19742 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 14 July 19, 2007 comrade out of the burning vehicle. He him as ‘‘a soldier both inside and out- another of his dreams. He joined the began administering first aid to the side the wire. He wanted to be an en- U.S. Army and became a member of the wounded soldier when another IED det- couragement to someone. He was a Green Berets, the Army’s elite experts onated. He died in the arms of a second true patriot, was intelligent, and loved in unconventional warfare. Based on soldier from the explosion. his fellow soldiers.’’ Robb’s dedication to excellence and his Sergeant Estes was remembered as a At a Memorial Day service in mechanical ingenuity it came as no fine soldier, ‘‘The Best of the Best,’’ Trumann, just 2 days after his passing, surprise that Robb served as the spe- who put others before himself. He was Mayor Sheila Walters read a proclama- cial forces engineer for his unit, Bravo serving his second tour for the 82nd tion recognizing the sacrifice of Spe- Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Airborne and was set to return to the cialist Smallwood. It read: ‘‘We honor Forces Group, airborne. Special forces United States after his first tour. How- all soldiers and their commitments to engineers are skilled at construction ever, he gave his slot to a fellow soldier this great country by their legacy of projects, building field fortifications, so that he could see his newborn son. patriotism and sacrifice. We honor our and using explosive demolitions. Look- Family and friends also recalled his very own Erich Smallwood for giving ing back over Robb’s life, it seems that fun-loving spirit. his life in the cause of freedom. He is his whole experience was designed to Sergeant Estes was awarded three one of the many heroes who have pro- culminate in gaining the coveted Army medals: The Bronze Star, the Purple tected and inspired us all.’’ Green Beret that is recognized the Heart, and the Combat Infantryman Madam President, Specialist world over. Badge. He is survived by his parents, Smallwood was a unique person who Green Berets are commonly called Don and Kathy Estes of Kentucky and paid the ultimate sacrifice in serving quiet professionals and referred to as a John and Diane Salyers of Sims. He his country and protecting our free- special breed of man. Robb was both also has 2 older sisters, Norma and doms. My thoughts and prayers are these things and truly lived the Green Kelli, in addition to other family. My with his fiancee, Amanda; father, Beret motto, De Oppresso Liber, To thoughts and prayers go out to the James; mother, Pamela; sister, Terah; Liberate the Oppressed. Estes family during this trying time. brother J.T., who is also currently Mr. President, I truly mourn the loss SPECIALIST ERICH SMALLWOOD serving in Iraq; and the rest of the of SGT Robb Rolfing and I extend my Madam President, it is with great Smallwood family during this trying thoughts, prayers, and best wishes to sadness that I also rise today to pay time. his family, friends, and loved ones. tribute to a Arkansan who served his SERGEANT ROBB ROLFING f country with honor, SPC Erich S. Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I Smallwood of Trumann, AR. Specialist mourn the loss and celebrate the life of MRAP Smallwood died on May 26, 2007, from Rob Rolfing. Robb died on June 30 Mr. BIDEN. Madam President, I want injuries suffered when an improvised while engaging enemy insurgents in to explain an amendment I hope to get explosive device detonated near his ve- Baghdad. He was the 23rd South Dako- adopted when we return to the Defense hicle outside of Balad, Iraq. Erich was tan to make the ultimate sacrifice in authorization bill and that I have filed a member of Company B of the 87th the war on terror. My deepest sym- today. Troop Command’s 875th Engineer Bat- pathies go out to Robb’s family, in par- Let me be very frank. This is a very talion based in Marked Tree, AR, and ticular, his mother Margie, his father expensive amendment. It is also, lit- served with the battalion’s Company A Rex, his brother TJ, and his sister Tif- erally, priceless. It makes good on this based in Jonesboro, AR. He was the fany. With Robb’s tragic death, South commitment: So long as a single Amer- first loss for the 875th during Operation Dakota has lost one of its finest sons ican soldier or marine remains in Iraq, Iraqi Freedom. we will provide him or her with the A 2002 graduate of Trumann High and the Army has lost a dedicated pro- best protection this country can pro- School, Smallwood was a beloved mem- fessional. vide. ber of his community. He was selected Robb was from Sioux Falls and grad- Let me start with the basics. There ‘‘Mr. Trumann High School’’ by his uated from O’Gorman High School in are two critical issues facing our sol- classmates and was a good athlete who 1996. His love of science and ingenuity diers and marines today: Improvised played football, baseball, and ran track was inspired by television’s MacGyver. explosive devices, or IEDs, and explo- for THS. He was also selected ‘‘Most Those who remember Robb from high sively formed penetrators, or EFPs. Involved’’ his senior year in high school like to recount how Robb was IEDs are planted in roads and on the school and was a member of Future never without duct tape or a Swiss side of roads to hit the bottom of vehi- Farmers of America and the Spanish Army knife. Another of their favorite Club. stories is how Robb rigged up a make- cles with powerful explosives. EFPs are In the days following his death, shift parachute for his graduation cap shaped charges that come into the side friends and loved one remembered so that when he threw it in the air it armor of vehicles at high speeds. Smallwood for the person he was and glided back down to the ground. We know that IEDs now cause about the examples he set. In an interview in As Robb grew it was clear that he 70 percent of all American fatalities. the Trumann Democrat, his high was a gifted scholar, athlete, leader, Since 2003, in any given month, IEDs school principal, Jim Montgomery, re- and coach. He dedicated himself to the have caused between 30 and 76 percent called that Specialist Smallwood had a pursuit of excellence in every aspect of of American fatalities. For every great sense of humor. ‘‘He liked to kid his life. He was a passionate soccer death, there are usually 2 to 10 Ameri- around, but he never got into any trou- player who excelled on and off the field cans wounded. Over the past year, we ble. . . He was always doing something at Vassar College. He finished his colle- have also seen a growing threat from to make people laugh . . . He was a giate career with a degree in Astro- EFPs. They are not yet everywhere in good student and a good person.’’ physics and was twice named the cap- Iraq, but they are spreading and they At his funeral on June 4, his brother- tain of the Vassar soccer team, scored are very lethal. in-law, Jon Redman of Jonesboro, the winning goal to advance his team The military has a strategy for deal- noted that he was an inspiration to to Vassar’s first ever national tour- ing with both. First, they seek to dis- others. ‘‘He was a special kind of per- nament, and was the team’s second all- rupt the organizations that produce son. He always had that smile on his time leader in goals, assists, and IEDs and EFPs. They go after the peo- face. . . He was the greatest brother points. Following graduation from col- ple and the supplies. Second, they at- anyone could have. He was a friend to lege, Robb coached soccer at Rollins tempt to use tactics and technology to many people and never met a stranger. College in Florida and Curry College in prevent IEDs and EFPs from being ac- He was the heart and soul of his unit.’’ Massachusetts. tivated when American personnel are Arkansas National Guard Adjutant When the United States was attacked close enough to be harmed. Third, they GEN William B. Wofford remembered on September 11, 2001, Robb pursued attempt to survive a direct hit. It is

