Troop protector relegated to the parking lot
By Mike Mount
After spending more than $40 billion on an emergency program to save U.S. troops from roadside bomb attacks, the U.S. Army is trying to figure out what to do with tens of thousands of mine-resistant vehicles headed home from the battlefield.
The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle program was rushed into design and production at the height of the war in Iraq as the military struggled to identify a way to protect the troops who were being killed in large numbers each day.
The hulking, heavily armored trucks, designed with a V-shaped hull to deflect the devastating effects of shrapnel and explosions from roadside bombs, played a unique and successful combat role in Iraq. But the MRAP’s extended height and extreme weight means most models can only be used in flat, open terrain or on wide roads, eliminating them from use in narrow and more rugged terrain.
Lighter, more mobile versions were designed for Afghanistan. But as the U.S. military changes its focus to emerging threats in Asia, the Army is struggling to figure out whether the MRAP can play a role in a future military where new combat vehicle programs are moving forward with new technologies.
"There are a number of people out there that are concerned with what we will do with what was a tremendous investment in MRAPS," said Col. Mark Barbosa, division chief for force development logistics, for the U.S. Army.
Army logisticians predict there will be about 20,000 MRAP variants returning from Afghanistan and Kuwait, where they have been piling up to be shipped back to the United States after service in Iraq. The Army’s plan for now is to repair and update them and put many of the MRAPS into prepositioned storage around the world for use in potential future conflicts, as well as put a smaller number in with existing support units.
With few options on the table for the MRAP, there is little or no uproar from Congress that a massive surplus of these vehicles will be sitting around for years to come - and could be potentially useless if a time comes to use them in combat theaters with different conditions than Iraq.
"The MRAP was a needed requirement to save lives and an investment was made," said one congressional official not authorized to speak on the record. "If you have them, isn’t it best to keep them on hand for now?"
But that is the problem with the MRAP: It was born and designed out of an immediate need in war and was a wild success. A lot of money was spent to protect the troops, but that leaves the military with a lot of vehicles that may never be used.
Congress is putting some pressure on the Army to determine whether there will be any role for the fleet in the future force structure. The House Armed Services Committee is asking the Department of Defense for a plan for the future of the vehicles.
The military has identified at least one role it is confident the vehicle can be used for years to come - mine clearing and explosive ordnance disposal, threats that will always endure in wars. Still others will go to train troops how to use the behemoths until troops leave Afghanistan after 2014.
But former Defense Secretary Robert Gates - the man responsible for pushing a stubborn military into designing and swiftly fielding the MRAP into the battlefield, saving hundreds if not thousands of lives - was not worried about the future.
"My attitude was, if you are in a war and kids’ lives are at stake, you’re all in," Gates said in an interview last year.
"You do whatever is necessary protect them and help them accomplish their mission, and you’ve got this stuff left over at the end, so be it…you also have left over a lot of living kids."
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
meant to write "are also" not "are not"
If the next war is in the swamps, we won't need tanks either. However, the chances of us getting into another war, or supporting allies in another war in desert areas is high. Find a place to mothball them, and store them until needed again.
well besides the mexican border and swat team ideas which i great, i think we could try and reduce the height of them, recycle the metal, or redesign them for more versatile combat, keep the v saped hull but try and reduce the height? idk just a thought im not an engineer so i wouldn't know anything about the problems that would come if they were shortened
Iran.
Park them in Donald Rumsfeld's front yard.
Said differently, park them all on George W. Bush's front lawn.
Send me 5 of them.
I think I can get 30,000 per truck.
We need $150,000 for our school to keep teachers from being laid off.
Tell the union to cut the pension cost demands down. That might save a few jobs.
I'm only gonna say this once since this isn't the place for this argument. You know why something like 70% of math teachers (from Alan Greenspan's book Age of Turbulence) don't have a math degree or one related to math? Because schools can't afford to pay what a major corporation will pay for someone with a math degree. So congrats screwing teachers on pay and pensions has led to our school systems getting progressively worse. Teachers bust their ass and should get paid more, esp if they'd have to deal with your kids.
Sell them to mexico. That place has gone to hell and it's open season on the police. At home, we should refine and continue developing the vehicle. The troops inside were still severely affected by the concussion of the blast. Every major SWAT would want the lighter version. In short, most of this inventory can be unloaded long before it's obsolete and the taxpayers are buried under maintenance costs and contracts.
thats just the gun point!!
Give them all to Occupy Wall Street. I can see a hundred thieving banks cowering in terror when a few of these roll up!!!
Sell them to the drug cartels so they can invade our borders easier....why not ! We arent doing anything else right.
Store them properly. We will likely need them again somewhere. Sadly, all of the terrorist are not gone.
We can use them when we go to war with North Korea. There are a ton of minefields around the DMZ.
Good point, Number 1.
Make it so.
Ok, I can understand why you would say that, since you have never been to Korea. Otherwise you would know that Korea is mountainous, and does not have many wide roads. Clearly in the article it says that these must have large open tract environments with wide roads.
Duh, this is America... use haliburton to widen all roads so we can drive these... idiots!
How about boarder patrol? HLS can use them to secure our boarders.. Being a boarder patrol agent is a lot more dangerous than being a police officer these days.
