DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. —
It is crucial that the capabilities our warfighters receive to fight and survive meet the current threat environment. Their input in the development of such systems can help lead to a capability that meets their needs when they need it. With that in mind, Portfolio Acquisition Executive Marine Corps Program Manager Light Armored Vehicles (PM LAV) conducted an Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) Marine Touch Point (MTP) at the Ground Vehicle Systems Center in Detroit Arsenal, Mich., June 10 – 11, 2026.
The ARV program is executing under the Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) pathway for rapid prototyping, and to support this accelerated timeline, PM LAV is conducting a series of early operational assessments with the Textron and General Dynamics Land Systems prototype ARV-30 variant. These events are designed to place these systems directly in the hands of experienced Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Marines to capture high-pedigree, actionable feedback, which will lead to reducing program risk prior to major design reviews and potentially influence future design changes.
“This Marine touchpoint puts experienced LAR operators in the driver’s seat of prototypes, providing an early fleet feedback loop to refine designs and optimize combat capabilities before the baseline is locked. It allows us to directly translate Marine prototype feedback into concrete design refinements—ensuring the final platform is built for operators.”
– Col. Douglas Peterson, program manager, LAV
Marines with 1st LAR, 2d LAR, 3d LAR, and LAR Training Company, conducted gunnery and vehicle familiarization operations designed to familiarize the Marines with the prototype vehicle’s layout and turret operations through hands-on interaction. Additionally, they performed driver training and practical application on a test track. Using a concurrent execution model, the Marines split into groups with one conducting driver familiarization and practical application on one vendor’s vehicle, the other group simultaneously conducting gunnery and vehicle familiarization on the other vendor’s platform. The groups “flip-flopped” roles at points, ensuring all Marines interacted with all systems. Using this approach, PM LAV was able to maintain data integrity by ensuring all Marines provide feedback on both vehicles independently.
“From my perspective, this Marine Touch Point was a phenomenal success and a textbook example of our ‘Shift Left’ strategy in action,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. John Farrell, PM LAV operations chief. “By putting our most seasoned, highly experienced LAR Marines face-to-face with vendor engineers, we captured high-pedigree, actionable feedback on the physical hull ergonomics and turret controls of the ARV-30 prototypes early in the cycle. This direct collaboration is incredibly beneficial for both the USMC and our industry partners; it allows us to identify necessary design refinements, mitigate program risks, and shape future tactics well before the Critical Design Review, ensuring we ultimately deliver the most lethal and operationally suitable platform to the fleet.”
“This [Marine Touch Point] is integral to the future of the Marine Corps,” said Staff Sgt. Dominic Rosado, Light Armored platoon sergeant and master gunner for 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. “We have maintenance chiefs here, we have master gunners here, we have O311 scouts that ride in the back of the vehicles and not necessarily operate it. I think bringing the Marines here to tell the contractors, ‘hey, this is what we’re looking for – hey, this is something that you might run into if we are to get this vehicle today and you kept this piece of gear on here.’ We’re here to basically shape what we want and tell them. We’re integrated in the process and the building of these new weapon systems, these new vehicles, and everything that the Marine Corps is turning into for this new force design.”
The ARV is built for the mission ahead. With open architecture, modular payloads, and clear upgrade paths, the system is designed to evolve. It gives the future Mobile Reconnaissance Battalion (MRB) a platform that is more survivable, more mobile, and more connected. Helping Marines see first, understand faster, and stay in the fight.
“The ARV is the critical enabler for the LAR-to-MRB transition. It fundamentally redefines the mission by sensing, fusing, and sharing actionable intelligence across the entire (Marine Air-Ground Task Force). The capabilities the ARV delivers are highly suitable for the near-term fight, while its open-architecture design guarantees scalable capability growth for years to come.”
– Col. Douglas Peterson, program manager, LAV
“It creates more of a situational awareness,” said Rosado. “Not only for just like the individual crewmen, but as a whole with the different variants that they’re coming out with. Situational awareness down from the crewmen level all the way to the company and battalion level is going to serve dividends going and reporting to the [Marine Expeditionary Unit], reporting to a division, or whoever is that higher echelon of command that we report to the situational awareness of the battlefield. That’s what we do and shaping that is going to be greatly improved based off these vehicles.”
PM LAV is planning to conduct additional MTP’s throughout the ARV’s pre-production development phase to continue to receive feedback on design updates. The program continues to deliver on schedule, apply rigorous cost controls, and reduce risk early, utilizing events such as this to do so.
By David Jordan | Portfolio Acquisition Executive Marine Corps
