Red Tape Blamed For Iraq Equipment Void

18,000 Life-Saving Heavy-Duty Armored Vehicles Needed — But Will It Take Two Years To Get Them?

(CBS)  Infrared video shows exactly why for the past two years, troops in the field have been sending in urgent requests for a vehicle that could drive through this.

Called an MRAP, for mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle, it can survive roadside bombs because of a V-shaped chassis that deflects explosions better than the Humvee and has won the highest possible accolade from the commandant of the Marine Corps, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

"We have yet to have a Marine killed in the al Anbar Province who is riding inside an MRAP," Top Marine commander Gen. James Conway said.

Marines in the field asked for 1,200 MRAPs in February 2005 — but so far, they've received less than 100. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to know what's taking so long.

"My concern is that the rate of production is nowhere near what it needs to be to meet the demand on the part of either the Army or the Marine Corps," he said.

An MRAP is the latest example of a problem that has plagued the military throughout this war — the time it takes the bureaucracy to field better equipment.

A Marine Corps document obtained by the Associated Press says that of 100 requests for critical gear sent in last year, less than 10 have been filled. It blames red tape and the failure of bureaucrats to take risks.

"Unnecessary delays cause … deaths and injuries," the document says — and nowhere is it more true than with MRAP.

"How do you not see it as a moral imperative to get as many of those vehicles to theater as rapidly as you can?" Conway said.

Counting the Army, 18,000 MRAPs are needed in Iraq. But even with a crash program, that will take more than two years — long after this decisive summer when the enemy is expected to go all out to cause American casualties.

[starleo146]

Well Well Red Tape another excuse who is in the wrong here? How many have died because of red tape. This is no excuse when these troops are putting there life on the line. Where are these wrap vehicles being made China?

[barbaraf4]

"But why isn't the military getting the MRAPs they request?"

Because the money is going into some crooked, no-bid, contractor's off shore account.

[one_american]

I wonder if part of this "red tape" is the Democrats stalling for well over THREE MONTHS to present a supplemental war funding bill to the President...

YA THINK?

[bareemperor]

....IF the troops were....
.....were considered......
.....as IMPORTANT as......
.......Halliburton........
....They would be home....

[sky10az]

****!!! We're spending billion fighting a war and what.. we cant use the vehicles that protect us and lessin the casuaties!! ***!!

[jjp735i]

Our people went to war with out the needed equipment from the start. Parents and friends have been sending body armor, helmut protectors, etc. since this all started.

The media prints a story about here and there, then drop it.

If the media really cared they would keep this story out front for as long as it takes to shame our Government into finnaly sending all the needed equipment on time and with no excuse for not having it there because there really is no just excuse for it.

[stevenga777]

The HUMVEE was built in the 1980's to replace the Army JEEP used since WWII, the HUMVEE was not designed to be an armored vehicle.
Our soldiers should not have to be encased in MRAPS. We should either fight the war to win and destroy the whole country like we did Germany and Japan if we have to. We should raise a draft, do it quick like WWII, and get it over with OR else we need to pull out.
BTW..we had no cause to invade Iraq in the first place....we should have sent all those troops to Afghanistan to hunt down Bin Laden.

[drummer94]

Apalling. Shameful. Unexcusable. Criminal. Billions and billions spent on numnut George's misadventure. Yet our warriors,who try to fight yet another unseen enemy, cannot get the exact equipment necessary due to bureaucracy? Sheesh!

[tomflint69]

drummer94 :
"Apalling. Shameful. Unexcusable. Criminal. Billions and billions spent on numnut George's misadventure...."

Nothing is shameful or apalling because soldiers are after all, humans they can not live sitting in those metallic vehicles/cabins at 55'C the whole day under the scorching heat of Iraq. They cannot survive in metallic prisons all the day. People who take decisions at the National level (for U.S), are wiser as compared to us; in any way, in any regard. They are not sleeping and they better know what to do. I am proud of Mr. Bush.

[gkc99]

tomflint69 is proud of George Bush? The guy must have a room temperature IQ. It's like being proud of a wart on your ***. Some people may defend Bushit, but proud of the pathetic loser? It's just amazing how stupid some jerks must be.

[tomflint69]

Further, we cant make our troops into 'Bus Driver and a team of bus conductors' whose job is to just drive vehicles and nothing. A soldier must be able to move with authority, not hiding like women of Taliban. Lol.. lol

[one_american]

"It's just amazing how stupid some jerks must be."

Posted by gkc99 at 07:58 PM : May 25, 2007

And morons like you, liberal, take top honors.

Take a long walk off of a short pier.

