received sufficient training and each unit commander
needs to declare that he is combat-ready.”

For the
JLTV, this means the program office had to fully field battle-ready vehicles to
the Marine Corps schoolhouses — School of Infantry East at Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina; School of Infantry West at Camp Pendleton, California; The Basic
School at Quantico, Virginia; and the Motor Transport Maintenance Instruction
Course at Camp Johnson, North Carolina — and to an infantry battalion at II
Marine Expeditionary Force. The program office started delivering vehicles to
the schoolhouses earlier this year and started delivering vehicles to the
infantry battalion last month.

On Aug. 2,
Lt. Col. Neil Berry, the commanding officer for 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines,
notified Morin and his team of the unit’s combat readiness with the JLTV. On
Aug. 5, The Director, Ground Combat Element Division at CD&I notified PM
LTV of its IOC achievement. The JLTV is scheduled to start fielding to I MEF
and III MEF before the end of September.

According
to LTV Program Manager Andrew Rodgers, during the post-acquisition Milestone C
rebaseline of the JLTV schedule in January 2016, IOC was projected to occur by
June 2020. 

Rodgers
says that detailed program scheduling, planning and, most importantly, teamwork
with stakeholders across the enterprise enabled the program office to deliver
the vehicles and reach IOC ahead of schedule.

“It was
definitely a team effort, and we built up a really great team,” Rodgers said.
“In terms of leadership, our product managers’ — both Gene Morin and his
predecessor, Dave Bias — detailed focus and ability to track cost, schedule and
performance was key. Neal Justis, our deputy program manager, has significant
prior military experience working for the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition,
logistics and technology, so having him on board knowing how to work the
Pentagon network was a huge force multiplier.”

Rodgers is
quick to note that, although the team has reached IOC, this is only the
beginning of the JLTV’s future legacy.

“We are really at the
starting line right now. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will see
JLTVs in the DoD,” Rodgers said. “We’ll easily still have these assets
somewhere in the DOD in the year 2100. Welcome to the start of many generations
of JLTVs.”

CAMP
LEJEUNE, N.C. — Program Executive Officer Land Systems is equipping the Marine Corps’
first infantry battalion — 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division — with
the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, and U.S. Navy and Marine leadership visited to
witness the event.

“I am very
proud of the Joint Marine Corps and Army team whose mission-first approach and
close interaction with the end user has delivered our Marine operators the
JLTV,” said James Geurts, assistant Navy secretary for research, development and
Acquisition. “The fielding of these JLTVs provides our Marines the light
tactical vehicle capability needed to compete and win on the modern
battlefield.”

Joining Geurts
for the July 18 tour at Camp Lejeune of the II Marine Expeditionary Force JLTV
fielding site were: Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Gary Thomas; Lt.
Gen. Charles Chiarotti, deputy commandant for installations and logistics; II
Marine Expeditionary Force Commander Lt. Gen. Brian Beaudreault; Michael
Stewart, deputy director for integrated warfare; John Garner, program executive
officer, Land Systems; and Marine Corps Systems Command Brig. Gen. Arthur
Pasagian.

The JLTV
family of vehicles is made up of four different variants: the utility variant;
general purpose vehicle; heavy guns carrier; and close combat weapons carrier.
All variants include multiple mission package configurations and provide
protected, sustained and networked mobility that balances payload, performance
and protection across the full range of military operations.

Col.
Farrell Sullivan, chief of staff, 2nd Marine Division, spoke to Geurts on
behalf of the operating forces.

“I think
the battalion, like most battalions, are eager to get these out into the
field,” Sullivan said. “We’re excited about the additional capability [the
JLTV] brings and also for its ability to get Marines to where they need to be.”

Geurts,
Thomas, Chiarotti and Beaudreault then had the opportunity to speak to the
Marines of 3/8 operating forces while taking a closer look at the vehicle.

Of the
event, Geurts said, “It was an honor to hear directly from the Marines
operating these vehicles about how much of a capability leap it presents over
their aging legacy vehicles and the many ideas they have on how to leverage
them to enable new methods of mobility and expeditionary operations for the
future fight.”

The Marine
Corps is planning to field 15,390 JLTVs, replacing all High Mobility
Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles in the Corps’ legacy fleet in a one-for-one swap.

PEO Land Systems began
delivery of the JLTV in February to the Corps’ schools of infantry and other
supporting units. The Light Tactical Vehicle program office at PEO Land Systems
will begin fielding the JLTV to First and Third Marine Division units by the
end of September.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The new commandant of the Marine Corps has made force design as his top
priority as he moves to shape the Marine Corps for the future.

