thedrifter
03-03-08, 09:15 AM
Military Mismanagement — Get with it
Marines — and those they protect — deserve to know why Corps balked on equipment
The Capital-Journal Editorial Board
Published Monday, March 03, 2008
It was appalling to learn last summer that U.S. troops had been operating with inferior military vehicles, and the number of American deaths in Iraq could have been reduced dramatically with better equipment.
It was further troubling to find out last week the Marine Corps had halted a civilian scientist's work on a report critical of the Corps' efforts to obtain safer vehicles.
The scientist, Franz Gayl, issued a report Jan. 22 in which he alleged that "gross mismanagement" of a program to field Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles had resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of Marines in Iraq.
Gayl, a retired Marine officer, had planned to continue his investigation but was barred from doing so.
"He's been told to stop any further work," said Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman. "It's gotten beyond its initial purpose."
According to Lapan, the proposal for Gayl's investigation never mentioned MRAPs by name. In specifying the vehicles in his report, the Marine brass said, Gayl overstepped his bounds.
But according to the Government Accountability Project, a non-partisan Washington watchdog group, Gayl's proposal indicated he would examine not only MRAPs but other equipment and weapons systems.
Regardless, the Marines are treading on shaky ground in pulling the plug on Gayl's research. The Corps is risking the perception it's putting up resistance.
Considering the seriousness of the situation, that would be unacceptable.
Last summer, USA Today produced a report saying as many as 742 Americans who were killed in explosions in Iraq might have survived had they been in vehicles with better protection from improvised explosive devices.
Also known as IEDs, the makeshift bombs are the top killer of U.S. forces in Iraq. The MRAP protects against IEDs with a V-shaped hull that puts the crew more than 3 feet off the ground and deflects explosions.
The USA Today report said Pentagon officials knew of the effectiveness of MRAPs years before the war began but balked at appeals for the vehicles from commanders on the battlefield and from other military administrators.
Why? Cost was a factor, as an MRAP could cost as much as $600,000 compared to adding armor to the sides of existing Humvees. That fix did little to protect blasts under the vehicles, but it cost as little as $14,000 per vehicle.
Among other factors, it appeared tactical decision-makers never dreamed the war would last as long as it has — a premise that prompted officials to send the first significant numbers of MRAPs to Iraqi troops with the hope those soldiers would secure their own country quickly.
From that background, Gayl's report became public Feb. 15 through an Associated Press report. That report was followed by a USA Today story saying two U.S. senators had requested an investigation.
Finally, days after the USA Today story, the Corps requested an investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general into the gross mismanagement alleged by Gayl.
That investigation can't happen soon enough. Meanwhile, Gayl should be allowed to continue his work, too.
Ellie
Marines — and those they protect — deserve to know why Corps balked on equipment
The Capital-Journal Editorial Board
Published Monday, March 03, 2008
It was appalling to learn last summer that U.S. troops had been operating with inferior military vehicles, and the number of American deaths in Iraq could have been reduced dramatically with better equipment.
It was further troubling to find out last week the Marine Corps had halted a civilian scientist's work on a report critical of the Corps' efforts to obtain safer vehicles.
The scientist, Franz Gayl, issued a report Jan. 22 in which he alleged that "gross mismanagement" of a program to field Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles had resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of Marines in Iraq.
Gayl, a retired Marine officer, had planned to continue his investigation but was barred from doing so.
"He's been told to stop any further work," said Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman. "It's gotten beyond its initial purpose."
According to Lapan, the proposal for Gayl's investigation never mentioned MRAPs by name. In specifying the vehicles in his report, the Marine brass said, Gayl overstepped his bounds.
But according to the Government Accountability Project, a non-partisan Washington watchdog group, Gayl's proposal indicated he would examine not only MRAPs but other equipment and weapons systems.
Regardless, the Marines are treading on shaky ground in pulling the plug on Gayl's research. The Corps is risking the perception it's putting up resistance.
Considering the seriousness of the situation, that would be unacceptable.
Last summer, USA Today produced a report saying as many as 742 Americans who were killed in explosions in Iraq might have survived had they been in vehicles with better protection from improvised explosive devices.
Also known as IEDs, the makeshift bombs are the top killer of U.S. forces in Iraq. The MRAP protects against IEDs with a V-shaped hull that puts the crew more than 3 feet off the ground and deflects explosions.
The USA Today report said Pentagon officials knew of the effectiveness of MRAPs years before the war began but balked at appeals for the vehicles from commanders on the battlefield and from other military administrators.
Why? Cost was a factor, as an MRAP could cost as much as $600,000 compared to adding armor to the sides of existing Humvees. That fix did little to protect blasts under the vehicles, but it cost as little as $14,000 per vehicle.
Among other factors, it appeared tactical decision-makers never dreamed the war would last as long as it has — a premise that prompted officials to send the first significant numbers of MRAPs to Iraqi troops with the hope those soldiers would secure their own country quickly.
From that background, Gayl's report became public Feb. 15 through an Associated Press report. That report was followed by a USA Today story saying two U.S. senators had requested an investigation.
Finally, days after the USA Today story, the Corps requested an investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general into the gross mismanagement alleged by Gayl.
That investigation can't happen soon enough. Meanwhile, Gayl should be allowed to continue his work, too.
Ellie