Military short of armored vehicles in Iraq

by clorenz1 | January 23, 2007 at 11:07 am

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Heavy equipment, such as armor for Humvees, used to protect US soldiers could have been ordered before the War but was not.

Soldiers are facing a large shortage of equipment and protection long promised by their Commander & Chief. This report speaks heavily towards the lack of priority placed on protecting troops.

Even if the Pentagon can find millions of dollars not currently budgeted, and even if it can find factories to produce the armored vehicles, most U.S. troops in Iraq will not have access to the best equipment available, as President Bush has often promised.

The Army acknowledged last week, for example, that it is still 22 percent short of the armored Humvees it needs in Iraq despite heated criticism in 2004 and 2005 over the lack of armored vehicles.

Army officials said it will be another eight months before that gap can be filled.

But with roadside bombs and other explosive devices accounting for 70 percent of American casualties in Iraq, senior officers acknowledged that even heavily armored Humvees don't provide enough protection.