High-Water Vehicles Highlight Guard's Response Arsenal

By Air Force Master Sgt. Greg Rudl
Special to American Forces Press Service

Sept. 12, 2008 - In war, they're called combat vehicles. But when Mother Nature strikes and people are stranded by flood waters, those big trucks with their big tires and high ground clearance get a different name. National Guard units in some states call them high-water vehicles. Others describe them as high-clearance or high-wheeled. But whatever the name, governors, adjutants general and other state military leaders want to know how many they have, especially when the waters rise.

During domestic response missions, the big trucks plow through high water to rescue residents, carry boats that also help rescue people, and bring food and water to the victims of calamities.

Just how vital are these big trucks to the Guard's domestic response missions?

-- As Hurricane Ike approached the Gulf Coast yesterday with predictions of five to 10 inches of rain, the Texas National Guard was assembling 900 personnel and 500 high-water vehicles in San Antonio for major search-and-rescue missions.

-- In August, Florida Army Guard soldiers drove a high-water vehicle through flooded roads in Osteen, Fla., searching for people needing assistance or evacuation due to the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Fay.

-- Missouri soldiers used high-water vehicles to deliver 11,520 meals to residents of flood-ravaged Iowa in June.

-- The National Guard from several states pre-positioned more than 3,800 high-water vehicles in and around New Orleans in late August as Hurricane Gustav approached.

-- When storms flooded Vernonia, Ore., in early December 2007, high-water vehicles were used to rescue hundreds of people.

-- When flooding hit Pennsylvania and New Jersey in June and July 2006, more than 1,000 Guard members used high-wheeled vehicles for water rescues, evacuations and other emergency operations along the Delaware River.

While as little as six inches of water can cause a car to lose control, and two feet can carry most cars away, most high-water vehicles can plow through several feet of water.

"The [light medium tactical vehicle] can carry up to 15 people and has a high ground clearance, which allows them operate in up to four feet of water," Army Lt. Col. Len Gratteri, a Delaware National Guard spokesman, said in early May after tidal flooding and heavy rains in his state led Guard members to deploy LMTVs.

Army National Guard logistics division officials said the 54 states and territories have 22,244 high-water vehicles, ranging from 1,159 in Pennsylvania to 15 in the Virgin Islands. The division considers everything from 2.5-ton trucks to the M977 heavy, expanded-mobility tactical truck, or HEMTT, as high-water vehicles. The total doesn't include the ubiquitous Humvee, which can ford through five feet of water when equipped with the proper kit.

For emergency response, the Army Guard relies heavily on the LMTV -- its cargo and van models have a 2.5-ton capacity -- and the medium tactical vehicle, which has a 5-ton capacity. Both entered service in 1996, have automatic transmissions, and run on jet fuel.

The HEMTT comes in five models and stands more than eight feet tall. The lightest version weighs well over 30,000 pounds and is capable of fording water up to four feet deep. Although the Humvee is not considered a high-water vehicle, with a deep water-fording kit it can drive through five feet of water.

These trucks are heavy as well as high, which means they are considerably less likely to float away. The LMTV, for example, weighs more than 13 tons.

Florida Army Guard transportation soldiers made sure their high-water vehicles were in working order as Hurricane Gustav neared their state in late August.

Also in August, after Tropical Storm Fay brought heavy rain to much of Florida, members of the 254th Transportation Battalion used high-water vehicles in four southern counties to help emergency first-responders perform damage and flood assessment.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Talent, a truckmaster for the battalion, helped with the assessment missions.

"The LMTV is very useful, because it is so versatile," he explained, pointing out the five high-water trucks in the motor pool at his armory. Talent added that LMTV drivers know and follow their safety guidelines when driving through high water.

(Air Force Master Sgt. Greg Rudl serves at the National Guard Bureau.)

Contracts

NAVY

Radant Technologies, Incorporated, Stow, Mass., is being awarded a $14,114,142 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee provisions for submarine communication antenna radomes and related engineering services. This contract allows for the procurement of up to 20 radomes per year for the five year life of this contract along with the procurement of special tooling needed for the manufacturing of these radomes. This contract includes services for the testing, inspection and evaluation of damaged radomes, engineering services to include studies, upgrades, technical improvements, and life cycle refurbishment. Work will be performed in Stow, Mass., and work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $177,191 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-08-D-0660).

L3 Communications, Communication Systems - West, Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $13,847,222 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract to provide for continued life cycle sustainment of the Deployable Multi-Channel Satellite Communications System. Equipment available under the proposed contract includes quad band satellite terminals, terminal IP upgrades, IP baseband interface modules, Ka band upgrades, critical spares, and replacement components. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $65,758,336. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, and work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The request for proposals was issued directly to L3 Communications, Communication Systems - West. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity (N65236-08-D-5137).

General Dynamics Land Systems, under its operating unit General Dynamics Amphibious Systems, Woodbridge, Va., is being awarded an $11,960,776 modification to previously awarded contract (M67854-05-C-0072) for the advanced procurement of long lead materials for Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) 2 phase of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program. Work will be performed in Michigan (37 percent), Indiana (20 percent), Arizona (13 percent), Maryland (5 percent), Louisiana (3 percent), Florida (2 percent), Mississippi (2 percent), New Jersey (2 percent), New York (2 percent), Ohio (2 percent), and Germany (12 percent), and work is expected to be completed by November 2009. The contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.


DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Chemical Specialists and Development, Inc., Conroe, Texas, is being awarded a minimum $11,619,400 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for fuel system icing inhibitor. Other locations of performance are Georgia, New Jersey, California, and Washington. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. The proposals were originally solicited by FBO with 3 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a 12 month contract with a 30-day carryover period. Date of performance completion is January 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-08-D-0752).

Falcon Fuels Inc., Paramount, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $2,080,350.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for regular unleaded gasoline. Other location of performance located in California. Using services are federal civilian agencies. There were originally 28 proposals solicited with 21 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is August 31, 2009. The contracting activity is the contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-05-D-4526).

AIR FORCE

ITT Industries, Systems Division of Cape Canaveral, Fla. is being awarded a contract modification for $6,792,630. This action will provide spares and interim supply for the Space Lift Range Systems contract. It addresses the continued wholesale supply sustainment for previously fielded spares following the tenants of interim supply support. The project also provides additional initial spares procurement, initial spares fielding, and interim supply support sustainment in support of Prime Mission Equipment projected to be field by the Space Lift Range Systems contract. At this time all funds have been obligated. SMC SLG/PK, Peterson Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (F04701-01-C-0001, P00465).

International Business Machines Corporation of N.Y. is being awarded a contract option for $6,375,674. The objective of the Sub-threshold-slope Transistors for electronics with extremely-low power program is to develop, novel transistor technologies that will enable high-performance logic circuits with extremely low power consumption. This program will develop transistors based on on-thermionic switching that will result in extremely low power consumption. At this time $4,462,051 has been obligated. Det 1 AFRL/PKDA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-08-C-7806).

ARMY

Kidde Technologies, Inc., Goleta, Calif., was awarded on Jan. 16, 2008, a $5,715,150 firm-fixed-price contract for Stryker tire fire suppression kits. Work will be performed in Goleta, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Oct. 1, 2007, and one bid was received. The Tank Automotive and Armaments Command, is the contracting activity W56HZV-08-C-B001.