U.S. Army Appeals for Better Combat Vehicles in Iraq ("too many funerals")

[Barrett808]

U.S. Army Appeals for Better Combat Vehicles in Iraq
By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Faced with continuing attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army generals on Tuesday urged defense contractors to step forward with creative ways to make combat vehicles less vulnerable to roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and other threats.

Brig. Gen. Roger Nadeau, program executive officer for ground combat systems, lauded the performance of Abrams tanks and Stryker armed vehicles built by General Dynamics Corp. and Bradley Fighting Vehicles built by United Defense Industries Inc.

But he said all three vehicles, as well as armor-reinforced Humvees and trucks in maintenance convoys, remained vulnerable to attacks by roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades, even though the U.S. military had already rushed to retrofit its equipment with additional armor and other protective gear.

"Underneath, on the sides, on top, there are specific areas" of vulnerability, Nadeau told a conference sponsored by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement. "We are always looking for ways to improve the survivability."

"We need exponentially better -- however you define what that is -- and then it's about balancing the cost," he said. He vowed to be a company's "strongest advocate" for rushing new protective gear to the frontlines as soon as possible, even if that involved trimming back funding elsewhere.

...

The bottom line was protecting U.S. troops, Nadeau said, adding, "We go to too many funerals."

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