I gota say that's a great idea. US/Mexico boarder is about 2k mi, with 20k units they can have 10 units assigned to patrol each mile. We already own the units may as well put them to use.
@kw: that's truly a good idea. i don't know the terrian of the south-west but they would fit the bill as far as heavy armour carriers. the border patrol take sniper fire daily.
As long as there are good wide roads...
who needs a strategic petroleum reserve anyway? Do you all realize what kind of gas mileage these super-heavy armored trucks get? That would sure show those middle eastern terrorists – first we bankrupt ourselves destroying the wrong people's infrastructure, then we bankrupt ourselves building it back, and then we burn billions of gallons of oil patrolling our border, sending them trillions more in cash. That sounds a lot better than just enforcing our labor laws.
I say recycle them all and turn the steel into new high efficiency zero pollution buses and cars.
These MRAP vehicles can be put to good use in the US. Send them to Detroit, Chicago, New York City, LA etc. The local police can put them into service. They can be used to fight crime in those cities by the police to protect them from the gangs, hoodlums, and criminal elements in those cities. We have areas in our cities that are much like war zones. Just a thought.
Yes, as long as criminal element cooperates: waits for these behemoths to arrive...
Yeah, because most inner-city problems include landmines, IED's and unexploded ordnance....
That's a stupid idea. These vehicles would be completely wasted doing that. Besides, the last thing we need is a more pseudo-militaristic police force.
I'll be more than happy to take one off their hands, having one of these to commute to work will be a blast. I agree with other ideas posted on here, donate them to local police/swat enforcements, donate them to patrol the border along Mexico.
Gates? Um, no. It was Rumsfeld who first authorized the MARP development and deployment. Though it was also Rumsfeld who said " You go to war with the army you have, not the army you want.". A more true statement regarding the realities of war and the developing battlefield has never been said.
Rumsfeld, um no... The USMC first saw the need for a better vehicle, but ran into road blocks at the Pentagon (i.e. Rumsfeld). After the issue became hotter, the USMC was able to get the vehicle. Mr Gates saw reports about how successful the MRAP was for the USMC and made it a high priority for the US Army. No credit to Rumsfeld... ever.
Agree that its a good concept. But it came from the USMC and they deserve the credit. As an Army guy, I'm gratefull for the vehicle...the M-ATV is a more usefull offshoot. The MRAP and most military vehicles are not optimal for police patrol, and police wont face the IED threat. I can see major departments haveing 1-2 for worst case scenarios and army it with less lethal munitions.
Speaking about wast...its not a waste..it saved lives. The wasted part is that the specs were changed from the USMC tothe ARMY. The mission is nearly the same, but the ARMY, as it always does, tried to personalize it for the Army and added cost. I think it's telling that every branch of service has a different combat or camoflauge style, and differnt vehicles that do the same thing. Multiple supply trains is our problem. DOD needs to reign in the service chiefs and buy Joint use equipment, not blue camoflage for the Navy, tiger strip for the USAF and urban for the ARMY. The USMC got one the best Camo right now. The Army didnt like it so it went with ACU that dont match anything. Funny that our vehicles have better CAMO than the troops.
I agree totally about the supply chain. I'm Air Force and was very much in favor of simply adopting the ACU and simply putting "Air Force" insignia on it.
Maybe award them to the military's of countries that stood alongside the U.S. in Iraq, like say Poland – probably the most unheralded allie of the U.S. in Iraq. I'm sure the Polish Army could put a few thousand of these to good use.
Put all of them on border patrol.From the Pacific to the Gulf. If there is no road....make one. If there is a road....widen it. Have every one of them pulling a large trailer with fuel, supplies, and room for umm...."passengers".
we keep em...duh
Zombie Outbreak Response Vehicles
thats the best idea yet
Or:
Zombie Outbreak Response Vehicles – MRABZORV
Slap snow plows on them and give sell them to the states?
operational sustainment is outlined in the material fielding plan. the Marine Corps aalready has a plan.
Sell them for surplus. I'd love to get one for 4×4 rock crawling!
unoless you are bill gates you can't afford it.
i'v bought Military surplus for pennies on the dollar. the USG practically gives crap away that they spent millions on.
Yes, as long as you do this in some open flat area. Or on a good wide road... Have a good fun!
You would have to dump most of the armor plating to save weight. You got solid axles, puncture proof tires, and a huge amount of horse power. that thing would be unstoppable in rough terrain. You would certainly be the hit of the trail. Charge for rides to pay for the diesel.
Moth ball them. Strip leather and plastic and cloth out, draing the engines of all fluids, store them in a big parking lot in the desert. I'm sure we'll need them again someday.
Sell them to police departments across the US so they can bulldoze and drive over occupy protesters.
Drop them down on protesters from a plane!
I think the US should give away for free all of the equipment we built and used in South Asia.
That way, the billionaires can make even more trillions when the US gets into another war, and has to buy the same equipment all over again. Like many experts say, war is really about money and greed.
Wait and see, they will give this stuff away.
the military will use them to make sure obamafraud gets reelected.
let's all toast the worms, sycophants, con men, hustlers, criminals, election board members, secretarys of state, etc. who have enabled 'the one'. under his superb leadership, and if the course be true and held, we will be 26TRILLION dollars in debt and including unfunded mandates 100TRILLION in debt. thanks alot guys! Country First!