The “Commandant’s Planning Guidance” (CPG), issued by Gen. David H. Berger July 16, lists his five top priority focus areas: force design, warfighting, education and training, core values, and command and leadership.

Berger said
that changes will be based on “where we want the Marine Corps to be in the next
5-15 years. … We cannot afford to retain outdated policies, doctrine,
organizations or force development strategies.”

The CPG
affirms that the Corps is preparing for operations in the event of a high-end
fight.

“The Marine
Corps will be trained and equipped as a naval expeditionary force-in-readiness
and prepared to operate inside actively contested maritime spaces in support of
fleet operations,” the CPG said. “In crisis prevention and crisis response, the
Fleet Marine Force — acting as an extension of the fleet — will be first on the
scene, first to help, first to contain a brewing crisis and first to fight if
required to do so.”

Berger said
the Corps “should take pride in our force and recent operational successes, but
the current force is not organized, trained or equipped to support the naval
force — operating in contested maritime spaces, facilitating sea control or
executing distributed maritime operations. We must change. We must divest of
legacy capabilities that do not meet our future requirements, regardless of
their past operational efficacy.”

He said that
there is “no piece of equipment or major defense acquisition program that
defines us. … Likewise, we are not defined by any particular organizing
construct — the Marine Air-Ground Task Force cannot be our only solution for
all crises. Instead, we are defined by our collective character as Marines and
by fulfilling our service roles and functions prescribed by Congress.”

Berger said
he has “already initiated, and am personally leading, a future force design
effort. Going forward, CD&I [Capabilities Development and Integration] will be the only organization authorized to publish force
development guidance on my behalf. We will divest of legacy defense programs
and force structure that support legacy capabilities. If provided the
opportunity to secure additional modernization dollars in exchange for force
structure, I am prepared to do so.”

The
commandant emphasized the need to improve integration with the Navy. He pointed
out that the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act removed the preponderance of the FMF
[Fleet Marine Force] from fleet operational control and disrupted the
long-standing Navy-Marine Corps relationship by creating separate Navy and Marine
Corps components within joint forces. Furthermore, Navy and Marine Corps
officers developed a tendency to view their operational responsibilities as
separate and distinct, rather than intertwined. With the rise of both land- and
sea-based threats to the global commons, there is a need to reestablish a more
integrated approach to operations in the maritime domain. Reinvigorating the
FMF can be accomplished by assigning more Marine Corps forces to the fleet;
putting Marine Corps experts in the fleet Maritime Operations Centers; and also
by shifting emphasis in our training, education and supporting establishment
activities.”

He said that the
Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) will remain the Corps’ principal warfighting
organization but that the three MEFs need not be identical.

“III MEF will
become our main focus-of-effort, designed to provide U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
(U.S. INDOPACOM) and the commander, 7th Fleet with a fight-tonight, standing
force capability to persist inside an adversary’s weapon systems threat range,
create a mutually contested space and facilitate the larger naval campaign,”
the CPG said. “When modernized in a manner consistent with the vision above,
III MEF will be a credible deterrent to adversary aggression in the Pacific.”

“I MEF will
also be focused on supporting the commander, USINDOPACOM and the commander, 3rd
Fleet,” Berger said. “I MEF will continue to provide forces to USINDOPACOM to
build partner capacity and reinforce deterrence efforts and must be prepared to
impose costs on a potential adversary, globally. We will increasingly accept
risk with I MEF’s habitual relationship with CENTCOM [U.S. Central Command];
however, 7th Marines is at present purpose-built to support CENTCOM
requirements; thus, I MEF will continue to support CENTCOM requirements within
the capacity of 7th Marines.

“II MEF will
undergo substantial changes to better align with the needs of commanders of 2nd
and 6th Fleets,” he said. “During a major contingency operation or sustained
campaign ashore, necessary combat power will be provided to the committed MEF
through global sourcing by the total force.

Berger said
the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is “no longer has the same relevance as it
once had to the fleet; however, this will change. We will consider employment
models of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG)/MEU other than the traditional
three-ship model. We will accept and prepare for fleet commander employment of
LHA/Ds [amphibious assault ships] as part of three-ship ESGs [Expeditionary
Strike Groups] as desired. I see potential in the “Lightning Carrier” concept,
based on an LHA / LHD; however, do not support a new-build CVL [light aircraft
carrier]. Partnering a big-deck amphib with surface combatants is the right
warfighting capability for many of the challenges confronting the joint force,
and provides substantial naval and Joint operational flexibility, lethality and
survivability.”

Gen. David H. Berger relieved Gen. Robert B. Neller on July
11 to become the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps in a ceremony at Marine
Corps Barracks, Washington.

Acting Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said of Berger: “In
this era of ‘Great Power Competition,’ I can think of no better leader to
assume the post of commandant.”

