J-10
05-07-2005, 03:06 AM
US military reaches back to Vietnam war-era to protect troops in Iraq
Fri May 6,10:25 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US military has borrowed a tactic from the Vietnam war to protect its troops in Iraq from roadside bombs by refitting five-ton cargo trucks with machine guns and armor to escort convoys, defense officials said.
The so-called "gun trucks," equipped with layers of both steel and ballistic fiberglass armor, are capable of absorbing bomb blasts without harm to their crews, and carry .50-caliber machine guns to beat back ambushes, Steven DeTeresa, an engineer from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California told lawmakers.
"The concept of a gun truck was developed over more than five years of wartime experience in Vietnam. We saw many parallels between the need for these mobile weapons platforms in that conflict and in the current conflicts," DeTeresa told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
"Although small, we have made an impact. There are 31 five-ton gun trucks in Iraq and they are saving lives. And we believe more are needed."
He said the heavier trucks are better able to handle being fitted with armor without breaking down than the lighter Humvee utility vehicles widely used in Iraq.
The issue of armor protection for US troops has occupied lawmakers' attention since controversy erupted last year when soldiers complained to visiting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the lack of adequate armor for their vehicles, at a time when US casualties from insurgent bombs were on the increase.
Lawmakers acknowledged that the Pentagon has made progress since then, but remained skeptical.
"While today's hearing has shown that progress has been made in buying more armor and technological protection for our troops, clearly there are still shortfalls," said Representative Ike Skelton, the committee's ranking Democrat.
"We should have provided sufficient force protection equipment to our troops before they started coming under regular attack in Iraq, and we should have made the decision to armor all of our vehicles early on in the conflict."
From (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050506/pl_afp/usiraqarmor_050506142506)
Fri May 6,10:25 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US military has borrowed a tactic from the Vietnam war to protect its troops in Iraq from roadside bombs by refitting five-ton cargo trucks with machine guns and armor to escort convoys, defense officials said.
The so-called "gun trucks," equipped with layers of both steel and ballistic fiberglass armor, are capable of absorbing bomb blasts without harm to their crews, and carry .50-caliber machine guns to beat back ambushes, Steven DeTeresa, an engineer from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California told lawmakers.
"The concept of a gun truck was developed over more than five years of wartime experience in Vietnam. We saw many parallels between the need for these mobile weapons platforms in that conflict and in the current conflicts," DeTeresa told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
"Although small, we have made an impact. There are 31 five-ton gun trucks in Iraq and they are saving lives. And we believe more are needed."
He said the heavier trucks are better able to handle being fitted with armor without breaking down than the lighter Humvee utility vehicles widely used in Iraq.
The issue of armor protection for US troops has occupied lawmakers' attention since controversy erupted last year when soldiers complained to visiting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the lack of adequate armor for their vehicles, at a time when US casualties from insurgent bombs were on the increase.
Lawmakers acknowledged that the Pentagon has made progress since then, but remained skeptical.
"While today's hearing has shown that progress has been made in buying more armor and technological protection for our troops, clearly there are still shortfalls," said Representative Ike Skelton, the committee's ranking Democrat.
"We should have provided sufficient force protection equipment to our troops before they started coming under regular attack in Iraq, and we should have made the decision to armor all of our vehicles early on in the conflict."
From (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050506/pl_afp/usiraqarmor_050506142506)