From his perspective, Jackson also acknowledged, “A whisper of an upcoming procurement for two-seat and four-seat side-by-sides to replace the Kawasaki Teryx. It’s been out there basically unchanged since around 2007 … and that vehicle is basically embedded in all of USSOCOM right now – MARSOC [Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command] has got it; Special Forces teams have all got it; with the Chris Haines package it is basically the LTATV – and that’s the vehicle we think they may be looking at replacing [See “Naval Special Warfare ATV Training” in the 2012-2013 edition of The Year in Special Operations.]”

“One of the things I think the guys learned in Afghanistan is that there were a lot of places they would like to go but the HMMWV was too wide, too long, or just too big when they tried to navigate the ravines,” he said. “And now that everybody is starting to focus back on their earlier AOs [areas of operation], you are going to start seeing a lot of mission-specific organizations looking at the specialized geography and mobility challenges in their regions.”

He pointed to significant industry interest and activity as further evidence of a likely procurement, offering, “Polaris is already advertising their ‘MRZR’; that’s their new model that’s already on [the] GSA [General Services Administration schedule]. I know that John Deere also came out with a new vehicle that they are showing to the military this year, as well as Arctic Cat with its four-seater and two-seater ‘Wildcats.’”

Along with overall fleet sustainment, Jackson has also been involved in a small number of recent development efforts directed toward new vehicle capabilities.

“This year, for the first time, we are working on a vehicle for Can-Am through the RP Advanced Mobile Systems platform for the ‘Strike Maverick,’” he said. “It’s the newest vehicle being developed for the SOCOM family: Its 101-horsepower engine is the largest in its class and the specially developed platform meets many of the requirements expected right out of the box.”

In parallel with their work on StrikeMaverick^™, MilitaryAtv.com and RP Advanced Mobility Systems have also cooperated to develop a new command and control (C2) platform on the Can-Am “Commander” platform. Jackson said that the C2 prototypes “have updated electronics systems that allow for radio usage even while the vehicle is shut down.”

Looking toward future operations under a “re-balanced” global defense strategy, Jackson sees a continuing need for ATVs in USSOCOM inventories.

“One of the things I think the guys learned in Afghanistan is that there were a lot of places they would like to go but the HMMWV was too wide, too long, or just too big when they tried to navigate the ravines,” he said. “And now that everybody is starting to focus back on their earlier AOs [areas of operation], you are going to start seeing a lot of mission-specific organizations looking at the specialized geography and mobility challenges in their regions.”

Jackson and his associates are hardly alone in the development of prototype platforms in anticipation of potential user requirements. As examples, several of the GMV 1.1 candidates noted above represent the culmination of those efforts.

Another industry product slated for public unveiling in late April 2013 is a new internally transportable “gun truck” design developed by Dillon Aero [see “The Evolution of the M134D Minigun”]. An outgrowth of the company’s modification of surplus Land Rovers to highlight turret and gun capabilities, the new design will reportedly feature a fold-down protective cage/weapon mount that will allow the platform to be internally transportable by CH-47 aircraft and be operational within 60 seconds of leaving the ramp.

Finally, along with the platforms themselves, Jackson emphasized that one of the most important elements of special operations mobility comes from early and adequate training of operators on the ground vehicle platforms they will receive.

“We are seeing a push by commands for additional driver’s training,” he noted, adding that “both military vehicle operations and off-duty motorcycle training are being pushed as ‘force protection’ issues.

“From a military standpoint, training these guys how to operate an ATV and a side-by-side safely is critical,” he said. “We are pushing to actually get it into the training course during Phase II of the Special Forces Qualification Course for the Green Berets. That’s because all of the Green Berets are going to operate these vehicles at some point in their career. For the Rangers and SEALs, most of them will, but every Green Beret that deploys is going to have these platforms assigned to his motor pool. So we are basically saying, ‘You do weapons training. You do air operations. You do mission planning. In a five-day course – which would add another week to the ‘Q Course’ – you could literally train the soldier on every vehicle that he is going to be exposed to in theater.’ Give them those hours of familiarization on those vehicles so that they understand the vehicle’s capabilities and, when he lands in theater, he has that head start.”

This article was first published in The Year in Special Operations: 2013-2014 Edition.