Blount Island team advances ACV positioning with shipboard assessment

Official Statements

• Blount Island Command, November 10: “JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — U.S. Marines stretched a yellow tape measure Nov. 4 along an Amphibious Combat Vehicle inside a cargo hold of USNS Dahl at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, Florida.

  Robert Hazlett, a contracting officer’s technical representative, watched as the team checked the vehicle’s fit. The turreted ACV-30 was the variant logistics specialists considered most difficult in the family to maneuver through cargo spaces.

  “The ACV-30 moved through the ship, and the team documented what crews need to load and secure it safely,” Hazlett said. “Those measurements and lashing requirements will help embarkation specialists document future load plans.”

  The assessment succeeded and showed the ACV-30 can be transported aboard maritime prepositioning ships, according to U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Kristian Mitchell, Blount Island Command’s plans officer. Mitchell led the test and received the contractor’s report.

  Marines, service civilians and contractors recorded the vehicle’s turning and clearance requirements and evaluated loading and offloading options.

  The wheeled ACV is replacing the tracked Assault Amphibious Vehicle. In 2019, after the Marine Corps completed ship-to-shore testing, ACV program officials described additional tests of how Marines would operate and maintain the vehicle.

  “We’re not just looking at how effective it is in a combat environment, but also how logistically supportable the platform is,” said Angelo Scarlato, an ACV product manager at the time.

  The Marine Corps began fielding the ACV personnel carrier in 2020, and that variant has since deployed with Marine expeditionary units aboard amphibious warships. The Blount Island assessment addressed transport aboard maritime prepositioning ships operated by Military Sealift Command. Its findings will inform loading plans for the broader ACV family.

  Blount Island Command addressed the maintenance side of forward positioning in September by receiving and verifying its first ACV battalion tool kits. Materiel specialists checked each tool and part number against packing lists, then used technical manuals to verify what had arrived and where it belonged. That accounting helps ensure Marines find the right tools where they expect them.

  Together, the tool-kit verification and shipboard findings support plans to position ACVs forward with maintenance support. Doing so would reduce what deploying Marines must move from the United States and shorten the time needed to assemble for operations.”