There’s a story coming out of Wired.com about apparent procedural delays in officially requesting funding for MRAPs to be used by the Marine Corps. It’s actually filed in Wired’s “Danger Room, because it is serious.

The Marine Corps waited over a year before acting on an "priority 1 urgent" request to send blast-resistant vehicles to Iraq, DANGER ROOM has learned.

According to a Marine Corps** document** provided to DANGER ROOM, the request for over 1,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles came in February, 2005. A formal call to fulfill that order did not emerge until November, 2006. "There is an immediate need for an MRAP vehicle capability to increase survivability and mobility of Marines operating in a hazardous fire area against known threats," the 2005 "universal need statement" notes.

Back then -- as now -- improvised explosive devices, or IEDs -- represented the deadliest threat to American troops in the region. "The expanded use" of these bombs "requires a more robust family of vehicle capable of surviving the IED... threat," the document adds. "MRAP-designed vehicles represent a significant increase in their survivability baseline over existing motor vehicle equipment and will mitigate... casualties resulting from IED[s]."

"The [Marines] cannot continue to lose... serious and grave casualties to IED[s]... when a commercial off the shelf capability exists to mititgate [against] these threats," the request continues.

Despite the stark language, however, that request was not acted upon. Instead, the Marine Corps waited until November, 2006 to issue a formal request for proposals to buy approximately 1,200 MRAPs.

During the invasion and occupation of Iraq the Marine Corps has reported 933 deaths: 806 active duty and 127 Reservists

The **document** is available in .pdf form and was hand-dated “2/17/05” in the signature block signed by D.J. Heljik, immediately under the approval comment:

“Due to anticipated funding constraints. 1MEF recommends procurement of the troop transport and multi-mission MRAP before funding the other variants. This will provide the most protection for the greatest amount of forces based on injury statistics.”

Bill Johnson-Miles, a Marine Corps spokesman, is quoted as saying that the delay was perfectly justified. "We can't just take the request from them, and put it out on the street."

In February 2005, the manufacturer of the Cougar 4x4 armored vehicle was producing one unit per month with a staff of 12. Due to greater demand the Force Protection Inc had increased its staff to 400 and was cranking out one per day. Signed agreements with larger companies have greatly increased the production since then.

The Army and Marines have requested the bulk of the 17,700 MRAPs ordered, and Defense Secretary Gates has described the acquisition program the Pentagon’s “highest priority” for new equipment.

In response to this story, Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said that the stunted response is another example of how "the suits and the bureaucrats in Washington don't seem to have the same sense of urgency as the guys in the field."

"This is what happens when industry isn't put on a war footing," he adds. "It's like the military families are at war, and everyone else is out shopping."

A sensible man would probably ask why the Pentagon and Bu$hCo didn't react sooner to the many deaths by IEDs and seek a solution to the problem sooner.

Articles on MRAPs:

Mine Resistant Vehicles

17,700 MRAPs

Marine MRAPs Mired in Minutiae

A Minor MRAP Problem

The Super-MRAP

The Cougar MRAP

Baby Huey Needs Feeding

A Strategically Influenced Nation