According to Alaska Native News the Alaska Army National Guard received two rebuilt M-973 Small Unit Support Vehicles (SUSV) from the Red River Army Depot on November 3, 2014.
A SUSV is a full tracked, articulated vehicle designed to support infantry platoons and similar sized units during the conduct of operations in arctic and alpine conditions. The SUSV can be used in all types of terrain, such as trackless terrain, rock, boulders, bog, marsh and water and from arctic cold to tropical heat. The SUSV is a military vehicle designed for use as an all-terrain, amphibious, multi-role transport vehicle.
The Alaska Daily News reports that the two vehicles, along with a team of eight personnel from RRAD, were flown to Alaska aboard a C-5 aircraft.
According to Lt. Col. James Palembas, surface maintenance manager of the AKARNG, “national Guard Bureau recognizes the importance of SUSVs in performing its federal mission in cold-weather climates, while adding an important capability of meeting its state’s mission for defense in support of civilian authorities response. They have been used many times for search and rescue, bringing emergency fuel to Nome for ship to shore refueling and during fire seasons.”
According to Palembas the National Guard is the only participant in the rebuild program for the SUSVs at RRAD
See the full Alaska-native-news story at http://alaska-native-news.com/alaska-army-guard-works-maintain-arctic-ground-capability-14421
