Posted on 12/30/2004 8:47:02 PM PST by ArcLight
Tom Briggs was surprised to hear Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cite capacity constraints to explain the shortage of vehicle armor in Iraq.
Briggs is vice president of Protective Armored Systems Inc. in Lee, which has made 16,000 bulletproof windows for Army Humvees and is waiting for more contracts. Like other armor executives who say they've got idled capacity, Briggs said he's been frustrated by the slow pace of Army orders.
"You watch the evening news and Rumsfeld says you can't get the people to do the work, and that's not true," Briggs said.
Such complaints have put heat on the Army to explain itself, in the wake of Rumsfeld's Dec. 8 statement that the work was going as fast as possible.
Yet Army officials say they don't need the help. Instead they have set up a $4.1 billion armor industry that's a mix of federal weapons depots and a few big privately owned factories. So far this empire has sent 15,263 armored Humvees and armor kits to Iraq and Afghanistan, or 69 percent of the total needed. By July it is scheduled to deliver armor for most transport vehicles in the region as well.
"It's a big success story that, frankly, the guys have gotten a bum rap on," said Gary Motsek, a senior civilian executive at the Army Materiel Command at Fort Belvoir, Va., which oversees the production.
The two competing views on the Army's procurement strategy, from both the insiders and contractors like Briggs, will be at the center of congressional hearings next year. "The question, and it's a legitimate one when it comes to protecting our troops, is: Why not enlist everyone who could contribute to a solution and make it happen now?" said Jim Ludes, a defense aide to Senator John F. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Read the last paragraph, JFing Skerry's defence advisor OH
YEAH, this must be thae same a-hole who advised Skerry to vote against giving our troops body armor, and a whole lot of other cuts too.
The Dept. of Defence needs better procurement procedures.. this much is evident..
Limiting your sources of equipment means no competition, and no need to reduce costs..
Can you say $400 hammers ?
The Army doesn't have as many constraints as other gov't agencies, but it still is a gov't entity.
When it comes to procurement, the Army, like all the military deprtments are micromanaged by Congress via the Federal Aquisition Regulations. Realize the FARs are really not a coherent plan, just a collection of hysterical reactions to past problems. And there's no problem too small that doesn't require a giant answer.
The media loves to say they can by a flashlight bulb at Home Depot that the Government buys for $5. Well Home Depot will tell you where to stick your paperwork and to take off without selling you the bulb if you handed them stacks of paper that they agree to go to JAIL if there's imported jeweled bearings in the bulb, if convict labor made the bulb, and so on and so forth, including a "subcontracting plan" so the disadvantaged can share in your "work".
Procurement contracts are slow to process because CONGRESS passed legislation that created these regulations. Award a contract by shortcutting the process and see what happens in court when the losing bidders sue. CONGRESS set up the time consuming rules/regulations and now they are beating up the DoD officials for following it. No wonder why people HATE POLITICIANS!!!!
It was never designed to be an armoured vehicle, but grunts like us just can't help ourselves, so it winds-up sprouting .50 cals and sidewinders - whatever we can steal (I was called 'Quartermaster' in my Regiment because of my ability to 'find' stuff)!
I was priveledged to watch the assembly of some of the first Hummers in Mishawaka, Indiana ( nobody EVER called it a Humvee - it was always a HUMMER!), and the good people there knew they were making a winner,especialy after Arnold picked his up!
It is beyond belief that the Hummer is as good as it is, but it is the best 4-W-D platform ever built, and I've seen some Soviet and East German crap go up against it, but they rolled down the hill.
I will give the Russians credit - They were able to start that Lada, and drive it away without windows, but we're still the best!
And Doctor Raoul, lighten-up, pal! We're still friends, and this ain't rocket-science. Happy New Year, Y'all,..............FRegards
You know what? I bet I am right on this one!
Happy New Year to all... and FReegards,
IR
If you can't "score" in Mishawaka, Indiana, you can't score.
Personally, I think Rummy got his armor confused when he made the "physics" remark in the Town Hall meeting.
Somethings do have a fixed minimum time and just because you want a baby in a month, nine willing volunteers may be fun, but meaningless.
I also know that for years, the military leaders, boatloads of them, used the phrase "the next war will be come as you are". When Rummy said, "Army you'd like versus Army you have", he was probably sharing the frustration of the last decade's cuts and the challenge of what a future Army should look like.
I also have an understanding of federal procurement and budgeting. What the Army did is equivalent to getiing a baby in less than nine months, and I know that this armoring of vehicles in theater is briefed DAILY. Two days after the Town Hall, the Pentagon gave the press every last detail of the program and status, yet they still went around bashing the US. Rummy said a lot before and after what the press homed in on, and a General said almost as much.
What the press did here was absolutely sick, it was cheap and misleading. And in the end, it didn't help the soldiers because if you don't clearly understand the problem, you won't come up with the right answer. And the wrong answer will kill soldiers.
The press won't lose friends or family, and the military are like family. Your circumstances isolate you from most other people as far as long term relationships. Also, they share a lot of tough times, which bonds them. To imply that they'd do less than their best is an insult.
That the soldier asked the question indicates the press distortions, the Michael Moore lies and the Democrat political BS has impacted our troops. His unit had their armor, he believed it didn't. That means his unit's morale was affected. Whether enemy propganda or media/Democrat lies accomplished it doesn't matter, it hurts our military folks.
Not the most efficient as to "Property Book" accounting because vests come in seven(?) different sizes and your box contains only one size. Like wise the ceramic inserts, the box holds only one of three sizes.
So every unit in thearter got the latest and greatest. The reward for those who made that happen? Criticsm for handing out too many.
$400 Hammers are really $18 hammers that are only worth $10,But have $382 worth of testing and paper work involved in the manufacture and delivery of above mentioned Hammers. ;-)
There is $395.00 for the paperwork.
Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them..
I would never criticize anyone for handing out too much ammo...
Everything, except for about ten exclusions that allow sole source procurement, and 8A procurement is competitive. Everything, everytime. Even a Small Disadvantaged Business compete against other Small Disadvantaged Businesses.
The sole source procurements are TOUGH to get, are rare and a small percentage of the $$$.
Can you say $400 hammers ?
Let me tell you to go to Sears, have you tell Sears how I want it made, with what materials, to fit what size hole I have cut in the foam in my tool box, tell Sears how they can make it, from whom they can't buy materoials, and have them assure me they're subcontracting to women and minorities via the "Subcontracting Plan" they must prepare. I'll give you $1,000. YOU can keep anything they don't charge you for the hammer I want, all I want from you is the difference between their quote and $1,000 if their quote is over $1,000.
Forgot to mention, all that BS I put in the way is what Congress does to the procurement system.
Sweet Mother, don't I know it !!!
And congress won't let the Army go to Home Depot and just BUY the damn thing..
But that IS "the procurement system" I was talking about.. it places limits on everything, and micro-manages it to death..
There really isn't any need for it, other than to create job security for bureaucrats...
Account for your expenditures, get receipts.. add all purchases to inventory, and stamp it "property of US Army"...
And guess who was standing in line to vote against any body armor. every servicepersons dream JFing Kerry. ( Did you notice PC)
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