More U.S. Troops Die in Iraq Bombings Even as Armoring Improves

[bemildred]

Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Roadside bombs are killing more American troops in Iraq, as the frequency and sophistication of insurgent attacks may be outstripping U.S. efforts to increase protection for soldiers.

So-called improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, killed 302 U.S. troops between Jan. 1 and Oct. 7, compared with 165 in the same period in 2004, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, an Internet site with statistics based on official U.S. casualty reports. The number of U.S. armored vehicles in Iraq rose during that period to almost 39,600 from 16,548, according to the Army.

``It's a losing game because they can always build a bigger bomb,'' said Daniel Goure, vice president of the Lexington Institute, a defense policy research group in Arlington, Virginia.

The insurgents are no longer using simple munitions, said Anthony Cordesman, a defense analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington who has traveled to Iraq and written about the insurgency. Instead, they're using stacked landmines, several artillery shells wired together or specialized ``shaped'' charges that focus the area of impact and increase force, Cordesman said.

Bloomberg

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

1. Bush told us to prepare for more violence

Bet the house on it.

[LynnTheDem]

2. Gee...too bad BUSH didn't give a fuck about securing weapons depots

Ya know, the ones that were all looted.

That are killing our troops.

[fshrink]

3. Building a martyr/hero fund.

Very useful in the compassion (read: screw you with tears in my eyes) business. Itself very useful with gullible, religious, uninformed, anger- and guilt-ridden, masses.

[gulfcoastliberal]

4. An armored Humvee stands no chance if directly hit by a 150mm artillery

shell. That's what is happening. They bury huge artillery shells and detonate when the vehicle passes over it. An armored hummer can't withstand a direct hit by an artillery shell. That's how I see it, anyway.

[cliss]

5. Here's an update on this topic:

About 3 months ago, there was an article in the Sunday Oregonian newspaper here in Oregon. Apparently, there is a local company which has gotten a government contract to supply "Mine detectors" in Iraq and other areas.

The president of the company said he had gotten an "urgent contract" to make these devices which would be able to detect IED's (homemade bombs and other explosive devices, like suicide bombings). I think this technology could detect bombs within 1,000 feet (?)

The president was excited because it meant lots of money to the company. And he felt that this would "eliminate the problem" over there. He didn't want to say too much, because "that would be helping the enemy".

I thought this was interesting because I was curious about how effective this technology would be.

Now if they are currently using them, it seems like they have had = 0 effectiveness. There are LOTS of threads here about recent suicide bombings in Iraq. Lots of people have died. Very strange.

[bemildred]

6. I thought it was bullshit at the time.

Something that would be effective while driving along
at the sort of range required seemed unlikely to me, and
if feasible most likely easy to circumvent.

Now some physicist will most likely explain to me how it
could be done.

[Nihil]

7. Seconded!

> Something that would be effective while driving along
> at the sort of range required seemed unlikely to me, and
> if feasible most likely easy to circumvent.

It would have to detect buried metal at 1000 feet whilst ignoring
the large amount of metal in/on the vehicle that the detected was
mounted on. Totally useless in a built-up area.

The vehicle itself would not be able to travel at speed thus making
it (and the rest of the convoy) an easier target for RPGs.

The crews of those things are going to be nervous wrecks after a few
weeks: false alarms - both accidental (coke cans, hubcaps) & planned
(paint can filled with rocks) - combined with the deliberate targetting
of any such (easily recognisable) vehicle and the very limited
availability for a large geographical area (leading to abuse of duty
cycles).

Not a lot of fun.

Glad someone's getting rich out of more blood being spilled though.
Would hate to upset the CEOs pension plan.

(Edited for typos ... need more coffee ...)