Because "the military" is, on the whole, comprised of deeply liberal pacifists who want nothing more than Obama to be reelected? Do you realize how clueless you sound? The "military" tolerates Obama as "commander in chief" because they HAVE TO. You anti-Obama nutjobs don't even TRY to use what lilttle brains you have. You just blame Obama.
Uhhh where did you get those numbers? A tinfoil conspiracy website?
Let me get this straight. No , nevermind. You sir, are a complete idiot.
You do realize something like 68% of the military are Republicans or Republican leaning? So you're saying they want to keep Obama in office. Please troll elsewhere, most of the people that post in this section of CNN actually have some idea of what they are talking about (by some I mean enough not know what demographics vote for which party).
Another Teabilly fantasy!
I bet you have never served in the military. You're just another right-wing whiner and counterfeit patriot.
Don't bring the military staff into your inane ultra-right rant. The military are fine folks. You, however, are just plain offensive and self-serving.
The theatre may change, their tactics don't, besides we are nowhere near being finish in iraq or afghan.
I'd take care to mothball these vehicles properly, the way we did with the WWII battleships, so they can be pressed into service again later. Why? Because we never know when we might need them again. The Iraqis and Afghans use IEDs because they learned painfully that they can't win in a conventional(my tanks vs your tanks, my planes vs your planes, my soldiers vs your sheep lovers) conflict. If the troops have to go anywhere else where that same situation is true(and that's almost anywhere) or anywhere where 'occupation' is the goal, the local insurgency is likely to resort to the same tactics.
We're not talking about a lot of work here. The process is fairly well understood. Some location in the desert, maybe you throw an additive the in the fuel, oil and coolant and run the engine for a few minutes before draining it that leaves a protective coating inside the engine so that it can stay parked and unused for years. Spending about $300-$1000 per vehicle to have them ready when necessary seems like a better price to pay than to have to build new ones, if the need arises. It will also save that most precious of commodities in war... TIME.
Why would we save them? Sure that would be an easy question in the wake of WWII, but now we have the military industrial complex in full swing and a bunch of mothballed MRAPs aren't as attractive as another $40B no-bid contract.
Couldn't agree more. There are maybe 2-3 countries that could stand toe to toe with the American military for very long conventionally. And if we continue with fast defeat and long occupations notion this will be what happens. Give us another 10 years and we'll be using them again.
Well said, an intelligent solution for a future conflict and if history is any judge the conflict will come.
Well said and agreed.
I think the ongoing cost of running them and maintaining them has a many-front appeal:
We're ready for more combat in middle Asia.
American troops still have work to do, gainfully employed to care for something we probably will need in the future.
The cost of keeping them is FAR less than the cost of building them (again) in the future.
I want one. How much for a used MRAP?
I'm sure Romney and his plutocrat buddies will want them.
You fucking cunt libreal motherfucker. Satan has a special place in hell for you, cock sucker. What did that comment have to do with a fucking MRAP. FUCK YOU SIR
I like your style.
Fascinating. I have never seen such colorful language get by the auto-filters. I wonder if CNN shut them down this morning...let us see: fucking shit .... testing one two three...testing
Way to keep it classy...
Sell them to the teabaggers. They can race them at nascar tracks. They can use them to pull their trailers out of the mud. They can use them to take their cousins out on a date. They can drive them to Walmart to shop for hunting knives and ammo. They can paint them to look like a confederate flag. They can finally junk their rusty 1964 motorhomes. They can drive them to Washington and wreck the White House lawn. They can install rifle racks. They can paint misspelled slogans on the sides. They can hang a "Don't Tread On Me" flag on the aerial. They can drive them to KKK rallies. They can park them on cement blocks next to their double-wides. But they won't use them to make a trip to the dentist.
Way to be a slightly bigger douche than he was. You could have at least shown a bit of class by stating a fact that it's American society as a whole that needs them. And if he'd ever like to join up and wear body armor for a year long deployment only to discover that it was part of a recalled lot or even have good equipment that wasn't designed to stop a shell from a T-72 (the Iraqis MBT) exploding from underground, that would be fine with us. We need to hold on to the MRAP because unfortunately wars will continue and since nobody can hang in a conventional fight with our Military they will have to do the same thing as Iraqis.
The auto filter was too shocked to even react, and too scared to stop it!
well played sir
You sir are an idiot.
SWEEEET, filters off!! Now time to go insult your least favorite CNN staff writer or call all those who disagree with your viewpoint interesting names or attempt to write a single sentence that will offend liberals, conservatives, atheists, evangelical religious right, foreigners, locals, anarchists, dentists and the fucking middle-of-the-road majority. Or maybe that is just a little pointless....
I want to be a libreal. No, really.
What would our country be like if mean people such as yourself would point that much energy into doing something to build America up (instead of tearing her down)?
Do what we always do. Sell them to another country to win short-term political points and get on their good side only to see the regime topple and become unfriendly.
Will probably have to present them as a token of gratitute or something...
How many U.S. Soldier lives were saved as a result of this investment? In my book; one is enough to merit the building of these vehicles.
