Joint High-Speed Vessel Taking Shape

The Navy, the Army, the Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command have reached consensus on many performance attributes for a future transport called the Joint High Speed Vessel, but some thorny issues remain unresolved, according to internal Navy documents.

The $1.5 billion acquisition program, led by the Navy, aims to develop an intratheater transport based on a commercial design with low technical risk. Pentagon acquisition executive Kenneth Krieg approved the start of the program’s technology development phase in a May 5 memo. He also directed officials to include SOCOM in talks about the ship’s requirements.