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WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2006 – The Defense Department announced today the revision of a memorandum on the policy and procedures for the reimbursement of privately purchased protective equipment for Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The new memo, which was signed Feb. 10 by David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, incorporates the original guidance published on Oct. 4, 2005, expands the list of reimbursable equipment, and extends the eligible purchase period for reimbursement. The full reimbursable equipment list now includes: Complete ballistic vests; Most component parts of ballistic vests, including side-plate body armor;...

Iran plant 'has restarted its nuclear bomb-making equipment' By Con Coughlin, Defence and Security Editor, in Washington (Filed: 11/02/2006) Iran's controversial Natanz uranium processing plant has successfully restarted the sophisticated equipment that could enable it to produce material for nuclear warheads, according to reports received by Western intelligence. An aerial view of the Natanz plant In the past few days Iranian nuclear scientists have reportedly restarted four of the centrifuges required to produce weapons-grade uranium, and have begun feeding them with uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas, a key component in the production of nuclear bombs. This crucial development follows Iran's decision...

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Feb. 10, 2006) -- Thousands of pounds of equipment travel from base to base on a daily basis in Iraq. This being home to the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), it is often the center of activity, processing gear to forward operating bases. Tracking all this equipment can be an arduous task, but with the help of the portable deployment radio frequency identification tag kit made by Savi Technologies Incorporated and the Marines of Marine Air-Ground Task Force Distribution Center, the of tracking these shipments is made a little easier. First Lieutenant Scott E. Beatty, an operations...

Survivors Praise Body, Vehicle Armor to House Subcommittee By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2006 – Three soldiers just back from Iraq -- including two who credit personal and vehicle armor with saving their lives -- traveled to Capitol Hill today to tell Congress that when it comes to protecting troops, more isn't always better. "We're here to say we're pretty happy with what we have," Brig. Gen. Karl Horst, the 3rd Infantry Division's assistant division commander for maneuver, told the American Forces Press Service before appearing at today's House Armed Services Committee's Tactical Air and...

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of available trucks, boats, planes and federal officers were unused in search and rescue efforts immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit because FEMA failed to give them missions, new documents show. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency called off its search and rescue operations in Louisiana three days after the Aug. 29 storm because of security issues, according to an internal FEMA e-mail given to Senate investigators. The documents, released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, are further evidence of lapses in FEMA's response to Katrina. They also detail breakdowns in carrying out the National...

IRAQ(Army News Service, Jan. 24, 2006) -- For many Soldiers, even the new Advanced Combat Helmet is a necessary evil; it can be cumbersome when in the dining facility trying to handle a tray of food and it causes headaches and tension in the neck when worn on lengthy missions. Sgt. Shawn Snyder of 3rd Infantry Division’s 2/7 Scout Platoon is one Soldier who will never complain about wearing his helmet again. With good reason … it saved his life. Snyder’s mission was to serve as a routine escort of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal detail to the forensics building in...

The mine roller offers soldiers protection against improvised explosive devices. It was built by mechanics from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Vincent Fusco Mine Roller Offers Protection for Troops With some old-fashioned ingenuity, unwanted equipment and creative minds, the U.S. soldiers created a unique machine to combat improvised explosive devices. By U.S. Army Pfc. Vincent Fusco 20th Public Affairs Detachment FORWARD OPERATING BASE LAGMAN, Afghanistan, Jan. 12, 2006 — A trailer pushed by a Humvee may look strange, but there's a reason why this cart is put...

FORT DETRICK, Md. (Army News Service, Jan. 10, 2006) – Crucial equipment to help wounded Soldiers in Iraq has been fielded over the past five months, thanks to a new system of communication between medical units in theater and experts here. Anticipating what materiel the Army's medical professionals need before they deploy is one of the missions of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Now the command has a system in place that lets Army medical units tell the command what they need even after they've deployed. By tagging along as a medical expert on the Army Materiel...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 10, 2006 – A new piece of communications equipment is giving Afghan National Army units the capability to stay connected with each other and their operations centers regardless of the distance between them or the types of radios used. The Advanced Control Unit-Tactical, or ACU-T, is designed to serve as a bridge between divergent communications systems to allow communications between ANA units with incompatible radio systems. Produced by Raytheon, the unit is the newest addition to the ANA's communications inventory. Before the ACU-T, most ANA units used either VHF radios that have a maximum range of 40...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2006 – The Army will continue to improve body armor issued to soldiers, and will begin manufacturing side-panel inserts to the Interceptor ballistic armor, officials said here today. The side panels, which weigh 3 pounds, will be made of the same material as the small-arms protective inserts. Army Col. Thomas Spoehr is in charge of fielding body armor. He said the Interceptor body armor now issued to servicemembers protects against most of the threats they face in Iraq and Afghanistan today. "It's the best body armor in the world," Spoehr said. And the proof is in the...

