The US Department of the Navy signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) May 2 with the Department of the Army transferring all five of the Army's Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV) to the Navy.
"This agreement with the army demonstrates our commitment to reducing redundancies and saving money for the taxpayer," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "This is a responsible step that will ensure our military remains the most formidable fighting force the world has ever known."
Initially, the JHSV program was envisioned to have five of the first 10 JHSVs assigned to the army and the remainder to the navy. However, at the Army/Navy Warfighter Talks in December 2010, both services agreed to transfer the army's five JHSVs upon signing of this MOA – all 10 JHSVs will now be assigned to the navy.
The Military Sealift Command will crew the JHSVs with civilian mariners or contract mariners. Joint High Speed Vessels will be used for fast intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment.
