Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:21:06-2:21:56

Why the Marines chose LAV while the Army chose Stryker

Closely related vehicles diverged because salt-water and amphibious performance mattered more to the Marines, while air deployment and road mobility drove the Army.

Amphibious WarfareLav 25Military VehiclesRequirementsStrykerUS Marine Corps
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Question

Why did the US Marine Corps use LAV while the Army adopted Stryker instead of sharing one chassis?

Short answer

Their priorities differed: amphibious and salt-water utility for the Marines, versus air and road mobility for the Army, with the programs also separated in time.

Notes

The Marine Corps needed a vehicle suited to maritime transport and operation around salt water, a requirement carried forward into its newer amphibious vehicles. The Army emphasized air deployability and road movement, and the two selections were also made in different periods, so a common chassis was less obvious than the vehicles' shared ancestry suggests.