|
Hey Mike,
As a deployed soldier I have to rebut your comment about the 0.4% being better suited towards equipment and gear. Lately, the DoD and DoA have been pretty lackluster in their performance creating new and updated gear and equipment for soldiers. I wonder how much was spent in the recent ACU change that fielded flame-retardant ACUs to troops overseas? Since each soldier gets one such set of ACUs, I fail to see how it helps except possibly in the case of dumb luck. I mean, I can only wear the same uniform in this heat so many days before I really just need to wash it. Yes, even infantrymen wash their clothes.
We upgraded the M1114 HMMWVs to the new FRAG-5 armor kits. While on the surface this seems great, it's actually been a nightmare. The FRAG-5 kit adds several thousand pounds to the base weight of the vehicle taking it, without pax or equipment, far above the chassis' weight limit. In turn, the trucks break down damned near weekly with power steering (and thus brake assist) hoses breaking regularly due to the strain of trying to steer the newly laden vehicles. Being stuck 15km away form any base with a vehicle that has lost power steering (and the loss of pressure in that pump also leaves you, as I mentioned, with no brake assist) is problematic. We have three deadlined vehicles, meaning less people on missions, meaning lower security for those of us on those missions. This has been on-going for the four months we've been in theater so far.
What of the new body armor? They plan to start fielding it to ALL soldiers deployed in theater in the next month or so. The protection is the same and it weighs 3 pounds less. To me, that's a terrible waste of tax payer dollars, and money that would be better spent taking care of the families back home.
So, this 0.4% is better spent continuing a cycle of developing inferior new gear that is all but useless (and in some cases a hinderance) to the soldiers? I think not. Hey, we have pretty green lasers now to use as a non-lethal means of stopping vehicles. Yay! Oddly, these are usually only deployed against non-threats. People intent on delivering a VBIED don't need to see... they don't target very well to begin with. Another waste, IMHO.
Perhaps if they started fielding better gear. Rounds with greater accuracy distance (the M4 is far more capable that the standard ball rounds we use allow for), armor that is lighter (by more than 3 pounds) and/or is more protective. Vehicles with greater armor capacity AND with chassis modifications/replacements that allow for the weight. Those would be useful, but are nowhere in sight.
I'd take the 0.4% additional raise, personally.
__________________
The prospect of achieving a peace agreement with the extremist group of MILF is almost impossible...
-- Emmanuel Pinol, Governor of Cotobato
My Homepage
|