KENNEDY QUESTIONS GENERAL SCHOOMAKER ON LACK OF ARMOR FOR OUR TROOPS IN IRAQ

HOW CAN WE ADD MORE TROOPS WITHOUT THE ASSURANCE THEY’LL BE PROTECTED?

Washington, DC: Today at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Edward M. Kennedy questioned General Peter J. Schoomaker, Army Chief of Staff, about the lack of adequate armor for our men and women serving in Iraq. Senator Kennedy has repeatedly fought for increased funding for the protection of our troops. On January 10th he and Senator Dodd sent a letter to Secretary Gates outlining concerns and, receiving no response, Senator Kennedy sent an additional letter to General Schoomaker on February 12th.

Below is his statement, as prepared for delivery, as well as the text of both letters.

“General Schoomaker, every time this committee has asked whether you have sufficient funding and equipment to protect our troops in Iraq, we have been assured that you do.

In November of 2003 you told this committee, “This army is committed and what we’ve got to do is commit ourselves and make sure we’re supporting our soldiers.”

Three years ago, you told this Committee, “I am confident that we’re doing everything we can to move more up-armored Humvees and other armored vehicles into theater.”

When I expressed frustration about the lack of armored humvees and the need to make it a higher priority in a February, 2004 hearing, you said, we are raising production levels and “I’m with you 100%.”

In April of 2005, the deputy to former Marine Corps Commandant, General Hagee, testified at a Seapower Subcommittee hearing that the Marines had all the funding they needed for the up-armored humvees. Two months later, General Hagee assured this Committee that “the force protection of our troops is absolute priority number one.”

In June of 2005, when I raised this issue with General Myers, he assured us that “safety and the force protection of our troops is absolutely first priority.”

In February of 2006, when I asked you again about this topic you said “We’re going to continue to have to either anticipate it and overproduce, which I believe we have in body armor, or come up with other solutions to this situation we’ve got.”

According to an April 2005 GAO report, the Army said nine times that they had enough armored vehicles, only to turn around and add more. Each time, the Army paid for them with funds Congress added to purchase armored vehicles in excess of the stated requirements.

Press reports keep emphasizing shortages of armor and armor kits. General Speakes said recently, “We don’t have the kits, and we don’t have the trucks.” Last week, General Pace said troops would even have to “share” armored vehicles, because there aren’t enough to go around.

And now we learn that least some of our troops in Iraq will be sent out in Humvees not yet equipped with the FRAG Kit 5 armor, which is designed to reduce deaths from roadside bombs.

It is outrageous that the Army has been so slow to respond to this obvious urgent need. It makes no sense whatsoever, to keep ordering our troops into combat without the armor they ought to have to protect themselves.

General Schoomaker, I understand that your so-called “unfunded priority list” for fiscal year 2008 includes $2.2 billion for MRAP vehicles – the most up-to-date protection for our troops— but you are not asking for any MRAP funding in the fiscal year 2008 budget, either in the basic budget or in the supplemental.

Doesn’t that raise questions about how serious the Army is about protecting our troops? How can we be adding to more troops if you can’t assure that this committee that they have the most effective armor and vehicles?

The Marine Corps recently awarded 9 contacts for the production of MRAP vehicles that provide the best protection. As I understand it, the Army intends to reprogram about $90 million in already appropriated funds to buy about 60 of the vehicles. With more than $5 billion available to the Army in the FY07 supplemental for other procurement items why are you planning to spend such a small amount to increase production of these urgently needed vehicles?

With so much at stake the routine testing schedule doesn’t make sense unless major doubts exist about the vehicles. Lets get them to our troops as fast as possible. Lets not be penny wise and pound-foolish when the crisis is now.”

–Jill McCarthy