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:53 Jun 21, 2010 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR07\S19JY7.002 S19JY7 erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with BOUND RECORD July 19, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 14 19743 the third area where we could and and retested. This will take time. I un- that our support for needed equipment should have done much more to make a derstand that and support that effort, was for real. Even today, I hear that difference years ago but where still but Americans are dying today. Again, leaders are concerned that they must today we can and must make a dif- as with the MRAP, we have a tech- cut multiple existing programs to pay ference. nology that could keep them alive, and for this growing MRAP requirement. The military has tested, both at test- we should be using it while we work to There may be programs that we could ing centers and in the field, the Mine perfect it. all agree are not as vital for a wartime Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, I do not know if all of my colleagues Army, but I do not want that debate also called an MRAP. The MRAP pro- saw the USA Today article that ap- and concern to slow lifesaving equip- vides dramatically improved protec- peared on Monday detailing some of ment. tion against IEDs. The military has the history surrounding the MRAP. I I understand that this program will said that it is four to five times as good will summarize a few points but will be the third largest procurement pro- as an up-armored HMMWV. More im- ask to have the entire article printed gram in the Pentagon. As I said, it is portant, military commanders tell us in the RECORD. very costly. We can work together in that it will reduce deaths and casual- This article details efforts to get the future to find the lower priority ties from IEDs by 67 to 80 percent. The MRAPs going back to 2003. It also de- programs that simply should not be Brookings Institution found that 1,400 tails the reasons for delay, and that is funded if they are competing with life- Americans died in Iraq due to IEDs what I want to point out to my col- saving programs. We do not have any from March of 2003 through June of leagues. more time to delay spending the money 2007. If we had had MRAPs in the field First, apparently, the leadership at needed to buy these vehicles, however, from the start—and we could and the Pentagon did not expect this war if we are going to save lives. should have—938 to 1,120 Americans to last this long. Well, that is no sur- Leadership is about making hard would be alive today. prise. We all remember the ‘‘Mission choices, and I look forward to working And let me just clarify for my col- Accomplished’’ speech and the promise with my colleagues and the adminis- leagues that this is not new tech- of roses in the streets. We remember tration to do whatever it takes. I am nology. It has been used successfully in Vice President CHENEY telling us that even willing to cut programs I support Africa, by nations much poorer than the insurgency was in its death throes. because saving lives and limbs under ours, since the 1970s. I don’t want to We remember Secretary Rumsfeld tell- fire today must truly be our first pri- get bogged down in history, but this is ing us that crime in Baghdad was not ority. So, today, with this amendment not rocket science. Every day we delay, any worse than that in Washington, I hope we can make it clear that we another soldier or marine is killed or DC. I remember all of that. Sadly, none will provide whatever funding is need- injured by an IED. If we just look at of those leaders remember the hearings ed, so that military leaders do not fear this year, IEDs killed 309 Americans; that Senator LUGAR and I held before being honest about their needs. 207 to 247 would still be alive today if the war began that predicted the need In addition to the issues brought out they had been in MRAPs. We need to for a long-term American presence and in the article, I have also heard a reg- make sure that for the second half of engagement. They don’t remember ular concern that some in the military 2007, those MRAPs are there and those some of us, starting before the war, re- do not believe MRAPs will be needed in lives are saved. peatedly urged the President to level the future—that when we leave Iraq, What about the threat from these with the American people about the we will leave most of these vehicles be- shape charges that come in from the likely duration, cost, and danger of hind. I was happy to see the Secretary side, the EFP? The Army’s Rapid this war. Perhaps even more tragically, of the Army, Peter Geren, state clearly Equipping Force and the Joint Impro- this uncertainty about future force lev- in his confirmation hearing that he be- vised Explosive Device Defeat Organi- els continues to limit the military lieves MRAPs will be needed in future zation started working on that last commitment to fielding more MRAPs conflicts. It is clear to me that until year. In conjunction with industry, and EFP protected vehicles. we show America’s enemies that we they produced a vehicle nicknamed Second, these vehicles were seen as can handle IEDs, they will continue to ‘‘the Bull’’ and officially called the contrary to Secretary Rumsfeld’s vi- use them throughout the world. We are Highly Survivable Urban Vehicle Bal- sion for the transformed military, a already seeing an increased use of IEDs listic Protection Experiment Program. lighter, more agile force. While it de- in Afghanistan. This vehicle was tested and shown to pends on what armored humvee you are It is also clear to me that those who defeat EFPs and also tested against the talking about, many believed that worry about what the military will be first level of MRAP requirements. That MRAPs were heavier and slower than driving in 5 years are missing the boat testing was completed in March of this humvees. The stifling effect Secretary here. I understand that there are great year. For some reason, the military Rumsfeld’s views and management advancements being developed for our has not asked for another vehicle to do style had on military leaders is well future force. But we have a sacred the MRAP level two tests. So we do not known to everyone who follows mili- trust to those on the front lines today, actually know how capable this vehicle tary issues. In this instance, it meant right now. Right now, we are saying to might be for all threats, but we know that officers were predisposed against them: If you survive this war, we will it works against EFPs. Instead of try- the heavier vehicle and didn’t push the get you really good protection for the ing to get ahead of the enemy and get issue when our forces in the field asked next one. Give me a break. To para- this technology into the field, the mili- for MRAP technology. Instead, they fo- phrase a former Secretary of Defense, tary seems to be sitting on its hands cused on the first two parts of the anti- you fight the war you are in, not the while the EFP threat has increased. IED strategy I talked about earlier. war you might be in down the road. Why wouldn’t you field something you Finally, and most disturbing to me, Ideally, you do both, but your priority know works? many believed that Congress would not has to be protecting the men and The perfect vehicle would be a com- support funding the MRAP while also women under fire now. End of story. plete MRAP with EFP protection, but fielding better armored humvees. I do Can anyone imagine Roosevelt saying, that appears to be many months away, not know of a single wartime funding ‘‘Listen, we may not need some of although some MRAP producers tell request that Congress has denied. those boats after Normandy, so maybe me that their vehicles have survived There have been some items added to we should not build so many?’’ Of EFP hits in the field. So again, we do the supplemental bills that were clear- course not. War is inherently wasteful not have the complete picture. We have ly not urgent or war related, but noth- and this war is no exception. I am will- also been told that Frag-Kit-6 armor ing directly linked to current oper- ing to waste money and equipment if it can defeat EFPs, but it is too heavy for ations was refused. Nonetheless, it ap- means we don’t waste lives and limbs. MRAPs. So vehicles must be redesigned pears that the military did not believe The fact that we may not need all of

