The Use of the NATO Reference Mobility Model in Military Vehicle Procurement

The US Army Tank-Automotive Command (TACOM) has adopted a new policy with respect to all initial vehicle acquisitions. It has been decided to specify off- and on-road mobility requirements by means of a “standard” quantitative methodology and to perform subsequent concept analyses by means of this methodology only.

Prior to 1972, mobility specifications contained imprecise requirements such as “it has to be as mobile as the M113 in mud, snow and sand”. However, since 1972, specifications frequently included performance criteria which were given in quantitative terms. The method for computing these characteristics, however, has not been fixed until now.

The objective of this paper is to review the methodology selected by TACOM, namely the use of a comprehensive computerized mobility simulation called the NATO Reference Mobility Model (NRMM), and to present the Command's plans to implement this policy.