By Will Dunham Fri Jan 6, 11:19 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Better body armor could have prevented or limited about 80 percent of fatal torso wounds suffered by Marines killed in Iraq, a report by U.S. military medical experts obtained on Friday said. The report, conducted for the Marine Corps by the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner and not released to the public, examined the cases of Marines fatally wounded from the start of the war in March 2003 through June 2005, and found weaknesses in the torso protective gear. Bullets or shrapnel hit the Marines' shoulders,...

U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn Snyder displays the helmet that saved his life from a sniper in downtown Tikrit, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn Snyder Helmet Protects Soldier from Sniper Fire By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment FORWARD OPERATING BASE REMAGEN, TIKRIT, IRAQ, Jan. 6, 2006 — For many soldiers, the new Army combat helmet is a necessary evil. It can be cumbersome when in the dining facility trying to handle a tray of food and it causes headaches and tension in the neck when worn...

American troops in Iraq are discovering, through combat experience, that more changes are needed in the type of weapons they should carry. As the U.S. Army Special Forces have discovered, if you are well trained and know what you are doing, you should carry a pistol, in addition to your rifle. But not the official issue 9mm pistol, but something with a bit more stopping power. The Special Forces prefer a new model .45 caliber (11.43mm) pistol, although 10mm weapons are also popular. The reason for this is that you are most likely to be using the pistol indoors, where...

Local TV newsperson wants to favorable story on GIs who are purchasing own specialized quipment for duty in Iraq. Interested primarilly in weapons and weapon accessories (special sights, mags, flashlights, etc.) and self-protection equipment (vests, helmets, etc.) Particularly interested in anyone in Central Florida area who has made such purchases for self, friends, family....

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Dec. 1, 2005) -- Following the Corps’ recall of more than 10,000 protective vests in November, Marine Corps Systems Command officials are defending the decision to initially field them to leathernecks in combat. Headquarters Marine Corps ordered 10,342 Outer Tactical Vests pulled from the operating forces after media reports indicated some samples tested by the manufacturer and by the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland failed to fully comply with ballistics standards. The Outer Tactical Vest, together with Small Arms Protective Inserts, composes the Interceptor Body Armor System, which has been credited with saving numerous...

Humvees weren't designed for the threats in Iraq, but Texas Guardsmen have kept them going by pulling and installing new engines, transmissions and stronger springs, all strained by the weight of the heavy armor that was added after the vehicles came off the assembly line. Soldiers run the vehicles to the max in an extremely rough hot territory. Mechanics clean up the mess when a seal breaks, transmission slips or bomb shatters the vehicle. And they do it with scant recognition even though they, too, get pinned with medals and have buddies killed.

The U.S. military plans to leave thousands of trucks and combat vehicles for the Iraq Army. Officials said the Defense Department has approved a plan in which the U.S. military would not withdraw from Iraq together with much of the equipment deployed in that country since 2003. Instead, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps would transfer the vehicles and weaponry to the Iraq Army. U.S. commanders and their Iraqi counterparts have been discussing the transfer of U.S.-origin weaponry and vehicles, officials said. They said the transfer to the Iraq Army would take place in stages. "We have discussed what our...

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Nov. 3, 2005) -- The Marine Corps is searching for a larger, more capable combat transport to replace the Humvee. The Fires and Maneuver Integration Division of Marine Corps Combat Development Command is outlining the requirements for its future vehicle, dubbed the Combat Tactical Vehicle, with the goal of fielding the first CTVs in 2011. Kevin M. McConnell, deputy director of the Fires and Maneuver Integration Division, said the Humvee, while a battle-proven tactical vehicle, is beginning to show its limitations in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The Humvee A2 is a great vehicle, [but] it has...

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) made a brief port stop in Bahrain Oct. 14, where Sailors loaded 13 pieces of heavy equipment bound for Pakistan. The machinery will be used to assist the victims of the worst earthquake in that country’s history. Pearl Harbor, a dock landing ship, usually transports Marines and their combat equipment to areas worldwide. The crew of approximately 425 is on a regularly-scheduled deployment to the North Persian Gulf as part of maritime security operations (MSO), and it received orders to change course in order to load dump trucks, front-end loaders, backhoes,...

KRTSANISI, Republic of Georgia (Sept. 27, 2005) -- Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program U.S. Task Force logistics Marines have been issuing the Republic of Georgia’s 22nd Light Infantry Battalion 275 types of equipment ranging from weapons, vehicles and uniforms to pencils, folding chairs and mess kits. The ongoing gear issue at the Krtsanisi National Training Area, Republic of Georgia, which began Aug. 17, is almost complete, according to 1st Lt. Marcelino Hsie, the GSSOP logistics officer and native of Tucson, Ariz. According to Hsie, the gear has been permanently issued as a donation to the 22nd Battalion under parameters...