thedrifter
02-15-07, 06:04 AM
Marines to trade in vulnerable Humvees
By David Wood
The Baltimore Sun
WASHINGTON — Marines in heavily armored Humvees are being killed by powerful roadside bombs at such a rate that the Marine Corps intends to replace all its Humvees in Iraq with specialized, blast-resistant armored vehicles, according to senior Marine officers.
The Army will continue to rely primarily on armored Humvees, senior Army officers said Wednesday.
The decision to scrap the Marines' Humvees in Iraq, after years of trying to protect crews by adding armor plate, was made by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of Marines forces in the Middle East.
It will cost an additional $2.8 billion for the V-hull armored vehicles called MRAPs, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, that are being delivered in small numbers to Iraq, and will take years to complete the replacement.
The Marines and the Army are buying MRAP vehicles and had planned to gradually add them into the fleets of Humvees in use in Iraq.
More than 700 Marines have been killed in Iraq since the war began almost four years ago. Almost two-thirds have been killed in Humvees, Marine officers said. In contrast, experience with the 65 MRAP vehicles the Marines have in Iraq shows that crews are four or five times more likely to survive a blast than those in armored Humvees.
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, defended the Army's decision not to replace its Humvees with MRAPs, although he acknowledged Wednesday that the effort to protect soldiers by adding armor to Humvees seems to have reached an end.
"We have maximized what a Humvee can do," he told the House Armed Services Committee.
Schoomaker seemed to reflect the frustrations of trying to protect soldiers from bomb blasts, especially in a bitter, bloody war in which insurgents can invent different and more lethal bombs faster than the Pentagon and American industry can devise protection.
"We are equipping with the best we have," he said, but added pointedly: "We are losing not only Humvees, but we're losing tanks, Bradleys and Strykers" fighting vehicles.
Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., accused the Army of "dragging its feet on getting more MRAP-type vehicles to Iraq." He said Congress is eager to fund additional MRAP vehicles, even at a cost of $700,000 each.
Schoomaker insisted that "we are aggressively pursuing the MRAP program." But he said it made more sense to wait for a new design to eventually replace all Humvees.
Meanwhile, the Army is shipping 71,000 sets of fire-resistant uniforms to Iraq so that soldiers will have a better chance to survive the fires that often consume Humvees hit by roadside bombs.
Even the most heavily armored Humvees are vulnerable to roadside bombs because their flat-bottom chassis break apart or transmit the deadly force of the blast upward to passengers. Particularly vulnerable are turret gunners, often thrown from the vehicle.
In contrast, V-hull vehicles, many originally designed in South Africa decades ago, deflect such explosive forces upward and outward. They also have heavy-duty shock absorbers, and some models have seats suspended from the ceiling to further protect crews.
Together, the Army and Marines have about 465 MRAP vehicles deployed in Iraq, mostly used by bomb-disposal squads. But last fall, commanders in Iraq reported a growing need for MRAP vehicles for more routine patrolling and convoys.
Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, the Marines' chief purchasing officer, explained Wednesday that "the threat has changed and we have to change with it."
Ellie
By David Wood
The Baltimore Sun
WASHINGTON — Marines in heavily armored Humvees are being killed by powerful roadside bombs at such a rate that the Marine Corps intends to replace all its Humvees in Iraq with specialized, blast-resistant armored vehicles, according to senior Marine officers.
The Army will continue to rely primarily on armored Humvees, senior Army officers said Wednesday.
The decision to scrap the Marines' Humvees in Iraq, after years of trying to protect crews by adding armor plate, was made by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of Marines forces in the Middle East.
It will cost an additional $2.8 billion for the V-hull armored vehicles called MRAPs, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, that are being delivered in small numbers to Iraq, and will take years to complete the replacement.
The Marines and the Army are buying MRAP vehicles and had planned to gradually add them into the fleets of Humvees in use in Iraq.
More than 700 Marines have been killed in Iraq since the war began almost four years ago. Almost two-thirds have been killed in Humvees, Marine officers said. In contrast, experience with the 65 MRAP vehicles the Marines have in Iraq shows that crews are four or five times more likely to survive a blast than those in armored Humvees.
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, defended the Army's decision not to replace its Humvees with MRAPs, although he acknowledged Wednesday that the effort to protect soldiers by adding armor to Humvees seems to have reached an end.
"We have maximized what a Humvee can do," he told the House Armed Services Committee.
Schoomaker seemed to reflect the frustrations of trying to protect soldiers from bomb blasts, especially in a bitter, bloody war in which insurgents can invent different and more lethal bombs faster than the Pentagon and American industry can devise protection.
"We are equipping with the best we have," he said, but added pointedly: "We are losing not only Humvees, but we're losing tanks, Bradleys and Strykers" fighting vehicles.
Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., accused the Army of "dragging its feet on getting more MRAP-type vehicles to Iraq." He said Congress is eager to fund additional MRAP vehicles, even at a cost of $700,000 each.
Schoomaker insisted that "we are aggressively pursuing the MRAP program." But he said it made more sense to wait for a new design to eventually replace all Humvees.
Meanwhile, the Army is shipping 71,000 sets of fire-resistant uniforms to Iraq so that soldiers will have a better chance to survive the fires that often consume Humvees hit by roadside bombs.
Even the most heavily armored Humvees are vulnerable to roadside bombs because their flat-bottom chassis break apart or transmit the deadly force of the blast upward to passengers. Particularly vulnerable are turret gunners, often thrown from the vehicle.
In contrast, V-hull vehicles, many originally designed in South Africa decades ago, deflect such explosive forces upward and outward. They also have heavy-duty shock absorbers, and some models have seats suspended from the ceiling to further protect crews.
Together, the Army and Marines have about 465 MRAP vehicles deployed in Iraq, mostly used by bomb-disposal squads. But last fall, commanders in Iraq reported a growing need for MRAP vehicles for more routine patrolling and convoys.
Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, the Marines' chief purchasing officer, explained Wednesday that "the threat has changed and we have to change with it."
Ellie