There’s a fascinating story this morning in USA Today, revealing that the Pentagon doesn’t feel MRAPs are the final answer to protecting US troops as they occupy Iraq for the next 40 years, or until the oil runs out. Those of you who understand how military procurement work will not be surprised.

Pentagon Wants to Bulk Up Armored Vehicles

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is rushing to develop added protection for its new Mine Resistant Armor Protected (MRAP) vehicles from the deadliest roadside bombs, military contract records show.

A Pentagon solicitation released Monday calls on contractors to detail their armor solutions "as soon as possible." The move to bulk up MRAPs comes as the Pentagon builds the vehicles as fast as possible, spending at least $700 million to fly them to Iraq.

Though MRAPs offer more protection than armored Humvees against improvised explosive devices, they are vulnerable to bombs called explosively formed penetrators or projectiles (EFPs). These weapons fire a high-speed slug of metal that can cripple even tanks. EFPs account for about 4% of roadside bomb attacks, but they are particularly lethal.

So after spending some $20-odd Billion to procure and ship MRAPs to the sandbox, we are now going to start developing armor protection and upgrades to make the MRAPs survivable.

The Marine Corps, which issued the solicitation Monday and manages the Pentagon's MRAP program, declined to comment Wednesday on the new request.

MRAPS are the best protection available but "are not fail-safe vehicles," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in a briefing Wednesday.

Military officials have known for more than two years that MRAPs need greater EFP protection.

A cynical man would suppose that the long delay in moving to MRAPs was the political assumption that Iraq was going to be the “cakewalk” that the Likudniks who control our defense and foreign policy organs insisted, and if MRAPs were ordered they would arrive after the fighting was all over.

Be sure to work through the sidebar items on the left margin. Excellent graphic fillers.

Main & Central 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

What Does the JIEDDO Do?

MRAPs Go Mainstream

MRAPs AirShipped to Iraq

MRAPs Get Bad Press From Pentagon

The Struggle Between Armor and the Projectile