"I remain concerned that, more than eight months later, the Department of Defense still has been unable to ensure that our troops have the equipment they need to perform their mission as safely as possible," wrote Senator Collins in a letter to Secretary Rumsfeld.
Senator Collins' letter follows a recent town-hall meeting in Kuwait where a soldier asked the Defense Secretary about the lack of armored vehicles in Iraq. Senator Collins described Rumsfeld's response to the question as "troubling."
"You stated the Army is moving to produce as many armored Humvees as possible, yet apparently only after the soldier's complaint did the Army request Armor Holdings in Jacksonville to produce an additional 100 Humvees a month. Thus far, the Pentagon has received only 5,910 of the 8,105 of factory-armored Humvees commanders say they need. Why was this request not placed earlier to increase fully armored Humvee production from 450 to 550 a month at a time when many of us brought to the Pentagon's attention the shortages relayed to us by our constituent-troops and their families," asked Senator Collins in her letter.
"Given that so many American soldiers have died or been seriously injured in Iraq as a result of improvised explosive devices or in ambushes from rocket-propelled grenades, the urgent requirement for armor protection remains," she added.
The complete text of Senator Collins' letter to Secretary Rumsfeld is as follows:
December 15, 2004
The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Mr. Secretary,
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 2, 2004, I expressed repeated concerns to Acting Secretary of the Army Brownlee about the shortages of body armor and fortified Humvees for military personnel in Iraq. While Mr. Brownlee asserted that progress had been made, I remain concerned that, more than eight months later, the Department of Defense still has been unable to ensure that our troops have the equipment they need to perform their mission as safely as possible.
In his testimony, Acting Secretary Brownlee stated, "The requirement for up-armored Humvees proportionally had never been that great, because their performance is somewhat degraded by the heavy weight of the armor. So there wasn't a feeling that all Humvees should be up-armored." He continued saying the operational environment shifted and the Army realized all soldiers were potentially exposed to IED attacks, particularly against convoys. Mr. Brownlee admitted the operational environment required a much higher demand for Humvees than initially planned. After this admission, I am very concerned that it appears the Pentagon failed to do everything in its power to increase production of up-armored Humvees.
During the town-hall style meeting with deployed troops in Kuwait last week, your response to a soldier's question about the lack of armor was troubling. You stated the Army is moving to produce as many armored Humvees as possible, yet apparently only after the soldier's complaint did the Army request Armor Holdings in Jacksonville to produce an additional 100 Humvees a month. Thus far, the Pentagon has received only 5,910 of the 8,105 of factory-armored Humvees commanders say they need. Why was this request not placed earlier to increase fully armored Humvee production from 450 to 550 a month at a time when many of us brought to the Pentagon's attention the shortages relayed to us by our constituent-troops and their families?
Additionally, a company finishing a $30 million contract with the Pentagon this month to make 1,500 armor kits for Humvees is only working at 50 percent capacity and recently made the Pentagon aware it could produce much more.
Given that so many American soldiers have died or been seriously injured in Iraq as a result of improvised explosive devices or in ambushes from rocket-propelled grenades, the urgent requirement for armor protection remains. Armored and up-armored vehicles, as well as body armor, are critical in protecting our men and women in uniform while serving in this hostile environment I look forward to hearing from you regarding the need for additional armored vehicles in Iraq. Sincerely, Susan M. Collins United States Senator