The U.S. Marine Corps and Army have faced a considerable strain on vehicle programs given the extremely high tempo of operations since 2001. Vehicle operations have also been strained by the environment that the U.S. Armed Forces have been operating in. Designs made on tanks did not include long-term sustainability in a desert environment over the course of years.

Exposures to collateral damage within combat environments have also contributed to the overall maintenance and sustainability of the U.S. military tank systems. Program Managers must now incorporate into forward planning the fact that many vehicles will be incapacitated on a daily basis. Many programs have also proven that design and production-fielded platforms far exceeded any and all expectations.

The U.S. Marine Corps have placed great emphasis on the sustainability of both men and machines. Within that are the many commands at Marine Corps Combat Development Command. Major MJ Walters is the Heavy Armor Capabilities Integration Officer and is responsible for body armor for the Armor community and all Combat Vehicle Crewmen. In this podcast you’ll learn about efforts currently being made to improve the Marine Corps Armored community’s future capabilities including the M1-A1 updgrades.