M1117 "Guardian" Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) Employment in Peace Operations

The U.S. Army Military Police (MP) Corps began fielding the M1117 "Guardian" Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) in Fiscal Year 2000, in order to provide MP with greater protection and firepower. Most MP officers have never employed the unique capabilities the new vehicle will bring to the modern battlefield. The ASV is the equivalent of a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) and is well suited for wartime operations, and its presence on the battlefield will significantly improve the combat fighting capabilities of the MP. This paper focuses on ASV employment in peacekeeping (PKO) and peace enforcement operations (PEO). The U.S. has been involved in many peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions in the past, and will likely be involved in many more in the future. The characteristics of peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations however, are very different from each other. This monograph asks the question: When is it best to employ the ASV as a visible presence or as a focused presence, in order to achieve endstate objectives of peace operations? Joint Publication 3-07.3, Joint Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Peace Operations, states that the peacekeepers main function is to establish a presence, which inhibits hostile actions by the disputing parties and bolsters confidence in the peace process. What should that presence look like? Joint publications mention visible presence and overwhelming presence.