The Iowa Ordnance Training Center at Camp Dodge has received three Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), a new series of military vehicles designed for survivability and tactical mobility. The first JLTVs were distributed to U.S. Army units in 2016. The IOTC received its first vehicle in January 2023, and two additional vehicles in June 2023. The IOTC provides hands-on maintenance training for active duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers across the country. They offer a variety of sustainment and skill qualification courses, including the seven-week 91B wheeled vehicle mechanic transition course which now includes a dedicated week of instruction on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV).
The introduction of the technologically advanced JLTV into the Army and other U.S. armed forces, including the Marine Corps, is just one indicator of the large-scale modernization efforts taking place throughout the Department of Defense. The vehicle will be operated in addition to the Humvee, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, which the Army has used in training and combat since the 1970s. The Humvee proved to be vulnerable to IED attacks during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. The U.S. Army’s Combat Support and Combat Services Support office said the Humvee is suited for its original purpose as a light utility truck and provides useful payload and mobility, but “was never intended to be a combat vehicle.”
Sgt. 1st Class Bradley Meyer is an instructor at the IOTC and received operator and maintenance level training on the JLTV at Oshkosh, the vehicle manufacturer in Wisconsin. “The time of a paper book doesn’t exist anymore. “We’re to the point where operator level preventative maintenance and troubleshooting is all electronic and integrates into the truck. We can talk to the truck and the truck can talk to us. It’s far more advanced than any other wheeled vehicle in our fleet. Seven weeks isn’t long enough to make Soldiers into expert mechanics. So, one of the things I really strive to hammer home is you have to be a lifelong learner. My challenge to them is to take the skills that we talked about in class and continue to research, study and practice them,” said Meyer.
That’s where the JLTV comes in. Weighing in at around 13,800 pounds — depending on configuration — the vehicle sports a futuristic exterior with advanced computer technology integrated throughout its structure that makes it uniquely capable to handle heavy loads and protect service members from outside attacks. The computer systems also allow most troubleshooting to be done inside the vehicle using touch screen displays, streamlining daily maintenance for operators. The JLTV’s powerful suspension system, viewpoint cameras, automatic fire extinguisher and heated windshield were just some of the features highlighted as people took turns climbing into the driver’s seat.
