AM General South Bend, Ind., June 26, 2026 –
John Chadbourne
President & Chief Executive Officer
AM General
There has been recent public discussion surrounding the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. As President and Chief Executive Officer of AM General, I believe it is important to provide the facts because of our commitment to the Soldiers and Marines who will rely on this vehicle for years to come.
Every decision we make is guided by a single objective: delivering the most capable light tactical vehicle possible to America’s warfighters. That mission has guided our team from the first day of this program and continues to drive every decision we make.
AM General earned the JLTV A2 contract through one of the most rigorous, full and open competitions conducted by the U.S. Army. Following an extensive evaluation, Army acquisition professionals determined that AM General offered the best overall value to the government while delivering a more capable next-generation tactical vehicle designed to meet the demands of today’s battlefield and tomorrow’s threats.
At its core, this represented a bold investment in the next generation of the JLTV platform. The JLTV A2 incorporates more than 250 engineering enhancements that improve reliability, maintainability, manufacturability, sustainability, and operational capability while reducing lifecycle costs.
Transitions of major defense production programs from one manufacturer to another are inherently complex. The JLTV A2 transition proved especially challenging due to the unforeseen condition of the technical baseline we inherited, the engineering effort required to mature the design for production, and supplier transition issues encountered during execution. These complicated the transition and required our team to take substantial corrective action.
Since contract award, AM General has processed more than 2,100 supplier change requests, corrected deficiencies within the inherited technical baseline, addressed component obsolescence, qualified new suppliers, resolved complex engineering issues, and made significant investments to establish a stable, resilient, and sustainable production capability.
The result is not simply another version of the JLTV. The JLTV A2 represents the next evolution of America’s premier light tactical vehicle. The improvements to the platform provide Soldiers and Marines with a more capable, more dependable vehicle while reducing lifecycle costs for the Department of Defense.
Ultimately, this program should be judged by one standard: whether it delivers superior capability for the American warfighter. Every engineering decision, every manufacturing investment, and every improvement we have made has been focused on achieving that objective.
I am deeply proud of our workforce; hundreds of dedicated employees across our company have met these challenges with professionalism, resilience, and determination. Their commitment has transformed a demanding transition into a program that is now delivering vehicles to the U.S. Government, progressing through customer testing, and preparing to achieve full-rate production in early 2027. Every JLTV A2 that leaves our production line reflects their commitment to quality and to the Soldiers and Marines who will depend upon it.
Healthy competition, transparency, and accountability strengthen America’s defense industrial base. AM General remains fully committed to continue earning the trust placed in us by the Army, the Marine Corps, Congress, and the American taxpayer through performance, quality, and disciplined execution.
I invite our military leaders, members of Congress, industry partners, and other stakeholders to visit our facilities, meet our workforce, and see firsthand the investments, engineering innovation, and manufacturing excellence driving the JLTV A2 program.
Our commitment is straightforward: build the best vehicle, deliver it with excellence, and ensure America’s warfighters have the equipment they need to accomplish their mission. That is the standard we hold ourselves to every day—because the American Warfighter deserves nothing less.
Mission Ready. Future Driven.