[sculler1956]

Dear One_American,

Yes I do think, but you obviously aren't using your gray matter as it was intended. Out of a half trillion dollar budget this year, it's the Dems who are holding up these vehicles? Not likely, my friend. Try blaming the cause: ENTRENCHED BUREAUCRACY and THOSE ALREADY MAKING MILLIONS NOT WANTING TO SHARE THEIR PIECE OF THE PIE.

jjp735i is right. They entered with no real plan and obviously still don't get it. please see:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/20070523_SEARCH_FEATURE/blocker.html?th&emc=th

Armour only helps if you can utilize it. It's cops on the beat that are needed here. Not GI's in fatigues acting as a police force.

[rharrin1]

"But why isn't the military getting the MRAPs they request?"

Because bush does not give a shiit about the troops just as in the body armor he doesn't support the troops.
Anybody that thinks he does or supports bush has their head up their asss.

[drummer94]

The MRAPS are conveyances. They get the troops to wherever the mission is. SAFELY! tflint69, that was the most non-sensical post I've seen today. Proud of a liar,con-artist and moron? Double Sheesh!

[rharrin1]

BTW..we had no cause to invade Iraq in the first place....we should have sent all those troops to Afghanistan to hunt down Bin Laden.

Posted by stevenga777 at 07:39 PM : May 25, 2007

I agree but the good ole boys couldn't make much money in Afghanistan no oil there.

[aandm_duvall]

We must deliver! We must protect our Troops!
It's wasted breath to argue each other about the war & how we got there. The FACT is our troops are entrenched & dying. We have better protection, we just need to get the job done! Americans can do just this if we PULL TOGETHER. I suggest using your energies to WRITE your elected officials & send and email requesting the same to your family & friends as I have. Send the link to this article. Don't just argue, DO SOMETHING PLEASE. I've provided the links so you can TAKE ACTION RIGHT NOW! It's Memorial Day weekend. Let's help our troops come home safe, not die because we didn't ACT! The MRAPs must be delivered. It is a MORAL IMPERATIVE! All else is secondary. Here are the links!

Write your Congressperson:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Write your State Senator(s):
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Thank you!

[endofempire]

We went into WWII with the M4A5 Sherman as our main battle tank. The thing blew up like a firecracker, to the point that tank crew members came back shell-shocked, terrified every time the remembered encountering a German Tiger. Back then, America had some backbone, and the war was not put on hold until the M26 could be brought on line. Of course, we lost some 400+ thousand soldiers back then in four years. Today, we cannot stomach 3000, so we want to quit and run away... Those *** arabs, armed with mid-20th century AK47s and RPG7s, are too tough for our best Infantry and Special Force guys. Lets go ahead and prove to the rest of the world we are the Paper Tiger, Attention Deficit Disorder society they know us to be.

[aandm_duvall]

Backbone! I agree endofempire. I hope you copy & paste this in a letter or email to your elected officials in Washington. Well said!!! Backbone!

[endofempire]

I write her on a daily basis... Help me stem the tide of Carter-era defeatism... Do likewise, lest our empire come crashing down like the proverbial house of cards!!!

[tomflint69]

There isn't any need to be happy! I believe, someone totally irresponsible has written this article! Why the rest of the U.S authentic websites like CNN are silent on this issue?
The article is published just on cbsnews, to divert attention and to give false hope to us all, that we will win in Iraq. I disagree with Mr. President's decision to send troops to Iraq. Overall he is a person of great courage and moral. By telling to public that providing vehicles may take 2 years, means that our troops will stay in Iraq for the next 2 years! they have indirectly told us the deadline for our troops to return home.
'Eat apples & sleep tight'.

[rharrin1]

One-un-American

Still goose stepping you should learn how to keep quiet every time you open your mouth you show how truly stupid you are.

[aandm_duvall]

The point is again, we MUST PROTECT OUR TROOPS at our cost. They are already on the ground. We need to provide the best protection we can as long as they are there. The MRAPs were ordered in Feb 2005 - now is 2 years later. We cannot delay our actions today relying on our predictions for tomorrow. We are still sending troops.

[tomflint69]

Again, 'we delay' is not correct. Neither I can do it nor you! Who are you and who are we? are we Generals/Chiefs of U.S Army? R U Mr.Bush? stay calm. A lot of people here, need to take pills in order to control their stomach disorders and high blood pressures.
Stay sulent. Mr.President is here to resolve issues. Why was he elected? to solve our problems.

[aandm_duvall]

Write your Congressperson:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Write your State Senator(s):
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[tomflint69]

Still, if you dont accept Mr. Bush, then go to hell. You must live with anti Americans. Osama will take better care of you all who are against Bush.

[vendeur]

MRAP's??? And how much do they cost??? I have a better idea. Screw this war and the people who dragged us into it. Bring the troops home now and spend the money on more efficient school buses. NO more MRAPS!!! Forget about victory...the war is lost.

