Army Watercraft Esp

Army Watercraft Extended Service Program (ESP) modernizes vessels and supporting systems that give the Army organic waterborne lift for Multi-Domain Operations and Joint All Domain Operations. Army Watercraft Systems move combat-ready troops, vehicles, equipment, bulk fuel, and water while supporting dispersed logistics and dynamic force repositioning. Their shallow-water access helps commanders operate along coasts, rivers, and inland waterways where anti-access/area-denial threats or inadequate ports and roads limit other transport. The program appears under Other Procurement, Army, Budget Activity 03, Other Support Equipment, and Budget Sub Activity 55, Rail Float Containerization Equipment.

ESP funds service life extension programs (SLEPs), the Modernized Integrated Bridge System (MIBS), the Harbormaster Command & Control Center (HCCC), and modifications to improve legacy watercraft readiness and maintainability. These efforts address aging vessels, inconsistent configurations, parts availability, mariner training, operational safety, and joint interoperability in support of the Army Watercraft Systems Transformation Strategy (AWSTS) and the fleet's Title 10 mission. Their timing also matters to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command force-structure and stationing considerations. Fiscal year 2027 base procurement covers one Landing Craft Utility 2000 (LCU-2000) SLEP vessel and four Modular Causeway System (MCS) SLEP vessels, alongside MIBS, HCCC, and program oversight.

LCU-2000 SLEP sustains a shallow-draft landing craft that carries containerized, break-bulk, and roll-on/roll-off cargo and can beach using its bow ramp. The craft supports Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS), seaport opening, sealift discharge and back-loading, and delivery of combat-configured forces or sustainment cargo. Fielded in 1990 1992 with an original 25-year economic useful life, the fleet receives engine and power-generation upgrades, force-protection and habitability improvements, and critical-system configuration resets to support an extended 40-year life while the Army awaits an affordable replacement. Phase I also delivers production vessels, a technical data package, updated maritime training systems, and authenticated manuals; the FY 2027 vessel is planned for award in July 2027 and first delivery in July 2029.

MCS SLEP extends the useful life of Modular Warping Tugs (MWTs) and Causeway Ferries (CFs), originally fielded in 2004 as components of the Army's over-the-shore system. A complete MCS set includes six MWTs, one CF, two Roll-On/Roll-Off Discharge Facilities, and a Floating Causeway; tugs position the system, while the ferry moves containers from ships to beaches. Its upgrades include engine and winch repowering and electrical-system improvements. Army Watercraft Systems research, development, test, and evaluation funding produced a prototype and government-owned technical data package for a build-to-print approach covering 17 tugs and three ferries. The four FY 2027 vessels are planned for award in July 2027, with first delivery in January 2029; tug conversions and material pressures contribute to higher unit costs.

MIBS refreshes LCU-2000 and Logistics Support Vessel (LSV) communications suites to improve navigation safety, readiness, and joint interoperability while resetting their baseline configurations. The effort encompasses eight LSVs and 17 LCUs, supported by a government-rights technical data package, upgraded training systems, and authenticated manuals. Mobile teams install equipment pier-side at vessel stations, avoiding shipyard moves and limiting unit disruption; the plan allows installation on 25 vessels over two years. Because maritime communications change rapidly, refreshes follow a four-year cycle of development and installation. FY 2027 supports MIBS 2.0 installations, including platform-specific commercial and government radar suites that address differing operational needs and the joint-interoperability gap.

HCCC enters its initial modernization year in FY 2027. Used by Harbormaster Operations Detachments, it provides maritime traffic management, waterway deconfliction, littoral-zone bathymetry, and subsurface assessment of austere ports. Weather and sea-state tracking, cargo-delivery management, and navigation-safety tools support command and control of Army, joint, and coalition operations in contested or non-permissive littoral areas.

LSV SLEP is another ESP component, although the FY 2027 vessel procurement quantity covers LCU and MCS work. LSVs connect strategic sealift to shore-to-shore and ship-to-shore distribution, including resupply of remote coastlines and inland waterways. The effort aims to extend the economic useful life of LSV 1-Class vessels to 2046 and LSV 7-Class vessels to 2047 through engine and power-generation work, force protection, habitability upgrades, and configuration resets.

Vessel SLEP packages are installed during planned On-Condition Cyclic Maintenance shipyard periods, coordinating procurement-funded upgrades with maintenance funded through Operation and Maintenance, Army. This alignment reduces cost and disruption. FY 2027 also supports LCU technical manuals and spares and government management of contractor production, quality reviews, and engineering changes, waivers, or deviations. Supply-chain shortages and inflation continue to pressure schedules and costs.