thedrifter
01-11-06, 05:49 AM
Marines counter on armor issue
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
North County Times
On the eve of a closed-door Senate hearing on the subject, the Marine Corps on Tuesday defended its body armor policies following a report that suggested added protection could have reduced the number of its troops killed in Iraq.
Capt. Jeff Landis at the Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., said Tuesday that more than 9,200 sets of side armor plates ordered in September have been delivered to troops in Iraq, with an additional 19,600 sets expected to be in place by April.
Landis and defense officials have been responding to a New York Times article published Friday about an unreleased report by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, which studied 93 Marines killed in action in Iraq and found that 74 of them suffered wounds that could have been prevented by protective ceramic armor plating.
The controversy comes as about 25,000 Marines and sailors attached to Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force are being deployed to the troubled Al Anbar Province to relieve a similar force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"The Marines Corps' efforts to provide the best possible body armor and individual protection are continuous," said a statement issued Tuesday by the Marine Corps. "There is simply no way of anticipating all enemy tactics and preparing for every eventuality."
In a telephone interview, Landis said the medical examiner's study was performed at the request of the Marine Corps and was not secret, as the New York Times reported Friday.
"It was to assess not only data for body armor improvements but also for tactics, techniques as well as other critical information," said Landis, a public affairs officer for the Marine Corps.
The Senate Armed Services Committee will conduct a hearing on the issue today, Landis said. Several lawmakers ---- including U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York ---- have called on Congress to reassess the Defense Department's standards for body armor.
One of the difficulties for troops in the field is balancing the amount of weight they are carrying with their need to be mobile, Landis said.
"We are working with anywhere from 100 pounds of standard combat assault load, to up to 120 pounds, and the last thing you want to do is add additional weight," he said.
The Marine Corps has given its field commanders discretion in determining how much armor plating their troops should wear on any given assignment.
"The commander of a combat patrol would likely assign the highest level of protection," Landis said.
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said he has been assured by Marine Corps brass that there is sufficient body armor to protect every troop who needs it.
Hunter, R-El Cajon, agreed that the challenge is finding a balance between sufficient armor and troop mobility.
"You can totally encircle a Marine in steel and he is going to be less susceptible to hostile fire but he also will much less mobile," Hunter said. "You have to balance the amount of armor these folks can carry with their need to be able to move around."
Hunter said he welcomed the Senate hearing.
"This is an important issue, so it's only proper that the Senate explore the issue," he said.
The military initially didn't want the extra body armor, but the Marine Corps decided it did because of the greater protection it provides.
Army commanders have not yet purchased the side armor and are not scheduled to have it in place until December 2007, something Hunter said he wants changed.
"We want to see that expedited," Hunter said, adding he was able to change federal law to allow the Secretary of Defense to bypass normal bidding procedures if a piece of equipment is needed to help reduce war casualties.
Landis said the Marine Corps has made continual improvements in all the gear issued to its troops, including more protective helmets, better goggles and related equipment.
In December, Congress approved a $441 billion Defense Department budget that included $440 million for additional armor for Humvees, $170 million for additional armor for smaller military vehicles, and $114 million for enhanced body armor.
Since the war began, 2,193 U.S. service personnel have been killed in Iraq, according to the latest totals kept by The Associated Press. Of that number, 639 Marines have died, 269 of whom were assigned to either Camp Pendleton or Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com. To comment, go to nctimes.com.
On the Web:
New York Times article:
www.nytimes.com/2006/01/0...armor.html
Marine Corps:
www.usmc.mil/marinelink/m...ntpagenews
Ellie
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
North County Times
On the eve of a closed-door Senate hearing on the subject, the Marine Corps on Tuesday defended its body armor policies following a report that suggested added protection could have reduced the number of its troops killed in Iraq.
Capt. Jeff Landis at the Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., said Tuesday that more than 9,200 sets of side armor plates ordered in September have been delivered to troops in Iraq, with an additional 19,600 sets expected to be in place by April.
Landis and defense officials have been responding to a New York Times article published Friday about an unreleased report by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, which studied 93 Marines killed in action in Iraq and found that 74 of them suffered wounds that could have been prevented by protective ceramic armor plating.
The controversy comes as about 25,000 Marines and sailors attached to Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force are being deployed to the troubled Al Anbar Province to relieve a similar force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"The Marines Corps' efforts to provide the best possible body armor and individual protection are continuous," said a statement issued Tuesday by the Marine Corps. "There is simply no way of anticipating all enemy tactics and preparing for every eventuality."
In a telephone interview, Landis said the medical examiner's study was performed at the request of the Marine Corps and was not secret, as the New York Times reported Friday.
"It was to assess not only data for body armor improvements but also for tactics, techniques as well as other critical information," said Landis, a public affairs officer for the Marine Corps.
The Senate Armed Services Committee will conduct a hearing on the issue today, Landis said. Several lawmakers ---- including U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York ---- have called on Congress to reassess the Defense Department's standards for body armor.
One of the difficulties for troops in the field is balancing the amount of weight they are carrying with their need to be mobile, Landis said.
"We are working with anywhere from 100 pounds of standard combat assault load, to up to 120 pounds, and the last thing you want to do is add additional weight," he said.
The Marine Corps has given its field commanders discretion in determining how much armor plating their troops should wear on any given assignment.
"The commander of a combat patrol would likely assign the highest level of protection," Landis said.
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said he has been assured by Marine Corps brass that there is sufficient body armor to protect every troop who needs it.
Hunter, R-El Cajon, agreed that the challenge is finding a balance between sufficient armor and troop mobility.
"You can totally encircle a Marine in steel and he is going to be less susceptible to hostile fire but he also will much less mobile," Hunter said. "You have to balance the amount of armor these folks can carry with their need to be able to move around."
Hunter said he welcomed the Senate hearing.
"This is an important issue, so it's only proper that the Senate explore the issue," he said.
The military initially didn't want the extra body armor, but the Marine Corps decided it did because of the greater protection it provides.
Army commanders have not yet purchased the side armor and are not scheduled to have it in place until December 2007, something Hunter said he wants changed.
"We want to see that expedited," Hunter said, adding he was able to change federal law to allow the Secretary of Defense to bypass normal bidding procedures if a piece of equipment is needed to help reduce war casualties.
Landis said the Marine Corps has made continual improvements in all the gear issued to its troops, including more protective helmets, better goggles and related equipment.
In December, Congress approved a $441 billion Defense Department budget that included $440 million for additional armor for Humvees, $170 million for additional armor for smaller military vehicles, and $114 million for enhanced body armor.
Since the war began, 2,193 U.S. service personnel have been killed in Iraq, according to the latest totals kept by The Associated Press. Of that number, 639 Marines have died, 269 of whom were assigned to either Camp Pendleton or Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com. To comment, go to nctimes.com.
On the Web:
New York Times article:
www.nytimes.com/2006/01/0...armor.html
Marine Corps:
www.usmc.mil/marinelink/m...ntpagenews
Ellie