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:53 Jun 21, 2010 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR07\S19JY7.002 S19JY7 erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with BOUND RECORD 19744 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 14 July 19, 2007 the vehicles we buy today in 5 years, is What if they cannot? What if indus- odds of survival, we must get the vehi- no reason to shortchange the soldiers try can only get 15,000 or 20,000 of the cles to them. This amendment allows and marines who truly need the vehi- 23,000 we need built by the end of fiscal us to do that. When the Senate returns cles today. year 2008? Well, I tell my colleagues, to debate on the Defense Authorization I have given my colleagues some of than we will know that we gave them Act, I hope all of my colleagues will this history so they will understand every chance to succeed. More impor- support it. why we must stand up for our marines tant, we gave our soldiers and marines Madam President, I ask unanimous and soldiers on this issue. We must cut their best chance to survive this war. consent to have the article to which I through the ‘‘business as usual’’ bu- And the downside is simply that all referred printed in the RECORD. reaucracy. I applaud Secretary Gates of the funds we provide cannot be spent There being no objection, the mate- for making MRAPs the top priority of in 1 year and all of the vehicles cannot rial was ordered to be printed in the the military, but I am concerned that be purchased. In that situation, all we RECORD, as follows: even now, some of the same problems have to do is authorize reprogramming [From USA Today, July 16, 2007] continue. After all, Army commanders the unspent funds for the next fiscal PENTAGON BALKED AT PLEAS FROM OFFICERS in Iraq concluded that they need 17,700 year. Compared to taking a chance on IN FIELD FOR SAFER VEHICLES MRAPs. That is 15,200 more than cur- saving our kids, that is an easy down- (By Peter Eisler, Blake Morrison and Tom rently being bought. We must act now side to accept. Vanden Brook) to put money in the pipeline to order I opened by saying that this was a Pfc. Aaron Kincaid, 25, had been joking the additional vehicles and expand pro- very expensive amendment, and it is. with buddies just before their Humvee rolled duction capacity. Let me be clear. It provides $23.6 bil- over the bomb. His wife, Rachel, later Instead, we find out that 2 months lion for Army MRAPs, enough money learned that the blast blew Kincaid, a father later, the Joint Requirements Over- to buy the 15,200 the commanders in of two from outside Atlanta, through the sight Council has yet to approve the the field are asking for. The amount is Humvee’s metal roof. Army investigators who reviewed the Sept. Army request as a ‘‘validated joint re- based on the last cost estimate I was 23 attack near Riyadh, Iraq, wrote in their quirement.’’ I don’t get it. given by the Pentagon on July 9. The report that only providence could have saved The President tells us that the most amendment also provides an additional Kincaid from dying that day: ‘‘There was no important thing in this war is the judg- $1 billion that I have been told is need- way short of not going on that route at that ment of our commanders in the field. ed for the purchase of 7,774 MRAPs cur- time (that) this tragedy could have been di- Now, I may disagree with the policy rently planned for and funded in this verted.’’ being executed, but I would agree that bill. The increased funds are needed for A USA TODAY investigation of the Penta- when it comes to tactical decisions gon’s efforts to protect troops in Iraq sug- airlift, training, and maintenance costs gests otherwise. about the best way to implement our not originally included in the program Years before the war began, Pentagon offi- policies, this is the right approach. Ap- budget. cials knew of the effectiveness of another parently, others feel that the com- In addition, the amendment provides type of vehicle that better shielded troops manders should only be listened to se- $400 million for EFP protection. Half is from bombs like those that have killed lectively, when it does not cost too to field 200 of the vehicles already test- Kincaid and 1,500 other soldiers and Marines. much money. ed and half is for the joint Improvised But military officials repeatedly balked at The commanders in the field have Explosive Device Defeat Organization appeals—from commanders on the battlefield said that they need an additional 15,200 to continue to work on and field better and from the Pentagon’s own staff—to pro- vide the lifesaving Mine Resistant Ambush mine resistant vehicles for the Army. vehicles. The Bull may not be the per- Protected vehicle, or MRAP, for patrols and They have also said that they need fect answer, but it gives us a chance to combat missions, USA TODAY found. thousands of vehicles with EFP protec- save American lives today. While we In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert tion. So, why the delay? work on the perfect solution, an MRAP Gates late last month, two U.S. senators said No one from the Pentagon has been with EFP protection, we should still be the delays cost the lives of an estimated ‘‘621 able to explain it to me. giving our soldiers and marines the to 742 Americans’’ who would have survived Last, some argue that the real prob- best we have today. The military needs explosions had they been in MRAPs rather lem is production capacity. I simply than Humvees. to see if the Bull can provide full The letter, from Sens. Joseph Biden, D– don’t buy it. We are being told that MRAP protection. They also need to Del., and Kit Bond, R–Mo., assumed the ini- American industry cannot handle this look at other ideas for improving tial calls for MRAPs came in February 2005, or does not care enough about our sol- MRAPs, but while they do, we should when Marines in Iraq asked the Pentagon for diers and marines to do it. I don’t buy take advantage of the proven tech- almost 1,200 of the vehicles. USA TODAY it. These are purely military vehicles. nology we have at hand. found that the first appeals for the MRAP If the military does not place the or- Last, this amendment asks Secretary came much earlier. ders, industry will not build them, and Gates to report back to us within 30 As early as December 2003, when the Ma- they certainly won’t create new pro- rines requested their first 27 MRAPs for ex- days on any legal authorities he needs plosives-disposal teams, Pentagon analysts duction capacity. They cannot sell the to produce and field these protective sent detailed information about the superi- extras to your neighbor or mine. So we vehicles faster. ority of the vehicles to the Joint Chiefs of must put the money up front and chal- Let me also clarify what we are add- Staff, e-mails obtained by USA TODAY lenge our companies to deliver quickly. ing these funds to. The Armed Services show. Later pleas came from Iraq, where We did that on the supplemental where Committee added $4.1 billion to the commanders saw that the approach the Joint Congress accepted my amendment add- President’s initial request for a mere Chiefs embraced—adding armor to the sides ing $1.2 billion. Because that led to in- $441 million for MRAPs in this bill. At of Humvees, the standard vehicles in the war creased production capacity, Secretary the time, that was all that was thought zone—did little to protect against blasts be- neath the vehicles. Gates has reprogrammed another $1.2 to be needed to meet the 7,774 require- Despite the efforts, the general who billion for fiscal year 2007 to take ad- ment and I applaud the committee for chaired the Joint Chiefs until Oct. 1, 2005, vantage of that new capacity. meeting that need. The situation has says buying MRAPs ‘‘was not on the radar We made it to the Moon by putting changed since the bill came out of com- screen when I was chairman.’’ Air Force gen- money up front and challenging Ameri- mittee. We now know that the Army eral Richard Myers, now retired, says top cans to do their best to get there. commanders on the ground want far military officials dealt with a number of ve- MRAPs and EFP protected vehicles are more. We cannot get such a large order hicle issues, including armoring Humvees. basically modified trucks. America produced if we continue to delay. The MRAP, however, was ‘‘not one of them.’’ Something related to MRAPs ‘‘might have knows how to make trucks and how to For me, this is very simple. I believe crossed my desk,’’ Myers says, ‘‘but I don’t make a lot of them. As I said before, that when our sons and daughters are recall it.’’ this is not rocket science. If we buy it, getting blown up and we have vehicles Why the issue never received more of a they will build it. proven to dramatically improve their hearing from top officials early in the war

