Overview
- The Marine Corps completed the last operational use of the AAV at Exercise Sea Breeze 26 in Romania and has begun transferring the decommissioned vehicles to partner nations for regional defense.
- Rather than storing the tracked AAV-P7 fleet, U.S. Marines will train allied crews and provide experienced instructors to help partners operate and maintain the vehicles overseas.
- The Corps has already transitioned its own amphibious force to the eight-wheeled Amphibious Combat Vehicle, which will replace the AAV for Marine deployments and training.
- At Sea Breeze 26 the AAVs were exercised in doctrinal roles such as mechanized assault, logistics carrier, and direct fire asset and were evaluated for performance in drone-dense environments.
- For Marines the retirement is emotional after more than five decades of service dating to 1972, and the transfers are intended to strengthen NATO interoperability and raise the near-term deterrent posture in the Black Sea.