I had never seen Losses mean more armored Humvees. Thanks for finding it and sharing.
Such protection has made the $150,000 M1114 - an unarmored Humvee costs less than half that - the most sought-after ride in Iraq. While the exact number of deaths from attacks on unarmored vehicles is not known, estimates range from 30 to 60 of about 200 600 Americans killed since President Bush declared an end of major combat operations early in May.
Such statistics, along with a barrage of criticism from parents of dead soldiers and members of congressional delegations visiting Iraq, forced the Army in August to increase more than tenfold its orders for armored Humvees, to 2,957 from 235. It hopes to have 3,500 armored Humvees, including armored vehicles that are already in use in Iraq and Afghanistan, "just as soon as possible," an Army spokesman, Maj. Gary Tallman, said. Now, the Army says it has 1,500 armored Humvees in Iraq, and more than 12,500 unarmored ones.
A number of U.S. senators, like Jack Reed, D-R.I., who traveled to Iraq in July, have criticized the Army for not having enough armored vehicles. Reed's press secretary, Greg McCarthy, said, "The senator believes the administration failed to understand the mission. It didn't see the needs brought on by this hostile action."
I can't help but wonder what the Army had planned to buy with the money they were forced to spend on unprogrammed Up Armored Humvees. No doubt the Army will be criticized in years to come for not buying whatever it was.
As to Senator Reed, which you go out of your way to disparage because he is a Democrat and from Rhode Island; note that his career in the Army at multiple levels is distinguished. His interest in its wellbeing is beyond dispute. His national guard unit took 6 KIAs in one incident in unarmored humvees which alerted him to the issue early on in the conflict.
So Cannoneer, I'll let you get back to posting your infomercials.