Saguaro
02-26-2008, 12:44 PM
CNN) -- Casualties could have been reduced by half among Marines in Iraq if specially armored vehicles had been deployed more quickly in some cases, a report to the Pentagon says.
Marine Corps spokesman Col. David Lapan said the Defense Department's inspector general wants to investigate the report's claims that bureaucratic delays undermined the program to develop the armored vehicles.
The program was designed to provide combat forces with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, known by the acronym MRAPs.
The Marine Corps requested an investigation last week after receiving Marine technology expert Franz Gayl's report.
"If the mass procurement and fielding of MRAPs had begun in 2005 in response to the known and acknowledged threats at that time, as the USMC is doing today, hundreds of deaths and injuries could have been prevented," Gayl wrote in the report.
The report concluded that bureaucratic delays plagued the program at the height of the insurgency, when U.S. troops were regularly being attacked and killed by roadside bombs. Watch an MRAP roll with gun blazing »
Until MRAPs began arriving in Iraq in large numbers in 2007, troops had limited protection in armored Humvees.
Mine-resistant vehicles
The U.S. military has contracts with several manufacturers for mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs. The vehicles come in three categories, all of which feature a V-shaped hull to deflect the force of an explosion.
Category I
- Transports four to six personnel
- Designed for operations in confined spaces
- Missions include mounted patrols, reconnaissance and communication
Category II
- Longer version of Category I
- Carries up to 10
- Missions include leading convoys, troop transport and ambulance
Category III
- Seats five or six
- Hydraulic arm can probe suspected explosives
- Missions include ordnance disposal and mine clearing
Source: U.S. Department of Defense
The MRAPs, which are the newest armored vehicles, have a V-shaped hull that helps deflect the blast of a roadside bomb.
Gayl wrote the January 22 report about the MRAP program, but it is not considered an official document.
"In the past, Gayl has leveled serious charges about the wartime acquisition process; therefore his supervisors provided him an opportunity, on government time, to conduct a series of case studies to attempt to validate his arguments," the Marine Corps said in e-mail response to a CNN query.
"If Gayl was able to provide compelling evidence of flaws or errors in the system, his supervisors would then determine how best to address his concerns with senior Marine Corps leaders in order to effect positive change."
In the same e-mail response, the Marine Corps explained that several improvements to acquisition have been made, and officials note that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made MRAP a top priority.
"However, because of the seriousness of the allegations," the Marine Corps decided to ask for the investigation.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/index.html
Marine Corps spokesman Col. David Lapan said the Defense Department's inspector general wants to investigate the report's claims that bureaucratic delays undermined the program to develop the armored vehicles.
The program was designed to provide combat forces with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, known by the acronym MRAPs.
The Marine Corps requested an investigation last week after receiving Marine technology expert Franz Gayl's report.
"If the mass procurement and fielding of MRAPs had begun in 2005 in response to the known and acknowledged threats at that time, as the USMC is doing today, hundreds of deaths and injuries could have been prevented," Gayl wrote in the report.
The report concluded that bureaucratic delays plagued the program at the height of the insurgency, when U.S. troops were regularly being attacked and killed by roadside bombs. Watch an MRAP roll with gun blazing »
Until MRAPs began arriving in Iraq in large numbers in 2007, troops had limited protection in armored Humvees.
Mine-resistant vehicles
The U.S. military has contracts with several manufacturers for mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs. The vehicles come in three categories, all of which feature a V-shaped hull to deflect the force of an explosion.
Category I
- Transports four to six personnel
- Designed for operations in confined spaces
- Missions include mounted patrols, reconnaissance and communication
Category II
- Longer version of Category I
- Carries up to 10
- Missions include leading convoys, troop transport and ambulance
Category III
- Seats five or six
- Hydraulic arm can probe suspected explosives
- Missions include ordnance disposal and mine clearing
Source: U.S. Department of Defense
The MRAPs, which are the newest armored vehicles, have a V-shaped hull that helps deflect the blast of a roadside bomb.
Gayl wrote the January 22 report about the MRAP program, but it is not considered an official document.
"In the past, Gayl has leveled serious charges about the wartime acquisition process; therefore his supervisors provided him an opportunity, on government time, to conduct a series of case studies to attempt to validate his arguments," the Marine Corps said in e-mail response to a CNN query.
"If Gayl was able to provide compelling evidence of flaws or errors in the system, his supervisors would then determine how best to address his concerns with senior Marine Corps leaders in order to effect positive change."
In the same e-mail response, the Marine Corps explained that several improvements to acquisition have been made, and officials note that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made MRAP a top priority.
"However, because of the seriousness of the allegations," the Marine Corps decided to ask for the investigation.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/index.html