[barbaraf4]

"Mr.President is here to resolve issues. Why was he elected? to solve our problems."
Posted by tomflint69 at 08:56 PM : May 25, 2007

He has been too busy causing the problems to have time to solve any of them.

[endofempire]

vendeur: I agree, bring the troops home and spend the money on armor for our school buses... We'll need it. Oh, my daughter says: "and air conditioning". They will need it to protect them from the NBC stuff they will be exposed to.

[drummer94]

Re:tomflint69's posts. Really didntinhale acting dumb(er)? If you can support this bufoon's actions, you need to enlist,pronto. And tell your squad leader that you'll walk to where the action is. barbara4 nailed it.

[tomflint69]

I dont mind. We may have different opinions but we are sons of one father, Mr. President.

[coachfreeb]

If Henry J Kaiser can make a Liberty ship in 4 days (see below) after less than 4 years of warfare in World War II . . . . why can't the USA get the weapons the troops need to stay alive after double that time? Because the lives of the troops on the streets of Iraq are not valued as they should be or as they once were during a different war. If we were REALLY at WAR there would be no question. You want evidence RE: THE WAR and America's attitude about it? Just go to CBS.com and what are the stories there? Everything but the war and the troops. NBC? Same. ABC? The Same! We have sold out and outsourced our competitive advantage and dominance. There is no doubt in my mind that one of the "problems" we have with the construction of the MRAP would be getting enough steel to make the vehicle. Steel which no doubt has to be imported because we have "outsourced steel production" when we once dominated that market but have sold out to the bottom line.

Henry J Kaiser became most famous for the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California during World War II, adopting production techniques that generated one cargo ship every 30 days. These ships became known as Liberty ships He became world renowned when his teams built a ship in 4 days. That's:

Size: Displacement: 14,245 tons; Gross Tons: 7,176.5

Which would have more steel in it? A Liberty ship or one MRAT? Would make for an interesting story . . .
Roger Freeborn

[kstrisha]

Quote Coach:

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the "problems" we have with the construction of the MRAP would be getting enough steel to make the vehicle. Steel which no doubt has to be imported because we have "outsourced steel production" when we once dominated that market but have sold out to the bottom line.

=======

You make a good point. By out "outsourcing our steel production" we have given our power away to those who would like to see us suffer...

[seven-pesos]

never a war the south couldn't lose.

jefferson davis lost his,
johnson lost his
bush will lose his.

the south has lost every war they started.

idiot southern creeps are only good for sunday afternoon parades

in their tight-butt uniforms.

ha,ha,ha.

war, division, arrogance, phony christian creeps, crooked republican snakes...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[boatdocster]

"In most communities it is illegal to cry "fire" in a crowded assembly. Should it not be considered serious international misconduct to manufacture a general war scare in an effort to achieve local political aims?"

"The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office."

Dwight D. Eisenhower

[grazinggoat]

Another trick from the Hat of Magician Walking-LiarBush. He thinks this will give victory to the troops. What a ridiculous strategy! The resistance hasn't been abating and will never until all our men are outta Iraq. No matter with or without wrap. A counter-mrap device will be developed and applied as soon as the mraps are introduced in the field. If you think a lie like this will help reduce the number of casualties of our troops, we all think the best way to reduce the death toll is to pull them out of Iraq, the sooner the better...

[seven-pesos]

ha,ha,ha.

idiot slave state dixie creeps wave that confederate flag like it's a noble symbol.

the only thing that rebel rag means is that the south has lost every war they ever started.

jefferson davis lost his.
johnson lost his
bush will lose his.

southerners think they are ferocious warriors...

actually, they're ignorant, flag waving, bible thumping, bumbling republican snake losers...

never a war the south couldn't lose.

ha,ha,ha.

what a bunch of idiots... slave state idiots.

war, hate, arrogance, phony christian *****...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[cfin5]

coachfreeb......Very good point for a post! This is the first time I have heard of this wonderful lifesaver for our troops.....Someone needs a fire lit under their canassticator/s it sounds to get them into service. I do not care at all who it is either. This is probably the single most important devise needed for our guys right now.....YESTERDAY!.......It is probably the price of steel these days to guess at the problem. Oh, I forgot.... We don't own that many steel plants anymore do we?

[seven-pesos]

you won't find america's enemies in the middle east...

you'll find them in the southern states of america.

war making, bible thumping, flag waving, phony christian, republican snake southerners...

bush's kind of people.

ha,ha,ha.

war, hate, arrogance, division, evangelist creeps...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[endofempire]

sietepesos: The enemies of this country are ignorant imbeciles who think they can out-think folks who spent quite a few more years at Ivy League Universities than arm-chair Geo-politicians like you did at their Community College. If the Democrats got wise to the fact that it might backfire on them to have stuff blowing up on this side of the Atlantic, they may know something you are too dense to understand...

