Oshkosh Guard unit receives first FMTV produced by Oshkosh Defense

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

The first production medium-sized military truck to roll off the assembly lines at Oshkosh Defense was delivered just down the road to a Wisconsin Army National Guard transportation unit.

The 5-ton cargo truck, part of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), has been in the military fleet for several years. However, this is the first of more than 18,000 such vehicles to be manufactured at Oshkosh Defense, which also makes several other tactical vehicles for the military.

"It's a special honor to field our first FMTV truck with the men and women of our home state and hometown National Guard," said Mike Ivy, vice president and general manager of Army Programs for Oshkosh Defense. "The 1157th has a proud tradition of service both in the U.S. and in operational theaters, and relies heavily on the FMTV to accomplish its missions."

Col. Kenneth Koon, representing the Wisconsin Army National Guard, said the new FMTV gives the 1157th, and eventually the rest of the Wisconsin National Guard, the opportunity to train as it fights.

"This will help with training for future missions and to be ready when called," Koon said. "Trucks like these will increase their safety."

That's because this version of the FMTV is "armor-ready" - meaning that the metal hull is designed to hold additional armor plating. Other features, such as a fold-back gunner's seat and rear-hinged cab doors that open to the front of the vehicle, compliments the vehicle's tactical applications.

According to Col. Masaki Kuwana, chief of the Army National Guard's Materiel Programs Division, the Army National Guard will receive the lion's share - approximately 13,000 trucks - of the FMTVs Oshkosh Defense will produce in the coming years.

"It's fitting that the first unit to be equipped [with the new FMTV] is the 1157th Transportation Company," Kuwana said. George Mansfield, senior director for the Medium Tactical Vehicle program at Oshkosh Defense, agreed.

"After months of hard work, we get to put the first Oshkosh FMTV in the hands of men and women who will use it," he said.

There are 17 FMTV models ranging from 2.5 tons to 10 tons. At least 80 percent of vehicle parts are common to all FMTV models, streamlining maintenance and providing cost efficiency.

Ivy mentioned that Oshkosh Defense employs many military veterans as well as current Guard and Reserve members - including 1157th Transportation Company members Sgt. Dustin Louden and Sgt. Tiffany Gorges.

"There's a level of pride," Gorges, a vehicle painter at Oshkosh Defense and a squad leader in a truck platoon with the 1157th, said of the fielding. "I know what goes into making this truck. I remember painting the prototype."

Louden, who works as a yardman at Oshkosh Defense and as a dispatcher with the 1157th, said his military background provides a different perspective.

"I know where these trucks are going," he said.

This particular truck will be assigned to the 1157th's headquarters platoon.