A continuation of the last thread on this topic that is now locked.


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10,000th MRAP Delivered to DoD

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued July 3, 2008)

The rapid response by the Department of Defense to protect the warfighters reached a major milestone today when the 10,000th Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle rolled off the assembly line and into government hands.

In February 2008 the MRAP program office, headed by Marine Corps Systems Command, recorded its 5,000th MRAP vehicle acceptance. That milestone was reached less than a year after the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made MRAPs the DoD’s top acquisition priority. Since then, the program has advanced at near-unprecedented speed, doubling production of the life-saving vehicle in just over four months.

Gates said, “This is a significant achievement. This program has gone from zero to ten thousand in just about a year and a half. These vehicles have proven themselves on the battlefield and are saving lives”

"The many successes of the joint MRAP vehicle program are the result of an overwhelming team effort by the many players in this program," said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, MCSC commander. "From production to integration, from transportation to fielding, many commands and organizations have played major roles in this program.”

Within weeks this 10,000th truck, which is built to help withstand close-up impact of an improvised explosive device while protecting people inside, will join its predecessors on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., is the designated joint program office and manages the overall program for DoD. Before being shipped overseas, the MRAP will be installed with weapons, radios and other equipment by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command center at Charleston, S.C. From that point U.S. Transportation Command takes over and moves the vehicles by air and sea to the combat zone.

The final contract order for MRAP vehicles is expected later in the summer, bringing the overall total more than 15,000 vehicles in the current build-up.

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GAO Warns of Runaway MRAP Costs

LINK

July 17, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The accelerated pace the military has used to buy and deploy thousands of heavily armored mine resistant vehicles for Iraq and Afghanistan could lead to problems with maintenance and cost overruns on the top priority project, according to congressional investigators.

Congress has appropriated $22 billion to acquire more than 15,000 mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, also known as MRAPs, to protect troops from roadside bombs and other insurgent ambushes, according to the Government Accountability Office report. Defense Secretary Robert Gates designated the program as the department's highest priority acquisition last year.

That meant testing of safety and performance occurred while the vehicles were being bought, raising the possibility costly errors would be uncovered after the fact. More than 100 vehicles the military paid for were not fielded because of problems discovered after their purchase, according to the GAO report made public Wednesday.

"While the department's concurrent approach to producing, testing, and fielding the vehicles has provided an urgently needed operational capability, it has also increased performance, sustainability and cost risks," the GAO concluded.

The MRAP program has so far fielded 6,600 vehicles for the Army and Marines. They are made by contractors that include units of the British firm BAE Systems, General Dynamics Corp., and a unit of heavy truck maker Navistar International Corp.

The MRAP vehicles have been in high demand from commanders in Iraq since 2005 after insurgents began to use explosives that could penetrate the armor of troop carriers and other vehicles. An even more durable version, known as MRAP II, is currently under development.

Cheryl Irwin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, said the Pentagon had received the report and would respond to it.

"This is something the leadership in the department is going to take a look at," she said Wednesday.

The GAO also said the number of contractors involved in building MRAP vehicles could prove costly and create delays. Using a wide range of vendors may lead to problems finding parts for the different types of vehicles each contractor produces, and the military is still in the early stages of training technicians to repair them all.

The purchase of MRAPs has been largely funded through supplemental defense budgets, emergency spending measures the GAO said can obscure the cost of long-term maintenance. Those costs have not yet been determined, the report said.