Troops in Iraq get safer vehicle

[RamboLiberal]

Source: USA Today

The Pentagon will phase out its armored Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan and send in vehicles that better withstand roadside bomb blasts, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

Replacing the Humvee, the military's main troop-transport vehicle, will be the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, known as an MRAP. Military officials say the new vehicles provide twice as much protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which cause 70% of all U.S. casualties in Iraq.

<snip>

Gates said production capacity is "nowhere near what it needs to be to meet the demand on the part of either the Army or the Marine Corps."

<snip>

It's about time the Pentagon changed to the MRAP, said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., who has advocated for buying more of the vehicles. "I am glad they finally get it," he said.

Gates said Wednesday he learned of the Marines' success with the vehicles from a newspaper article he did not identify. "That certainly got my attention."



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-09-gates-mrap_N.htm

[Fridays Child]

1. Photo of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle

[Boo Boo]

5. Wow. Look how high up the air intake and exhaust are!

That thing can get through some seriously deep water.

:wow:

[davepc]

9. All Marine vehicles need to meet certain amphibious standards.

Part of their mission requirements.

[xxqqqzme]

10. It only took 4+ years but at last we have

an honest representation of why the neo-cons invaded a country that posed absolutely no threat to our security.


That thing gets what? 2 miles to the gallon.



Can wait to see it on the auto showroom floor.

[rgbecker]

17. Wow! If you can't win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis with that..

You may as well give it up.

[Fridays Child]

19. As we speak, Iraqis are selecting just the right flowers and candy...

...with which to greet the MRAPs.

[babylonsister]

2. I think 'might get' would be more accurate. Hasn't happened yet, but

Gates' concern is noted. And why does the SecDef had to read a newspaper article to glean this info?:banghead:

[Chemical Bill]

7. So * might never find out about it. n/t

[atreides1]

3. And by the end of the summer

The insurgents will have found a way to blow them up too!!!!!

[tchunter]

14. exactly, good point Atreides

if one thing is evident, it is the resistance's ability to adapt; when the us started up-armoring the humvee's the insurgents started using IED's differently, IE placing them at different heights to hit the less armored roof. when the US developed better IED defense technology and tactics like the chain rollers and robotics, they moved to efp's capable of hitting their targets from a distance and IR sensors and better remote detonators. the Armored truck bombs are also an example of this, what was once able to be stopped with anti-material .50 cals now require the troops to use anti-tank rockets to disable them. hopefully we'll have the troops back home before the insurgents figure out how to counter those new behemoths.

you know you're in trouble when you're 50 million dollar vehicle is being destroyed by $200 dollars worth of explosives and household supplies.

[dsweet]

4. How Long

Will it be before we see bright pink ones dropping off kids at car line?

[SayWhatYo]

16. heh

[sofa king]

6. If nothing else, at least Iraq will get a new fleet of garbage trucks.

I'm sure we'll be leaving thousands of those things behind when we finally do slink away with our tail between our legs.

[Tyler Durden]

8. I feel guilty.

The company I work for now makes some small parts for this thing.

You know, this is the nicest job I've had in almost 25 years. I get respect, they listen to my opinion, and I have complete run of my department. Now I get to feel guilty.

It wasn't bad enough that we also make parts for the Caterpillar 6' blade tree-clearing machine....

[seriousstan]

11. I thought you called for a sea change? Now you say you help produce war parts.

"As long as we keep singing the praises of the "newest thing," we are climbing the gallows. A sea change is needed:

*jobs that don't rely on making mass quantities of expensive cars,
...

All that said, with my usual pessimism, I don't think any of those things will happen without all of us being dragged to them kicking and screaming."

I guess you were just talking obout other people, not yourself.

[Tyler Durden]

12. I got FIRED from the last job....It's WORK or go Homeless.

I racked up 5 grand in medical bills. This little gem was a surprise to me last week.

What do you do? Got a job for me? I'm a 54 year old Quality Engineer without a bachelor's degree. I have ZERO savings and a lot of secondhand clothes and furniture. If you're not paying my mortgage, feeding my kids or straightening their teeth (I don't make anywhere NEAR enough for "the South of France" or Cancun or a new car even), then I guess I'm just going to have to deal with the guilt for a few years.

[seriousstan]

15. Good, deal with the guilt but drop the sanctimonious chastising of others.

[Tyler Durden]

18. You know what? you could give LESSONS in santimonious.

Thou protesteth too much. What do YOU do that you wish you weren't?

Don't tell me, just think about it the next time you want to rub salt in a wound. That's not what I did.

[intaglio]

13. IEDs can penetrate tank armour

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6583607.stm

And that oversized jeep is going to be better? Or is it just going to make more money for the friends of Bush?

[jillan]

20. Unfortunately the money for the MRAPs are in the bill that the idiot keeps

vetoing. It was a bill introduced by Biden the end of March that passed the Senate 98-0.

[David__77]

21. Let me guess, they got ONE vehicle...

...for the whole military force. Why does this stuff read like a military press release?

[Javaman]

22. And moron* is open to benchmarks now...

we are never leaving.