The Army’s newest Maneuver Support Vessel-Light prototype will begin its prolonged testing phase in Hawaii, despite repairs that may continue into early 2025. The vessel is due to arrive in Hawaii either late this year or early next year, said Maj. Gen. Jered Helwig, commanding general of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
“The ship is going to come to Hawaii and that’ll probably be … optimistically, late this year, probably most likely early next,” Helwig said. Though Helwig moves on to a new job as the deputy commander for US Transportation Command in early July, he detailed the tentative test plan for the MSV-L as it gears up for major fleet changes.
MSV-L is replacing the aging LCM-8 Landing Craft Mechanized-8, which can go faster and handle heavier payloads, which include the M1 Abrams tanks, Stryker, and Bradley fighting vehicles. It will also be transporting vital supplies, food, and medical equipment throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The Army took delivery of the first MSV-L from Vigor Works on February 5, but mechanical problems on its initial deployment to Camp Pendleton forced it to return for evaluation and repairs.
Helwig said he expects the prototype to return to the Army next year and head to Hawaii for nine months to a year of testing. “Everything that we can knock off that list we will do in the archipelago, because that allows us to do the tests in the environment that the vessel will operate in ultimately,” he said.
It will mostly be used for operating between Oahu and the Big Island, carrying soldiers, equipment, and supplies to help validate the specifications of the vessel. Exercise may also see participation in the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center through exercise in late 2025 before the vessel moves into the U.S. mainland for schoolhouse training. The core training in Hawaii is expected to shape Army leadership decisions on future MSV-L configurations as the service works to drive down requirements and lower the cost for the 13-vessel fleet.
“The first four might be the more expensive ones and the trailing nine would be a little less expensive,” Army acquisition head Doug Bush said in October 2023. Per-vessel cost was pegged between $31 million and $48 million depending on the year and how many are purchased in the fiscal 2024 budget request documents. The FY25 request includes $66.5 million to buy one MSV-L, which could reflect the reduced price point Bush mentioned.
With the MSV-L on its way, Helwig and his team are testing new and variant methods of supporting the force in the Indo-Pacific. Today the 8th Theater Sustainment Command is leasing a US-flagged commercial vessel to make up for losing one of its Logistic Support Vessels – LSVs – which was moved forward to Japan. The leased vessel is also testing leasings and operational concepts that include commercial/military vessel integration.
In addition to these new manned vessels, the Army is eyeing manned-unmanned teaming in the maritime environment. The Marine Corps Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel is one of the first such ships in development–such capability was showcased as part of this summer’s Valiant Shield 2024 exercise. Helwig said he is excited to understand how the Marine Corps is implementing that new technology.
“The watercraft in this region plays an enormously important role,” said U.S. Army Pacific Commander Gen. Charles Flynn. The Army’s strategy to build out its fleet includes maintenance of current vessels, development of new requirements for the MSV-L and MSV-Heavy, and making sure the forward maintenance capabilities in the Pacific.
The Army has already started testing its first MSV-L prototype and plans to build 14 vessels, building one vessel per year of production. Helwig hopes to have the prototype in Hawaii before the end of the year to validate its capabilities and integrate it into the joint force.
The MSV-Heavy is not currently an Army requirement, but the service is keeping a close eye on the Marine Corps Offshore Support Vessel program as a potential bridge solution. Commercial options – including leasing or buying used craft – also are being considered by the Army as a way to solve its logistics problem in the Pacific.
Commercial capabilities such as offshore support vessels and barges will, in turn, provide the Army with more operational flexibility onboard larger watercraft required to operate through the shallower waters of their Pacific archipelagos. This year, the Army has used an offshore support vessel in Operation Pathways and given us some very good first-hand insights into how these types of vessels are integrated into a military force operating at sea.
The Army recognizes it will never have sufficient military watercraft to meet all needs and, therefore, must leverage commercial capabilities. Commercial vessel capabilities incorporated into military use are a crucial part of the Army strategy that best ensures the ability to provide for logistical and sustainment capabilities across the Indo-Pacific area of operation.