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:53 Jun 21, 2010 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR07\S19JY7.002 S19JY7 erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with BOUND RECORD July 19, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 14 19745 remains a mystery, given the chorus of con- approved. Those vehicles finally began trick- Would it actually have taken four years? cern. One Pentagon analyst complained in an ling into Anbar in February, two years after That depends upon how much urgency the April 29, 2004, e-mail to colleagues, for in- the original request. Because of the delay, Pentagon and Congress attached to speeding stance, that it was ‘‘frustrating to see the the Marines are investigating how its ur- production. Force Protection Inc., the small pictures of burning Humvees while knowing gent-need requests are handled. South Carolina company that landed the that there are other vehicles out there that The long delay infuriates some members of first significant MRAP contracts, was criti- would provide more protection.’’ Congress. ‘‘Every day, our troops are being cized this month by the Pentagon’s inspector The analyst was referring to the MRAP, maimed or killed needlessly because we general for failing to deliver its vehicles on whose V-shaped hull puts the crew more haven’t fielded this soon enough,’’ says Rep. time. But bigger defense contractors were than 3 feet off the ground and deflects explo- Gene Taylor, D–Miss. ‘‘The costs are in available then—and have secured MRAP con- sions. It was designed to withstand the un- human lives, in kids who will never have tracts in recent weeks that call for deliveries derbelly bombs that cripple the lower-riding their legs again, people blind, crippled. in as little as four months. Humvees. Pentagon officials, civilians and That’s the real tragedy.’’ A bigger obstacle might have been philo- military alike, had been searching for tech- Not until two months ago did the Pentagon sophical: The MRAP didn’t fit the Penta- nologies to guard against improvised explo- champion the MRAP for all U.S. forces. gon’s long-term vision of how the military sive devices, or IEDs. The makeshift bombs Gates made MRAPs the military’s top pri- should be equipped. are the No. 1 killer of U.S. forces. ority. The plan is to build the vehicles as Then-Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld The MRAP was not new to the Pentagon. fast as possible until conditions warrant a regarded the Iraq war ‘‘as a means to The technology had been developed in South change, according to a military official who change’’ the military, ‘‘make it lighter, Africa and Rhodesia in the 1970s, making it has direct knowledge of the program but is make it more responsive, make it more older than Kincaid and most of the other not authorized to speak on the record. Thou- agile,’’ Holder says. The MRAP, heavier and troops killed by homemade bombs. The Pen- sands are in the pipeline at a cost so far of slower than the Humvee, wouldn’t have tagon had tested MRAPs in 2000, purchased about $2.4 billion. measured up, he says. fewer than two dozen and sent some to Iraq. Gates said he was influenced by a news re- THE COMMANDER: ‘‘IEDS ARE MY NO. 1 THREAT’’ They were used primarily to protect explo- port—originally in USA TODAY—that dis- By June 2004, the military had lost almost sive ordnance disposal teams, not to trans- closed Marine units using MRAPs in Anbar 200 U.S. troops to the homemade bombs. Gen. port troops or to chase Iraqi insurgents. reported no deaths in about 300 roadside John Abizaid, then head of U.S. Central THE GOAL: IRAQIS ‘‘STAND UP’’ SO U.S. CAN bombings in the past year. His tone was Command, told the Joint Chiefs that ‘‘IEDs ‘‘STAND DOWN’’ grave. ‘‘For every month we delay,’’ he said, are my No. 1 threat.’’ He called for a ‘‘mini- Even as the Pentagon balked at buying ‘‘scores of young Americans are going to Manhattan Project’’ against IEDs, akin to MRAPs for U.S. troops, USA TODAY found die.’’ the task force that developed the atomic that the military pushed to buy them for a One reason officials put off buying MRAPs bomb during World War II. different fighting force: the Iraqi army. in significant quantities: They never ex- The Pentagon organized a small task force On Dec. 22, 2004—two weeks after President pected the war to last this long. Bush set the that, two years later, morphed into a full- Bush told families of servicemembers that tone on May 1, 2003, six weeks after the U.S. fledged agency: the Joint IED Defeat Organi- ‘‘we’re doing everything we possibly can to invasion, when he declared on board the air- zation, or JIEDDO. Its leader, Montgomery protect your loved ones’’—a U.S. Army gen- craft carrier Abraham Lincoln that ‘‘major Meigs, is a retired four-star general. Its an- eral solicited ideas for an armored vehicle combat operations in Iraq have ended.’’ nual budget totals $4.3 billion. Its mission: to for the Iraqis. The Army had an ‘‘extreme in- Gen. George Casey, the top commander in stop IEDs from killing U.S. troops. terest’’ in getting troops better armor, then- Iraq from June 2004 until February this year, In one of its PowerPoint presentations, brigadier general Roger Nadeau told a subor- repeatedly said that troop levels in Iraq JIEDDO made its priorities clear. First, pre- dinate looking at foreign technology, in an would be cut just as soon as Iraqi troops vent IEDs from being planted by attacking e-mail obtained by USA TODAY. took more responsibility for security. In the insurgency. Then, if a device is planted, In a follow-up message, Nadeau clarified March 2005, he predicted ‘‘very substantial prevent it from exploding. ‘‘When all Else his request: ‘‘What I failed to point out in reductions’’ in U.S. troops by early 2006. He Fails,’’ reads another slide, ‘‘Survive the my first message to you folks is that the said virtually the same thing a year later. blast.’’ That put solutions such as the MRAP U.S. Govt. is interested not for U.S. use, but Casey wasn’t the only optimist. In May into the category of last resorts. for possible use in fielding assets to the Iraqi 2005, Vice President Cheney declared that JIEDDO did spend its own money for 122 military forces.’’ the insurgency was ‘‘in its last throes.’’ MRAPs, but it primarily focused on elec- In response, Lt. Col. Clay Brown, based in Given the view that the war would end tronic jammers to prevent bombs from being Australia, sent information on two types of soon, the Pentagon had little use for expen- remotely detonated, unmanned surveillance MRAPs manufactured overseas. ‘‘By all ac- sive new vehicles such as the MRAP, at least aircraft to catch insurgents putting bombs counts, these are some of the best in the not in large quantities. The MRAPs ordered along roads and better intelligence on who world,’’ he wrote. ‘‘If I were fitting out the for the Iraqis were intended to speed the day was building and planting bombs. Iraqi Army, this is where I’d look (wish we when, to use Bush’s words, Iraqi forces could The agency has claimed some successes. had some!)’’ ‘‘stand up’’ and the United States could Insurgents in 2007 had to plant six times as The first contract for what would become ‘‘stand down.’’ many bombs as they did in 2004 to inflict the the Iraqi Light Armored Vehicle—virtually Nadeau, who wrote the e-mail that led to same number of U.S. casualties, Meigs said identical to the MRAPs sought by U.S. MRAPs for the Iraqis, explains why he did in an interview. forces then and now, and made in the United so: ‘‘The U.S. government knows that even- But the insurgents—Sunnis loyal to the de- States by BAE Systems—was issued in May tually we’re going to get out’’ of Iraq. The posed leader Saddam Hussein, Shiites who 2006. The vehicles, called Badgers, began ar- United States wants ‘‘to help get (the Iraqis) hated the U.S. occupiers and foreigners riving in Iraq 90 days later, according to in a position to take care of themselves.’’ aligned with al-Qaeda—often managed to BAE. In September 2006, the Pentagon said it For U.S. forces, however, the answer was stay one step ahead of JIEDDO. They would provide up to 600 more to Iraqi forces. something else: adding armor to Humvees. changed the kind of explosives they planted As of this spring, 400 had been delivered. Nadeau and others say the choice made sense and varied the locations of the devices and The rush to equip the Iraqis stood in stark because Humvees were already in Iraq and the way they detonated them. contrast to the Pentagon’s efforts to protect the improvements—adding steel to the sides, When the Pentagon added armor to the U.S. troops. upgrading the windows and replacing the sides of Humvees to guard against bombs In February 2005, two months after Nadeau canvas doors—could be made quickly, and far planted along roadsides, the insurgents re- solicited ideas for better armor for the Iraqis more cheaply. Adding armor to a Humvee sponded by burying bombs in the roads. The and was told MRAPs were an answer, an ur- cost only $14,000; a Humvee armored at the bombs could blast through the vulnerable gent-need request for the same type of vehi- factory cost $191,000; today, an MRAP costs underbelly of the Humvees. The insurgents cle came from embattled Marines in Anbar between $600,000 and $1 million, though some also moved to larger, more sophisticated province. The request, signed by then-briga- foreign models cost only about $200,000 in bombs, some packed with as much as 100 dier general Dennis Hejlik, said the Marines 2004. pounds of explosives. ‘‘cannot continue to lose . . . serious and The solution to the IED problem in 2003 Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon Eng- grave casualties to IEDs . . . at current rates had to be ‘‘immediate,’’ says retired vice ad- land, the No. 2 official at the Pentagon, tes- when a commercial off-the-shelf capability miral Gordon Holder, director for logistics tified on Capitol Hill in June that ‘‘as the exists to mitigate’’ them. for the Joint Chiefs until mid-2004. ‘‘We had threat has evolved, we have evolved. We Officials at Marine headquarters in to stop the bleeding.’’ Holder says MRAPs work very, very hard to be responsible to our Quantico, Va., shelved the request for 1,169 seemed impractical for the immediate need: troops.’’ vehicles. Fifteen months passed before a sec- ‘‘We shouldn’t take four years to field some- Taylor, the Democratic congressman from ond request reached the Joint Chiefs and was thing the kids needed yesterday.’’ Mississippi, pressed England about why the

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:53 Jun 21, 2010 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR07\S19JY7.002 S19JY7 erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with BOUND RECORD 19746 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 14 July 19, 2007 Pentagon waited until May to request sub- told, were coveted. They were used by explo- ‘‘We probably should’ve had the foresight’’ stantial numbers of MRAPs. ‘‘Are you tell- sives disposal teams, but combat units to start buying MRAPs earlier, says Ware, ing me no one could see that (need) coming, ‘‘looked at them and said, ‘We want those,’ ’’ the Joint Chiefs aide (now retired) who no one could recognize that the bottom of Hunter recalls. passed the information to superiors and the Humvee’’ didn’t protect troops, and Throughout most of Iraq, they still haven’t counterparts in the Army and Marines. But ‘‘that’s why the kids inside are losing their arrived. ‘‘we just couldn’t get them there fast legs and their lives?’’ Taylor asked. Despite requests from the field, Pentagon enough.’’ Adding armor to the Humvee, Ware ‘‘That is too simplistic a description,’’ officials decided to ration the vehicle. In 2003 says, ‘‘was better than nothing.’’ England replied. ‘‘People have not died need- and 2004, they bought about 55, and only for THE LIEUTENANT COLONEL: ‘‘HOPE NO ONE GETS lessly, and we have not left our people with- explosives-disposal units. But they chose a WASTED’’ out equipment.’’ different approach for protecting the rest of A PowerPoint presentation, dated Aug. 25, To Pentagon decision-makers, the Humvee the troops: adding armor to Humvees. The 2004, shows wounded troops lying in hospital seemed able to handle the threat early in the choice was problematic. The Humvee’s flat beds. Most are bandaged. One is bloody. His war—roadside bombs, rather than those bur- bottom channels an explosion through the left eye is barely open, his injured right is ied in the roads. ‘‘If anybody could have center of the vehicle, toward the occupants. covered by a patch. Each was maimed by an Memos and e-mails obtained by USA guessed in 2003 that we would be looking at IED. Each, save one, was in a Humvee. these kind of (high-powered, buried) IEDs TODAY show a stream of concerns about the On another slide: ‘‘Numerous vehicles on that we’re seeing now in 2007, then we would decision to armor the Humvee. Most went up the market provide far superior ballistic pro- have been looking at something much the chain of command and withered: tection’’ than the Humvee, wrote then-lieu- longer’’ term as a solution, Holder says. December 2003: At the direction of then- tenant colonel Jim Hampton, the man who ‘‘But who had the crystal ball back then?’’ deputy Defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, prepared the presentation for the operations Nadeau, now a major general in charge of who was troubled by the mounting death toll staff of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Army’s Test and Evaluation Command in from IEDs, the Joint Chiefs began to explore Baghdad. Alexandria, Va., also defends the Pentagon’s options for giving troops better armor. De- Safety is a passion for Hampton. He’s so choices. He says buried IEDs did not become tailed information on the Wer’Wolf, an concerned with security that he asks his a serious threat to the armored Humvees MRAP made in the African country of Na- wife, Kate, to take her pistol when she goes until 2006. Critics might say, ‘‘Why didn’t mibia, was passed from analysts in the Pen- for walks on their 80 acres in rural Mis- you guys buy 16,000 MRAPs a decade ago?’’ tagon to Lt. Col. Steven Ware, an aide col- sissippi. When he got to Iraq in early 2004, he Nadeau says today. ‘‘You know, I didn’t need lecting information for the Joint Chiefs. was tasked with looking at armor options to them.’’ March 30, 2004: Gen. Larry Ellis, in charge protect the Corps of Engineers, the agency Six officers interviewed by USA TODAY of U.S. Forces Command in Atlanta, sent a sent to help with rebuilding efforts. For say the threat to the Humvees surfaced soon- memo to the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. weeks, he studied armor options. His conclu- er. Lt. Col. Dallas Eubanks, chief of oper- Peter Schoomaker. He complained that sion: The corps should get MRAPs to protect ations for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division ‘‘some Army members and agencies are still its people, specifically Wer’Wolves. Hampton in 2003–04, says IEDs became more menacing in a peacetime posture.’’ U.S. commanders in says he asked for 53 Wer’Wolves. The corps before he left Iraq. ‘‘We were certainly see- Iraq told him that the armored Humvee ‘‘is got four. ing underground IEDs by early 2004,’’ he not providing the solution the Army hoped Hampton couldn’t have been more opposed says. to achieve.’’ He didn’t recommend MRAPs to up-armoring the Humvees and warned his In mid-2005, two top Marines—Gen. Wil- but rather suggested accelerating production superiors. He even e-mailed his wife from liam Nyland, assistant Marine commandant, of a combat vehicle called the Stryker. In re- Iraq. ‘‘Hey Babe,’’ his e-mail read. ‘‘Just a and Maj. Gen. William Catto, head of Marine sponse, the military said new Humvee armor little aggravated with the bureaucracy. It is Corps Systems Command—testified before kits would suffice. simply beyond my comprehension why we’re Congress that they were seeing an ‘‘evolv- April 28–29, 2004: Duncan Lang, a Pentagon having to go through such (an ordeal) to ing’’ threat from underbelly blasts. They analyst who worked in acquisition and tech- order confounded hard vehicles. I sure hope said at the time that armored Humvees re- nology, suggested purchasing the Wer’Wolf, no one gets wasted before the powers-that-be mained their best defense. the MRAP put before the Joint Chiefs in De- get off their collective fat asses.’’ cember 2003. In an e-mail to colleagues and Finally, he wrote his congressman, Rep. THE CONGRESSMAN: MRAP’S ‘‘SIMPLE’’ supervisors, Lang said ‘‘a number could be Chip Pickering, R-Miss., urging him to inves- ADVANTAGE sent to Iraq ‘‘as quickly as, or even more tigate deaths involving the Humvee. ‘‘We Just after lunch on June 27, 2004, a group of quickly than, additional armored Humvees.’’ would never consider sending troops’’ in enlisted men parked a handful of armored He called it ‘‘frustrating to see the pictures Humvees ‘‘up against armor or artillery,’’ vehicles near a cinderblock building at Ma- of burning Humvees while knowing that Hampton wrote, ‘‘but this is tantamount to rine headquarters in Fallujah, Iraq. there are other vehicles out there that would what we’re doing because these vehicles are The day had turned sweltering, like every provide more protection.’’ being engaged with the very ordnance deliv- summer afternoon in central Iraq. But this April 30, 2004: Another Pentagon analyst, ered by artillery in the form of improvised day was special. A congressional delegation Air Force Lt. Col. Bob Harris, forwarded de- explosive devices.’’ had arrived, and among the dignitaries was tails about MRAP options to a member of By November 2004, Pentagon analyst Lang Rep. Duncan Hunter, then the chairman of the IED task force. The list included a vari- had grown discouraged, an e-mail shows. ‘‘I the House Armed Services Committee. ety of MRAPs, among them the Wer’Wolf have found that you can never put the word Hunter wasn’t just a powerful congressman. and Force Protection’s Cougar. ‘‘There was out too many times,’’ he wrote on Nov. 17. ‘‘I He was a Vietnam War veteran, and his son, no great clarity as to why they didn’t pursue send it on to (the Secretary of Defense’s of- then a 27-year-old Marine lieutenant also these options,’’ Harris says. ‘‘I saw it as my fice), Army and (Marine Corps) contacts I named Duncan, was stationed at the base. job to educate.’’ Harris is now an acquisition have. Some of it is getting to the rapid field- More important to most of the Marines, officer at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massa- ing folks and force protection folks that are the California Republican had been instru- chusetts. looking at Iraq issues. I do not see much ac- mental in pushing the Pentagon to get bet- Hunter says the advantages the MRAP had tion.’’ ter armor for them. Humvees with cloth on the Humvee were clear. ‘‘It’s a simple for- Lang closed the message with a variation doors—canvas, like the crusher hat that mula,’’ Hunter says. ‘‘A vehicle that’s 1 foot on his earlier plea: ‘‘For the life of me, I can- Hunter wore that day—had been standard off the ground gets 16 times that (blast) im- not figure out why we have not taken better issue when the war began. The fabric worked pact that you get in a vehicle that’s 4 feet off advantage of the sources of such vehicles,’’ well to shield the sun; it offered no protec- the ground,’’ like the MRAP. he wrote. ‘‘We should be buying 200, not 2, at tion against explosives. Although Hunter favored adding armor to a time. These things work, they save lives Then, as now, Hunter was impatient with Humvees, he now calls the military’s devo- and they don’t cost much, if any, more than the pace of procurement in Iraq. That win- tion to that approach a costly mistake. ‘‘It’s what we are using now.’’ At the time, a basic ter, he had dispatched his staff to steel mills, true that they saved more lives by moving Wer’Wolf cost about the same as a factory- where they persuaded managers and union first on up-armoring the Humvees,’’ he says. made armored Humvee: around $200,000. leaders to set aside commercial orders to ex- ‘‘The flaw is that they did nothing on In December 2004, at a town hall meeting pedite steel needed to armor the Humvees. MRAPs. The up-armoring of Humvees didn’t with troops in Kuwait, a soldier asked Rums- He also worked with the Army and its con- have to be an exclusive operation.’’ feld about the lack of armor on military ve- tractors to expand production. Holder dismisses the idea that the Pen- hicles. Rumsfeld explained the situation this In Fallujah, Hunter recognized the tagon could have moved on a dual track: ar- way: ‘‘You go to war with the Army you Humvees. He couldn’t identify the two vehi- moring Humvees while ordering up MRAPs. have. They’re not the Army you might want cles next to them. One was called a Cougar, He doubts Congress would have funded both or wish to have at a later time.’’ the other a Buffalo. Both were MRAPs, made at the time. But that’s exactly what Con- The concerns troops voiced at the meeting by Force Protection Inc., and both, he was gress is doing now—buying both vehicles. might have had an impact. Within a week,

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:53 Jun 21, 2010 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00075 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR07\S19JY7.002 S19JY7 erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with BOUND RECORD July 19, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 14 19747 the Marine Corps Systems Command in cle fleet produces a deteriorating cascade of had been approved for the other services. Quantico posted its first notice seeking in- effects that will substantially increase’’ Now, Pentagon officials decline to say ex- formation on MRAPs from potential contrac- risks for the military while ‘‘rendering it actly how many MRAPs they need. tors. tactically immobile.’’ Mines and IEDs will One official says they’ll build MRAPs as Back in Fallujah, the desire for the Cougar force U.S. troops off the roads, he wrote, and fast as possible, then recalibrate the mili- had grown. By February 2005, the Marines keep them from aggressively attacking in- tary’s needs as they assess operations in were formally asking for more. Field com- surgents. Iraq, a tacit acknowledgment that they may manders sent their first large-scale request The words were strong and the conclusions need fewer MRAPs as U.S. troops are with- for MRAPs, seeking 1,169 vehicles with speci- were damning. Rhodesia, a nation with noth- drawn. fications that closely mirrored those of the ing near the resources of the U.S. military, During another news conference late last Cougar. They no longer envisioned the vehi- had built MRAPs more than a quarter-cen- month, Gates worried that the companies cle as limited to explosives-disposal teams; tury earlier that remained ‘‘more survivable building the MRAP—not only Force Protec- they wanted MRAPs for combat troops, too. than any comparable vehicle produced by the tion but BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Roy McGriff III, then a major, drafted the U.S. today,’’ McGriff wrote. Oshkosh Truck, Armor Holdings, Inter- request signed by Brig. Gen. Hejlik. ‘‘MRAP Despite his views then, McGriff, now a national Military and Government and Pro- vehicles will protect Marines, reduce casual- lieutenant colonel, says he understands the tected Vehicles—won’t be able to get the ve- ties, increase mobility and enhance mission delays. MRAPs needed to be tested to ensure hicles to Iraq fast enough. success,’’ the request read. ‘‘Without MRAP, they could perform in combat. ‘‘Nothing hap- ‘‘I didn’t think that was acceptable,’’ personnel loss rates are likely to continue at pens fast enough when people are fighting Gates said. ‘‘Lives are at stake.’’ their current rate.’’ In spring 2005, he would and dying,’’ he says today. ‘‘But amidst the THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT: ‘‘SAFEST VEHICLE have a chance to argue his case before top chaos, you still have to make the right EVER’’ generals. choices. In the end, I think the Marines got As the sun began to bake the Iraqi coun- THE MARINE MAJOR: ‘‘UNNECESSARY’’ the MRAP capability as quickly and safely tryside last month, Marine 2nd Lt. George CASUALTIES as possible.’’ Saenz headed back to his base on the out- They convened March 29–30, 2005, at the Others disagree. skirts in Fallujah. He felt oddly joyful. Marine major Franz Gayl, now retired, was Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif. Saenz had just spent hours leading his pla- science adviser to the 1st Marine Expedi- The occasion: a safety board meeting, a reg- toon through one of the most excruciating tionary Force in Iraq. He saw how Marines ular gathering to address safety issues across battlefield jobs—inching a convoy along the were still being killed or maimed in Anbar in the Corps. In attendance: five three-star gen- crumbling streets of Fallujah, searching for the fall of 2006. If the Marine Corps had de- erals, four two-stars, seven one-stars and homemade bombs planted in the asphalt or cided MRAPs were a top priority, he says, it McGriff. dirt. McGriff knew the MRAP’s history and the could and should have pursued them with the The night before had proved dangerous. Pentagon’s reluctance to invest in the vehi- same urgency the Pentagon is now showing. Two bombs had blown up underneath Saenz’s ‘‘The ramp-up of industry capacity was de- cle. He had learned about the vehicle from a convoy, including one beneath his vehicle. layed by over 11⁄2 years,’’ Gayl says, ‘‘until it fellow Marine, Wayne Sinclair. Sinclair, As Saenz turned through the gray blast became the dire emergency that it is today.’’ then a captain, wrote in the July 1996 issue walls protecting the base, he says he Bureaucrats didn’t want the MRAP sooner of the Marine Corps Gazette that ‘‘an afford- couldn’t help but think: If I had been riding ‘‘because it would compete against’’ armored able answer to the land mine was developed a Humvee, I wouldn’t be here right now. Humvees and ‘‘many other favored pro- over 20 years ago. It’s time that Marines at Saenz knew why he was alive. His platoon grams’’ for funding, Gayl says. Gayl, who the sharp end shared in . . . this discovery.’’ in the 6th Marine Regiment Combat Team works as a civilian for the Marines at the Addressing the generals, McGriff rec- had replaced its Humvees with MRAPs. The Pentagon, has filed for federal whistleblower ommended analyzing every incident involv- two blasts produced just one injury, a Ma- protection because he fears retaliation for ing Marine vehicles the same way investiga- rine whose concussion put him on light duty speaking out about the failure to get MRAPs tors probe aircraft crashes. Look at the vehi- for a week. sooner. cle for flaws, McGriff recalls telling the offi- ‘‘We’re probably in the safest vehicle ever cers, and examine the tactics used to defeat DEFENSE SECRETARY GATES: ‘‘LIVES ARE AT designed for military use,’’ Saenz says, re- it. STAKE’’ calling his platoon’s record: Three months. Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson, commander of After McGriff addressed the generals in Eleven bomb attacks. No one dead. Marine Corps Forces in the Pacific, and Lt. March 2005, another 15 months passed. Then MRAPs have become legendary in Anbar Gen. James Mattis, leader of the Marine the Marines in Iraq reiterated the request for since Marines began using them on dan- Combat Development Command, listened MRAPs. This time they sent the request di- gerous missions clearing roadside bombs. and then conferred for a moment. rectly to the Joint Chiefs. This time they Tank commanders, radio operators and oth- The room grew quiet. ‘‘Then they said, were successful. ers drop by Saenz’s platoon every day to do ‘OK, what do you want to do?’ ’’ McGriff re- In December 2006, after insurgent bombs what Rep. Hunter had done three years ear- members. had killed almost 1,200 U.S. troops in Iraq, lier—inspect the small fleet of MRAPs, He recited the very plan that the Pen- the Joint Chiefs validated requests from Iraq knock on the armor, sometimes crawl inside. tagon, under a new Defense secretary, would for 4,060 MRAPs, and the formal MRAP pro- Scores of MRAPs are scheduled to arrive in embrace in 2007: ‘‘A phased transition. Con- gram was launched. Anbar this summer. That means they’ll be tinue to armor Humvees. At the same time, By March 2007, Marine Corps Commandant available for the first time to the Marines as quickly and as expeditiously as possible, James Conway called the vehicle his ‘‘No. 1 for tasks other than clearing IEDs, says Ma- purchase as many MRAPs as possible. Phase unfilled warfighting requirement.’’ rine Col. Mike Rudolph, logistics officer for out Humvees.’’ In part, that’s because he saw it save lives U.S. forces in western Iraq. No one has de- According to McGriff, the room again grew in Anbar province. Brig. Gen. John Allen, cided how MRAPs will be used, but ‘‘every- silent. Then, Mattis finally spoke: ‘‘That’s deputy commander of coalition forces there, body wants one,’’ Rudolph says. exactly what we’re going to do.’’ Mattis’ says the Marines tracked attacks on MRAPs To be sure, the vehicle isn’t perfect. words failed to translate into action. The ur- since January 2006. The finding: Marines in Saenz’s team warns that MRAPs drive like gent-need request McGriff drafted went armored Humvees are twice as likely to be trucks, plodding and heavy. Some models are unfulfilled at Marine headquarters in badly wounded in an IED attack as those in so bulky they have blind spots for troops Quantico. A June 10, 2005, status report on MRAPs. peering over the boxy hood and so noisy a the request indicated the Marine Corps was Perhaps more convincing: No Marines have driver has to shout at someone 2 feet away. holding out for a ‘‘future vehicle,’’ presum- been killed in more than 300 attacks on ‘‘They’re just so heavy,’’ Sgt. Randall Mil- ably the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle—more MRAPs there. ler says. ‘‘These are virtually designed off a mobile than the MRAP, more protective The news, revealed in USA TODAY on semi-truck platform.’’ than the Humvee, and due in 2012. In prac- April 19, drew the attention of Defense Sec- After substantial testing, the military also tical terms, that meant no MRAPs imme- retary Gates, four months into his job at the has concluded that MRAPs are vulnerable to diately. Pentagon. He was traveling in Iraq and read explosively formed projectiles, the newest McGriff foresaw some of the turmoil over about the MRAP’s success in the Pentagon’s and most devastating variation of the IED. vehicles in a prophetic 2003 paper for the daily news roundup. Weeks later, at a news More armor has been developed for the School for Advanced Warfighting in conference, Gates said the Pentagon would MRAPs the Pentagon ordered this spring. Quantico. rush MRAPs to Iraq ‘‘as best we can.’’ Miller isn’t complaining. On his first tour ‘‘Currently, our underprotected vehicles Late last month, top Pentagon officials ap- in Iraq in 2004–05, Miller searched for land result in casualties that are politically un- proved an Army strategy for buying as many mines in a Humvee. His detection technique tenable and militarily unnecessary,’’ his as 17,700 MRAPs, allowing a one-for-one swap was simple: ‘‘Go real slow, cross your fin- paper read. ‘‘Failure to build a MRAP vehi- for its armored Humvees. About 5,200 MRAPs gers.’’ He still drives slowly but feels safer

