The Marines' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV): Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

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. If the EFV passes the current SDD in early 2011, it is expected to begin initial production if DoD has not cancelled the program and if it is fully funded. The improvised explosive device (IED) threat that has 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. Potential issues for congressional consideration include the vulnerability of the Navy's amphibious fleet and EFVs, the potential ramifications if the EFV fails its second round of operational testing, and what role to take in ongoing Marine Corps studies that could be used to determine the fate of the EFV program. This report will be updated as conditions warrant.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 09, 2010
Accession Number
ADA560353

Entities

People

  • Andrew Feickert

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter IED
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amphibious Military Vehicles
  • Amphibious Operations
  • Amphibious Ships
  • Amphibious Vehicles
  • Armored Personnel Carriers
  • Armored Vehicles
  • Combat Vehicles
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • House Of Representatives
  • National Security
  • Navy
  • Procurement
  • Systems Engineering
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Munitions and Ordnance Engineering