This is all well and good and as callous as this seems, one saved soldier won't create 40B in economic output. We get fed this "soldiers are heroes" propaganda so we don't mind when they get used like cattle out on the battlefield and we all feel a little better.
You know how many blue color jobs were created at places like General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, etc. not to mention their subcontractors? Alot, so excuse this soldier for saying go blow me on your cost/reward analysis. I agreed with the war in Afghanistan, didn't think we should go into Iraq but I still volunteered and because tens of thousands like me did most of you lazy worthless civilians got to get drunk at college (like I did and should have continued to do), pork your old ladies, and NOT get drafted because of lack of troops.
You know another cheaper, more effective way to save soldier's lives is to not sent them into baseless, avoidable wars.
you know what else patrick? your a fag
some people are so brave hiding behind a computer. go away troll
I agree that war is pointless. When I was sent to Bosnia it was not a war, it was a peace keeping missin. But, the Army made it a war as much as they could to to advantange of the deployment as a training exericise for war. While we had to wear all our combat gear everyday, all the other NATO soldiers wer walking around in ball caps. So it seems that the US will take advantage of deployments and wars to always be the best at warfare. This last 10 years may have been pointless, but when the really big one hits on our own land we will ultimately be well prepared.
that was a great reply pole smoker. you whiney ass liberals who hide behind mommy's skirts when things get tough are pathetic. you sound like a typical tree hugging, welfare riding, panzy ass lib.
Did any of you ever fight in any of these wars or are you just calling people pussies that don't agree with you? Just curious cause it takes some real balls to tell a guy he's a pussy for not agreeing with a war that you yourself were too big of a pussy to fight in. If you did, cool carry on; if not join up or quit being a pussy yourself.
Patrick, thanks for your input. I agreed with Afghanistan, not so much with IRAQ, though Sadamm surely deseved what he got for targeting civilians and other acts he and his subordinates did.
Now I will not call you any names, and I dont condone those that do. Lets keep this clean.
I agree its better to not have wars, however its not always the fault of the USA. Maybe we should not be world police, but the military goes wehere it is by National Command Authority (civilian. Its not like a General says "lets invade country X"!
Poloticians may abuse us (I'm Military), and weapons system purchases may be pork. But I fight for my country (the people included)..int the middle east or other countries I've been in. The simple fact is...people target the military for what our country, politicians or friends do. Israel is an ally and trading partner and we get attacked becasue of it. If we backed off from Israel, we would still get attacked because we USED to be an ally...and 20 years ago some Palestinian was shot by an M-16 sold to Israel...or some other reason from the PAST! Hell we get attacked by somone who is not Palestianian, but is from another country....just because it involves Israel!!!
When we are getting attacked ...let us fight and give us good equipment. Dont creat substandard or block new equipment in the hopes that Soldiers will die, thereby hurting public opinion and cutting a war short.
One reason Vietnam was so bloody is the anti war protest turned anti-military. The military did not have the right weapons at the right time. They were not allowed to engage the enmy or blow up the supply dumps for political reasons. Soldiers (all Military) were spit on at airports and harassed. look, I'm not saying I agree with all the aspects of war or reasons for it....but it happens and we need to be able to fight...or just roll over and live undersomeone elses rules.
Surprise, I agree with Ken. The sad part about this is two soldiers could sit here and talk about our differences and even if we did disagree we would still have respect for eachother afterwards. You know currently less than 10% of our Congressmen and Senators were in the military before 2000 it was around 50% and before 1990 it was near 80%. More respect and compromise was given across the political spectrum during the 80s and 90s due to the fact our leaders had respect for eachother. Is it any wonder National Politics acts like the other posters in this thread?
Well said. Indeed. I would trade the cost of one of those to save a serviceman/woman. Just as much, I would spend that much to save the many more who came home badly injured from IEDs.
There going to turn them into civilian vehicles like the Hummer and sell them to Republicans!!!!
I could use one to go Christmas shopping at Walmart.
Let's see. You build them for Iraq to combat IED's. The current Iraqi's are still dealing with IED's. Why not sell them to the goverment of Iraq to protect their troops? $40 billion gathering dust and rust in the US or get something back for them from the country they were designed for... Take the partial loss and either get oil concessions / credit or cash. Mothballing, storing and maintaining is going to just cost more money...
I can't see how this will back fire. Like those F-14s Nixon sold to Iran.
I cannot see anyone questioning how that money was spent. Obviously, they were needed, and the troops have attested to how well they worked. Perhaps I could buy one for 20K and use it in South Side Chicago?
I don't know what they'll do with them, but I hope there will be a glut or at least a decent supply of new/near-new Michelin 395/85R20 XZLs on the market.
Charlie
Not from these behemoths! They sure require a new set every 3 months!
not to worry. I'm sure they will be useful in Iran, and North Korea.
At least, we have something to show for the $40B spent. Unlike all the social programs in this country (Obamacare, SS, Medicare, Planned Parenthood, Green Programs, NEA, PBS, student loan guarantees, etc) which scam out trillions of dollars and produce zero.
Perhaps before you bring something political into a non political argument... such as healthcare, and compare it to warfare... you should read some history and see that healthcare and public health are responsible for saving many lives as well as credited in winning wars... such as the war that won us independence, the civil war... I can go on and on if you like
How many U.S. Soldier lives were saved as a result of this investment? In my book; one is enough to merit the building of these vehicles.
