RESURRECTION: 75 years after it was first deployed, will US Army bring back the ‘jeep’?

Earlier this year the U.S. Army had negotiations with Hendrick Dynamics, which developed a modified light off-road vehicle built on the Jeep Wrangler with a modified JP-8 diesel engine. This Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) vehicle was dubbed the Commando and is now officially designated the Grand Mobility Vehicle (GMV).

“We’re right in the transition to light mobility for our military,” Marshall Carlson, Hendrick Dynamics’ general manager, told FoxNews.com. “This is much lighter than the JLTV, and it won’t be armored – it is what is being called a ‘better boot.’ The GMV is for those light infantry and airborne infantry that can only move across the battlefield by walking at 3mph. This is literally a people mover that can go anywhere.”

What also makes the GMV program notable is that Hendrick Dynamics is contracting the Jeeps from Chrysler, which is bringing the iconic vehicle back to the battlefield.

A certain segment of Jeep Wrangler fans has clamored for years for a diesel option. Hendrick Dynamics would have a license to print money if someday they’re able to make the Commando available for civilian sale. But for now at least, the Commando is sold only to “government agencies and commercial clients.”

I’d take one in green.