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Grunts' Gear Is Low Tech, High Tech and Too Heavy
The Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, February 7, 2003 | ANTONIO REGALADO

Posted on 02/07/2003 6:15:30 AM PST by TroutStalker

Edited on 04/22/2004 11:48:06 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

If President Bush orders an invasion of Iraq, U.S. soldiers could face a fight in the streets of Baghdad -- unlike in Desert Storm, when the battle was won by tanks and aircraft in the open desert. Such an urban war requires different skills and equipment, and far more reliance on infantry troops.


(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
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To: Lurker
Ditto that. SOP was to strip your gear including C-rations & MRE's to the bare minimum and bring some aspirin and Baby Ruth candy bars. The sugar & carbos were a God send!
61 posted on 02/08/2003 7:36:51 PM PST by Natural Law
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To: NMFXSTC
Hogwash, if the Japanese can put a TV in a watch, why can't the US military put a combination radio, GPS, and laser designator/range finder in a small package about the size of a pair of old style binoculars. The US Army is still using a 35lb backpack radio that uses lithium batteries the size of an egg carton that has less range and battery life than a Motorola walkabout that uses 2 AA batteries and weighs 6 ounces. I left the Army Guard after 13 years of service because I was tired of all the promises of new gear that would keep us alive. Land warrior was supposed to be issued by 2005, guess what, not even close to being usable. The M-8 was supposed to be adopted in the late 1990's, program cancelled. The comanche was supposed to be on active duty by now, still in development. The Army procurement program is catasrophically broken right now and I see no hope for the future. The only reason Spec-Ops gets good gear is because they can bypass the Army procurement system.
62 posted on 02/08/2003 7:38:00 PM PST by Tailback
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To: Travis McGee
I guarantee the Brass looks upon the 85 lbs as a load budget.
63 posted on 02/08/2003 7:41:05 PM PST by Natural Law
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To: Tailback
Miniaturization is not the problem, power consumption is. Batteries take space. There is a finite minmum size required for human interface too.
64 posted on 02/08/2003 7:46:53 PM PST by Natural Law
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To: Natural Law
Exactly. Anyone carrying less will be handed mortar rounds or ammo belts.
65 posted on 02/08/2003 7:49:38 PM PST by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: TroutStalker
I wonder if there will ever be house to house fighting in Baghdad. As I recall one could merely divert the river. Without water the enemy would last about a week.
66 posted on 02/08/2003 7:52:53 PM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS (Further, the statement assumed)
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To: Natural Law
You are correct, now explain why the army radio uses a battery that weighs 3 lbs. and lasts less time than 2 AA batteries in a motorola radio that has longer range?
67 posted on 02/08/2003 8:11:33 PM PST by Tailback
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To: Tailback
Do the math. Two AA batteries put out 3V with about 100 mA hrs. No transmitter be sustained for more than a few minutes with those.

Additionally, the military has chosen to use secondary cell (rechargable) as opposed to the cheap commercial primary cell (throw away) batteries.

68 posted on 02/08/2003 8:36:30 PM PST by Natural Law
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To: Natural Law
Listen to me, read my bio, guys in my cav scout unit (including me) went out and bought motorola talkabout radios on our own dime because they WORK! I am not making this stuff up. If the military is using rechargable batteries it's news to me, of course I'm in the Air Guard now so it doesn't really count as "military". The only rechargable batteries we had in the scouts was the TOW MGU battery pack. Until January of 2002 I was in a Army Guard Cav scout unit attached to a Enhanced Infantry Brigade (which meant we got issued newer stuff) so I just might know what I'm talking about.
69 posted on 02/08/2003 8:45:34 PM PST by Tailback
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To: Squantos; Travis McGee
Great post! Isn't it a shame that all of those personal fieldcraft items are usually self-purchased!?! And then you get some moronic commander who won't let you carry them because they're not "issue!"

Still have my first pair of first-generation Danners. Boy was I happy to get those! They're trashed now from so much wear, usually in fairly "inhospitable" areas, but I can't bring myself to toss the things.

Gore Tex is the ultimate fabric!

70 posted on 02/09/2003 6:50:52 AM PST by Matthew James (SPEARHEAD!)
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To: tet68
Same in WW I. then they'd add a roll of barbed wire, a shovel or a pick , maybe a sack of mills bombs.

Seeing what leg infantry had to lug around sure made tanks more appealing!

71 posted on 02/10/2003 9:11:52 AM PST by colorado tanker (the game is over)
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To: Centurion2000
"I can see it now .... It's 1500 meters to the bad guy .... hand me the .50 iron."

Best damned line of the month!
Sorry it took me so long to find it....
Semper Fi

72 posted on 02/17/2003 2:46:02 AM PST by river rat (Help save the planet ...... Work toward the extinction of Jihadists....ARM THYSELF)
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