I'd like to see your books, because I'm sure you're in the red.
If the life of each of our troops is worth $20 billion, no sane economic analysis would ever justify sending them to war! Clearly our politicians do not attach such a premium to American lives, and clearly we as a nation have utter disregard for the value of the lives of the people in the countries we are occupying.
I am all for spending money where needed to protect our soldier's lives, but I'm not for turning a blind eye on spending by the military industrial complex. If these trucks could have been built for 10 billion instead, then that would have freed up another 10 billion for some other military priority (or the same amount of money could have been spent providing contraception worldwide, thereby actually improving global peace and security).
As many have said, if you value soldiers' lives, then you don't send them to die in the desert for no good reason, and you certainly don't vote for a draft-dodging deserter/baseball team manager as commander in chief.
What do we have to show for the $2 Trillion invasion of Iraq? A bunch of old trucks and some dead kids?
These money did not disappear or something: they were simply re-distributed.
Stick Hummer name plates on them and set them loose on the highways. No one will know the difference.
BRING THEM HOME AND PATROL OUR BORDERS AT HOME!!!
Use them to fight the cartels/Sell them to Mexico!
If we sell the to Mexico, the cartels will steal them!
That is a grand idea! Another reason to spend some more money building good roads all the way along the border so these behemoths could move around!
Might come in handy, once the Zombie Apocalypse happens!
They will be storing some at a nearby NG facility, when the zombies come I am heading there to grab one.
This is the best response I've seen.
In that case I want to buy one!
As long as they have enough room for ammo that's good for countless double-taps...
NASCAR's new division.
Send the vehicles to Detroit, Chicago,etc. Use them to patrol the streets. And I mean "use" them.
looks like they would be great for entering where a gunman has barracated himself in.
And then we wonder why this country is broke. The taxpayer $ that is wasted in this country is astounding.
Just mothball 'em. Sure as shootin' (no pun intended), there will be another conflict somewhere else where we won't be wanted and we'll need 'em again to protect our troops.
How were these $$ wasted, when the MRAPs saved countless lives?
if it saved 10 lives it would be worth it. At the end of every war they have billions of junk. At the end of WWII they just dumped over board 1000's of new and serviceable aircraft that would never be used again.
Hindsight is always 20/20
It's never as simple as that. What if the money spent on these things could have saved the lives of 1000 vets instead (if spent on medical care, for instance)?
Too bad the cost of these vehicles was not worth all the lives of American service men and women that were protected and saved.
BTW, it seems these vehicles served their purpose effectively.
I guess it is not about protecting or not protecting. It is about how efficient was the solution.
Let them do something while we are throwing money at them...
Paint them black, send them home and sell them to the local police departments – once the SHTF, old MRAPS and our unemployed, hundreds of thousands, soon-to-be-sent-home (according to Obama) of troops on meds, will be sent to a town near you to control the locals from getting too close to the 1%'ers.
every parade will have a dozen or so....
Wake up America $40 billion spent on a war that was not necessary but solyndra goes bankrupt after we put in close to $500 million into the company and the Rethuglicans are having a fit not to mention it was an investment in our future. Oh and that $40 billion was just for these vehicles, Bush and Chaney sure screwed us.
And the Democrats too. They voted for the war.
A majority of Democrats in the House voted against the resolution (82-126) while a majority of Democrats in the Senate did vote for it (29-21).
Meanwhile, Republicans in both the House (215-6) and the Senate (48-1) overwhelmingly voted for it lockstep with very few against.
Stating that Democrats voted for it
So let me get this right, you have issue with the cost of protecting/saving the lives of our fighting men and women but think the political payola of Solyndra was a good idea? I can then assume you have never been nor have had any children in the battlefield, and your enjoying the Obama/environmentalist Koolaid….. Wow!
and...thanks Barak and Joe for continuing to spend money like water from the faucet. It's Obama's war now, four years later and still underway.
another example of how the US spent 40 billion of non-existent money to protect troops in a war that shouldn't have been waged...and a war that nobody can pay for! The US runs on funny money! They spend what they don't have...its the american way!! And we don't think Greece is our future?
There is a huge difference in our economy and Greece's; not only in size and scope, but in terms of what the united states can do to prevent a greek-type tragedy at home. Your analogy is a bit off.
A good idea would be to sell many of them to local police SWAT teams. They could always use vehicles like that. Prepositioned storage is always a good task as if needed again in the future, they will be available. There are a ton of ways to reuse them. We vote people into office to come up with good ideas but seems the only good ones are coming from right here.
No, I say that when the Zombie Apocolypes comes about, these can be used to drive from safe zone to safe zone and roll over the walking dead.
I had a dream about the apocalypse last night. It's gonna happen!
... that or sell surplus to armored truck companies who'd like to upgrade their vehicles for bankroll pick-ups and drop-offs.
Ha ha ha, don't worry, when the race wars start, they'll be put to good use I'm sure! Why not donate one to every local police department in the United States? Might as well send a bunch down to Florida right now.
Yeah, I'd hang on to those. Twenty to one we're back to fight another war in some God-forsaken Middle Eastern dust bowl within a few years.