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:53 Jun 21, 2010 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00076 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR07\S19JY7.002 S19JY7 erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with BOUND RECORD 19748 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 14 July 19, 2007 knowing the MRAP’s V-shaped hull will de- dented levels and American troop fa- party—will discourage him from pur- flect a bomb blast. ‘‘I’ve seen our guys get talities are up 70 percent. From all an- suing an indefinite and misguided war. hit and walk away,’’ Miller says. ‘‘They’re gles, the situation in Iraq is an abso- We can’t put all the blame on the awesome, awesome vehicles.’’ lute disaster, and the administration’s White House, however. An over- THE WIDOW: ‘‘THEY SHOULD’VE DONE IT’’ inability or unwillingness to recognize whelming majority of Congress author- SOONER this reality is diminishing our inter- ized this misguided war, and now a far Whom or what is to blame for the delay in national credibility, straining our rela- smaller but still determined minority getting safer vehicles for the 158,000 U.S. is allowing this war to continue, de- troops in Iraq? tions with many foreign governments, Jim Hampton, now a retired colonel, ques- and causing us to neglect weak and un- spite the wishes of the American peo- tions why the Pentagon and Congress didn’t stable regions that could pose threats ple, despite the fact that our military do more to keep the troops safe. ‘‘I have col- to our national security. is overstretched, and despite the fact leagues who say people need to go to jail The administration’s single-minded that our presence in Iraq has been, ac- over this, and in my mind they do,’’ Hamp- focus on Iraq is preventing us from ade- cording to our own State Department, ton says. quately confronting threats of extre- ‘‘used as a rallying cry for Hunter, now running for president, blames radicalization and extremist activity the Pentagon bureaucracy, which he says mism and terrorism around the globe. ‘‘doesn’t move fast enough to meet the needs The declassified NIE released just yes- in neighboring countries . . .’’ of the war fighter. We have a system in terday confirms that al-Qaida remains It is up to Congress to act because which the warfighting requirements are re- the most serious threat to the United the President will not. It us up to us to quested from the field and the acquisition States and that key elements of that listen to the American people, to save people say, ‘We’ll get it on our schedule.’ ’’ threat have been regenerated or even American lives, and to ensure our Na- Other members of Congress blame Rums- enhanced. The administration’s poli- tion’s security by redeploying our feld and his vision of transforming the mili- cies in Iraq have also resulted in the troops from Iraq. We have that power tary into a leaner, faster fighting force. and responsibility and we must act Rep. John Murtha, D–Pa., wonders if emergence of an al-Qaida affiliate that Rumsfeld’s forceful personality silenced did not exist before the war—al-Qaida now. some of the generals. ‘‘Rumsfeld so intimi- in Iraq, or AQI. According to the NIE, That is why I support the amendment offered by Senators LEVIN and JACK dated the military that I’ve lost confidence al-Qaida’s association with this group REED—an amendment with binding in them telling us what they really need’’ in helps it raise resources and recruit and deadlines for both beginning and end- Iraq, Murtha says. indoctrinate operatives, including for ‘‘They all knew the Rumsfeld rule: Your ing redeployment and the only amend- attacks against the United States. career is over if you say anything contrary’’ ment we are likely to consider that to his policies, Murtha says. ‘‘It’s much bet- Yet, while this report is further proof that the war in Iraq is a distraction would take a strong step toward bring- ter now that Rumsfeld is gone. The military ing our involvement in this war to a is being much more honest.’’ from our core goal of fighting those close. If the Pentagon ‘‘had just listened to the who attacked us on 9/11, this adminis- guys in the field’’ who wanted MRAPs, Mur- The Levin-Jack Reed amendment is tration and its supporters are still call- not as strong as I would have liked, but tha says, ‘‘we’d have them in Iraq right ing Iraq the ‘‘central front in the war now.’’ it does require the President to bring USA TODAY could not determine what on terror,’’ even though al-Qaida is a home our troops, starting in 120 days. I role, if any, Rumsfeld played in MRAP delib- global threat and AQI is one of a num- am encouraged that this amendment is erations. A spokesman for Rumsfeld, now ber of actors responsible for violence in bipartisan, and while I wish it had the running a foundation in Washington, said Iraq’s self-sustaining sectarian con- support of the entire Senate, the sup- last week that the former Defense secretary flict. port of Senators SMITH, HAGEL, and would not comment. While our attention has been di- SNOW is nonetheless an important de- Aaron Kincaid’s widow, Rachel, doesn’t verted and our resources squandered in know who should be held accountable. She is velopment. haunted by whether getting MRAPs to Iraq Iraq, al-Quaida has protected its safe I call on other Republicans to follow earlier might have saved her husband’s life. haven in Pakistan and has increased their lead; there is no time to waste. It The bomb that blew apart his Humvee lay cooperation with regional terrorist is not enough to pass something that along the path he and his unit took, and no groups. The sooner we redeploy from sounds good but doesn’t move us to- one noticed. Iraq, the sooner we can refocus our ef- ward ending the war. Weak, feel-good Today, she wonders: Was his death really forts and develop a wide-ranging, inclu- about the path that he took, or about the amendments may give people up here sive strategy that would deny al-Qaida political comfort but that comfort path the Pentagon spent years avoiding, the these advantages. path that, in May, finally led them to the ve- won’t last long we can fool ourselves, hicle that might have saved her husband’s I remind my colleagues that last No- but we can’t fool the American people. life? vember, our constituents spoke out It is a tragic truth that the war in You think there is always something that against this war in every way they pos- Iraq has become the defining aspect of could’ve been done to prevent it,’’ Rachel sibly could. And as the situation con- our engagement in this part of the Kincaid says of her husband’s death. tinues to deteriorate, they have re- world. Coupled with this administra- ‘‘If that’s been around for that many peated their call—they were outside tion’s inconsistent efforts to promote years,’’ she says of the MRAP, ‘‘why hasn’t this building last night holding a can- it been used? They should’ve done it at the democracy and the rule of law over- beginning of the war. They should’ve done it dlelight vigil, and in States around the seas, the war has alienated and angered three years ago, four years ago.’’ Nation, to show their support for end- those whose support and cooperation f ing this war and to tell President Bush we need if we are to prevail against al- and Senate Republicans to ‘‘stop ob- Qaida and its allies. IRAQ structing an end to the war.’’ I know As long as the President’s policies Ms. FEINGOLD. Madam President, as my colleagues heard their voices last continue, Iraq will continue to be what I said late last week, it has been 52 November, and I am hopeful they heard the 2006 declassified National Intel- months since military operations them last night. It almost goes without ligence Estimate called a ‘‘cause cele- began in Iraq. Approximately 3,613 saying that they hear them every time bre’’ for a new generation of terrorists. Americans have died and 25,000 have they return home as well. Meanwhile, al-Qaida has expanded its been wounded. More than 4 million But, just like last week and the week relations with dangerous regional ter- Iraqis have fled their homes, and tens before that, at the other end of Penn- rorist groups. of thousands, at a minimum, have been sylvania Avenue, these pervasive calls The newest National Intelligence Es- killed. We have now been engaged in are ignored as the President continues timate indicates that we may now be the war in Iraq longer than we were in to make it clear that nothing not the facing the worst-case scenario in that World War II. voices of his citizens, not the advice of our indefinite military presence in Iraq With the surge well underway, vio- military and foreign policy experts, not has both allowed al-Qaida to reconsti- lence in Iraq has reached unprece- the concerns of members from his own tute itself while it has also served as a

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