Battle brews over US Marines EFV, larger mission

A prototype of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle,planned for

deployment to the United States Marine Corps in 2015.

photo by United States Marine Corps

Written by Reuters Thursday, 20 January 2011 17:23

US Lawmakers are primed to defend a US$14 billion General Dynamics Corp amphibious landing vehicle canceled by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, but the larger battle may be over Pentagon plans to shift away from the Marine Corps' storm-the-beaches mission. If the Pentagon wins this initial test on the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, a host of other weapons contracts focused on that mission could be chopped. "The EFV cancellation is part of a broader plan by policymakers to scale back Marine Corps missions so that many planned programs might not be needed in the future," said Loren Thompson of the Virginia-based Lexington Institute, Reuters reports.