Oh, Look Over There!
In another classic case of misdirection, the Pentagon is responding to Spc. Thomas Wilson’s question to Rumsfeld in Kuwait by talking about the great strides they have made in upgrading the armor on Humvees. While I’m sure the Specialist is pleased to know about these improved Humvees, he was probably hoping for information about providing armor for the vehicles his unit operates: trucks and tractor-trailers.
Not only is there no existing program to upgrade the vehicles for transport units, there isn’t even a plan to start such a program. For those who remember the recent case of the Guardsmen who refused to haul the tainted fuel, this was their basic complaint.
To be sure, there are explosive devices that will take out tanks, but the transport units would like enough protection to stop bullets from AK-47s and shrapnel.
As has been known for centuries: armies are dependent on supply lines. The fact that our Army truckers are not supplied with: armor, maps, GPS units, or radios, shows the basic failure of our current Defense Department leadership. This isn’t a new problem that is the result of the shift from conventional to guerrilla warfare, this problem has been part of the entire operation: anybody remember Jessica Lynch and her transportation unit?