[seven-pesos]

the south has a long and sordid history of war, hate, slavery, arrogance, belligerence, insurrection, lynching, death and destruction...

bush is just another footnote in that dark, malicious region of america.

the south never does good for america.

always war, hate, ignorance, death, bigotry, extremism, arrogance, evil christians and republican snakes.

america would be much better off if we could be rid of those southern states.

i say: " let the mexicans have them! "

free of charge!

ha,ha,ha.

war, hate, arrogance, phony dixie christians...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[barbaraf4]

"If the Democrats got wise to the fact that it might backfire on them to have stuff blowing up on this side of the Atlantic, they may know something you are too dense to understand..."
Posted by endofempire at 10:40 PM : May 25, 2007

Fighting in Iraq is not preventing an attack here on American soil. We could just as easily be fighting both here and abroad. The problem is that our military is abroad.

[seven-pesos]

like the lowlife scum that they are

the defeated and humilliated southern slave states took their last shot at the north...

they sent their assassin, john wilkes boothe, to murder the greatest man in american history.

abraham lincoln! hallowed be thy name.

a most despicable and dastardly deed. typical for the south.

i wipe my azz with the confederate flag.

war, hate, arrogance, phony republican christian snakes...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[endofempire]

barb: I know, I have seen how the Empire State and the Golden Gate bridge have been attacked. How about the Capitol in Sacramento, that was ghastly!!!

[endofempire]

sietepesos: You should try to enlighten southerners and bring them out of their intellectual slumber. A trip to Winchester, Tennessee, might do them some good. Stand in front of Franklin County Sr. High and speak your mind. I think they need to know how you feel about them.

[seven-pesos]

history shows what happens when southerners get the power in america.

the south has a dark and sordid past.

bush is just the latest chapter to come out of that most militaristic and extremist region of america.

the south never does good for america.

always war, hate, phony christian creeps and crooked republican snakes.

ha,ha,ha.

that's the south for you, folks!

nothing good comes out of the south.

[firststate]

I wonder if part of this "red tape" is the Democrats stalling for well over THREE MONTHS to present a supplemental war funding bill to the President...

YA THINK?
Posted by One_American

One_American, if you are able to read the article you will run across the following, "Marines in the field asked for 1,200 MRAPs in February 2005 %u2014 but so far, they've received less than 100." In your zeal to defend the indefensible, you've failed the reality test. February, 2005 was about two years before the delays you're trying to blame. Oops! The current congress acted faster on this emergency supplemental than the previous congresses did.

Why aren't we on a war footing? How long would it have taken to build 18,000 of anything that size in WWII? The US built more than 71,000 tanks and large self-propelled guns, 2.3 million trucks and 324,000 military aircraft to win that war in less than 4 yrs. It's going to take longer than WWII lasted to get 18,000 MRAP's built?

With all the money already wasted, why not get the Big3 to do whatever they have to do to get them built and save American lives? Wouldn't that kind of production order give them a chance to revamp their civilian business model in order to save themselves after any urgent military production? Didn't they contribute as much as Halliburton?

[firststate]

I wonder if part of this "red tape" is the Democrats stalling for well over THREE MONTHS to present a supplemental war funding bill to the President...

YA THINK?
Posted by One_American

One_American, if you are able to read the article you will run across the following, "Marines in the field asked for 1,200 MRAPs in February 2005 %u2014 but so far, they've received less than 100." In your zeal to defend the indefensible, you've failed the reality test. February, 2005 was about two years before the delays you're trying to blame. Oops! The current congress acted faster on this emergency supplemental than the previous congresses did.

Why aren't we on a war footing? How long would it have taken to build 18,000 of anything that size in WWII? The US built more than 71,000 tanks and large self-propelled guns, 2.3 million trucks and 324,000 military aircraft to win that war in less than 4 yrs. It's going to take longer than WWII lasted to get 18,000 MRAP's built?

With all the money already wasted, why not get the Big3 to do whatever they have to do to get them built and save American lives? Wouldn't that kind of production order give them a chance to revamp their civilian business model in order to save themselves after any urgent military production? Didn't they contribute as much as Halliburton?

[seven-pesos]

idiot snake, bush, should be fighting for peace in this world.

instead, he's the one making all the trouble.

bush has that arrogant, southern attitude towards life.

only force will suffice.

no diplomacy, no negotiation, no tolerance...

that's why bush, like those other 2 dixie losers jefferson davis and johnson, will lose his war in iraq.

and they still love that creep, bush, in the south.

i hate the south.
i hate bush.
i hate phony christian snakes.

nothing good comes out of the south!

[macusweil]

In this Republican culture of coruption "Support Our Troops" simply means more money that can be redirected into the pockets of GOP insiders.

Greed Over Principle means never having to do the right thing nor take respondsibility for your failures.