LVSR: The Marines’ Heavy Trucks

LVSR comes ashore

Why are trucks a big deal? Because they are the unglamorous but very necessary backbone of any mobile military force. The US Marines certainly fit the description of a mobile force, and Oshkosh Defense supplies their MTVR medium trucks. In 2006, the Marines took the next step, and chose a winner to replace a worn-down Oshkosh LVS heavy truck fleet that has served since 1985.

Like their predecessors, these new “Logistic Vehicle System Replacement” (LVSR) heavy trucks will usually find themselves transporting heavy equipment, or basic supplies such as ammunition, fuel, and water. The LVSR winner was also an Oshkosh design.

Rapid Fire June 5, 2013: Interest Groups, A Gift that Keeps On Giving

• Contributing to a sudden, redoubled effort from interest groups to pressure the US government into starting significant reforms at the Pentagon, the conservative National Taxpayers Union (NTU) and R Street Institute released a report [PDF] outlining yet another non-parochial plan for Congress to ignore. Like pretty much everyone else, they see a potential for big savings in DoD (civilian) personnel, but also go more aggressively than most after weapon systems.