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Well, those Strykers are the top of the line in the newest US Army technology. We wouldn't want to be unfair to Iraq by coming in with such an overwhelming technological superiority and look like bullies by sending our overpowering Strykers in. What would the UN think?

Technological superiority? Newest US Army technology. Those Stryker IAV's are thinly armored, poorly armored "death traps" that are going to get a lot of good soldiers killed in the next war--maybe as soon as Iraq this fall. Having fancy comms and neat digital displays ain't going to mean jack squat when confronted with 125mm cannon armed Iraqi T-72s or even T-55s for that matter. The Iraqi tanks will wipe them out. Won't even be a contest. Imagine the headlines--"Top of the line US Army Stryker Brigade smashed by Saddam's armor". We don't want to give Saddam that kind of propaganda victory, now do we? I'd really like to see you explain exactly how you think 50 cal MG armed Stryker armored cars are going to deal with Saddam's 2200 tanks or even his 3700 BMPs and BTRs for that matter.

Agreed. I'd rather have M8 Bufords over the LAV Strykers.

But the LAV-25 is better than the M113, IMHO.

Personally, my view on the "Modernization" is that we ought to add two or three "light" (relatively light) armored cav regiments that could be deployed somewhere. Same organization as a heavy unit, but replacing M1A2s with the M8 and M3s with the LAV-25.

I'd really like to see you explain exactly how you think 50 cal MG armed Stryker armored cars are going to deal with Saddam's 2200 tanks or even his 3700 BMPs and BTRs for that matter.

The Iraqis will be utterly devastated, of course. Shinseki says so. And just imagine when the third-generation version of the Stryker, code--named 'Slapper' comes out. Armed with the latest in .22 LR single-shot weapons, and protected with a dense coating of Pentagon papier-mache.

(The original post was intended to be sarcasm, but I forgot the little 'sarcasm' symbol. But I suppose the Iraqis could be hurt from shrapnel from exploding Strykers, of course...)