Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps left troops in Iraq vulnerable to deadly roadside bombs by failing to answer an urgent request from battlefield commanders for blast-resistant vehicles, according to an internal Pentagon probe obtained by The Associated Press.
Acquisition officials shelved the February 2005 request for the “MRAPs” after Marine leaders decided armored versions of the Humvee were the best answer to the improvised explosive devices that became the signature weapon in Iraq.
However, the beefier Humvees proved incapable of withstanding the increasingly powerful IEDs.
AP obtained portions of the investigation by the Pentagon inspector general. It was expected to be released publicly today.
