Saturday, April 24, 2004
The soldiers need and deserve the protection, the lawmaker said.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Mahoning Valley congressman asked the Defense Department on Friday why it hasn't called for an increased production of armored humvees to protect U.S. troops.
"More than a year after the war in Iraq began, we still have troops driving around in humvees with less protection than my Ford Explorer," said Rep. Ted Strickland, D-6th, of Lisbon.
Strickland said he met this week with officials from O'Gara-Hess & amp; Eisenhardt Armoring Co., who told him the company can produce up to 450 armored vehicles a month.
Letter to Rumsfeld
In a letter sent Friday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Strickland asked why the Pentagon has ordered only 300 a month.
"It is inexcusable for the Pentagon not to produce armored humvees as quickly as possible and rush them to our soldiers," he said.
O'Gara-Hess of Fairfield, Ohio, near Cincinnati, is the Army's sole contractor to install gun shields and other protective gear on High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, commonly called humvees.
In the letter, Strickland also asked how many armored humvees are needed by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what the department is doing to make sure soldiers get the vehicles as soon as possible.
"If the problem is simply a matter of funding ... I have full faith that Congress would make funds available without delay," Strickland said.
Defense Department spokesman Glenn Flood said he couldn't immediately comment on the letter, which likely would be forwarded to the Army for a response.