If PFC Hart returned fire and was shot in the neck, then neither an M1114, nor any kind of turret armor would have saved him. A more pressing and important question is this: how many HMMWVs are on patrol, when there are M113s and Bradleys sitting idle at the unit's compound? An M1114 most likely would have saved the Lieutenant. But that still leaves the case of the turret gunners. How many soldiers have been killed when ambushed in Bradleys? How many of the idiots dumb enough to attempt to ambush a Bradley are still alive?
"So as a result, we have yellow Humvees being purchased by dentists at taxpayer expense and we have no adequate supply of armored Humvees."
And with all due respect, this is absolute Barbra Streisand. If I take a tax deduction, then I am forcing my fellow taxpayers to incur an expense? Kennedy might actually be attempting to do something worthwhile by seeking more body armor for our soldiers, but don't take talking points from him.
The Winds of Change web log dealt with the M1114 shortage here:
Military Mobilization: Ralph Peters is Wrong
http://windsofchange.net/archives/004427.html It also dropped this from another Freep thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1027429/posts AM General Corp., South Bend, Ind., was awarded on Nov. 4, 2003, a $39,571,065 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for 500 M1114 up-armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle expanded capacity vehicle chassis. Work will be performed in South Bend, Ind., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole-source contract initiated on July 17, 2000. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001).
O’Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt Armoring Co., Fairfield, Ohio, was awarded on Nov. 4, 2003, a $35,675,000 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for 500 M1114 up-armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles with gun shields. Work will be performed in Fairfield, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2005. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole-source contract initiated on April 10, 2000. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-00-C-S019).