It may have been 98 degrees with a heat index of about 105 out on Fort Stewart’s Multi-Purpose Range Complex, but Christmas came early for 36 Soldiers of Augusta’s 278th Military Police Company and the Military Police Platoon belonging to Macon’s 48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion who are the first to get their hands on 12 of the Georgia Army Guard’s new M1117 Armored Security Vehicles.

Manufactured by Textron Marine and Land Systems in New Orleans, the ASV is an armored wheeled vehicle equipped with a turret and armament system designed to meet the security mission requirements (i.e., quick reaction force, main supply route and convoy security) of the Military Police Corps. It is a 4-wheel-drive vehicle equipped with a 260 horsepower diesel engine, 6-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel independent suspension that offers a quality ride while providing superior mobility, agility and handling.

Sergeant 1st Class Meara Brown, non commissioned officer-in-charge of training for Decatur’s 170th MP Battalion – the 278th’s parent headquarters – said the battalion took possession of its nine vehicles on June11. The other three ASVs belong to Macon’s 48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion.

These Georgia Soldiers, and 25 troops from elements of the Puerto Rico Army Guard’s 124th and 125th MP battalions, have already completed the better part of a week of operator and maintenance training.Now the Soldiers are out here getting familiarized with the vehicle’s weapons systems.

“I’m here to tell you, it’s like riding in an air-conditioned Cadillac,” said Sgt. James KleinHeinz, a team leader with the 278th’s 1st Platoon and the unit safety NCO. Patting the nose of his vehicle as it sat in the MPRC staging area, he added, “There’s just no comparison between it and the ride you have in a Humvee. It’s like day and night.”