Marine General: Press attention will make MRAPs 'symbolic targets' for insurgents
A US Marine Corps RG-31 Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle rests on its front axle after an I.E.D. detonated directly under the vehicle. The blast was pushed outward instead of straight up due to the vehicle's “V”–shaped undercarriage. Of the five service members in the vehicle, two received concussions and two others received minor burns. However, concerns have arisen that the MRAPs were designed for conventional roadside bombs, and may not have suitable armor for deflecting EFPs, which shoot molten metal into a vehicle.
New armored vehicles that give extra protection to U.S. troops in Iraq are becoming symbolic targets for insurgents, the top military officer in charge of acquiring the vehicles said on Friday.
The Pentagon says the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, which have V-shaped hulls to disperse the impact of bomb blasts, will save the lives of many U.S. troops and is rushing them to Iraq.
But Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan suggested the hype surrounding the vehicles was putting them at greater risk, pushing insurgents to see them as a challenge to be defeated.
"As we field these things, because of what all you are doing and how much you are touting the fact that they protect our troops ... these are becoming symbolic targets," he told reporters at an MRAP demonstration organized by the U.S. military.
Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet
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New armored vehicles that give extra protection to U.S. troops in Iraq are becoming symbolic targets for insurgents, the top military officer in charge of acquiring the vehicles said on Friday.
The Pentagon says the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, which have V-shaped hulls to disperse the impact of bomb blasts, will save the lives of many U.S. troops and is rushing them to Iraq.
But Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan suggested the hype surrounding the vehicles was putting them at greater risk, pushing insurgents to see them as a challenge to be defeated.
"As we field these things, because of what all you are doing and how much you are touting the fact that they protect our troops ... these are becoming symbolic targets," he told reporters at an MRAP demonstration organized by the U.S. military.
Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet
Related Link:
Pentagon cuts 2007 MRAP delivery by more than half
Related Link:
Pentagon trims armored vehicles due in O7 for Iraq
Related Link:
Report finds DOD awarded MRAP contracts to companies that couldn't deliver
Related Link:
Report: MRAPs unable to withstand EFPs
Related Link:
Report: Pentagon ignored urgent request for MRAPs for nearly two years
Related Link:
Report: Production capacity, materials lacking for MRAPs
Related Link:
Source: Army to seek 17,700 MRAPs to replace Iraq Humvees by 2009
Related Link:
Marines to place $3.7 billion order for 3,700 MRAP vehicles in Iraq by 2009
Related Link:
Chairman of Joint Chiefs: Not enough armored vehicles for surge troops
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