Berger “understands well the challenges we face in today’s
complex strategic environment. His work to shape the way we train and equip the
Marines for future battles makes him the perfect fit for this position,” Esper
said, referring the Berger’s previous job as deputy commandant for combat development
and integration.

“He is a visionary who is committed to marching the Marine
Corps down the path of modernizing,” Esper added. “He has demonstrated
throughout his career, he possesses the intellect, the stamina and courage to
lead in this demanding position.”

In his initial statement to the Marines he now will lead,
Berger said: “I consider it a privilege just to wear the uniform, just to stand
in their ranks. Whether commandant or corporal, just the privilege of wearing
this uniform, of calling yourself a Marine. It’s an honor.”

“I know we need to modernize the Marine Corps. I know we
need to train better. We need to recruit the very best people we can and keep
them in our ranks,” Berger added.

He also repeated a promise from Marine Gen. Joseph F.
Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was in the audience: “We
will never send our force, we will never send our Marines, into a fair fight. I
know what we need to do.”

In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services
Committee, Berger said among the most significant challenges he will face as
commandant “will be to sustain readiness at high levels for our operating
forces while concurrently modernizing the force.”

He predicted “a deliberate redesign of the force to meet the
needs of the future operating environment,” which would include divesting
legacy equipment and programs and “consider potential end-strength reductions
in order to invest in equipment modernization and necessary training upgrades.”

With the rising concerns over China, Berger brings highly
relevant experience to his new post, having commanded the California-based I
Marine Expeditionary Force, then Marine Forces Pacific. He also commanded the
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, where the
Marines test new equipment and operating concepts and have begun training for
high-intensity combat against a peer competitor.

Esper gave extended praise to Neller, who will retire next
month with 45 years and six months of service as a Marine officer, calling him
“a proven combat veteran” who has commanded at every level and “always took
care of his Marines. As commandant, he led the Marine Corps through a critical
inflection point,” from two decades of counter-insurgency operations “to a renewed
focus on high-intensity conflict against Great Power Competitors.”

In his farewell to the Marine Corps, Neller said among his
regrets was that the Corps “has been so slow to make changes” and that
“sometimes we may not always have met the mark of the Marine Corps. But that
was just a few of us. … If there has been any failing in our Corps, that
resides with me and any success belongs to the Marines.”

“At the end of the day, it’s not about me. It’s
not about Dave Berger, it’s about our Corps,” about the active duty and Marine
Reserves “who do the nation’s business. … It’s been a great ride, but its time.
I’ve had my time, but it’s done. I’m going home.”

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The Navy has awarded a contract for Blackjack and ScanEagle unmanned
aerial vehicles for the Navy and Marine Corps and several foreign nations.

Insitu Inc.
of Bingen, Washington, was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command a $390.1
million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for
up to 63 RQ-21A [Blackjack] attrition air vehicles for the U.S. Marine Corps
and U.S. Navy,” a June 28 Defense Department announcement said. “In addition,
this contract provides for up to six RQ-21A unmanned aircraft systems and up to
17 RQ-21A air vehicles for foreign military sales customers, including the
governments of Canada, Poland and Oman.”

Insitu also will
also provide up to 93 ScanEagle UASs in various configurations, the
announcement said. “In addition, this contract provides for associated
services, including training, test and engineering, development of engineering
change proposals, operations support, organizational level maintenance, field
service representatives, land and ship surveys, hardware site activations,
hardware installs, repairs, and data.”

The RQ-21A
Blackjack has seen service as a surveillance platform with the Marine Corps in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya. Contractor-owned and operated ScanEagles
have operated in support of U.S. and partner nations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ScanEagle also has be operated by U.S. Special Operations command and by
several foreign nations. 

The orders
are expected to be completed by June 2022.

STAFFORD, Va. — BAE Systems along with teammate Iveco Defence Vehicles has been awarded a $67
million contract modification by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop new variants
for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Family of Vehicles, BAE announced in a release.

“The ACV has proven to be a versatile platform capable of numerous
configurations to meet current and future mission requirements,” said John
Swift, director of amphibious programs at BAE. “With this award, BAE Systems
will be able to develop a family of vehicles that will deliver the technology
and capability the Marines require to accomplish their mission in support of
our national security.”

The contract calls for the design and development of command
(ACV-C) and 30 mm medium caliber cannon (ACV-30) variants. The ACV-C variant incorporates
seven workstations to provide situational awareness and control of the battle
space. The ACV-30 integrates a 30 mm cannon to provide the lethality and
protection Marines need while leaving ample room for troop capacity and
payload.

