I've seen plenty of M2A3's laying on their sides or plumped up like a Ball Park Frank after taking the blast from an IED. Armor protection works to a point, and, of course, it has function and purpose, but it is not a panacea for avoiding risk. It mitigates some risk and creates others. See post 33. Squantos sums it up pretty well.
The rapid redeploy go light crowd have gone round the bend on this one. We aren't 96 hours into an emergency war where the number one priority is whether something fits in a C-130. We've had years to ship whatever we want on a slow boat clear around the world, we've spent tens of billions, we have thousands of contractors in country, we've know IEDs were the enemy's preferred means for almost a year and a half.
Wars sometimes are matters of attrition that last years, and we should win them anyway. Those wishing it were not so are wishing, not facing military realities. I'm all for rapidly breaking the enemy's main fielded forces, but only in maneuverist cartoons do wars end with a cheering section and a parade because somebody drove behind the enemy. In the real world, you have to hold the ground and kill anyone who still wants some, as long as it takes. Learn a lesson from reality every once and a while.