Military vehicles – helping keep us safe

When is a vehicle a military vehicle? One answer is, of course, when it is pressed into service – such as the open top London buses used to ferry troops to the front line during the First World War.

That conflict also marked the arrival of the world's first purpose-built military vehicle; "Little Willie", a tank developed in 1915, although it would take another year for armoured vehicles to see active service.

With the benefits of mechanised transport immediately apparent, armed forces began planning for the future, and subsequently a plethora of military vehicles ranging from motorcycles to armoured personnel carriers and specialised transport trucks to mobile command and control centres all came into being.

Today, military vehicles are an integral part of our world in service with fighting forces and international peace-keepers around the globe. With their ultimate ambition of guaranteeing security, military vehicles are an important part of the remit of FIVA's Utilitarian Commission.