Funny... On the one hand they say that people's lives are invaluable and that no expense is too great to protect them, but on the other hand they are quick to jump into an baseless, avoidable war (Iraq) that shows how little they value the military people's lives in the first place. Maybe throwing the 40 billion at a hasty solution to the IED's helps them sleep at night.
make Dick Chaney cover the costs of the production..
Sell 'em to the morons who bought Hummers.
I resemble that remark.
Oh wait. I drive an American-made economy car.
Sorry, knee-jerk reaction.
Put a water canon on them, and donate them to the various police forces to keep rioting sports fanatics under control when they're team loses.
I don't know of anyone who would disagree that Gates' use of the word "kids" to describe our men and women in uniform is insulting. No American who goes to war regardless of age can ever be considered a "kid" again.
I could us one on my farm.
They could make a fortune back if they sell them to those waiting for the impending apocalypse. Or the re-election of obammy.
I need one to go down town and go shopping for groceries.
I was glad when they got them to save our troops lives. They could store them in dry Tuscon where all the old military aircraft sits.
I know what they will be used for. Homeland security to run civilians over. I'll bet $5 it happens this year.
Get out of the way then!!
I hear ya brother Bob
I would buy one
at $2,000,000 each, they are a bargain.
So would I.
Coming to a freeway close to you soon . . .
Should use them for Homeland Security, Bomb Squad, and Swat personnel. Homeland Security wasted money on new ones when they could have used these. The Government Accountability Administration should be looking into this.
Save those for the next Republican War .
This investment is too $$$ to throw away. Why not turn this over as a project to Student Think Tanks at several Universities. Great ideas come from young minds.
Sell them to the Mexican government, they sure need them against the cartels
How about giving/selling them to the border patrol to use along the border with Mexico? Maybe a little overkill but they'd be put to use. Or how about Alaska state troopers using them out the wild up there? I know the armor on these vehicles is a bit much for either use but better than having them sit around rusting away.
"My attitude was, if you are in a war and kids’ lives are at stake, you’re all in," Gates said in an interview last year. --- How about bringing the kids home from a useless war instead?
Either Texas or Arizona is where they will reside. No doubt.
Just throw them away. Like you do with the rest of our taxes.
justin, what's your point?
the "throwing away" of our national treasures – taxes, the lives and health of many young people, our reputation as a beacon of light for the Rule of Law – was done by the fools that got us into Iraq with no idea of what to do or what needed to be done and who took us into Afghanistan without bothering to finish the job before they got distracted by idiotic ideas about changing the world by invading Iraq.
the MRAPs saved the lives of a lot of our troops, and were not wasted money. the waste was bigger and far different. the waste is why we needed the MRAPs in the first place. and if you want to talk about stupid waste, had Rumfeld not resisted buying them for so long, a lot more of our young kids would still be alive today.
Justin, I didn't know that you had to pay taxes like the rest of us while working at the carnival. You poor guy.
I'm sure Arnold Schwarzenegger would take one.
Can I buy one it would make rush hour traffic a lot more fun!!
I agree. I need one for the afternon drive home. I might need to rent out out the seats in the back to other workers so I can cut down on the gas bill.
Knowing these things you'd probably have to fill up several times on your way to work.
Strip the tech out of them like we do the Fighter jets and sell them to the middle eastern countries.
Strip the armour off of them (Recycle) and use them as APVs
Go to countries were mines are still an issue well after WWII and defuse them all
Sell them to Puff Daddy, P.Diddy, pop
Send a few over to catepillar and see if they can turn the dang thing into a contruction vehicle and if so then give them to the states
Use them as recruitment tool, sell them to Hollywood, use them as anchors for aircraft carriers.
A lot of people came home alive because of the MRAP. It was a good investment if you ask me.
I am one of those people who would not be alive today if Mr. Gates hadnt OK'd the purchase, 500lb bomb 0- MRAP 1
w00t. Glad you made it. Thanks for being there for us!
We should just leave them over in the middle east, don't you people know we are going to invade iran soon?
If these things were used successfully in Iraq, then we just need to hold onto them. Iran has similar topography, and this government will soon have us at war with them, so these vehicles should get plenty of use.
We should save them , were not finished over there yet , if your going to give them away give them to ISREAL , Syria is on the war front for America , Its only a matter of time .
Actually Madtown, the topography of Iran is more like Afghanistan than that of Iraq. Iraq is predominately flat until you get into the northern regions near either the Sinjar mountains or the northeast part of the country (near Iran) but your point is taken. They worked well in Afghanistan so keep them in the event Iran acts up.
you'll see one of these in a neighborhood near you soon. much like the Hum-v
Sell them to the teabaggers. They can race them at nascar tracks. They can use them to pull their trailers out of the mud. They can use them to take their cousins out on a date. They can drive them to Walmart to shop for hunting knives and ammo. They can paint them to look like a confederate flag. They can finally junk their rusty 1964 motorhomes. They can drive them to Washington and wreck the White House lawn. They can install rifle racks. They can paint misspelled slogans on the sides. They can hang a "Don't Tread On Me" flag on the aerial. They can drive them to KKK rallies. But they won't use them to make a trip to the dentist.
Being trapped in your own mind must be frightening.
