Canadian Armed Forces' Military Procurement

"[The lack of ballistic protection is a significant deleterious issue, and as well due to the design] personal weapons were not easily accessible on the move, degrading the ability of the squad to quickly react to enemy actions and ambushes."

Pentagon test report

"There were no mission failures or system aborts from the last round of testing, and GM Defense received a full-rate production decision from the [U.S.] Army, validating our manufacturing and engineering processes."

Sonia Taylor, spokeswoman for General Motors Defense

"As with current and future vehicle fleets, DND [Department of National Defence] works very closely with manufacturers so that vehicles not only meet requirements, but also operate as intended and are safe for our members to use."

National Defence spokesperson, Frederica Dupuis

Canada is spending almost $36 million for 90 Light Tactical Vehicles for use by Canadian Army personnel being deployed to Latvia. Photo by GM Defense LLC /HANDOUT

Canada has signed a contract with the American arms manufacturer General Motors Defense, the only company to respond to an official request for proposals issued in the spring to the defence industry for light tactical vehicles needed for Canadian Army personnel deployed to Latvia under an agreement with NATO as a bulwark against Russian expansionary ambitions. A total of 90 light tactical vehicles are on order for a total cost of $36 million, with an expected swift delivery enabling training in preparedness for the trucks to be in use in Latvia by the coming October.

 

Like all Canadian military procurement, from surface vessels, submarines, aircraft and armoured vehicles, to ammunition, the new light tactical vehicles' serviceability have come under question with observations that the trucks lack protection, are too cramped and problems have been experienced with cracked engines and loss of steering. Oddly enough it is U.S. officials that have raised these doubts regarding the suitability of the U.S.-made vehicles for Canada's military.

 

These are vehicles being produced in Concord, North Carolina with a life expectancy of 15 years, made by GM Defense LLC, based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup truck. The model was in fact used by the U.S. military itself. Concerns about the truck's performance and reliability led to Pentagon tests conducted in 2020 and 2022 that warned the vehicle was not operationally effective against near-peer threats on combat missions.

 

This, to the extent that even during the testing period, the vehicles were sufficiently ineffective to convince troops using them to leave the trucks and instead proceed on foot to achieve their missions' objectives. A scenario reported in 2022 by the U.S. defence website Task and Purpose. These concerns aside, the U.S. proceeded to acquire the vehicles on the basis that improvements to their design and performance had answered to some of the complaints.

 

It was explained that the vehicles were selected for their unique combination of high payload capacity and off-road mobility, sharing 90 percent commonality with the civilian-use Chevrolet Colorado. Canadian service men on the other hand, wrote on social media that Latvia, their destination, can become bogged down with frigid winter temperatures and snow, while the vehicles were designed with no protection from the elements.

 

The Canadian Forces command are satisfied that the new trucks would be capable of carrying cargo, weapons and combat supplies to the extent required to enable light forces to be self-sufficient for a period of 72 hours. Integrated logistics support and two years of spare parts for the fleet, as well as an option to acquire an additional 18 trucks complete the contract. Canadian Army commander Lt. Gen. Michael Wright was confident that the new truck contract would improve operational readiness and at the same time was "also enhancing its deterrence posture on the eastern flank of NATO". 

 

M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle  GM Defense