Oshkosh Truck Corp.
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
Interview with John Stoddart
Executive Vice President and President, Defense
Oshkosh Truck Corp.
John Stoddart has had responsibility for all aspects of the company’s $1.7 billion defense business since October 2001. He joined the company as the general manager, Medium Vehicle Group in September 1995. Since then, he has exercised increasingly broader and more diverse responsibilities. In 1999, Stoddart was promoted to vice president-defense, with the primary focus of expanding Oshkosh Truck’s defense business and added responsibility for the heavy defense vehicle program and associated derivatives of the tactical fleet of vehicles.
Prior to joining Oshkosh Truck, Stoddart retired from the U.S. Army as the program executive officer, Tactical Wheeled Vehicles. His formal military education was varied, including the Command and General Staff College, Army War College, and Defense Systems Management College. He also served on exchange with the British Armour Corps and attended RMCS in the United Kingdom. Stoddart received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, and earned his Master of Business Administration from Babson College and the Harvard Senior Officials and Security Intelligence Programs.
Q: With the ever-changing business landscape among defense suppliers, how has that affected Oshkosh and how it does business?
A: In our 90 years we’ve seen a lot of change in the industry, but our primary focus has always been to design vehicles specifically with soldier use and safety in mind. We have always developed new technologies based on customer use and needs more than on what competitors are doing.
Q: What has Oshkosh done to ensure that it is supporting the company’s truck fleets in Iraq and Afghanistan? Was it difficult to spool up that effort?
A: Oshkosh Truck is committed to providing worldwide service, repair and parts distribution for our vehicles, including those in theaters of operation. As the military needs have changed over the years, our support systems have naturally evolved to meet them.
For example, we have field service representatives stationed both overseas with deployed units and at key military posts to provide the military with experienced maintenance personnel as well as a direct link to the company and its parts network.
Soon after the recent conflict began, it became clear that we needed to provide additional service and support capabilities in theater. Oshkosh single-handedly constructed and manned multiple service centers within Iraq to provide vehicle service and install armor.
Additionally, our theater provided equipment refurbishment services to meet the urgent requirements of the armed forces in times of conflict by helping repair and return tactical equipment to its full mission operability.
Q: Have you identified what the next generation of logistics vehicles will be and how they differ from the current generation?
A: As mission demands change, the military evaluates requirements, and logistic vehicles continue to evolve with changing needs of the defense industry. Future generations of military vehicles have already evolved beyond basic transport devices into sophisticated tactical vehicles with advanced computer diagnostics, independent suspension systems and increased survivability. Next-generation vehicles also will incorporate unmanned capabilities and alternative-energy technology.
Internally, Oshkosh relies on real-world conflict expertise, feedback from the field and our experience in nonmilitary industries to push innovation and technological advancements. This helps us meet new challenges without sacrificing the payload and performance needs currently facing the armed services.
For example, increasing threats from IEDs and mine blasts moved the Marine Corps to increase its MTVR’s blast protection level—a challenge that potentially threatened the vehicle’s payload or off-road capabilities by adding extra weight. Newly designed armor kits met this challenge by providing advanced protection for Marines in the field.
Q: What is the status of Oshkosh’s JLTV program? Has the company ever made a vehicle in this weight class and mission before?
A: On January 8, Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Truck officially announced they have teamed to develop a vehicle for the U.S. military’s JLTV program. We feel the strength and experience of this team offers us distinct advantages in advanced technology, agility and affordability.
The JLTV program was developed because mission demands have changed, as demonstrated by the capabilities gaps. The team believes that the JLTV requirements call for an unprecedented solution.
While the JLTV is considered a light-weight vehicle, its additional power, weight and mission profile more closely mirror many medium and heavy vehicles. Oshkosh has extensive experience with high-performance, off-road vehicles that have high power-to-weight ratios. Oshkosh can carry that capability into a lighter vehicle with a significant advantage.
Q: Is Oshkosh interested in other partnership arrangements similar to those with PVI and Thales?
A: Oshkosh Truck views partnerships, such as those with PVI and Thales, as opportunities to meet design and manufacturing requirements for protected vehicle and other programs while leveraging our own expertise. As evidenced by our recent partnership with Northrop Grumman on the JLTV program, we continue to explore any options that will help provide the best possible solutions for the military. ♦