DumbZanyA$$: Nah, give them to the Secret Service so they can haul around the First Lady on her shopping trips. Fill them full of ice and let Obummer drive them around on his frequent golf trips. Issue one each to Pelosi and Reed and make them drive back to their constituency each week, instead of using more tax dollars to fly them in military aircraft. Fill them up with explosives and drop them on the Syrian military and Iranian nuke sites.
That's hilarious!!!!!!!! And so true!!!!
I'm not fond of right-wing extremists. But that's a nasty comment that serves no good for anyone.
What can you do to meet the Right half-way so we can do great things for America?
Hey Joel I didn't know it was bring your kids to the pool day! (I know we are dorks) but how funny that was sort of a picture of thgnis to come! And yes you and your sister make some pretty cute little kiddos!
No brainer. Put them in pre-positioned storage just like we've done with tanks, trucks and artillery for over 30 years. Absolutely no reason to get rid of them, and it is far cheaper to maintain them in long term storage than to buy them new when needed.
Have them repurposed to be used as armor vehicles. Since they have extra protection against bomb attacks I am sure some of the armor companies in US would use them.
These things don't stand up to enemy fire any better than a Humvee does. Their major advantage is increased resistance to roadside bombs, and reduced chance of flipping over due to their wide base. They can't handle terrain, as stated in the article, like a tank can. These would not be very useful for an armored company.
They are actually more prone to roll-overs because they have a high center of gravity and are extremely top-heavy. Especially the one depicted in the picture for the article.
Actually they do stand up to enemy fire much better than a humvee, and they are far more prone to rollovers.
As a survivor of many firefights and a 500lb IED in an MRAP, I would say you have no idea what you are talking about. My MRAP took a direct RPG hit in my window and only caused a black smudge on the armor. Live through it, then comment, not the other way around.
Obama can spend that in a weekend on one of his vacation trips, what's the big deal?
Such ignorance...quite sad really.
I agree, lots of people know the truth about Obama
Gosh, I forgot!
Being in a 24/7/365/4 job is SOOOOO easy! After all, how could ~president's name here~ EVER possibly justify going somewhere other than the White House just so they can relax and be on call?
Anna Posted on Wish I could have gone with you guys. I always want to look back at Hunter and then I alsomt fall over. Typical me LOVE these pictures of the ride.
40 billions $ ,for 20,000 trucks: 2 millions a piece!!!!
The whole $40 billion wasn't used just for the trucks. But yes, they were expensive.
I hope you do know that they are heavily armored proof and come with a lot of the latest technology.
The way our government spends money on the military is ridiculous. The One World Trade Center in NYC cost around 4 Billion. Tallest office building in the USA. They spent ten times that much on trucks and misc crap for the military, when we should have gotten out of that hole years ago. A-mazing.
MRAP, I slightly agree with JustAMusicTeacher, however I think your disgust is misplaced.
The "CRAP" saves lives. The government points the military and congress pulls the trigger...whether you agree with the direction, the military is a tool both in war and peactime. Its not CRAP if it saves the lives of our military. You should back the military members, brave men and women that do what others can't or won't do. If you dont agree with where they go dont take it out on them, but on your elected official. The military member is not the problem, and protecting them and taking care of them is as much a responsibility as educating our children and helping the disefranchised.
Does it really matter how much the cost if they saved the lives of our troops? Hell NO! Small price to pay to save a life of someone who risking theirs for ours.
I'll bet we're saving more than $2 million in medical care for each one of the TBI's these have prevented.
What's your son's life worth Joe? Two million is a bargain!
Sell them to countries with the terrain these vehicles were designed for. Let countries like Iraq, South Africa, Qatar, Saudi Arabia...etc buy them.
I agree, remove any "classified" equipment and sell them to another country. We do that with a lot of our other old equipment.
Just what we all need, a bomb proof over wide monstrosity that you can't drive on the street, can't park anywhere, that gets a half a mile to the gallon and only cost the taxpayers 2 million dollars each.
It amazes me how many ignorant rednecks want one just so they can tear up what is left of the countries forests and deserts.
you might think differently if it was your life that these saved
I guess saving lives of our America's finest doesn't mean much to you. Those vehicles served their purpose, which was saving lives of our soldiers. I don't view that as wasted money
I think signing flea meant people want to buy them in America and use them as regular cars.
$40 billion on the TOTAL project.
20,000 are returning.
The article never stated that $40 billion was spent on 20,000.
Not all of them are returning.
Reading comprehension- NCLB gets the donkeys and the elephants.
SELL THEM TO THE AFGANI'S OR IRAQI'S THEY STILL NEED THEM TO PROTECT THEIR TROOPS FROM INSUGENCY
Technically that is the best way to dump some of them; sell them off to all the other dictators they're friendly with too and keep 5,000 of them for the next inevitable war that we're probably going to start
Countries are still at war all over the world and troops/government officials still need to be safely transported. Sell them to the highest bidder (with the obvious restriction being bidders can only be governments we support). People won't care what you sell them for as long as you can make sure that money gets back into our system i.e. earmarked for public schools.
I want 1...for the zombie apocalypse!
I suppose that we should feel lucky that they got into service at all, considering how defense spending usually goes.
