headscratcher4
8th December 2004, 01:25 PM
From AP on Rumsfeld's visist to troops in Kuwait:
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"Rumsfeld said the Army was sparing no expense or effort to acquire as many Humvees and other vehicles with extra armor as it can. What's more, he said, armor is not the savior some think it is.
"You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can (still) be blown up," he said. The same applies to the much smaller Humvee utility vehicles that, without extra armor, are highly vulnerable to the insurgents' weapon of choice in Iraq, the improvised explosive device that is a roadside threat to Army convoys and patrols.
U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq are killed or maimed by roadside bombs almost daily. Adding armor protection to Humvees and other vehicles that normally are not used in direct combat has been a priority for the Army, but manufacturers have not been able to keep up with the demand."
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My gosh, this admission would seem to suggest that all the criticism of Kerry's alleged flip-flops over providing troops with sufficient armour and other protections may have just been so much politics rather than real outrage over the alleged failure of Kerry to support troops in the battlefield? I know the Secratary's words must be of great comfort to the troops and their families during this holiday season. Maybe those air canisters that firemen wear aren't all they're cracked-up to be either...I mean look how many die each year. We probably shouldn't encourage an over dependence on them...or body shield for police (I mean, the drug lords and Al Qeda are using bullets that pierce the stuff now, so it must be a needless expense...).
_______________
"Rumsfeld said the Army was sparing no expense or effort to acquire as many Humvees and other vehicles with extra armor as it can. What's more, he said, armor is not the savior some think it is.
"You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can (still) be blown up," he said. The same applies to the much smaller Humvee utility vehicles that, without extra armor, are highly vulnerable to the insurgents' weapon of choice in Iraq, the improvised explosive device that is a roadside threat to Army convoys and patrols.
U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq are killed or maimed by roadside bombs almost daily. Adding armor protection to Humvees and other vehicles that normally are not used in direct combat has been a priority for the Army, but manufacturers have not been able to keep up with the demand."
_________
My gosh, this admission would seem to suggest that all the criticism of Kerry's alleged flip-flops over providing troops with sufficient armour and other protections may have just been so much politics rather than real outrage over the alleged failure of Kerry to support troops in the battlefield? I know the Secratary's words must be of great comfort to the troops and their families during this holiday season. Maybe those air canisters that firemen wear aren't all they're cracked-up to be either...I mean look how many die each year. We probably shouldn't encourage an over dependence on them...or body shield for police (I mean, the drug lords and Al Qeda are using bullets that pierce the stuff now, so it must be a needless expense...).