The U.S. has delivered at least five M1117 Guardian, also denoted Armored Security Vehicle (ASV). Kosovo Defense Minister Armen Mehaj examined the supplied armored personnel carriers at the Skenderbeu military base, Ferizaj.The Kosovo Security Force Brigadier General Irfete Spahiu, Commander of TRADOC received and briefed him regarding these vehicles as well as their current destination for purpose of training.
In April, the US Army provided driver’s training and mechanics familiarization on the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle. US Army personnel have been photographed training with M1117s alongside members of the Kosovo Security Force. This training supports the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) deliberate 10-year transition. Kosovo does not disclose information on the number and timing of the delivery of armored vehicles, apparently by order of Pentagon.
The M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) is an internal security vehicle based on the V-100 and V-150 Commando series of armored cars. The M1117 was one of the first American military vehicles to be built on a specialized mine-resistant hull, and after 2001 was adopted in increasing numbers as a direct response to the threat posed by improvised explosive devices to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The vehicle is a more heavily protected and heavily armed alternative to the armored Humvee which was not originally designed to be a protected fighting vehicle. In 2015 Textron Systems rebranded the M1117 as the Commando, bringing back the name of the V-100 and V-150, from which the M1117 was derived. The total number of ASVs produced and remaining to be delivered to the U.S. Army at the time was 2,058 vehicles.