Finally I can ride through Camden, NJ without worry.
Sell 'em to Batman!
Have the Israelis buy them, for when they go to war with Iran.
Would be nice if they sold the MRAP as surplus like they are doing with the M35 and it's variants. I wouldn't mind owning one. Besides, I
've already paid for one anyway.
Cheers, nice to there are some gud guys here to support Sanath. Some guys are tnkliag like donkeys. they dont kno about Sanath. He was the No 1 batsman & he was the most successful captain in Sri lanka. Am i right??? so just think about that he was a worrier for last decade he sometimes fighted alone to protect our team from loses so now they are not tnkliag about that.i dnt like the captancy of Sanga(only wat i see) eventhou he handles the pressure when he is batting he cant handdle the pressure when he is in the field & he doesnt like to get others support. AS A CAPTAIN he has to get 100% from others not only performences the ideas too i havent seen much that hes tnkliag with others when hes arranging the feild mostly with Sanath he doesnt talk with him he can have some gud ideas with Sanath.no point of tnkliag with him he will retire when he want as he did with his captancy so now we have to cheer our players to the victory in this USA tournament so we'll support our team no more arguments ok guys.. this is our team we cant change it now so come on all now we'll blow out kiwis this tym hope Sana will come to his blastering form again with Dilshan Go SL GO . (0)
How about this idea? Congress stays the hell out of the military except for the budget and lets the people who actually fight wars and deal with the fallout of their trigger-happy "lets finish Daddy Bushes war" make the decisions? And people wonder why the defense budget is so bloated. Could part of that be senators and representatives interested in keeping pet programs and bases going long past their use in spite of the military trying to save some money? For almost two centuries the US military got along just fine with Congress sticking to the budget and promotions authority the US Constitution allocates it and leaving the rest of the President and the commanders.
Maybe if we cut some of that civilian "oversight" *cough interference cough* out things would actually work better.
Apparently no one here values the lives of the American and allied soldiers that this vehicle saved. Let Al Qaeda run free all over the Middle East and have free reign to attack Americans or others wherever and whenever they want, as long as you have your windmills (which, it turns out, heat the earth) and your government programs to support you, right?
Please try to focus. This article was not on global warming nor on entitlements.
I'm not sure how that is applicable...
OK, back to work. Lunch is over and I'm out of popcorn...
To quote a very oft-repeated Republican deflection argument: "Your words are merely straw-man arguments."
1/2 a gneiss day, everypeeps.
Well, I would think that SWAT teams around the country could have one... I mean, they could retrofit them as building-busters or for insertion teams against sniper fire or what not. Maybe turn them into extreme EMT vehicles that can get closer to fires or injured personnel due to the armour? I'm sure the government can figure out a way to actually get some USE out of them versus them just sitting on some lot at a base, rotting away.
Nice job my friend!
Bullseye!
I was thinking along those same lines. I'd like to see them staged around the midwest, and tournado alley for rescue service. Stuff a big plow on the front of the thing and it can get through to people trapped in the rubble. etc.
Give some to every SWAT Team around the country. Use some as armored vehicles for banks too. Come on people, think!
Okay, that's funny....posting the same idea at exactly the same time.
Yea, great... more militarizing of the Civilian police, making them think they are not civilians, brilliant idea there...NOT...!!!!!!
Sierra...anti-police? been arrested or was it a friend that got arrested? I've never been arrested myself, so not really sure how to take your comment. I am a cop myself, but try to treat others as they treat me...it's not always easy, as i am not allowed to treat some of them as they treat me..punching-kicking is now becoming free speech according to some activist judges. Police started wearing body armor becasue criminals were excercising the "free speech of protest" by stealing or punching others. We have limited armored vehicles because police are being shot at...it is a response in escelation by criminals or threats. I am sure youve seen some "law abiding" citizens expressing their artistic free speech with Forebombs aginst the police. ( notice they dont use those methods against judges).
I have noticed people that REALLY dont like police are normally split into students (who want to be attorneys) or College proffessors (who run little fiefdoms due to tenure...not all are bad) or defense attorneys...along with a smattering of other people.
Now in the this modern world departments take anyone qualified regardless of sex, religion or race. So instead of being a civil rights attorney for a whole lotta money$$$...ohhh and helping people too. Break the cycle and become a Police officer where you can see what its like dealing with people that dont like you...actually prevent the abuses that I assume you believe all police commit all day long. Isnt it better to prevent the "abuse" then to allow it to happen and take it to court? Cmon...fight the evil empire from the inside!!!!!
FYI...I have never been sued and only had 2 complaints (unsustained) in 20 years after numerous arrests....I dont cross the line.
Signed,
A Good Cop
Sierra,
Vehicles like this are necessary across the U.S., bad guys don't play by rules as you may have noticed many officers have died as of late. While, ok, they may not be 100% perfect cops out there, most are good people who do do their jobs. Remember the flip side there isn't 100% perfect people either. Heck, these occupy america people who are causing problems are not causing their share of issues. The world isn't perfect but you cant just blame the cops for all the bad things out there, the public, like you, are too blame too. So you may have had a bad experience? one officer or department doesn't mean the whole U.S. is like that. Maybe you need to vote in a new sheriff?
I meant to write "are also" not "are not"