The U.S. government has approved the transfer of up to 20 Oshkosh M-ATV vehicles to Uruguay, using GPOI funds. The vehicles will be delivered to Uruguay to be used mainly in border control and patrol, but they will also be available to be deployed in Peace Missions, particularly with the Immediate Reaction Force that the country has offered to the UN and that it has accepted.
M-ATVs are light off-road armored vehicles with MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) features, originally designed to replace the ubiquitous Hmmwv, also known as Humvee, to be deployed in conflict zones with difficult terrain. The project was chosen in 2009 and since then more than 10,000 units have been completed.
The transfer of the units is already approved, and a delegation of Uruguayan troops will travel to California in July to inspect the vehicles. All that remains is for the legal processes to be completed so that they can be sent to Uruguay.