Earlier this week, 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division received their first large shipment of 500 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) as part of their modernization initiative.

As many of us know, the Humvee has gone through large overhauls since the late 80's. During the Humvee's infancy, it initially started as a "light-skinned" mobility vehicle. Through the first Gulf War, and even into the early years of the GWoT, the Humvee had remained as a very light, agile vehicle to maneuver small units of troops from point A to point B. As a result from the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States sustained numerous causalities and injuries from Improvised Explosive Devices (IED); therefore causing the Humvee to be retrofitted and redesigned into the M1114 UAH, Up-armored Humvee.

Although the M1114 UAH has still been utilized for the past two decades of war, another initiative took place in 2007, when the Department of Defense (DoD) released the Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles. The MRAP brought great success through the remainder of the GWoT, and as it would appear, had a heavy influence of the more sleek, compact JLTV.

By design, the vehicle looks like a miniature MRAP. The JLTV has been part of the United States modernization program since 2019; however this is our first glance at a line division implementing this new vehicle. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic "hiccups", Oshkosh Defense is projected to develop 66,000 vehicles by 2024, fully migrating away the future utilization of the M1114 UAH.