BAE Systems was previously awarded a low-rate initial production
contract last June 2018 for the personnel variant (ACV-P). The Marine Corps
announced the ACV had successfully completed anticipated requirements testing
and would no longer be pursuing an envisioned incremental ACV 1.1 and ACV 1.2
development approach. The program is now known as the ACV Family of Vehicles,
which encompasses the breadth and depth of the vehicle’s capabilities and
multiple variants.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The Marine Corps’ first operational squadron to fly the F-35C
carrier-capable version of the Lightning II joint strike fighter has retired
its last F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter.

In ceremonies
held June 21 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Marine Fighter
Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) retired its last Hornet, an F/A-18A++ version.
The Black Knights, as the squadron is known, are now in transition to the F-35C
at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, under the tutelage of the Navy’s
F-35C replacement training squadron, VFA-125.

The Marine
Corps flies both the short-takeoff/vertical landing F-35B version and the F-35C
aircraft carrier version. The Corps currently fields three operational F-35B
squadrons, VMFA-121, -211, and -122.

The Corps is
procuring 67 F-35Cs to equip squadrons that will deploy with Navy carrier air
wings. In recent years the Corps has assigned two VMFA F/A-18 squadrons to
deploy with carrier air wings.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded BAE Systems a contract to develop two
variants of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and manufacture one of them.

Marine Corps
Systems Command has awarded “a not-to-exceed [$67 million] modification for
firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the development of
engineering drawings, manufacture and test support for three [ACV] command-and-control
Mission Role Variants (MRVs) and the development of engineering drawings for
the ACV medium-caliber-cannon MRV,” according to a Defense Department release.

BAE Systems
is building the ACV for the Marine Corps as an amphibious troop carrier to
replace the four-decade-old Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The AAV7 is fielded in
several variants, and the Corps plans to field the ACV in variants as well.

The
command-and-control (C2) MRV will be the first variant of the ACV. The C2
variant will be designed for a commander and staff and equipped with computer
displays and communications systems to enable the commander to maintain
situational awareness of the battlefield.

A variant
with a medium-caliber gun atop the ACV will follow.

Work is
expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2022.

WASHINGTON
— Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the U.S. Army for acquisition, logistics
and technology, on June 20 approved the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)
program’s transition into full-rate production, the Army Program Executive
Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support announced in a release.

The
approval follows an Army decision in December to begin fielding the new
platform with the Army’s 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart,
Georgia, in April. The 1-3 ID became the Army’s first unit equipped with JLTVs
in April after receiving more than 300 vehicles.

Fieldings
to the Ordnance School, Fort Lee, Virginia, the 84th Training Command, Fort
McCoy, Wisconsin, the Marine Corps’ School of Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton,
California, as well as the Marine School of Infantry-East, Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina, have also been completed.

“Thanks
to tremendous teamwork across two services on requirements, resources, program
management, testing and other areas, this is a great modernization success story.
JLTV shows how teams focused on stable requirements, mature technologies and
the right incentives can deliver meaningful capability advancements in a
cost-conscious way,” said Jeffrey White, Jette’s principal deputy.

The JLTV
family of vehicles is designed to restore payload and performance that were
traded from light tactical vehicles to add protection in recent conflict,
giving commanders an improved protected mobility solution and the first vehicle
purpose-built for modern battlefield networks.

“Getting
an improved capability into the hands of Soldiers and Marines has been our
team’s driving focus throughout this program,” said Michael Sprang, project
manager, Joint Program Office, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.

“We
are also grateful for Soldier feedback on new features and enhancements,” Sprang
continued. “The Soldiers of the 1st ABCT, 3rd Infantry Division provided
valuable input on enhancements such as increased situational awareness,
reduction of system noise, a troop seat kit, and a companion JLTV trailer.
Their assessments helped bring us all to a successful Full-Rate Production
decision.”

The JLTV
program remains on schedule and on budget to replace a significant portion of
the Army’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle fleet. The JLTV comes in
two variants and four mission package configurations: general purpose, close combat
weapons carrier, heavy guns carrier and a utility vehicle. The U.S. Navy and
Air Force also plan to field JLTVs in much smaller quantities.

“The full-rate production decision is a key
milestone for the JLTV program, closing out the low-rate initial production
(LRIP) phase, which began in 2015, George
Mansfield, vice president and general manager of joint programs for Oshkosh
Defense, said in a June 21 statement. “Important insights from
manufacturing and rigorous developmental and operational test during LRIP
contributed to shaping the vehicle’s current configuration. The program remains
on schedule and on budget and ensures our troops have the protection,
connection and extreme off-road mobility they need today for current and future
battlefields. The JLTV is the only light tactical vehicle being fielded today
that can maneuver within combat formations.”